Table of contents for May 2024 in The Simple Things

BAKLAVA-INSPIRED FLAPJACKS Makes 16 FOR THE NUT FILLING: 80g unsalted butter, melted 100g pistachios 100g walnuts 40g caster sugar 2½ tsp ground cinnamon 20g honey FOR THE FLAPJACKS: 5 tbsp sesame seeds 350g rolled oats 210g unsalted butter 60g light soft brown sugar 3 tbsp golden syrup 3 tbsp honey ¼ tsp fine sea salt 1½ tsp cinnamon 3 tsp rose water FOR THE GLAZE: 8 tbsp honey Juice of 1 lemon 6 tsp rose water 1 tsp rose petals, to decorate 1 tsp crushed pistachios, to decorate 1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5 and line a 20cm square baking tin with baking paper. 2 For the filling, toss the pistachios and walnuts in 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Transfer to a baking tray and roast for 10 mins, or until lightly golden. Leave to cool, then finely chop half the nuts and roughly…

“A sense of astonishment at the power of language has never really gone away for me. I am constantly reminded of just what an incredible tool language is; the greatest invention by human beings. Imagine if somebody had invented language last week, how much they'd be trying to charge you for a subscription!” “I've always maintained that, as a poet, one of the privileges is that you don't have to say the first thing that comes into your head. We retain the right to think about things and reply later.” “In writing about blossom, I've felt a sense of transience and impermanence. I think there are some life lessons that we can learn through looking at how nature functions.”…

OUTING WANDERLUST ‘A love of walking’ (noun, German) While wanderlust might evoke an appetite for foreign travels, the original expression means something different. Wandern is the German verb ‘to hike’, while lust signifies ‘joy’ or ‘pleasure’. Whether with friends or strangers, walking in a group can offer a sense of security and connection. Take a look at groups such as Black Girls Hike (bghuk.com), for Black women to explore nature (see TST issue 111); Every Body Outdoors (everybodyoutdoors.co.uk), hosting hikes for plus size people; and Muslim Hikers (muslimhikers.com), all working to make the outdoors a more inclusive space. SOLIVAGANT ‘To wander alone’ (adjective, English) Deriving from the Latin words solus meaning alone, and vagans meaning to wander, this forgotten English word describes someone who loves to walk by themselves. Solo walking can…

It's always nice to have guests for dinner…even if they're uninvited! A pretty tablecloth and napkins add a sense of occasion to al fresco eating – we'll leave the guest list up to you. Linen tablecloth > from £105; Linen napkins > £32 for two, both poppyandhonesty.com Bookshop browse HOME COOKING Cold Kitchen by Caroline Eden Caroline Eden is restless, consumed by the need to journey far and wide. Here she remembers her travels in snowy landscapes and desert-dry villages, and soulfully describes the food and the people that made each trip so moving and memorable. Back home in an Edinburgh basement kitchen, she heads to her pantry where she's stocked ‘a flavour atlas of the world’ in pickle jars, packets of spices, in baskets of vegetables and bowls of…

RAYOS GREEN SPHERE Made from marbled resin, each one is a bit different. Best for: Looking a treat on a Deco-inspired drinks trolley. £12.50, oliverbonas.com LEMON AND CHILI Fruity hand-blown glass designs, available in a set of two. Best for: Telling bottles apart at a speedy glance. £35, sandralexandra.com CAIRN WINE STOPPERS A set of two from Ferm Living Best for: Natural wine fans? They're made from FSCcertified ash and cork. £39, goodhoodstore.com…

Morning! Tell us about your first cuppa. It's made with mint from the garden. Do you have a morning routine? It starts with a dog walk in the local woods, sometimes followed by a quick ‘run’ as I've signed up for a charity 10K. Then it's home to work, pressing flowers or making flower artwork. How did you end up doing that? I'm a freelance graphic designer, but I wanted another creative outlet. I'd pressed some flowers and made them into an artwork and then I sold some on Etsy – and Flower Press Studios was born. I love planting a flower, watching it grow, and turning it into something special. I also press bridal bouquets and special flowers that are a memento, such as when a loved one has…

FAVOURITE SHOP Raštinė Both a shop and a café, it has a well-curated range of notebooks, pens, and postcards. It also serves delicious coffee and yummy desserts. rastine.cc FAVOURITE BOOKSHOP Humanitas At this tucked away shop, you can find publications in English, ranging from art and photography to literature about Lithuania. humanitas.lt FAVOURITE CAFÉ Backstage Cafe, Serves freshly brewed coffee and divine cinnamon buns. The brunch menu is also good. Instagram: @cafebackstage FAVOURITE RESTAURANT Ninteen18 An intimate restaurant with beautifully preserved architecture and great tasting menus. nineteen18.lt FAVOURITE HOTEL PACAI Once an 18th-century mansion, this hotel has contemporary amenities and old-world elegance. hotelpacai.com FAVOURITE SPA Bokšto Spa Located in the Old Town, it has a modern and sleek interior and a swimming pool. bokstospa.lt FAVOURITE WAY TO SPEND AN HOUR…

WELLBEING It was during a cervical smear test that I realised just how much I say sorry. As the nurse attempted to locate my cervix, I found myself apologising. “I think it's tilted,” I said. “Sorry.” On reflection, this was the most ridiculous thing I've ever apologised for – and I've apologised for some ridiculous things. But saying sorry for the way my body was made. For something I had no hand in. Basically, for being a woman! Apologising needlessly is something many of us do. Even if we're not using the ‘s’ word directly, we are apologetic in announcing ourselves, in taking up space, in sharing an idea. How many messages do you end with the words ‘no worries if not’? You might be asking for time off to…

Dust off the punch bowl (or use your biggest mixing bowl) and invite others over for this sociable, summery sip. HIBISCUS AND IRISH RUM PUNCH Makes 20 x 150ml servings 150g caster sugar 3 tbsp dried hibiscus flowers (available from health food shops or Asian food stores) 6 limes, plus 4 extra limes, cut into wheels, to garnish 1ltr concentrated guava juice (available from Asian food stores) 700ml Two Shores Golden Rum (or any golden rum of your choice) 375ml Martini Extra Dry vermouth Ice cubes 1 Place the caster sugar and hibiscus flowers in a large saucepan. 2 Grate in the zest of six of the limes using a fine grater, then squeeze in the juice. Pour in 1 litre of boiling water and stir to dissolve the sugar.…

COMPETITION 25 TASTY BUNDLES TO BE WON! With a month of bank-holiday weekends to look forward to and, no doubt, a packed diary of get-togethers, it's time to think about tasty treats to get the party started. Luckily, the folk at PROPERONI® – that's pepperoni made properly – have the answer. Created by experts with over 50 years’ experience supplying Britain's bestloved pizza restaurants, they're working hard to rid the world of mediocre pepperoni, and are instead bringing restaurant-quality ingredients to your kitchen thanks to their sliced pepperoni and chorizo. Free from preservatives, nitrites, and additives, PROPERONI® products get their distinctive, award-winning flavour as a result of slow smoking over beechwood, curing and air drying – with absolutely no additives or starter cultures used to accelerate the ripening. There are…

REFLECTION My new rod seemed to reproach me, as if it knew it had fallen into inexpert hands. Just to set up my equipment I was leaning on barely trained muscle memory. I swore quietly as I tied on my fly, fingers fussing over the knot. A final check: hook the fly you have tied onto the zip of a bag and pull tight. It held. With the line laid out ahead of me, fully extended onto the stillness of the lake, it was time. The rod tip lifted. Slowly, carefully, I ‘peeled’ the line upward, an elbow movement bringing the tip of the rod to just above eye height. Then an acceleration of the upper arm, taking the rod back in a straight line and to a stop behind…

WEEKEND PROJECT HEART-ON-SLEEVE BADGE Stitch words of what you hold dear and wear them for all to see: you'll remind yourself to protect what you love, and encourage others to join in. You will need: Tracing paper Black pen Carbon transfer paper (blue) Green cotton, plain or patterned, 10cm x 10cm Green felt, 10cm x 10cm White felt, 12cm x 5cm Water-soluble fabric marker or ballpoint pen Stranded cotton thread Embroidery needle, size 5 Fabric scissors Embroidery scissors Sewing pins Metal brooch pin back, with safety clasp and three holes, 30mm x 5mm Embellishments such as buttons, badges or ribbon to help attract more attention, optional 1 Using a black fineliner pen, trace the heart shape and banner shape (find the templates on our blog and print them out at thesimplethings/blog/heart-on-sleeve-template) onto your tracing paper and cut out each shape to fit your…

GROWING When I was a child, our windowsills were always packed with rooting treasures – my mum's cuttings. “Home is where your plants grow,” she'd say. Propagation may sound complicated and a bit daunting, but it's essentially a natural process that occurs in our gardens all the time. Plants have evolved many natural ways to reproduce: some by seeds dispersed by wind, animals or water; others from bits of stem that have broken off or spread along the soil and formed new roots. Propagation is particularly beneficial if you want to include multiples of the same plant in the garden. Many perennials – such as rudbeckia, heucheras, echinaceas, and asters – look better planted in groups or drifts, and you can create a beautiful ‘hedge’ by planting a row of…

A PLACE TO STAY Seaside B&Bs are a cliché of dragon-ish landladies, poky en suites shoehorned into bedrooms and a sterile dining room with the hushed atmosphere of a library. Thankfully, you can forget all of this and can really enjoy the modern boutique experience that is The Sandy Duck in Falmouth. It's ideally positioned on a hill above the town – simply stroll right for the beach or left for eating, drinking and shopping. Arriving by a beautiful rural rail journey and borrowing e-bikes to scoot around town makes a car unnecessary. Just don't forget to pack your cossie… Where we stayed ‘Hawthorn Dene’, as it says in the original Victorian stained glass above the pink front door, was always a private hotel, built as a boarding house for…

GREENSLEEVES What do you think of when you hear Greensleeves? Either: ‘Oooh, ice cream!’ Or: ‘Ahhh, the romantic intrigues of Henry VIII!’ Surprisingly, the two are linked. First, Henry. Some have Henry down as composer, while he was wooing wife no.2 (of six), Anne Boleyn. But, although Henry was into his music and some compositions survive, the first written record of Greensleeves wasn't until some 33 years after Henry's death, when ‘A Newe Northen Dittye Of Ye Ladye Greene Sleves’ was registered in the official Stationers’ Company record. Also, it's an ‘Italian style’ composition: not heard on these shores until Elizabeth I's reign. No-one's nailed down its meaning over its 444 years. Some say that the lady's green sleeves imply promiscuity (from a bit of action among the grass), while…

This festival – which begins on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, so this year on 10 May – originated as a religious festival, linked to the birth of the Buddha. It's now a national holiday, celebrated across religions to mark the start of spring. Temples and homes hang up lanterns – a symbol of enlightenment. Though it's known in English as the ‘lotus lantern festival’ lanterns also take the shapes of the likes of fish, flowers, ducks and cranes. In Seoul, around 100,000 lanterns feature in an elaborate parade in the capital.…

Adapted child's pose. Good for back and shoulder pain. Increases the opening across your shoulders. 1 Start kneeling on all fours, legs hip width apart. 2 Place two yoga blocks in their lower position under each hand. 3 Adjust feet so that your big toes are touching, but keep rest of feet and legs apart. Widen the distance between your knees. 4 Sink back on your heels as you would do in a standard child's pose, keeping your hands on the blocks and letting your head sink down between the blocks to your mat. Hold the position for five deep breaths. 5 Alternatively, stack the two blocks on top of each other, and place your elbows there instead. Bring palms together in a prayer position, while pushing back towards your heel.…

Forever in good genes. They are less of an influence than you may think, responsible only for about a third of the factors in getting to 85, says the USA's National Institute on Ageing. No secret formula. Longer living is linked with all the stuff we know about: sleep, a balanced diet, exercise (a daily brisk 15 minutes’ walk can lower early death chances by about 20%). And – easier said than done – being as stress free as possible. Only connect. ‘Blue zones’ (bluezones.com) are places in the world where inhabitants live longer. While some dispute the concept, their ‘9 power habits’ aren't only about physical care but about staying connected socially and mentally, too. Like Maria Branyas Morera, who at 117 is the world's oldest person, and says…

PLAYLIST Soundtrack to May Detectorists Johnny Flynn Old Ladies Lament Rachel Sermanni Pleasant Month Of May Lisa Knapp Hares On the Mountain Shirley Collins, Davy Graham Plaisir D'Amour Joan Baez Woodcat Tunng Hen Garol Haf Cerys Hafana Magpie The Unthanks Long For Light Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening Blossom: A CV LYR Early Mornin’ Rain Peter, Paul & Mary Silver Dagger The Staves Unknown African Boy (d.1830) Angeline Morrison Helplessly Hoping Crosby, Stills & Nash The Garden Of England (Seeds Of Love) Sam Lee, Bernard Butler Master Crowley's Lankum Canadee–I–O Nic Jones Take a listen at thesimplethings.com/blog/folkplaylist stop look listen ‘‘Twas in the pleasant month of May in the springtime of the year. And down by yonder meadow there runs a river clear, See how the little fishes how they do sport and play Causing many a lad and many a lass to go there a-making hay.”…

Willow went down to the river in search of magic. Her whole life her grandmother had told her stories about the water, tales of kingfishers and otters, sprites and full moons that gave those who swam beneath it courage and wisdom. At least that's what her grandmother always claimed, laughing her infectious chuckle that was almost a cackle. As a child, Willow delighted in these stories but quickly grew to realise they were just that: stories. However, at 35 and one week after her grandmother's funeral, Willow found herself wanting to find the river magic of her childhood again. She left the house while her husband and daughter were still sleeping, scribbling a note to tell them that she'd be back in time for the school run. It felt strange…

PASSIONS Pass a village green in May and you might be treated to the sight of people dancing with ribbons around a maypole, or the white-costumed, hanky waving knees-up of a well-choreographed Morris dance. So far, so traditional. But look again – did that three hand reel just break into a dance battle? Did someone just drop into a breakdance freeze mid Circassian Circle? Are the dancers moving to a soundtrack of beatboxing? If Folk Dance Remixed were involved, then very possibly all of the above. Traditional English folk dance is evolving. Back in 2010, street dance artist and choreographer Natasha Khamjani saw a call out from the English Folk Dance And Song Society who were looking for ideas on how folk music and dance could be ‘remixed’ for a…

Blossom was a pavement artist. Painted the trees in concrete estates and sad precincts. Painted the streets. Blossom was a fruit farmer. Lived on the land. Raised and nurtured saplings with an invisible hand. Think of Blossom as solar panels. When the weather turned and the seasons unravelled Blossom was a weathervane. Blossom was a mountaineer. Didn't look down. Weighed anchor in hairline fissures and stress fractures Blossom the magician transformed winter's curfew hours into foaming white petals. Abracadabra: flowers. Rootless and homeless, Blossom rode and drifted on thermal currents as the climate shifted. Blossom the ballet dancer was reborn in the hardcore techno and thrash-metal of the thunderstorm. As a sculptor, Blossom trained and wrangled reluctant limbs in the studio of the walled garden. Blossom was a dictionary. Knew how to spell resurrection and the true meaning of revelation. Taken from Blossomise by Simon Armitage (Faber & Faber). Illustrated by Angela Harding…

STYLE There's a condition I suffer from that I like to call Sprout Syndrome – as in, “You hate sprouts? Wait until you try my sprouts!” One of my many symptoms is an unwavering belief that no one truly dislikes bows, they just haven't found the right bow yet. I'm convinced that I can convert even the staunchest member of the anti-bow brigade, and in doing so, bring a loopy dose of joy to their lives. I love all bows (except for the dainty ones that sometimes show up on an otherwise plain pair of pants… even this pro-bow propagandist snips those off). However, they're often dismissed as being frivolous and overly cute – the fan club includes Hello Kitty, Minnie Mouse, Ariana Grande and millions of schoolgirls, after all…

In a nutshell Geologist and psychotherapist Ruth Allen offers a fascinating exploration into how landscape can help us to better understand how the mind works. In her work as an outdoor therapist, Allen combines her passion for and knowledge of rocks with therapy. In Weathering, she offers the reader a ‘wandering snapshot of my work’ as we're led up and down the Dales of the Peak District. Why now? ‘We're living at a time when we can neither comprehend the implications of what's happening to our earth nor get on top of our depression, anxieties and stress,’ writes Allen. She believes that geology is a way into our human relationship with the natural world and that the landscape has much to teach us. ‘It's easy to forget that the slow…

LOOKING BACK Dorothy Parker may have quipped that the Bloomsbury Set ‘lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles’ but she neglected to say how they gardened. It's a shame she overlooked it – their gardens played a central role in their lives, loves and art. Through four Bloomsbury women and their gardens – Virginia Woolf at Monk's House in Rodmell, East Sussex, her sister, artist Vanessa Bell at nearby Charleston, arts patron Lady Ottoline Morrell at Garsington Manor, Oxfordshire, and Vita Sackville-West's famous Sissinghurst, Kent – we can discover more about their makers and how they wanted to live. In fact, they also offer plenty of creative inspiration for today. These are four very different sized gardens – Monk's House's ¾ acre compared to Garsington's 200 acres…

World Menstrual Hygiene Day is 28 May, yet the World Bank estimates that, globally, 500 million women don't have access to the products and facilities they need. In 2017, South African academic and activist Candice Chirwa was just 21 when she was working at the UN Population Fund's office in Johannesburg, reviewing policies surrounding period poverty in eastern and southern African countries. “What came up was that menstrual health is under researched, so I became a menstruation activist.” She founded a non-profit called Qrate which helps young people through workshops, blogs, and media, earning herself the nickname ‘Minister for Menstruation.’ “My first period was scary,” she says. “My mom said, ‘here's a pad, don't tell anyone.’ I kept that internal shame and stigma to myself. It motivated me to ensure…

Forget-me-nots There's a story of how these starshaped flowers got their common name. The tale tells of a knight (in full armour) walking with his lady by a river, stooping to pick a tiny blue flower, but falling in. Before being swept away, he threw her the flower, calling out “Forget me not!” The blooms became popular in medieval art and on Victorian Valentines. In the garden, they tend to be prolific, so at this time of year, don't forget to pick a few to bring in. These symbols of enduring love certainly look lovely in a small jug.…

GARDENS Sheds are generally simple affairs erected for modest purposes; a flat-pack that can – with only minimal hammered thumbs and muttered oaths – become a wee storage space for bikes, bags of topsoil, and not-quite-finished tins of paint. Occasionally, though, in the hands of a rare breed known as ‘sheddies’, they can become the manifestation of an ambition altogether more vaulting. They might, for instance, include a bed-housing loft space or a rooftop apiary. Perhaps they'll double as a pub. And rather than overlapping plywood planks they may instead owe their construction to upturned boats, living tree trunks, or hundreds of recycled milk cartons. Thus, creations likely to appeal to Andrew Wilcox, coiner of the ‘sheddies’ collective noun and founder of the Shed of the Year contest. Indeed, all…

These shelves help to surround my family with the things that we love and that make us happy. Everything that you see is special to me. The stacking baskets are from Hong Kong where we lived as children and there are stones painted by my children 15 years ago. There are lots of second-hand finds, artwork by friends and collected books. I change it up around every six months and keep it colourful. Lisa Dawson, York @_lisa_dawson_ Every item here means something to us. I copied the idea from my parents-in-law: filling an old print tray with items from holidays and small items with meaning. I love looking at it and remembering where we got each piece. Niamh Gillespie, Dunany, Co.Louth @niamhgillespiedesign I found this at a local antiques shop,…

We're in full season for hay fever, or allergic rhinitis, as it's technically called. While there's no cure, these steps (and talking to your pharmacist or doctor) may help a little. Have some foresight. Antihistamines are most effective if you begin taking them a few weeks ahead of peak. And, as much as you can, don't go out when the pollen count is high. Avoid hay while the sun shines. Plants give off pollen at different times, so gently experiment with what triggers your symptoms. Grass pollen is the most common allergy: highest in early mornings and evenings. Pollen levels peak in wind and just after storms. Flower power. In gardens, look for insect pollinted plants such as roses and foxgloves, rather than those using wind pollination, like the daisy/aster family.…

Scan to see more THE SEVEN-SPOT LADYBIRD Our relationship with this almost ubiquitous beetle is long and significant; the name ‘ladybird’ supposedly originates from cultivators of old who, dismayed by damage caused by aphids, prayed to the Virgin Mary. The arrival of the beetles that set to work on the aphids seemed miraculous, leading to the name Beetle of Our Lady, compressed into ‘lady beetle’ and later ‘ladybird’. Today it's a portent of good fortune throughout its extensive global range. Over summer, local aphid populations are dispatched swiftly by the hungry, highly efficient larvae as they emerge from their eggs, as tiny, knobbly, black larva. It's ideally timed; as summer peaks, so do aphid numbers and several generations of ladybirds feast over the warmest months. Once the larva is ready…

Great diving beetle Great in size, at 3cm, and at diving, too – not so good at navigation. Flying at night, it often mistakes wet roads and car roofs for ponds. Common toad Known for their epic spring walks (not hops) to breeding ponds. Worthy of love, warts and all. Orwell agreed, writing an essay in their honour. Azure damselfly Particularly active from May to September, how to assure that it's an azure? The males, true to name, are pale blue. Females are black and green, though. Water slater The water-loving relation of the woodlouse, also known as a ‘hoglouse’. Actually a crustacean, so think of it as a mini lobster (just not as tasty). Smooth newt Pissed as one and you may be considered legless. In fact, they've four…

Attention Schedule time for distraction throughout your day. Allocate 5 or 10 minutes every 60 to 90 minutes. You could use the time to check messages, scroll social media or, more beneficially, go for a walk or call a friend for a chat. The science: Attention naturally wanes after about 30 seconds and your brain has to work very hard to maintain focus. It can't keep up that effort for prolonged periods without a break. Play around with timings until you find what works best for you. Taken from Brain Gym by Dr Sabina Brennan, illustrated by Andy Goodman. Available at laurenceking.com…

CUT OUT AND KEEP Spiced honey scotch bonnet ham with pineapple rice Inspired by the spices used in Caribbean dishes, this rich and sticky celebration ham makes a tasty spring Sunday roast. Spiced honey scotch bonnet ham with pineapple rice Serves 7-8 2.5kg unsmoked or smoked boned and rolled gammon joint 1 onion, halved 1 carrot, roughly chopped 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped 1 fresh bay leaf 1 scotch bonnet chilli, halved ½ bunch of thyme, tied together FOR THE GLAZE: ½ tsp allspice 1 tsp dried thyme ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground cloves 100g clear runny honey ½ scotch bonnet chilli 50g pineapple, peeled and cubed 1 tbsp vegetable oil FOR THE RICE: 80g unsalted butter 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tsp garlic granules 1½ tsp allspice 2…