So damn hoo-gah

With 17 books on Hygge  (pronounced hoo-gah) gracing our bookstores this winter, the chances that you'll get one for Christmas are fairly high. Absolutely everyone is at it; soon Dave Cam will be tweeting #hygge whilst he's #chillaxing at his country manor. So why all of a sudden have we become obsessed with Danish wellbeing? Perhaps because we have had such a totally rubbish year? or maybe we feel we need permission to take some down-time in our frenetic wi-fi dependent lives?

So what exactly is Hygge? After doing a bit of reading it seems that the clever Danes have sold us the concept of 'cosiness' and are now laughing their chic woollen slipper- socks off. Initially I was  concerned that there would be an element of winter sportiness involved, but no, it seems to embrace Hygge is to remain slothsome under a blanket eating vast amounts of sugar for the rest of the winter months. (hip, hip, hoo-gah). Well not completely, there seems to be a collective element to Hygge suggesting that we put down the devices and come together for some wholesome family fun (nb: the Danes are particularly fond of singing....). This poses a number of challenges in my house given that a. Board games incite violence in the children, b. The big child refuses to listen to stories and c. They are both obsessed with the nasty FA premiership, yuk (all that polyester). The only common ground we seem to have is food, central to all good hyggers.

The Danes embrace the concept of very slow food (not so good for greedy 7 year olds seeking instant gratification). So our family winter hygge is all about smores. For the uninitiated, this gourmet delight is a marshmallow toasted on the fire and then squished delightfully between two biscuits (preferably chocolate). Embellish as you wish; peanut butter, sprinkles and chocolate buttons are the shizzle.  Smor-ing is greeted with great enthusiasm and for a few sacred wonderful moments our family sits around the fire toasting marshmallows feeling very self satisfied and so damn hygge (until someone gets jousted with a toasting stick).

Stay warm and cosy

Sophie xxxxxx

A very sheepish hello

I am writing this blog with my tail between my legs. Five years ago I scoffed at social media, laughed at the premise of blogging, thinking what kind of crazy narcissist documents their every move like a reality TV show?  And yet here I am with a full bevy of Social Media accounts embarking on my first blog, feeling very sheepish. 

The truth is this funny old life is quite tricky to navigate and I find great solidarity in sharing ideas with others.  So this is my chance to write about the little things that cheer me. This may sound incredibly shallow but lovely things,  people and places have always got me through. Whether its a great writer. an amazing chocolate cake, a nice thing you can do with your kids or a cool little independent shop, it's about the small light hearted non essentials that keep us ticking over. FEAR not, there won't be sanctimonious life goals nor details of the minutiae of parenting. Essentially its going to be rainbow sprinkles for grownups and I hope that you will join the conversation and let me know what gives you a little spring in your step.

Sophie xxxxx