Your thoughtful Heyday Friday newsletter
A different sort of, hopefully helpful, blog, a celebration of autumn, a clever home hack, and a thought-provoking recommendation in this week's newsletter
You have no idea how long it took me to work out how to take that shot so that a) the writing on my sweatshirt was the right way round and b) actually in the frame. There were an awful lot of pics of my armpit, my chin/s (definitely not my best feature/s) and the logo back-to-front or cut off in a myriad of different ways before I managed to capture this one.
Now that you know the lengths I go to in order to get everything just right for you, I’m hoping you’ll also appreciate this week’s blog which the picture relates to, and the thought and impetus behind it.
It’s an unusual post but one that hopefully resonates with you, and can help when you find yourself in a situation where the strategies in it could help. Read it by CLICKING HERE
Mark Twain had it right about kindness when he said these
WORDS OF WISDOM
WHAT’S MADE ME HAPPY THIS WEEK
In one word - autumn. I’m not sure there’s anything I love more than when autumn is in all its full technicolour glory and the fabulous reds, yellows, greens and golds of the leaves are framed against a brilliant blue sky. How about you?
SMART SAVE TIP OF THE WEEK
Want a really effective way to remove water stains from a wooden table? Then head to your fridge.
Yes, you did read that right. Because it turns out that the oil in mayonnaise works wonders at displacing the moisture in the water stain and getting rid of that cloudy looking residue on the wood finish.
Using a paper towel, dab the mayo onto the stain and let it sit for a few hours, or overnight, with another piece of paper towel on top. Wipe away with a clean cloth then polish and your table will be good as new again.
THIS WEEK I’VE BEEN…..READING
With a storyline that explores inequality, class, race, exploitation and the unsettling vision of high-end, professional surrogacy, you might expect The Farm to be heavy going. But it isn’t.
This page-turning novel introduces us to a cast of characters who include ferociously hard-working, endlessly entrepreneurial Filipino Ate, her unworldly cousin Jane who is desperate to provide a better life for her baby and ruthlessly ambitious Asian-American Mae, who runs Golden Oaks, a luxurious surrogacy centre for the ultra-rich, where the ‘hosts’ - the women carrying the babies - are protected, pampered and controlled in ways that become increasingly ominous.
There’s plenty to get your teeth in to in terms of moral, philosophical and ethical challenges in the story, but also plenty to enjoy in the plot which unfolds as Jane signs up to become a Golden Oaks host and learns how to navigate the lavish, but rigorously demanding regime, her relationships with her fellow surrogates and the intentions of the manipulative Mae, whilst, increasingly frantically, missing her daughter who she has left in the care of Ate.
Provocative, disturbing, tense, insightful, The Farm isn’t a book you’ll forget in a hurry.
You can find THE FARM at all good bookshops, including Waterstones
Binging it back to the blog with this week’s
FRIDAY FUNNY
But of course you’ll have to READ IT to find out how.
That’s it for now. I’m off to Paris to visit some old friends for the weekend. What a treat.
Be kind to each other and see you next time.
Thank you Diane
Have a wonderful weekend en Paris
Au Revoir 🇫🇷🍷