I LIVE FOR THE SUMMER. Just thinking about those warm, long days makes me happy. Summer memories keep me going through winter and I love the anticipation of what it will bring. In reality, of course, it can be disappointingly wet, but in my head, summer means bare legs and t-shirt weather. It’s a time of year to slow right down and pause – even when we’re not on holiday. There are lazy days to spend outside and picnics to eat under shady trees while my boys jump through the garden sprinkler.
Sunny or not, the countryside is insistently alive; the hedgerows pulse with insects, dog roses and wildflowers. Across the country, the scent of cut grass and garden roses carried in the air is heady and uplifting. City dwellers flock to the parks, and pub gardens put up their parasols. I take full advantage when the day is warm, eking out the moments by eating breakfast, lunch and dinner outside. The dawn chorus becomes my alarm clock. I feel calmer, yet somehow more alert and I seem to achieve so much more in the day thanks to the extra light.
The trees are in full glory, stately and proud like monuments – I have favourite landmark trees I acknowledge each time I pass them. My oak tree obsession reaches its peak; I never tire of seeing them rising out of the mist like spaceships at first light. The magical power of trees is celebrated in the practice of ‘forest bathing’, which has been embraced by many people as an antidote to everyday stress. In Japan it is known as Shinrin-yoku and is widely practised for its health benefits (find my guide here). Call me a tree hugger, but I cannot deny the sense of peace that comes from hanging out among venerable trees. For me, summer is about changing pace. Even my walks slow down, becoming more of an amble.
One of the hardest things I find about juggling work and motherhood is finding a healthy work–life balance. When I’m working on a project, it wholly consumes me, 24/7. I then have terrible guilt that I’m not being a good parent, or wife, or friend for that matter. So, I give myself at least two work-free weeks each summer to focus on my family, be properly present and not have my mind secretly half in a spreadsheet while crabbing on the quay. It’s only recently that I’ve learnt how important it is to give myself time off and not to feel guilty about it. We all need time to recoup, time for ourselves and time without any pressure.
This chapter is filled with ideas and projects that all have an overriding feeling of calm about them. There’s nothing complicated or onerous here. Just ideas for taking time to enjoy the warmer days and the simple pleasure of being outside. Think lazy warm evenings deadheading, ambling around barefoot, conjuring shapes out of the clouds, hunting for shells and lying out, basking under the beam of a full moon.
Use this space to write down your first impressions of summer
There’s not a huge amount for me to do in the garden in July and August – it’s mostly about keeping on top of the weeding and watering. The best roses are in their prime, having started their performance in late May, and providing you deadhead them (see Tip, here), they will keep flowering for the whole summer. Their delicious scent infuses the air and there is nothing better than inhaling deeply into a newly open rose. On summer evenings, garden scents become heightened and I love to grow tobacco plants (Nicotiana), night-scented stocks (Matthiola longipetala), jasmine (Jasminum), old-fashioned pinks (Dianthus) and herbs to crush underfoot beside our al fresco dining table.
Charlie and I compete for space in the small greenhouse we fill with tomatoes and pelargoniums. By the end of the summer I usually win, and my geraniums overflow onto the terrace and windowsills of our house. The scented leaf pelargoniums are the best. Even the boys learn to pinch the leaves for a quick fix of lemon, apple or chocolate scent as they brush past them. The variegated, citrus-leaved ones are my favourite and I love how easy it is to clone them to give away as presents for friends.
If you grow lavender, now is the time to think about harvesting it for making sleep pillows, essential oils or even ice cream (if you have an edible variety). I love making little lavender bags by sewing leftover bits of favourite fabrics together to hang in my wardrobe to keep the moths away (lavender is a well-known natural moth-repellent).
In simple terms, deadheading is removing dead flower heads from plants. This is important all year round. Do it to encourage the plant to produce more flowers, as well as keeping plants looking their best.
Growing from cuttings is basically growing for free. In ‘garden-speak’, it’s called propagation. If you’re new to cuttings, in a nutshell, it’s when you snip off a small shoot from a plant, poke it into its own pot of compost and, after a while, it starts growing you a whole new plant.
This year, I’ve gone geranium crazy – as well as filling my garden, every surface of my kitchen, sitting room and even the bathroom are covered with different types of geraniums. There are so many that I love, I find it hard to be selective. I often enjoy them more for the leaves – which I use in arrangements – than the flowers, and I am drawn to the scented and variegated leaf varieties first and foremost. The ones bringing me the most joy as I write are ‘Mrs Pollock’, ‘Attar of Roses’, ‘Horizon Appleblossom’, ‘Wilhelm Langath’ and ‘Tomentosum’.
My mother always has secateurs in her back pocket and whips them out at any given moment, like some sort of garden ninja, discreetly snipping snippets of geraniums she likes the look of and multiplying her favourites to give away as presents. I’m coming to realize gardeners have an inbuilt urge to do this. Geraniums are the easiest plant to start with if you are a beginner.
A small pot (I use terracotta pots that are about 10cm/4in tall)
Potting compost
Rooting powder
1. Fill your small pot with potting compost and water until moist.
2. Cut a stem about 20cm (8in) long and with one or two side shoots from a healthy plant.
3. Lay it flat and gently nip off the side shoots and any little buds that might be forming. You should end up with a long, green pencil-like shoot.
4. With sharp secateurs, cut diagonally just below a node, which is the area from which branches, leaves and aerial roots grow out from the stem. You can dip the base into rooting powder and dust off any residue (but it’s not really necessary with geraniums as they take root so easily).
5. Poke a hole into the compost close to the side of the pot and slot the shoot well into the compost, burying the node (and, better still, the one above it) below the earth.
6. If there are remaining leaves at the top of the shoot, snip them off; you want the plant’s energy to go into forming roots, not to keeping the leaves alive.
7. Take several cuttings like this and dot them around the edge of the pot. They can be quite crowded.
8. Keep your cuttings damp but not too soggy. When you see roots appear at the base of the pot – the time this takes will vary depending on each plant – that is the moment to re-pot each cutting, giving each one its own small pot to expand in. Think of geraniums or any cuttings like small babies who hate being put in an enormous cot too soon.
To speed this up, create a propagator: place a clear polythene bag over the pot, secured with an elastic band. Snip tiny holes in the bag to let air circulate, then remove the bag once the shoots look alive.
Use this space to record your cuttings
Studies have shown that people who are habitually grateful are happier than those who aren’t. Making a daily gratitude list – the key here is daily to build a cumulative effect – apparently not only makes us happier but can also help relieve symptoms of depression. Taking time every day to make a list of all the things you are grateful for in your life will soon become a habit. And as soon as it becomes a habit, your mind will automatically recognize the things you’ve written down and see them as something to be grateful for. You start living in the present.
Below is my gratitude list for today.
• An unbroken night’s sleep.
• The fact I didn’t have to get up at 6am for the school run.
• The sun shining.
• My first cup of tea of the day.
• The potted grape hyacinth on the kitchen table.
• Seeing our friends later for lunch.
• My tulips coming up.
• Going to Wales to see my parents tomorrow.
• My smallest’s cold getting better.
• As you can see, they don’t need to be massive things. Just every day, tiny things.
Have a go at writing yours here:
Moon bathing is a relatively new discovery for me. I admit I was pretty sceptical about it at first. One night I put two and two together and realized that this fully charged feeling I get every so often is possibly nothing to do with what I’ve eaten but is all down to the awesome power of the full moon. Moonlight is a very potent mix of sunlight, starlight and Earthlight, and according to Ayurvedic beliefs, its healing light can calm, soothe and balance our internal waters, move parts of us that are blocked, relieve pain, improve circulation, strengthen immunity and deepen relaxation.13
Sunlight triggers the release of serotonin, energizing and lifting our moods, while moonlight helps us to slow down and relax, stimulating our spiritual, softer side. It’s said to be especially healing for women and has a powerful influence on our daily and monthly cycles. Exposing ourselves to moonlight can help regulate menstrual cycles, increase fertility awareness, lower blood pressure and reduce stress and anxieties.14
The actual practice of moon bathing couldn’t be simpler. All you need to do is lie out and bask under the vibrant light of the full moon for about 30 minutes, wearing as little as possible. Breathe deeply, reflect and allow yourself to soak up the magic.
If it’s cold and wet or you just can’t face going outside, throw open your windows and lie in full view of the moon and bathe from the comfort of your bed instead.
When we were small, my mother’s answer to any meltdown / grazed knee / tantrum / goldfish death / tummy ache was ‘nuts and raisins’. A leg could be dangling off, and her solution would probably be ‘have some nuts and raisins’.
It’s become a family joke and a habit I’ve subconsciously adopted, too – my life is still fuelled by nuts and raisins. I grew up being taught that sugar was the enemy but never paid it much attention until recently, when I realized the direct effect eating it had on how my body functioned and how I felt. It’s nothing to do with my weight; more to do with my energy levels, the state of my skin and, vitally, my mood.
So now when I hit a wall at 5pm or the boys come home needing a snack, I steer them towards the ‘Nut Hut’, which is not as remotely impressive as it sounds, merely a shelf filled with labelled (pleasing) jam jars of nuts, seeds, raisins and ‘special treat’ dates. My smallest actually believes they’re toffees. Dried fruits are still pretty sugar-laden but naturally so and definitely a better option than a chocolate bar.
They’re my go-to snack, even more so in the summer months when the last place you want to be is the kitchen. It makes me so happy seeing the boys playing in the garden snacking on almonds rather than a packet of crisps!
Pistachios. High in vitamin B6 – important for regulating hormones. The only nut to contain antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin that protect the eyes. High in fibre and potassium.
Hazelnuts. Good for your heart, and help towards muscle, skin, bone, joint and digestive health. They’re also good for regulating blood pressure. Rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium. High in vitamins B and E (good for immunity, skin and eyes).
Almonds. You don’t need to look far to find an almond in our house. At the bottom of handbags/kit bags/coat pockets/in my studio/all over the kitchen table. They’re the highest in calcium of all nuts – good for bones – and are also high in fibre, vitamin E, phosphorus and magnesium.
Cashews. I think of a cashew as a luxury nut. Big handfuls always feel quite decadent. They’re rich in iron and high in magnesium – even more so than almonds. Cashews are rich in copper so good for skin and hair.
Walnuts. Walnuts are especially high in omega-3 fats, antioxidants and phytosterols. They’re good for the heart and brain and are believed to help protect against depression and Alzheimer’s.
Peanuts. These are technically legumes, not nuts. They are rich in folate, which is needed to keep the nervous system healthy. Very useful if you’re pregnant, as the high folate count also helps to reduce the risk of birth defects. They’re high in vitamin E and also boost memory, help fight depression and reduce the risk of heart disease. Pretty powerful little things.
Brazil nuts. High in calcium, magnesium and potassium, Brazil nuts are also complete proteins, which means they contain all nine amino acids. They’re also a good source of selenium, an essential mineral and powerful antioxidant that fights oxidative stress and helps protect against heart disease.15
Try whizzing up pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds into a fine powder to make a nutritionally magical powder to sprinkle on your cereal each morning.
Head to your nearest bit of earth, grass or sand (no pavements), take off your socks and shoes and just walk. It doesn’t sound particularly ground-breaking but for a long time, walking barefoot – also known as ‘earthing’ – has been thought to provide endless health benefits. It is said to support our body’s ability to heal itself. As a result it’s believed to help with circulation, sleep, reducing inflammation and normalizing blood pressure.
Our bodies – specifically the heart and nervous systems – rely on electrical impulses to function. The Earth’s surface has a limitless supply of negatively charged mobile electrons. If you think of the Earth as a giant battery that powers life, it makes sense that in directly connecting with it, we can charge our energy and rebalance our systems.
Make a note of how you feel before and then again when you’ve finished:
My brothers and I were always terrible at long car journeys: we would be bored half an hour in, then spend the rest of the journey asking our parents every five minutes if we were nearly there yet and/or if we could have another sweet. The answer was almost invariably no.
Making dens in the back of the car and winding each other up were always good time-spinners, but by far the most consistently enjoyable attention-holding activity was spotting shapes in the clouds. The ‘cloud game’ kept us entertained for hours.
Thirty years on, I still love creating shapes and animals out of the clouds in or out of the car. I find it calming and therapeutic, a perfect way to calm myself down in the middle of a hectic day or, equally, as a way to wind down on a beautiful evening in the garden when clouds have a habit of taking on their most curious shapes like wild things on the dance floor.
If you really get into it, there’s a website called the Cloud Appreciation Society where you can share photos of your particularly inspiring finds.
I was recently introduced to a gorgeous group of local women who are trying to persuade me to join them on their wild swimming escapades. They go every month, always to a different location that someone in the group has discovered. They’ve been doing it for years and collectively use it as their therapy, their exercise, their time to socialize, their time to be in nature, their time to switch off, have fun and just be.
I clearly remember the times we spent as children, sploshing in ankle-deep slimy rivers, daring each other to dive into arctic English seas, boldly plunging off quaysides in our wetsuits while the ferry boats were out at sea. The thrill and exhilaration were completely addictive.
I asked my friend Domi what it was about wild swimming that she loved so much and she said it’s about much more than just the swimming. It’s the camaraderie and the new friends, the adventure and discovery of unknown places, the excitement and chatter on the car journey to the water, the thrill of jumping in and the immediate adrenaline rush, then when the numbing cold gives way to a delicious warmth. I have vowed to go with them on their next outing! In the meantime, Charlie and I spent two weeks this summer practising in the freezing Cornish sea – forcing ourselves to stay in for at least three minutes! The adrenalin high and the full body warmth we felt afterwards was incredible; 100 per cent worth grinning and bearing during those long three minutes. Each day we did it, the cold got to us less and less and we began to look forward to the shocking cold, surrendering ourselves to the elements.
• Make sure you’re dressed for the occasion. A skimpy bikini in the depths of winter isn’t going to cut it. A swimming hat is essential. You can also wear neoprene gloves and boots, and a wetsuit.
• Be safe. Never swim by yourself and make sure you swim in places you know are safe. Are there hidden currents you perhaps don’t know about, for example? Make sure there is somewhere that you can easily get out of the water.
• Be careful about diving or jumping into water. When the water’s really cold this can cause shock and can be very dangerous. It’s important to acclimatize yourself to cold temperatures by taking regular short swims.
• You also might not know how deep/shallow the water is, in which case diving could be disastrous.
• Don’t push yourself to stay in the water for longer than you can bear. It’s not an endurance test. In the winter, swimmers often only stay in for a minute or two. Keep moving to acclimatize to the temperature. Get dressed immediately, starting with the top half of your body. Put on a hat and gloves and maybe take a flask of something warm.
The websites www.wildswimming.co.uk and www.outdoorswimmingsociety.com will direct you to your nearest wild swimming spot.
Hunting for shells has been one of my favourite occupations for as long as I can remember. When I was smaller it was a competitive thing: as soon as we arrived on holiday in the Scilly Isles, we would run to Pentle Bay to see who would find the first cowrie shell. The prize, which seemed momentous then, was to choose our favourite ice cream.
Now it’s less about the competition and more about the peaceful, meditative calm that comes with it. Charlie caught my shell-hunting bug pretty early on in our relationship – now anywhere we go, from Cornwall to Cairns, a huge part of any holiday is always spent beachcombing. It’s not as much about the contest, but actually we’re still pretty competitive with each other about who can find the best treasure.
A lot of shells are protected so can’t be brought home – bringing coral home with you is actually illegal – but that’s not the point of the search. It’s not just about what you find: let yourself slowly wander along the beach. Take it in. Don’t rush. Feel the breeze on your face (or gale-force wind, depending on your location), hear the waves crashing, watch the gulls and the oystercatchers quibbling over their catch. I love to make pictures in the sand using natural elements – and kids love it, too. Hunt for pebbles, seaweed and shells and make a self-portrait or a fantastical mermaid or sea creature in the sand. I remember writing birthday messages for friends in shells on the beach that would last until the tide washed them away. I always wanted a summer birthday so I could have my name spelt out lovingly in the sand on our family holiday.
It’s often permissible to bring a few little shells home with you, but if you’re not sure have a look on the CITES website (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). They list all the protected wild plants and species that must be left where you find them. www.cites.org
Herbal teas aren’t really made from tea. They are infusions of leaves, seeds, roots or bark, extracted in almost boiling water, and make a brilliantly healthy, caffeine-free drink option. There are so many different types of herbal teas now that I often find it hard to choose at the supermarket and come out empty-handed. They’ve also become rather expensive. I admit the fancier boxes do look pretty on the kitchen shelf, but for a fraction of the cost, it is easy and satisfying to make your own – and there’s nothing to stop you making your own pretty box too!
Brewing medicinal herbal teas is an age-old alchemy that has been practised for centuries all over the world. Known to herbalists as ‘simples’, there are so many single herb remedies made with one ingredient, including peppermint for a tummy ache, ginger for a cold and sage for menopausal troubles. As effective as these are, plants, like human beings, thrive in company. In their natural habitats, they rarely grow alone, flourishing symbiotically when close to one another. Blended together medicinally, they work in synergy, complementing and augmenting each other’s potency.
Mixed blends of teas are generally made up of three parts:
• Primary herbs make up 70 per cent of a blend and are the main ingredients that directly address a specific concern.
• Supportive herbs for nourishing the system, as well as acting as a companion/buffer for the primary herbs, make up around 20 to 25 per cent of a blend.
• Catalyst herbs, which help to activate the tea, make up the final 5 to 10 per cent of the blend.
I usually make the simpler, single-ingredient teas – admittedly down to a lack of time – and keep a collection of fresh herbs in pots outside the back door so they’re in easy reach. Fresh herbs are just as effective as dried. I love to give homemade teas as presents to friends who are feeling under the weather – in an airtight container they can happily last from six to twelve months.
If you have a cold, add fresh lemon juice and honey for a powerful germ-fighting combination.
Mint. One of the most robust and easiest herbs to grow. It has a lovely light, refreshing taste and is good for any digestive problems, abdominal cramps or pain. Simply add a few leaves to a mug and pour over boiling water. Let it steep for a couple of minutes before drinking.
Lemon verbena. This is a great one for insomniacs. Mix it with chamomile for an even stronger sleep aid. It can also help with reducing stress and anxiety and managing indigestion.16 Add a few leaves to a mug or teapot. Pour over boiling water. Cover with a lid to steep for a couple of minutes and then enjoy.
Rosemary. I couldn’t believe it when I saw shops selling bottled rosemary water for an absolute fortune! This one really couldn’t be simpler. Pop a couple of sprigs of rosemary into a mug, pour over boiling water and either drink as it is or leave it to cool. Rosemary is good for brain power, digestion and memory. A word of warning, however: some women use rosemary as a menstrual and uterine stimulant so if you are pregnant, please be aware of this and possibly avoid using it.
Ginger. We use ginger a lot in both cooking and tea infusions. It’s commonly known to help with nausea – I drank it throughout each of my pregnancies to stave off morning sickness. It also has anti-viral and antibiotic properties. Make fresh ginger tea by simmering a piece of unpeeled ginger root in a saucepan of water for 10–15 minutes. An alternative to this would be using slices of fresh turmeric for an anti-inflammatory and anti-viral super-boost. (Be careful not to turn your fingers yellow from the root!)
Cornwall has always been my spiritual home. I love being by the sea and I’ve holidayed there for as long as I can remember. It feels like home. The Cornish light, even on grey days, is unbelievably beautiful and it’s understandable why so many artists and writers were drawn to live there. (Ben Nicholson, Christopher Wood, Barbara Hepworth, Roger Hilton, Patrick Heron and poet John Betjeman, who is buried at St Enodoc church, all spent hugely productive years there.)
I don’t go there to paint. (Not from lack of trying!) Until recently, it’s always been more about coastal walking, wetsuits, hunting for shells, surfing and sandy picnics. But last year I discovered dune surfing, which has immediately been added to our list of favourite activities of all time.
It’s as simple as it sounds: take one boogie board, head to the highest sand dune you can find, sit on the boogie board and let yourself fly down the dune! It’s basically sledging on sand, and is completely terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. It took me countless attempts to go from the top, starting basically at the bottom and getting braver in five-centimetre increments.
Two weeks down the line and I made it from (quite) near the top. Charlie and the boys were flying straight down from the top after a couple of goes. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but the rush and adrenaline high is quite something. Add in the sea air, fear, excitement and laughter and you get one seriously good night’s sleep as a bonus prize.
Flowery ice cubes are simple and inexpensive to make, but they instantly add pizazz to any party. You can buy edible flowers readily these days, but you can probably find some for yourself growing in the garden or on a windowsill. Make sure the flowers you use are definitely edible before you begin and that they haven’t been sprayed with any chemicals.
To keep the ice cubes clear and cloud-free you need to work in layers because this cuts out the air bubbles and impurities, which is what causes cloudiness.
The following garden flowers are all safe to use:
Alpine pinks (Dianthus alpinus)
Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum)
Daisy (Bellis perennis)
Elderflower (Sambucus nigra)
Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
Hollyhock (Alcea rosea)
English lavender (Lavandula augustifolia)
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
Marigold (Calendula officinalis)
Primrose (Primula vulgaris)
Rose (Rosa)
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Sweet violet (Viola odorata)
Large ice-cube tray – preferably silicone for easy access Distilled water (water that has been boiled and then cooled) Edible flowers
1. Fill the ice-cube tray a quarter of the way up with distilled water. Add the flowers face down and freeze.
2. Add some more water to reach the half-way mark and freeze again.
3. Fill to the top and freeze for the last time.
I can still remember the utter joy and elation I felt when I found my first proper fossil. It was a whole, perfectly round ammonite. I was twelve and thought I was going to burst with importance. We were learning about fossils at school and, steeped in the magic of connecting with geological history, I would head down to nearby ponds on fossil missions to rummage through broken-up stones and rocks.
Hunting for fossils is not dissimilar to hunting for shells (one of my all-time favourite hobbies, see here), which is probably why I enjoy it so much. Different terrains, but similar in the way you’re outside, head down, concentrating on something that isn’t your everyday life, filled with anticipation and hope that you’re going to find some sort of treasure. It’s a great way to switch off and let your mind wander.
The joy of fossil hunting is that, contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a beach. Although many of the better places around the world to find fossils do tend to be coastal, you can pretty much hunt for them anywhere. We’re very lucky living in Oxfordshire, as it’s an area particularly rich in marine fossils – many a dinosaur footprint has been found on our doorstep – but there are so many fossil-laden areas all round the country. It’s also a great activity for all ages; my boys love nothing more than an afternoon fossil hunting down by the river with a picnic.
If you go out hunting, think about taking a fossil guidebook and a magnifying glass with you. Very often you will only find little bits of fossil, but these will help identify your finds. An old toothbrush is good to have up your sleeve, too, to dust off any mud. I love having a notebook to keep a record of my finds.
Use this space to record summer shells or fossil finds
ELDERFLOWER
Sambucus canadensis
From late May to mid-June, green spaces explode with elderflower: deliciously scented, tiny creamy-white flowers that hang in clusters, shouting to be picked and, as far as I’m concerned, turned immediately into a cordial.
It’s best to pick elderflower on warm, dry and sunny days – not when it’s raining – when the buds are fresh and newly opened. And not from the side of a busy main road if you can help it.
A curved walking stick is quite a handy tool to take with you so you can hook out-of-reach heads. Make sure the elderflower heads aren’t playing home to any insects before you use them for anything!
Makes about 1 litre
25 elderflower heads (shake them before using in case there are any insects lingering)
finely grated zest and juice of 3 unwaxed lemons and 1 orange (about 150ml juice in total)
1kg caster sugar
1 heaped tsp citric acid (optional)
(this acts as a preservative as well as giving it a slight tang)
Fine grater
Large saucepan
Muslin or fine mesh sieve
Funnel
2 × 1 litre sterilized bottles with lids or corks
1. Put the flower heads in a large bowl and add the lemon and orange zest.
2. Bring 1.5 litres water to the boil and pour over the elderflower and citrus zest mix.
3. Cover with a clean cloth and leave them overnight to infuse at room temperature.
4. Strain the liquid through a piece of muslin or fine mesh sieve and pour into a saucepan. Add the sugar, lemon and orange juice and citric acid if you are using it.
5. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then bring to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes. It will develop a syrupy thickness.
6. Use a funnel to pour the hot syrup into sterilized bottles. Seal the bottles with swing-top lids, sterilized screw-tops or sterilized corks.
Try drizzling elderflower cordial over strawberries for a delicious pudding, or stirring into whipped cream to make a midsummer gooseberry fool.
Use this space to record seasonal recipes or foraging ideas
I’m definitely more of a morning person than a night owl. My brain functions far better first thing than it does after 4pm, when it pretty much switches off for the day. So I am fully on board with the Swedish lifestyle ritual Gökotta, which means ‘early-rising cuckoo’. Practised in Sweden from 30 May to midsummer, Gökotta is about getting up early to embrace and connect with nature. Or to listen to the birdsong to be more precise. This, as a result, is meant to improve our productivity.
The belief is that by making time for ourselves first thing in the morning, before the rest of the world wakes up, we will be happier, more connected and focused during the day ahead.
If you’re not a morning person, this probably sounds like your worst nightmare. But I can’t exaggerate how calming and life-enhancing getting up just ten minutes earlier each morning can be. Take the time to sit outside or just look out of a window, by yourself, no phone or children, no demands. Take in your surroundings and breathe. Listen to the birds. Enjoy having the time completely and utterly to yourself. Try not to let any worries about the day ahead set in. If you have to think about something, think about what you are grateful for.
With three children and a pretty demanding work schedule, my life can be quite overwhelming at times. But now I’ve started getting up fifteen minutes earlier than I need to every weekday, I’ve noticed I really do feel calmer and better equipped to deal with whatever the day throws at me.
I’ve just come in from a (very wet) walk and can’t get over how many wildflowers there are this year. There seem to be far more than usual, probably thanks to the rain. There’s something nostalgic about wildflowers that reminds me of childhood. My granny used to take me on walks, counting how many we could find. I can still identify wood anemones, cowslips, vetch, bird’s foot trefoil, lady’s smock and ragged robin.
As well as the flowers, I love wild grasses, which are also out in force right now. I did an event recently for an African brand that wanted the tables to be filled with airy grass arrangements, so I spent the weeks running up to the job studying and acknowledging the hundreds of different types there are. Until you really look at them up close, they all just merge into one big wavy sea of green, but there are literally hundreds of different types.
Wildflowers and grasses play a hugely important role in the environment and have their own little ecosystem, providing homes and food for animals, insects and birds. Wildflowers are also useful for their role as pollinator plants, as they help to support the declining bee populations.
Look up where near you has wildflowers and see how many you can find next time you go for a walk. Pick a few and bring them home to press. You don’t need a fancy flower press – slipping them into the middle of a heavy book works just as well (see here for guidelines). After a few weeks, they’ll be ready to use; I love sticking them on plain postcards to use as stationery or making gift tags with them to tie on to presents. Or why not stick them in your Wild Journal? See if you can find any of the following:
Cowslips, Ladies Bedstraw, Wild Marjoram, Field Scabious and Betony Bladder Campion, Bluebell, Common Vetch, Creeping Buttercup, Cow Parsley, Garlic Mustard, Greater Celandine, Hedge Bedstraw, Meadow Cranesbill, Red Campion, Ribwort Plantain, Tufted Vetch, White Deadnettle, Upright Hedge Parsley, Wood Avens, Yarrow and Yellow Meadow Vetch.
If you have a garden and like the wild, airy look, why not try creating your own wildflower meadow? You can start off by sowing some wildflower seeds at home in trays. They also look beautiful in pots or windowboxes.
The two key times for sowing them are mid-March through to mid-May and mid-August through to mid-October (see here to find out how to do this). Or for instant gratification, you can also buy pre-seeded wildflower turf.
Use this place to record your seasonal reflections
