I randomly came across a sample chapter from an author and designer called Ingrid Fettell Lee – from a book called, Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. How could I not be drawn to this? Alongside the myriad of colours that sprinkled the front cover, it could not [...]
As many of you may know I have a deep interest in pain – both mental and physical, and how the two interact. Recently I was talking with my cranial osteopath, a dear, wise and gentle soul whose presence in my life is a great gift. An author of a number of books [...]
I need a new toothbrush. Seems simple enough. Electric or manual? Definitely the former, I’ve read it’s far better for your brushing. Then there are two main brands my dentist tells me, but she strongly advises one. Great. Nearly there… or so you’d think. Absolutely not. Six (yes SIX) hours later I still [...]
It’s Friday night… the candles are glimmering, the water is steaming and my bath is making headway in doing the much-needed job – saving me from my week’s exhaustion and self-questioning. Another seven days of full-on work pressures, personal challenges and the usual navigation of life’s ups and downs in today’s [...]
Silence is Bliss. It’s not a phrase that’s greatly resonated with me throughout my life. I grew up in a busy and bustling house, surrounded by family, 7 dogs and multiple other two and four-legged friends. Silence was rare, and other than when I was revising and wanted real quiet (much [...]
I think human beings are innately kind. Indeed, research tells of toddlers readily helping others to achieve their goals... the altruism within them is a natural instinct. So why is it that we hear of such atrocities around the word? And headlines shout that we in Western society nowadays are ‘all [...]
Ilana and I are sitting in the car on the way to Swansea… we’ve had a very ‘challenging’ week (as one of my good friends would say!). In fact, the way I’ve been describing my week is ‘horrid, horrendous, horrid’. My mum fractured her pelvis (yet again!), and has been in [...]
Do you have people in your life that bring you joy? They walk through the door and you know before they’ve even arrived that they are going to brighten your day? We talk lots at the Happynesshub about ‘finding your happy’ – things that lift your spirits, warm your heart, give [...]
We’ve coined a new phrase at Happynesshub HQ – it’s called The Archie Moment. And it stems from my meeting the new love of my life, little Archie Archibald, as many of you will have read in last week’s blog. Archie (my new Black Lab, 7 weeks old, arriving at my house [...]
I’m driving through London and my tummy hurts. Still. It’s been 5 months of illness now and although I am out of the house and stronger, the pain remains firmly present. I struggle to think about anything else as the traffic comes and goes, the horns, the noise, the London hubble [...]
