..is much underrated.

July has been about super healthy eating, and August is going to be about unclogging (decluttering).

Out with the university flies and all the garden design plans, drawings, client notes and phtographs I made over a decade or so. It's called 'identity clutter' apparently and is even harder to deal with than shoes! Any tips most welcome..

Just to let you know I plan to post just twice a week or so during August (with apologies to those of you who read the blog as part of your daily routine).

..with cake.  I am glad I took the photos of the meadow when I did because it has rained all night and all day today and much of the garden has been flattened! The flowers of a five foot tall campanula are almost touching the ground.

Ah well, summer may return. You never know.

I will return too, after a bit of a blog bteak. Wishing you fine weather and nice cakes wherever you are.

The meadow area in the back garden is grassier than the one at the front and this year has lots of bird's foot trefoil as well as orchids, fox and cubs and some delicate pretty thistles. As the grasses go to seed there is a soft hazy effect that is really beautiful.

This was taken in the evening light.

This seat faces the rising sun when the light on the meadow is particularly lovely.

Sometimes when I open the window a little flock of surprised finches fliy up out of the long grass.  So much pleasure and interest by just letting the grass grow.

Tai Chi.  It is balletic and graceful, it is poetic, and it requires total concentration. It's not difficult but it is challenging and requires patinece and practice. The names of the moves are wonderful: stroke the mane of the wild horse, old woman wears the necklace, golden rooster stands on one leg.

It is lovely to move in a slow and graceful way. No matter what your shape or size or age, doing Tai Chi demands that  you use your whole brain which means that you cannot think of other things at the same time which in itself makes it refreshing and relaxing. It seems to be about gentleness and strength together.

A patient teacher and a friendly non-judgemental  group of people make it one of the high points in my week.


At last I have found my perfect exercise! (There are not too many posts under Simply Move!)

What's your favourite way to move your body to keep it healthy and strong?

..of the very tame robins which used to eat out of our hands many years ago? In recent years the robins in my garden have seemed very shy but this little one has been hopping around my feet for a few days now..

And look! They're flying our flag!

I am living life in a beautiful state of........(fill in your word).

Today it was  I am living life in a beautiful state of resting.

..beauty sustains me. The rose Timeless Purple is looking amazing just now, and the scent is divine.

..for MaryB and anyone else who is reading this from a hospital bed today. x

So simple to eat super
healthy here in July.

In sunshine I can just be.  Yesterday morning I set aside my lists and plans and projects and striving and thought today I will just be.

It was wonderful (and things did get done!)

A whole day of sunshine. One of my favourite garden jobs - mowong the paths through the meadows.

Then feet up. I even had twenty minutes in the hammock.

How you start your day all depends on your own situation.

There was a point in my life when I had a huge very noisy alarm clock with two bells, sitting on top of an empty bisvuit tin to wake me. I had a full time job, was studying and bringing up two children on my won.

Only you can know what is best for you in your circumstances and with your temperament. You might start by imagining your ideal start to the day, and seeing if you can perhaps build in an element of that - work from your best case scenario and see how close to that you can manage!

I have gradualy tweaked my start to the day to set myself up to be positive, productive and happy and strong. It quite often works. Takes practice. :-)

I'm setting up July to be a super-healthy month.

Join me?

..in a crisis?

You might be able to expand your knowledge,  becone closer to someone you care about, rethink some aspect of your lifestyle, be generous with your time, take on someone's chores for a bit or cook them a meal, finally make that change you have been thinking about for a long time....step back and take a longer view. Maybe set aside a time to do that ten minute meditation you know helps.

You can think of more I am sure. Perhaps you would share them here?  Every little helps as they say!

I am so glad I have a greenhouse to play in when it rains

..to start the day well, I've thought about how I wake and what I  think and see on waking, so what do I hear?

What do you hear? Tell me it's not a rmedia compilation of all the terrible things that have happened around the world while you have been asleep! To people you will never know, in places you will never see and whcih you cannot change  in any way. The more I think abuot this the more insane I believe it to be. Really. No rational person would do this. Instant stress.

We were not designed for this (children especially), and we wonder why there is an epidemic of mental health problems?

Not that we shouldn't take an inerest, but first thing on waking?

I have woken to the sound of aircraft taking off,  a milk float, noisy neighbours leaving for work,  a baby crying (mine), a call to prayer, a bellbird in a forest,  children arguing, someone else's radio, a noisy wren at 5am, the city cacophony of traffic  and sirens and boats on the river and helicopters in the air (London), sheep, peeweets,  a kiss,  lashing rain....

I waken to quiet now, a little birdsong and I may hear the early bus trundle by, but there isn't another for two hours. Love it and know  I am very lucky.

The native cranesbill doesn't flower fo very long, but it's lovely and totally undemanding.

We seem to be getting summer in fifteen minute intervals - one or two a day if we are lucky, thus my delght to get a couple of hours sunshine at our family lunch. But we are back to drizzle, mist, cloud and wind, and very low temperatures. I have lit the woodburner a couple of evenings.

Summer herbs looking a bit bedraggled! Until recent visitors came I have been sugar free for quite a while now, and it has benn surprisingly easy. The best thing is I find everything else tastes much better, and when the home baking is finished I don't think it will be hard to go back to no sugar.  How is it going with you Susan?

Yay! Sunshine fot our family mid summer lunch yesterday, The forecast was poor so I set up a table inise, then I set up a tableoutside - jus in case.

It wasn't raining and there was enough wind to dry my tee shirt.

By the time everyone arrived it was getting warm so we set out the food buffet style inside and took our drinks and plates out intto the sunshine.

It was absolutely delightful with laughter, good conversation and delicious food!

I have such a lovely family.

I hope you had some sunsine.