Blog
Taking Time to Live Well
“Autumn I’ll remember
Gold landing at our door;
Catch one leaf and fortune will surround you evermore”
DJ: Frances Ambler
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Photography: Shutterstock Words: Cinead McTernan
Have home-grown flowers in time for Christmas by forcing bulbs during Autumn’s darker evenings
Winter is a tricky time of year to decorate your home with anything other than berries and greenery (gorgeous as they are). Poinsettias and Christmas cacti might have their place – though this is debatable in our house – but if you’d prefer something a little less red and less dated – plant a group of bulbs that, given the right conditions and a little TLC, are guaranteed to bring style and scent to the festivities.
Narcissi, hyacinth, amaryllis and muscari bulbs are relatively quick to flower, but you do have to get your timings right to ensure they put on a show over the festive period.
When to plant
Unlike many gardening techniques, forcing bulbs – providing the right conditions for them to grow and flower – is an exact science. Hyacinths, for example, need different lengths of time to flower depending on the cultivar. Hyacinth ‘Anna Marie’, for example, requires eight weeks in cool conditions, followed by 18 days inside to bloom: plant on 12 October for them to flower on Christmas Day, or on the 19 October for a New Year’s Day display.
According to the RHS, ‘good quality’ daffodil bulbs will flower in six to 10weeks, and amaryllis (hippeastrum) in 10 weeks. So again, mid- October is about right to get a festive display.
How to plant
Hyacinths, amaryllis and daffodils can be grown in bulb-fibre, which is available from all garden centres or nurseries. Make sure you buy hyacinth bulbs that are labelled ‘prepared’.
1. Layer some bulb fibre in the bottom of a bowl or pot and water it. If the container doesn’t have drainage holes, pour excess water out a short while after each watering to prevent the roots sitting in too much moisture.
2. Place the bulbs in any arrangement you’d like, just make sure they aren’t touching each other or the sides of the container. Add more bulb fibre around the bulbs, leaving the bulb tops showing and a gap of about 5cm from the top of the container to make it easier to water.
3. Put planted hyacinth and amaryllis bulbs in a black polythene bag and leave them in a dark, cool spot (ideally 9C) like a shed or garage. The idea is to trick the bulbs into thinking it’s winter so they will start flowering when they are brought out into the light of a false spring.
4. Keep an eye on them and water if the bulb fibre looks as though it’s drying out. If you’re growing narcissus, choose bulbs that are intended as indoor plants and, after planting in bulb fibre, leave them on a warm, sunny windowsill as they don’t need the dark to encourage them to flower. Grape hyacinths, such as Muscari aucheri, ‘Blue Magic’, can be treated in the same way and will flower in just six to eight weeks.
5. Bring them in from the cold. Once your bulbs have shoots of about 5cm long, bring your pots indoors, or away from the windowsill. Encourage the leaves to turn green by placing the bulbs in a cool room, away from direct sunlight. Next, move the bulbs to a window where it should be a little warmer but avoid placing next to a radiator or in a draught as this will damage the bulbs. You might need to slow down the growing process if leaves appear more quickly than the buds. Place them in a cool spot again and cover them up for a few days, checking daily to ensure the leaves aren’t turning pale.
Alternatively, you can also grow hyacinths in vases, which need to be slightly larger than the bulb size so you can fill the vessel with water right to the top, and sit the bulb in the neck of the vase. Once the roots and shoots have started to develop, treat them the same way you would if growing in bulb fibre.
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Photography by Kirstie Young
Because why should children have all the nice things?
If you have children in your life, you’ve probably heard about Forest School, a method of education that’s been popular now for a good couple of decades, in which young people spend time out in the woods, learning about nature, but also simply enjoying the outdoors and building on other skills like teamwork, resilience and creativity. It all sounds a long way off the fusty classrooms we remember, but they do say education is a lifelong process so there’s no reason not to have a go now.
In our September issue, we met Estelle St John-Smith, a charcoal maker. Her work out in the woods sounded like so much fun, we were inspired to look into a few other ways one might enjoy the forest as adults. If you’re feeling rather cheated you missed out on forest school, perhaps you could try one of the ideas below? Some you can do alone with no equipment or skills at all, others you might need to buy a book or a tool for, then there are more for which you might need to join a group or society. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re dipping your toe into the forest for the first time or fancy going full-on Green Man.
Forest bathing
There are lots of courses you can take in Forest Bathing (also known as shinrin-yoku), but it’s something you can just as easily do alone or with a friend. Just head to a forest, turn off your phone, and wander through the trees, noticing your surroundings with all your senses and breathing deeply. The National Trust has more information about where and how to forest bathe
Whittling
Once the domain only of Cub Scouts and shiny new pen knives, whittling has had a bit of a renaissance. All you need is a pocket knife, a twig and a bit of time to yourself outdoors. We like Chris Lubkeman’s The Little Book of Whittling for easy projects you can get started on right away.
Tracking animals
Get a little bit Bear Grylls (or just sound impressive as you nonchalantly say “there’s been badgers through here” while on a walk with some friends). It’s fascinating to learn just a little bit about the animals you share a woodland with. The RSPB has a handy guide to animal footprints on its website.
Slacklining
Improve your balance and feel rather acrobatic by having a go at slacklining. It’s like a highwire, but tied very low, between two trees. You can buy slacklines in most outdoor and adventure type shops. Slackline.co.uk has a list of slackline clubs across the country if you’d rather try it in a group.
Cooking on an open fire
Any child who has been to forest school will tell you that the best part is the marshmallows on sticks at the end, but there are loads of things you can cook on an open fire (just make sure you put it out safely and are only building a fire in areas where it is permitted). The Simple Things’ blog has lots of ideas for recipes to cook outdoors on a fire. Try our Frying Pan Calzone to get you started.
Join a woodland working party
If you’d like to make a real difference at the same time as having fun, you could think about volunteering. Organisations such as the Woodland Trust have openings for adults to get involved in looking after woodlands local to them but you may well find your local common, national park or National Trust property offers something similar. You might learn anything from hedge-laying to charcoal making to general woodland management skills, all while meeting like minded people.
And what’s the first rule of Grown-up Forest School? (No, it’s not that you do not talk about Forest School, you at the back there.) It’s that no one can tell you when it’s time to go back indoors. Hurrah to that.
Photograph by @prettyprospectcottage
Rub a dub dub, ideas from the tub
Many of us find inspiration hits us when we’re soaking in the bath. In our busy lives, we don’t often get the chance to enjoy a few moments of quiet relaxation, and that’s often when ideas have the chance to bubble to the surface, along with the loofah.
Here are a few notable people for whom the bath has been a place of inspiration. Have a read and perhaps you’ll be inspired to run a bath yourself and have a soak.
Archimedes
The Greek scholar allegedly discovered displacement when he stepped in the bath and noted that the water level rose as he entered it, meaning the volume of water displaced must be the same as the volume of the object submerged. He was apparently so excited that (after shouting ‘Eureka!’) he ran naked through the streets of Syracuse.
Sylvia Plath
The American poet found deep inspiration in the bath. Here she is writing in ‘The Bell Jar’ about how a bath solves everything.
“There must be quite a few things a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them. Whenever I’m sad I’m going to die, or so nervous I can’t sleep, or in love with somebody I won’t be seeing for a week, I slump down just so far and then I say : “I’ll go take a hot bath.”
I remember the ceiling over every bathtub I’ve stretched out in. I remember the texture of the ceilings and the cracks and the colors and the damp spots and the light fixtures. I remember the tubs, too : the antique griffin-legged tubs, and the modern coffin-shaped tubs, and the fancy pink marble tubs overlooking indoor lily ponds, and I remember the shape and sizes of the water taps and the different sort of soap holders. I never feel so much myself as when I’m in a hot bath…
The longer I lay there in the clear hot water the purer I felt, and when I stepped out at last and wrapped myself in one of the big, soft white hotel bath towels I felt pure and sweet as a baby.”
Shigeru Miyamoto
The legendary games designer had a vintage bath tub as a perk at his office at Nintendo. During a highly stressful work period for him in the 1980s when he was under pressure to come up with a game, his bath inspired him to design Donkey Kong. We’re not sure what the links between baths and donkeys is, but we can see how it might have inspired his next great game, featuring two plumbers now known to the world as Mario and Luigi.
Agatha Christie
Is said to have found inspiration for her crime novels while soaking in the tub and eating apples. She’d often be there so long she’d end up surrounded by a ring of apple cores discarded around the edge of the bath.
Douglas Adams
The author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy loved a bath and often found ideas there. His old flatmate has often reminisced about Adams’ hour-and-a-half-long baths, and the fact that if he wasn’t in one, he was just out of one, or about to get into one.
Winston Churchill
The former Prime Minister was a lover of long and frequent baths and is said to have strategised for World War Two from the bath.
Benjamin Britten
Composer Benjamin Britten is said to have religiously taken a freezing cold bath in the mornings and a scalding hot one at night. We can’t say it <definitely> helped with his Piano Concerto, but it surely can’t have done any harm?
Steve Jobs
Ok, it’s not strictly a bath but needs must when you’re launching Apple Inc. Steve Jobs is said to have found a little quiet and relaxation in the loos at Apple, dangling his feet into the toilet bowl to give them a soak.
The beautiful bath (and dog) pictured above are one of the bathrooms featured on our My Place feature in our September issue. Find more inspirational places to soak starting on p112 of the issue.
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Photography: Ali Allen
Getting a vegetable you’ve never heard of in your veg box is very exciting and also slightly bewildering. Here’s what to do with anything unrecognisable or unpronounceable in your veg box…
Kohlrabi
Once a thing of mystery, now a veg box staple, the best thing to do with this (faintly unattractive but nice and crunchy) vegetable is to julienne it for a kohlrabi slaw, along with carrot, cabbage, red onion and a nice zesty dressing.
Celeriac
Tastes like a nutty turnip; looks like a brain, celeriac makes a lovely creamy soup or gratin, but we think it’s particularly good sliced into ribbons with a peeler as a replacement for pasta with a creamy, cheesy sauce, and a good sprinkling of Stilton and walnuts.
Brusselberry Sprouts
Like sprouts but red, these are too pretty just to accompany a roast. They’re lovely raw, shredded into a salad with nuts, dried fruit and other additions, but we like to show them off on long skewers, cooked on the barbecue or panfried, with chunks of bacon if you like, glazed with honey and lime juice, and then sprinkled with parmesan.
Padron Peppers
Lots of fun. Padron peppers mostly taste just like green peppers, but one in every so many is surprisingly spicy! The classic and best way to serve these tiny green peppers is blistered in a pan with a glug of olive oil and plenty of good salt. Serve with beers for a cooling swig whenever you get a hot one.
Oca
Also known as Oxalis Tuber Rosa, these are a colourful, knobbly alternative to a potato. But they have one thing over the potato - they can be eaten raw as well as cooked. Thinly sliced, they have a pleasant lemony flavour and make a great salad. When cooked they taste nutty rather than lemony, and we love them roasted in oil with salt and dried chilli, as a pre-dinner nibble.
In our September issue, Rachel de Thample has given us lots of advice on using up everything in your veg box , as well as recipes that are great for late-summer-early-autumn veg box contents. Find all her ideas from page 42 of our September issue. The feature includes recipes for sweetcorn polenta with runner bean ragu, apple soda bread, golden marrow marmalade, Moroccalilli and cauliflower dauphinoise.
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Photography: Jemma Watts Recipe and styling: Kay Prestney
A refreshing drink for a grown-up picnic, and probably one of our five a day (ahem)
Serves 4
2 fresh, ripe peaches
1 lime
1 bottle of pink gin
A bag of ice 8 small tins of tonic water (we like Fever-Tree tonics) 4 rosemary sprigs
Reusable straws
1 Take the stones out of the peaches and cut into thin slices, then quarter the lime.
2 Add a shot of gin to each glass and place in a lime quarter and several peach slices. Top with ice and pour over the tonic water until the glass is nearly full. Add a sprig of rosemary to use as a stirrer and a paper or reusable straw.
This simple recipe is just one of the ideas from our feature, Catch of the Day, which has lots of recipes for a picnic on the quayside, including crab sarnies, barbecued prawns, smoked mackerel palmiers, courgette and spinach salad and Eton Mess jam jars. You can find the rest of the recipes from page 8.
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It’s almost time to pack up your pencil case and head back to school for the new term. But which school is the right fit for you? Take a trip through your childhood bookshelves with our back to school quiz and find out where you’re packing your cases for.
1. How do you feel about academia?
a. It’s important to do your best, but far more important to be a well-rounded, solid young woman; the sort your school can be proud of.
b. Skool is wet and weedy. And thus only for wets and weeds. Generally I manadge to bish it up sumhow.
c. I enjoyed the Latin I did with Father. But my governess says, that while a little culture is important, becoming a home-maker is what really counts. I’m hoping to apply myself a little more to my needlework this term.
d. I went to the local comp and it was fine but I always felt something was ‘missing’ that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. What I need is a little more guidance from the adults in my life.
e. I try my best. It just always seems to go wrong somehow.
2. How do you wear your school uniform?
a. Properly and with pride, naturally! I always feel a swell od satisfaction when I look at myself in the mirror in my smart tunic and boater.
b. At a rakish angel, as eny fule kno.
c. Oh, I’m never out of it. It’s jolly attractive, you know. The deep blue really sets off my eyes, and the crimson honeycombing at the waist and white revers on the shoulder give it some lovely detailing. I think a good uniform is so important.
d. There’s a lot of clobber and it tends to get rather a battering but there’s nothing an invisibility cloak won’t cover up.
e. I never look quite right in it. My socks are usually falling down around my ankles and my boot laces trailing. My hat is usually either lost or bashed in on one side.
3. What’s your ideal school dinner?
a. Not a word to matron, but obviously it’s a midnight feast! Tins of Carnation milk, sardines and perhaps even some chocolate if someone’s folks have been down for exeat weekend.
b. Is ther indeed eny such thing? I hav lookd on in horror as the skool dinner lady serves up the peece of cod that passeth understanding and been ever after grateful to receev a simple skool sossige (assuming the rotten skool dog hav not already ate i)t and a spotted dick and custard.
c. Sunday breakfasts are a firm favourite with me: get up late at nine, and then tuck into coffee with rolls and honey.
d. Anything that’s followed by treacle tart. Magic!
e. Tea, crumpets and butter, taken in front of the fire.
4. What’s your strongest memory of school?
a. The words of my head teacher will always stay with me and I try to put them into use every day: “You’ll get a lot out of school. See that you put a lot back.”
b. My torture at the hands of the skool bully, Graber, captane of evry sports team, winner of the Miss Joyful Prize for raffia work and all round cad and bounder, is sumthing that will remane with me.
c. Golly, there was so much drama, I could scarcely say. Some poor girl was almost always succumbing to tuberculosis or getting caught in an avalanche and having a scrape with death. And we once had a spy in the school during the war. That was jolly exciting.
d. I had a couple of run-ins with an arch nemesis that definitely stick in the mind.
e. Being turned into a frog.
5. What do you want to be when you grow up?
a. I know my folks would be rather pleased if I married a doctor like my father but I loved school so much, I think I’d like to be a teacher.
b. Anything that gets me out of this skool, which is a bit of a shambles, as you can see. In fact, sumthing as far away as possible, so perhaps a career in space. Sumthing in a rocket that go ‘ur ur whoosh’ and fly me up to the moon, from were I may look down on skool and all the clot-faced wets therein and larf.
c. I’d like to go back to England and go up to Oxford, which would make Mummy terribly proud, but if not, I shall probably study at one of the art needlework schools and start a family. I’m not sure there’s much in between is there?
d. I’m keeping an open mind. I’d just like to follow my destiny really.
e. Something working with animals. They understand me better than people.
Add up the number of As, Bs, Cs etc to find our which is your Spirit Boarding School
Mostly As: Lacrosse sticks at the ready: you’re off to Malory Towers. Hurrah!
Mostly Bs: CAVE! CAVE! It’s the beak: you’re off to St Custard’s with Molesworth and co.
Mostly Cs: Lummy, don’t forget your snow shoes: you’re off to the Chalet School.
Mostly Ds: Lumos! Don’t be late for the Hogwarts Express. You’re going to wizarding school!
Mostly Es: Drat! You’re off to Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. Let’s hope you’re not the Worst Witch there.
If that has got you feeling nostalgic for more books you once owned, don’t miss our Looking Back feature on children’s fiction in our September issue.
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Photography: Sam Folan
Recipe | Frying Pan Calzone with Mozzarella and Chilli
Making fresh dough on a camping trip is a step too far for many, so buy a good-quality naan bread or Italian-style, flat breads as a short-cut.
Serves 4
1-2 tbsp olive oil
250g cherry tomatoes
4 large flat breads or flat breads
2 x 125g balls of mozzarella, drained, roughly chopped and patted dry
Dried oregano, to taste
Dried chilli flakes, to taste
1 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan
over a moderate heat. Add the tomatoes and a big pinch of salt and cook for 3–5 mins, until the tomatoes have softened but still hold a little of their shape. Remove from the heat, drain, and set the tomatoes aside.
2 Wipe out the pan, ready to cook
the calzone. Lay out each flat bread on a clean surface. Distribute the cooked tomatoes, mozzarella, oregano and chilli flakes equally over each flat bread, leaving a border of
at least a 2-3cm around the edge to prevent anything seeping out when you fry. Fold each flat bread in half
to create a half moon shape.
3 Working in batches, in a dry frying pan, fry each flat bread over a moderate to low heat, for about
3 mins, or until the bread on the underside takes on a nice colour and is blistered in places, and the mozzarella has melted sufficiently. Flip over and cook the other side for a further 3 mins. Cut into quarters to serve.
This recipe is just one of the ideas from our feature, If You Can’t Stand the Heat, which is packed with recipes you don’t have to cook in a kitchen. It’s taken from Camper Van Cooking by Claire Thomson and Matt Williamson (Quadrille) with photography by Sam Folan.
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Illustration: Kavel Rafferty
A bright idea for when the sun is baking hot
1 Leaving a gap from the edge, cut three sides of a square into the pizza box lid. Score on the fourth side to make a liftable flap.
2 Tape foil over the inside side of the flap.
3 Open the box and tape a tight layer of hole-free clear plastic over the inside of the lid (including over the flap-hole you just made).
4 Tape foil over the rest of the inside.
5 Add a square of black card to the inside base of the box.
6 Get ready for use on a hot and sunny day by sticking in direct sunlight for as long as possible with the flap held open. Angle the flap so the foil directs the sun towards the plastic.
7 Wait until the box/oven gets hot and pop something inside on the card to cook (marshmallows are probably a better option than pies for now). Use oven gloves to get out when ready. It takes a while but who needs to be anywhere on a sunny summer day, anyway?
This make was from our July Miscellany pages, but we thought it was fun enough to share now. Find more miscellany in every issue of The Simple Things.
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One winner will be selected at random from all completed surveys received and notified soon after. The prize cannot be transferred or swapped for cash.
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We caught up with The Real Olive Company co-founder Karin Andersson, over a cuppa, to find out what inspires her
Morning, busy week? What’s first on your to do list?
I tend to take charge of sorting the kids first, while my partner and co-founder, Ben, heads straight to the office for a ‘walk round’ with the team. I’m now Marketing Director, however, I’ve worn many hats over the years, from working on our market stall in the early days to hauling tins of olives from the back of lorries.
You’re clearly passionate about what you do, how did it come about?
We used to love visiting the European markets while on holiday and were blown away by the quality and choice of olives on offer. At the time, about 20 years ago, there was nothing like that in the UK and we wanted to recreate it over here, so we started selling at markets throughout England.
And did it snowball from there?
It did! Today, we mostly supply our organic olives directly to retailers, so we reach more people. It's our aim to ‘make life taste better by connecting people to the natural vitality of real food.’
Lunchtime – any prizes for guessing what’s on the menu?
Got it in one. Yes, there’s always olives involved. Ben and I make our lunches the night before – it’s usually a grain based salad with roasted veg, olives and some crumbled feta.
Back to work, what’s on the horizon for the company?
Hopefully, we’ll get out to visit our suppliers soon. In normal times, visiting our growers is a highlight of running an olive business, especially when ‘office meetings’ usually take place over Mediterranean food in a Greek taverna.
And after a busy day, how do you like to switch off ?
Whatever the weather, I love walking our crazy Cocker Spaniel, Saga. Being outdoors helps to clear my mind. Ben and I also love having friends and family over for food. We love it when everyone brings a dish, such as aubergines with feta, lamb patties, Spanakopita and, of course, olives.
See therealolivecompany.co.uk for more info or follow on Insta: @realoliveco
Earn your stripes and celebrate with us and Seasalt
Forty. It’s a one of those numbers with many connotations. Folklore suggests that if it rains on St Swithin’s Day, it’ll continue to rain for a further 40 days. Some say life begins at 40 – a time when you can embrace new challenges, confident and wise enough to make strong choices; while 40 winks (our personal favourite) refers to a well deserved short nap.
For Seasalt Cornwall, this year marks its 40th birthday. First established in 1981, its collections have been adored throughout the decades for their soft and breathable natural fabrics, often inspired by the rugged landscape and artistic heritage of Cornwall.
And while we’re talking numbers, did you know that our very own Instagram account: @simplethingsmag – with, inspiration and sneaky peeks of what you can enjoy in each month’s issue – is about to reach 40K followers? We have cake and bubbles at the ready.
FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN
Seasalt Cornwall is giving away a £150 voucher and luxury food hamper to one lucky reader, plus a Sailor top to each of 40 runners up. Enter before the closing date of 6 October 2021 by clicking the button below. .To celebrate, we’ve teamed up with Seasalt Cornwall to offer one lucky reader a £150 Seasalt voucher, plus a hamper full of delicious treats, while 40 runners up will each receive a stripy Seasalt Sailor top, worth £29.95 each
To view the full collection of Seasalt womenswear, footwear and accessories, visit seasaltcornwall.co.uk.So if you’re lucky enough to win our top prize, you can enjoy perusing Seasalt’s latest feel-good offering of stylish dresses, cosy knits and timeless organic cotton essentials, safe in the knowledge that should it rain on future St Swithin’s Days to come, it also has a fabulous collection of raincoats, too.
One winner and 40 runners up will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. The winners cannot transfer their prizes or swap for cash. You’ll find our full terms and conditions on p.127 and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.
“Three times one.
What is it? (Three!)
Yeah, that’s a magic number”
DJ: Frances Ambler
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Photography: Jonathan Cherry
Find your inner (and maybe even your outer) mermaid with our guide to living the life aquatic
In our August issue, we meet a ‘real, live’ mermaid (St Ives resident Laura Evans) and we were inspired to be a bit more mermaid ourselves.
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you be more mermaid in your everyday life.
Find familiarity with the sea
Start by investing in an almanac so you know when the tide times are. No point sitting, combing your hair on a rock if you’re going to be stranded there and have someone offer you a Cornetto when you start to look a bit hot. You need to be on a rock with the spray splashing around you so that you can dive off before any embarrassing Cornetto moments arise.
Sing sailors to their deaths
No, it’s not ‘nice’ but it must be done when one is a mermaid. And if you sound anything like us in the shower in the mornings you shouldn’t have any trouble luring folk to their deaths at the sound of your singing.
Build up an air of mystery
Because obviously, if you are a mermaid living on dry land, you are living an amazing, secret double life, so mystery should come easily to you. If it doesn’t, try staring off into the middle distance in a manner of someone hoping to see France from the Isle of Wight.
Have good hair
An egg wash will definitely give it shine, but a sprinkling of sand or the odd shell weaved into your locks will go even further towards creating the illusion of a sea-faring life.
Use waterproof make-up
Mascara is a particular giveaway of a landlubbing life, when it’s running down your cheeks leaving black rivulets behind it.
Feign misunderstanding of the ways of ‘normal’ folk
Look with curiosity upon life jackets. Ponder the umbrella with complete miscomprehension. And - a must - stare at shoes with a complete lack of understanding. If forced to walk, try to keep your ankles together or flail on the sand on your belly as if you’d never seen a leg in your life.
Be low key
Go for an ‘undone’ look, with hair down, make up (and clothes, to be honest) minimal, and keep a wild look in your eyes.
Take a mermaid name.
You could go pure seaside with Ariel or Coralia, or you could go a bit more mystical.
Have scallop shells for bra cups
But know when discomfort becomes too much and have something nice and non-wired to slip into when you get home and slide onto the sofa.
Eschew talcum powder at all costs
You’re meant to stay wet, you know? Defy the chafe!
Photography: Shutterstock
Take a seat, stare into the middle distance, and let your mind wander with purpose
We’re programmed to see daydreaming as something we shouldn’t do. Hands up if you were told off for ‘daydreaming’ in class at school… We thought so. But perhaps day dreaming is something that should be encouraged.
Obviously it’s not to be encouraged while driving a forklift truck or during an exam; there’s a time and a place for everything, isn’t there? But simply sitting with the purpose of doing nothing but allowing your mind to go on a journey can be a very useful exercise. Day dreaming has been shown to lower stress and anxiety, help you solve problems, increase your creativity and use parts of your brain that don’t often get any exercise.
Srini Pillay, author of Tinker, Dabble, doodle, Try says “What you want to aim for is called positive constructive daydreaming (PCD). These sessions of unfocusing can be spontaneous or planned, and they will ultimately make you feel more self-aware, more creative, and far less bored. When you engage in PCD, you give your focused attention a break and allow yourself to plan and rehearse what’s to come. In other words, if you allow yourself to constructively daydream, you are likely to realise things about the future that you would miss otherwise.”
Here’s how to really make the most of daydreaming.
Choose the right time
Putting a slot in your diary isn’t really in the spirit of the thing so don’t ‘plan’ to do it but maybe have a think about a few times in your week that might allow for it: the half hour between finishing work and picking the children up, last thing before bed instead of checking your emails or watching TV, the empty half hour while dinner is in the oven. Then when the moment arises you can seize it. A w ord of advice though - try to only daydream when you’re feeling happy and relaxed, otherwise a daydream can turn into a bit of a worry session.
Find the right location
Sitting in the window or lying on your bed are both good places to start but if you find home life just too busy to be able to daydream properly, take yourself off for a walk and find somewhere quiet to sit unobtrusively. A bench in a park or just a coffee alone in a cafe work well. Train journeys are great daydreaming spots, too.
Do something mindless
Unlike meditation, you don’t need to empty your mind or control it by bringing it back to a mantra or a place of relaxation. So doodle if it helps, knit, polish your cutlery - whatever feels low pressure and doesn’t require any real thought. If you prefer, you can do nothing at all but it’s not a must.
Pick a daydream topic
As we said, this isn’t about emptying your mind. Daydreaming is a chance to indulge your thoughts. Where are they taking you? Pick a fun place to start (dreaming about a trip or holiday, or what you’d do with a lottery win) and then just let your mind wander. A couple of good places to start are either dreaming back to the past and remembering a happy event you remember or dreaming into the future, thinking about things you hope to one day do.
Don’t be shy
Role play is a common way to daydream, but no one can see your daydreams, don’t forget. If you want to rescue 400 puppies from a burning building and then graciously receive an award for bravery presented by Princess Anne, that’s absolutely fine. Ditto Salman Rushdie presenting you with the Booker prize for a novel you’ve not yet written. One of the reasons why daydreaming is good for us is the positive effect of happy thoughts on our brains. Just try not to accept your Booker prize out loud or you’ll give yourself away.
Know what you want to achieve from your daydream
That might simply be a pleasant half hour spent staring at the clouds and daydreaming of nothing much at all, but you can also use daydreaming to more productive effect, such as plotting that Booker Prize winning novel, or planning how you might redecorate a room. Feel free to plot world domination if you like, but that’s probably not in the daydreaming spirit of the thing. Whatever your plans, have a pen and paper to hand so you can write down anything particularly brilliant.
If you’re choosing to daydream on a bench like the one above, you might like to first read our feature on why we love a bench in our August issue.
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Escape to nature with Unique hideaways.
Any time spent in nature, is always time well spent. From walking amongst green pastures to a wild swim at a secret cove, however we choose to immerse ourselves into our natural surroundings, can do a world of good to our mental and physical wellbeing.
Unique hideaways gives you the chance to escape to nature throughout the year, all while staying in a little bit of luxury. During a stay, you can feel yourself becoming more aware of your natural surroundings. Your senses become more attuned to how the world changes throughout the day, and we start to appreciate the smaller things in life. Like the glow from the fire on a cool winter’s eve or the sound of the waves slowly making their way to shore, as you sip your morning coffee on a sweet summer’s day.
Each hideaway has its own unique character just waiting to capture your heart. From glamping in a shepherd’s hut in Somerset where you wake to the dawn chorus, to staying in a cliff top cabin in Cornwall where you end your day relaxing in the hot tub and admiring how the sky has transformed into a pastel palette of summer hues.
Unique hideaways offers a collection of one-of-a-kind places to stay in hidden corners across the UK. From a houseboat docked in a private quay to a bijou bolthole with countryside views, if it takes those on a journey to a place unknown to most, you can guarantee it’s in their portfolio of hidden havens. Take a look at their inspirations page and start planning your next adventure to nature’s paradise.
Photography: Emma Croman. Recipe: Lousie Gorrod
These coffee and chocolate cornets have a real kick; because ice cream’s not just for children
Serves 4-6
300ml double cream
175g sweetened condensed milk
4 tbsp instant espresso powder
4 tbsp coffee liqueur
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
6 Waffle cones
1 Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add the condensed milk gradually, while beating, followed by the espresso powder and liqueur. Next, add the chocolate and continue beating until you have a light and fluffy mixture.
2 Pour the mixture into a container suitable for the freezer, cover with a lid or foil, and freeze for approx 6 hours or overnight. When ready to make the cones, take the ice cream out of the freezer and leave to soften for 10 mins before filling each cone with a scoop or two of ice cream. Topping optional but you’d be mad not to want a cherry on top.
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Photography: Carmel King
In our August issue, Pete and Emily Francis showed us around their houseboat and had us all hankering after a life on the ocean wave (or at least a life on the canal). To tempt you to the same, we’ve put together a watertight list of reasons why living on a houseboat is the best way to live.
You never need to declutter. If the item wasn’t essential in the first place, you’d never have brought it on board.
Whenever you’re sick of the view, you can change it.
It’s very hard to have accidents because every surface has a ledge on it. No more broken mugs.
You never have to shout up the stairs when it’s dinner time. Your family will simply see you put dinner on the table from six inches away.
If you fall out with your neighbours you can move house the same day.
You’ll never have trouble falling asleep; you’ll be rocked to the land of nod every night.
And it’s never far to walk to the loo in the middle of the night either.
You’ll save a fortune on ‘calming water sounds’ apps for your wellbeing.
You can legitimately call yourself ‘captain’. And if you make a friend in the boating community you can promote yourself to admiral of the fleet.
And if you ever suffer from dissent in the ranks you can make your family walk the plank.
If you need any more (sensible) reasons to live on a houseboat, you can read about Peter and Emily’s lives aboard the Navah on page 88 of the August issue or follow them on Instagram at @littlefloatinghome.
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The weird and wonderful stories behind stones with holes in
There’s all kinds of treasure to be found at the seaside, from pretty shells and mermaids’ purses, to sea glass and pebbles. But there’s a particular joy in finding a stone with a hole in and holding it up to spy the sea through.
Hag stones, as they are properly called, have been enchanting the folk of Britain for centuries, often literally. They’ve often been believed to have magical properties and to be able to mysteriously ward off witches and other ne’er-do-wells.
It’s all in the hole, you see. The theory goes that only good things can pass through a hole, so while good fortune and good wishes will find you through a hag stone, bad luck and evil thoughts are too big to be able to pass through the hole and become stuck in the middle. This belief may be bolstered by the centuries old belief that magic cannot work on moving water. So, since the hole in a hag stone was created by moving water, it works as a sort of ‘shield’ against spells and the like.
If you visit the coast soon, keep your eye out for a hag stone of your own.* And when you’ve found one, take it home as protection. Here are a few uses for the hag stone in your life.
Hang it above your front door or over a window to keep evil spirits out.
If you’re a sailor, tie one with rope to your ship to prevent witches clinging to your vessel, and to swing in the wind to help break up storm clouds.
Wear it around your neck on a string to ensure good health and to heal any minor ills.
Nail one above the door of your barn to stop witches souring your herd’s milk or taking your horses for a gallop in the night.
Attach a hag stone to your bedpost to keep bad dreams away.
Tie one to your keys so they will never be lost again.
Use them to help you conceive a baby. (We’re not quite clear on exactly how this is done. Perhaps just have one about your person…)
Enter Fairyland through it (apparently the hole is a portal). Again, we’re unsure about how to do this, but it can’t hurt to just have a peer at Fairyland through the hole.
*Only ever take one at a time though, and only for yourself. The stones are said to find you; you don’t find the stones. And they only work for the person they found. Plus, you’re not really meant to remove things from Britain’s beaches, but we think the very occasional hag stone is probably ok.
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Photography: Jonathan Cherry
We’ve decided we’re making sides the main event. Nobody puts coleslaw in the corner!
Now. There’s plenty good about a potato salad and a bowl of greenery. But it’s fun to ring the changes occasionally. Here are a couple of new twists on classic BBQ sides to fire up your patio this summer. They’re part of our ‘School’s Out’ feature in our August issue, a dinner-through-to-breakfast menu for a back garden camp out.
This broad bean guacamole and kohlrabi slaw will go well with barbecued meats, fish or cheese and are full of fresh, summery flavours. And, frankly, they’re so good, we’d eat them on their own with a bit of good bread for a garden lunch, too.
Serves 4
240g podded broad beans
Glug of extra virgin olive oil
Handful of fresh coriander (both stalks and leaves), roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lime
Pinch of sea salt
½ tsp nigella seeds
1 In a pan of boiling water, blanch the beans for 2-3 mins. Drain and refresh under cold water.
2 Add the beans and the rest of the ingredients, apart from the nigella seeds, to a food processor (or large bowl if using a stick blender). Blitz together until smooth. Transfer the guacamole to a serving dish and sprinkle with nigella seeds.
Serves 6
1 kohlrabi, peeled and grated
½ white cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, peeled and finely julienned
Handful of radishes, thinly sliced
Handful of fresh coriander (both stalks and leaves), finely chopped
3 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 In a large bowl, toss together the kohlrabi, cabbage, carrot, radishes and most of the coriander.
2 Combine the dressing ingredients and add to the veg. Toss thoroughly until fully coated, then garnish with the remaining coriander.
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We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.
