Happiness, the greatest gift that I possess

Firstly - sorry about the title. I can never resist a rhyme or a song quote and that one kind of forced it's way in as soon as I typed the word 'happiness'.

My friend Laura sent me an e-mail recommending the following blog to me: The Happiness Project and reading it inspired me to send an e-mail to my husband to tell him how much he added to my happiness. I had been wondering what to blog about today, but the mail I sent to him (with all the soppy bits cut out) seemed like a ready-made post, so I hope he won't mind that I copy/pasted the following from the mail I sent him.

I've sat and read a few posts on it and mindfulness came up - do you know what that is? It's something I need to keep an eye on, I think. It's basically staying aware of yourself and the moment you're in - that if you want to spend the morning lying on the sofa eating chocolate cake and reading a trashy novel (to pick an example out of the clear blue sky ;-)) then that's fine and it will add to your happiness - as long as you've made a conscious decision to do it over anything else.

Does that make sense? It means that if you've done all the important things you need to do, or have prioritised and decided that they're less important than lying on the sofa etc, then lying on the sofa is a great way to promote your happiness. If, however, you're only half concentrating on the sofa-lying whilst the rest of your brain is occupied with the things you 'should' be doing, then you're getting in your own way.

So I'm going to empty the dishwasher (hurrah - we have a dishwasher here! Love the new gaff!), wipe down the kitchen counters, clean the litter tray (bleurk) and hang the washing out and then I'm going to, say, cut myself a large slice of chocolate cake and take my Georgette Heyer to the sofa (just as an example, y'know...!)

Book Review: Divas Don't Knit

Divas Don't Knit, by Gil McNeil
Since moving to this new place I've rediscovered the joy of a library. Public libraries are nothing like the university library, but somehow over the last few years I had forgotten this. I had grown to visualise all libraries as dull, sterile places full of 'worthy' books on dry subjects, that would give me a headache just to carry home, never mind actually read.

No more! I have found shelves full of trashy chick lit and craft books. All my knitting books are from the local library and I have been racing through some truly great awful fiction (Georgette Heyer anyone?)

My fave so far was a bit of modern chick lit entitled 'Divas Don't Knit'. Jo becomes a widow on the same night her husband reveals he is leaving her. A new start seems not only desirable, but imperative so, packing up her knitting and her two small boys she high tails it to the small seaside town where her granny runs a yarn shop.

Taking over the shop gives her a new focus as she buys in new stock, redecorates the shop front and creates a workshop where she can host a regular stitch and bitch. Attracting new custom whilst maintaining her regular granny trade is a delicate balance and on top of all this she has a house to unpack, two small boys to get settled into school, a movie star demanding knitting lessons and a love interest hot on her tails.

I refuse to be shamefaced about my choice of comfort reading - I like 'em trashy with something of my own life recognisable in the mix if at all possible and this was perfect. Funny, sarcastic, warm and with a positive ending that wasn't a happy ever after, this is the perfect pick-up for those sofa days you have no real excuse for!

It is obvious that the author knows small children and has a keen eye for the comedy in the everyday. I absolutely guarantee that you will enjoy this book and get a lovely warm feeling from it, usually only induced by a sneaky bar of chocolate - and this is far better for the waistline! Even better - the storyline, whilst comforting, is not utterly predictable. I'm good at predicting storylines on TV and in books, but love it on the rare occasions I am surprised or confounded! Apparently the author is working on a sequel to this book, so I'll have to see if she's finished it yet and request it from the library. I do love a series :-)


ps- we've even picked up lines from the book which have infiltrated into out everyday dialogue. Bramble the cat is referred to as a Grumpy-potamus when he's in a strop. A perfect comedy insult, outstripping by a long way my baby sister's favourite insult as a toddler: "poo bum".

pps- Hurrah - Just found out that the sequel, Needles And Pearls, has been released - time to ring the library!