Tabla de contenidos para Issue 10 en Gathered

Spring officially starts on March 20, and as we emerge from the winter into a fresh new season, we're inspired to clean, tidy and declutter. We all have our own ways of tidying. For some, it's a regular chore undertaken for a well turned out home or workspace. For others it's something that is pushed aside until there's no avoiding the task. Whatever your reason for clearing up, or how you do it, most of us have one thing in common: we have an awful lot of things. Piles of newspaper inserts and paperwork. Items of clothing that are never worn. Trinkets, boxes within boxes and of course plenty of 'just in case' items picked up for an 'it would be rude not to' price. And the tidal wave of…

A few weeks ago, a box arrived. A large cardboard box. Inside was a giant, fleecy, faux sheepskin cushion with arms, designed to cradle you as you lie back into its soft embrace. I've nicknamed it 'My Boyfriend', as every time I sink back into it (him?) a smile immediately appears on my face, like a happy cat. 'My Boyfriend' is the latest purchase in a long line of things designed to provide me and my home with maximum comfort. A yoga bolster cushion and lavender eye pillow. Cashmere socks. The softest bed linen I can find (this is a constant quest). As Jane Austen said, “There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.” What actually is comfort? The dictionary defines the noun as 'a state of physical…

What's your approach when it comes to getting things done? A I'm always looking for ways to improve my performance. B I do the best I can… C I often get overwhelmed and struggle to finish what I start. “We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou “Believe you can and you're halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt You win a three-month membership pass for your local gym. Do you: A Book in with a personal trainer and set yourself manageable goals to work towards over the next three months. B Try to do a weekly class when you can fit it in. C Stick it on your fridge and forget about it. How do you approach a new challenge at work? A I'm confident that I've got the skills to…

Winter is slowly retreating and we're entering the revival of spring. This is a lovely season, full of fresh starts and new promise as we feel the energy of nature awakening every day. The days become longer, the sun is more present and our selection of fruit and veg gets more and more attractive! This is a good time to apply a new health routine: we needed the comfort of indulgent foods in winter but they can leave us feeling tired. Now we need to focus on a gentle spring clean to purify the body and mind by eliminating toxins and winter overload. Our liver is the most important organ during this period, as it filters the blood and is of vital significance to the body fluids. While our muscles…

Join Amy McPherson on a journey to Finland where she discovers how the Scandinavians bring clarity to their lives by ditching their clothes and turning up the sauna heat. “I must warn you,” began my friend and Helsinki local Krista Fransman when we met on the steps in front of the city's iconic cathedral. “Swimming costumes are not allowed. It's the rule – you have to go naked.” Seeing the straps of my bikini top had clearly reminded her that she has not fully prepared me for what is to come. I weighed her words in my mind as we walked towards Helsinki's hip Kallio neighbourhood, north of the city. I am not naturally shy, but I did feel uncertain at the idea of complete nakedness in public. “Don't worry,”…

The ancient art of macramé is believed to have originated in the Middle East, when 13th-century Arabic weavers knotted rope into decorative fringes for their camels and horses, designed, in part, to keep off the flies in north Africa's desert heat. The name 'macramé' is thought to come from the Arabic weavers' word migramah, meaning 'fringe'. Macramé resurfaced as a craft trend in Victorian times and again in the 1970s, when hanging plant holders were all the rage. In the past few years, macramé has experienced another resurgence, this time with a fresh, modern twist. I started making macramé over three years ago. As a birthday present, a macramé artist friend taught me how to tie two knots – the same ones I am going to teach you in the…

Clean eating and paleo? They're so last season. Right now, it's all about the plant-based diet – a natural, more conscious approach to food consumption that celebrities, supermarkets and even us everyday civilians can't get enough of. Plant-based foods are basically any foods that aren't animal-derived, such as grains, pulses, nuts, seeds, tubers, vegetables and fruit. A plant-based diet focuses on eating these as whole foods, or minimally processed versions of them, while cutting out refined foods like bleached flour, sugar and oil. We're not talking about an endless menu of uninspiring salad bowls filled with limp lettuce, though – think more along the lines of tasty, filling curries, risottos and chillis. Or, if you do fancy that salad, try a protein-packed Buddha bowl with sweet potato, avocado, quinoa and…

Read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and you will meet Mary – an unloved orphan who finds the key to a locked garden on her uncle's estate. Pushing aside the ivy creeping over the door, she goes inside and discovers a garden that has been neglected and kept locked for as long as she's been alive. Stone by stone, weed by weed, she begins to tend it with the help of her seemingly physically disabled cousin, Colin. As the children work together to bring the barren patch back to life, all three blossom. The garden fills with flowers and birds, Mary's shutdown heart opens up to love, and Colin's withered body gains strength, his spine straightens and he walks. The garden is, of course, a metaphor for the…

Most mornings, shortly after 6am, I can be found in my living room with my purple yoga mat rolled out in front of me, practicing my best downward-facing dog or one-legged pigeon pose. This is how I choose to start my day, but it's also how I need to start my day, if I want to make sure that it will be a good one. Doing yoga as often as possible is one of many lifestyle choices that I have made in order to keep migraines at bay. Among them are getting enough sleep, avoiding foods that contain lactose and eating regularly throughout the day, all of which help me to achieve the balance that I need to prevent a migraine from starting. Trigger reasons Researchers used to think migraine…

Stories. I love to read them and, even more so, I love to write them. Nothing makes me happier than spending a rainy afternoon curled up on the sofa with a notebook and pen, sipping a cup of tea and imagining a magical new world. The late Sir Terry Pratchett once said: “Writing is the most fun you can have by yourself.” And, I think he was right. Although I make my living as a journalist, I haven't yet found the courage to share my creative writing with the world. For me, it's something really personal and private. I mostly write for my own enjoyment (much to my mum's disappointment – she's still waiting for me to pen a bestseller). I first realised that I loved writing as a teenager,…