Hello,

Happy 2023 – we hope you’ve all had a great start to the year.  We’re delighted to be back for another year of blogging and to let you know that we’ve chosen friendship as our theme for 2023.

We really appreciate the community that joins us here on the blog and love reading your comments, so please carry on sharing your thoughts with us. We’re also going to be talking to some of our real-life friends so that we can share their ideas, recipes, recommendations and wise words with you during the course of the year.

Walk beside me…just be my friend”

Albert Camus

Friendship is good for you

Starting as we mean to go on, many thanks to our friend Nicola for sharing a fascinating article about friendship with us. It explains that there’s been a lot of recent scientific research to show that social contact has huge benefits for your health, even boosting your immune system and your brain! Reaching out to others in very simple ways, from saying hello in the coffee shop, doing something for a neighbour or sending a text to a friend, can help you feel connected, more a part of your community and significantly reduce feelings of loneliness. And for those who are not able to get out and about easily, video calling and joining online groups connected with your hobbies or interests can all be very helpful, too.

The research also showed that people really appreciate being contacted, so we can all feel a bit more confident next time we’re wondering if to get in touch with someone we may not have seen for a while.

Until next time, stay safe and well,

Claire and Sam

P.S. Did you know that there in an International Day of Friendship? This year it falls on 30th July, and events will be held to celebrate friendship and promote togetherness, happiness and unity.