Our heavenly father.

Dad wrote this for me after reading about my epicurean tendencies. I have edited some bits out of his original email.

(Origin: epicurus-adapted Alain de Botton.)

Herewith a recipe for happiness...

1. a hut
2. friends but not too many so you dont have time for self [ed: that's dad's ]
3. to avoid superiors, patronisation, infighting and preferably competition
4. a garden allotment
5. thought (and the means to write)
6. a reincarnation of Bellini's Madonna whose melancholy expression would belie a dry sense of humour and spontaneity and who would dress in man-made fibres from the racks of modest department stores

De Botton says '...happiness may be difficult to obtain. The obstacles are not primarily financial.'

Is everyone getting this?

What a guy.