Simple pleasures and seasonal living
. . . moments of wonder. In the chill and the dark, the call of the woodburning stove is strong. But winter’s real enchantment can be found outdoors. There are little moments of wonder to enjoy – the first glimpse of the new day, whether filled with thick white mist rising from the valley below,…
My favourite flowers for midsummer are out: climbing roses, whose blooms come in tight clusters; the airy, winged flowers of Gillenia Trifoliata; the pure white of Geranium phaeum 'alba'; and the perfumed mock orange whose scent hangs on the warm air during the day and wafts in to the house in the evening. Then there…
May is the month when the garden really gets into its stride. And bringing a few flowers indoors is a simple way to celebrate the changes that are happening outside. Little clusters of blooms can be quickly popped into tiny vases or jam jars to dot about the house: a little bunch on the kitchen…
. . . growth. Everything around us is blossoming and blooming. Step outdoors and it’s possible to feel the energy; life surging through the new shoots, sap rising in the trees; leaves unfurling and buds bursting. There are lots of little things that make May special – wandering home from the village with a…
Spring and winter have begun their annual tussle. And although yesterday's initial frostiness was quickly followed by sunlight and bright skies, there are still days when it's perpetually grey outside and the house is gloomy. I wrote some posts about simple ways to cheer dark days a couple of years ago, and although spring is…
December: a month of contrasts. I love the merry days of Christmas: bright colours on the Christmas tree, cheerful songs, and the sparkle of fairy lights. But I also love those quiet days, when the air is still, and magic hangs around the house in an altogether different way. Late in the afternoon the clouds…
The old apple tree in the garden has done us proud this year, producing a bumper crop of bramleys, which is inspiring a frenzy of cooking with apples beyond the obvious sauce and crumble. We've made gingerbread baked apples, for a delicious autumnal pud; Swedish apple cake, simple and comforting; and brightly coloured beetroot and…
All Hallow's Eve, a marker in the year. Here, it’s celebrated with a final fling and an outdoor feast, and a strange local custom involving electing a mock mayor who promptly gets a ducking in the village pond. There's an intermingling of old and new traditions, but this act of marking the end of the…
