Table of contents for August 2019 in The Simple Things

Many of us groan when we are asked to read poetry – we’re transported back to school, when we slogged through sonnets and odes, impenetrable epics and that strange staple of teachers, the acrostic. For many, poetry conjures up baffled incomprehension. As a ‘bibliotherapist’, I am a reader of novels and short stories primarily – I look to fiction to cure all life’s ailments. But I love to read poetry too, even though it isn’t what I instinctively pick up. Like many people, I expect poetry to be opaque, and to take work to understand. But when I do read it, I’m struck by the deep effect it has on me, its power and magic, even when by its very form, it is defined by its brevity. In poems I…

Why not try writing your own poems, too? Try a short form like haiku, and write an encapsulation of your day in this enjoyably short and seemingly simple form.* With haiku, you are supposed to make a seasonal reference, and it should consist of 17 syllables (five, seven, five). Apart from that, you can try anything. An old silent pond... A frog jumps into the pond, splash! Silence again. * Each month, The Simple Things runs a haiku competition. Post your entries at facebook.com/thesimplethingsmag…

FOREST FRUITS TRAYBAKE TART Makes 12 squares 125g Doves Farm Organic White Spelt Flour 50g icing sugar 75g cold butter, plus extra to grease 1 egg FOR THE TOPPING 125g caster sugar 3 eggs 75g Doves Farm Organic Self Raising White Flour 1 eating apple 150g raspberries 150g blackberries 150g blueberries 1 tbsp icing sugar 1 Grease a 20x25cm tray with butter. Put the spelt flour and 50g icing sugar into a bowl, and stir to combine. Add the butter and work into the flour with a fork until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg and stir to make a slightly sticky ball of dough. You could alternatively make the pastry in a food processor. Cover and chill for 30 mins. 2 Dust the work surface and rolling pin with…

The way artist and illustrator Jackie Morris came to live in Wales has something of a fairytale about it. She visited the country’s smallest city, St Davids in Pembrokeshire, for years ago never , uprooting herself from Bath. “It was February and the sun was shining,” she says, her eyes sparkling at the romance of her story. “As you stroll down the high street, there’s a place where you can look up and see the cathedral, stone walls and fields, volcanic rock and the sea. I think you know when you’ve come home. It’s a sense of belonging and that hasn’t gone away.” That same day Jackie also pinpointed the place where she would later live. “I walked along a street called The Pebbles, and saw a hamlet across the…

Why do we love a good murder mystery? The theory is that we enjoy a story that has a resolution – some 60% of UK fiction book sales are of crime and thrillers. Are you someone who likes to second guess the end or prefers being twisted and turned, then led astray before gradually coming to a conclusion. Either way, it’s satisfying to solve a whodunnit and afterwards to admire the handiwork that goes into plotting, character development and creation of atmosphere. We asked well known crime writer Sophie Hannah, who is author of the New Hercule Poirot Mysteries, to write an original short story for us (turn the page to read it), but to leave the end hanging and – here’s the twist – that s where you come…

The joy of finding a swimsuit that is comfortable but not frumpy is a joy unsurpassed. It doesn’t have to look as though it belongs on a sports calender; it just has to be wearable and not deliver a wedgie. When one that actually fits is found, it is worn until threadbare. And then the fun begins all over again. There are two types of swimsuits: ones worn in the water and actually swum in, and ones worn to get a tan and hang around in, poolside. The swimming ones tend to have little in the way of embellishment – just ‘performance’ material, a practical cut and the brand’s logo. The sun-worshipping one-pieces are not just frequently adorned, they have structure. Even the most body-confident can be persuaded that moulded…

Two men walking Ian Humphreys Dandelion clocks glimmer above us, a hundred white lights strung from the trees. You reach up to cup one – it flickers and fades in your palm and the August breeze corkscrews it away. By a field of rooks, catkins fur a rabbit’s pecked-clean bones. The footpath falters at a shallow brook so you smooth out the map on a gate stone. At noon, a flock of geese arrows the way ahead as we wade through purple heather. There are twenty-two of them, you say. One for each year we’ve been together. When I pass you the water flask, the hum of a pylon lifts each hair on my arm.…

‘Make your early day a holiday,’ writes Allan Jenkins in his latest book, Morning: How to Make Time: A Manifesto (4th Estate). Allan’s mornings have long chimed with the natural world outside his window, whether he’s waking to birdsong, tending his allotment or cycling to a meadow. Allan makes a case for the creative and spiritual fulfillment to be found at first light – even for the blurry-eyed among us. “Build up to dawn, wake a little earlier, try half an hour,” he advises … “whether it is to sit, to write, to walk, to read, to be inside or outside.” Wake up naturally Start sleeping with your curtains open and wake to natural light. Though the dawn chorus will be quietening this August as birds begin flying further afield…

CARDIGAN The doyenne of twilight-hour dressing, the cardi is the perennial picnic companion when the night closes in. Leave her at home at your peril. EMERGENCY PONCHO Flatten down to hanky-size and whip out when the heavens open. Can also harbour one small friend. COTTON WRAP Picnic blanket, headscarf, hammock, towel and sarong: behold the summer shapeshifter! SWIMSUIT Because it’s all about ponds, pools and impromptu paddles. For towel, see above. FLASK Top up your trusty Thermos and you’re halfway to a picnic; plus we all know tea tastes just as good in the sunshine.…

My Dad’s bike was a sturdy Raleigh with 3-speed Sturmey-Archer gears, rim brakes and a leather Brooks saddle. When I was a nipper, he’d treat me with rides out and around the local Essex countryside – to Hythe quay to see the cargo boats; to Rowhedge to sit and look across the River Colne and to Fingringhoe, my favourite, to pick watercress and blackberries. While Dad sat astride his comfortable Brooks saddle with its springs squeaking under him with each turn of the pedals, I sat on the cross-bar on a solid wooden seat he’d crafted out of a piece of mahogany. It was shaped like a saddle but was bum-numbingly hard during our long rides out. As we passed under sun-dappled canopies of trees lining the road, he’d sing…

SWEET PEAS This is the month sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) come into their own. If you planted a few seedlings in spring, they should be climbing merrily up canes and netting now, unfurling their pretty butterfly-winged flowers, filling the air with dreamy fragrance. They’re brilliant cut flowers, too – there’s little better than wandering into the garden and snipping a few blooms to take indoors. And the more you pick, the more the plant will flower. Need to know There are two types of sweet pea: annual and perennial. The perennial, or everlasting, varieties aren’t scented but are easier to grow, and produce blooms all summer. They look good clambering through shrubs such as forsythia and lilac. How to grow Wait until either October or November this year, or late…

Headstand It’s not just your body you’ll turn around with this move – practitioners say it’ll transform your mood, too. Downward dog One of humankind’s best friends – a relatively simple move that strengthens from arm to chest to legs. Plank One of yoga’s core poses: building strength, and an in-between step for moving between poses. Triangle Like an equilateral triangle, this move should help you become well balanced – whichever way you are facing. Tree It may look flamingo-ish but channel its arboreal namesake – with this move it pays to stay well rooted to the ground. Cat Cats have things right don’t they? Such as this nice old stretch for the spine. Unlike a cat, you won’t get a stroke after, sadly. Corpse At first glance, it might…

He was wild, Billy Thompson. The sort of boy that made fathers scowl and mothers sigh with secret longing. My friends and I had admired him from a distance, safe in the knowledge we would never attract his attention. In our small market town, he was infamous: constantly up before the magistrate, his name in the paper for all to see; his motorbike roaring over the bridge eliciting disapproving tuts from the elderly and open awe from the young. By the time I went off to uni, he had disappeared off the scene. There were rumours of prison, a girl he had met, a fatal accident . . . “I’ve come back to look after my mum,” he told me now. “You’ve got to, haven’t you?” “I suppose so,” I…

52 Ways of Looking at a Poem by Ruth Padel (Vintage) Ruth takes a poem for every week of the year, and analyses it, in a friendly and understandable fashion. Sounds Good by Christopher Reid (Faber & Faber) 101 poems chosen for their quality of sound – they sound great out loud and in your head. By Heart by Ted Hughes (Faber & Faber) A selection in the same series of another 101 poems to learn by heart – Ted Hughes’ helpful introduction gives ideas on how to memorise poems successfully.…

Earth’s Crust CASTLE DOUGLAS, DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY Tom van Rooyen and his wife Pavlina started in a converted garage in 2011, developing a name for themselves with an earthy, crusty sourdough that flew off the shelves at farmers’ markets. They opened up the current shop and café in 2016. The van Rooyens believe the quality of their local produce is a key to their success: fruit from their neighbours’ gardens finds its way into wicked patisserie. 36–38 St Andrews Street, Castle Douglas; earthscrustbakery.co.uk Baker’s Table at Talgarth Mill TALGARTH, BRECON The café and bakery at the Talgarth Mill complex are part of a community initiative. Every loaf produced here uses wholemeal flour from the Talgarth watermill, a restored 18th-century mill that grinds three or four days a week. A variety…

Eat your sea greens The UK’s first large-scale commercial seaweed farm is set to open near Scarborough. Wave Crookes, a former deep sea diver and RNLI lifeboat man, and his partner, Laura Robinson – a marine scientist – are behind the SeaGrown farm. Across 25 hectares of open water, they will harvest seaweed native to the region for use in food, cosmetics and biotechnology. Forest gumption Following decades of deforestation, Costa Rica has doubled its forest cover in the last 30 years. Half of the country’s land surface is now covered with trees, creating a huge carbon sink and a big draw for tourists. Extensive, uncontrolled logging meant that by 1983, only 26 per cent of the country had forest cover. Today, it has increased to 52 per cent. Balanced…

1961 Born in Birmingham 1965 Moves to Evesham, Worcestershire 1981 Completes her BA in Illustration at Bath Academy of Art 1984 Gets her first cat, called Comfrey 1992 Moves from Bath to St Davids, Pembrokeshire 1992 Son Tom is born; Hannah in 1994 1993 Gets married 1994 First children’s book, Jo’s Storm, is published 1996 Acquires her first ginger kittens, Arthur and Martha 2000 Gets divorced 2010 Attic is renovated to become her studio 2017 The Lost Words is published 2019 The House Without Windows is published in October…

Quitting a high-paying job as a barrister to pursue justice for the environment: now that’s dedication. But this was just the tip of the melting iceberg for Polly Higgins – she also sold her house to fund her efforts to create a legal duty of care for the planet. Little wonder then that this remarkable woman became known as the Earth’s Lawyer. Polly was on a mission to criminalise mass ecological damage and destruction (ecocide) for which there is currently no effective deterrent – only ‘soft laws’ that let the politicians and chief executives responsible off the hook. Polly reasoned that, if the individuals can end up in the International Criminal Court and be sentenced, they’re likely to act with greater care, and corporate and state responsibility for the environment…

How long have you lived in Vancouver? I’m a bit of a Vancouver boomerang as I’ve lived here twice. I’m originally from Edmonton, Alberta, a mid-sized city in the prairies. It was a wonderful place to grow up but I needed to get away from the long, cold winters. I’ve lived in Cape Town and Toronto and been back in Vancouver since 2011. I can’t stay away! Tell us what makes your city unique. It’s a great place to live because it’s laid-back while also being active. There’s a lot of culture but Vancouver is really about getting outdoors, whether it’s running, biking, swimming, skiing or sailing. All of these can be done all year round, even skiing. You might have to drive 90 minutes to Whistler and take a…

The best souvenirs are the ones that mean nothing to other people. No one else knows that the lump of black stone gathering dust on a shelf in the kitchen is actually a piece of volcanic rock picked up in Iceland on a romantic weekend break. Or that you found that unremarkable little basket, now filled with cotton wool balls, on gap-year travels to Malaysia and carried it home in your rucksack. “It’s like extending the holiday, by taking a piece of it home” These are the mementoes that sing to you and to you alone. They trigger the memory, taking you back to happy times. Unlike a digital image, they can be held in the hand and treasured. They are a conduit across time and continents, connecting you to…

Take your work outdoors Granted, most of us at work would rather be scoffing strawberries with our toes in a paddling pool on a sizzling hot day, so let’s seek out the next best thing. One-to-one meeting in the diary? Make it a walk and talk in your nearest park. Working at home? Take your paperwork into the garden. Or be the first to buy a round of ice-creams and set up an office rota. Downing tools for a communal lunch-hour picnic is a great way to squeeze some sunshine into an air-con-fuelled day of deadlines. If you feel lethargic in the afternoons, go for a short walk outside and take a few gulps of fresh air, somewhere green if possible. Shake up your routine Why not see if you…

MOSAIC Back in 2017, a group of archaeologists and volunteers were just days away from the end of a three-year dig near Boxford in Berkshire. Funds had all but dried up when, at the eleventh hour, they struck gold. Or, more specifically, mosaic. They had in fact stumbled upon a huge 1,600-year-old Roman mosaic floor, beautifully preserved and laid hidden since the end of the fourth century. It depicted the Greek hero Bellerophon astride his winged horse Pegasus, along with Cupid, and the Chimera, a fire-breathing beast. It was an extraordinary find but the floors of many a well-to-do Roman building were richly adorned with mosaics. While some of the more extravagant would have been commissioned from scratch, mosaics during the Roman period were so popular that homeowners could pick…

Astrantia The bathroom is not the most obvious place for a jug of cut flowers. But is there a more uplifting thing to greet a bleary-eyed you at the start of the day? Astrantia, with their neat pincushion flowers, last ages and won’t drop petals all over your sink. Coming in shades of purple, red, pink or white and offset with some pale greenery, they will bring a little joy to your ablutions.…

saw these words together, but in the context of the whole poem, you begin to realise that the power of mushrooms is to be silently, discreetly ‘taking hold’ on the loam. The more you read this poem, the more you realise that mushrooms could be a metaphor for women and their quiet revolution (this poem was written in 1960). Don’t be afraid of not understanding a poem – or of interpreting it in the ‘wrong’ way. Authors never expect everyone to find the same things in their poems; each person brings their own personality to a poem, and your interpretation is just as valid as anyone else’s. You don’t have to be an expert to appreciate poetry. Try printing out a poem and sticking it on the wall of your…

99 RED BALLOONS The next best thing to riding in a hot air balloon is watching them light up the sky during a Nightglow (8 and 10 Aug) at Bristol’s International Balloon Fiesta. bristolballoonfiesta.co.uk 17 August If you’re near the south coast, hop over to the Isle of Wight and immerse yourself in all things garlic-related at the island’s Garlic Festival (17–18 August). garlicfestival. co.uk WILD THING Like fine food, wild swimming, spa treatments and dancing in the forest? Wilderness is the festival for you. 1–4 August, Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. wildernessfestival.com SHINE A LIGHT Sign up for a city Shine Night Walk as you walk 10K, a half or full marathon for Cancer Research UK. There are walks in September in Southampton, Cambridge and London, with events in other cities…

The debate has raged in recent months: is the climate crisis being given due prominence on school curriculums? Four young students at Cheney school in Oxford thought not and so launched a petition in March, calling for more lessons on the subject. It has since been signed by more than 76,000 people. Though climate change is taught in science and geography, critics say that simply isn’t enough. But rather than waiting for the UK government to integrate the subject into the curriculum further, teachers are taking matters into their own hands by enrolling on the United Nations’ Climate Change Teacher Academy. The online course provides free training for primary and secondary school teachers, arming them with the knowledge they need to introduce climate change into other parts of the curriculum.…

Eating seafood out in the sea air, the sound of waves gently breaking nearby, is a treat that’s not just for tastebuds, but helps restore mind and body, too… Let a beach barbecue be your excuse to hang out with friends, light the grill and cool a beer or two – with nothing more strenuous than sandcastles and a paddle on the horizon. Our menu is as laid-back as your surroundings: crab burgers, simple prawn skewers, and packable salads and puds that impress with flavour not fuss. Enjoy! Prawn skewers JUICY, SWEET, SOUR, YET HOT: YOUR TONGUE WILL THANK YOU Makes 8 2 garlic cloves, crushed Juice of ½ lime 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp honey ½ red chilli, finely chopped 350g unpeeled, precooked prawns, fresh or frozen (if…

Cass Green teaches crime fiction at City University and is an author of bestselling thrillers; her latest The Killer Inside (HarperCollins) is out next month. Here’s her advice for wrapping up Sophie Hannah’s golden age mystery. When you read the end of a really good story, there’s sadness that it’s over, and also a deep satisfaction. So how, as a writer, do you pull that off, especially when you’re coming in so late? • Keep the tone and voice consistent. It shouldn’t read like a totally different story! • Don’t give your readers whiplash. Twists are great, but the best are foreshadowed by earlier events. • Keep in character. The ‘cast’ should have consistent characterisation – even when they surprise the hell out of us. • Deal with enough of…

Miso-caramel aubergine Serves 4 as a side 2 aubergines 70g miso paste 2 tsp sesame oil 60ml maple syrup 60ml warm water 1cm ginger, finely chopped ½ tsp garlic powder 1 tbsp black sesame seeds 1 tbsp white sesame seeds Sliced spring onion and red chilli, to garnish 1 Cut the aubergines in half lengthwise, then score each aubergine half with a diamond pattern, making sure not to cut right through the skin. 2 In a bowl, whisk together the miso, sesame oil, maple syrup, warm water, ginger and garlic powder to make a marinade. Pour into a roasting tin and lay the aubergines, scored side down, in the marinade. Leave the aubergines to marinate for 1–2 hours. 3 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/ Gas 6. Cover the roasting tin…

Favourite shops MUCH & LITTLE For women’s clothing gifts and household goods. Shop owner Sarah has such great taste – I’m always tempted by something.muchandlittle.com SPOOL OF THREAD I’ve started sewing and this place has all the gorgeous fabrics I want. Definitely not your average fabric shop. spoolofthread.com Favourite market TROUT LAKE FARMERS’ MARKET You’ll find me here every Saturday morning buying local, seasonal produce. After, I have lunch from one of the food trucks. Falafel from the Chickpea Food Truck with Dickie’s Ginger Beer is a favourite. Favourite restaurant ALEPH I love the Silk Road mezze platter with hummus, baba ganoush, labne, zaatar, honey and saj bread. And the pomegranate mojito is perfection.alepheatery.com Favourite café MATCHSTICK COFFEE ROASTERS I like the original location on Fraser St where my lunch…

The long balmy nights and light-filled mornings of high summer shine fresh perspectives on the everyday, bringing with them a heightened sense of wellbeing. This month we’re lucky enough to have around six more daylight hours than a mid-winter day, allowing us the freedom to be outdoors more and to be spontaneous. Taking our cue from the sun, moon and stars, this is a great time for small, mindful adventures – no need to pack a bag or travel very far. Take advantage of stretchy summer time by turning your day upside down, getting up early or heading out for an evening adventure. You’ll find hidden magic waiting to be discovered at dawn, dusk and night, outside of the nine-to-five, and often right on your doorstep away from the well…

Alfresco arts Those long, golden summer evenings – when you’re ready to shake off the day without jumping straight into your pyjamas – offer a window to bag some culture alfresco. This month, the National Trust’s programme of outdoor theatre productions includes Frankenstein at Dorset’s Corfe Castle and The Secret Garden in the Georgian walled garden of Gibside in Gateshead (nationaltrust.org.uk), while The Luna Cinema pops up across the UK screening a mix of old-time classic and popcorn blockbuster under the stars (thelunacinema.com). Become an off-peak tourist Get a new-found appreciation for museums, galleries and iconic buildings in the light of a fading sun, quiet and crowd-free or revisit the familiar in golden hour. Moonwalk Whether it’s a walk or run across a lamp-lit city when the commuters are long…

It’s been a whirlwind decade. How did Little Soap Company begin? My Granny loved natural soap. After she died, I couldn’t find ‘Granny’s soap’ anywhere. Realising you couldn’t get natural, let alone organic soap on the supermarket shelf, I wanted to change that. I learnt how to make it, for family and friends, and made far too much. I got the recipes certified, plus insurance, so that I could sell the excess at farmers’ markets. Where did you go from there? Six months later I got it into eight local Waitrose stores, then Tesco asked me to supply them regionally. I went national in Waitrose six months later. From there we were stocked nationwide in all the other major retailers. I haven’t looked back. What makes your soap different? We…

“We are spoilt for choice for places to take our very active Parson Russell terrier, Ernie, but The Meadows is a favourite. In the summer, he goes for a swim in the River Welland and meets up with his doggy pals. It’s also given me a chance to get to know Stamford’s dog-walking community” “I drop in to The Fine Food Store for coffee after walking Ernie – it’s a good place to warm up if it’s cold. The owner’s mother makes the most delicious cakes. I’ve also just made them a curtain from my Achillea fabric as the old one was looking a bit shabby.” 37 St Mary’s Street “There’s always someone to help you at Harrison and Dunn, and the ladies make a fuss of Ernie. It’s an…

From the creeping menace of bindweed to the barbed villainy of brambles, weeds have long been regarded as the gardener’s nemesis. Invading lawns and wreaking havoc in borders, they can be an endless source of strife and exasperation, not to mention backache. But are weeds really an enemy, to be fought with hoes and herbicides, or are they just misunderstood? Would you be better off simply admiring them from your hammock? Thanks to new planting trends, it appears that the one-time scourge of gardeners is having a rebrand. And about time, too. Weeds are often a vital food source for our struggling wildlife, and in recent years, as we’ve gained a greater understanding of the urgency of species decline, the vogue for insect-friendly, wildflower planting has seen a steady increase.…

Even the keenest camper has times when they yearn to spend the weekend sleeping under canvas, but real life gets in the way and they can’t find the time or energy to make it happen. That’s where places like Longlands come in. A peaceful haven where busy folk can retreat and get a healing dose of nature without spending a day either side packing the car, pumping up old air beds and searching for sleeping bags. Somewhere to leave stress behind and spend time outdoors building fires, toasting marshmallows, snuggling up under a blanket beneath the stars and reconnecting with family or friends. If you haven’t managed a camp out yet this summer, you could simply leave your gear in the loft and do it the easy way. Where we…

The 59th Street Bridge Song Simon & Garfunkel Take it Easy Jackson Browne Little Fluffy Clouds The Orb The Hissing of Summer Lawns Joni Mitchell Summertime Louis Armstrong House in LA Jungle Chill Out (Things Gonna Change) John Lee Hooker Patience Tame Impala Peaceful Easy Feeling Eagles Easy Living Billie Holiday All I Need (feat Beth Hirsch) Air Sure Thing St Germain Water From a Vine Leaf William Orbit Birth Keith Jarrett Deep Blue Day Brian Eno Listen at thesimplethings.com/blog/slowdownplaylist…