Enter | Our Neighbourhood Awards 2022

One of the very few benefits of the past couple of difficult years is that many of us learned to slow down, enjoy what we have and make the most of where we live.

As a result of the pandemic, many high streets have continued to struggle, while our neighbourhoods have often adapted and innovated. More of us are supporting local businesses, organisations and community groups who are doing their best to make their corner of the world a better place.

So we’re launching the Neighbourhood Awards for the second year to celebrate the best and brightest ideas, initiatives and helpful projects all over the country. Your nominees might be an organisation that helps those who are struggling – with costs of living or with mental health – or a community-run scheme to recycle, reduce waste, repair and even generate power. Maybe it’s a good shopkeeper who goes the extra mile for their customers.

HOW TO NOMINATE

Choose the category that feels most appropriate, fill in some contact details and tell us a little about the organisation you are nominating by clicking the Nominate Here button below.

We’ll get back in touch if we need any more info. The closing date for entries is 20 October 2022.

The Simple Things team will research each entry and choose ‘our favourite of your favourites’ to be featured in our February 2023 issue. They’ll also receive window stickers and certificates that we hope will be displayed with pride.

THE CATEGORIES

Most neighbourly gesture - An organisation making a daily difference to the area

New to the neighbourhood - A fledgling business

Most community-minded organisation – An initiative that brings people together

Working together – People who have co-operated to get things done

Going greener – A worthwhile eco project

You’ll find our full terms and conditions on p.125 of the magazine and online at icebergpress.co.uk/comprules

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How to | Start a Bullet Journal

Becaue the pen is not only mightier than the sword but also a much more useful organisational tool

In our October issue, our wellbeing feature was all about journalling, from gratitude journals, to nature journals to rage journals (yes, really!). By and large, you can make a journal what you want, but if you fancy venturing into the world of bullet journalling, you will need a bit of basic knowledge to get you started. Here’s all you need to know…

Bullet journaling is really an organisation system, but you can make it as creative or relaxing as you wish, too, and bullet journals can also be beautiful. There are countless Pinterest boards full of beautiful bullet journals to inspire you. Before you get carried away with brush pen calligraphy and journal stickers, however, you need to set up a basic journal. 

Set up a bullet journal

1. Choose your journal. Purists will go for ‘dotted’ paper but plain, lined or squared is all fine. 

2. Turn to your first blank spread and create your Index (just write ‘INDEX’ at the top for now - in fancy writing if you wish). As you go, you add pages to your index here, so you can always find the page you’re looking for.

3. On the next blank spread, create a Future Log. This is a forward planning space for the next six months. Divide each page into three with ruled lines and write the names of the next six months in each box. Number the pages 1 and 2 at the bottom and record them in your Index.

4. On the next single page, make a Monthly Log for this month. Write the numbers of the dates down the left hand side and next to them note the initial letters of the days of the week to help you find the right day. This is for big events such as birthdays etc. On the opposite page make a Monthly Tasks Page where you can make a note of any events, chores to be done etc in this month. Label these pages 2 and 3 and note them in your Index. 

5. Turn the page and repeat this process for a Weekly Log and Weekly Tasks Page. Label these pages 4 and 5 and note them in your Index. 

6. Do the same for a Daily Log and Daily Tasks Page for today. Label these 6 and 7 and note in your Index. 

7. Make a big cup of tea and sit down and label the remainder of the pages in your journal. 

8. Turn to the back of the journal and create some Collections Pages, working backwards, and adding each to your Index as you go. Collections pages can be anything; lists of books or films you want to see, recipes to try, places to go… Record each new page in your Index.

9. You can also start to add more pages to the front as you go. You might want a Habit Tracker for each month to record something like taking a daily walk, reading a chapter of a book or remembering to drink 8 glasses of water each day. Or you might want a Gratitude Page each week or month, or a page for tracking money spent. It’s up to you. 

10. As you get going you can add to your Log pages with goals for that week or month, and other lists - maybe plans for your lunches, shopping lists and the like. 

Now you’ve got plenty of pages set up, here’s a brief guide to bullet journalling symbols so you can get started.

Bullet journalling symbols

. A dot denotes a task. It can be easily turned into another symbol once completed or moved. 

x A cross is to show a task is completed.

> This sort of arrow shows you have migrated a task forward to another day or month. 

< This sort of arrow shows a task which has been migrated from elsewhere. 

o An event is a little circle. You can colour it in when the event is over. 

- A dash is for a note, where you just want to record information. 

You can add a ‘!’ or a ‘*’ to mark important items in your journal.

? A question mark can be used for items you aren’t sure about or to denote a query you’re waiting for information on. 

Obviously you can make up your own signs and symbols to suit you, too. You should have all the basics you need now. You can find lots more ideas and inspiration on the Bullet Journal website. But mainly, just enjoy adding to your journal in whatever creative or organisational way works best for you. 

Read all about the many different types of journaling and how they can improve your wellbeing from page 54 in our October issue.

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Recipe | Mini Pumpkin Creme Brulees

Fire up that blowtorch. These unique crème brûlées taste just as good as they look.

Serves 4

4 mini pumpkins, tops sliced off (keep) and insides scooped out
300ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
3 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp light brown sugar

1 In a large pot of simmering water, add the prepared pumpkins (keep the lids in the fridge ). Simmer for about 10 mins, or until soft but not mushy. Remove , allow to cool a little and place in the fridge or freezer (you want them to be very cold when you pour in the custard) .

2 In a saucepan , add the cream and vanilla . Heat up, but do not let boil.

3 Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Still whisking , pour this into the warm cream and stir continuously over a low heat for about 10 mins , or until the custard starts to thicken.

4 Once it’s thick and your pumpkin bases are chilled, spoon in the custard , filling the pumpkins to the top. Leave to cool and then chill in the fridge . This can be done a few hours before your guests arrive.

5 Before serving, sprinkle each pumpkin with sugar, then grill for about 4 mins or use a blowtorch until the top is blistering but not burnt. Allow to cool a little , so the sugar creates a shell over the custard .

This recipe is just one of the delicious (and slightly spooky) ideas from our Trick and Treat menu in our October issue. The feature also includes Black Widow cocktails, Halloween Chicken and Leek Pie, Chestnuts wrapped in bacon and more autumnal ideas.

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A simple thing | darker days

Rather than rail against the darker days, gather your blankets, a brew and a willing companion and sink into the delights of getting cosy for an afternoon. Helpful additions might be a good book, a just-tricky-enough puzzle, or a notebook for dreams and plans, but the key ingredient is probably the knowledge that there’s nowhere else you need to be right now; it’s about pausing and acknowledging the pleasures that are found in this moment. Photography: Getty

This was one of our ‘simple things’ from the October ‘Humble’ issue. You’ll find more simple things in every issue, which you can buy in shops or in our online store.

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More from our October issue…

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Factfile | Wellington Boots

When is a Welly not a Welly? When it’s a gum boot!

If you thought the humble Wellington Boot was all about practicality (and kicking up piles of autumn leaves, of course), think again. Hunters were far from the first Wellies for dedicated followers of fashion; in fact, the Welly has been a high-fashion item since its inception. 

We all know well the difficulty of pushing trousers inside your Wellies as you pull them on. Spare a thought for the soldiers of the 1880s, who, following Beau Brummell’s lead, were sporting a more tightly fitting linen (rather than woollen) trouser, and found that the tassels on their Hessian boots interfered with the hems of their breeches. Well what’s a chap to do?

Enter Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, who took matters into his own hand and asked his shoemaker to design something beautiful but a little more practical. George Hoby of St James’s Street, London, lost the tassel, cut the boot a little lower for ease of riding, and the Wellington was born. Arthur’s victory at the Battle of Vittoria in 1813 and then at Waterloo in 1815 did the Wellington’s public profile no harm at all. You can’t buy <that> sort of PR these days. 

There was even a Russian imposter! The Blucher, which was a sort of ankle boot - a precursor to the Wellibob, we suppose, but it was not received well in Blighty. 

The Wellington, however, had one major difference from what we know as a Welly today - it was made of leather, not rubber. The rubber or ‘gum’ boots we tramp around our veg patches in was not invented until 1856, four years after Wellington’s death, when the North British Rubber Company began to produce them and, rather cheekily, traded on the name Wellington. They found popularity during World War I, when they were produced en masse to help prevent trenchfoot among ordinary soldiers. When those who survived returned home, they took their practical Wellies with them, which made their way to sheds, allotments and boot rooms across the country.

In our October issue, our My Place feature is all about boot rooms, like the one above by @godsavethescene. You can admire all the other boot rooms from page 112.

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More of your places from My Place…

More from our October issue…

Neighbourly books for your neighbourhood library

Books about neighbours to start a neighbourhood library

In our October issue, we have a weekend project on how to make a tiny neighbourhood library for your front garden. Obviously, we were immediately sold and already measuring up planks of wood before the ink was dry on the pages. You can find the project on page 84.

Once you’ve knocked up your tiny neighbourhood library, you’ll want some books in it, and we think for the launch, some books that focus on neighbourhoods and neighbours might tempt the folk on your street to get lending and borrowing. Here are a few to get you going…

The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James

The story of Lowrie and Shen, the two youngest people left on earth after a pandemic causes mass infertility, and the community that reveres them.

The Woman Next Door by Yewande Omotoso

Hortensia and Marion are next-door neighbours in post-Apartheid Cape Town. One is black, one is white, and they are sworn enemies, until an unforeseen event begins to change things.

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

The Christmas after Lolly Rachpaul’s brother is killed in a gang-related shooting in Harlem, his mother buys him a huge box of Lego. While he tries to avoid the bad gangs in the city, he’s also building an amazing Lego city at the community centre which starts to become his way back into the neighbourhood.

The New Neighbours by Diney Costeloe

The residents of quiet and exclusive cul-de-sac, Dartmouth Circle have their peace shattered by the arrival of a bunch of students. Will there be hilarious antics, upset and changes of heart? We think it’s likely.

A Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman

Eighty-nine-year-old Marvellous Ways lives on the edge of a river in Cornwall, where she often sits on the banks with her telescope. One day a young soldier called Drake is washed up in the river, broken, bloodied and in need of help, and of course, Marvellous obliges.  

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More bookish fun…

More from our October issue…

Recipe | Marrow, miso and smoked salt soup

Never again regret a courgette that turns into an accidental marrow. This smoky, umami soup is a winner for autumn lunches and freezes brilliantly, too

Serves 8
50g unsalted butter
300g white onions, roughly chopped
5 fat garlic cloves, roughly sliced
1.5kg marrow, roughly cut into 2cm chunks
700g potatoes, roughly cut into 1cm cubes
1.5 ltr chicken or veg stock (or water)
3 tbsp brown miso paste or fermented fava bean paste
Smoked salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1 Melt the butter in a large stock pot over a gentle heat, add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 5-10 mins, or until softened.

2 Stir in the marrow and potato and cover with the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 15-20 mins, or until the potatoes are cooked.

3 Stir in the miso paste and blend until smooth with a stick blender, then season to taste with the smoked salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve piping hot in deep bowls, with crusty bread on the side.

Cook’s notes: If you’re using a marrow that’s been in storage for a while and has a particularly hard skin, slice it off before cooking as the marrow is unlikely to soften in the cooking time otherwise. If you can’t get hold of a marrow, this soup can easily be made with courgettes instead.

This recipe is by Kathy Bishop who, along with Tom Crowford, blogs at The Seasonal Table about slow food and slow living on their Somerset smallholding. It features in our October issue among other plot-to-plate autumn dishes

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From our October issue…

More soups…

A could-do list for October

Here’s our ‘Humble’ could-do list for this month. The idea behind a could-do list is that you can pick and choose which bits you want, do them all if you like, or just read and enjoy the idea. Or if you have your own ideas for a could-do list, get started on one of your own.

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More playlists…

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Etymology | Scrumping

Good words and what they mean. This month: the etymology (or ate-‘em-ology) of scrumping

It’s apple harvest time. But if you have a tree, make sure you get there before the scrumpers do. The practice of ‘scrumping’ for apples is as old as apple trees themselves but interestingly the term ‘scrumping’ doesn’t appear until 1886. 

Etymologists aren’t sure of its history but it’s thought to come either from a dialectical term meaning ‘something shrivelled or withered’ (which probably comes from the Middle Dutch, schrimpen) or from the adjective ‘scrimp’ which meant thrifty, and later morphed into the verb ‘to scrimp and save’ that we use today. 

Both theories are supported by the earliest meaning of ‘scrumping’ which referred not to actual stealing but simply to taking either windfalls or the smallest apples which were left on the trees after the apple harvest was over. So they’d be the slightly shrivelled apples no one wanted, and you’d save yourself money by taking them. 

Scrumping is, strictly speaking, illegal and one of those things that is charming and scampish when you are eight years old but tends to be frowned upon once you hit 28 years old. So if you’re going to do it, either take a child with you as cover, or do it on common land and call it ‘foraging’ instead. 

Oh, and one last word of caution: if you’re outside the UK, scrumping has a very different and slightly lewder meaning, so proceed with caution. Ask someone to scrumping with you and you might get invited in for more than apple crumble. 

Core values: Apple recipes for your illegal wares

If you’ve been scrumping (or just been to the farm shop) here are a few apple recipes from our blog that will soon see off a glut. 

Bircher Muesli with Cinnamon and Grated Apple

Barbecue Baked Apples

French Apple Tart

Crab Apple and Fennel Seed Leather

Apple Doughnuts

Crab Apple Whisky

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How to | Force bulbs

Have home-grown flowers in time for Christmas by forcing bulbs during Autumn’s darker evenings 

 Winter is a tricky time of year to decorate your home with anything other than berries and greenery (gorgeous as they are). Poinsettias and Christmas cacti might have their place – though this is debatable in our house – but if you’d prefer something a little less red and less dated – plant a group of bulbs that, given the right conditions and a little TLC, are guaranteed to bring style and scent to the festivities.  

 Narcissi, hyacinth, amaryllis and muscari bulbs are relatively quick to flower, but you do have to get your timings right to ensure they put on a show over the festive period.  

When to plant 

Unlike many gardening techniques, forcing bulbs – providing the right conditions for them to grow and flower – is an exact science. Hyacinths, for example, need different lengths of time to flower depending on the cultivar. Hyacinth ‘Anna Marie’, for example, requires eight weeks in cool conditions, followed by 18 days inside to bloom: plant on 12 October for them to flower on Christmas Day, or on the 19 October for a New Year’s Day display.  

According to the RHS, ‘good quality’ daffodil bulbs will flower in six to 10weeks, and amaryllis (hippeastrum) in 10 weeks. So again, mid- October is about right to get a festive display.  

How to plant 

Hyacinths, amaryllis and daffodils can be grown in bulb-fibre, which is available from all garden centres or nurseries. Make sure you buy hyacinth bulbs that are labelled ‘prepared’.  

1. Layer some bulb fibre in the bottom of a bowl or pot and water it. If the container doesn’t have drainage holes, pour excess water out a short while after each watering to prevent the roots sitting in too much moisture.  

2. Place the bulbs in any arrangement you’d like, just make sure they aren’t touching each other or the sides of the container. Add more bulb fibre around the bulbs, leaving the bulb tops showing and a gap of about 5cm from the top of the container to make it easier to water. 
3. Put planted hyacinth and amaryllis bulbs in a black polythene bag and leave them in a dark, cool spot (ideally 9C) like a shed or garage. The idea is to trick the bulbs into thinking it’s winter so they will start flowering when they are brought out into the light of a false spring.  

4. Keep an eye on them and water if the bulb fibre looks as though it’s drying out. If you’re growing narcissus, choose bulbs that are intended as indoor plants and, after planting in bulb fibre, leave them on a warm, sunny windowsill as they don’t need the dark to encourage them to flower. Grape hyacinths, such as Muscari aucheri, ‘Blue Magic’, can be treated in the same way and will flower in just six to eight weeks. 
5. Bring them in from the cold. Once your bulbs have shoots of about 5cm long, bring your pots indoors, or away from the windowsill. Encourage the leaves to turn green by placing the bulbs in a cool room, away from direct sunlight. Next, move the bulbs to a window where it should be a little warmer but avoid placing next to a radiator or in a draught as this will damage the bulbs. You might need to slow down the growing process if leaves appear more quickly than the buds. Place them in a cool spot again and cover them up for a few days, checking daily to ensure the leaves aren’t turning pale.  

Alternatively, you can also grow hyacinths in vases, which need to be slightly larger than the bulb size so you can fill the vessel with water right to the top, and sit the bulb in the neck of the vase. Once the roots and shoots have started to develop, treat them the same way you would if growing in bulb fibre.  

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