MY WEEK BY FRANCIS GAY

How good to see some sunshine, After cheerless rainy days, Although winter’s still upon us, It helps the spirits raise, Spring flowers already sprouting, Green buds upon the tree, A new world slowly awakening, To the blackbird’s reverie.

At the risk of sounding like an old codger...

People say that children these days have far more than any previous generation when it comes to toys and electronic gadgetry. While some children, sadly, have as little as any past generation, the internet has opened up so many possibilities.

All of which is by means of explaining my delight when a child stopped at the little toy section in a book shop and, after 30 seconds practice, was squealing with delight as she worked a yo-yo with a level of expertise I never attained.

I mentioned this to my friend Isabel, who told me, “Our Betty was the Glasgow yo-yo champion in 1950!”

I wonder if the modern electronic games will last as long. They might. We can’t ignore them, but we can balance them out with the classics. Your children – when they are no longer children – will thank you!

It was a Valentine’s Day promotion at a motorway service station.

The young daughter of a staff members met everyone coming in with a box of chocolates, asking if they would like one.

She had already told me which was her favourite, so I made sure and left it for her, then I took a seat in the café to watch for a while. A few minutes later, a couple came in to the same welcome. Their response was a little over the top, I thought. They sat down near me, holding hands and kissing. I smiled.

He looked over and said, “We haven’t talked for the last 200 miles. But, how could we stay annoyed with each other after that?”

He nodded to where the little girl was greeting more travellers.

It’s a simple thing, but it’s the answer to so many problems; a little more sweetness!

It had taken Maureen a while to properly unpack the household stuff left behind when her mother died.

There were many things that brought back memories but, most of all, she wanted to show me the handkerchief. It was silk with a lacy trim. It was slightly discoloured and a bit frayed. So, why was it so special?

“Rather than packing her wedding dress away once she was married,” Maureen explained, “mum stitched pieces of it into her daughters’ wedding dresses and the lining of her son’s wedding suit. She made blankets for their babies from it. She made this hankie from it and would stroke it with her thumb when she worried for us. She dabbed away a good few tears with it.”

I watched Maureen’s thumb stroking the handkerchief unconsciously as she spoke and guessed a tear or two of her own might join her mother’s after I left.

There’s a white-board in the staff room at Cara’s school.

It’s used for general reminders but last week was a quiet one as far as the board was concerned, so someone wiped it clean and wrote, “Today I love …”

And during the week people added things like, my class, hot soup, finishing early, my husband, breakfast, gentle rain, my dog, hugs, my mum … and so on.

“Weirdly,” Cara told me, “it seemed almost to raise the mood of the whole school.”

Well, people reminded that they have someone or something to love can’t help but pass that feeling on.

Maybe we should all get a white-board for our homes and make a point of starting each day focusing on what we love.

Then take that feeling out into the world with us.