The Simple Things

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 Sing

EDITOR

Seed to stove • FOR A SUNDAY LUNCH WITH A DIFFERENCE ASK FRIENDS TO BYOT – BRING YOUR OWN TROWEL – AND SHARE THE JOY OF PLANTING AND POTTING FOR THE NEW SEASON

SOW AND SOW • Vegetable seeds planted now will be ready for harvest this summer, providing fresh produce for the table.

WEARING WELL • Stories of the clothes we love FLORALS

Things to want and wish for • Loving your home, inside and out. Books and treats for you to enjoy.

WISHLIST

MORE THAN SKIN DEEP • Natural Wellness Every Day: The Weleda Way by Emine Rushton

First bird of the day • A simple game brings the chance to notice and note the birds around you – and connect with people around the world

CAKE IN THE POST • Send a friend a pick-me-up parcel. Don’t worry – no banana-and-chocolate-topped tray bake comes to harm in the process.

Happy mail

My day in cups of tea • We asked sisters Vanessa and Justine Podmore of Poddy and Black to take us on a turn around their gardens – cuppas in hand, of course

May Almanac • SEASONAL THOUGHTS TO HELP YOU ENJOY THE MONTH

A simple thing...

Magical Creatures • AN APPRECIATION OF BLACKBIRDS

OSAKA • IT WAS THE CULTURE, COLOUR AND CUISINE THAT DREW HANA MELEGOVA TO THIS VIBRANT JAPANESE CITY

HANA’S PERSONAL TOUR

I Sing of Change

Spring greens kitchen • RACHEL DE THAMPLE MAKES FULL USE OF THE VEG BOX, CREATING SWEET TREATS FROM FLOWERS AND DISCARDED FRUIT TO FILL YOUR PANTRY AND FREEZER

MAKING MEALS OF IT

SHOPPING LIST

“Education should be about being out in the world and being touched by its wonder” • Our countryside should be for everyone, even if it involves a little (or a lot) of trespass believes artist, author and activist Nick Hayes – and, as he tells Rebecca Frank, he’s encouraging us all to join in

Forgive us our trespasses: A brief history

BORN TO ROAM The Nick Hayes CV

TIPPLE OF THE MONTH • A light and refreshing drink that’s not too sweet, just the thing to embrace the start of the weekend.

SNEAK PEEKS • STEP BEHIND THE SCENES OF MUSEUMS AND STATELY HOMES, FACTORIES AND TRAIN STATIONS, TO GET A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Unseen on screen

Walking discoveries

Sleep on it • DREAM INCUBATION HELPS YOU TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO YOUR PROBLEMS IN YOUR SLEEP. JUST DRIFT OFF AND LET YOUR DREAMING MIND DO THE REST…

Dream a little dream

What does it mean?

A simple thing...

GOOD THINGS • POSITIVE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

SMALL CHANGE

From waste to wellbeing • MEET THE AFRICAN WOMEN TRANSFORMING PLASTIC INTO HOUSING, CLOTHING AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES

EXCELLENT WOMEN • Building flexible, mobile houses

IN THEIR ELEMENT • HOW CAN WE REFRAME OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE?

BEST LAID PLANS • Whether the checks accompanying a holiday meal in the sunshine, or the brilliant whites of a congratulatory feast, some of our most precious memories take place against the backdrop of a tablecloth. It’s time to truly appreciate them – however humble, handmade or hand-me-down – and their simple gift of changing a meal into a moment

A DIFFERENT KIND OF TABLECLOTH TRICK

TIP TOPS: The best of the tablecloths • Don’t banish your cloths to the airing cupboard –...