Helen Grant - Ghostwriter

What a gorgeous day. It was like spring all over again. Sunny with a cool breeze. I spent the afternoon in Torquay, birth place of Agatha Christie. Renowned as the English Riviera, it’s easy to see why. A myriad of boats floating on the marina, surrounded by pavement cafes, street music, candy floss shops and kiss me quick hats.

I strolled along the seafront, alone with my thoughts, and sat by the harbour with a bowl of cockles and Enid Blyton’s biography, listening to a fantastic street musician sing My Way by Frank Sinatra. He had the most powerful voice. It sounded like he had a loudspeaker strapped to his chest. Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind, and that song gets me every time. Here it is for your benefit, courtesy of Robbie Williams.

Open the windows in your office or house, even when it’s cold outside. A 10 minute blast of fresh air will lift your mood.

Connect with at least one person a day - by phone or in person, not email. Human contact is the best booster.

Get back to nature. Walk in the park. Plant some flowers in the garden or make a window box with colourful blooms. Walk in all weathers and all seasons. There’s nothing better than a wapped up walk through snow and sludge when the air is frosty but the sun is shining.

Listen to music. Relaxing songs are an instant mood boost. If you’re feeling energetic, crank up the volume and get down and groovy to some disco beats. Sing along as loud as you can without busting your tonsils.

Watch a comedy. Hire some funny DVDs and laugh out loud.

Declutter. Get rid of everything you don’t need. A cluttered house or desk equals a cluttered mind. Dejunk to make way for a new start. Donate to charity, recycle or do a boot sale.

Exercise. Swim. Run. Cycle. Play tennis. Walk. Play footie. Work out to music. Find an exercise you enjoy and practise daily, even if it’s only 10 minutes.

Meditate. Lie on your back with your legs up against a wall. Empty your head of all thoughts and unwind in silent contemplation. Easier said than done for some (I fall asleep every time) but the more you practise, the easier it gets apparently, and the benefits are bliss.

Eat healthy. No more junk food (okay, maybe occasionally). Make 90% of your diet nutritious and healthy and the other 10% for sinful treats. Lots of fruit and veg, gallons of water, and take a daily multi-vitamin and fish oil supplement.

Have sex. Lots of it. Enough said. Oh, and flirt, smile and laugh. Even when you feel like a steamroller has obliterated your funny bone, force yourself to smile and you’ll feel a rush of happy hormones.

Abigail woke early and stood outside Callum’s room talking in a loud voice. They’re good playmates and she misses him when he’s asleep. There was a knock on the door at 7.30. It took me ages to answer it because the children had hidden the keys. The postman waited patiently while I hunted in drawers, under tables and behind chairs.

When I finally opened the door, I must have looked a sight, dishevelled from lack of sleep and my hair hastily pulled back in a pony. But my grumpy mood soon lifted when I looked down and noticed the postman was wearing the most unusual shoes. They were burgundy brogues with white laces and thick white soles. Polished to perfection, they looked oddly out of sync with his postie uniform but it brightened my mood no end, and I told him so.

I did some writing this morning while the children played, then we stopped for a snack, and I wrote some more while they built a den under the dining room table, and played in the garden. Hallelujah, the rain stopped for about … ooohh …. 40 minutes, so we made a dash for air.

After lunch we walked to our friend Sophie’s house. We didn’t need to walk far because Sophie’s house is opposite ours. She has two little boys called Samuel and Laurie. The children played happily while we chatted. We ate raisins and apricots, drank coffee, and the kids watched a programme called The Blue Planet, a documentary about life under the sea.

Then we came home and I wrote some more of the book I’m working on, before thowing a load of veg, mushrooms and tomatoes in a pan, frying the lot in butter, and adding two tins of tuna and a scoop of cream cheese. Sounds gross but it was delicious. 

Today was a good day, but I’m in desperate need of sunshine now. It’s been raining for days. Splashing in puddles was a novelty for a while, but there’s only so much walking in the rain you can do before you feel washed out and start dreaming about sunshine.

I keep seeing the numbers 1111 everywhere, on receipts, digital clocks, everywhere I look. It happened again a few minutes ago.

I’ve been told it’s a symbol of spiritual awakening or that a meeting with my twin soul is imminent. I hope so. I could do with some sunshine to lift the rain clouds right now.

How do you abandon a life you know well? I feel the need for a change. Things aren’t good. I won’t say any more than that, but a new start is on the horizon, for sure. Life is too short for half baked compromises. I need to work out the details. Changes are good for the soul and sometimes they’re necessary for our wellbeing.

One of the interesting things about some people is that they only see their version, their world. No matter how many times you try to get them to listen, to see your point of view, to understand, they carry on doing what they’ve always done.

I will keep smiling and doing what I have to do to make the transition as safe and smooth as possible. I will do all the text book stuff - go for walks, listen to music, pamper and preen, and surround myself with positive people.

When we move away from a place of pain we find doors opening that we never knew were there. I look forward to those doors opening. There’s no better way to start over than by leaving it all behind - permanently and completely. In a little while I will stand back and know that I did the right thing.

Today I made coffee and finished tidying. Wrote half a chapter of a book I’m working on, and did some copywriting. Then I gathered the children’s stuff, threw a couple of towels in a bag, and ushered them out the door, dressed like Eskimos.

It was tipping it with rain, so what started as a slow walk through the park, turned into a leisurely jog, which became a sprint for cover for the last quarter of a mile or so. The children thought it was hilarious. They jumped in puddles and Abigail used her magnifying glass to inspect plants and flowers.

When we reached the play park, we decided to give it a miss because of the weather, and jumped straight in the pool instead. The water was warm. Us girls splashed about like mermaids and Callum like a swordfish, darting about and laughing like a cheeky monkey. He thought it would be really cool to play his own version of It’s a Knockout, throwing a ball at my head when I was looking the other way, and cracking up in hysterics. The main thing was everyone had a happy day, and that was my greatest achievement today.

This week I intend to get my hands on some Lickety Sips, an ice lolly available in mango, blackcurrant and lemon from Harvey Nichols, Eat and online at www.sipdrink.com.

I’m told they’re the next big thing in beauty because they’re packed with skin boosting vitamin C, selenium, antioxidants and rose petal extract, all of which offer the same benefits as water. Whether they go global remains to be seen but they’re all the rage among beauty gurus. One lick and it’s love apparently.

A recent World Values Survey found that the happiest people live in Nigeria because they have nothing and expect nothing. Their daily life is boosted by small achievements like having enough food on the table.

To have less, to expect less, is infinitely more satisfying than wanting everything. Living simply is the best antidote to stress. Just because the Joneses have a new convertible BMW, doesn’t mean you need one too.

Try buying only what you need when you need it. Find happiness in life and people, not spending. When you’re shopping, before checking out, ask yourself if it’s something you need or want. There’s a difference.

Be self sufficient. Here’s a book to get you started.