Her stamp of approval.

P and I had decided that we needed a fabric wall hanging for a wall in our sitting room. When I heard about an importer's warehouse sale being held today, which included wall hangings, I had to attend.

As I left the house P said to me that he thought that something with blue would be good. I openly dismissed his suggestion out of hand saying our sitting room's accent colours are orange, red and gold and I couldn't imagine introducing blue.

When I arrived at the sale the first wall hanging I noticed incorporated the same dark wood from our lounges with red, gold, orange and............ blue. I felt compelled to get it not just because I thought it would look good but also because of my being dismissive of P's suggestion. I really don't mind being proved wrong.

Because the wall hangings are narrow I decided three would be good with one of them hung off-centre from the rest. Shannon the lovely woman who sold them to me told me they were made in Tibet in her sponsored workshop which employ 12 women and one disabled man. Now I wanted them even more.

I asked her what the markings on the wall hangings were and she told me it was "Om Mani Padme Hum." She told me that some people to whom she had sold them had said the hanging had brought tranquility to their home and that given I was buying three I should have much tranquility. Okay, now I had to get them.

I brought them home and had them folded over my arm so as not to show P the colours. I called him into the sitting room and laid them all on the floor. Gabriella came in with him. As soon as she saw them Gabriella was immediately drawn to them and lay down on the blue one which was in the centre. She pressed her cheek against the fabric and began moving her mouth as if chewing and then began drumming her fingers on both hands against the fabric.

Gabriella loves them and stayed there for some time examining them as you can see by the photographs. I know the colours are vibrant and the shiny fabric would be attractive to any child, but I like to think that Gabriella has made an unconscious connection with the beautiful and mystic Tibetan chant.