It is the 15th and it's time for this month's #TBCSmiles. We all need smiles more than ever right now, and even under lockdown, it's still possible to find joy - and definitely encouraged.

Spring is here and nature is flourishing without so many cars and people to get in the way. The birds are literally having a field day, we have never had so many fledglings in our trees. The sun has been shining, and I think most of us are beginning to really appreciate our time outdoors.


It isn't only loved ones that COVID-19 is taking from us, and a lot of people are feeling a great deal of hurt right now. It might only be temporary, but it's happening now, and it can be overwhelming. You are allowed to be sad that your plans aren't going to happen, that you can't see your friends, can't just go out. You are allowed to grieve your losses.

In all the time I've collected the #tbcsmiles I haven't missed a month until last month. I have already apologised, and I really was very much grieving my Mum, and dealing with her funeral and all of the other things that need to be sorted when someone dies. My head was far too full, I didn't want to have to turn on my laptop and I just wanted to be left in peace. I guess it happens to all of us at times, and I'm glad I was able to tell myself to stop, and rest. 

I've spent a lot of time sitting in the garden staring at insects, and it's allowed me to think, and wonder, and remember a time when all of those around me now weren't there, and a cheekily-grinning and innocent little girl was.

For anyone who didn't know why I collect my smiles, it is because they are incredibly precious, but so often we let them slip by unnoticed, or forgotten. It's easy to count how many times you cried last month, but how many times did you laugh? We need to remember these times equally. They remind us we can be a success, we can make people's day a bit brighter, we can make other people laugh too. They are the reason we are here. When you strip everything back, all any of us ever really want is to be happy. Start counting the happy times, and revel in your own success with an extra grin. 

I am a day late with this month's TBC Smiles, but hopefully you'll forgive me. They aren't any less fabulous, and that's got to be the main thing. 

84 Months is 7 years, and I've been collecting my family's smiles for all of this time because they are the reason we do everything, and in the times when I feel like I'm failing, looking at the smiles reminds me that WE CAN DO THIS. 

By Lizzie Royle (my niece)

Anyone else is welcome to join in with TBCSmiles, share your smile, grins, giggles and chuckles over on Instagram with the hashtag #TBCSmiles (watch the spelling, I've just found lots of very old smiles with slightly mis-spelt hashtags).

Wow! What a month. It's been a roller-coaster indeed, and with the announcement we will be lifting Coronavirus restrictions in England next Monday, a lot of people's emotions are high. Depending on your point of view, it's scary, it's exciting, it's a relief, it's a massive worry. Everyone's own experience will be different, and we have to respect that. There is no doubt that the roller-coaster will carry on running, and in the UK at least, it is about to get bumpy. Thankfully vaccinations will keep the vast majority of us out of hospital. There is plenty of hope.

COVID or not, my month has featured hospital, my own personal roller-coaster, and one of those weird experiences that really seems like proof someone is watching over you.

It really is the best job in the world going through all of your photos each month - thank you to everyone who has shared their smiles using the #TBCSmiles hashtag. They're infectious and an absolute joy to look at. Some of the brightest smiles are at the bottom of this post.

Easter Egg Hunt 2016

I hope this past month has been a good one for you. Sunshine and the promise of some time off over Easter make everything a little less heavy and the chance to get out and have fresh air without freezing is very welcome!

I'm super late this month with the TBCSmiles, but I really am not going to offer an apology because I was busy making smiles. I had a lovely birthday on Thursday and then I went on a school trip with my youngest son, followed straight away with a press visit to review Santa's Grotto at Chill Factorᵉ. It was a bit busy and I needed an easier weekend.


I think one of the biggest problems with the UK and the entire world right now is that we forget how important people are. We are so busy and so stressed that we get on the treadmill and start walking, Our employers, our government, our society and everyone else train us and tell us to keep walking, but we all need to remember to step off regularly.

I panicked a bit that I was going to be late with the TBCSmiles, and planned to do it first thing Saturday morning, but when I saw the smiles we all made on Thursday and Friday, I realised I didn't need to panic. No-one will come to harm if my post is 3 days late, and what I was doing right then was far more important.

It's too easy to lose sight of what is really important.

Goodbye to 2019 and Hello 2020! Happy New Year to everyone - I hope it brings you the things you wish upon yourself. It's the 15th already, although January always seems to last a lot longer than most months. No snow yet, which is disappointing me and means it's just cold and windy, so most of your photos, and ours, have been indoors the last few weeks.


Christmas is fun but hard work, the return to 'normality' is much harder, and the short days mean leaving the house in the dark and not arriving home until it's dark, which is demoralising at best and can seem to last forever.

As I said in a post about making mistakes the other day, we'd all be in bed far earlier and get up later if we hadn't ever invented the light bulb, so allow yourself some comfort. If you aren't going out and want to stay in your PJ's, do it. You need a few extra calories to keep going, to keep warm and fight off colds, so don't fret about the couple of pounds you put on at Christmas.

January is usually the hardest month, so let's get straight to it. How is your mental health? It's dark, dismal, Christmas is over and we have every reason for this January to be especially hard because of ruddy COVID.

The pandemic been going on for literally years now, and it is wreaking havoc across the UK (and entire Northern hemisphere / world). We are stressed, tired, and led by people who laugh in the face of their own restrictions. In the UK we are going for it, attempting to get through this wave without any restrictions, and hurtling towards "learning to live with the virus" at breakneck speed... Even though half the people on the bus don't even realise that's where they're going, we are already in the air as the bus attempts to leap the canyon. 

Crikey it's stressful - and we all know we won't all get off the bus unscathed. We didn't even get on it unscathed. We are scratched and bruised and none of us will ever forget this time. It can be hard to remember that it will end. It can be hard to see we will reach our goal, we will win against a virus. Hard to see that this is still temporary. 

Last week I was super short of time as I only had a couple of days at home between our holiday and going to the Just So Festival for the weekend, so I didn't have chance to post the #TBCSmiles for August. It also didn't feel quite right and my children needed me, so instead I wrote a shorter post about how we are coping 3 years after losing Elspeth and promised I'd be back with your smiles - so here we are.

Firstly can I thank 2 good friends who posted special #TBCSmiles smileless photos...they are beautiful, truly so serene and peaceful. Thank you.

A gorgeous sunflower with setting sun, poignant for remembering a lovely young lady who is always in our thoughts, especially on this day 💗💗xxx #sunflowers #remembrance #flowers #sunset #nofilterneeded #sunflowerfield #outdoorsandhappy #instalinklove #yellow #TBCSmiles #simslifeblog #simslifenature

A post shared by Sim's Life 🛍 Lifestyle Blog (@simslife1) on Aug 15, 2017 at 5:50am PDT

We're coming out of lockdown, our hospitals are back to more normal occupancy levels, the sun has been shining and it certainly feels a little easier from where I'm sitting. The pressure has lifted a bit, and everyone can take a bit of a breather. 

We might not have a bump-free path ahead, but I think we're all enjoying the respite, and it was definitely needed - as was Easter, a break and maybe a little chocolate...

Something else to make us smile are other people's smiles, and you haven't let us down. We had Easter and good weather, and it's great to see so many outdoor photos this month - barely anyone shared photos indoors. 

The smiles are a day late this month, as they have been before in August, but that doesn't make them any less beautiful. Sorry if I confused anyone with the delay.

5 years ago we lost one of our children, and that is why #TBCSmiles began. I started collecting my family's smiles to remind me we can do this, and being happy is what it's all about in the end, so making smiles is exactly why we keep going.


A HUGE thank you to everyone of you who shares your smiles with us, they are contagious and wonderful, and really do brighten up my day. Anyone can join in - just use the hashtag #TBCSmiles on a smile on any photo on Instagram!

For the next month if you happen to have a sunflower in your photo, I'm working with Sudocrem and you can enter my giveaway for a sunflower t-shirt if you take a photo of someone with a sunflower, and one person will win a mural for their school. I'm not suggesting cheating, but we won't be asking for proof that it's actually your sunflower - a big grin and a golden flower will be enough...

"It is February - yeeeay!" said hardly anyone ever... for the UK it tends to mean cold and dark, with added wet. No beautiful snow, but frozen pipes and fingers. Getting up in the dark, going home in the dark, and Christmas and New Year celebrations behind us. Even the Chinese New Year has passed, and Easter in 2022 is incredibly late. We are left waiting for Spring and hopes of sun to break us out of the gloom. 

Have some cake... 

Good news is that Spring IS coming - the first crocus are beginning to break through, and the birds are nesting. The days are getting longer, and we can begin to remember what it's like to be out and about in daylight. 

Even the longest and hardest of Winters (or most freezingly mundane and boring) will end. This year should be easier than the last. Less fear, less illness, less disruption to our lives, and maybe even a little 'normality'. We need to regain some control, and when we do, it'll give everyone a sense of wellbeing. 

Hello! It is definitely time for some smiles. October is always our quietest month, and it's easy to see why. The night time is creeping into our day, the cold is forcing us into jumpers and coats. Everyone is back into the post-holiday routine of work and the Autumn school term, but not yet getting excited about Christmas. It's all a bit meh... 

It can make us all a bit gloomy, and when you feel gloomy, it's easy to forget it won't be for long. That's when the collection of smiles really helps. It reminds you of the sunshine, the sparkle, the fun times. It reminds you of the things you like to do, the things you said you'd do again. The things you can do right now. It reminds you of the plans you can make, the places you can go. Best of all, it reminds us that a smile has power. It has so much power that it can last far longer than that moment, and spread far further than the same room. And it shows us we can always do this. 

I think we all need the smiles this month, I know I do. Crikey it's been a hard year hasn't it? Give yourself a pat on the back because you really did make it, and if we can get this far, we can get to the end. Right now is possibly the most scary time of the whole year. Christmas is fast approaching. and we're all looking forward to a break, but spending time with people we love and care about is a different thing entirely in 2020. 

We're all worried it'll go wrong. Christmas can be stressful any year, this one even more so. 

Remember that you are only human. You are allowed to feel scared, anxious, stressed, frustrated, but don't let it overwhelm you. Don't expect too much of yourself. In a normal year you might worry the bows match the paper, or the decorations are symmetrical. This year you have other worries to take up your headspace, so only concentrate on what is truly important. 

I say it each year because it's true, when you sit and list exactly what HAS TO HAPPEN to make your Christmas, the list is incredibly short, and the rest is sparkle. Sparkle is great, but if you don't prepare any in advance, you will make your own as you go along. The very best sparkle is never planned...

This month has been a pretty rough one for us, I know a lot of people are tired and worn out and we are all ready for Spring - although I really wouldn't complain about a few days of proper snow that the kids can play with. We seem to have had a month of drizzle and sleet and overnight snow that's vanished by morning. Even worse we had a day of snow that was all gone by 3.30pm - so harsh on the kids in school!

It's Summer! It certainly feels like it (on and off) and the warmer weather and sunshine is good food for the soul. It's also full of immunity-boosting Vitamin D and virus-killing UV light. Going outside and catching some sunshine is genuinely great for your health - you've got every excuse. 

Of course, you might have to battle the pollen. But let's glance over that... 

The sunshine and the relaxing of restrictions have had you all out and about over the last month, and you've shared lots of photos of people doing normal stuff that they simply haven't been able to do for ages - it's great to see. Lets hope there are plenty more, because the smiles are second to none. 

This month saw World Mental Health Day, and this year the theme was Suicide Prevention. Obviously this is something I feel very strongly about, and support, but it made it quite a heavy day to get through.

I wrote a post called Life Goes On for World Suicide Prevention Day in September and I wasn't up for writing another so soon. If you've ever written from the depths of your soul, you'll find it's cathartic, but utterly exhausting. It makes everything clearer when you get all the words out of your head. It puts everything into the right order and stops it swirling so much, but you need a break afterwards to recover. Just like counselling really.


One of the points I saw repeatedly on World Mental Health Day (and know from experience) is that people in the UK simply don't have the early access to care that can make all the difference. If you have a mental health problem, even with a referral to your doctor, you can wait many months to be seen by a professional. Even in crisis you can expect to wait weeks. Individuals carry on suffering or deteriorating until their appointment, and their recovery time will become longer with every week they wait to start treatment. It is inevitably too late for some.

NHS spending on mental health is approximately 1/10th of it's entire £129b budget. Your mental health affects everything else, including how physically well you are, how quickly you recover from illness and how often you are off work or school. It would be good to see this percentage rise, although the NHS as it stands isn't in a position to lose any money anywhere else...

Young Minds have a petition to ask the Government to act more quickly on young people's mental health - please sign it. More children are needing the services and waiting times are going up. For children the wait is even worse because it represents a much larger period of their life. To realise you might have to wait 1/10th of your entire life for help is unfathomable, and clearly dangerous.

Suicide is the biggest killer of our children, it takes more victims than Cancer. We need to make huge changes to society for a permanent improvement, but right now we need to get people the help as soon as they need it.

We can still smile, and we can all pass on our smiles and brighten someone's day. I defy you not to grin when you look at this month's selection of #TBCSmiles. We've had lots of big, bold beams this month - every single one gorgeous. Thank you to everyone who shares their smiles over on Instagram - they make my month and I know they bring joy to others.


Anyone is welcome to join in, you don't need a fancy camera or a million followers, just tag any photo with a smile! We pick out 9 of the biggest for the collage. This month's selection were shared by the following Instagrammers:


We had our own smiles too here, mainly courtesy of reviews for Hatching Dragons, Bunch O Balloons and Chill Factore Snowboard Taster Sessions - and an 11th birthday!

It's the 15th, and it's the 3rd month, so that must be the date all Caesars hate - the Ides Of March. Crikey the world is a mess right now. A month ago we didn't realise where we would be, and it's certainly not what most of us would have chosen. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has wiped COVID from the front pages of the news, but it really has only heaped sadness and stress on top of any which existed beforehand. We really do need some smiles, and every single one is worth it's weight in gold, because they are hard won just now. 

The storm is a long way from ending. It can feel helpless, pointless, overwhelming. Remember to take a break if you can. Walk away. Read a book, watch a film, meditate, have a kitchen disco. Immerse yourself in a bubble for a while. Sadly it will still all be there when you return, but you'll be stronger and more able to cope. Never lose hope. Just like every other before it, this time too will pass.