It was time for our themes...the restaurant was still buzzing and so we felt it was the right time to discuss this month's theme 'Finding a Happy Place.' I was disappointed that Danielle wasn't here for this bit as I felt certain she would have entertained us with her possibly rude interpretation of the theme. Instead I kicked off with my theme, which was a collection of photographs of my happy place in Finland. My happy place is my husband's family summer house, we go there nearly every year for some well earned rest and relaxation. What I love about it is that there is nothing there but a beautiful lake and forest. The summer house is nestled amongst the trees and the sauna house is just below on the edge of the lake...where you can lay inside and look out of the window to watch the sunset. Sometimes we row the boat around the lake, pick blueberries from the bushes surrounding our house or take long walks through the forest. At night my husband makes up recipes and cooks us an amazing dinner and then we go to the sauna and swim in the lake as the sun sets. When it gets dark we take wine down to the deck and sit by the lake watching the shooting stars. There is no sound, just the sound of the water lapping against the rocks. Everything is so easy, so far away from my worries and problems. When I sit on the edge of the deck, staring out to the sunset with my feet dipping into the warm water and a warm summer breeze caressing my shoulders that's when I know I am in my happy place...there's nothing else like it...I come alive.
Caroline discovered her happy place just recently...it was a dark, foggy day outside and she sat snuggled up in her fleecy pyjamas and beanie hat (which has shares in all female moments!). Caroline loves the Scandinavian style of interior design and showed us some examples she had found in a magazine. The clean, white lines with splashes of red, sheepskin rugs and fairy lights. Her living room is almost there if she could only convince her partner that the sheepskin rug would be an investment, a classic time piece to complete their Norwegian feel living room. And so Caroline realised that this is her happy place...her cosy living room, lit up with twinkling fairy lights and keeping her cosy and warm in the cold, murky afternoon. She settled in for her girly afternoon complete with customary chocolate and cosy slippers and snuggled down on the settee to watch one of her favourite films...Predator!
Amanda had struggled to find her happy place and so decided to write a list of the places where she felt happy...at her desk being creative, in the kitchen cooking, reading with a nice drink in her hand or having a chat with a friend over a cup of tea. And then she realised that she doesn't really have a happy place...home is a happy place if the circumstances are right, ideally with the right company. And so she took inspiration from the book "The Happiness Project" by Gretchin Rubin and found that she is at her happiest when she is growing and striving after goals. This inspired Amanda to start her own embroidery project. Of course Amanda who always plays down her theme then fetched out something truly amazing, a fantastic embroidery, which although not quite complete was making Amanda set herself a goal. Although often these projects can frustrate her, after speaking to her Mum on the phone who advised her to just do a little bit at a time...she discovered that her happy place is being at home, working on a project (a little at a time) often with somebody there that she can talk to.
Phoebe found that she had more than one happy place. She began by talking about her cat Boris...being at home with her faithful cat who always manages to make her feel happy. She then listed some of the simple things that help her to find her happy place...reading Sainsbury's magazine (especially the Christmas issue); drinking a mug of hot chocolate whilst snuggled up at home; her recent visit to the cinema at midnight to watch Breaking Dawn she found, was definitely a happy place to be. Making cakes with Catherine; driving in the car listening to Fleetwood Mac; watching trash TV like Strictly Come Dancing and Merlin on a Saturday night; wearing new pyjamas; chatting in the car with her boyfriend Alex and finally being at The Intellectual Dinner Club. All of these things made Phoebe feel content and in her happy place. 
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