The Simple Thingsの November 2021 の目次

Pick up a biography of someone you find amazing Visit a natural wonder near you; a lake, waterfall or hill, maybe Surprise someone with a delicious Friday night dinner for their freezer Take a child for a day out (or borrow one) and experience the world through their eyes Spend a day sketching in an art gallery These are some ideas that are marvellous or will help you to marvel. Add your own in the space below if you like.…

Bookshop browse KNEAD TO KNOW Breaditation: De-Stress By Making Bread by Manuel Monade & Caroline Harrison ➛ Manuel Monade is a baker and Caroline Harrison a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist; both have worked with people in crisis and are convinced of the therapeutic benefits of bread making and its potential to enhance personal peace. Sensory and tactile, it encourages you to slow down and appreciate the process. With meticulous instructions for the basics – from kneading to proving, shaping to baking – and recipes for breads such as bagels, brioches, pittas and pumpernickel, this lovely book celebrates an absorbing and grounding occupation which will do wonders for your wellbeing. (Robinson) Maker of the month Botanical studies Ceramic pieces inspired by the back garden ➛ Ceramicist, designer and educator Reiko Kaneko works…

➛ Orford Ness, off the coast of Suffolk, is a place of strange fascination; a one time secret military base, it’s now a National Trust nature reserve; the small shingled almost island is home to birds, mosses, lichens and animals, who nest and inhabit the abandoned military architecture. Macfarlane’s eerily hypnotic prose and Donwood’s haunting pen and ink illustrations create a fresh mythology of the place, where a showdown between man and environmental forces takes place in the present and future, hinting at ruination, but hoping for salvation for the fragile, yet resilient, denizens of the natural world. (Penguin Books)…

CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE Serves 12 FOR THE FRUIT CAKE: 200g each of: raisins, sultanas, currants and chopped prunes 100g dried cherries 50g mixed peel 400ml orange juice 115g unsalted butter, softened 150g soft dark brown sugar 200g soft light brown sugar 125ml vegetable oil 30g black treacle 3 large eggs 250g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp each of: allspice, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg 1½ tbsp mixed spice 300g walnuts TO DECORATE: Icing sugar, for dusting 125g marzipan Apricot jam Nuts of choice FOR THE CANDIED FRUITS: 1 orange, sliced into 5mm rounds 1 lemon, sliced into 5mm rounds 725g caster sugar 500g water 1 In a bowl, combine the dried fruits, mixed peel and orange juice. Cover and leave overnight at room temp. 2…

Final tribute Josephine Baker will be the first Black woman to be buried at the Panthéon in Paris, alongside Marie Curie, Victor Hugo and Voltaire – one of France’s highest honours. The entertainer, activist and Resistance agent, who died in 1975, will be only the fifth woman buried there when her remains are laid to rest. Friendly greetings Saying hello to your bus driver can improve your sense of wellbeing. Positive social interactions like expressing gratitude and socialising with friends have been associated with greater happiness, but Turkish researchers have now found that greeting and thanking strangers can also improve our mood. Vaccine hope Malaria deaths and hospitalisations could see a dramatic 70% reduction, following a trial in Mali and Burkina Faso where 6,000 children under 17 months received three…

How long have you lived in the city? I’m what the locals call a Marrakchi – living in, but not native to Marrakech. My love affair with the city started over a decade ago, when I was sourcing inspiration and fabrics for my fashion collection and fell in love with the place. So much so, that I celebrated my wedding here. On returning home, I was left with a feeling of emptiness after the colour and energy I’d experienced, so I returned and bought what is now my beautiful Riad hotel and retreat space, Dar Jaguar. *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…

With leaves to kick and a nip in the air, autumn woodlands are a ready-made opportunity for a mini-adventure, with a full flask and plenty of snacks to keep spirits high. Build a den, collect leaves of every autumnal hue, then send the kids out to search for sticks and kindling so you can have a go at whittling – even creating a kazoo, if you're feeling musically inclined. If allowed, lighting a small, safe fire will help provide the comfort of having piping hot coffee on hand. After some exploring, you'll appreciate the benefits of a sturdy log to perch upon, so that everyone can warm up with a cup of soup and some cheesy biscotti before popping some parkin in your pocket for an ‘are we nearly back…

1952 Born in Bedford 1971–1973 Studies Fashion & Textiles at North East London Poly – discovers knitting machines. 1974–1980 Inspired by Pop-art sculptor Claes Oldenburg, she creates knitted plants for stores such as Liberty. Becomes a hand knit designer for magazines. 1982 Marries husband, Barry 1985 Has son, Will, then daughter, Nell, four years later. 1988 Baby Knits is published, the firstofover40books.Debbie opens a London shop and holds workshops worldwide. 2000 Launches Debbie Bliss range of hand knitting yarns. 2014 Career high when she throws the first pitch at a Seattle Mariners baseball match at a Stitch ‘n Pitch event. 2015 Receives an MBE for her services to the craft and knitting industry. 2018 Sells the Debbie Bliss brand and becomes part of online retailer LoveCrafts.…

IN A WORLD THAT CAN FEEL INCREASINGLY UNIFORM, WE’RE CELEBRATING THOSE HAPPILY DOING THINGS a bit differently. Meet the PEOPLE WHO ARE seriously PASSIONATE about their pastimes. PERHAPS THEY’LL PERSUADE YOU TO TRY something NEW? Like innumerable royal heads before them, Ashleigh Rose Harman and Jack James were born to do it. The cousins are, respectively, the Pearly Queen and King of Royal Kensington & Chelsea, modern day bearers of titles handed down the family since the very dawn of the pearly kingdom. It was in the 1870s that orphan street sweeper, Henry Croft, hit upon drawing attention to his charitable fundraising by donning a suit festooned with mother of pearl buttons. So effective was the strategy that Henry asked costermonger (fruit and veg street seller) friends to adopt similar…

SPICY HOT COCOA A blend of spices (and rum, if you fancy it) make this a grown-up treat Serves 2 600ml oat or dairy milk 4 cardamom pods 4 tbsp dark cocoa powder ½ tsp cinnamon powder ¼ tsp grated nutmeg 50ml rum, optional 4 squares of dark chocolate 2 star anise 2 long cinnamon sticks 1 Pour the milk into a saucepan with four crushed cardamom pods. Gently heat the milk over a medium heat on the hob, stirring until it starts to bubble. 2 Stir in the cocoa powder, cinnamon and nutmeg until it’s fully blended. Remove from the heat and pour into two large mugs, removing the cardamom pod shells. Add the rum now, if using. 3 Grate the dark chocolate pieces over the mugs and top…

This simple mindfulness meditation is really effective at helping to still a busy mind before you fall asleep. • Find a comfortable position in bed, take a few moments to allow your mind and body to settle and fully relax. • Take two long, slow breaths and then let your breath return to its normal rhythm. • Become aware of your body and any sensations and movements. • Start to notice thoughts as they come into your mind. Think of these thoughts as like clouds floating in the sky. Don’t try to push them away or fight them, just notice them as they pass through your mind. • Go back to your breath and as the thoughts or clouds come by, notice them and then let them drift away again.…

• In April 2020, the Vision Council calculated that 4 billion adults in the world wear glasses. • Our word for lenses derives from the Italian for lentils because they were thought to look like the pulses in shape, similarly the French for glasses, lunettes stems from their resemblance to the moon. • The diarist Samuel Pepys abandoned his journal in 1669 as he feared going blind, after being prescribed the wrong type of glasses by supposedly one of the greatest spectacle makers of his age, John Turlington. • Patricia Highsmith, the somewhat notoriously penny-pinching author of Carol and The Talented Mr Ripley lived in Switzerland in the last decades of her life but would cross over the border into Italy to buy her reading glasses as they were 20%…

Dried alliums Through the summer they stand out with their colourful petalled globes, but when the flowers fade, the dried stems of allium maintain a delicate beauty that deserves to be shown off. To grow for next year, plant alliums before the clocks go back and in spring consider also making room for poppies, teasels, echinacea, nigella and agapanthus in your patch, for the seedheads and stems they leave behind. Simply wait for the petals and seeds to fall (or collect them), then air dry for 2-3 weeks, so you can enjoy their spiky stems throughout winter.…

byFoke A carefully curated selection of luxury gifts sourced from independent brands, all beautifully packaged. Select from one of their edits or create your own for something truly bespoke. Boxes from £20.byfoke.com Alice & Peg Working with UK-based independent makers, Alice & Peg curate thoughtful, eco-conscious gift boxes filled with handmade, sustainable, cruelty-free products that can be personalised with a handwritten greetings card. From £25.aliceandpeg.com Not Another Bunch of Flowers Not Another Bunch of Flowers began when Anikka Burton was diagnosed with cancer and her friends and family confessed they didn’t know what to send to make her feel better. The website has now expanded into gift boxes for all occasions and you can build your own from scratch.notanotherbunchofflowers.com…

While it’s nice to slow down, many of us find that the fading light and drop in temperature, along with seasonal colds and viruses at this time of year, leave us feeling below par. Time to stock up on healing herbs and spices, including energetic ginger, which adds fire and spice to anything it’s used for, such as in this healing brew and mug of soup. RESTORATIVE HERBAL INFUSION Try this elixir any time your energy is low. 1 tsp sliced fresh ginger root 1 tsp jasmine tea leaves 1 tsp peppermint tea leaves 480ml hot water 1 Place the ginger, jasmine and peppermint into a pan and add the hot water. Brew for five minutes, then strain into a mug. GINGER AND CARROT SOUP Ginger root helps soothe the…

Holidays with extended family and old friends have been off the agenda for a while, so after all those missed birthdays, anniversaries and festive celebrations, you may need somewhere special to gather and make up for lost time. Keeping a group happy means finding a location with a variety of distractions within easy driving distance, from beautiful beach walks to explorations of charming towns, good places to eat and a little bit of historical discovery thrown into the mix. A rural Norfolk retreat combines space, peace and a splash of luxury with all the above, enabling you to connect with loved ones, the location and the landscape in equal measure. Where we stayed A clan gathering may call for a remote-ish location, where joyful reunions won’t disturb neighbours. Family-owned Godwick…

DOWN TO A TEA TOWEL Putting the art into hearts, this 100% linen number could be used for your dishes but designer Rachel Castle very much intends for it to be framed and put on your wall, too. Couple of Hearts, £65, antipodream.co.uk MATCHBOXES PUZZLE “Wonder is the beginning of wisdom” Socrates & From the Latin ‘et’ meaning ‘and’, but the name comes from the former custom of adding ‘per se’ (‘by itself’) when talking about a letter that is also a word. & was the 27th letter of the alphabet so '& per se &' (and per se and) over time became ampersand The PRACTICAL, the PLAYFUL and the SILLY Bring odd socks to heel… PRACTICAL: a handy housework…

Sarracenia flava Cleverness worthy of blowing a trumpet pitcherabout. Its leaves pitch prey into ‘pitfall traps’, to then drown in digestive fluid. Pinguicula moranensis We can’t believe this butterwort’s not butter… neither can those drawn to its large, sticky leaves, who find themselves becoming toast. Sarracenia purpurea The purple pitcher plant is now found in UK peat bogs but its entrapment success is hardly a purple patch: apparently working less than 1% of the time. Utricularia alpina This high land-loving bladderwortalso reaches heights of ingenuity, tricking its victims with a pressure-based ‘bladder trap’. Dionaea muscipula The venus flytrap’s diet is actually less than 5% fly (ants, spiders, beetles and grasshoppers make up the rest), taking around 10 days to digest. Darlingtonia californica Its appearance means it’s also known as the…

Flash Queen Midnight City M83 Open Your Eyes School of Seven Bells Dissolving Hannah Cohen The Divine Chord The Avalanches, ft MGMT & Johnny Marr Glory Box Portishead I Only Have Eyes For You The Flamingos All is Full of Love Björk The Moon Song Karen O & Ezra Koenig Progress Public Service Broadcasting Bloodbuzz Ohio The National I Heard Wonders David Holmes Glorious Andreas Johnson Change My Darkness into Light The Flirtations What A Wonderful World Louis Armstrong thesimplethings.com/blog/marvelplaylist stop look listen  “Maybe millions of people go by But they all disappear from view And I only have eyes for you”…

➛ Slime is neither a solid nor a liquid, but an in-between material, which has been on Earth for billions of years, paving the way for all life on the planet, including us. This oozy organism is the invisible cement that holds different ecosystems together. It’s also the substance that helps snails glide, provides the structure of the jellyfish, propels plants’ propagation and, secreted inside us, provides a resilient barrier against pathogens, keeping out deadly germs. Vitally important in the past, present and for our future, this enthralling, sprawling natural history shines a light on the brilliance of this sticky stuff. (Granta)…

Whether you sling on a cosy knit, snuggle down under a blanket or pull on your bedsocks, chances are that, as the days grow shorter, you’ll seek warmth and comfort in something woolly. But have you ever wondered why this natural material keeps us so toasty? The arrangement of two types of cell in its core creates a crimp in the fibre in which millions of minuscule air pockets are trapped, forming a thermal barrier, regulating humidity and providing insulation. Good for sheep and good for us. Ever since humans discovered that the by-product of the wild animal they’d killed for meat came in handy as clothing, the threads of our history have been, erm, woven together. In the Bronze Age, it was made into textiles in Britain for the…

Favourite shop MARRAKSHI LIFE I love the beautiful textiles and eco-conscious focus of this avant-garde, gender-neutral clothing brand. It’s sustainable, hand-woven and made to order by a team of local artisans.marrakshilife.com Favourite gallery SOUFIANE ZARIB Inspiring both as a gallery of craftsmanship and as a source of interiors ideas. Their carpets are in a class of their own.soufiane-zarib.com Favourite bar NOMAD BAR This cool rooftop bar at the stunning Palais Namaskar is a wonderful place for a cocktail.palaisnamaskar.com Favourite restaurants L’MIDA A great place to try Moroccan food with a contemporary twist. It has a beautiful green roof terrace, too.lmidamarrakech.com NARANJ A taste of Lebanon in Morocco with mezze, aromatics and wood-fired grills. naranj.ma Favourite market PLACE DES EPICES Our neighbouring Place des Epices is the best shopping square with…

The ingenious way a Kelly Kettle (also known as a Storm Kettle or a Volcano Kettle) works means as long as you have twigs and a match you can always have a cuppa, whatever the weather. It has a water chamber that covers a fire chamber, which creates an upward chimney draft ensuring an efficient, rapid boil. The earliest examples of similar kettles are around 3,600 years old and were found across Europe and the Middle East. However, modern versions are most likely influenced by Chinese and Mongolian hot-pots, which have a central chimney.…

Happy inside “Turning down the lights a couple of hours before bed will encourage you to relax” Simple ways to make your home a more relaxing environment Turn down the noise Life can be noisy – we’re often exposed to a continuous background noise from TV, music, phones, the kettle and computers, and then there’s external noise from traffic, roadworks, sirens, etc. Noise pollution has been linked with anxiety, depression, high blood pressure and sleep problems. Try turning down the volume by closing windows, switching things off or down and basking in some quiet time. Inhale a calming aroma An essential oil diffuser will infuse your home with fragranced steam. Calming scents such as lavender, peppermint, bergamot, sweet marjoram or ylang ylang can help. Switch off the lights Turning down…

The Freshman (1925) When silent movie star Harold Lloyd stumbled upon a pair of round plastic spectacles in an optical shop in downtown LA, his boy next-door ‘glasses character’ was born. The Freshman, where he plays a hopelessly naive student who becomes an unlikely and bespectacled college football hero is among his finest and funniest films. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Gregory Peck appears as the noble lawyer Atticus Finch and in owlish horn-rims of a style that would later prove inspirational to the Californian spectacle company Oliver Peoples’ desirably ‘retro’ output. 8½ (1963) 8½ has Marcello Mastroianni as a put-upon film director dogged by creative doubts, who views the chaotic scenes of his work in progress through a pair of heavy framed glasses. Yet he is out-gunned spectacle-wise by…

“I PAINTED THE WALLS IN WARM TONES… I LOVE HOW THEY GO TOGETHER SO BEAUTIFULLY” Before Mirthe Willems had even seen her apartment in real life, she had already fallen in love with it. Browsing online for a new place to live, she came across the upstairs apartment in the Wittevrouwen district of Utrecht in the Netherlands and immediately knew she had to have it. “I saw the photos and thought: ‘This is too good to be true!’,” she smiles. “I especially fell for all the old details – the beautiful ceilings, high windows, the old fireplace and all the space. At the time we lived in a much smaller, loft-like apartment, so this place was a dream.” A month later, Mirthe moved in with her boyfriend at the time…

Shivers run through me. I crouch down and scrabble in the scree and snow. I try to scan every inch of the ground, but it is crusted with ice and blindingly bright, and now my eyes are swilling with tears. How stupid I feel, and how hopeless. The chain around my neck is in two pieces, the loose ends hanging down. It must have happened when I was wrestling with the penguin. A large, booted and bearded figure is approaching. “What’s up?” Ethan is my fellow Antarctic geologist, a newish acquaintance. A kind presence. “Nothing.” But the wobble in my voice gives me away. He doesn’t know my background. Or that the diamond ring Sam bought for me is buried under the snow or down a rocky crevice, or quite…

For the heart, a joy-filled make that’s as much a pleasure to create as it is to give away to loved ones. For the body, capture the organic benefits of plants in handmade, homegrown skincare. And finally, food for the soul that pairs flowers and herbs with complementary flavours. This is potion making for grown-ups. BAY Fresh or dried, the herb that packs a punch Bay may look like a common-or-garden shrub, but behind that unassuming glossy greenery lies an incredibly versatile herb. The bay laurel tree ( Laurus nobilis) that we’re used to in Europe is part of the Lauraceae family, making it a culinary cousin to cinnamon and avocado. Further afield, bay leaves take on different guises: the California bay leaf (Umbellularia californica) has a stronger flavour; Indian…

My grandmother, Bridie, died when I was 14. My memories of her are wispy and ephemeral and I can’t quite catch them. I remember her hugs and her smell but they’re not tangible. Food is really the only way I can find her. I see her in a brown gingham housecoat standing by the stove stirring a big pot with a fag in her mouth. I would watch, fascinated, wondering if the ash was going to drop in and season the simmering pan. It never did. She fed me boiled bacon and savoy cabbage; Irish stew, unapologetically brown and unfailingly delicious; hot apple pie, pastry buttery and flaky, apples collapsing and hinting of cinnamon and nutmeg; fluffy butterfly cakes; potatoes boiled in their jackets, split in half and lathered with…

Clip The total amount of wool shorn from a particular flock, region or country Crimp The natural wave formation of wool (the finer types are usually crimpier) Fine wool The softest variety, at 27 microns or under Handle Referring to the feel of the wool: soft or coarse Hank A skein of wool of measured length/weight Kemp The coarse, short, white and hollow fibre found round the head and legs of sheep, alpaca and other animals Lustre A sheen on wool, which will dye effectively. These types are long-stapled (see below), curly or crimped Medium wool The coarser kind, ideal for weaving into furnishings – upholstery, rugs and carpets Pure new wool A blend of this year’s clip only (no older or recycled fibres included) Scour To wash or clean…

Morning! My, what magnificent plants you have! We can see you’re cracking on already. I’m lucky to work from my home office, that I recently renovated especially for my online store, Sarora Knots. First cuppa is always a strong one, as I start my day with my biggest tasks. What’s the story of your business? I worked as a florist for years, and developed a love for houseplants. I couldn’t find any bright, quirky plant hangers I liked, so I made my own. I started selling to friends and opened an online shop as demand grew. How do you like your tea? Earl Grey all the way, with a splash of oat milk. Do you trust other people to make your tea the way you like it? Only my mum,…

We have calcium in our bones,iron in our veins,carbon in our soulsand nitrogen in our brains. 93 per cent stardust,with souls made of flames,we are all just starsthat have people names . About the author: Nikita Gill is a British-Indian writer and poet living in the south of England. Her new collection of poetry, Where Hope Comes From: Poems of Resilience, Healing and Light (Orion), was written with the Covid crisis as a backdrop and takes the reader on a journey through the five stages of grief to the five stages of hope through the life cycle of a star.…

Ginger apple dumplings Serves 16 2 x 227g packs of refrigerated croissant ready-roll dough 3 Gala or Granny Smith apples, each peeled, cored and cut into 6 wedges 12 tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing 220g brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 small can ginger ale Cinnamon, for dusting Vanilla ice cream, for serving 1 Preheat the oven to 175C/ Fan 155C/Gas 2 and grease a 23cm x 33cm baking dish. 2 Unroll the dough and carefully separate each individual piece (you should have 16). Take one apple wedge and wrap it with one piece of dough (you’ll have two apple slices left over – these are chef’s perks!). Place the wrapped apples into the prepared baking dish so that the apples are on their sides. It will…

Lengthening the pause after you exhale activates a deep relaxation response in the body. If you suffer from anxiety and you start to feel at all panicky, just stop and leave it. • Take a couple of moments to bring attention to your breath, follow it rising and falling. • Bring your awareness to your exhale and the sense of letting go as you breathe out slowly. • After each exhale, pause before beginning your next inhale. • With each subsequent round of breaths, lengthen the pause after each exhale. Find the feeling of letting go. • Continue to lengthen the pause after your exhale, but only so that it’s comfortable. Notice how it gets easier not to breathe. For more breathing exercises, read The Breathing Revolution by Yolanda Barker…

Although I can’t quite pinpoint exactly when I got my first pair of glasses, I think I was around ten and, after confessing to not being able to read much of the blackboard from all but the front classroom desks, I was hauled off for an eye test. This would have been in the early 1980s, when high street opticians retained the grimmer air of dispensing chemists or dental surgeries and left the youthful visitor in no doubt that they were suffering from an unpleasant medical condition needing treatment, something akin to mumps or whooping cough. Soon afterwards, I acquired my first pair – bog-standard, square-framed NHS glasses in sturdy brown plastic – with a snap-shut, cloth-covered tin case as tightly sprung as a mouse trap. It perhaps took a…

• Always look for a pumpkin with a stalk. It makes it easier to lift the lid after you’ve carved your design, plus the stalk acts as a barrier to disease so it’s more likely to be a healthy pumpkin inside. • Even if you plan to carve your pumpkin, nothing needs to be wasted. You can use the flesh for recipes such as soup, or clean and roast the seeds. Any recipes that call for butternut squash are usually ideal for pumpkin, too. We particularly love pumpkin houmous. • Any leftover pumpkin can be composted or smashed and used as an organic fertilizer for your garden. Some people play piñata to break it into smaller pieces, which is fun. • Uncarved pumpkins can be stored for months in a…

• Caraway seed Tea can be drunk to ease stomach pain or as a gargle for sore throats. • Cloves Chewing cloves or drinking them in tea can help with digestive issues, especially bloating and cramping. • Cinnamon Sipping warm water with a cinnamon stick swirled in it can help to stop vomiting. • Lemongrass Drink as a tea after an illness to boost glandular, immune and digestive systems and to give an energy boost. • Marjoram Tea helps ease bronchial coughs, tension headaches and anxiety. • Mustard Rubbing whole mustard seeds onto the skin can stimulate circulation and ease muscle pain. • Star anise Used in teas for coughs and colds.…

“The staircase in our house is somewhere you can sit, read, chat, and build Lego. ‘Treat your staircase as a place to pause rather than just pass through’ was the guiding principle behind the design here. I feel really proud that it all came together and offers so much more than its core function. It’s a place where we congregate, hang out and spend time (even Simba the cockerpoo likes it!). I sit there to do the girls’ hair each morning before school and they often like to sing and dance there, too. The band sawn wood and polished concrete combination feels earthy and tactile and contributes to the feeling of bringing the outside in.” Reena Simon, Cardiff, Wales @hygge_for_home “The dark walls were a brave move for me, but…