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 Dawn
Editor
MAY ALMANAC • Seasonal thoughts & things to help you enjoy the month
Nature’s table • As the promise of summer gets ever nearer, May sees spring in all its glory. Holidays, bird song and the countryside in bloom are just some of the things to celebrate, says Lia Leendertz
The blossom month
Deeply dippy • Who needs a swimming costume. We could all do with embracing the sense of freedom and positivity that comes with a skinny dip, suggests Sian Lewis
AID-DE-CAMP • THERE’S AN ALTERNATIVE TO BEING IN A BUSY MEADOW, CHEEK-BY-JOWL WITH OTHER CAMPERS. THINK OF THESE ‘ALMOST-WILD’ PLACES AS ‘DE-CAMP CAMPING’
How to go almost-wild
Holiday plans • Can’t find a campsite (or a cottage)? Here are a few other ideas to try
CAKE IN THE HOUSE • A soft, fluffy cake soaked in caramelised pineapple juices, that will get you in the mood for sunnier days
My day in cups of tea • We asked Scottish chefs Kirsty and Fenella to introduce us to their Seafood Shack, and tell us a bit about their day in cuppas
A simple thing...
GOOD FIGURES • Where statistics and optimism meet
SMALL CHANGE
Return of a rural idyll • WOMEN ARE THE KEY TO SAVING SPAIN’S GHOST VILLAGES, AND A NEW SHEPHERDESS SCHOOL IS SHOWING THEM HOW
EXCELLENT WOMEN • A champion for teenage girls
The Happy Broadcast • Taken from The Happy Broadcast by Mauro Gatti. Follow @the_happy_broadcast
Magical creatures • AN APRECIATION OF THE DORMOUSE
MY CITY REVISITED* COPENHAGEN • IN 2013, MELANIE HAYNES SHOWED US AROUND THIS VIBRANT DANISH CITY. WE GO BACK AND ENJOY A SCANDI SPRING
MELANIE’S PERSONAL TOUR
A POETIC PAUSE • Naming the Weeds
The social dilemma • If the thought of leaving your quiet cocoon to venture ‘out out’ again is making your head spin, there are less stressful ways to enjoy your new freedom
Easy does it • Resist the urge to panic-fill your diary and remember that ‘no thanks’ is always an option..
In their element • THE ANCIENT GREEKS BELIEVED THERE WERE FOUR ELEMENTS VITAL FOR LIFE. FOR THESE WOMEN, AIR, EARTH, FIRE AND WATER ARE NOT ONLY ESSENTIAL TO THEIR LIVELIHOODS, THEY ALSO DEFINE THEIR WAY OF THINKING
WHAT I TREASURE • My mum’s GPO tyre levers
A simple thing...
A vintage day out • PACK UP A PICNIC AND HEAD TO AN OUTDOOR FLEA-MARKET TO HUNT FOR TREASURE AND CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS
Fun at the fair • How to find flea-market treasure
WINES FOR PICNICS
Lost and bound • Good books inspired by second-hand finds
PALLETS WITH PURPOSE • SPEND AN AFTERNOON REINVENTING OLD WOODEN PALLETS INTO USEFUL (AND BEAUTIFUL) ITEMS FOR YOUR GARDEN
Botanist Dad • Sometimes we all need a hand in the garden, but who do you ask for help? Our Botanist Dad (@thebotanistdad) knows all about plants and growing, and is here to answer your dilemmas
A simple thing...
On the road • HEADING OFF TO SEE FAMILY OR GOING ON HOLIDAY (AT LAST)? TRY THESE ALTERNATIVE MOTORWAY STOPS, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE SIMPLE THINGS’ READERS
SPOTTING A PATTERN • SEVENTY YEARS AGO, MARIMEKKO WAS BORN WITH THE AIM OF BUILDING A HAPPIER, MORE EQUAL WORLD. WE CELEBRATE THE JOY IT CONTINUES TO DELIVER TO THIS DAY
THE MAGIC CIRCLE • A...