When I was a little girl, there was a TV series on in the afternoons called Farmhouse Kitchen. It ran from 1970 to 1990, and was on at 2.30 in the afternoon, so watching it probably meant I was off sick from school. I think, as long as we weren’t vomiting and really nauseous, it was a way to keep us quiet. I used to … Continue reading Book Friday: Home Cooked by Kate Humble (Recipes from the Farm)
What are your Winter Joys? In the Hygge Nook, we’ve had a few posts about Winter, especially this post-Christmas period of it, being hard on the happiness factor. And I’m quite honest that I have found it harder to be happy in January and February rather than during November and December in my past. But I do know that I have parts of Winter that … Continue reading Book Friday: The Happiness Year by Tara Ward (How to find Joy in Every Season)
It’s a hard fact of life that sometimes time is the slipperiest of creatures and whole lengths of it escape through your fingers, meaning that what you thought was a week free from interruptions and full of space to write is actually a week of minor irritations, major preparations and a lot more little bits of work than you needed. I will catch up with … Continue reading Cosying Up for Christmas
Have you now or have you ever had a real Christmas tree? When I was young, we never had a real tree. Our Christmas tree, for most of my formative years, was a plastic tinsel-boughed thin and twiggy tree. The strips of plastic drifted slowly off year after year until it really rather resembled Charlie Brown’s tree, but without the advantage of being recyclable. For … Continue reading Oh, Christmas Tree: Christmas Hygge through Christmas Hiraeth
When I wrote the other day of Advent Calendars, it set me off thinking. What was Advent like when I was small? To be honest, I think Advent was something we celebrated more at school and not particularly at home. I seem to remember painting at least one Christmas scene to be covered over by numbered paper and revealed in order. I do know that … Continue reading 24 Small Squares for Advent: Christmas Hygge Through Christmas Hiraeth Day 2
Full Disclosure: Becci Coombes, the author, is a member of The Hygge Nook on Facebook and also follows me on Instagram. I’ve ordered from her shop, http://www.hyggestyle.co.uk before now and I really love the scandi style she has. When she got in touch and offered me a review copy of Craft Your Own Cosy Scandi Christmas, I said yes straight away. Not because it was … Continue reading Book Friday: Craft Your Own Cozy Scandi Christmas by Becci Coombes (Gift ideas, craft projects and recipes for festive hygge)
I am a great fan of homemade items: blankets, pictures, clothes, food, whatever. If you can make it yourself, I love it. I love the skills that are showcased, the thought that goes into the creation and the fact that you get a completely unique product. I also love craft classes, especially if one is a beginner at a craft. There’s something so comforting about … Continue reading The Advantage of Homemade is It Just Has to Suit You. (Advent is Coming)
I have been married 29 years. We celebrated our 29th anniversary on 22nd October this year. I find it amazing that we’ve been married for anything like that long. More amazing, perhaps, is that we spend so long together. Bar a few hours when I teach or visit friends and relatives, we work, live and sleep within 10 m of each other. It’s okay: I’ve … Continue reading Book Friday: One by Jamie Oliver (Simple One Pan Wonders)
How to Hygge the British Way 