JOY PARADE No.28
Tulip Tutus! Out Of Control Turkeys! Arriving In Style On The Sheep Sleigh!
Pssst! If you are reading this via an email, the JOY PARADE might be a smidge too long for you to see all of it. If so, just click the title and it’ll take you to where you can read the whole thing with your eyeballs online!
OH HELLO!
How are we all settling into 2026?
Slowly, gently and in the softest of fabrics I hope. Doing things slowly and gently was thrust upon me after I did my back in last week shoving the Christmas tree back in the attic. Thankfully, after a few days of sofa naps and DELICIOUS anti inflams I’m ok and once again considering a career change to do something bendy with Cirque Du Soleil.
Well, here we are really in Jan. The decs are away and the weather is WINTERY.
I never used to like January. The sight of the treasures from the Christmas tree all tucked up in their box ready for an eleven month sabbatical in a cupboard used to depress me. And then the weeks would roll on, seemingly endlessly. The problem wasn’t winter. I actually love winter and am convinced I get reverse S.A.D because long balmy summer nights do nothing for me other than make me feel a bit hollowed out and listless.
No, my problem with Jan was the Jan-ness of it all. But then a few years ago I pulled myself together and forced myself to enjoy it. I think the key for this month is to lean into it. As we chatted about last week - don’t get sucked into the NEW YEAR NEW ME LIVE LAUGH EAT PRAY LOVE BIKINI BEACH BODY of it all. I was reading the other day that until the Spring Equinox we should all really do nothing but hunker down, cosplay Brambly Hedge mice and get all fat and sassy.
I think key to all of this is lighting. My decs might be down but the lights are NOT. Candles and the lamps are LIT and there are fairy lights dangling from everywhere.
Years ago, I used to spend quite a lot of time in Sweden over Jan and Feb and the Scandinavian and Nordic countries do winter brilliantly. While you are walking about in arctic air so cold and crisp it feels like it’s slapping you Joan-Collins-In-Dynasty style across the face, you’re distracted from it because you are being lit beautifully from all angles by the glow of flattering, flickering lights. Gorgeous!
The other way I enjoy these cold months is by celebrating. Luckily, until the end of March I have the first run of family and friend celebrations, and I do love a celebration.
We started the Festival Of Celebration this week with my Mum and Farv’s 52nd wedding anniversary. An extraordinary length of time that I can barely comprehend.
Here they are on their big day. Farv with his Enviable Curls and Muv in a floor length gown made by my grandmother. (The bridesmaids - my aunts- couldn’t have been more 70’s in purple and brown.)
Why they got married in the depths of winter in the middle of the energy strikes nobody quite knows, but thankfully they did so we can start the year off beautifully by celebrating them.
They are Good Sorts are my Muv and Farv and are always Up To Something in their retirement.
A few years ago every time I rang them up I was greeted with something very surreal on the end of the line.
“I’ll have to ring you back - we’re just sorting out the Turner Prize at the moment.”
“Ring you later - we’re just taking a group of dignitaries to a drag performance in a tent…”
“Speak to you in a bit - we’re just taking the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band to their gig at the cathedral…”
Madness.
Anyway, I cooked them dinner this week and then they are off for some Jaunting which I’m envious of.
So really, what I’m saying in all this is JANUARY: candles, fairylights and celebrations. (I don’t think it needs to be a wedding anniversary and CERTAINLY don’t go out and marry the first unattached stranger you meet solely for that purpose. I think a celebration could be just getting to Friday each week, or come to think of it- even getting to Wednesday is deserving of a treat.)
Now, talking of celebrations - we MUST start our JOY PARADE. The first of 2026!
So let’s begin…
1. As is tradition, we start with some BEHOLDING! and EXCLAIMING!
First up: PAPERWHITES.
I was a bit disappointed that these didn’t bloom for Christmas, but now I’m actually glad they didn't. Having them all snowy faced and heavily perfumed right now is a delicious way to start the year, and I have them wafting about from all available surfaces.
These ones in the kitchen have now reached the height of quite a rambunctious toddler and seeing them each morning whilst I stand on one leg waiting for the kettle to boil brings me great joy.
NEXT UP: TULIPS.
I couldn’t resist buying some tulips the other day knowing, of course, that it’s much too early, but they were nice while they lasted. And, I think, even nicer when they flopped.
I was thrilled by this scene that greeted me one morning. Look at them all - like the tutus for a ballet company all lined up ready for a performance. I’ve kept them like this all week.
2. Last week I showed you my list of Not Resolutions But No Pressure Things I Might Do.
One of these was to listen to The Shipping Forecast more often. For anyone not in the UK, the SF is exactly what it says - a weather report specifically for anyone on a boat in the waters surrounding this silly little island. It’s quite an institution and has been going for over a century on the radio, and I love it so very much. There is something deeply lovely and comforting about climbing into bed and listening to the 12.48am forecast. The names - DOGGER, VIKING, LUNDY, CROMARTY sound like magic spells.
For anyone who wants to join in listening the forecast is on Radio 4 every night. And on Radio 3U there is a Sleeping Forecast for an hour beforehand which mixes soothing music and soundscapes with sections of random Shipping Forecast and is a TERRIF way to wind down.
Also great: this Shipping Forecast map which is a very helpful reference if you want to know where places are. (Although I think I like the mystery of it all.)
3. I made this bean and vegetable soup earlier in the week and it is so good I’m making it again tonight. I’m not hugely keen on masses amount of garlic (I’m v. like the late Queen E the ii in that respect) and also four cloves in this seems like total madness and very overpowering, so I only did two. Otherwise - TOP MARKS FOR THIS SOUP!
4. If you want me to physically turn up anywhere this month, please be advised that this is how I will arrive.
5. We often get stuck into looking at Tim Walker’s fabulous photography, but here’s a real treat - a chance to have a dekko at his house!
It used to be a Buddhist commune and now is filled with his treasures. I love it!
6. Just LOOK at this antique mother of Pearl preening dove. If I owned it I would take it everywhere and force strangers to admire it.
7. I’ve been looking this week at the work of Grandma Moses.
I’ve told you all before about my long held desire to curate a big, blockbuster exhibition called “Winter Magic” celebrating all manner of winter scenes from across fine art and illustration history. WHEN this happens I will definitely HAVE to have some of GM’s snow scenes. I just love them. I am particularly keen on the men who have absolutely lost all control of their turkeys in this one…
And I would do ANYTHING to be on a sleigh ride in this painting.
HEAVEN!
8. We MUST keep warm this month. There was snow here this week so I was very glad of my snazzy Claddagh scarf . Designed and made in Ireland by Megan Nolan Walsh and I adore it. I’ve had mine for years but now there’s an XL version available.
I’m going to have to get one so I can recreate how my Irish Granny would wrap me up by winding a long scarf around my neck and then making sure that it was wrapped over my chest and then crossed around my back and tucked into the waistband of my trousers - “So you don’t get a chill on your kidneys…”
9. Absolutely everything about this is perfect. No notes.
I particularly enjoyed this para:
FINALLY…
As is tradition we will finish with a song. It’s a good one this week.
PRESENTING… Ms SHIRLEY BASSEY (feat. The Muppets!)
WONDERFUL!
Thank you for reading this week’s JOY PARADE.
I hope you have a lovely Sunday. I’m going to have to have a think about what to do with the window boxes in my front garden. Currently they are empty and couldn't be more depressing to look at if they tried. But what should I put in them?
I’ll be back next week with JOY PARADE No.29. In the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed this JOY PARADE I would simply adore it if you were to hit the heart button ❤️ below and do please follow me on Instagram (I’m mralextsmith over there) and also subscribe to and share this newsletter to all your chums.
Thank you so much!
HEAD PIGEON.
Getting to Wednesday is always worth celebrating—and never more than in January! Try some hardy cyclamen (with perhaps some trailing ivy) with the winter pansies mentioned above? (Laurel aka ground.elder.park on Insta)
I'd use hardy cyclamen. Gotta match a red to the hearts on your scarf though. Infact, you should use the whole box colour scheme to match that glorious 😍 scarf of yours! Happy Sunday and thank you for my first Pigeon Post...my daughter's going to love reading it too!