Somewhere between every day and not at all is the right spot for my blog writing. I’m trying to finish writing a Christmas book on having a no-cost, low-cost Christmas, but since the best advice I can give is don’t spend anything and share spaces to keep warm, I’m not sure that takes 150 pages. September, as well, turned out to be a crazy month … Continue reading September Small Things Day 30: Meik Wiking’s New Book!!!
September 1st: Official start of meteorological Autumn. I mean, I declared it Autumn on 1st August and, despite the heat, I see no reason to change that idea. What September really means is official approval to enjoy the turning of the leaves, admire the flavours of coffee available and crochet a large wrap or blanket without risking completely overheating underneath it. And, today, books. I … Continue reading September Small Things 1: New books
I couldn’t believe it when I went to check out how many years ago I did my September Small Things on the blog. I thought it was like 3 or 4 years ago. It was last year. Last year I had a whole month of recording the #smallthings of September life. I wrote how Life is made up of the Small Things, and posted as … Continue reading September Small Things: Part 2
Have I ever told you that I am one eighth Welsh? My maternal great-grandmother was Welsh, from near Buckley or Hawarden. Her name was Gertrude Thomas, and she seems to have been a bit of a dour woman, from my Mum’s accounts. I can’t exactly blame her: her husband was injured in World War I, her son was killed in World War II and by … Continue reading In Wales, it’s Eight Different Weathers in a Day: Part One
When the sun shines, the thermometer rises and the weather has you gasping for breath, it can be hard to appreciate how good summertime is for hygge. It’s too easy to have hygge down as a cold weather thing when, at its heart, hygge is probably just as enjoyable during summer if you think of it as finding a cosy, welcoming place, spending time with … Continue reading Summer Hygge: 10 Ways to Really Appreciate Life When It’s Summer
May so far has been a rollercoaster of a month. I’ve had fantastic times with friends and family, and lost a few loved ones or been through the mill for one thing and another. On the plus side, I had a holiday. On the negative side, I lost a beloved pet (Harley the guinea pig, finally, passed away on my birthday of all days. It’s … Continue reading Finding My Purpose: Creating Sanctuary
Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent and, for the first time in a few years, I decided to take action for Lent. My relationship to organised religion is a bit mixed: I am a baptised and confirmed Christian, but I struggle with the history and, sometimes, the attitudes of formal religious bodies. I also can’t and don’t condemn many people who choose … Continue reading Creating Sanctuary: Lenten Hygge
December’s posts this year all share the theme of Mindful Christmas. There’ll be short posts each day encouraging us to pause and look at our celebrations in a more measured, mindful way. Every day has a concept heavily tied in to Christmas, and the plan is to look at them individually, examine what role they play in our own Christmas and, if we decide we … Continue reading Presence or Retreat: Mindful Christmas Day 21
How to Hygge the British Way 