Innehållsförteckning för January 2025 från The Simple Things

Hold a pot-luck supper for friends Listen to a piece of classical music and imagine what tale it might be telling Instead of phoning a loved one, write them a proper newsy letter See a panto or watch something funny at the theatre Download a bird calls app and discover who’s sharing your garden with you Try some of our ideas, make up a few of your own, or just read and enjoy After December’s hubbub, it’s time to adjust to January’s slower, spooling pace. But this month, too, has its own twinkling magic. View the moon through bare trees, light candles and take a cue from the Icelandic tradition of ‘the evening wake’ of reading books and telling yarns, knitting and stitching around the fire during dark evenings. In…

Midwinter doesn’t really have many smells of its own. Beyond the invitingly acrid aroma of pine and the icy metallic scent of snow, this season’s smells are mostly memories of things that happened before nature went to sleep. Such as the baked goods spiced with ginger, cardamom and nutmeg, grown in summer and dried for later. Or the earthy whiff of wool jumpers that have become damp, bringing to mind sheep grazing in green fields. Or maybe the sweet smoke of burning logs, with sap crusting around the twig holes as a reminder that inside every tree that’s currently bare, spring is waiting. So many good things of winter are down to past labours, and our foresight to put away some of our good fortune so we can enjoy it…

Morning, when do you reach for your first cuppa? Alongside breakfast with my husband, Jonny, and two pre-schoolers before we start work. Tell us a bit about your work? I sell handprinted linocut prints and run a subscription, where people receive three cards of my latest design each month. To be honest, motherhood takes up most of my time, but I love running my business around the children. Where do you work? The work table in my studio looks out of a big window. It helps me keep connected to nature – the major inspiration for my work. What led you here? I’ve made cards for friends and family for years and stopping work when our second child was born gave me an opportunity. I started with a Christmas card…

Pullover, sweater, gansey, jersey – there are so many evocative words to describe the wonder that is a woolly jumper. Warm and cosy when the weather turns surly, light and easy when a summer’s day turns to breezy evening, it’s a garment that suits all weathers and wearers. From tottering toddlers, to mam and dad, to grand aunts and uncles, it’s something that looks excellent on everyone. And though I may occasionally crave a cable knit or swoon over a sweater with elaborate fairisle, the style I love above all else is the raglan. Its origins are a bit sketchy – it’s named for FitzRoy Somerset or Lord Raglan, who lost an arm in the battle of Waterloo and had his tailor engineer a new kind of sleeve, but I…

There’s a lovely sense of longing for friendship and connection in 17-year-old Dawn Sands’ Epilogue. It’s wistful and heartfelt, a reminder of how childhood can be both lonesome and magical, a time of fervent emotion and hope. Dawn is part of Young Poets on the Tube, a partnership between the Poetry Society and Poems on the Underground. Follow her on Instagram: @dawnllswriter Things to ponder: How does Dawn capture that sense of the fierceness of childhood friendship? How do you imagine the emotional weather in this poem, do you think that this friendship will last?…

It’s all there waiting to be noticed. Life’s short and it flies by, so it’s important to step off the hamster wheel now and then, take a pause from looking forward and looking back, and remind yourself to appreciate the present. You don’t have to stand in a field to experience the seasons. There are many different ways to mark the year. It could be pottering round your kitchen cooking seasonal food, or learning a traditional folksong that has its origins in the agricultural calendar. Enjoy the magic of the moon. This year is a ‘major lunar standstill’ year, meaning that the moon is at the height of its 18.6-year cycle and will oscillate between appearing very high in the sky and very low. The closer it gets to the…

Paperwhite narcissi Early narcissi are a reminder that even in midwinter, beautiful things can bloom. ‘Force’ the bulbs by placing their pot outdoors or in a garage or shed fora fortnight or so before bringing them into the warm house. After all the colours of Christmas, paperwhite’s delicate flowers, bright green leaves and sweet scent have the beauty of fresh sheets, a clean page, a new year.…

Bookshop browse A NEW PERSPECTIVE Under the Hornbeams by Emma Tarlo Emma Tarlo first encountered Pascal and Nick when she was out walking. They’d lived on the streets for years, but now made their home under a sheltering tree in Regent’s Park. Stressed by her job, and feeling confined by her busy life, anthropologist Emma’s conversations with the men and their friends offered a different perspective on how to live. It’s a choice that has its inherent dangers, but also a strange kind of freedom, allowing a vivid connection to the natural world, and encouraging community and companionship with others in a similar situation, as this wonderfully uplifting account reveals. (Faber & Faber) Shopkeeper of the month Candle heaven A store celebrating the beauty of scent. In the heart of…

PROUDLY HOMEMADE HOT WATER BOTTLE COVERS Choose a cosy velvet, personalise with embossing or sew-on patches, and stay snug all winter. You will need: Hot water bottle Greaseproof paper Pencil and pen Velvet fabric Felt (optional) Pins Scissors Sewing machine Matching thread For an embossed cover: Stamp (we got ours from etsy.com) Water spray bottle Iron For a patch: Embroidered patch of your choice Needle and thread (to match the patch) 1 Take your hot water bottle and draw around it on greaseproof paper. Remove it and fold the paper in half, side to side. Neaten up your lines so it’s symmetrical. Draw lines from the top of the hot water bottle to the neck to make a more rounded shape. 2 Add a 3.5cm seam allowance to your template.…

DOWN TO A TEA TOWEL There’s no doubt that this design by Printer Johnson – aka Vicki Johnson – has a-peel a-plenty. May all our kitchens be as bounty-filled this year. It’s £12 from elitetins.com RED HERRINGS Fill in the gaps with letters to find eight words that are foodstuffs. Only eight? Yes, two of them are red herrings and will only produce frustration. (answers on page 124) “Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable” From Evidence by Mary Oliver Devised to counter the 1960s synthetic textiles boom – if it carries this on its label, it is a true woolly – though you won’t find it on every woollen, as its use is licensed. WHAT TO DO WITH… OLD BOOKS PRACTICAL: Need more storage because your shelves…

CANDLE-MAKING Make calm and cosy soy candles from Hazel and Blue. Best for: A sweet (cedarwood and geranium) smell of success. £28, hazelandbluecandles.co.uk SCREEN-PRINTING From Print Club London, with screen, templates and inks. Best for: Transferable skills. Try on bags, banners, books… £49, prezzybox.com EMBROIDERY & DARNING Threads, needles, snips, a darning egg and more. Best for: A treat for beginners and enthusiasts alike. £62, loopknitting.com QUICK-FIRE QUIZ 1 The adjective ‘strigine’ relates to what kind of animal? 2 What was retired by British Telecom 40 years ago this month? 3 Which fictional character said, “Sitting here with one’s knitting one just sees the facts.” 4 Where does the festival of Up Helly Aa take place this month? 5 Which character from Greek myth gave Theseus the red thread to…

Unpredictable material, freezing conditions and serious tools make for a hard hobby. Consider the following before taking a chip off the old block. Training Perhaps surprisingly, many ice sculptors learned the skill at culinary school: carved ice is often seen alongside food at feasts, though you can now go to workshops: see the likes of icesculpture.co.uk. Raw materials Ice quality matters. Many sculptors use machine-made Clinebell blocks for consistency, others prefer ice hewn from rivers for its clarity. Either way, you need a substantial lump. Typically blocks are more than 100kg. Tools Historically, carving was done with chisels: you can still get specially-made ice chisels and saws. Chainsaws and angle grinders speed things up. Some tools can be simple, any warm metal object can smooth sharp edges, for example. Then…

Sandra lifted the needlework sampler off the wall and laid it down on her desk. A loose thread had caught her eye. It was odd she’d never noticed it before, but now she’d seen it, her fingers itched to tidy it away. The sampler had hung in Sandra’s bedroom when she was a child and moved with her to every home she’d lived in subsequently. She’d learnt her ABC from the cross-stitch alphabets worked across the top half of the cloth in different styles. The red squirrel perched on the branch of an oak tree had watched over her as she fell asleep. While the embroidered elephant, its trunk uplifted as if trumpeting something joyful, had greeted her when she woke. Suddenly recalling the stories about squirrel Nutkin and his…

When it’s cold outside, take a leaf from Scandinavian hospitality and enjoy a comforting meal with friends, taking in classic recipes, seasonal traditions and a nice glass (or two) of glögg.* It’s tapping into customs that go way back: in Norse mythology, welcoming visitors was considered a sacred duty, while the Vikings believed that everyone visiting should be offered food and drink – especially as any stranger could potentially be a visiting god. While pleasing deities may seem like a tall order, it’s about embracing this spirit of generosity, sharing easy, hearty comfort at a time of year when we need it most. A grazing board is always a simple crowd-pleaser, especially when followed with seasonal salads, Scandi-style pickles and a hearty main of creamy potatoes and fish. There’s a…

TUNISIAN CAKE Serves 8 45g polenta 200g golden caster sugar 100g ground almonds 1½ tsp baking powder 215ml olive oil 4 eggs, lightly beaten Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed orange Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon 2 tbsp icing sugar FOR THE SYRUP: 45g granulated sugar Freshly squeezed juice of ½ an orange Freshly squeezed juice of ½ a lemon 1 cinnamon stick 1 Combine the polenta, sugar, almonds and baking powder in a mixing bowl. 2 Using a wooden spoon, beat in the oil, eggs and the orange and lemon zest. Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 20cm cake tin and place into a cold oven. 3 Turn the oven on at 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5 and bake for 35-40 mins. Then remove from the oven…

THINGS TO NOTE AND NOTICE Local lore THE REAL DICK WHITTINGTON If you’ve been to the panto this month, you may know the story of Dick Whittington and his fancily shod cat. But Dick was more than a good tale. Richard Whittington from Gloucester was sent to London as a boy to work in the cloth trade, eventually working for such big names as Richard II and John of Gaunt, and yes, becoming mayor of London not thrice but four times! The cat he teamed up with on his way to the big smoke was fictitious, however, likely borrowed from a Persian story to add a bit of fun (and fur) for panto audiences. Field work HOW ICICLES ARE FORMED A cycle of melting and freezing is what creates this…

My mum was a great knitter. As a child, I remember her glued to our black and white telly watching Coronation Street while her needles clickety clacked. Matinée coats for babies and school cardigans for me appeared as if by magic. As a young teenager, my bestie’s mum introduced us to crocheting, probably to avert our attention from Cosmopolitan magazine and growing up far too quickly. Mrs Crane started me off on a granny square and away I went. Mum was impressed and handed over her leftover wool. My multi-coloured square grew and grew: bright red from my hockey jumper, the terrible maroon from a school uniform waistcoat, luminous green and orange from the legwarmers I begged Mum to knit. My life story in leftover wool. Eventually, I left home,…

When William Morris died aged 62, his doctor attributed it to “having done more work than most ten men.” We know him best through his perennially popular wallpaper and textiles design, but in his lifetime, he also made, grew, wrote, lectured, campaigned, protested, published and imagined… Described as “tempestuous and exacting company,” his behaviour could fall short of his worthy ideals. But there are many reasons to love William Morris – not only for his handsome papers and helpful maxims – many of which still feel relevant today. FELLOWSHIP IS HEAVEN Born into a wealthy family in 1834, Morris was expected to join the clergy. At Oxford University he met Edward Burne-Jones, and it was the start of what would become a long and productive friendship. The pair vowed to…

READ IN A (DUVET) DAY Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson (Penguin) There’s a pleasure in slender volumes that pack a punch – not to mention that you can spend a satisfying day in bed reading one in its entirety. A slow burn first love, a young man facing into his future and the melody-filled streets of south London make this an exemplary duvet day novel. The book is alive with music, a brilliantly evoked soundtrack, which accompanies the story of young Black trumpeter Stephen, who hangs out with his friends, goes dancing, beautifully falls for Del and battles with his family and their expectations. It’s a languorously paced stroll though summer streets and a lovely recollection of long days full of possibilities as our hero heads to after-hours clubs,…

On the outside, it’s an attractive, yet unremarkable Edwardian terrace house much like its neighbours. However, when you walk through the front door of artist Natasha Mann’s home in southeast London you are transported to Marrakech with hand-painted geometric patterns and bursts of colour and gold on every surface. Natasha, an artist who specialises in decorative arts, has used her family home as a canvas for her intricate painted patterns. Found throughout, from bathroom doors to the hallway ceilings, nothing is safe from her paintbrush! Even the wardrobes, lampshades and boxes are all adorned with her patterns and can be found dotted around the home she shares with her husband and their four kids. While British Edwardian features and Moroccan art may not seem to be an obvious combination, Natasha…

There’s nothing quite like cosying up with a seed catalogue in winter. Full of promise and potential, like seeds themselves, just by leafing through their pages it’s possible to imagine the vegetable patch burgeoning with produce. But what if you didn’t need to buy a whole batch of seeds every year, and instead saved some of your own to replant? By choosing heirloom or heritage seeds, you can do just that and enjoy selecting and growing some more unusual varieties. As well as saving you money in the long run, you could be helping to preserve biodiversity and connecting yourself to a long tradition of gardeners. Heirloom seeds are, as the name suggests, a link to the veg-growing heritage of a community. That might be the Head Gardeners of Victorian…

This little nook is great for diving into so many activities. I wanted a space where creativity and relaxation go hand-in-hand - this has just the right amount of charm to lift my spirits and make it easy for me to settle in and focus. I do vision boarding, journalling and photo editing here and the ‘hello sunshine’ neon sign is a daily reminder to stay cheerful. Sam Gavrilovic, Corsham, Wiltshire @my.interior.tales This is the place where all my creative projects begin. When I’m not rushing to meet a deadline, I feel a sense of calm and peace here. It’s my corner of the house, which has all the things I love, and feels full of possibilities. Christine Pym, near Buxton, Staffordshire @christinepym When I sit creative journalling at my…

ASPARAGUS This wonderful perennial crop is low maintenance and provides a spring treat. Eat the fresh spears as soon as possible after harvesting. How to… Grow asparagus in a sheltered, sunny site – and consider the place carefully, as asparagus can live for around 20 years and is difficult to move once established. Sow seed indoors in late winter or early spring and plant seedlings outside in early summer. Asparagus can also be grown from crowns – one-year-old bareroot plants – and can be planted in early to mid spring. For the first two years after planting, avoid harvesting any asparagus so the plants can establish themselves. Leave any spears that appear and they’ll form attractive, feathery fronds. When it comes to harvesting, cut the spears with a sharp knife…

Looking after yourself in winter can feel like an uphill struggle. It can be hard to slow down when we’re busy, and prioritising getting enough sleep and rest can make us feel guilty. Establishing healthy habits is tough when energy and mood is low. Given these conditions, we need antidotes to help us harness what our minds and bodies are calling for. Energising activities, joy-giving rituals and time to be slow and reflective can help you to carve this delicate balance and make wintering a positive experience. It’s totally normal to want to snuggle in, to seek warmth and protection from the elements. Don’t fight it, work with it. The key is to seek comfort and occupy your time in ways that make tomorrow easier. Care-giving rituals that use breath…

A new year often brings about new ideas, adventures and aspirations, and if those plans include new meal inspiration, then Veetee rice may be just the right starting point. Whether you’re embracing Veganuary, trying to make your meals that little bit healthier, or you just want to liven up your regular dishes, Veetee rice guarantees fluffy rice every time without compromising on taste. Veetee’s 10-stage steam filtering ensures only the finest quality grains make it to your plate, so you get reliably fluffy, fragrant rice at the touch of a button. Available in mouth-watering flavours like classic Basmati, Thai Jasmine, and the very moreish Sticky Rice, Veetee microwave rice pots and trays take the hassle out of healthy eating, meaning you can enjoy satisfying, fuss-free meals in minutes. If this…

SNAP IT FOR LATER FAVOURITE BOOKSHOP Scorpio books Lovely staff and an extensive range of books. scorpiobooks.co.nz FAVOURITE CAFÉ Doubles There’s a Korean twist to the menu, and food is always fresh and their flavours keep changing. doubles.co.nz FAVOURITE PIE SHOP Mrs Denton’s Specialises in seafood pies – and the classics. 168 Kendal Avenue FAVOURITE RESTAURANT Kenzo Sushi and other Japanese dishes using locally-sourced ingredients @kenzo.nz FAVOURITE MARKET Saturday farmers’ market I love Poms Thai Kitchen for authentic noodle soup, and The Great Pastry Shop for cookies. christchurchfarmersmarket.co.nz FAVOURITE MUSEUM Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities In the University of Canterbury’s Arts Centre, it houses a fascinating collection. teecemuseum.nz FAVOURITE HOTEL Observatory Hotel The furniture and fittings are made locally, and artworks are by distinguished local artists. observatoryhotel.co.nz PLACE TO SEE…

Lia Leendertz is taking a leaf out of her own book. As the new year begins, the best-selling author of The Almanac will be leaning into January, drawing inspiration from the sky, the Earth and the stories passed down through millennia as she embraces the unique seasonal character of this sometimes bleak month. “January can be beautiful, with its glorious sunrises and snowdrop spears pushing through the soil,” she says. “But it’s also still the depths of winter. In December we’re all jolly, we’re celebrating, we’re feeding one another. Then suddenly the curtain drops and it’s dark, cold, austere. It’s such a big change.” Far from gritting our teeth and powering through, determined on self-denial and self-improvement, Lia believes that by tuning into the season and taking cues from nature,…

William Morris Gallery, Walthamstow. Morris’ childhood home, now tells the story of his life. wmgallery.org.uk Red House, Bexleyheath, William and Jane Morris’ first home. nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/red-house William Morris Society, housed in the stables of Kelmscott House, Hammersmith, with a collection of his designs. williammorrissociety.org Kelmscott Manor, Morris’s Cotswolds home from 1871. Opened to the general public in 2022, following renovations. kelmscottmanor.org.uk Emery Walker’s House, Hammersmith. Typographer, fellow socialist and friend to Morris. Book to see designs, furniture and artefacts inside this beautifully preserved home. emerywalker.org.uk V&A Museum, South Kensington. The ‘Green Dining Room’, designed by Morris, Marshall, Faulkner and Co., was the ‘first museum café’. They also have examples of his work. vam.ac.uk Country houses Morris designs are found in many grand houses, including Cragside and Wallington (both in Morpeth), Castle…

So many wellbeing books, so little time. Our deconstruction of someone’s fresh thinking could send you in a new direction In a nutshell Firstly, this is not a book about meditation. The central premise is that we can lead a better life by accepting and embracing the fact that as mortals we are limited and imperfect, and that we inhabit an imperfect, unpredictable world. There are echoes of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, stoicism and mindfulness – accepting reality as it is, right now, right here. Why now? In the modern world, Burkeman argues, there is simply too much to do, see, read and achieve. The dogged pursuit of completion and perfection are futile – just as the classic ‘efficiency trap’ of dealing with any task faster becomes a…

Many times I’ve returned to work in the polar north, often choosing to go in the depths of winter. Friends ask, “Don’t you find it horribly cold? How do you cope with the continual night?” However, I have a confession: now, after a decade of living and working in the polar north, when I imagine myself back in the Arctic, it’s not archetypal experiences like feeding a hunter’s huskies, or icebergs that spring to mind, but sitting at my desk in a small cabin on the shore of Baffin Bay in Greenland. One of my windows looked over the sea, the other back over the island – from one I could see the indigo sky and the stars, from the other, the illuminated windows of houses scattered down the hillside.…

Where to find heritage seeds and plants • The charity, Garden Organic, runs The Heritage Seed Library, a members’ scheme whereby you receive six seed varieties annually. You can also become a Seed Guardian by returning seed to the Library. gardenorganic.org.uk • Slow Food In The UK aims to preserve heritage varieties through its Ark of Taste project. slowfood.org.uk • You can buy heritage veg seeds from She Grows Veg (shegrowsveg.com), and Real Seeds (realseeds.co.uk). Sea Spring Seeds (seaspringseeds.co.uk) is good for chillies and varieties collected from ethnic/immigrant communities. Pennard Plants (pennardplants.com) sells flower seeds, or try Frank P Matthews (frankpmatthews.com) or Keepers Nursery (keepers-nursery.co.uk) for fruit trees.…

Sick of the grey skies, and in need of a change of scenery? Warmth and colour can be found in the most unusual places. Like Cardiff, for example, where two Welsh restaurateur siblings have created an Andalucian-inspired oasis right in the heart of the city. While a rugby match might be kicking off at the Principality Stadium across the road and thousands of concert-goers and revellers may be mingling in the streets outside, you can retreat to your own hidden parador and make like you’re in Seville, or Cadiz perhaps. Intrigued? So were we. Where we stayed Parador 44 is a blink-and-you-miss-it type place but if you hurried past without calling in for a bite to eat or a bed for the night, you’d be missing out. The Spanish parador…

TALK LIKE … YOU’RE FROM 2024* Anti-tourism: opposition to or action against large scale tourism; brat: characterised by confident, independent and hedonistic attitude; era: period of one’s life or career of a distinctive character; romantasy: a literary genre combining romance fiction with fantasy *These definitions are taken from Collins Dictionary’s ‘Word of the Year’ shortlist for 2024. ‘Brat’ was awarded their word of the year. See collinsdictionary.com/us/woty for more.…

Tizzie Whizie Many a Windermere tourist has got in a tizzy looking for this bee-hedgehog-dragonfly-squirrel creature, spied by a canny boatsman in 1900. Lambton Worm Eel-y bad luck for John Lambton in the 1300s when his catch grew into a cattle-eating dragon, linked to the NE’s Worm Hill and Penshaw Hill. Lake Maidens These watery women inhabit Wales’ lakes and rivers. No drips, but generally gentler and kinder than their sea-loving mermaid counterparts. Herne the Hunter Local to Windsor, this ghostly antlered horserider horns in on works by Shakespeare, John Masefield, Susan Cooper and Alan Garner, too. Cailleach Something of a cold spell? Regard the power of Cailleach, a Gaelic creature – some say ‘hag’, some say ‘queen’ – connected to winter and stormy weather. Black Shuck Scarcely a month…

CUT OUT AND KEEP Steamed marmalade pudding Serves 6 5 tbsp marmalade 175g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 175g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 3 large eggs 175g caster sugar Zest of 2 oranges and juice of 1 orange 1 Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Meanwhile, spoon the marmalade into a well-buttered 1.2 ltr pudding basin. 2 Whisk the remaining ingredients together with an electric whisk for 2 mins, or until light and fluffy. 3 Spoon the mixture into the basin and level the surface. Cover with greaseproof paper and foil, then secure with string under the rim. 4 Stand the basin in a baking dish and pour in boiling water until it comes halfway up the sides. Cook for around 90 mins. 5 Lift the…