Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2020 i The Simple Things

Light up your garden with solar-powered lights to enjoy evenings outdoors Sign up to an online course, a workshop or a lecture series Have a ‘dark night’. Turn off the lights and enjoy an evening of candles and firelight instead Spend a Sunday batch cooking for the freezer (or biscuit tin!) Plant tulip bulbs in pots; a promise of colour to come next year Let your mind wander and jot down any sparks of new ideas. Maybe a novel plot, a recipe or an idea for redecoration... All you need is a spark. A spark is an idea that you can kindle and grow. It takes time and tending but your warm glow, when it catches hold, will come from within. And the calm month of November offers the slow-burn…

AUTUMN The tang of spent fireworks hangs in the air, mixing with woodsmoke and the cidery The r c scent flavours of fallen of apples. The days mushrooms are short and and many of us will light our first ch s fires n t i of the s year ti . Any excuse for cosiness tart pair u should well with bethe grabbed. This tangy is also dressing oneon ofthe the most warm walnut, squash rewarding tilt of n times s l d to just walk. It’s cool enough that you need to wrap up in your favourite knitwear to go out, but you can also get a good striding pace up without getting overheated. The trees are protecting themselves from the worst of winter to come by shedding their…

Maker of the month Sustainable storage solutions Describing herself as a ‘paper potter’, Mairita Jonikane works with washable paper to craft eco-friendly, reusable storage bags. Her versatile and functional designs work for planters or storage. She’s inspired by the environment around her home in Latvia with bark patterns from native Birch trees and silhouettes of oak leaves. A sustainable product, these will last forever if cared for correctly, developing a beautiful wabi-sabi patina with age.etsy.com/uk/shop/WarmGreyCompany Spiritual journeys Sacred Places: Where to Find Wonder in the World by Clare Gogerty There are places in the world that are filled with “inexplicable magic.” In this inspiring book, TST contributor, Clare Gogerty, sets out the case for “transformative” travel, recommending journeys that will add a sense of reflective wellbeing to our busy lives.…

PROUDLY HOMEMADE GOAT’S MILK AND LAVENDER SOAP Relaxing lavender offers a sweet-smelling bit of calm YOU WILL NEED: 1kg of melt and pour goat’s milk soap base (this will make 4 to 5 soaps, available from thesoapkitchen.co.uk) 4 tbsp dried lavender 25 drops lavender essential oil String Lavender stems A Tetra Pak or plastic milk carton with one side removed Scissors and a sharp knife 1 Begin by cutting the soap base in to cubes and placing in a heatproof bowl over a simmering saucepan of water. Heat gently, stirring from time to time until melted and smooth. 2 Remove from the heat and add the dried lavender, then mix in the 25 drops of lavender essential oil, ensuring it is evenly spread throughout the mixture. 3 Pour in to…

On a normal Thursday just before Christmas 2016, Deborah James (aka Instagram’s @bowelbabe) was diagnosed with an ulcerated stage-three tumour in her bowel. A diagnosis that would turn her former life as a deputy-head teacher and mum of two upside down. But most remarkably, now four years later, after planning her funeral and receiving vigorous chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgeries, Deborah is currently ‘cancer free’. Still receiving regular treatment, documented with characteristic humour and candour on Instagram, she has become a dedicated ambassador for bowel cancer awareness. Deborah is such an effective ambassador because she’s able to speak about cancer in a real, honest way. Case in point is her podcast, You, Me & the Big C, co-hosted with Lauren Mahon and Steve Bland. The show tackles life after a cancer…

On the cliff edgein a white-washed cottageclinging to ancient rockshe felt years spread under her feet;strata of muted coloursthreaded here and therewith ribbons of gold. She knew that she would liveprecariously, weavingher stories into song;Tregeseal, Cape Cornwall, Lamornafaded tapestries of childhoodmade bright again. Now the roof of the cottageis ablaze with sunlightand from a bedroom windowyou would see the fog lifting,a woman walking in the valley,and beyond the sea’s horizonthe delicate embroideryof distant islands. About the author: Woman, cliff, islands by Cornish poet Vivienne Tregenza is taken from Invisible Borders: New Women’s Writing From Cornwall, edited by Linda Cleary (Hypatia Publications). This prose and poetry collection is a lyrical journey through the county’s wild landscape, and an exploration of terrains of the heart, alive with vivid emotions.…

• The unnerving ability of a mushroom to erupt overnight was mentioned by Shakespeare in 1611; Prospero blames elves for the making of ‘midnight mushrooms’ in The Tempest. But mushrooms don’t ‘grow’ at incredible speeds. Instead they develop under the ground, waiting for the right conditions. Then they swell with water, pushing into the air to release spores. • Their sudden disappearance has also been noted in folklore, contributing to the idea that mushrooms are shy. Well into the 19th century, some believed that once a mushroom had been spotted it would shrink away in shame, never to be seen again. • Fairy rings are commonly thought to have magical properties, perhaps even being doorways to fairy kingdoms, or to hell. In fact, the eruptions of some species of mushrooms…

As summer drew to a close we asked you to pick up your pens and enter our micro-fiction competition with Seasalt – and so many of you did. We received our biggest ever metaphorical postbag for a creative competition and we’ve spent the past weeks reading and shortlisting to pick the winning and runner-up entries. Our friends at clothing brand Seasalt work with writers and artists who are inspired by their Cornish home and they wanted to hear stories from you that were sparked by the places that you love. Many of us love Cornwall, too, and that was evident from your entries, but you also celebrated places where you grew up – Hull, Croydon, Hove, ‘up north’ – and holiday destinations that held fond memories, like the Highlands and…

• A Ferrari: Found in Los Angeles, US, in 1974, by a group of children digging in their back garden, this dream machine was believed to have been buried there as part of an insurance scam. • Church bells: In the Czech Republic, in 2013, a man laying pipes at his property found some unidentified metal. He soon realised that these were two 400-year-old church bells that had been stolen from the local church. • A cinema: Most people have heard of the catacombs found beneath France’s capital city, but in 2004, during a routine training exercise by police, a full-sized cinema screen, projection equipment, and range of films, as well as an adjacent dining room and fully-stocked bar, were happened upon under pavements near the Eiffel Tower. Its creators…

One of the things that makes humans different from the rest of the animal kingdom is our desire to tell stories: we tell tales of the past to explain how we got here, but also of the future to map where we’re going. The earliest evidence of fortune telling comes from around 4000BC in ancient China, Egypt and Babylonia. Divination played a huge part in Ancient Greece where the high priestess of Apollo’s temple at Delphi would enter a trance-like state and utter prophecies. Oracles were believed to convey messages from the gods, but there were other ways to see the future, too. Reading the entrails of sacrificed animals before battle was common in early Ancient Greece and body parts have a long history of value to fortune tellers, whether…

Dried flowers As winter sets in and the choice of seasonal flowers is more limited, dried flowers come into their own, with an array of interesting textures. I collect flowers such as sea lavender, grasses and hydrangeas throughout the year to dry and, while there are ways to preserve the colours, I prefer the soft hues that develop over time. They also make a pretty addition to the festive wreaths to come.…

Having a word in your linguistic armoury that encapsulates a feeling can be comforting; it means that someone, somewhere has experienced the same thing. Paul Anthony Jones, author of The Cabinet of Calm: Soothing Words for Troubled Times (Elliott &Thompson) defines a word each month that may provide solace. Hurkle-Durkle when you have the Monday-morning blues Your alarm goes off first thing on a Monday and all you want to do is turn over and go back to sleep, rather than ready yourself for a new week of work. If it’s any consolation, you’re by no means alone, and there’s a rich vocabulary of words and phrases to describe what you’re up against. To be Mondayish or Mondayfied in 19th-century English was to be disinclined to work, or to be…

Easy win Low on kindling? Campers report tortilla chips do the job in helping get the fire started. CAPTION COMPETITION OVER TO YOU… Make us giggle with a caption for this clingy racoon. Each month we pick our favourite and send a lovely book to the winner. Post your best efforts at facebook.com/thesimplethingsmag COLLECTIV E NOUNS A run of salmon DREAM DECODER A SECRET OR UNUSED ROOM IN A HOME What your shut-eye meanders and mental adventures really could mean A house in a dream is a symbol of yourself: there’ll be an outside and an inside. Rooms in a dream house represent aspects of your inner world. Unknown, secret, or unused rooms suggest potential areas of self-development that are not yet being realised – either you aren’t aware of…

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS Quick fire quiz 1. Election Day 2. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence 3. Mountain hare 4. The Queen and Prince Philip 5. Bonfire night (it’s where Guy Fawkes went to school) Mosaic solution Seeing Double 1. Staple; 2. Teapot; 3. Aspect; 4. Superb; 5. Bearer; 6 Quartz; 7 Chance; 8. Shanty; 9. Deceit; 10. Excess Mystery keyword: Appearance…

Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) Arcade Fire Going Underground The Jam Subterranean Homesick Blues Bob Dylan Working in the Coal Mine Devo Tunnel of Love Fun Boy Three The Underground Train Lord Kitchener Tunnels Johnny Flynn Canary in a Coalmine The Police Subway Train New York Dolls The Cave Mumford & Sons Underground David Bowie Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Go Underground B.B. King 6 Underground Sneaker Pimps Subterranean Homesick Alien Radiohead Subway Yeah Yeah Yeahs thesimplethings.com/blog/undergroundplaylist stop look listen “I think I’ll do like a mole And move underground”…

CRÈME BRÛLÉE CHEESECAKE BARS Serves 8 FOR THE BASE: 150g digestive biscuits 3 tbsp granulated sugar 57g unsalted butter, melted FOR THE CHEESECAKE: 678g cream cheese, at room temperature 300g granulated sugar, plus 100g for caramelising 180g sour cream, at room temperature 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract ¼ tsp salt 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 Preheat the oven to 165C/Fan 145C/ Gas 3 and line a 23cm by 33cm pan with baking parchment. 2 Place the digestive biscuits in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin, or blitz them in a food processor. Whisk the biscuit crumbs and sugar in a bowl, then add the melted butter and mix. 3 Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and…

Mother superiors A group of American nuns have set up the world’s largest ever climate change fund on Wall Street. Sixteen congregations of Dominican nuns collaborated with Morgan Stanley to invest $130 million in solutions to climate change, and to help marginalised communities affected by it. Land girls Married women in Botswana can now own land in their own right. According to the World Bank, women struggle to hold ownership of land in 40% of countries, and while most African and Asian farmers are women, only 15% of global farmland is owned by them, says land rights organisation Landesa. Log in, loggers out Smartphones are helping save the Amazon. Charity Rainforest Connection has created an app where people can stream audio of suspected illegal loggers in Brazil, Costa Rica and…

On a walk through the woods, you come across a spongy growth, springing up from a dark patch beneath a gnarled old tree. Brownish, with a squat stalk and a curved cap, it’s instantly familiar. Mushrooms – those strange eruptions – are the most recognisable part of the fungal kingdom for many of us. But they are far from being the whole story. Fungi are a hugely diverse group of organisms, and mushrooms and toadstools are the fruiting bodies that some of them create – not unlike apples growing on trees. These parts we see on the surface are created by a living underground system of vegetative strands called mycelium. Unlike plants, they do not need sunlight to survive. Mycelium digests decaying matter, and then expands, growing from the tips…

A lichen is an organism in which fungi, algae and cyanobacteria live together – they’re behind some surprising discoveries. The roccella tinctoria variety has been used to make a rich dye, but this particular purple dye is also used to create litmus paper that turns red when exposed to acid and blue in the presence of alkali. The dung cannon or hat-thrower fungus (pilobolus crystallinus) is found in the UK, growing on dung and resembling yellow speckles. Its special talent is too quick to see – it ‘fires’ spores that reach speeds of up to 56mph to land on a patch of grass that will be eaten by cattle, so its life cycle can begin again. The small greenish mushroom known as the death cap (amanita phalloides) may not look…

ORDINARY MAGIC by Rebecca Dean, Oxfordshire There is a footpath that runs through the middle of the barley field, just below the village. It is shaped by the feet of those who walk its length, and every year it finds a slightly different route between the crops until, come harvest time, it is folded into the earth once again. If you walk peacefully along that path, slowing your feet and steadying your breath, you might hear a tell-tale rustle from among the barley stems. Then, a flash of brown, golden eyes and black-tipped ears: the captivating presence of a hare. Rebecca’s inspiration: “This is a regular walk of mine, in the rural village surrounded by farmland where I live in south Oxfordshire. I often see red kites there, too, as…

Tray-baked potatoes with mushrooms and chestnuts Serves 4 1kg medium or small potatoes, diced or sliced into bite-sized pieces 7 large cloves of garlic, 4 unpeeled and smashed; 3 peeled and finely sliced 4 tbsp olive oil, plus more to serve 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked off 500g chestnut or button mushrooms, sliced 3 tbsp dry or medium sherry 75g chestnuts, roughly chopped ½ small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 100g manchego cheese or parmesan 1 Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan200C/Gas 7 and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Spread the potatoes onto the tray along with the 4 smashed cloves of garlic, olive oil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 15–20 mins, or until the potatoes are softened but not yet fully cooked…

SOUTH-FACING WALL Warm and sunny, so best reserved for plants that need extra protection against frost and/or heat to ripen their fruits. Best for: fig, peach, nectarine, apricot, dessert pears, grapes, kiwi WEST-FACING WALL Warmed by the afternoon sun, this is the next warmest wall. Best for: apricot, peach, dessert pears, apples, sweet cherries EAST-FACING WALL Cooler than the west-facing wall as it only receives sun in the morning. Best for: early and midseason pears, apples, plums, red and white currants, gooseberries, summer raspberries, blackberries, tayberries NORTH-FACING WALL Cool and shady, this wall usually only receives a bit of sunshine in the early morning and late afternoon. Best for: sour cherries, red and white currants, gooseberries, Japanese wineberries, loganberries…

“Throughout the year, the fire helps to create an area where we want to be. We’ve even lit it in the summer just to create a cosy glow! This house was an old barn and weaver’s cottage and we wanted to create warm focal points where we could gather with our family and friends. This is our snug and funnily enough, we spend more time in here than in the big barn because it’s warmer and cosier, especially on wet and windy evenings. It has a big slouchy sofa, lots of texture and warm blankets and armchairs to wrap ourselves up in. Apart from the fire, I love the textures of the old herringbone wooden floor and stone fireplace. To me, the natural textures help to give the space the…

MOSAIC Piece together the Mosaic by placing the numbers 1 to 6 into each hexagonal tile so that where the tiles touch, the numbers are the same. No number is repeated in any tile. SEEING D OUBLE Each pair of words shares two middle letters The first has been filled in as an example. Complete the remaining words to find the mystery keyword reading down the middle.…

Martha was born on a November evening. The midwife tried to start a fire in the hearth, but it wouldn’t catch. None of the candles would light. She shrugged before leaving Martha in the cold, dark house, to parents who resented Martha’s arrival. As the girl grew, the hearth remained empty, the candles unlit, the stove didn’t burn and father’s pipe lay unused for years on the mantle. He insisted that before she was born, the house had been cosy and warm! She must have been cursed at birth. Only a curse would mean nothing could kindle. Martha believed him. After all, wherever she went, didn’t this problem lighting fires follow? But she consoled herself, she wasn’t the only one. At school she befriended a boy named Joseph, nourished on…

Favourite shop FLOUR AND STONE BAKERY Bakes some of the best cakes and pastries in the city. Their lamingtons are second to none.flourandstone.com.au Favourite bar HENRY DEANE A rooftop bar at the Hotel Palisade, with views of the Harbour Bridge. hotelpalisade.com.au/henrydeane Favourite café BOWER CAFÉ Great for people-watching and taking in gorgeous ocean views. thebowermanly.com.au Favourite restaurant KEPOS STREET KITCHEN Serving modern Middle Eastern food, you can eat healthily and leave satisfied.keposstreetkitchen.com.au Favourite market CARRIAGEWORKS FARMERS MARKET A busy Saturday market held in an old railway blacksmith shed. It’s my go-to for organic food and artisan goods.carriageworks.com.au Favourite hotel LITTLE ALBION Built as a convent in 1903 and featuring quirky designs from the 1920s to the 1970s.crystalbrookcollection.com/little-albion Favourite way to spend an hour ON THE MANLY FERRY I like to…

Mushroom: A fungal fruiting body, often swelling up in damp conditions to push through soil or decaying matter. Toadstool: Simply another word for a mushroom, although it can sometimes be used to refer specifically to large, poisonous or colourful mushrooms. Hyphae: Threadlike organic structures with very strong cell walls made of glucan and chitin. Mycelium: A collective mass of hyphae that forms a fungus. Spore: A reproductive body; these spores can grow into new organisms given the right conditions. Gleba: A spongy spore-filled tissue found in some fungi. Mould: A type of fungus, usually fuzzy in appearance, that’s often found in damp conditions. Mycangium: Structures on an animal’s body adapted to carry fungi. Mycorrhiza: A symbiotic relationship between a plant and a fungus. Wood-wide web: A term used to describe…

1 Know what you stand for and why speaking up is important – the cost of not speaking up will often feel much greater than your fear. 2 Plan your key messages and you can anchor back into why you’re there and what you’re trying to communicate. 3 Support yourself to feel confident in whatever way works (for example, a breathing exercise or motivational phrase). It can make all the difference in how calm and in control you feel. 4 Practise using your voice at every opportunity – you can’t feel confident riding a bike without actually getting on one. Public speaking is the same. 5 Stop comparing yourself to others – there are people who will never truly understand a message unless they hear it in your way, in…

Himiko A semi-legendary Japanese figure, Himiko was an unmarried shamaness who lived in a fortress, served by 1,000 women. Chinese sources describe how she “occupied herself with magic and sorcery, bewitching the people.” Her image can be found in some tarot decks today. Marie-Anne Lenormand A close friend of Napoleon’s wife Joséphine, she predicted their divorce. She was also consulted by leaders of the French revolution and Tsar Alexander I. Imprisoned a number of times, she was always released and ended up a rich celebrity. Baba Vanga The blind Macedonian Bulgarian mystic allegedly foretold the Soviet Union’s break-up and the September 11 attacks. Despite also making some inaccurate predictions, she was employed by the Bulgarian government and gained a huge following. Jeane Dixon Advised Roosevelt in the Second World War…

• Wooden oak floorboards not only lengthen a room but create a tactile, natural environment with a Scandinavian feel.• Don’t be afraid to play with scale and use big pieces in a small room, like in our bathroom.• Open shelving helps make the kitchen feel more spacious and is an opportunity to show off your favourite kitchenware and ceramics.• Never buy your entire kitchen from one place, you might think you’re getting a great deal, but it rarely works out to be as affordable as sourcing pieces independently.…

NATURAL VAPOUR RUB You can help relieve congestion with a salve made in minutes from essential oils. Eucalyptus, an expectorant, and soothing peppermint are both antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. Lavender is calming, while tea tree is effective at fighting pathogens and lemon is great for soothing colds, coughs, and other respiratory problems. YOU WILL NEED: 60ml coconut oil 54g shea butter 2 tbsp beeswax or 1 tbsp candelilla wax 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil 20 drops peppermint essential oil 10 drops lavender essential oil 5 drops tea tree essential oil 5 drops lemon essential oil For children under 10 years of age, replace the essential oils above with: 8 drops cedarwood essential oil 8 drops tea tree essential oil 4 drops lavender essential oil 4 drops frankincense essential oil 1 Pour…

Opening a hotel in the middle of the pandemic is not for the fainthearted, but the people behind Birch Community have bold ideas. This grand-looking hotel just north of London (with the hum of the M25 not far away) has buckets of outside space and the atmosphere of a fancy festival (minus the tents and wellies). There’s incredibly cool contemporary design and even an onsite farm to help supply the two restaurants. But the biggest draw is its range of creative workshops. Want to try your hand at spoon carving or throwing pots? How about making soda bread? Or is a gong bath more your style? In fact, there are so many workshops and activities on offer that you may feel the need to go for a little lie down…