Ten things I’ve learned about Minimalism. I first wrote about minimalism back in 2011 on a little blogspot blog, back in the day. I journeyed through packing, donating, decluttering, inspired by Leo Babauta and The Minimalists. I bought nothing for 2 years, in 2012 and again in 2015, and wrote about how this impacted my… Read More Ten things I’ve learned about Minimalism
Away from the News. Away from the news, a soft breeze brings a hint of coolness through green leaves. Waves lap up a pebbled shore, constant, rhythmical. A ray of sunlight falls on morning dew. Away from the news, laughter echoes from gardens as people gather in friendship. Young birds learn to fly, and feed,… Read More Away from the News
My small patch of earth. The world is a weird place at the moment. I feel small, and although not hiding away, just like I want to take a step out of it all. I want to fade into the background, and watch, and wait. I pace the length of the garden, with tea and… Read More My small patch of earth
Morning Afternoon Brew, 6.1.2020 It’s actually the afternoon as I sit and sip scalding hot aeropress coffee and munch through a few lebkuchen left over from Christmas. The wind is blustering through bare trees outside, with rain coming in waves – battering the windows then retreating as clouds scud across wild skies. I managed to… Read More Morning Brew, 6.1.2020
This little heap of prickles is Benjamin. He arrived as a present, a tiny, tiny little sphere covered in glassy spikes of rage. Benjamin lived in a tiny little pot, which was fine, as he was a tiny little cactus. He has a long name for such a little prickle. When Benjamin was small he… Read More Meet the cacti part 4: Introducing Benjamin
This is Theodore. He is a tall lil dude, with many prickly fingers. He might be a succulent, but he’s never told me so I don’t like to ask. Theodore came into my life from my mum, who had been given him as a present. He was rather dehydrated, and lived in a very tall… Read More Meet the cacti part 3: Introducing Theodore
The year is drawing to a close ( I like to get ahead and think of the end of October as my starting point. Samhuinn and all that) and instead of resolutions, I’ve been using loose themes for the last few years. This last year I wanted to be more honest with myself and with… Read More Small Changes: A Project
6 years ago, I decided to stop buying things for a year. I supposed it was easy to stop consuming stuff. After all, I didn’t want to be part of that machine any more – I wanted to break free, to get rid of the knee-jerk twitch that made it so easy to mindlessly keep… Read More What does buying give me?
A few years ago, I bought nothing for a year. It seemed so simple on paper. Inspired by the OG Minimalism blogs – Zen Habits, The Minimalists, Becoming Minimalist, Slow Your Home – I loved the idea of a streamlined life, free from clutter and distraction. And so, in the January of 2012, I just… Read More The other side of buying nothing
The last year or so has been a journey, to put it mildly. Now I’m feeling quite a lot better, and I’m ready to step into this next phase of life. I’m quite looking forward to it. I think I’ve learnt a lot. A road I never expected but really, I feel like a better… Read More Claws, clutter, and change