A WARM AND FUZZY FEELING

Newsflash: It didn’t rain last weekend, as I’d crossed my fingers for, hoping we could all hygge with abandon as thunder rolled in. I really must try harder. Nonetheless, I did try to hygge, though I confess it doesn’t come that easily to me. No one likes a soft duvet more than I do (I even coined a nickname for some bedding that I recently bought, it’s that fluffy), and I drink endless cups of tea. I read actual books and, goodness, do I love a fireplace! But as we learned last week, that’s not really what hygge is about.

Am I always ‘present’ during those moments? (Does thinking about dinner count?) Am I able to simply enjoy something, instead of moaning?

No, I am not. I think I am becoming a first-class whinger.

My family even made a joke about it as we stood watching the sunset from the new Boardwalk on The Palm Jumeirah, asking what’s on my list of things to gripe about. (First up: Why are there no benches on the Boardwalk?)

It’s not too bad, though, because we were all whingeing, after having been told we had to pay for parking at a new theme park that’s a long way out of town. We found it rather pricey. In a way, it was a group activity. We bonded over the warm and fuzzy feeling of being overcharged. That’s my hygge.

In happy-feelings news, we had a super response to last week’s cover story – Friday readers, do you ever love hygge! Head to page 15 to hear how your fellow readers practise it in this week’s ‘Story Tellers’, and discover our new question, which is actually a challenge.

The cynics among you will find plenty to mine here: Yes, our Valentine’s coverage starts today. But hopefully you’ll agree we’ve done it in a cool Friday way.

If a memorable piece of jewellery or a timeless watch will make your beloved’s heart beat faster, then take a look at the pieces we photographed on page 38. You won’t see too many heart-shaped baubles; instead our fashion editor chose enduring gems, because a necklace isn’t just for Valentine’s, it’s for life.

And if you want to book a getaway, near or far, we’ve got some nice ideas for you on page 62. Enjoy.