Innehållsförteckning för August 2024 från The Simple Things

This is inspired by a Delia Smith recipe that I’ve adapted over the years. It’s delicious on a bed of rice or couscous, as a side dish to chicken or fish, or served cold on top of toasted sourdough, bruschetta style. Melt a small knob of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a casserole over a gentle heat. Soften one chopped onion and cook for 15 minutes, or until translucent, before adding two crushed garlic cloves and a teaspoon of crushed coriander seeds. Cook for a few minutes more and then stir in a 400g tin of tomatoes. Allow this to reach a simmer before tipping in 750g peeled marrow, which has been chopped into bite-size chunks. Season with sea salt and black pepper, pop the lid on…

Do what you love but be a little more adventurous Think going from walking to climbing a mountain, swimming to wild swimming, camping to wild camping. Have more fun Enjoyment is not the same as fun. Do something a bit silly that makes you laugh. Jump off a rope swing into a lake. Ride a roller coaster. Make up a bed and sleep in your garden under the stars. Feel the fear but don’t let it control you Listen to it, thank it for alerting you to possible dangers and then tell it to move away so you can be in control of your life. Enjoy the journey Think about where you enjoy the process not just the outcome. Go for a hike in the woods or a bike ride,…

THINGS TO NOTE AND NOTICE AUGUST'S STAR SIGN LEO: 23 July–22 August The lion that crouches in the sky between Cancer the crab and the maiden, Virgo, contains many bright stars so can be easily spotted. Leo represents the Nemean lion killed by the Greek hero Hercules as one of his 12 labours. Like their namesake, Leos are said to be proud, fierce and born leaders, tending to the grand and the dramatic. Field work NATURAL HARBOURS Offering safe havens to boats for centuries, natural harbours can be found all around the UK from Falmouth via Milford Haven to Lerwick. They not only offer an area protected by the elements, but also water that is deep enough for anchorage. Most harbours begin life as ‘rias’ or river valleys on unglaciated…

SNAP IT FOR LATER FAVOURITE SHOP PASTRY SHOP, TRADICIJA The oldest pastry shop in Split, founded in 1937, where I like to buy traditional cookies and cakes. Bosanska ul. 2, Split FAVOURITE BOOKSHOP ANTIKVARIJAT NOSTRIMUS A very old shop selling antique books, located on the charming Križeva Street in Veli Varoš. antikvarijat-nostrimus.hr FAVOURITE GALLERY ATELIER VASKO LIPOVAC A hidden gem exhibiting sculptures and paintings of Adriatic scenery by a local artist. vaskolipovac.hr FAVOURITE CAFÉ GALERIJA BAR Where I drink my morning espresso, surrounded by Roman walls. @galerijabarfood FAVOURITE RESTAURANT ARTIČOK A charming small rooftop restaurant, serving Dalmatian specialties with a modern twist. articoksplit.eatbu.hr FAVOURITE MARKET PEŠKARIJA - FISH MARKET Situated in a square next to the main drag, Marmont street. You can buy any kind of Adriatic seafood here. Obrov…

White goods US writer and journalist Joan Didion - admired both for the style of her work and the style of her appearance - apparently had a packing list stuck to her wardrobe door so she’d be ready to go when assignments required it. Reproduced in her book The White Album, it’s suitably minimal, though does include her comforts of slippers, cigarettes and bourbon. It contrasts sharply with Evelyn Waugh’s character of William Boot in Scoop, who arrives at the airport, destined for war reporting aboard, weighed down with luggage including canoe, humidor and ant-proof clothes box. Boot’s character was apparently inspired by a young Bill Deedes - who went on to be Editor of The Telegraph - who described his purchases in readiness for a similar trip as weighing…

BELONGINGS Sadie was 16 months old when we rescued her, and I was 16. Born on a farm, she was heading for a fate that isn’t worth thinking about. Then, suddenly, she had a cosy bed under our stairs and a family that doted on her. She was very easy to love with black patches over her eyes, a gentle soul and the softest velveteen ears I’ve ever known. She would wait for me and my siblings to get off the school bus, her paws up on our garden wall, nose poking over the top of it. The summer I finished uni we spent three weeks together, just the two of us. My parents had gone on holiday and I was waiting for the term to start for my Masters…

READING EPIC JOURNEYS Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead (Doubleday) Even if you plan on going no further than to pick up an ice cream, sometimes it’s all about losing yourself in a sweeping, globe-spanning yarn. Great Circle is irresistible; an audacious epic that takes flight from the very first page. With two charismatic heroines – one an adventurous aviator, the other a disgraced film star – its dual time soars between Prohibition America and contemporary Hollywood, telling a vivid, colourful tale of two women battling to live their best lives in a world that wants to keep them firmly on the ground. Marian Graves spends her childhood running wild with her twin brother, weathers a bad marriage to a bootlegger and takes to the air like it was her natural…

PASSIONS 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 a bout their pastimes. PERHAPS THEY’LL PERSUADE YOU TO TRY something NEW? Middle aged women bobbing about in water to music might be expected at your local aqua-aerobics class, but less so in the River Thames or Bristol Harbour. Almost Synchro, a group of 20 Bristol-based synchronised swimmers, perform in all weather, all bodies of water and are now all over billboards on the Paris Metro promoting the 2024 Paris Olympics. The women, mostly in their 50s, meet several times a week at locations near Bristol, including the brightly coloured Portishead Lido. And while they won’t be at this year’s Olympics, they might be performing in…

GROWING There’s a metal bench in a corner of my garden, where I sit at sunset, drink in hand. The heady scent of the thyme and lavender I planted is more intense in the dusk. Pollinators flit around me and under my feet is gravel. It was an easy spot to create – I simply pulled the gravel away in places and dug small planting holes in the soil beneath for the herbs, back filling them with the soil, and pushing the gravel around the plants to protect their crowns. This tiny and inexpensive act has brought me no end of pleasure, and the bees are overjoyed, too. When it’s hot, and recent summers have been really hot, there’s a great need for drought-tolerant planting, and this is where gravel…

I love this corner of the garden as it was one of the first areas we made our own after moving in. It gets the sun in the morning, through the day it’s shaded by a Judas tree, then gets the last of the sunlight in the evening. It’s used as a football pitch, a playground, a barbecue area, and we’ve even had a Bollywood-themed hen do – but I like it best when I can just sit in it with a good book. Jane Sampson, Clacton-On-Sea, Essex @oh_my_garden_ We’re lucky and get the sun in the back almost all day. I’m very pale, though, so, as much as I love sitting out, I do seek the shade under our big parasol. I love the sandstone wall, it gives the…

GEO FLOWER MUG One of the charming original Hornsea pottery designs reissued by Magpie. Best for: A taste of the past. £14.95, magpie.gifts BILLIE SUN HAT Uses organic cotton that has been left over from other designs. Best for: Co-ordinating dresses so you can be in full bloom. £25, joanieclothing.com WHISTLING KETTLE An enamel stovetop kettle with a pretty floral pattern Best for: Its cheery yellow, which lifts the spirits. £49, enamelhappy.co.uk QUICK-FIRE QUIZ 1 What flower – one of August’s birth flowers – takes its name from the Latin for sword? 2 Which director – whose credits include Vertigo, Strangers On A Train and North By Northwest – was born on 13 August 1899? 3 How many piers does Blackpool have? 4 Who became the first person to run…

They say life’s all about the journey, so here’s how to make it that bit easier… No lagging behind: While there’s no cure for jet leg, help it by nudging your body’s circadian rhythm: for example, eating closer to your destination’s hours. Or, for eastwards travel, the week before, begin going to bed and getting up earlier (using a light therapy lamp), adjusting the times gradually: the opposite applies if travelling west. Fear-free flying: As with many phobias, gradual exposure may help – VR flying experiences can be effective, or ease yourself in with YouTube videos. Take distractions such as puzzles for the flight, avoid stimulants and, if you get panicky, focus on breathing. Go gadget go: From compression socks to feet hammocks to collapsible water bottles, lots of gadgets…

A thin mist lies low across the fields to his left and the skim of river to his right. A mushroom smell of dampness creeps through the cracked quarterlight of his ancient Mercedes. The village is empty, the solitary streetlight flickers, undecided. The pub is shuttered and the church hulks in shadow. Along the Ashdown Road there’s a muted yellow glow from the clustered bungalows. Someone stands in a garden looking out at the road. He raises his hand as he passes but the person doesn’t return his salute and he feels foolish. Angela would laugh at him for nodding at people as they walked in Dublin, saying Hello and Good morning and How are you to dog-walkers, deliverymen, every random stranger. But his father’s voice echoed always, his gentle…

WEEKEND PROJECT MOCHI DOUGH A soft, slightly chewy, sweet rice dough to wrap your fillings up in. Makes 12 mochi 150g glutinous rice flour 120g sugar Pinch of salt Food colouring, optional Cornflour, for rolling 1 In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour, sugar and salt. Gradually add 200ml of cold water, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. If using food colouring, now’s the time to add it, drop by drop. Note that the colour darkens when cooked. 2 Cover the bowl with a lid or cling film and microwave for 1 min at maximum power. Stir lightly, cover, and microwave again for another 1 min. Stir, cover once more, and microwave for a final 30 secs. 3 Turn out your still-hot dough onto a work surface sprinkled with cornflour, then dust…

GATHERING We all know that life is busy and it can be tricky to find time to spend with your mates. Reconnect by inviting your female friends over for an afternoon in the garden to enjoy each other’s company and take a mindful pause. ‘Women’s circles’ bring women together with the intention to talk, listen and make connections in a relaxed and nurturing environment (The Simple Things, June 2022). When surrounded by nature and good food to share, conversation can flow. You may have the ideal activity in mind, however, journalling or picture cards to inspire chat and reflection are a good starting point, too. Serve up a spread that can be eaten easily one-handed, so that you can carry on with your activities and chat at the same time.…

LAVENDER ICE CREAM Makes 2 ltr 400g granulated sugar 2 tbsp Royal Velvet dried lavender buds 1.1 ltr double cream 1.1 ltr whole milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 4 tbsp freeze-dried blueberries, crushed - or 3-6 drops lilac food colouring (optional) 1 Start by making a lavender sugar by putting the sugar and lavender into a food processor and blitzing for 25-30 secs. Shake and blend for another 10 secs, making sure that all the lavender is incorporated. Store in a sealed container (this will keep for up to a year if stored in a cool, dark place). 2 To make the ice cream, combine the cream, milk, vanilla, blueberries and 300g of the lavender sugar in a large bowl. Pour into a shallow freezer-safe dish and freeze for 30 mins. 3 Remove and stir.…

Planting for… a neighbour “On more than one occasion, the stresses of my office job made me want to skip going to the garden and stay on the sofa,” admits Yvonne Berg, “but I’d go anyway, because I’d made a commitment to my garden partner.” Yvonne gardens through Edinburgh Garden Partners, a scheme that pairs up volunteer wannabe gardeners with people who are unable to tend their own gardens. It’s meant that Yvonne – who lives in a flat with no outside space – has been able to extend beyond her houseplant collection to try growing edibles, and on a larger scale for the first time, especially as waiting lists for allotments in the city can be as long as eight years. “I liked the idea of sharing a plot…

GOOD THINGS TO DRINK SUNSHINE NEGRONI Serves 1 25ml citrus gin, such as Gordon’s Sicilian Lemon Gin 25ml Aperol 25ml Dolin Blanc vermouth 10ml orange juice 35ml grapefruit soda 5ml grenadine Slices of orange, to garnish 1 Add the gin, Aperol, vermouth and orange juice to an ice-filled highball glass and gently stir. 2 Top up with chilled grapefruit soda and slowly pour the grenadine down the inside of the glass. Garnish with orange slices to serve. Bartender’s Note: Any grapefruit soda can be used, even Lilt, but for the best visual effect, choose white grapefruit soda over the red variety, such as Sanpellegrino. Taken from Spritz Cocktails: 35 Thirst-Quenching Sodas, Highballs & Sparklers (Ryland Peters & Small) Photography: Alex Luck…

WISHLIST Food festivals Foodies Festival > This travelling food festival arrives in Edinburgh (2–4 Aug), Glasgow (9–11 Aug) and Oxford (24–26 Aug) with demos, kids’ cookery, firepit cooking, artisan market, street food and live music. Tickets from £20. foodiesfestival.com Isle of Wight Garlic Festival > Garlic lovers should cross the Solent for the annual garlic festival on 17–18 Aug. As well as great food and drink, there’s music, family fun and dog shows. Tickets from £14.50. garlicfestival.co.uk Smoke And Fire Festival > Head to Maldon, Essex, for the UK’s largest BBQ festival. Taking place 17–18 Aug, the event features street food, a beer and cider festival and live music. Tickets from £18.29. smokeandfirefestival.com Hampton Court Palace Food Festival > Enjoy artisan foods in beautiful surroundings. With shopping, street food and…

SHARING August is a particular favourite for me. Such a happy month of sea swims, sausages cooked on the barbecue, swanky sunsets and family birthdays, mine included. The garden’s at its most abundant, with the sweet peas in full bloom, teepees of climbing beans, rows of reliable beetroot and towering sunflowers bobbing benignly over it all. It’s too late to plant what I haven’t gotten around to and with that comes a peace of mind as I pick and divide the veg patch spoils between my kitchen, the honesty box and preserving plans. I hate to mention the word, but I already have an eye on… whisper it… Christmas. Sorry. A chutney full of homegrown produce plonked on the table on Boxing Day is a certain sort of smug. But…

IDEAS Below me is the most beautiful clear blue water, but I’m filled with fear. A sea of floating faces smile up at me, shouting words of encouragement. “You can do it, Becs!” Once upon a time I’d have been the first to jump but middle age seems to have turned me into a bit of a wuss (as my teenage son would say) and so here I am wobbling physically and emotionally on the edge of a rock while my family and the rest of our small coasteering group bob about in the sea below. “Come on, Mum,” says the young male instructor standing patiently at my side. I flinched. ‘Mum?!’ ‘WTF!’ I take a deep breath, conjure up an image of that fun-loving, daring girl I used to…

There’s no better way to get to the heart of a city than through the people who live there. This month we’ve asked photographer Duje Radović (@windrosesplit) to guide us around his home town. You may feel inspired to visit one day, but for now just sit back and enjoy some armchair travel. How long have you lived in the city? I was born and raised in Split and have lived here for over 35 years, except for two years when I studied in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb. I’ve seen all the changes of the city in that time, and feel the heartbeat of the Old Town, as my home is just few minutes from the main sights. Tell us what makes your city unique Split has a fascinating history, falling under…

REFLECTION As my summer holiday comes round, I must face my personal arch nemesis - packing! But when it comes to filling the suitcase, I like to add a couple of extra additions to the standard shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops. Since having kids, our holiday of choice is camping - I use the term ‘camping’ loosely, as it’s a large static caravan with its own bathroom and kitchen, proper beds and, if we’re lucky, an outdoor area to eat, read and relax. We usually head to France, sometimes Italy, and we tend to fly and hire a car at the other end, so it’s all about luggage limits … which only highlights how essential some of my packing ‘essentials’ are. While adding clothes into cases, I take care to leave…

Subscribe through your podcast app so you don’t miss an episode. Summer is a time of high expectations – for the weather, for holidays, for our gardens and life generally, but it’s so often not all sunshine and roses. The TST team will be finding everyday holidays through simple things to do and make, places to explore on your doorstep and small ways to find calm and fun. Think high summer, slow living.…

While hunting for seashells, you might come across some other finds or clues about how molluscs live. •If you find a neat, round hole punched in a shell – especially a bivalve shell – this is evidence that it was hunted and eaten by a predatory snail, such as a whelk. Shells dotted with multiple holes, however, were covered in a type of bright yellow sponge. Known as a boring sponge, it uses acid to perforate limestone rocks and the shells of living molluscs. •For some types of shell, it’s possible to make a rough estimate of how old the animal was that made it. Like tree rings, molluscs lay down layers of material with darker yearly bands. To determine its age, scientists cut thin slices of shell and count…

A sunny evening, walking over the River Thames between the South Bank and Embankment tube station. Trains rattle past, buskers play. But below me, a flash of a sleek head, disappearing below the water. It can’t really be… no, surely not? But other passers-by have seen the seal, too – it’s caused a bit of a stir, the views of St Pauls and the City forgotten in favour of this remarkable wild animal. There is a real thrill in seeing marine mammals – that’s seals, dolphins and whales – in the wild. And it turns out that seals in the capital aren’t actually that uncommon. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) runs a project counting sightings of marine mammals in the lower reaches of the Thames and in the city.…

For seven years, the open road has been home for Daan and Maaike, their three daughters, Fenna, Alba and Isolde, plus Nan the dog, as they travel around Europe in a self-built house on wheels. They try to live as simply and sustainably as possible and, with their way of life, hope to inspire others to do the same. Daan and Maaike, both photographers and artists, haven’t had a fixed abode since 2005. “We started on a historic tjalk (a Dutch barge) with which we travelled through the Netherlands,” explains Maaike. “We lived wherever the ship took us. Over time, the idea of exploring the land instead of water developed and we came up with the idea of a small house on wheels.” Not just any house on wheels, however.…

BE PART OF OUR SERIES In a highly scientific poll of the TST team, we’ve come up with a list of the neighbourhoods we’d like to vicariously visit – and we know many of our subscribers live in these places, too. So, if you live in or near any of those listed below, have a stylish home, and love your patch, we’d love to hear from you. Or maybe you live in a cool suburb of one of the UK’s bigger cities? We’d like to hear from you, too! And if you live anywhere else but think your home and neighbourhood deserve a look-in, then get in touch. Do you live here? • Frome, Somerset • Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk • Totnes, Devon • Canterbury, Kent • Salisbury, Wiltshire • Winchester, Hampshire • Falmouth, Cornwall • Lewes, East…

DOWN TO A TEA TOWEL When it comes to identifying your garden visitors, this is the bees knees. It's a handy guide to what plants they like to make a beeline for, too. £5.95 from rexlondon.com. RED HERRINGS Fill in the gaps with letters to find the names of eight Olympic events. Two of them are red herrings. All the answers have eight letters. (answers on page 124) “I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in” Robert Louis Stevenson First seen at the 1920 games, devised by Pierre de Coubertin, modern Olympics’ ‘father’. The rings are the five continents taking part; the colours (plus white background) cover all those on flags of teams then competing. WHAT TO DO WITH… BEACH BALLS PLAYFUL: What games…

Monstera adansonii Spotting this popular houseplant, aka the Swiss Cheese plant, is easy cheesy, with its holey leaves. But don’t try eating: it’s toxic to humans and pets. Anthurium regale Up there with Paddington as a favourite thing from the Peruvian forests. Given its metre-wide leaves in the wild, probably rivals him in size, too. Monstera albo variegate The white is due to a lack of chlorophyll, thanks to genetic mutation. All white (or partly white) now? They can still change to non-variegated leaves. Philodendron xanadu Now singing Olivia Newton-John? Suitably, it was an Aussie nursery that called it Xanadu. Open your eyes and see its lush green leaves. Codiaeum variegato Sometimes known as ‘Joseph’s coat’, because of the colours that may appear on the leaves: “red and yellow and…

♥ CUT OUT AND KEEP Sunflower heart tarte tatin Serves 4 10g butter 6 shallots, finely sliced 4 small or 2 large sunflower heads, with petals 1 glass of white wine 2 tsp oregano leaves 2 tsp thyme leaves 320g puff pastry 25g mature cheddar, grated 1 Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a pan over a mediumlow heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and sweat for about 10 mins, or until golden. Set aside. 2 To prepare your sunflower hearts, remove any petals (set aside) and pull off the seeds (if they don’t push out easily, lever out with a spoon). Next, use a knife to scrape the paper cases from the spongy base, discard, and trim away the green parts of the flower head, including the leaves and…