The Simple Things
A could-do list January
Discover and make a new breakfast dish Rearrange your furniture to give you a fresh outlook Dedicate a day to reading an entire book Create a water station for your garden birds Invite friends over for a supper by candlelight and embrace the...
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A could-do list December
Make cinnamon buns for breakfast (it is nearly Christmas) Visit a deer park in the low winter sun Listen to a Christmassy audiobook by the lights of the tree Make a festive recipe from another country Have an impromptu weekend away in a town you...
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SPICE
Stove-top chai & toffee apple cake • Falling for autumn • Think like a stoic Bring back sleepovers • Kitchen dancing & scenic saunas • Gnocchi veg pie Mast years & library days • The joy of a dressing table • How to pang-wangle
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A could-do list October
Knit yourself a scarf for winter – even if you’ve never knitted Make a batch of soup for ‘hug in a mug’ lunches Share your windfall fruit, or look out for a box outside a neighbour’s Send a friend a book and a bar of chocolate, just because Walk to...
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A could-do list September
Plan a treasure hunt around your neighbourhood with friends Visit an antiques or flea market Make your own pasta sauce from ripe tomatoes and bottle it for autumn Beat back-to-school blues with cake for breakfast Bury a time capsule
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A could-do list August
Hold a stone-skimming contest at the water’s edge Teach a friend a new skill and ask them to teach you one in return Find a good gelateria and take yourself off for an ice-cream Pretend you’re on holiday in your hometown Go for an evening swim...
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A could-do list July
Make scones with jam for tea Paddle in a stream Hold a veg plot swap with friends Write a poem for someone you know Learn to play a new outdoor game Throw wild seed bombs into an under-loved space Try some of our ideas, make up a few of your own,...
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A could-do list June
Make fairy cakes Visit a butterfly farm Lie on the grass and look up at the sky Hold a paper aeroplane contest in the park Stay up until a silly hour, talking with a friend Invent your own cocktail Try some of our ideas, make up a few of your...
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A could-do list May
Paint your front door and put new pots out Invite friends over to hang out in the garden Plan a walk with a pub lunch halfway through Research a local recipe and make it for dinner Make a playlist* of your favourite sunshine songs Try some of our...
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A could-do list April
Go to a lunchtime concert or matinee Draw or paint a local view Plan a weekend in a UK town or city you’ve never visited Try and complete an Eye-spy book Make your own rolls for picnic sarnies Find a farm where you can watch new-born lambs near...
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Loose ends
Remember that cross stitch you started before Christmas? How about that quilt you’ve been meaning to finish off? The knitted jumper that was going so well until you dropped a couple of stitches and chucked it back in the cupboard? Or even something...
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A could-do list February
Get up early and wrap up warm for a dawn walk Learn an instrument (yes, the kazoo counts) Eat dinner by candlelight with a friend Find the most niche museum you can and pay a visit Bring some bulbs into the house to open up in the warm Try some of...
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Frances
After December’s hubbub, it’s time to adjust to January’s slower, spooling pace. But this month, too, has its own twinkling magic. View the moon through bare trees, light candles and take a cue from the Icelandic tradition of ‘the evening wake’ of...
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A could-do list December
Bake gingerbread (a few biscuits, no need to make a whole house) Listen to carols by candlelight – in a church or just in your living room Invite friends over to watch a classic crimbo film Go to the coast when it’s quiet for a winter walk along the...
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A could-do list November
Wander around an antiques market Fill a vase with autumn leaves instead of flowers Seek out colourful foods for cheerful suppers Polish something – shoes, silverware, furniture – while listening to an audiobook Take a packable breakfast on a...
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A could-do list October
Chop the garden back (but leave a few wild bits for hibernators) Find a pattern for something you want to knit, crochet or sew Have friends over for a bonfire and storytelling night Watch a play at your local theatre Rearrange your furniture now...
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A could-do list September
Mend a broken item and give it a new lease of life Invite friends over for a veggie harvest dinner Book a weekend away and discover a new town Begin writing a diary, journal or even a novel Use a spare hour to make jam tarts for the cake tin Try...
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A could-do list August
Take a holiday in your hometown and visit somewhere new-to-you Make bramble jelly with the first of the blackberries Spend a day by a lake to swim, paddle or pedalo Create an outdoor reading space for yourself Visit a city and hire a bike to go...
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