Happy, happy, joy, joy!

  


Are you not cheered up yet?

11. Pick a new Christmas decoration
I like the idea and my wife does this from time to time - despite the fact that we hardly have a square millimetre available on our tree.  I'm not entirely sure I quite go with The Guardian's option though - anyone fancy a memento mori skull on their tree?

12. Walk backwards
How is this going to cheer you up?  Apparently you should start with ten steps and build up - I have absolutely no idea what this is supposed to achieve.

13. Change things up
"Walk to work a different way, switch to a more nutritious breakfast cereal, or get off the bus one stop early".  Allegedly, we repeat about 40% of our habits every day - I'm not entirely convinced by the number but I do agree we are creatures of habit and it never hurts to try to something new.  When I go into the office, I like to go out for a walk at lunch on a route I've not done before - when it's not raining, so I've not done it in ages.  But the thought's there!

14.  Perform a ludicrous serenade
This is half a good idea and half a "probably not good but I've not tried it" idea.  The good bit? "Whack on Total Eclipse of the Heart or Freak Like Me or Dancing in the Dark, and get miming".  No complaints there.  The other bit? "while making unbroken eye contact with someone".  Hmmm.  However, I have to admit I'm tempted to try this with Mrs Reed to see which one of us collapses into hysterics first.

15. Read Dickens and feel lucky
Bleak House is the recommended volume - mostly because it's so bleak it'll have you thinking "well, life could be worse".  Which I'm not sure quite counts as cheering you up, but I do actually want to read some Dickens.  If you haven't seen the BBC adaptation of either this or (particularly) Little Dorrit then they're well worth a watch.

16. Draw on a banana
"For the hygiene conscious, edible marker pens are available".  I don't think we'll read a more Guardian sentence than that today now, will we?

17. Wash your car
"Don’t have a car? Offer to wash your neighbour’s, and score double on the feelgood factor".  What are these people on?!?  This is a ridiculous idea - unless it's being read by my neighbours, of course.

18. Buy foods you can’t identify
'It might be black limes, a box of tamarinds or a rosewater drink with vermicelli pieces".  And that last one had me thinking "I thought vermicelli were noodles" - I was so confused that I looked up what they were.  And yes, of course, they're noodles.  And black limes are dehydrated limes that look absolutely disgusting.  Having said all that, I do love a trip round a Chinese supermarket.

19. Make someone else happy
I totally go along with this, although The Guardian says you have to do it visibly because witnessed acts of kindness are contagious.  Nothing to do with unwitnessed acts of kindness being wasted, obviously.

20. Make a retro recipe
It recommends "popular Twitter account @70sdinnerparty" by which they actually mean "popular Instagram account @70sdinnerparty", the last "recipe" of which is entitled "Rabbit mousses", which seems to show a rabbit made of kids biscuits on top of a pile of lime jelly - which is an interesting look, to say the least.  And who thought I'd mention lime jelly in two consecutive posts - can I get it in the next one?

So to cheer myself up I will now be walking backwards singing a ludicrous serenade whilst reading Dickens for me - I don't expect to last long before falling over.

#1-10 : Grow a beard whilst making a jelly
#21-31 : Read and listen to music with funny lipstick on

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