Happiness

The Guardian: Think Positive

Wellington College now hold controversial happiness classes, where pupils are taught the ingredients of happiness. Speaking as someone who went to one of the sister schools to Wellington, I can say that public school pupils probably need happiness classes more than many children. The focus is so often on academic achievement, not other kinds of achievement. Of course, I guess it is all in the way the classes are taught, but I admire the headmaster of Wellington for his innovation. Happiness is a complex business, one that the public school I attended was pretty much devoid of.

Snowdrops

My mother brought me snowdrops yesterday, picked at home in Oxfordshire. There was something so clean and touching about this little bouquet of pure white innocence. The Nag, a wonderful website which persuades you to do something for the environment every month, sent me a nag to remind me that we should not buy red roses in February. They are flown across the world, the people who grow them are underpaid, they are immersed in chemicals and grown using water in a country that does not have enough water as it is. The Nag suggested that we send each other Scottish grown snowdrops through the post, wrapped in moss, that we can replant in the garden to flower every year.

There is something rather romantic about a beautiful bulb of snowdrops that flowers every year. Still, snowdrops might not give exactly the message that you were hoping for. They're just not passionate, are they? Luckily if you click on the word Snowdrops above you can read all about the Nags excellent collection of organic and fair trade flowers. Also, if you click on the link below you can go to The Nag's selection of ethical flower sellers. However, in case anyone is reading this who needs to know, I would be delighted to receive snowdrops on Valentine's Day, providing I also get a large bush of English red roses in the spring. OK?

http://thenag.net/valentines/guilt-free-flowers