01/14/2026
Tell me something that's made you smile this week? I'm a bit of a worrier – and we all know there's plenty to worry about at the minute – but my eight-year-old niece Eve wrote a short story that really lifted me. It's a complex family saga about an only child (who’s a monkey) concerned his parents are unable to have more children. Fortunately, the mother conceives by eating the right combination of "foods and drinks." But – and here's the kicker – it's triplets! The narrative jumps forwards in time at this point, then takes a surreal, Kafkaesque left turn. There's a bit about planting trees. There's a bit about a "sea dog" eating the trees. Tell you the truth, I struggled to follow what I presume to be complex symbolism based on the teaching of Jung. Bit too highbrow for me. But Long story short: everybody lives happily ever after. Over to you: what made you smile this week? Tell us!
