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Simply..sharing....

26/10/2020

..a couple more links with you. Thank you so much for sharing yours on yesterday's post! I will enjoy exploring those.

Strengthening our immune systems is the topic of this video (1hr40) and here is Leo Babauta of Zen Habits on coping with The tiredness and boredom of the new normal....

I'm still considering my answer to the interesitng question my artist friend Lynne has asked here,

Though perhaps my answer is this blog, Live Simply Simply Live.

Here comes the rain sweeping down the glen.

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Simply..seeking..what?

25/10/2020

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I found myself seeking respite from the unremitting negativity of the news (apart from the item that showed life in Wuhan is almost back to normal!) and I checked out blogs by a few people I have read in the past.

Here is Gretchen Rubin on dealing with the uncertainty of holiday plans. Susanna Conway ponders how, as an introvert, she realises how important other people and being out of the house is to her. Cheryl Richardson's post Becoming a Good Creature and the photographs of adorable puppies my friend Lynne keeps sending me, made me aware of how much having someone or something to care for makes us happier. I enjoyed this HARDtalk podcast from the BBC World Service for its bigger picture take on the current situation from historian Peter Frankopan.

Can you recommend any blogs/podcasts/articles/programmes?

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Simply..all change....

24/10/2020

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Here in uk the clocks have changed, the weather has changed and the rules have changed (are continually changing) and I felt it would be all too easy for me to just shut down, numb myself with warnth, food, drink, chocolate, TV, or whatever, and hibernate for the duration.

So I did some Wim Hof breathing (see his free mini course here) and took a cold shower!

I feel more alive already.

I want to actively live this winnter, not just get through it. :-)

Do you?

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Simply..out and about - the forest....

23/10/2020

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l live in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park which is a rugged landscape with a lot of commercial forest, much of it planted in the 1930's with wood intended for pit props in coal mines. It must be difficult to grow a crop which takes so long to mature that the world has changed by the time it is ready! Many acres became forest park although wood is still harvested, mostly for pulp.

There are lots of circular walks and trails, and deciduous edges of a wide variety of species.

Here is the recipe for the coffee and walnut cake LIz!

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Simply..variations....

22/10/2020

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..on a domestic theme.

Inspired by this little book I made Melting Moments (recipe in this post) with added ground almonds and almond essence.

I rolled them in ground almonds and added an almond atop each,

I haven't baked so much for years.

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Simply..out and about - the garden....

21/10/2020

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Living in a fairly remote place with a very small population has been a great advantage of late, and I can still get out and about albeit in a more restricted range (see out and about - the shore, here).

The garden is not large but bounded by the forest on one side and the shore on the other there is lots of scope for walks, with lots of variety, and mown paths within the garden mean I can go for walks here too. (I am looking forward to bare foot frosty walks again!)

I've never taken it for granted, and I've never appreciated it more.

Are you able to get out and about, to some degree, where you are?

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Simply..keeping it simple....

20/10/2020

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Viburnum davidii with hakonechloa macra aurea is a handsome combination - apart from cutting back the grass in late winter, needs no maintenance at all. I have it by the front door.

Do you have a favourite plant combination?

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Simply..happiness is....

19/10/2020

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..a fresh log on the fire

a slice of coffee and walnut cake

and some interesting reading about two women who could hardly be more different.

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Simply..visceral....

18/10/2020

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As you know I acsolutely adore the smell of quince. I got to wondering why I had such a visceral response to this scent and sat thinking about it this warm morning recently, when the air was full of the delicious perfume.

I picked up a fruit, put it to my nose and inhaled deeply and it came to me - it smells like a new baby!! A freshly washed new baby. If you have ever known the delight of holding a new baby on your shoulder and putting your face into it's sweet neck....that's the feeling that comes over me when I smell this smell.

How odd.

How lovely.

Are there particular smells which affect you strongly? And do you know why?

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Simply..one for now....

17/10/2020

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..four for later.

I made a particularly good pan of ratatouille, though I say so myself.! Just the right amount of garlic, wine and herbs to make this simple vegetable dish really special.. The freezer is filling up nicely.

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Simply..meditation uopn....

16/10/2020

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..quince!

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Simply..out and about - the shore....

15/10/2020

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Extraordinary shorescapes

Worlds within worlds.

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Simply..astonishing....

14/10/2020

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Azalea lutea in this morning's sunshine.

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Simply..snippets....

13/10/2020

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Sometimes I find things, but more often than not things find me.

Here are some of the things that found me today about the pandemic and reactions to it other than those of politicians and economists...

(Because of the random nature of this phenomenon I regret can't always credit them.)

We must stay calm and centred so that we don't contrubute to the fear and anxiety.

Two separate lines from a poem by South African Anton Taylor:

The sun rises each day and so do the numbers

and

We must choose: I or Us

We choose Us

I think it was Jack Kornfield's wife who said that when you see the empty stadium or theatre what you are seeing is love in action - we are protecting people we will never meet - 'look into the emptiness and marvel at all that love'.

Ask if the pandemic is happening to us or for us.

This could be the time to do that inner work.

We all have forgiveness to do for our hearts to be free.

Dolly Parton has written a song about it one line of which is:

If the virus don't kill us, the stay-at-home will!

Shall we just keep calm and carry on?

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Simply..hand writing....

12/10/2020

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Before I went on my recent trip to Cromarty I selected a few cards from my collection, (can't resist a good image), addressed and stamped them and took them with me to write at odd quiet moments. I love writing by hand. It's soothing to me.

I have had the joy of a few handwritten replies too. It puts a smile on my face to see a handwritten envelope on the mat!

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Simply..keeping it simple....

11/10/2020

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...which is sometimes to say not a lot is happening here,

though I did get inordinately excited about the first cornflower seed which sprouted today!

Tiny symbol of hope for 2021..

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Simply..Venice....

10/10/2020

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..and some good news! See here

It's taken a while. I first heard of it when I was doing a landscape design course at the university there in 1992 (my first visit to Venice) and we were shown the plans and models for the prototype gate.

It's wonderful news for Venice and everyone who loves La Serenissima! You can read more about it on Erla Zwingle's blog I Am Not Making This Up.

If you would like to celebrate with a glass of something and a little biscuit - here is the recipe for Melting Moments. (Measurements are imperial as it was a recipe from my Mum.)

3oz butter
1oz lard (makes for extra crispness)
3oz sugar
6oz self raising flour
1 egg
few drops vanilla essence
rolled oats or dessicated coconut

Cream fats and suga.r
Add flour then beaten egg.
With damp hands roll into small balls, add glace cherries and bake at 180 for10 - 15 minutes.

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Simply..melting moments....

9/10/2020

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Stocking up the freezer for future visitors (on a kind of 'build it and they will come' principle - optimist that I am) I have added these little buttery crispy biscuits. Sometimes I add ground almonds to the recipe, sometimes I roll them in coconut instead of oats. They freeze really well and thaw quickly which can be very useful when you live a long way from the shops.

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Simply..company....

8/10/2020

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..with my coffee at the Botanic Gardens

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Simply..so far, so delicious....

7/10/2020

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Lunch for four.

Courgette pea and mint soup.

with lime and ginger scones.

All safely tucked into the freezer for when I can have guests again.

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Simply..normality....

6/10/2020

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Blissfully unaffected by Covid, the greenhouse is a place to feel normal, and as part of my staying sane plan in this Covid-Crazy world, I am spending as much time doing things which feel normal as I can!

A good place to be if you are lucky enough to have one, and perhaps house plants or a window box, or helping someone on their allotment could provide this welcome normality for you if you don't have a garden?

A bit of a tidy up. A lot of glass to clean.

Still dome prettiness

The white gypsophila 'Covent Garden' were sown very late June to go with the sweet peas (which never materialised!) but five small pots of them prettied up the greenhouse, and made a nice addition to posies. I will do this again next year. The yellow rattle is parasitic on grasses, moderating their growth and allowing the wild flowers a better chance - worth a try.

Sitting contemplating the meadow in July it occurred to me that the blue of a few cornflowers in among this cat's-ear would be stunning. I've sown them in a tray and will prick them out into plug trays and let them overwinter in the greenhouse. Hope springs eternal! Gardeners are optimists.

A late little sprinkling of summer..

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Simply..bags of love....

5/10/2020

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Loving my new shopping bag - a gift from Jennie.

Have you received, or given, any gifts lately?

Why not give someone a surprise gift this week?

Just for fun.

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Simply..what my house needs now....

4/10/2020

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..is people in it!

I am deliberately not just putting things back where they were before the rooms were painted. I can't quite explain the need for this - it has something to do with a shift in energy and the feeling I have had that I was getting way too comfortable in my comfort zone. I am missing the vitality that frequent visitors to the house seemed to bring, I have to create it some other way for now.

Here is what Andrew Marr said on a recent broadcast -

Humans need crowds, the wisdom of crowds, and the foolishness of crowds, and gatherings and hubub and parties and jostling and hugs.

I would have said I was someone who did not like crowds, but then I thought of the crush in the foyer of a concert hall before a performance - I love that, and the sense of communal anticipation. Or the buzz on the opening night of a new exhibition, the hum of conversation in my favourite restaurant, or our Christmas Tree parties with more than twenty of us crowded into our small house...

In preparation for the people I love being in my home again - let it not be too long a wait - I will fill the freezer with home cooked food. New recipes perhaps. A project. I do like a project!

Do you? Do you have one to help you through the autumn? And would you agree with Andrew Marr?

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Simply..morning....

3/10/2020

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While waiting for the bus

From the bus window

So tranquil

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Simply..feels so good....

2/10/2020

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..so clean, so fresh. It has given me such a lift to have the house decorated. If you are thinking about it, I would urge you to just do it!

It is bringing out the minimalist in me and I like it empty and am reluctant to put things back....

I will do it slowly, enjoy the process, and be very particular..

Like a few things in my house, the CD player worked sometimes, then stopped working all together. I spent some time today trying out all possible permutations of the controls, to no avail. I walked away then on an impulse turned back and lifted it up, turned it upside down and shook it a bit - telling myself 'This is silly Freda, it won't work'. Well, you've guessed it, it did work and the sparse notes of Alvo Part's Fur Anna Maria at full volume floated through the house, reflecting it's new spaciousness and simplicity. Magic!

The sound quality is wonderful. I can create my own concerts this season.

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Simply..sharing....

Simply..seeking..what?

Simply..all change....

Simply..out and about - the forest....

Simply..variations....

Simply..out and about - the garden....

Simply..keeping it simple....

Simply..happiness is....

Simply..visceral....

Simply..one for now....

Simply..meditation uopn....

Simply..out and about - the shore....

Simply..astonishing....

Simply..snippets....

Simply..hand writing....

Simply..keeping it simple....

Simply..Venice....

Simply..melting moments....

Simply..company....

Simply..so far, so delicious....

Simply..normality....

Simply..bags of love....

Simply..what my house needs now....

Simply..morning....

Simply..feels so good....

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