I thought to add a few thoughts on what comforts me, especially on a wet dreary day like today, things like:

• My partner, who I’ve been with through thick and thin (though it’s true, neither of us is pretty thin these days) but 26 years, and counting, we still haven’t murder one another (yet!), so I have to say they’re my biggest comfort in life.
• A comforting cup of hot cocoa, except, I can no longer make one with milk (intolerant) or any plant-based derivative (salmonella outbreaks) something I will miss this coming winter (no, not the salmonella, the comfort of a milky drink).
• Music is another comfort I use especially if I’m feeling out of sorts. And not the usual pop, no, I turn to the classics or my go-to music, opera. Yes, you wouldn’t think to look at me that I’d be an opera buff, but I am, but in an amateurish way. I don’t super geek out on different singers, but I am partial to Callas, of course.
• I also find a lot of comfort and solace in old black and white movies, especially those from the 40s and 50s, and the old Ealing comedy classics. A lot of which I used to watch, as a kid, with my mother. It’s something that ties me to her, and my childhood.
• Singing, yes, I know, it’s like loving the opera. What, you say, she sings as well? However out of key it might be, I enjoy singing and yes, you guessed it, opera. Not that I always know all the words or sing them in the right key, but hey, who the hell cares? What, the neighbours? Probably. Singing is not only one of my guilty pleasures, it lifts my spirit.
• And finally, there’s nothing like going to bed early and curling up with a good book, or listening to the radio, or just snuggling into the blankets and forgetting about what’s going on in the world.

And you, what brings you the most comfort?