gillybob you do realise you are totally agreeing with me don't you?

harrigran No danger of either of my G'sons buying that for me.

I will never get the image of a 'grinning dog' out of my head !!!!

Its quite British not to engage with strangers, perhaps people in big cities are worse about this, but in our small town it's nice to exchange pleasantries. I am sure it can make the day of someone just to exchange a few words, even if it is just about the weather.

I have had some lovely chats with strangers, an older lady who shared my table in a small cafe. She was on a coach tour and had come into town by herself. She told me about her difficult life with an aggressive hubby now deceased. She was very philosophical about it and enjoying life on her own.

The other was on a train to Edinburgh where I had a long chat with a man who worked at Heysham nuclear power station in Lancashire and was off to Aberdeen to test out storage vessels for nuclear waste. I don't know how we got chatting about his job but I started asking lots of questions about safety and he was happy to talk about it. A very enjoyable way to spend an hour or so. Perhaps I am odd.

gillybob No I haven't heard of Earth Angels – except in a song by the Temptations – but I have heard of unicorns, pixies and ogres.

absent that was actually quite funny.

Well done.

Perhaps NZ is a good nurturing ground for a Sense of Humour!

"Splutter"

So nice to get a little pat on the head from my superiors.

No, sarcasm doesn't count, absent!

ABsent, I think NZ suits you , as I remarked some time ago it is good to be with family.
That is not a sarky remark by the way.

Re the smiling at dogs being dodgy - I smile at dogs, teeth and all, and they understand I'm just being friendly - perhaps because I keep my ears flat!

Just to be clear - the sarcasm I referred to was absent's, no one else's!

I was always taught by my father (a country boy) to talk gently to dogs and other animals - they may not understand but they pick up your tone of voice. If we pass cows with calves (always a bit dodgy) I try to give them a wide berth and tell them gently what a beautiful baby they have. It seems to work!

I was always taught by my father (a country boy) to talk gently to dogs and other animals - they may not understand but they pick up your tone of voice. If we pass cows with calves (always a bit dodgy) I try to give them a wide berth and tell them gently what a beautiful baby they have. It seems to work!

I was always taught by my father (a country boy) to talk gently to dogs and other animals - they may not understand but they pick up your tone of voice. If we pass cows with calves (always a bit dodgy) I try to give them a wide berth and tell them gently what a beautiful baby they have. It seems to work!

I was always taught by my father (a country boy) to talk gently to dogs and other animals - they may not understand but they pick up your tone of voice. If we pass cows with calves (always a bit dodgy) I try to give them a wide berth and tell them gently what a beautiful baby they have. It seems to work!

Sorry, finger slipped!

A tad over-egged perhaps

Last night my DH and were getting out of our car and there were a lot of rather noisy teenagers about. A group came right by us and could have been menacing but I just smiled at the nearest one and she smiled back. I often find that older people seem to expect youngsters to be unpleasant but they are often just wary of us I think.

Of course we should all try to be polite and sociable to an extent, but it's an easy slide from "it's nice to be nice" to "it's ruddy irritating to be nice all the time".

I've sat through the horror that is "Annie: the musical". Anybody else with me in wanting to throttle that chirpy, cheery child mid-song?

I have mixed feelings about this.
I don't like being 'preached at' either but it does no harm to be reminded to be nice. Personally, I have to keep reminding myself about it, because if I'm feeling low, anxious or in one of my envious states, which happens all to often these days, making other people happy is the last thing on my mind. I realise that I am being extremely selfish and it helps sometimes to remind myself to think of others. So I do try to remember to smile at people I meet and chat to people on buses or in shops now and then. But I probably come over generally as a MOG (Miserable Old Git)
However, I am amazed at how kind, thoughtful, considerate and un-judgemental both our DDs are, considering the mother they've got.... - they put me to shame, and I would certainly hope our little GD will be as thoughtful and kind as her lovely mother and aunt.

As a child I had very little confidence but soon learned that a smile helped greatly, so much so I was always the one stopped in the street to be asked the time or for directions,etc. My daughter has the same friendly face so much so that people make a bee line to sit next to her on a bus or stand next to her in a queue. She says she has got to know lots of people with her 'moon face' as she calls it.

I'm a bit late on here and not posting to win copy of the book, as I am oredering today for myself--Just wanted to say that reading this post by Karen The Author, took me back to my own childhood, I was a little like that and it did make a difference and I used to get people saying stuff to my Dad about how polite I was, and it was nice. Un fortunatley as I got older and stress's piled up there were more urgent things to attend to,like surviving.

But I totaly agree with Karen in all that she has said, I am buying the book because I think Karen and reading the book can teach me a thing or two about getting back to the person I used to be, when I had time to think of others in that way.

The thing that Karen has quoted that has helped me the most is this quote

Imagine you're them.
You know your own feelings. But what about other people's? If someone's acting weird/stupid/shy/over-the-top, is there a reason? Before you react, take a second to figure out what might be going on with them. The biggest kindness you can bestow on a person is to see things from their point of view.

I think that is amazing advice, just goes to show and proves the saying that you are never too old to learn something and thinking that you are keeps you ignorant.

Well done to you Karen and best wishes with the book, you have one new customer in me if nothing else

PS a really good present for my grandchildren