Full of the joys of winter

   

We're half way to being happy!

21. Learn a magic trick
I like the idea, but if I did learn a good trick a) I'd bore everyone with it and b) I'd tell everyone how it worked.  At which point I'd have to learn a new trick.  So I won't even start.

22. Talk to strangers in queues
Younger me would never have done this.  But older me does it much more than my children would like.  And, one day, they'll do it much more than their children would like.  That's the order of things, my friend.

23. Steam your clothes
The thinking here is that ironing is no fun, so steam!  But here's a better idea - ironing is no fun, so don't!

24. Try a new lipstick style
Apparently, "a two-tone lip (bright red on the top, pink on the bottom) is a punchy way to lift your countenance" - which is obviously a load of old bollocks, but I can imagine it might cheer you up.  It's not entirely applicable for me though.

25. Welcome your inner chipmunk
Watch some videos of Squishy the Canadian chipmunk!  It's amusing enough, but I'd struggle to say it has a lasting effect.

26. Make every recipe in a book
Even for one that likes a challenge, this feels like a step too far.  I do find that just following one new recipe from a book cheers me up though - particularly if it turns out I like it!

27. Get darning
"It’s satisfyingly simple and anything that requires a tool called a “mushroom” is instantly appealing".  Yes, that's all it takes to cheer you up.  Bizarrely, I'm the darner in our house, but it happens very rarely - the main thing that gets mended is a stuffed gorilla, which happens once every five years or so.

28. Scream
Go into the woods and let rip.  Result? - "release your winter demons, and return home glowing".  Unfortunately, everyone else in the woods will not be so refreshed.

29. Bat your lashes
By which, it means wear falsies - apparently "the 84 Goddess True or False are so natural looking most people will (enviously) mistake them for your own".  No, they won't.

30. Listen again to well-loved music
You might think I don't have time for this, but I do OK.  I have a "general" playlist which has about 800 tracks on and I shuffle it up on Alexa and, every so often, it encourages me to move across to an album or an "Alexa, shuffle the top tracks by <X>".  Listening to new music is important, but nothing beats listening to music you love.

31. Seek solace in a book
An extra one today because the full list has (obviously) 53 suggestions on it - I agree with the principle, but not so much the recommendations.  The latest from either Michelle Obama, Patti Smith or Brigitta Olobus, anyone?  No, me neither.

Not the best selection - reading a book or listening to music for me it appears.  Which are hardly left-field suggestions, so maybe I'll have to settle for funny lipsticks after all.

#11-20 : Walking backwards whilst reading Dickens
#32-42 : A rubbish selection