Indice dei contenuti per September 2024 in The Simple Things

Morning! What’s your first cup of the day? Being from Yorkshire, it has to be a mug of tea! During the week it’s with breakfast, at the weekend it’s in bed. Can you tell us a bit about your work? I’m an unconventional textile artist, specialising in block printing. I print using blocks handcrafted by my husband from rescued and recycled wood, or everyday objects that’d otherwise go to landfill. What a great way to use up waste materials. What’s first up? Generally, it’s checking emails. I spend much of my day at the kitchen table, the kettle in view. I dream of a studio large enough to host workshops. How did you end up doing this? Sheer accident! For my 50th birthday, my husband took me on a blockprinting…

SNAP IT FOR LATER FAVOURITE SHOP Bolesławiec Pottery Shop With a centuries-long heritage, this Polish pottery brand is famous for its distinctive bright design, and the best place to buy it is this the official shop (I never leave empty-handed). zakladyboleslawiec.com FAVOURITE BOOKSHOP Wrzenie Świata Known for its wide range of non-fiction books, including English titles. There’s also a great café. wrzenie.pl FAVOURITE GALLERY Neon Muzeum An industrial space that’s home to a large, colourful collection of neon signs from the former Eastern Bloc countries. Utterly unique. neonmuzeum.org FAVOURITE RESTAURANT Fabryka Norblina A former factory, this venue has a great food hall with lots of options to eat. It also hosts regular events fabrykanorblina.pl PLACE TO SEE BY NIGHT Nocny Market Between Thursday and Sunday, this old train station turns…

Tom’s lessons for life “Work hard, be kind, never give up, say yes to everything - that’s how we cook and run the business. They are the rock solid foundations of how I live my life.” “Live your life slightly uncomfortably, just outside of your comfort zone, it will change your outlook.” “What’s the worst thing that can happen? Even if it’s the worst two hours of your life, it’ll end, just go and do it.” “I live in a fantastic community and I like the slightly old-fashioned values. Connection with human beings is really important.”…

Joan Eardley was a British artist whose work, also titled Summer Fields, can be seen online at nationalgalleries.org. Painted in Catterline, Aberdeenshire, her painter’s eye inspires a poet’s words to create a shared vision of a wild flower meadow and how the ordinary can be transformed into the extraordinary. Things to ponder: How does Tamar capture the sense of stillness and seasonal change? How is Joan Eardley’s painting captured in the poem? Summer Fields from Belief Systems (Nine Arches Press, 2024), reproduced by kind permission of the poet and publisher.…

BELONGINGS My mum is a sensational sewer. She can whip up cushions and curtains and a full set of costumes for the nearby pre-school with seemingly no bother, but her real passion lies in quilt making. She is an absolute wizard at understanding block construction and seam allowances, as well as having a brilliant eye for design. She has made quilts for so very many occasions; weddings, new babies, new homes, new jobs. Each year we go away on holiday together, and it is only during this time that she is able to part with her beloved sewing machine and let it be fully serviced ready for the next stitching marathon. These details only highlight her generosity as, many years ago, she gave me her beloved fabric scissors. I started…

I love this corner as it’s one of the shadiest and most private spots. We built this pond from scratch 20 years ago. We dug the stream first and then the pond and planted everything. I find all the foliage and sound of the water so calming. We have a table and chairs next to the pond and often enjoy a glass of wine there. My husband likes to watch the fish while I think about what to plant next. Marybeth Ciandella, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, USA @mciandella We get lots of visitors here, particularly birds for their morning bath. Hedgehogs, frogs and numerous insects also visit, mainly at night. We created it from an old piece of sandstone and it reminds us of our holidays in Japan. Joanne &…

BORDALLO PINHEIRO Charming Portuguese bowls that come in a range of sizes. Best for: A design classic, dating to the 19th century. From £12, johnlewis.com VEGETABLE PLATES Cheerful bone china from an Aussie brand. Best for: Mix and match veg, from artichokes to asparagus. £18 each, intheroundhouse.com VEGGIE NAPKIN SET Handmade by Lottie Day. Best for: Homegrown talent - they’re inspired by what her dad grows on his allotment. £48, lottieday.com Humane insect catcher In time for spider season, this handy helper moves insects safely and securely - with no harm to beast, or fright to (wo)man. £12.70, thorne.co.uk QUICK-FIRE QUIZ 1 What was officially opened on 4 September 1964: the painting of which is supposedly never-ending? 2 Where is the most remote place on the UK mainland? 3 What information…

Barley Baked into British culture (and brewed in our beer and whisky) - it has inspired pub names from The Barley Mow to The Malt Shovel. Chia Originally from Peru and Bolivia, its name means ‘strength’ in Mayan. Punches above its 2mm seed size in nutritional stakes. Rye A favourite in central and eastern Europe. Particularly ingrained in Poland, with 32.4kg eaten per person per capita (it’s 0.9kg worldwide). Bulgar Not only delicious in a tabbouleh salad, these parboiled, dried and ground wheat kernels have even doubled as sand on film sets. Oats Forget sowing your wild oats, this cereal has been thoroughly domesticated- not least for porridge, and now also as the UK’s favourite plant-based milk. Teff Name comes from a word meaning lost, but many benefits are found…

“Y ou missed a patch,” she says, tucking her hair around her neck. His breath catches. He will get to touch her twice. Her hair, bristling bright yellow in the sun, reveals the patch between her shoulder blades that he missed. It is covered with freckles. She told him once, on the first night of student orientation, that she had red hair as a child but that she often forgets. Her skin still remembers, though. He tips the bottle of Coppertone and the white liquid spreads out onto his palm. “Doesn’t your dad ever come here?” she asks as his fingertips make contact with her skin for a second time. A light breeze blows, making the leaves on top of the swimming pool rock in the ripples of water. “Not…

GROWING Dawn There’s a magic about the garden at dawn. The liminal time as the plant world awakens but most of humankind is still asleep is enchanting, and well worth getting out of bed for. Rise before the sun and you can be in the garden to savour the dawn chorus of bird song, and discover which plants in your plot feel the first light. At dawn, the garden is fresh back from the cleaners. If you’ve some east-facing space, this will warm up fastest. It’s an ideal spot to write some morning pages in your journal; salute the sun with a spot of yoga; or sit with the first cuppa of the day and enjoy the early rays, watching their progress across the grass as they melt away the…

WELLBEING While driving his father to a hospital appointment one morning, Dr David Hamilton had a lightbulb moment, when he realised just how dramatically our interactions with others can shape our mood. His dad was receiving radiotherapy for a brain tumour, David was running late, stressed and tired and, he admits, not paying full attention to his driving. He pulled out in front of another car dangerously on a roundabout and there was very nearly a crash. “It was totally my fault and I fully expected him to slam his horn and belt out some expletives. But instead, the driver waved me on with a warm, kind smile.” Shocked and disarmed by the driver’s response, David burst into tears a hundred yards or so along the road. “The stress of…

NETBALL Reclaim your Goal-Shooter or Centre bib and take part in the world’s number one female team sport, englandnetball.co.uk; netballireland.com; netballni.org; netballscotland.com; walesnetball.com HOCKEY Hockey is a game of speed, agility and stamina - plus lots of fun. Sticks and shin pads at the ready! englandhockey.co.uk; scottish-hockey.org.uk; hockeywales.org.uk; hockey.ie FOOTBALL Get ready to unleash your inner Lioness. According to Sport England, there was a 1.5% rise in the number of girls playing football in 2023 - that’s 68,000 more female footballers getting a kick out of sport. niwfa.org; englandfootball.com; fai.ie; scotwomensfootball.com RUGBY Run, tackle, maul and scrum, it’s not for the faint-hearted, but if you’re looking for a stressbusting exercise, rugby could be it. englandrugby.com; wru.wales; scottishrugby.org; facebook.com/ulsterwomensrugby GO MAMMOTH is a social sports and fitness club that links people…

PADDED LAPTOP CASE Using an old padded jacket - or you could repurpose a quilt, or similar is an eco- (and purse-) friendly way to protect your laptop or tablet. You will need: Paper (or newspaper) Chalk Laptop (for measurement) Tape measure (or ruler) One padded coat Scissors Pins Sewing machine (or needle and thread) Velcro or snap fasteners 1 Lay the paper on a flat surface. Use the chalk to trace around the laptop to make three templates: two to be the full size of your laptop and one to be a third of the length. Label the full-sized templates as A and B. 2 Using the tape measure, add 3cm of seam allowance to the longer sides and 2.5cm to the shorter sides of A. Do the same…

A PLACE TO STAY What could be more lovely than walking a countryside trail, created around a series of lakes and streams, discovering works of art? At Sculpture by the Lakes - a 26-acre park created by artist Simon Gudgeon - that’s exactly what you do. And ever since I first heard of it, I’ve been keen to visit, camera in hand. Our base was nearby Poundbury, an extension to the historic county town of Dorchester and the brainchild of the Duchy of Cornwall, led by King Charles. From here, we’d explore Dorset’s countryside, independent shops, and beautiful villages - and there was always the chance we might bump into a visiting royal… Where we stayed Poundbury’s houses are built in a variety of architectural styles, to make it look…

Scan to see more IVY BEE The last thing expected during summer’s last act is a mass bee emergence. But, what’s special about the ivy bee is how late it appears and how short a window it uses to reproduce. First recorded on our shores in 2001, the ivy bee has already reached Scotland, due to the abundance of ivy in the British Isles. Females have a short, buff pile across the thorax and orangey-yellow stripes on the abdomen; males are smaller and fluffier. Ivy-bee season can begin in late August, when the males begin to appear; they emerge, find a nearby nectar source and then basically wait for the females to emerge in early September. The first females barely make it into the light before being covered by delirious,…

No barriers to entry: Anyone can enter the World Gurning Championships, for free. Head to Cumbria’s Egremont Crab Fair, held every September. Hey good looking: Being a handsome fellow might be to your advantage. Rather than just pulling a face. Callum Scott, World Gurning Championships chairman, explains that it’s not just about pulling a face, it is about ‘making the biggest transformation in your face.’ To make that transformation, no use of your hands or props is allowed - with the exception of false teeth. Get your move on: Try the Popeye for starters, a gurning staple (described by Guinness World Records as ‘pushing your lips out, blowing air into your cheeks, crossing your eyes and looking at your nose’). Many champs have a signature ‘face’, such as Tommy Mattinson’s…

MENU Hedgerow fizz Rosemary roasted nuts Roast carrots and lentil salad Michaelmas roast duck salad Sticky damson sauce Parsnip chips Apple, pear & ginger cobbler Cardamom custard Hedgerow fizz Nothing signals the season like apile of foraged hedgerow finds. Dilute with sparkling wine or fizzy water, delicious either way. Makes around 500ml 200g sloes 200g blackberries 200g elderberries 200g damsons 250g granulated sugar Sparkling wine or sparkling water 1 Leave any foraged berries outside for an hour to give bugs the chance to escape, then soak them in cold water for a couple of minutes. Drain, transfer to a pan and add enough water to just about cover them. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 mins, or until soft. 2 Using a potato masher, crush the berries in…

SWEET POTATO & CHOCOLATE LOAF CAKE (TORTA DO PATATA DOLCE E CIOCCOLATO) Serves 6-8 1 large sweet potato (approx. 300g) 3 eggs 150g caster sugar Zest of 1 lemon 150g butter, melted 225g 00 flour, sifted 16g baking powder (we used a 16g sachet of Paneangell baking powder) 60g dark chocolate, finely chopped 1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ Gas 4 and line a 900g loaf tin with baking paper. 2 Start by cooking the sweet potato. Either bake it whole in its skin in the oven for about 50 mins, or bring a pot of water to the boil and cook it for about 40 mins until tender Alternatively, for speed, you can peel it, chop it into small chunks and place in a bowl with about a…

OUTING Travelling with your dog, in my opinion, is a must. And while you might not be able to take them everywhere, there are still hundreds of places, from museums to castles to caves, where they’ll be welcome. Whether it’s a day out or a road trip that the dog can come along on, the UK and Ireland have plenty to offer - and the dog will help you see it all a little bit differently, too. TRAVEL Boat The crew on Jola Too, a 12-passenger boat moored at Rhu Marina, in Argyll and Bute, love dogs so much they’ll provide refreshments for your pet alongside the Scottish tablet and local tea that you can indulge in as you cruise. Many of their trips around the Firth of Clyde take…

• Be mindfully kind and considerate as you go about your day. Think about your interactions with others, make an effort to say thank you, to wish people a nice day, to check in on people, and to try to be kind, helpful, respectful and supportive. • Think of people in your life and mentally wish each of them in turn things like happiness, good health, ease in their life, comfort and safety. Try to wish these things three times for each person. • Reflect on the fact that almost everyone struggles in life but they don’t always show it. You never know what others are dealing with so it’ important to go easy on people.…

The Simple Things The story so far: It’s ten years since partners David Parker (Publisher) and Lisa Sykes (Editor) founded Iceberg Press and bought the then about-to-be-closed The Simple Things. It’s now award winning and sells more each month than ever before. We talked about doing a magazine differently. We both worked for big publishing companies and left to set up our own. We bought The Simple Things, which I was already doing some work for. Unlike traditional women’s magazines, it didn’t demand perfection or do celebs. (Lisa) We wanted to take our knowledge of big publishing and meld it with indie innovation. Indie mags are more able to try new things, in a way that big magazines find quite hard. (David) The first six months were horrendous. We made…

WISHLIST Bookshop browse FRIENDS FOREVER The Virago Book Of Friendship edited by Rachel Cook → Celebrating women’s friendship by all manner of writers, Rachel Cook has gathered together over a hundred authors, poets and agony aunts to scrutinise close female bonds from every angle. She starts with school days, heads to the fledgling steps of adulthood, and then to middle age and beyond; a journey from first jobs, to last goodbyes. Here are friendships that are fun or furious and unpredictable as described by Jane Austen, Nora Ephron and Toni Morrison. But the award for companionship must go to Anne of Green Gables, who hopes for ‘a bosom friend - a really kindred spirit to whom I can confide my innermost soul.’ (Virago) Shopkeeper of the month Down to a…

DOWN TO A TEA TOWEL Featuring a design by Vicki Johnson and made by Elite Tins, this is a colourful celebration of all things September, like swallows and seedheads. £12.50, printerjohnson.com RED HERRINGS Fill in the gaps with letters to find eight words that relate to ‘time’. Two of them are red herrings. All the answers have seven letters. (answers on page 124) “Love your neighbour; yet don’t pull down your hedge” Benjamin Franklin The ‘evil eye’ is a common belief around the world: the Turkish nazar boncuğu uses four rings, in blue, black and white, resembling an eye as an amulet to reflect and ward off the curse. WHAT TO DO WITH… OLD SWIMMING COSSIES PRACTICAL: Companies such as tideandseek.com and deakinandblue.com have recycling schemes. Or you can cut…

CUT OUT AND KEEP Summer-into-autumn pilaf Serves 4 75g butter 1 small cabbage, cut into wedges 200g runner beans, trimmed and sliced 2 onions, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 10 whole allspice berries 1 cinnamon stick 2 bay leaves 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground coriander 3 tbsp Turkish pepper paste (or use 2 tbsp tomato purée/paste with 2 tsp paprika) 300g bulgur wheat, soaked in boiling water for 10 mins, drained 800ml vegetable stock, or water 1 lemon: ½ thinly sliced, ½ cut into wedges 80g walnuts, roughly chopped 1-2 pinches of chilli flakes Small bunch of dill, finely chopped 1 Heat half the butter in a frying pan until it’s foaming. Add the cabbage wedges and beans, plus a large pinch of salt, and cook…