A slow Sunday

I woke up determined to get all the housework done. I set myself a deadline of 1pm. I cleaned out the fridge, swept and mopped the kitchen floor, put shopping away, cleaned the bathroom, put laundry on, tidied the bedroom and lounge. Started a new writing project which I'm rather excited about, journalled some, carried on with the housework. I did in fact finish by my set deadline! This is rare for me, I must say, as I'm usually found procrastinating on the computer instead of cleaning up.

We had some lunch at home, and then went for a stroll down to the local city farm, through what we affectionately call "hippyville" - full of allotments, and a certain atmosphere that isn't found elsewhere in the city. There is a guy that leaves free art out on the wall for people to take.

We made friends with the goats at the city farm:

 



 



 



 

 

I think I'm smitten. They're so friendly and sweet, especially the young kids.

We kept coming back to them, and then went to the lovely cafe at the farm:



 

 

Chai tea latte and apple+ginger juice. Yum.

 



 

 

After the slightly hectic cleaning session in the morning, it's been nice to slow down, notice the flowers, walk along and talk to the animals at the farm. I love finding little gems on our explorations of the local area. I've been here 4 years and keep discovering new things. Today we found a path up to a community garden maintained by people with learning disabilities as part of the farm's work. It's these discoveries which draw me to non-profits, and making a difference in our world.

Now to find somewhere to get involved!

 

A couple of other updates:

Today is the last day of our TV licence*, and we are going to be experimenting with not watching any TV at all (we will be unplugging it from the TV aerial socket), except for the occasional iPlayer session (TV episode catch up online, for those of you who don't know it). We have been thinking about our finances, and the £150 bill for the year is something we could do without right now. I hope the TV licence people don't hound us too much.

Today is also the last day of Google Reader before it retires. If you subscribe through Reader, you'll need another RSS service. I use Feedly - it's free, and a one-click import from Google Reader. I like it so far. Here is the link to my RSS feed. 

 

*In the UK, the law states you need a TV licence to watch TV as it is broadcast. This is aside from any cable or satellite charges. If you want to watch TV, you need to have one. If you only watch programmes after they've aired, then you're exempt.

 

I hope you're having a lovely weekend... I'm off to do some crochet.

Some thoughts on camping

 

 

This post has been simmering for a while, as I found I originally wrote it in a negative, whingy tone. Sitting on it for a few days allowed me to re-frame it, in a positive light.

I took a week off work at the start of June, and we decided to go camping by the North Devon Coast. We had gorgeous weather, bright blue skies, and spent all day outdoors.

We camped for three nights, cooked our own breakfast and dinner by the tent, surfed, walked and basked in the sunshine.

It was truly refreshing. One, we spent time outdoors in the sunshine, had lots of time to relax, and no work to worry about, or get up for. Perfect.

Second, it gave me a tiny peek into what minimalist living is like. I’ve never really considered it before, because I’ve never camped as an aspiring minimalist. Before, just getting out of the city was awesome.

 

This time was different

I noticed the following after I returned home to my flat full of stuff:

- I don’t need a lot of stuff to entertain myself, for days. I had my journal, my camera, and a book to read. Those are my 3 favourite things, aside from crafting.

- Being limited to a single tiny gas stove made cooking breakfast a very slow process, but I loved it because there was nothing to hurry for. I could sit on the blanket outside the tent, quietly stirring the porridge while watching the bunnies hopping about on the grass.

- I am happiest outdoors. Stepping out of the stifling heat of the tent onto the grass at 7.30 am was delightful. I took my journal and pen, sat down, felt the fresh morning breeze on my face, and admired the beauty of the surrounding countryside. The picture above is my view from outside the tent.

- Being outdoors from 7.30am to 10pm made me feel healthy. Both physically, with plenty of fresh air and activity; and mentally, helping me to have a more positive outlook.

- I cooked, washed up, tidied and put away - activities that I try to avoid at home. Less stuff to maintain, more motivation to clean up?

A short holiday with so many life lessons. Awesome!

I’ll be thinking of some of the ways I can apply these lessons to my daily life and I shall return with those soon!  I also have a tonne of photos to look through and I'll be sure you to show you the best ones here!

Over to you

Have you been on holiday lately? What is different about holidays for you, compared to home? Are there ways in which you can bring the holiday feeling home? I'd love to hear from you in the comments :)

 

 

Simple living: cereal bars and snacks

I have a confession. We spend £5-6 every week on junk/snack food. Biscuits, cereal bars and crisps.

Recently, we’ve increased our budget because I need to eat more energy dense foods (nuts, avocado etc.) to put the weight back on I lost last year. But we just bought more junk food instead.

£5 per week may not sound like much, but it works out at £20 per month, and £240 per year. That feels like a lot for some cereal bars that don’t have a lot of nutritional value in them.

I am working on simplifying all areas of my life, and today, it’s time to simplify a big part of our weekly food shop; cereal bars and snacks. 20 cereal bars cost £4, and they're laden with all manner of ingredients no one can pronounce. I’ve gone through fits and spurts caring about the ingredients in my food, but sometimes I lose motivation.

It’s time for me to get back on the healthier eating, know-where-your-ingredients come from bandwagon.

This will involve some baking each weekend, as I will need to make these to take to work. I live close to a shop where you can buy every dry ingredient you can think of by the scoop. I’m taking a trip to it on Monday to stock up on supplies. I will likely get some apple rings, raisins, nuts, seeds, chocolate chips, and anything else that could work in a cookie/biscuit/cereal bar recipe.

I’ve found some recipes I’d like to try too:

 

I'll also be trying to replicate my favourite mid-morning snack. Apple and sultana Go Ahead slices. I have them with my banana during my first break at work. I have some ideas as to how it could work, and if I manage to design a recipe, I will let you know!

Over to you

Do you make your own snacks? Do you have a weak spot in your weekly shop that eats up more than its fair share of money? If so, is there a way to replace it? Do you know any awesome recipes for me to try? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

Simple living: Cosmetics

Every Saturday, I plan to show you little (and big) ways in which we can simplify our lives. This can be anything from cutlery to commitments. I hope you’ll follow along, and perhaps take some inspiration away to simplify a small part of your life.

 Next up:  Make-up, cosmetics, pretty palettes.

Unfortunately, I’ve been conditioned to wear make up since a young age, and don’t feel right if I leave the house without it.  I’ve tried A LOT of different colours of eyeshadow and eyeliner, getting caught up in the messages in magazines, that convince us we won’t be pretty unless we have the latest Ultra Smooth Brilliance Powder in Cherry Blossom Pink or Seascape Shell Blue.

Over time, I have learnt that the colours I like are the ones that go with my eyes. I have green eyes, so I’m drawn to subtle beige, bronze, and brown with a hint of shimmer. It took a lot of time to accept that I didn’t like most other colours, that I wasn’t going to wear a different eyeshadow everyday. It felt like I wasn’t playing the make-up game properly, if I only used one colour consistently. Step into a Body Shop or a Boots, and you’re confronted with hundreds of shades, marketed in pretty boxes, combinations, and two-for-ones. And that’s only eyeshadow!

After experimenting with make up for years, I simplified my collection:

 



 

How to simplify your cosmetics:

 

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  Notice which colour(s) you are most drawn to and prefer above all others in your collection. Ditch the rest.

  
  


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  If you use foundation and concealer, like me, go for a free consultation and make up match at Boots (UK) or other cosmetics department. Watch out for them trying to sell you stuff you don’t need. If you’re blessed with clear skin, just go without!

  
  


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  If you find a mascara that you like, stick with it. You may be tempted by freebies, or a cheap deal, but it will be a waste of money if it’s not right.

  
  


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  Finally, pare down your collection to one of each item. Two eyeshadows is fine, for a little variety. Having a limited choice will save you time, money, and energy.

  
  

You’ll spend less time putting products on your face and more time doing the things that are important to you; spending time with family, friends, or engaging in a hobby.

 

Over to you

Do you wear make up? Do you have a hidden stash somewhere that you haven’t used in years? Could you own just one of each item? Or ditch the lot?

 

Related posts:

Simple living Saturday: Green cleaning


Thanks for reading! 

Simple living: green cleaning

I’ve been using green cleaners for most things for the past year. I’m glad to be rid of the toxic chemicals and the cloying smells. In this post I’m going to show you how I use green cleaners in my home.

 



1. Homemade green cleaner  2. Soda crystals  3. Bicarbonate of soda  4. Lavender essential oil   5. Concentrated lemon juice   6. White vinegar

 

Green cleaning:

 

1. Homemade green cleaner

A simple mix of water, concentrated lemon juice, white vinegar and a few drops of lavender oil. See the recipe here

This solution is good for wiping down surfaces, and has the benefit of being food safe.

2. Soda crystals

You will find these in the laundry aisle in most good supermarkets.

I make a solution with hot water, and this is the BEST degreaser I’ve ever come across. It shifts sticky cooking grease like nobody’s business. The commercial branded degreasers really don’t come anywhere close. Make sure you wear gloves though. Try it!!

 

3. Bicarbonate soda

• Mix up a paste to clean the oven door and cooked-on gunk on the hob.


• Put some in a little bowl at the back of the fridge to deodorise it.


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  Sprinkle on carpets, leave for 30 minutes, and then vacuum to freshen them

  
  


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  Make a homemade air freshener

  
  

 

 

 

4. White vinegar.

• Mix into the homemade surface cleaner.

• Put some hot water and a splash of vinegar in oven trays to degrease them before washing.


• Clean the microwave, by putting vinegar in a bowl, and heat it until boiling. Then wipe down with a damp cloth.


• Pour some bicarbonate soda down your plughole, and then pour the hot vinegar on top. It fizzes like mad, cleans and deodorises the waste pipe, and helps shift blockages and stagnant water.


• Use instead of fabric softener in the washing machine. It’s also a good rinse aid for the washing. I promise your washing won’t smell of vinegar. Even my partner, who hates the smell, can’t tell.

 

 

 

Moving forward in green cleaning:

I intend to replace the following items with green versions when I find a good recipe:

Cream cleaner : I use this to clean the bath and sink. It has a slight abrasive action, so I think bicarb soda paste could work well too. Update: I've just found a recipe, here for a natural alternative.

Laundry detergent: There are plenty of homemade, green recipes (e.g. here), and I will be switching to that once my big bottle of liquid runs out. Worth a try!

Toilet cleaner: I want a substitute for bleach, but haven’t found one yet. Maybe Borax and vinegar?

 

Green cleaning is worth it because:

-it’s much cheaper

- it’s biodegradable and won’t harm the environment.

- non-toxic and food safe

- no harmful chemicals (although not good to eat)

- known ingredients (have you noticed commercial cleaners don’t come with ingredient lists?)

 

 

Further reading:

The ultimate green cleaning guide

8 things to start using vinegar for

Non-toxic cleaning at EcoKaren

Thanks for reading! Will you be switching to green cleaners? Any questions, comments, ideas? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.