Table of contents for June 2024 in The Simple Things

Morning! Where do you have your first brew? I live on my own, so I have to get up to make tea, but at weekends I love taking it back to bed with me. I'm not a morning person so I get up with loads of time to spare and quietly sit with my cuppa while I wake up properly. What does your morning look like? As a flower essence producer, my day involves bottling essences, packing orders, marketing and replying to emails. I work out of my shop in Wincanton, so I also get to meet customers and answer their queries. Big breakfast or munch on the go? I'm rubbish at remembering to eat breakfast, but my body tells me it's teatime at 11am and 1pm on the dot!…

The forager Inspired by what she finds in her local fields and hedgerows, Erin Bunting runs a farm-to-fork seasonal supper club on her organic smallholding in Northern Ireland. A decision to change her career took Erin Bunting from London to a 100-acre organic farm in East Cork, to train at the prestigious Ballymaloe cookery school. The course involved foraging walks, both around the farm itself and to the blustery shores of the Celtic Sea. “It was the real trigger for me in growing produce, but also in foraging and using the plants from around the island of Ireland.” The experience formed part of her personal mission statement: that the food she cooks is “as connected to the land and the seasons as possible.” The seasons of the Celtic Wheel –…

On a dark and chilly evening last year, I found myself in the back room of a masonic lodge in Inverness with a dozen or so other wannabe beekeepers who were all hoping to follow their honey-dipped dreams. Magic unfolded in this unremarkable room, and we were transported to an extraordinary place where science, history, politics and dance collide: the beehive. I'd always wanted to try beekeeping – not least because I love a good hat – but until now, it had seemed like a pastime for other people. I was a long-term city dweller, after all, who loved to travel and had lived abroad for a while. In my years as a teen magazine editor, I'd had to spend a lot more time thinking about Beyoncé than bees. And…

WATERMELON SOJU PUNCH Serves 4-5 1 medium watermelon 1 bottle of soju (can be bought from Korean food stores and online) 1 bottle of lemonade Sugar (optional) Ice cubes 1 Cut open the watermelon and scoop all the pink flesh from the skin, discarding any seeds. If you have a melon baller, make 4–5 watermelon balls and reserve for a garnish. 2 Transfer the watermelon flesh to a blender and add the soju and lemonade. Blend to a smooth juice. Taste and add sugar, if needed. 3 Serve over ice, garnished with a skewered ball of watermelon. Bartender's note: Soju is a clear, colourless distilled alcoholic drink from Korea, dating back to the 13th century. Usually made with grains such as rice, wheat or barley, choose a bottle with a maximum of 20–25% ABV (some…

HOME TOUR WEST DORSET “THERE'S AN AMAZING VINTAGE QUARTER WITH SELLERS WHO REALLY KNOW THEIR STUFF” Just a mile back from the dramatic cliffs and fossil-filled beaches of Dorset's Jurassic Coast, following coastal paths and through woods, you'll find an old rectory, its garden overflowing with flowers and rows of vegetables. The house has been a home to Alice Tatham and her family for the past nine years and the calm and quiet countryside setting suits them down to the ground. “I grew up a couple of miles from here and I've always loved this area,” explains Alice, who works as a photographer and content creator. “We were living in rural East Devon before this, so we actually moved this way to be a bit closer to civilisation! We have the…

I don't often get a chance to sit in the garden, so it always feels like an absolute treat. The table is an old apple crate – it's a very utilitarian object but I'm quite fond of it. It often puts in an appearance when we're entertaining in the garden and is great to balance a cuppa or cocktail on. This part of the garden is furthest away from the house, so I particularly enjoy the peace and quiet here. Christen Pears, Penzance, Cornwall @christenpears This is actually a nest of tables with mirrored tops. The main table stays there with the lamp, but the smaller one gets moved next to the sofa, so I can watch TV with a drink and a snack close to hand! Rebecca Norris, Chorlton,…

THE LOCO-MOTION Everybody might be doing it, but it'd be hard to describe the ‘loco-motion’ as a ‘brand new dance now'. One of its charms is how it's been reinvented: it made the top three in the States in three different versions over three consecutive decades. As Kylie Minogue said, “It seems to be one of those songs that people know subliminally.” Penned by song-writing powerhouse Gerry Goffin and Carole King in 1962, it was used as a demo by Eva Boyd, aka Little Eva (also Goffin and King's babysitter), with King on backing vocals and piano. The demo went so well, it became a single. Although considered a ‘dance song’ (like Time Warp or The Twist), no specific steps are given in the lyrics – just general encouragement –…

APHIDS Scan to see more We've all watched in despair as, seemingly overnight, our favourite garden plant becomes a seething mass of aphids. It's hard to believe that a minuscule insect can create such havoc, but when it comes to aphids, the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. What makes the tiny aphid such a formidable adversary? The answer is extraordinarily efficient reproduction. Aphids can reproduce both sexually (male, female, sperm, egg) and asexually (clones), depending upon the conditions in which they find themselves. A single aphid can have billions of descendants in a single year. But before you reach for the pesticide spray, consider the benefits. Quite simply, the more aphids you have, the more wildlife will come to eat them, and that equals a…

If you're in the wilderness with a bottle of wine, a magnet and a sewing kit, you're in luck You will need: Magnet Cork Sewing needle or paper clip Bowl Water 1 Trim down your cork so that it's about 1cm thick. 2 Rub one end of your needle/ paper clip against the magnet. Make sure that you're always rubbing it in the same direction. The stronger the magnet, the less rubbing required, but you'll need to do it at least 20 times. 3 Work the needle through the cork, so that it's horizontal or stick on top with Blu Tack.  4 Fill your bowl with water/ another liquid. 5 Float the cork on top of the water. The magnetised end should spin towards the north (if you're in the northern hemisphere). 6 You can double check by…

PROUDLY HOMEMADE CYANOTYPE CUSHION This photographic technique can help capture the essence of summer. You will need: Photosensitive solution (you can buy cyanotype 2-part solution in art shops and online) Two pieces of cotton fabric (the size of the cushion inner) Fern leaves 1 sheet of glass slightly larger than the pieces of fabric 1 washing-up bowl (or large sink) filled with water Cushion inner Sewing kit 1 Take the piece of fabric that you want to print (and will become the cushion front), and apply the photosensitive solution with a brush. The fabric will absorb the solution very quickly. When the fabric is saturated with solution, be careful of it dripping. 2 Place the fabric somewhere warm and dark to dry – make sure you protect the floor where you hang the fabric. Allow one whole night…

FAVOURITE SHOP Scent Bar I love scent: perfume, candles and incense. Scent Bar, located at the ROW DTLA, has great staff, who are happy to make recommendations. luckyscent.com FAVOURITE BOOKSHOP Arcana: Books on the Arts It has an excellent selection of art and film books and magazines. It's also a fun place for a date. arcanabooks.com GALLERY The Future Perfect A stunning concept gallery in the Hollywood Hills – a must-see for design lovers thefutureperfect.com FAVORITE CAFÉ ilCaffè A Swedish coffee shop that serves a proper cortado. And it shares a wall with Acne Studios, the minimalist Swedish clothing company ilcaffe.la FAVOURITE BAR Capri Club A fun aperitivo bar with a Diego Maradona shrine. Enjoy drinks and snacks on their sidewalk – and don't miss the frozen cocktail of the…

Write to release This exercise helps to empty the mind and release unspoken feelings and sensations. The process of writing activates different parts of our brains than talking. It can feel like closing all the tabs on your computer, leaving you feeling more energised, calmer and clearer. • Choose one of these words as a prompt to get started: pulse, shine, run, grow, safe. Or, if you're inspired by anything around you, use your own prompt instead. • Set a timer and try to write continuously for five minutes without reading or editing what you've written. • Take a minute to read what you've written. Something within it might give you a jolt of inspiration. Maybe you want to keep writing. Or not. Just do what you feel. Holding hands…

When I was a small child, I remember my father painting a picture of our cottage with the little apple tree in the garden. I recall it vividly, because it was so lifelike and very beautiful. My mother encouraged him to paint more, which he did, and though it wasn't his profession, his work became well known and sought after in the locality. My father had many talents. He built himself an easel and bought a mitre block to make his frames. Eventually, he created a studio in the attic where the north light was good. Squeezing dabs of cobalt blue, burnt orange, sun yellow and all manner of colour through lead paint tubes, he honed his artistic style, varying his work with inks or charcoals, pastels and acrylics –…

HOW TO EAT 30 PLANTS A WEEK In a nutshell We should be aiming to eat 30 different plant foods a week for optimal health, say the experts. In his new book, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall explores how to achieve this. Before you say, ‘that's impossible', read on as you're probably closer to doing it than you think and the reasons to up your plant food intake are convincing. As Hugh attests, ‘thirty plants a week cannot help but deliver more deliciousness to your plate.' So ‘30 a week’ is the new ‘5 a day'? Although five portions of fruit and veg a day can have a positive impact on health, there's a likelihood of repeating the same five fruit and veg. What the ‘30 a week’ message does is encourage people…

IDEAS Getting away from it all and spending time in a simple hideaway has an enduring appeal – from writers’ retreats to alpine huts and Scottish bothies. In our connected, often cluttered lives, the idea of a simple cabin, nestled within the landscape, holds a distinct charm; a place for our restless minds to settle. The minimal nature of these spaces seems to somehow promise clarity, especially when life and deadlines became overwhelming. A modest, homely place to read a book, with no signal or distractions; a place to detangle my thoughts, to think clearly. Their bare-bones simplicity also evokes the idea of having ‘just enough', perhaps expressing a yearning for a simple, more ‘authentic’ life. And there's always that tantalising prospect: could I sell all my stuff and actually…

GROWING June is perhaps the best month in the garden. As the days and evenings stretch towards the solstice, the plants bloom, their fresh greenery yet to be coated with the dust of late summer. There's time to enjoy the garden, too, whatever that means for you – a cup of tea on the back doorstep or balcony in the early morning, or lazing on the lawn with a good book during a long, midsummer evening. However, sunshine in the garden can be a conundrum worthy of Goldilocks: too much or too little, and plants fail to thrive. The same goes for us when, rather than basking in the sun's gentle warmth, we're often either perspiring or shivering in the shade. How, then, to get it just right? TOO COLD…

One of the great pleasures of camping is roaming straight from your ‘doorstep’ – exploring on foot and getting to know a landscape by sleeping right there in it. Just for a weekend's stay, though, it can be quite an undertaking, especially if you wish to visit more than one site – and have a toddler in tow. Could a campervan be the answer? Hiring one from Quirky Campers, our family of three decided to travel along the border of England and Wales, singling out nearly wild campsites where we could press pause and refresh ourselves in nature. Where we stayed Our hired campervan, Frida, was inspired by her namesake, Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, and brimmed with bold, tropical prints. As you might expect from a van owned by the…

JONI SUN T-SHIRT Made from organic cotton, with an embroidered sun. Best for: wearing on those laid-back summer days. £55, roosbeach.co.uk SUN DISC NECKLACE Handmade in England by Momocreatura. Best for: always having a bit of sunshine with you. From £85, lunaandcurious.com SUNBURST SOCKS Let the sun shine out of your toes with these soft socks. Best for: dare we suggest wearing with your sandals? £7.50, fatface.com FAB GADGET Never be stuck regretting that last bit of peanut butter you just can't get out of the jar. This simple jar paddle is designed to reach the bits other knives and spoons can't: less waste, more delicious things on toast. £7.50, woodmetalplastic.com QUICK-FIRE QUIZ 1 Demetrius, Helena, Hermia, and Lysander are characters in which of Shakespeare's plays? 2 What kind of plant…

The hills are alive… with flaming torches. Across the Pyrenees (officially 34 places in France, 26 in Spain and 3 in Andorra), the summer is celebrated with an array of fire festivals. The dates, exact customs and even the associated symbolism vary village to village, but many are centred on Saint John's Eve on 23 June. When dark falls, lit torches are carried down through the mountains to create a mass bonfire (and party) in the village centre.…

Learning Set aside time to broaden your horizons. Listen to a genre of music or a type of podcast that's new to you. Say yes to new experiences and welcome learning opportunities, whether at work or in your free time. The science: Your brain responds to learning by reorganising itself and growing new brain cell connections. This is key to building resilience and maintaining emotional wellbeing. Education is the most consistently successful cognitive enhancer, and can build resilience at any point in life. Taken from Brain Gym by Dr Sabina Brennan, illustrated by Andy Goodman. Available at laurenceking.com DID YOU KNOW? Scientists trained pigeons to tell apart paintings by Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso. NICE FIND Restoration work at Christ's College, Cambridge, revealed long-forgotten Tudor wall paintings, showing three motifs linked…

SHARING June is a sociable month in our village. There's usually a good excuse for a neighbourly get together, often coinciding with some of the best weather of the season. Over the years, there have been royal celebrations, local anniversaries and impromptu events to enjoy during the long days of warmth and light. I make sure my honesty box is stocked with any early summer produce I can part with, the occasional jar of home-baked shortbread and leftover seedlings I can't find an inch of soil for. Last year, the village hosted the vintage tractor rally gathering. Every three years, the route includes our little hamlet, so it deserves a big fuss when it happens. The tractors set off from a nearby market town, a hundred or so of them…

June NOTES THINGS TO NOTE AND NOTICE Nature spot GRASSHOPPER SONG Grasshoppers singing is the very epitome of summer, and there's a quest to be had in following the sound of one until you see it leap from one blade of grass to another as you get near. What? There are 11 types of grasshopper in the UK. You're most likely to spot the common green and the common field grasshopper. The males make their sound to attract females by rubbing their hind legs together or by rubbing them on their wings or abdomen. Where? Green grasshoppers hang out in meadows and pastures on hillsides, particularly in damp areas. Field grasshoppers can be found in sunny, grassy areas, such as parks and gardens. When? Grasshoppers sing during the daytime (if it's…

Lochan (For Jean Johnstone) When all this is over I mean to travel north, by the high drove roads and cart tracks probably in June, with the gentle dog-roses flourishing beside me. I mean to find among the thousands scattered in that land a certain quiet lochan, where water lilies rise like small fat moons, and tied among the reeds, underneath a rowan, a white boat waits. Poet Kathleen Jamie's crystalline, clear-eyed observations of the close up world have been described as an act of resistance in a vastly inattentive world. Here, a trip to a hidden lochan – a small lake – is a quiet escape from the humdrum demands of a busy life. Things to ponder: How does the poet create a sense of journeying through the landscape?…

Making sounds Using the vocal cords to create sounds is very effective at relieving stress, anxiety and overwhelm as it quickly activates the vagus nerve, which is like a conductor for the nervous system. This technique is used by singers and music therapists to unlock and loosen vocal cords, release tension and create energy in the voice. • Stand with your feet firmly on the ground. Place one hand on your belly and one on your chest. Start with a strong, loud, ‘HA'. Repeat, noticing and feeling where the sound vibrates in your body. Turn it into a long ‘HMMMMM'. Repeat again, feeling the vibrations. Now, try ‘HOOOO'. • Finish with a big breath and a long, loud sigh – ‘Haaaaaaah.’ Repeat the whole cycle, using ‘MA', ‘MMMM', and ‘MOOOO'.…

The softly sculptural shapes, velvety petals and heavenly fragrance of Rosaceae have fuelled mythology, inspired artists and intrigued gardeners for centuries. Cleopatra loved to scatter her boudoir with rose petals, while in more recent times, Winston and Clementine Churchill shared a passion for growing roses, which continue to bloom today for the benefit of visitors to Chartwell in Kent, their former home. To see these thorny bundles of twigs transform every June is to witness nature's miracle at its finest. As a child, I loved the short-lived annual flowering of our front garden shrub roses – soft pink was my favourite, sunny yellow my mother's choice; the fallen petals were always gathered for primitive ‘perfumes’ fermented in jam jars on the kitchen windowsill. Although many varieties provide a second show…

STYLE As a fair-weather girl, I can't think of a more joyful accessory than the beach bag. They exude good times and positivity and give me a spring in my step that somehow flies in the face of the hefty weight slung over my shoulder. A passion for travel – and a hoarder's instinct – has led me to amass many beach bags from different parts of the world. There's a pretty raffia bag from Bali, which I revelled in buying for less than £8 while Gucci (no less) was selling an almost identical one for nudging £900. An oversized linen tote with pompom tassels that I lusted over for days in Cephalonia before succumbing, much to my family's despair. Linen packs flat and can double up as a beach…

COMPETITION WIN A £200 VOUCHER Summer is here and with it, a chance to refresh your wardrobe thanks to Gudrun Sjödén's colourful summer offerings. Fusing artistic expressions with Nordic simplicity, Gudrun's latest collections flirt with luscious nature from around the world and lets natural and recycled fibres shine through its different design chapters. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then enter our competition for your chance to win one of two vouchers, worth £200 each, to spend at Gudrun Sjödén. Gudrun's linen capsule takes its cue from the colours and handicrafts of Gujarat, while the Mediterranean gardens of Villa San Michele, abundant with lemons, evoke the bold, zesty prints and botanical patterns of several of this season's pieces. Swedish painter, Bror Hjorth, lends inspiration to a collection with…

Singing the blues The delicate blooms of nigella – also evocatively known as love-in-a-mist, because the flowers seem to float among the plant's feathery foliage – range from off-white to sky blue. Bolder cornflowers, meanwhile, are definitely more of a royal blue, but these cottage garden favourites work together so well. And you really need nothing more than a jam jar to hold them for a bouquet that brings some of midsummer's blue skies indoors.…

BRICK IN THE WALL How many five-letter words can you find reading down the face of our wall? The letters of each word can only read downwards on touching bricks, taking just one from each line. (answers on page 124) “Happy is the man who can make a living by his hobby” George Bernard Shaw DOWN TO A TEA TOWEL Surely many of us relate to the sentiment on this beautiful Emma Bridgewater design (or know a keen gardener who does)? It's £12 from elitetins.com This logo came into being when English Heritage became a public body in the 1980s. One of the designers, Mike Abrahams, says the logo recalls “site plans, castle crenelations, windows”. And a good old day out, if you ask us. WHAT TO DO WITH… OLD PLASTIC BOTTLES…

In Humankind: A Hopeful History, Rutger Bregman champions the goodness of humans by sharing cases in the history of kindness and community. Like a friend who's unflappable in their optimism, this book will help brighten your day. As suggested by Sophie Colson Read a good book you want to share? Tell us all about it by emailing thesimplethings@icebergpress.co.uk IT'S IN THE BAG A NIGHT IN A BOTHY Alongside your hiking kit (map, compass, head torch and batteries, first aid kit with tick tweezers and midge spray), bring simple food that can be cooked in one pan and a lightweight camping cook set. Most bothies have a fireplace, but bring firewood and kindling. Replace any leftover wood you use. Pack the warmest sleeping bag you can carry, plus a silk or…

PEAK MY INTEREST It sounds logical, doesn't it, that if something has attracted your attention, then your interest has ‘peaked'? However, the correct phrase doesn't refer to the level of your interest but to the fact that your interest has been stimulated in the first place. Although pronounced the same way, ‘pique’ comes from the French – where piquer, which means ‘sting’ – so in English, your interest is piqued by something catching your attention. You also can't write that something has ‘peeked’ your interest. That would refer to something taking a sneaky look at your interest, which makes no sense at all. Struggling with any of this? Some simple advice: never right anything down. Taken from Damp Squids & Card Sharks…

June: rose Associated with February, but it's in June they shine. With some 30,000 varieties, embrace the bower power.* October: marigold Harvest along with your veg: most kinds are edible. Or dye with them: the petals give warm yellows and oranges. February: violet While roses are red, violets are blue, long held as a symbol of love, they also come in white and lilac hues. July: delphinium Water babies could splash out for these tall blooms. Their flower shape inspires the ‘dolphin'-derived name. Nov: chrysanthemum Misquoting Coldplay, look at how they shine for you. Named from ‘chrys’ (gold), they once were all yellow. March: daffodil The narcissus myth links them with vanity. But so beloved there's no need for them to blow their own trumpet. August: poppy A pop of…

One-pan sweet chilli roast chicken Sweet and sticky and full of flavour, this one-pan wonder is tasty and won't overtask in the washing-up department. One-pan sweet chilli roast chicken Serves 4-6 6 skin-on, bone-in, chicken legs 600g red potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 red onions, quartered 8 sprigs of fresh thyme 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 200ml chicken stock 6-8 tbsp sweet chilli sauce Chives, chopped (optional) For the chicken seasoning: 2 tbsp light soft brown sugar 1 tbsp all-purpose seasoning 1 tbsp dried oregano 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsp salt 2 tsp onion powder 1 tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp cayenne pepper 4 tbsp olive oil 45g salted butter, melted Juice of 1 lemon 5 garlic cloves, grated 1 Start by combining all the chicken seasoning ingredients in…

The beach was quiet, summer sun fading. At this time of day, hunters were fewer, hunched against the evening chill, half-heartedly turning stones, the horizon spanning a vista unchanged in centuries. I'd seen families like this many times. Frazzled parents trying to contain their frustration as a small boy – usually a boy, but not always – stared intently at the rocky shoreline. He wore a backpack, glasses slipping down his nose as he squinted into seawater spray. Soon, they'd drag him away, before he could claim his prize. “Perhaps we could come back tomorrow,” said the mother, hopefully. “When it's lighter.” Her son shook his head. “It rained this morning. Washes stuff up.” “Or another beach?” suggested the father. “Up the coast.” “She found the ichthyosaur here,” the boy…