So yesterday was a shitty day. It was more than that – it was a crying-in-the-toilets-at-work kind of day (don’t ask). I cycled home, singing, and that made me feel a little better. But I was still, as my father used to say, “bouleversé“.
But then I walked up to my front door and this was lying on my doorstep…
Total surprise, totally lovely. And I forgot my crappy day and smiled and got very excited (and hoped it wasn’t a giant turd). It wasn’t! It was a little apple crumble from the lovely people at This Is Your Kingdom which I really enjoyed eating and which made my day just so much better. Now I know they don’t actually care about me, but it was hand-made and hand-delivered and just such a lovely idea that I love these guys now. Their website lists lovely local things to do, which you can contribute to, and they love their baking so do check it out.
The fact is, there is nothing nicer than receiving something that is (i) a surprise; and (ii) hand-made or at least not bought from Oliver Bonas (we all do it ladies). Here’s some ideas of how you could make someone else really, really happy (which, as we all know, makes us happy too):
- When they leave the flat, leave a lovely note scribbled in lipstick on their mirror so they read it when they get home. Boys – don’t use Chanel lipsticks; Girls – don’t leave a to-do list of DIY tasks.
- Create a playlist of brilliant songs around a certain theme and burn a CD to give a friend.
- Send a thank-you card for something they did for you, a lovely dinner or night you had together, or just for being brilliant.
- Make a birthday card with photos of them and you together (Moonpig / FunkyPigeon et al is cheating). In fact, just sending a friend nice photos of you together that they can frame is a lovely idea.
- Cook something – a cake, a brownie, lasagne, some jam or curd or chutney – and give it to them next time you see them for no reason whatsoever. In fact if they’re going through a rough time, turning up with a home-made apple crumble or shepherd’s pie could be the difference between hope and despair.
- If you happen to pass a florist, pick up a bunch of flowers for yourself or the person you’re about to meet. Male or female, everyone loves flowers and it makes every flat look and smell lovely.
- Call someone you haven’t spoken to in ages just to catch up or tell them something funny….