The Simple Things is a beautiful, useful, quirky and fun magazine about taking time to live well. We cover mindfulness and microadventures, eating and growing, forgotten wisdom, home life and slow moments. It's for people who love their lives but want to take the pressure off and remember what’s really important. We like tea & cake, learning stuff, being outside and the satisfaction of a job well done. Do you?
A could-do list Enjoy
Editor
Spring on the smallholding • AS SPRING ARRIVES ON THEIR SOMERSET PLOT, KATHY AND TOM EMBRACE THE SEASONAL SHIFT WITH RECIPES INSPIRED BY THEIR SURROUNDINGS
magical creatures • AN APPRECIATION OF WOOD PIGEONS
Things want and wish for • Loving your home, inside and out. Books and treats for you to enjoy.
Bookshop browse
Maker of the month
URBAN FARMING • City Veg: Inspiration From an Urban Garden by Cinead McTernan
Markets & fairs
Shopkeeper of the month
Right as rain • Have the heavens opened? Is it belting down? Or perhaps there’s just a light mizzle? Contemplating the richness of language about the weather is a rainy-day activity
April Almanac • SEASONAL THOUGHTS TO HELP YOU ENJOY THE MONTH
A simple thing...
Are you sitting uncomfortably? Then we’ll begin... • DOING THINGS THAT NUDGE YOU OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE WILL HELP BUILD YOUR MENTAL STRENGTH, MAKING YOU MORE CONFIDENT AND RESILIENT, SAYS BEN ALDRIDGE
Gain courage
Improve concentration
Get physical • These activities require mental strength and focus
Learn a skill • These are about exploring and learning new capabilities
Be creative • This is about flexing your creative muscles in different ways
Get comfortable with discomfort
Cakes in the house • CLASSIC CAKES AND SURPRISING SANDWICHES STAR IN A BRING-A-BAKE AFTERNOON TEA PARTY FOR FRIENDS
ENGLISH FIZZ FOR TEATIME
My day in cups of tea • We asked seamstress Abi Currer to tell us a bit about her day in cuppas – and how she encourages others to stitch like a Strictly pro
MY CITY* PARIS • BOULEVARDS, BRASSERIES AND SPRING BLOSSOMS – ALI POSTMA GUIDES US AROUND HER HOME, THE CITY OF LIGHT
ALI’S PERSONAL TOUR
A POETIC PAUSE
A bird’s eye view • LOOKING FOR CLARITY, CALM OR CONNECTION? JUST AIM HIGH AND FOLLOW YOUR PASSIONS. AS THESE STORIES SHOW, YOU’LL START SEEING THINGS FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE
WHAT I TREASURE • My windowsill
HOME ECONOMICS Hungry gap kitchen • RACHEL DE THAMPLE MAKES FISH GO FURTHER AND GETS CLEVER WITH BRASSICAS FOR MEALS THAT LAST ALL WEEK AND FILL YOUR FREEZER AND PANTRY, TOO
SHOPPING LIST
Grandmother’s garden • Hidden within every garden are the stories of how it came to be. By looking at what had been lovingly cultivated by her grandmother, Natalie Warner discovered deeper lessons about heritage and home
Know a Thing or two... • They’ve shaped our countryside and culture for thousands of years – it’s time to chew the cud about cattle
Cow compendium • Keep these bovine facts and myth busters up your sleeve
Bovine language • Our strong cattle farming tradition has influenced even the way we express ourselves
British bovine beauties • Nine varieties that you’ll find in our fields
UNCOMMON GARDEN VARIETY • AN INDIE GARDEN CENTRE IS A LOCAL TREASURE. IT’S NOT ONLY A PLACE TO PICK UP PLANTS, BUT PRESENTS AND PRODUCE, TOO – PLUS SOMEWHERE TO ENJOY A SLICE OF CAKE AMONG THE GREENERY
IN YOUR PATCH... • There’s a lot of love for our local garden centres. Here are more suggestions from our readers around the country
A simple thing...
SMALL CHANGE
GOOD THINGS • POSITIVE NEWS FROM AROUND...