Table of contents for April 2020 in The Simple Things

If you got close enough to the metal, you could pretend it wasn’t there. Look through the gaps in the fence, the wire hooked between your knuckles, and all that lay beyond was dancing white petals. Daisies, dozens of them. A brief fever dream amid the brick and concrete. When I was a child, wildflowers were weaponry. We saw nature’s offerings as something both prosaic and powerful, plentiful ammo to be deployed in the constant fantastical battles that defined our countryside upbringings. Stickyweed was to be pulled down, balled up and tossed so lightly towards the victim that, ideally, they wouldn’t know they had been targeted for several hours. Dandelions served other potentially punitive purposes. Once their scraggly yellow flowers had blossomed into far prettier drifts of fine fluff, they…

Morning, oh it’s early! What are you up to? We run a no-dig market garden and farm shop: we deliver organic veg boxes and make cordials, craft cider and bread. Adam is the gardener and cider maker and I’m the baker and shopkeeper, so I’m up early. At 6.30am, we all have a cuppa and biscuit in bed, then it’s on with the day. Tell us a bit about where you’re based. We live in an 1890s joiner’s cottage on the south side of the North York Moors. We enjoy big open skies, though it’s almost always windy. We’ve converted our garage into the farm shop and microbakery and, last year, we started our market garden on a 2.5-acre plot down the road. And how does the rest of the…

Despite a brief career and the fact only around 35 works are attributed to him, Johannes (Jan) Vermeer (1632–1675) is now revered as one of the greatest artists in history. During his life he commanded large sums of money for his work, but he died in debt at just 43. He and his paintings fell into obscurity and weren’t rediscovered until the 19th century. Spend ten minutes or so looking at the painting. Write down your thoughts here. SOME QUESTIONS TO MULL: What are your first impressions? Do you like this? What’s happening in the scene? What’s been included in the scene? What do you think the artist might be trying to convey by including them? Once you’ve spent some time with the work, turn it over to read a…

Sitting in her studio, knife in hand, carving away at a bit of reclaimed walnut, Sophie Sellu is not your average woodworker. Surrounded by chippings and beautifully crafted spoons, chopping boards, brushes and vases, Sophie works alone, apart from her whippet Stanley and a podcast for company. After all, you can’t afford to be distracted when you’re swinging an axe or slicing into wood with an obscenely sharp knife. This solitude gives her the space to create bespoke homewares from recycled wood, admired by the likes of Nigella Lawson and which you may have spotted in the pages of recipe books or on the tables of restaurants. While Sophie has been interested in woodwork since school, it wasn’t the career she originally followed. After graduating with a degree in design,…

A spangle of jade fronds stings my handswhen, tramping over barren ground, I gatherlightweight ferns, that shift like things windborne.They are a green invading force that overwhelmscast-off cans, glass jars and old sacks,returning the earth to its origins. From a micro worm’s view basal leaves gleamochre from loam, the upper tips striped malachite,struck with sunlight — but from my amblingbird’s-eye view,I see a verdant, tropical sheen and a greencathedral roof. Stippled with stinging hairsthat prick the nerves and pink the veins,it’ll take a heft of dock to cool my skin. I boil them and create a wilt of steam,and make a soup, as good as spinachto replenish and renew me, though a vagrant meal. About the author Poet Sarah Windebank was brought up by her Swedish grandmother until she was…

“A mackintosh: as equally waterproof as a raincoat, but tailored and belted” Raincoats are all about practicality. A half-hearted ‘showerproof fabric’ that looks fashionable, but which renders you soggy in half an hour will not do. What is needed is a roomy, lightweight and, above all, waterproof coat that you can shrug on over your PJs as you trudge out into a downpour to walk the dog. Sailors and fishermen know this only too well. When choosing workwear, being constantly lashed by pounding waves and battered by storms, sharpens the mind. Fortunately, in 1898 a New Zealand resident called Edward Le Roy fashioned a weather-resistant yet breathable garment from worn-out sailcloth coated with a mixture of linseed oil and wax. Modern versions of this ‘oilskin’ are made from a flexible…

CHANNEL ISLANDS The Guernsey Weigh, St Peter Port, Guernsey (theguernseyweigh.gg); Mini Mall, St Helier, Jersey (gominimall.com); The Sustainable Cooperative, St Lawrence, Jersey (scoop.org.je) EAST Norfolk Natural Living, Shirehall Plain, Holt, Norfolk. norfolknaturalliving.com • Norfolk Natural Living, in the rural market town of Holt, is a beautifully curated shop specialising in luxury ecoconscious cleaning and garment care products. For owner, Bella Middleton, every product starts with a simple idea – an answer to a problem – which she researches and plans a recipe for, using the power of plants. Each product is locally made, bottled by hand and finished with the brand’s distinctive pared-back utilitarian label. The shop also has refill stations for all their bottled products. ALSO RECOMMENDED: The Store, Bedford (thestoreuk.co.uk); Wholesome Weigh, Hitchin (@wholesomeweigh); The Refill Room, Leigh-on-Sea…

1954 Born in Holland. 1956 Starts learning to play the piano. 1958 Dodged death when he and his mother failed to board a flight that later crashes. 1973 Reads Archaeology and Anthropology at Durham University. 1978 Starts off on the dole, before working in the music industry. 1982 His song, Midnight Blue, is No.1 in 13 countries. 1987 Moves to Cornwall where he and John Nelson ‘discover’ and restore The Lost Gardens of Heligan. 2001 Eden Project opens. The following year, the book about the project, Eden, becomes the bestselling environment book of the century, to date. 2002 Awarded honorary CBE; ten years later, appointed KBE. 2016 Buys Charlestown’s Shipwreck Museum, near St Austell in Cornwall. 2018 Becomes co-owner of historic Charlestown Harbour, a key Poldark location. 2019 Some 21…

A problem shared is a problem halved. But does a problem shared with half the nation obey the same rule? The sackloads of letters sent to problem pages each week suggest so. If you thought agony aunts were a product of modern women’s magazines you might also be surprised to learn that the first ‘agony’ column was published 330 years ago by an agony uncle. In 1690, John Dunton founded The Athenian Mercury to publish ‘questions answered’. Rumour has it Dunton was having an affair and wanted advice without asking anyone who might grass him up to Mrs D. Some received rather ‘direct’ advice, with one older lady fearing loneliness being advised to get herself down to the docks in search of a sailor. By 1704, the concept was so…

We’re used to dealing with the problems of loved ones face to face but should someone unburden themselves in a letter to you, here’s how to answer. • First, assume nothing. It might feel like you have the whole story but you don’t: remember this is all seen through one person’s eyes. • That said, try to read between the lines a little. What’s missing from the picture? And what is mentioned a lot? • Answer gently. If they’ve taken the trouble to unburden themselves in a letter or email they may be feeling fragile and perhaps couldn’t face a face-to-face meeting. This is no place for ‘pull yourself togethers’. • Keep it about them. Though it’s tempting to offer your experience, to someone in need it can sound a…

Tulips By Emma Harris  Tulips are one of a very few varieties of flowers that continue to grow once cut. This means they add something unique to a bouquet, as you never quite know how it will change shape over the course of a few days. There is a real beauty in the evolution of an arrangement, especially if you use the particularly flamboyant parrot tulips, which open to give a blousy display as they stretch away from a vase.…

Barnes & Binns Lifestyle Store is part of a quiet revolution of shops, helping people to live in a more stylish and conscious way. Launched in 2019 by Rachel Barnes and Sarah Binns, they stock everyday home essentials and planet-friendly household goods. Many of the popular ranges are locally sourced - from stainless steel lunchboxes to natural toothbrushes. (If you’d like to live more sustainably. turn to page 63 for our reader-recommended guide to zero-waste shops around the UK.) barnesandbinnsgeneralstore.com…

Weeds are those unplanned plants that pop up to thwart our careful, considered design efforts. They add colour we didn’t want, grow where we wanted a bit of breathing space, give shape that throws off our intended balance. It’s not the weed’s fault we hatched a plan without it, but those plants are breaking our rules, those little rebels. And while they may well be rebelling against our tyranny over the garden, perhaps we should occasionally listen to what these rebels have to say. Their agenda doesn’t always fit ours; sometimes it can be better. Even if we like the look of a plant, if it persists and spreads easily to the point it’s difficult to control, we probably get frustrated with it and it becomes a weed. Forget-me-not, for…

You will need: 4 or 5 parsnips, a knife, an apple corer or drill. 1. Slice the skinny ends of the parsnips off at the point at which they are still of a good thickness (1-2cm in diameter), let’s say. 2. Bore wide, cylindrical holes into the parsnips using an apple corer or a drill. Make the deepest one as deep as you can without going through the other end. Repeat on the other parsnips, ensuring that each hole is shallower than the last. 3. Finish them off by slicing across the top of the holes at an angle and hold them upright in a row, from deepest to shallowest, with the highest part of the parsnip closest to the face. 4. Blow diagonally across the parsnips down the same…

HARRY SPECTERS CARAMEL & BROWNIE SLAB A chunk of choc with fudge pieces. Best for: giving a chunk of love. Sales provide work for young adults with autism. £4.50, harryschocs.co.uk CHOCOLATE AND LOVE POMEGRANATE 70% DARK CHOCOLATE Fairtrade, organic & award-winning. Best for: ethics that are as appealing as its taste. £3.29, chocolateandlove.com OMBAR BLUEBERRY & ACAI Ecuadorian cacao raw bar. Best for: satisfying cravings for all: it’s vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free. £1.99, ombar.co.uk…

Go head to head in this team game to be the first to determine where all your agents are on the board. ‘Spies’ have to master the careful use of one-word clues – and being able to gauge your fellow teammates – all the while avoiding rival agents and the deadly assassin. £17, argos.co.uk DOGS IN BLANKETS Dan, 9,tri-breed.As nominated by Jane Alexander CATS ON MATS Zeus, 8. As nominated by Deborah Hunt Pet’s Corner. Tweet us a picture of your #dogsinblankets or #catsonmats @simplethingsmag QUICK FIRE QUIZ 1 In 1698, the first recorded April’s Fool, people at the Tower of London hoped to see what being washed? 2 What worldwide event celebrates its 50th anniversary on the 22nd of the month? 3 Which Anglo-Saxon goddess probably lent her name…

A LIFE LIVED Marram: Memories of Sea and Spider Silk By Leonie Charlton (Sandstone) An evocative look at a mother-daughter relationship, with a Hebridean backdrop Charlton headed to the Hebrides for a three-week journey, accompanied by her friend, two sturdy ponies and a pile of maps. Their pace is slow enough to take in the landscape, to catch glimpses of wrens, sea eagles and sandpipers. It also afforded Charlton the opportunity to reconcile herself to her difficult relationship with her mother, and test her courage, as revealed in this beautiful, meditative memoir. Bird Therapy By Joe Harkness (Unbound) A heartfelt account of how birdwatching saved a life Harkness was in the grip of severe depression when the sight of a brown buzzard reminded him of his long-forgotten love of the…

There’s a woman in a kitchen. Light from a window touches the side of her face, as she concentrates on her task of the moment – pouring milk into a cooking pot. But what do you do? Do you move on to look at something else? Or stop and linger at the scene being played out before you? In fact, the woman is the subject of a painting by the famous 17th-century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (also the artist behind ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’). But, despite its renown, studies show that in reality, if we’d encountered this in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it hangs, most of us would look at the work for a matter of seconds before moving on. Hence the need for Slow Art Day. Founded…

This work is small and detailed – in real life, it’s 17.5cm taller than the height of the magazine. Wearing a white headdress, yellow bodice with green sleeves and a blue apron, a kitchen maid (milkmaids milked cows) pours milk from a jug into a cooking pot. Light from a window on the left-hand side falls on to her forehead, bodice and forearms. On the table is a basket of bread and rolls. Sunlight picks out details of textures and colours. The maid is no idealised goddess, but a real woman engrossed in her domestic work. This is a traditional type of 16th/17th century Netherlandish art called a ‘kitchen piece’, combining both ‘genre’ (showing scenes of everyday life) and still-life painting. Diligence, purity and love are being conveyed. It’s a…

Back to blue The blue whale has been spotted in “unprecedented numbers” around Antarctica – a sign the critically endangered mammal could be making a comeback. Researchers led by British Antarctic Survey made 36 sightings of blue whales during their 21-day 2020 survey, identifying 55 animals – compared to just one seen during a 2018 survey. The population here is believed to be less than 1% of its levels before whaling began. Better paths A pioneering crime rehabilitation scheme trialled by Durham constabulary has led to a fall in reoffending rates of 15%. The initiative, dubbed Checkpoint, gives people who’ve been arrested for crimes such as burglary and assault the option of avoiding prosecution by enrolling in a four-month rehabilitation programme. Around 2,600 people have taken part in the initiative…

* There’s no better way to get to the heart of a city than through the people who live there. Every month we ask someone, clearly in love with their city, to take us on a personal tour and tell us what makes it so special. You may feel inspired to visit one day or to rediscover the charms of a city closer to you, but for now just sit back, relax and enjoy some armchair travel. How long have you lived in the city? I’m originally from Nottingham but moved to Spain in 1998. I lived in Barcelona for many years, then moved to Granada in 2006, although I first visited in 2000. Tell us what makes your city unique. The last bastion of Al-Andalus, Granada was under Muslim…

About a year ago I was given two pieces of family treasure; both cook books, and as different from each other as a Delia is from a Heston. Compiled by the cooks themselves, and cooks in my family no less, the first belonged to my Nana. A bright red plastic folder stuffed with recipes written on scraps of paper or pulled out of 1960s and 70s magazines and Be-Ro catalogues, many of which I recognise from my childhood (hello again, chocolate and coffee mousse!). The second is older and more sedate. It belonged to a distant relative called Ellen Turner, an ancestor of my step dad, the unmarried sister of his great-great grandfather. Ellen’s family were farmers in Ditchling, West Sussex, and lived at a farm called Newland for 200…

THE HIGH STREET Independent delis, bakeries, greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers and cheese shops are less likely to wrap their products in plastic than supermarkets. If you want to use your own containers instead of their paper bags or waxed paper, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Shopping little and often is the best way to avoid packaging: the plastic wrapping used on supermarket veg serves the valid purpose of extending shelf life. SUPERMARKETS Following the trial of a refill station offering 44 dried products in one of its Southampton stores, Marks & Spencer is extending the scheme to a second store in Manchester city centre after three-quarters of its customers said they wanted to reduce their packaging. Waitrose is also trialling refill stations at stores in Oxfordshire and Cheltenham, while Asda will…

Reading – Chosen by 58% of people, in large part reading feels restful because it allows us to escape our own worlds. We can read a book at our own pace, in our own way. Spending time in nature – Many of us seem to have an instinct that nature is good for us. The research backs it up, showing that being in a natural place is calming and allows us to rest better. I want to be alone – We spend 29% of our waking time alone, but often not doing very restful activities (commuting, working, admin). Not to be confused with loneliness, choosing to spend time in restful solitude allows us to retreat and tend to our emotions and stimulate creativity and new ideas. Listening to music –…

Mrs Bird The terrifying agony aunt of AJ Pearce’s novel Dear Mrs Bird. Mrs Bird will brook “no unpleasantness” (including affairs, or indeed relationships of any sort really), until her page is secretly taken over by office typist, Emmy. Jane Lucas Maureen Lipman played agony aunt Jane in TV comedy Agony from 1979–81, much loved for her disastrous personal life and interfering mother. Agony was co-written by real life aunt, Anna Raeburn. Joan and Jericha Vicki Pepperdine and Julia Davis star in the podcast Dear Joan and Jericha, playing funny, but filthy, agony aunts who boast expertise in “psycho-genital counselling and sports journalism”. Mrs Mills The Mrs Mills Solves All Your Problems page appears in The Sunday Times Style magazine. Acerbic, snappy and completely useless advice on all manner of…

Nettle soup Serves 6 Knob of butter 1 onion, diced 2 celery sticks, diced 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 bay leaves 2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced 1½ ltr vegetable stock 1 handful of spinach 3-4 handfuls of young nettles, well washed Vegetable oil, for deep-frying Crème fraîche, to serve Toasted seeds, to serve 1 Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then add the onion, celery, garlic and bay leaves and sweat down for a couple of mins. 2 Add the potatoes and stock and simmer for 30 mins until the potatoes are cooked through. 3 Add the spinach and most of the nettles (saving a handful for deep frying later), then return the soup to the boil and remove from the heat. Allow to cool for a…

In the past the suburbs have had something of a reputation for mediocrity, but no more! As creatives in cities move out to the ’burbs, they’re no longer just settling down, but setting up shop, too. This means some of the best small businesses are now just a stone’s throw from suburban streets. Allison Sadler and her husband Christian opened their shop, People, 20 years ago in Kings Heath, just a few miles from Birmingham city centre. “When we opened, not only was there nothing like us around here, but the whole idea of a lifestyle shop, selling fashion, gifts and anything we loved, was almost unheard of,” explains Allison. “We only had £1,500, but we had the same dreams and drive, and knew we could make it work. The…

In this smart, sparky, compassionate book, Olivia Laing persuasively argues that writers and artists can offer new perspectives on life’s problems, both social and emotional, especially in tempestuous and uncertain times. Her essays offer glimpses into artists’ lives, their struggles, and describes their work (often provocative and idiosyncratic), which offers up alternative ways of loving and living. Like the painter Sargy Mann, who had corneal edema, but “took a hair dryer to The National Gallery, plugged it in and calmly dried his soggy, waterlogged eye in order to see the paintings.” (Picador)…

Cath Kidston longed to find a home that she wanted to live in forever. Scouring estate agents’ windows she espied an old manor house that was “tucked away and almost invisible” on the edge of a Cotswold Valley. This beautiful book is a tantalizing tour of their transformation of ‘Paradise’ (the apt name of the manor) from house to home. Old furniture is mixed with bold new cushions; shelves are filled with ceramics and her vast collection of vases and jugs, acquired from charity shops and car boot sales. On the walls are old family pictures and large mirrors to bring more light into the rooms and her favourite geraniums. Covetably lovely. (Pavilion Books)…

An intriguing flavour combo – and low on the sugar for a jam using tart fruit Makes about 5 quarter-of-a-litre jars 1kg rhubarb stalks 500ml wheat beer 200g sugar 1 tsp of whole cloves Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon Dice the rhubarb into 1cm pieces for quite a chunky texture (cut smaller for a smoother jam). In a large, heavy-bottomed pan, bring the ingredients to a simmer. Take off the heat, let cool and refrigerate overnight. The next day, strain the juices into a wide, heavy-bottomed pan. Reserve the rhubarb. Bring the juices to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 12 mins, or until it reaches 100C. Add the reserved rhubarb and bring back to a gentle boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 mins or…

For sunny borders: Purple toadflax is an ornamental perennial turned weedy rogue. It’s an easy, carefree plant, proclaiming purple towers to flower atop dainty silver. For dry or poor soils: Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) has tall stems holding large, trumpet-shaped yellow flowers, and rivals many garden plants for sheer summer wow factor. For meadows: Meadow buttercup is a beautiful plant that has developed a bad reputation just because, at some point, it was classified as a weed. It is a perennial plant that stays green through winter. For shady borders: White deadnettle is far more refined than the common nettle and is the potential star of a shade border. Primroses (above) will also spring up weed-like in shady spots. For rich, damp soil: Mind-your-own-business (worth including in your garden purely…

You will need: One rhubarb leaf per stone Chicken wire, cut to just under the size of each leaf Plastic sheeting Sunflower/olive oil spray Ready-mix concrete Trowel 1 Put down your plastic sheeting and lay your leaves on top, with veins facing upwards. Spray on a layer of oil. 2 Prepare your concrete mix, and smooth on a layer of concrete, to around 3 cm. Tap carefully to get rid of air bubbles. 3 Lay a piece of chicken wire on top for strength, then cover with another concrete layer of about the same depth. Tap and smooth edges with your trowel. 4 Cover with plastic, and leave to dry out overnight. 5 Spray with water to remove the leaf. Over the next week, spray regularly until the concrete is…

SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT BY NIRVANA (1991)‘Men just can’t help acting on Impulse’ – if Kurt Cobain had been British, chances are one of the most defining songs of an era might have been inspired by that cheesy bit of 90s advertising. Because he was American, he went for Teen Spirit – another deodorant marketed for teenage girls. Not that he knew it at the time. The lyric directly came from a spot of graffiti that Kathleen Hanna, the lead singer of another Seattle band, Bikini Kill, drunkenly scrawled across his wall: ‘Kurt smells like Teen Spirit’. Kurt said that he didn’t realise the deodorant link for a while –even after the single was released –rather he took it as a statement of rebellion. Just as millions of teenagers have…

• Can you tell what the story/ subject matter is? • What setting, time and place is being depicted? • What’s the mood? How do you know? • What do you think the artist is trying to communicate? • What does it remind you of? How? Why? • What drew you to the work in the first place? • Was it love or hate on first sight? • Can you see if the artist was concentrating most on skill or ideas? What were these? • How has the work been made? • What else do you know about the artist, or the time in which the work was made?…

Someone who knows a thing or two about juggling hats, is Anna Whitehouse, or Mother Pukka as she is known on Instagram. In between her work as a journalist, editor, radio host, and mother of two (not to mention now a bestselling author, thanks to her book Where’s My Happy Ending? written with ‘Papa Pukka’, Matt Farquharson), she’s also the founder of Flex Appeal, the campaign that’s fighting for flexible working for all – from parents struggling with childcare to those managing mental health problems. Anna believes that flexible working means happier staff who see their families more, lower costs for businesses and greater productivity. Something she wasn’t getting from her previous role as a copywriter at a big beauty brand. After having children, she requested flexible working in order…

Favourite shop CERÁMICA LOS ARRAYANES It sells ceramics made in Granada. I love all the bright colours in their designs. Calle Alhóndiga, 16 Favourite gallery CASA MUSEO MAX MOREAU Not exactly a gallery, but an artist’s home, this property in the Albaicín is recommended if you like art and painting. Camino Nuevo de San Nicolás, 12 Favourite café or bar CAFÉ LISBOA It’s right in the centre of town and the coffee is really good. cafelisboa.es Favourite restaurant MIRADOR DE MORAYMA Located in the Albaicín in a Carmen building, it’s a charming location to spend a long lunch or dinner. They also cater well for vegetarians. miradordemorayma.com Favourite hotel HOTEL CASA 1800 A quaint setting with great views of the Alhambra. Although there’s no access by car to the hotel…

1 Gather all your favourite recipes and ask members of your family what their favourite ones are too so it’s filled with memories as well as tasty treats. 2 Split them in to categories – starters, snacks, mains, pudding etc. If you’ve got far too many, consider a theme, such as Italian dishes or vegetarian cooking, and create a few cookbooks instead. 3 Decide on your layout. What measurements will you use? How many people does it serve? How long does it take to prepare? How long will it keep? How do you store it? 4 Add notes of all the little tricks and tips you use when making them. Add personal memories about the times you served them up and the reactions they received. These little stories and additions…

When Richard and Nicola Eckersley opened Earth.Food.Love in Totnes, Devon, in March 2017, it was, as far as they know, the first zero-waste shop in the UK. Three years later, there are more than 250, not just on affluent, independently-minded high streets, but on industrial estates, in rural market towns and even in mobile vans. Bulk-buying shops selling dried wholefoods to buy by the gram have been around for decades, offering a frugal alternative to branded, overpackaged supermarket aisles. The new generation of zero-waste shops also offer experiences and the chance to interact with like-minded people. In these sleekly designed spaces, some of which have cafés, offer meeting spaces or host workshops, communities gather, activism flourishes and social enterprise blossoms. "Zero-waste shops share the common purpose of reducing plastic pollution”…

Scope it out It’s a good idea to visit your local zero-waste store before doing your first full-scale shop, so you’ll know what it does and doesn’t stock. List and label It’s tempting to get carried away by the variety of goods on offer, but the whole point of zero-waste shopping is to reduce waste. Menu planning and list-making will ensure that you’ll only dispense what you need. Most dried goods have a best-before date of three months, so it’s wise to label your container with the day of purchase. Gather your containers They don’t have to be new and they don’t have to be beautiful. Plastic is fine – the important thing is that you are reusing it. See-through containers are easier to fill than opaque ones and anything…

“Your married life has disappointed you. Well, often things we buy turn out quite different from what we hope they will but we cannot have our money back.” Woman’s Home Companion, 1915 “Dance at her wedding without your shoes. This is supposed to procure a husband for an unmarried girl within the year.” Peg’s Paper, 1919 “Do you think your wife is missing her office life? Or has she any other cause for the discontent which seems to be expressing itself in badly cooked food?” Modern Woman, 1953 “Boys love to be asked to open tins, and here’s the chance to ask a favour of the boy you like. If you think tinned food is a bit silly, take along a bottle of salad cream.” Boyfriend, 1962 Taken from Never…

After a wet and wild winter, Spring feels all the more welcome and there are few better ways to blow off the cold-weather cobwebs than a weekend by the sea. Those in the know always head to Cornwall at this time of year, where the spring flowers bloom earlier and, on clear days, the mild climate makes it feel like summer, minus the crowds. It’s time to be outdoors again, browsing beautiful gardens, walking the coastal path, pottering around harbour towns and eating fish and chips on a blowy seafront. This is a popular part of the world (and for good reason), but come at this time of year and if you look around the corner, there will always be a quiet beach, tiny gallery or pretty tearoom waiting to…

Kings Heath is a southern suburb of Birmingham packed full of Victorian terraced houses and just five miles from the centre of the city. As well as a flourishing independent business scene, there are many schools and parks. It has been a part of Birmingham for over 100 years, but it’s still warmly referred to as a village by locals. “You get an interesting and diverse mix of people, which is important to us,” says Allison. “There are lots of families and everything you need is on the doorstep.”…

Rachel Foxwell creates her range of unique, handcrafted ceramic vessels from her garden studio in Bristol. Colours and lines found in the seascapes, landscapes and colourful architecture are the starting point for all her designs. Rachel’s design process is very hands on and each piece of clay is hand-rolled before being meticulously layered with ceramic slips and slithers of bold colour. Once all the decoration has been applied, they’re assembled to create simple geometric, functional forms. Rachel is showcasing some of her work at ‘Postcards from the Edge’ at the Byre Gallery in south-east Cornwall (until 2 May), featuring ten acclaimed artists inspired by the south west coastal path.rachelfoxwell.com…

Super sleuth Sophie Hannah, the author of crime fiction novels, is on a quest to discover: “What is happiness? How does one pursue and/or achieve it? And where is it to be found, and who with?” In this witty, conversational investigation, she sets about following the clues left by ancient philosophers, consults expert witnesses and carefully scrutinises the words of her favourite self-help books (she’s a huge fan of the genre). She sets off on a “mood enhancing” 66-day action plan, because having “actual stuff to do” is more enjoyable than “endless frustrated musings about what happiness might or might not be.” (Wellcome Collection)…

“Every time I walk into my bathroom it makes me smile. It feels like a grown-up space with its dramatic black tiles, but the bright wallpaper from Divine Savages adds a real contrast and an element of fun. It’s the wallpaper that makes the room special to me. I’d had my eye on it for ages and, after my husband vetoed it for our bedroom, the bathroom was a good compromise. I love the contrast of the dramatic black tiles against the bright wallpaper, while the gold fixtures and fittings make it feel really special. The vintage chandelier was actually a real bargain, but it adds an individual and luxurious touch to the small space. I also love the bathroom mirror as it brings a touch of elegance. In truth…

Easy wins Put a sponge at the base of your houseplant pots as you’re potting up. It’ll absorb water and help keep the soil moist for longer. CAPTION COMPETITION OVER TO YOU… Make us giggle with a caption for this hedgehog taking a little tumble (don’t worry, it’s fine). Each month we pick our favourite and send a lovely book to the winner. Post your best efforts at facebook.com/thesimplethingsmag COLLECTIVE NOUNS A watch of nightingales…

Try installing a WATER-SAVING SHOWERHEAD. Eco showerheads, shower regulators, and timers (to tell you when to get out) could be available free from your water provider. Go to savewatersavemoney.co.uk and enter your postcode. SHARE A BATH with someone you like a lot. Or take it in turns. Don’t forget, you can leave the water in the tub and use it to water your plants. USE NATURAL AND BIODEGRADABLE TOILETRIES The average British woman comes into contact with 680 ‘chemicals of concern’ through toiletries every month, and these get washed into our water supply, polluting rivers and seas as well as our bodies. BUY A NATURAL SHOWER CURTAIN PVC shower curtains contain toxic chemicals, which will contaminate your home and leach into landfill sites. Go for natural materials or a glass…

Lara has gone to the park every Saturday morning, rain or shine, since she moved to the north east last November. She’s now on first-name terms with several dogs, and the man at the coffee cart knows that she likes a cappuccino with no chocolate on top. The walk takes the sharpest edge of loneliness off her weekend. She needs it today. It’s the anniversary of her father’s death, and the call from her mother before breakfast, to check that she was OK, ended with them both sobbing as they remembered how suddenly he was gone, crumpling on the spot, a ‘but I’ve hardly touched this tea’ expression on his face. She takes the quieter route through the park, then follows the dusty path up the hill. Grief, which is…