Ernest Hemmingway Mustard lives in a not-so-damp basement flat with Violet, his dear lady wife and Doris, the portly Jack Russell Terrier. Sam Toft (their official picture maker) has created an imaginary world based on her hometown of Brighton, where they live a life of simple pleasures in faded ice-cream colours. A place where kindness and generosity are the norms, the wind is always there to blow away the cobwebs, and fish really do ride on bicycles. “The world of Mustard with its old-fashioned values and a strong sense of whimsy is real comfort in these unpredictable times. I am a firm believer that accepting what is, feeling the feelings without getting caught up in them, and sharing out the rose-tinted spectacles is the best way to proceed”. Sam Toft lives in an old white house by the sea with her two dogs Betty and Stan. She has a small shop nearby and has renovated two lovely old telephone boxes, which are now used as a community art space. This year sees an exciting new collaboration with her sister. Drawing on Sam’s work with the Mustard family and Louise’s long career as a Psychotherapist and Life Coach, they are creating a big warm hug of a book to delight and inspire.