The weather’s not great and no matter what the time of year, we don’t know what to expect anymore, so the best we can do is make the most of every moment.  If it’s raining, lets just jump in puddles.

Whenever I need a bit of prespective, I transport myself back to a family holiday in Namibia and as this image of my son and I so richly illustrates, there is something bigger than we can ever understand, but we just need to trust in life and the path it takes us on.  It is a wonderful world. 

The children are back at school tomorrow after a week’s half term and I shall miss them and the time we have shared – work, play, hospital visits, letter writing, jigsaw puzzles, wardrobe clear-outs, swimming, walking and the most wonderful valentines.

Valentines is super special for me; it is the day I first dated my dear husband of 19 years, the day we became engaged and the day my darling daughter was born.  This particular day began with breakfast in bed, Sunday papers and chocolate cake with a rainbow of candles.  My daughter opened her presents with approving nods and even a little overt gushing - England pj’s from her father and earrings in a rather fancy satin ribbon-tied box from me; utterly irresistible, even for a nine year old.  And the most thoughtful present; a handmade card from her little brother , so clearly made with love and devotion.

The celebrations moved onto lunch at my daughters favorite restaurant and even the lack of warmth could not dampen her spirits.   We then dropped into Hamley’s and on hearing it was my daughter’s birthday, the staff and most all the customers on the ground floor broke into traditional ‘happy birthday’ song as as she stood beaming on a podium. We then gave each child a budget of  £12.00, which they spent wisely weighting up  the pros’s and con’s of each potential purchase before coming to their own conclusions.  We rounded off day with surprise tickets to Thriller at the Lyric and whilst it is not really my thing, I loved every moment of watching my children sing and dance and revel in a day that was totally about indulging them and not about our want’s and needs.  Whilst this whole week has been spent around the children, I must confess my mind has been all over the place but the day of love was 100% dedicated to my family and that felt good and that’s love.

I feature these candles on my site (happinessitself.com) and have them in every room in my home – love, joy, heart and love.  I never light them but just enjoy their beautifully sculptured shape.

Oh, the joys of working from home.  It’s a space that should inspire creativity so why work in the dark, dingy corner of the house when what is needed is natural light, shelves full of books, space for mementos that hold meaning, a comfortable chair and a decent desk – giving yourself a prime position to work from at home will give you better results in your working day – so worth it. 

I was privileged to meet with Marcia Kilgore for a mentoring session last week and who better given she has created three exceptional companies – Bliss, Fitflop and Soap and Glory. She shared her knowledge and insights with ease and honesty in the same way she does with her brands.  Here is a women who is truly passionate about creating products that offer real solutions whilst proving you can still have fun in the process.  By the way, I am delighted to own a pair of fitflops and I can confirm, they are supremely comfortable,look and feel good and the icing on the cake, they make me stand tall and boost my every walking moment in terms of fitness; it is no wonder over 4 million pairs have sold to date and to get your pair, visit www.fitflop.com.

Whilst I can search out the visually inspiring, I have no talent for painting.  How I wish I could paint and play the piano like my daughter does so effortlessly.  Whilst I can only appreciate all things beautiful, I am fortunate to be surrounded by many who can create and that brings me to Chloe Butcher, who I have been working with recently.  Chloe is a renowned make-up artists with a celebrity client list, but beyond that she is so much more.  She writes beautiful poetry and accompanies them with paintings, inspired by her two daughters. See more of Chloe’s work on her site.  chloebutcher.com.

Whilst looking for a little design inspiration I came across this www.fourwallsandaroof.com.  Look at these lovely, inviting living spaces and go to their site to see many more. 

For me, all things shiny and new just don’t have the energy or aesthetics of different styles and era’s in furniture and clashing colours and prints all mixed together.  Here in the house of Marianne Cotterill the retro rocking chair looks stunning with the floral rug as do the modern and traditional sofa’s.  Mix it up and have some fun.  

I have enjoyed every moment of this beautiful day spent working on projects that fill my heart and soul with gladness.  There is another reason I feel so happy – I have a wonderful new man in my life besides my darling husband.   I am referring to Mr Rares, who has been taken on to spare me of dealing with all things technical, which he does without fussing or flapping and which I thought was a prerequisite of all such tasks.  And then there is Emma, my adorable assistant, who is a creative illustrator, passionate about all things interiors related and remarkably good with excel spreadsheets – is it possible to have all that in one person?  Finally there is Ali; a friend and  truly gifted photographer and I mention her as I was looking through these sublime images she shot recently for a project we are working on.