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 Potter
Editor
JUNE ALMANAC • Seasonal thoughts & things to help you enjoy the month
A bit on the side • HOST A BARBECUE WITH EXTRA RELISH BY CREATING THE DIPS, SAUCES AND CONDIMENTS YOU’LL NEED TO SHOWCASE YOUR GRILLS AND SIDES
BEERS FOR A BARBECUE
ALL SCREAM! • NO BRITISH SUMMER’S DAY IS COMPLETE WITHOUT ICE CREAM, A SEASONAL STAPLE THAT DATES BACK CENTURIES. WE’VE GOT THE SCOOP. AND THE WAFFLE
Anything but vanilla
Sundae best • Parlours worth a pit stop
Magical creatures • AN APPRECIATION OF DRAGONFLIES
Away with the fairies • FAIRY RINGS, STONE CIRCLES AND EVEN MERMAIDS ARE PART OF THE FOLKLORE WOVEN INTO OUR LANDSCAPES AND LOCAL TRADITIONS. JULIAN OWEN FINDS THE MAGIC
Could fairies exist?
Laying down the lore • Suggestions for further reading
CAKE IN THE HOUSE • Go foraging for clover and enjoy a floral twist on a classic treat
My day in cups of tea • We asked refill shop owner and vegan hair product pro Hairy Jayne Rutland to tell us all about how she spends her day in cuppas
A simple thing...
SMALL CHANGE
GOOD THINGS • POSITIVE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
MY CITY* DUBAI • WHERE SKYSCRAPERS MEET SAND DUNES, ANNA IVANOVA SHARES THE CONTRASTS OF HER FAST-PACED METROPOLIS
ANNA’S PERSONAL TOUR
The Fountain
About time • BY SEEING TIME THROUGH A FRESH LENS, WE CAN LEARN TO RE-SHAPE OUR DAYS WHILE MAKING ROOM FOR THE THINGS THAT REALLY COUNT
How to create time • Changing the way you look at time will instantly help you feel less busy, says Penny Wincer
WEARING WELL • Stories of the clothes we love SHORTS
Heart, body and soul ROSE • CREATE AND COOK WITH A SIMPLE INGREDIENT TO FEED YOU, GIVE TO OTHERS AND TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS
A simple thing...
Put to writes • It may be easier to fire off an email or bash out a text, but writing an actual letter can bring its own rewards. These converts show how it can bring unexpected pleasures – whether writing to strangers, or people you think you know. It may even teach you something about yourself
More offline ideas for long-distance connections
The flowerpot man • ARTHUR PARKINSON CREATES FLAMBOYANT, FLORAL DISPLAYS WITH BIG CHARACTER – IN CONTAINERS. HE REFLECTS ON HOW HIS TINY COURTYARD PLOT IS HIS SANCTUARY, STUDIO AND SOLACE
ABOUT ARTHUR
MODERN EOCENTRICS The metal detectorist
A simple thing...
FOOD FOR THOUGHT • A simple recipe, with an interesting twist
Lines in the landscape • WHAT HELPS MAKE SOMEWHERE FEEL LIKE HOME? LOOKING TO ROOT HERSELF IN A NEW PLACE, LIZZIE KAYE TOOK HER CUE FROM ONE OF THE AREA’S MOST DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS – ITS DRY STONE WALLS
PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORIES • WE MAY NOT KNOW THEIR NAMES BUT THERE’S AN UNDENIABLE APPEAL TO FAMILY PHOTOS. THE GENTLE ACT OF UNEARTHING ‘FOUND PHOTOGRAPHS’ IS A WAY OF EXPLORING AND EMBRACING OUR RECENT PAST, BOTH OUR DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES
FLOWERS IN THE HOUSE • Bringing blooms indoors: it’s what every home needs
A SLOW LIFE • THIS HOME IN DENMARK IS MADE FOR SUMMER LOUNGING, WHETHER THAT’S SWINGING IN A HAMMOCK OR SHOWERING TO THE SOUND OF BIRD SONG
KATRINE’S STYLE
Colour me happy • WHO SAYS A VEG PATCH CAN’T BE PRETTY TOO? LUCY HUTCHINGS GROWS...