Wellbeing | A Breath of Fresh Air

Why stepping outside and filling your lungs in winter will always improve your day

There’s no getting away from it. If you reside in the UK, you’re probably not living your best outdoor lifestyle in December. But is that, in fact what makes a blast of winter air so special? When you step outside in summer you may not even bother to shut the door behind you; the garden becomes an extension of the house. You don’t need to change your clothes or add layers. You simply mosey on out and join everyone else, going about their day.

But in winter, stepping outside can be like stepping into Narnia. Moving from a stuffy, centrally heated house full of artificial light into the dark and the fresh, cool air feels like a little adventure, whether you’re off on a hike or just poking your nose outside. And there’s nothing like that first lungful of cold air to calm frazzled nerves, soothe overindulged stomachs and clear your mind. No matter how long you have, a breath of fresh air might be the festive re-set you need this season. Here are a few excuses to help you find it. 

Excuse: A good walk

Whether it’s a nice chat with a parent or sibling, or perhaps a catch-up with an adult child you don’t see so much of these days, a good long walk is an excellent reason to get out of the house when you feel you’re starting to ‘ferment’. Once the excesses of Christmas Day and Boxing Day are over you can declare that you ‘simply must get a bit of exercise’ and commandeer someone to keep you company. 

Enjoy the first slap of cold air on your cheeks as you rediscover the world outside (somehow even two days spent indoors at Christmas always feels like you’ve been locked up for months). Pick somewhere that will allow you to appreciate nature a bit, whether that’s a national park or the gardens of a stately home, or a wilder woodland setting, and you’ll have plenty of conversation starters. However, you often find that the mere act of walking side by side, without the pressure of full eye contact, allows people to open up and you’ll end up chatting about all sorts of things and possibly discovering a new side to someone you thought you knew everything about. And how often do we get the chance to do that? 

Secret benefit: Reconnecting with the important people in your life. 

Excuse: Tidying the garden

If wandering far from home isn’t an option, find a good long job that absolutely must be done in the garden and escape into the fresh air. At this time of year, any dry day is a good enough excuse to abscond to the garden for a few hours. Wrap up warm, with double gloves, and get cutting back, sweeping up and scrubbing out old plant pots ready for spring. Pop a podcast on in your ear phones, or just enjoy hearing the occasional garden bird trilling. 

Secret benefit: Your future self will thank you in February.

Excuse: Child or dog care

Whether you own a child or a dog yourself or not does not matter here. No parent or pet owner will object if you offer to take a scatty lab or over-Christmassed kid out to burn off some energy in the park. You need not admit that you’d much rather spend an hour in the company of someone smaller and/or furrier than yourself than have to make any more adult small talk about the cost of living or when it is acceptable to take the tree down. Take a ball with you, a good book in case the dog/child leaves you to your own devices once there, and maybe a flask of something hot to enjoy with your fresh air and dose of daylight.

Secret benefit: A nice cup of tea and a sit down - en plein air. 

Excuse: Putting the bins out

The thing about Christmas is that if you’re not washing up, you’re probably taking the bins out. Both are excellent ways of finding a little peace and quiet for yourself. But taking out the bins has the added bonus of a few moments of fresh air, too. 

Tie up the bin liner and replace it so that no one comes looking for you asking where the new bin liners are, then trudge through the back door with the air of someone ‘just getting the job done’. Make a slightly larger deal than necessary about rearranging the bins for maximum space efficiency and by the time you’ve sorted it all out, all eyes will be off you. Slope around the corner of the house where you’ll be unseen and then, with only the moon for company, look up at the sky and take in a few deep breaths and enjoy five meditative moments alone with your thoughts. If anyone questions your absence when you go back indoors, claim you thought you saw a rat and went to investigate. That should ensure no one else offers to take the bin out and the job remains yours.

Secret benefit: A bit of peace and quiet. Plus, you’ll be treated like a heroine for doing the dirty jobs.

Excuse: Just airing the house

If the weather foils your plans, as a last resort, find a quiet room, throw open the window, stick your head out and take a few deep lungfuls of winter air. Mentally, block out the rest of the world and all the goings on inside the busy house, close your eyes and imagine yourself out in the great blue yonder… That’s better, isn’t it?

Secret benefit: A mini self-care package (and a fresher feeling room). 

If you’re interested in fresh air winter walks you might enjoy our feature ‘A Wander to Behold’ from our December issue, which is on sale now.

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How to | Go (Almost) Wild Camping

Live a simpler life, closer to nature, even if it’s just for a night or two

If you fancy the idea of the simplest of existences for a week, sleeping under the stars and living entirely out in nature (but perhaps aren’t quite ready to forego a shower and running water yet) you might like to try Almost Wild camping.

In our April issue, James Warner Smith told us where to find some of the UK’s best almost wild camping spots. You can read all about them from page 18. Here are some of his tips for getting started if you’re feeling wild (but not THAT wild).

*Check the facilities Availability of toilets, showers and washing-up areas may vary so check before you book and you’ll know what to expect.

* Stock up Few campsites will have an onsite shop, or it may be very basic. Find the location of the nearest shops before you travel and bring adequate supplies, just in case.

* Cut the clutter Try not to pack the kitchen sink. Aim for being able to fit everything you need into a wheelbarrow (often provided) as you can rarely park by your pitch.

* Book early For the best spots, plan ahead and book early, especially in (this) summer. Check if children and dogs are allowed, too.

* The right pitch Practise putting up your tent at home and check you have all the necessary parts.

* Cook out Most sites let you have a campfire, which goes against the grain of the ‘Leave No Trace’ ethos of genuine wild camping. Ditch the camping stove and get creative.

* Slow down Switch off your phone, embrace the slower pace of life and just take time to enjoy where you are.

Almost Wild Camping: 50 British Campsites on the Wilder Side by James Warner Smith (Punk Publishing)

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Wild camping | bedzones

Sailors, mountaineers, hikers, cyclists, canoeists and pilgrims have been wild camping for centuries . These are the four traditional ‘bedzones’ used by wild campers…

WILD ZONE Aka Scotland – from Cape Wrath to Gretna, every loch, trail and beach, the lowlands, the peaks and what’s left of the forest. Freedom to sleep and wild camp was restored as a right in 2003 under the Land Reform Act.

FORESHORE ZONE The coast is possibly the most important common ground in Britain and Ireland. Our law has enshrined the right to fish, dig bait and navigate, without having to pay. This means that while the tide is out, it’s perfectly reasonable to camp, eat, light a fire and rest on the foreshore (the area below the high-tide mark).

MIDDLE EARTH The area between the foreshore and the mountains – where we all, pretty much, live. It’s wrong to say camping here is illegal. It’s like saying it’s illegal to sit down at a table in a restaurant without asking. It’s not, but just polite to ask first.

MOUNTAIN ZONE Mountaineers and ramblers have been enjoying free sleep in the hills for ever. Today, there’s still no one up there collecting pitch fees. Many landowners consider the minimum necessary height for wild camping to be 450m – and hundreds of hills within the UK fall into that category.

If you fancy a bit of wild camping yourself, turn to page 21 of our August issue, where Stepehn Neale, author of Wild Camping: Exploring and Sleeping in the Wilds of the UK and Ireland (below) tells us how to wild camp safely and considerately.

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Wild Camping Book Reader Offer

To order at a discount of 20%, go to bloomsbury.com and use the code SIMPLE20 before 27 August. 



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How to | make a kite

We’re all about the gusty adventures this month. Let’s go fly a kite!

We hope you like the kite illustration on our Blossom front cover for March. Inside the issue Jo Mattock has written a piece to inspire you to take your kite on an outing. If you don’t have time to dig yours out of the shed, here’s how to make one in moments.

You will need

• 2 straight sticks or pieces of cane (raid last year’s runner beans patch), one around 50cm and one around 60cm but you can make them bigger or smaller as you wish

• String

• Washi tape (you knew you’d find a practical use for it one day, didn’t you?)

• A piece of light fabric or strong paper to fit your kite frame (a bin liner will do in a kite-building emergency)

• Suitable glue

• Masking tape

• A long piece of fabric for your kite tail, plus fabric remnants
  
  
  

How to make your kite

1. Arrange your two sticks in a T-shape, with the shorter stick crossing the longer stick about a third of the way down. 

2. Wind string around and around at the point where the sticks join and tie it securely. Cover over the join with washi tape until you are certain the structure is secure. You can use a blob of superglue if you prefer, to anchor the string.

3. Use a pair of scissors to saw a small notch at either end of both sticks (4 notches), each about 3cm from the end. 

4. Tie a piece of string around the edge of your shape, forming a diamond, using the notches to secure the string with a knot at each corner.

5. Place your diamond shape on top of your fabric, paper or bin liner and draw around the outside of the shape, approx 5cm bigger all the way round, then cut out your shape.

6. Place the diamond frame back on your fabric. Squirt a line of glue all the way around the edge of the fabric diamond and then fold the edges over the string frame to stick down.

7. Use masking tape to secure the fabric to the frame all around the edge and across the stick frame.

8. Cut a length of string a bit longer than your spar (the shorter stick). We used 65cm of string for the 50cm cane. Tie to each end of the smaller stick so the string has plenty of slack.

9. For your flying line, tie a long piece of string to the middle of the slack string. Make it as long as you dare.

10. Create a tail for your kite with a long piece of string from the bottom and decorate it with pieces of fabric tied on. Decorate the front and back of the kite as you wish. 

11. Go fly a kite and send it soaring!

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5 things | you probably should do on an island adventure

Take a leaf out of the Famous Five’s book and do it properly

Britain has 82 large islands around it, and more than 6,000 smaller ones. And each is special and worthy of an adventure in its own way.

In our May issue, we’ve an extract from Islandeering: Adventures Around the Edge of Britain’s Hidden Islands by Lisa Drewe (Wild Things Publishing) which has lots of great ideas for walks, swims and things to see on 50 islands in our archipelago. But to make life simple, if you’re off on your own island adventure this week, we’ve got five things you really should do to up the Blytonesque fun factor.

1. Eat something you foraged yourself. From cockles to dandelion leaves, it always tastes better when you found it rather than bought it. Pretend you’re stranded and it will taste even better!

2. Explore some rocks or ruins. Paddle in rock pools hunting for crabs or scramble up the banks of a ruined castle. Every discovery is exciting on your own island.

3. Ride out in a little boat if you can (take care to tie up your oars so no gold thieves can row your boat back out leaving you stranded a la Anne and George on Kirrin Island).

4. Plan a big walk - walking the perimeter of an island all around the coastline will give you a smug glow but if that’s not manageable walk the shortest path across it or perhaps up a significant hill. Be sure to take a map - or draw your own.

5. Take a picnic. Eat it on the sand, a rocky outcrop or find a more sedate picnic bench, wherever you like, but it must contain a fancy sandwich, some good cake and, obviously, lashings of ginger beer.

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The rules of Pooh Sticks

Simple and such fun: here’s how to play properly

Pooh Sticks, the game that’s made for anyone who just can’t help but pick up sticks in the forest, and is best played with a big crowd of friends, was originally invented (by Pooh himself, obviously) all alone and using pine cones. But Pooh had such larks dropping pine cones of the bridge in the Hundred Acre Wood and rushing to the other side to watch them come through, he shared it with all his friends.

If you wish to play on the actual bridge Pooh and friends used, you’ll need to head to Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, on which A.A. Milne based the books. The bridge itself is a footbridge which crosses a tributary of the Medway in Posingford Wood. It’s a lovely day out and - pro tip - if you fancy a Little Smackerel Of Something, the nearby village of Hartfield has a cafe named Pooh Corner with cakes a plenty and plenty of Milne memorabilia, too.

Pooh Corner’s owner Mike Ridley wrote a little booklet with the rules of Pooh Sticks in back in 1996 to mark the 70th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh. It’s rather charming and we think every spring picnic to somewhere near a river needs a copy of these rules in order to play Pooh Sticks Properly (A.A Milne capitals intended). So here they are:

First, you each select a stick and show it to your fellow competitors. You must agree which stick is which - or whose, as it were.

1. Check which way the stream is flowing. Competitors need to face the stream on the side where it runs in, under the bridge (upstream). Note: If the stream runs out, from under the bridge you are standing on the wrong side! (downstream).

2. Choose someone to be a Starter. This can be either the oldest or the youngest competitor.

3. All the competitors stand side by side facing upstream.

4. Each competitor holds their stick at arms length over the stream. The tall competitors should lower their arms to bring all the sticks to the same height over the stream as the shortest competitor's stick.

5. The starter calls, 'Ready - Steady - Go!" and all the competitors drop their sticks. Note: the stick must not be thrown into the water*.

6. At this point in the game all the players must cross to the downstream side of the bridge. Please take care - young players like to race across. Remember, other people use bridges and some of them have vehicles or horses.

7. Look over the edge of the bridge for the sticks to emerge. The owner of the first Stick to float from under the bridge, is the winner.

Remember: Falling into the water is SAD (Silly And Daft)!

*Eeyore apparently suggests dropping it ‘in a twitchy sort of way’ but we think doing so might risk disqualification.

In our March issue, which is in shops now, our Outing feature, In Search of Spring, looks more closely at Pooh Sticks (and how to win) as well as other days out for those seeking spring.

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How to improve your frisbee

Give these techniques a spin to improve your summer sporting chances

There are more than 100 possible frisbee throws (see YouTube to learn a few more), so a few sessions in the park will not a pro make. These tips, however, will teach old dogs and humans alike a few new tricks.

Master your spins

Bend your wrist, then snap it quickly to give lots of spin. The more spin, the more stable it will be and the more control you’ll have on its flight.

Elbows out

Bend your elbow during your throw to add power and increase accuracy.

Do the twist

When throwing, step towards where you’re aiming, or try moving your weight from your back foot on to your front. Twist your shoulder, hips and legs through to the point of release.

Strong and stable

Stable throws are more accurate throws. Aim to keep the frisbee level and throw from just above your belly button for optimum stability.

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Recipe: Pea, mint, spinach and goat’s cheese quiche

This quiche is simple to make and packed with summery flavours

Turn to page 34 of August's The Simple Things for the full riverbank picnic menu: Pork and egg pie with a lattice top, Pea, mint, spinach and goat’s cheese quiche, Potato salad, and Meringue kisses. 

Pea, mint, spinach and goat’s cheese quiche

280g plain flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface
140g cold butter, cut into little pieces
6 tbsp cold water
300g frozen peas
handful of mint leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
284ml double cream
200g goat’s cheese
handful of baby spinach, wilted and water squeezed out in a tea towel

1 In a blender, combine the butter, water and flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Roll up in to a ball and cover in clingfilm and rest in the fridge until ready*.

2 Cook the peas for 3 mins in boiling water, then drain and chill under the cold tap. In a hand blender, whizz together the peas, mint and olive oil, and season to taste.

3 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F.

4 Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to a circle about 3cm bigger than a 25cm tin. Drape the pastry over the tin and gently push the pastry into place using a little scrap of pastry. Leave a little pastry over the edge of the tin; this can be removed later. Chill in fridge for 10-15 mins.

5 Lightly prick the base of the tart and line with baking paper and ceramic baking beans. Blind bake for 20 mins, then carefully remove the beans and bake for a further 5-10 mins until lightly browned.

6 While the pastry is baking, beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the cream and season.

7 When the case is ready, spread the pea mixture over the bottom of the tart case. Pour over the egg mixture. Scatter the crumbled goat’s cheese and wilted spinach over the top of the quiche.

8 Bake for 20-25 mins until set and the top is browned. Trim the edges of the pastry off and leave to cool on a wire rack. 

*Or buy shortcrust pastry readymade from the supermarket if you’re short on time or inclination. 

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Escape: Caravan holidays

A new view from your bedroom window but with home comforts all around you: a caravan holiday delivers the ideal combo of home and away 

Have you ever wondered about the appeal of a touring caravan? Then consider the freedom one offers. Not just the obvious freedom of the road, where you can journey spontaneously wherever and whenever fancy takes you, but the freedom to take your home comforts with you. Fancy a cup of tea? Pull over at a lay-by and put the kettle on. Suspicious of hotel bedlinen? Yours is all there tucked away in neat little cupboards, waiting. Worried that tea and biscuits might not be up to scratch in a B&B? You have tins of your favourites stowed away and ready for use. Miss your real home? Furnish your mobile one with customised cushions, curtains and bits and bobs.

Then there are all the benefits of the outdoors. Arrive on site, erect your awning and you can put up a deckchair, barbecue some sausages, let the children run free (and bring the dog) without wandering more than a few metres from your door. Try doing any of that outside a hotel room.

A caravan (and this includes the unfairly derided static caravan or mobile home) also offers the freedom to escape the workaday routine without going too wild. Instead of eating meals on the sofa in front of the TV, you can eat around a campfire beneath the stars. But no camping hardship here: proper plates, cutlery and glasses can be employed, not plastic cups and billycans. And rather than each family member being glued to their tablet, a pack of cards or a board game provides the evening’s entertainment. Really, what’s not to like about caravanning? 

The spirit of the sprite

The first caravan to tickle the fancy of the UK holidaymaker was the Alpine Sprite, above, a light, low-cost (£199) caravan made from tempered hardboard that could be towed behind the family car. It was the brainchild of designer Sam Alper* who in 1948, saw a gap in the market for a post-war leisure vehicle.

As the years went on, Alper developed different models. The model that still survives in vintage caravan sites and the odd front garden is the Sprite 400, which could be towed behind smaller cars, and the Sprite Cadet, launched in 1970

You can still pick up a vintage Sprite on eBay for between £500 and £1,000. 

Turn to page 56 of July's The Simple Things for more of Clare Gogerty's caravan feature.

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Event: The Nomad Cinema

The roaming pop-up that gives back! 

With 100% of profits going to edu-environmental charity The Sustainability Institute, The Nomad Cinema creates memorable cinematic events in unique and quirky locations across the capital, all for a good cause! With a host of indoor and outdoor venues including the Royal Academy of Arts, Meantime Brewery, Fulham Palace, Brompton Cemetery, Grosvenor Square and many more, The Nomad’s festival atmosphere creates film magic wherever it roams, then disappears into the night, leaving no trace…

The Nomad is the sister cinema to North-West London’s critically acclaimed community indie cinema The Lexi – a truly independent, volunteer-run film-lover’s gem in the heart of up-and-coming cultural hub, Kensal Rise. A state-of the art boutique digital cinema with good old-fashioned heart and soul, the Lexi hosts regular Q&As, special events, outreach projects, as well as exhibitions in the gallery bar!

The Nomad’s September highlights include Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel at Fulham Palace, Little Miss Sunshine and Withnail & I in Queen’s Park, as well as fashion doc IRIS in hipster hangout, The Hoxton Hotel. October features a new indoor venue in King’s Cross with a brand new back-to-back two-screen format, as well as a creepy Halloween programme in Hyde Park’s The LookOut – a treehouse-inspired cabin, hidden in a copse of trees… Looking further ahead, the Nomad’s ever-popular Christmas season will this year be hosted in another new venue, this time in Victoria, with something for everyone – from feel-good classics to alternative wintry titles.

www.whereisthenomad.com

Make: Build an outdoor oven

Who says outdoor cooking is restricted to the barbecue? Take your pizza and bread baking al fresco as well with a DIY clay oven.  

In August's issue of The Simple Things, we're all about eating in the garden. This isn't a particularly tricky or expensive project, but does require a bit of space, a fair amount of planning and a full three days. That said, when the job’s done, it’ll give you summers of baked goodness. 

Download the instructions for making your own outdoor oven.

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• Bread recipes
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Recipe: Sunshine hash

Sunshine hash

Serves 4 very generously

Ingredients
4 sausages (take the opportunity to buy an interesting flavour from the butcher, like caramelised onion, sweet chilli or apple)
800g new potatoes, scrubbed clean
olive oil
8 rashers streaky bacon, roughly snipped or chopped
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped, or 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 spring onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (optional)
salt and pepper
4 large free-range eggs

1 Cook sausages over a medium heat for about 10-12 mins, then remove from the pan and set aside. Wipe the pan with a piece of kitchen roll. 

2 Chop the potatoes into small cubes. Put two tbsp olive oil into the frying pan over a low/medium heat. Cook the potatoes for about 15-20 mins until they are golden.

3 Add the bacon and cook for a further five mins. 

4 Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they just start to soften, but don’t let them go too mushy. Stir in the spring onions and garlic if using. Then add the sausages (I like to slice them thickly before adding to the pan). Season well with salt and pepper. 

5 Push the hash to one side of the pan and add another tbsp oil. Crack two eggs in the space, and fry until they are cooked to your liking. 

6 Divide the hash between four plates, and pop an egg on top of two of them. Return the pan to the heat and fry the remaining eggs for the last two plates. 

7 Serve with ketchup and big mugs of tea. 

Recipe from Pitch Up, Eat Local by Ali Ray (£16.99, AA Publishing with The Camping and Caravanning Club)

Competition: win £500 of Inntravel holiday vouchers (archived)

In our competition you could win £500 worth of vouchers towards a Slow Holiday courtesy of Inntravel, the Slow Holiday people. Just click here to ‘like’ their Facebook page, enter your details, and then imagine where Inntravel could take you. Walk the wild undiscovered coastline of Portugal; cycle the back lanes of France; discover the “End of the World” in the Canary Islands; explore the impressive fjords of Norway… there are countless memories to be made. Inntravel’s carefully crafted holidays ease you into the rhythm of everyday life as you journey through wonderful landscapes, discover hidden gems and encounter friendly local people along the way. Slow holidays allow you to travel at your own pace, giving you time to enjoy delicious regional cuisine and relax in family-run hotels and inns. Remember the moment with Inntravel. Enter here.

Please note: £500 holiday voucher is to be used against the purchase of any Inntravel holiday for departure before 24th October 2015, subject to availability.

Take your life outside

Go barefoot, try rockpooling, and catch an al fresco film - no better season to take your life outside.

"What? This is England!" we hear you cry. That's right and, as we like to say at The Simple Things, rain will never stop play...

This month, join us in celebrating all that's wonderful about summer and the great outdoors. Whether you're in the garden, park or on the beach, remove your shoes and embrace the pleasures of going barefoot.

When you walk without shoes you awaken and massage the many nerve endings in your feet. Godolphin House in Cornwall has a dedicated barefoot trail where you can reintroduce your toes to exciting different textures you probably haven't felt underfoot since you were a child.

While your shoes are off, why not go rockpooling? The Wildlife Trusts have a list of the UK's best spots from the Isle of Mull to the Isle of Wight.

When it's time to eat, try to enjoy as much fresh-air food as possible. As well as barbecueing, try cooking a one-pot wonder like a fish stew or some breakfast pancakes over a campfire. If you're going out in the evening, do something you can only do in summer, such as catch an al fresco film or theatre production. The Picnic Cinema is screening classic and cult films in locations across the country from castles to forests where you have the chance to camp overnight after the film.

Leeds Castle is hosting the largest open-air classical concert this month and theatre company, The Pantaloons, will be putting their unique twist on The Tempest. If you'd rather escape the crowds, try wild camping on beautiful Dartmoor or Brecon Beacons. The National Trust have details of where wild camping is permitted. Just you, your tent, your choice of company and the great outdoors. Heaven.

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Take a twilight walk

As the sun lingers longer on the horizon, dusk in high summer is an opportunity to take a twilight walk and revel in the nocturnal nature on all our doorsteps. 

The liminal magic of twilight, whether in the ‘tulgey wood’ of Lear’s poetry, Hardy’s ‘gloam’ or TS Eliot’s ‘violet hour’, affords it an ethereal place in our collective subconscious, but for a number of species, it is a time of industry, wakefulness and movement. A huge variety of creatures are starting their day as the human one winds down. For us, the pleasure of free-range family time adds to the thrill of those in-between hours, ensuring our eyes and ears are alert and attuned to our surroundings in a new way.

Try these twilight activities:

For guaranteed sightings of birds of prey, hares, or even seals and puffins, take an expert-led tour.

The National Trust and the RSPB offer a number of guided evening walks, whether bird, bat, or moth based, and many reserves have rarer residents too. Check out www.rspb.org.uk/events and www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

Spend an evening badger watching in a dedicated hide.

Badger cubs should be fully weaned by early July, but can be seen gathering food and bedding around hides. By summer’s end, they begin feeding themselves up for winter when they spend much of their time in a state of torpor, sleeping for days at a time. Find a local group at www.badger.org.uk.

Pack a twilight picnic, and a torch or camping lantern (to attract the moths) and watch as they flit around as the sunlight fades.

Or put up a white sheet in your garden, hang a torch or glowstick in front of it, and enjoy your own nature show.

Head to a pond or lake.

As the sun goes down, life on the water hots up. Newts and a variety of aquatic invertebrates are attracted to light, so as it gets dark, move a beam of light across the water to see what you find. On warm evenings you might spy frogs or toads swimming, while insects such as great diving beetles, water boatmen and pond-skaters can still be seen.

For more twilight tips, turn to page 76 of July’s The Simple Things.

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Sponsored post: July's cut flower patch planting diary

Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month’s planting diary.

'Mid-summer is the peak for any cut flower patch. July is all about maintaining your patch to get the most from your plants, to enjoy the fruits of your labour and to pick, pick, pick.

'Weeding, watering and deadheading might sound dull but there’s something really quite meditative about an hour or so pottering in amongst your flowers making everything look tidy and well-cared for. You’ll have the visual delight of the colourful tapestry of all of your flowers, the heady scent from sweet peas and the pleasure of seeing so many insects enjoying and sharing the plot too. So don’t see your time maintaining your plot as a chore but revel in the opportunity to be outdoors with bees buzzing and butterflies flying silently past.

'It’s easy for weeds to take over so keeping on top of them with a little regular hoeing is the best way for you and your flowers to not be overwhelmed. Get to weeds before they have a chance to flower and you’ll also prevent another generation of weeds springing up. Cut flower plants are much more tolerant of a dry spell than many vegetables but to keep your plants in tip-top shape, a watering once a week will be of benefit. A good soaking is much better than just a quick sprinkle every day or so. This is really just a waste of time as the water is not sufficient to penetrate the soil and much of it evaporates never actually making it to the plant.

'You won’t need to do too much deadheading if you’re picking flowers on a regular basis. But, if you go away for a holiday or there are flowers you didn’t get round to picking you’ll need to snip them off once they’ve gone over so that the plant doesn’t go to seed. Keep doing this over the summer and your plants will keep on blooming well into autumn.'

Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln. 

 

Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Heading to New York City this summer? Seek out Prospect Park in Brooklyn: a masterpiece of landscape architecture at the green heart of NYC's largest borough.

Photographer and stylist, Julia Gartland, decided to hold an informal, pot luck picnic in Prospect Park for July's The Simple Things.

And what a location it is. According to Adrian Benepe, "Olmsted and Vaux designed Central Park, learned from their mistakes, and then designed Prospect Park." Indeed, this 585-acre oasis is an ambitious feat of design, packed with attractions such as the Long Meadow, a 90-acre meadow; Prospect Park Zoo; The Boathouse; Brooklyn's only lake, covering 60 acres; and the Prospect Park Bandshell, which hosts free outdoor concerts in the summertime.

Over ten million visits each year prove the Prospect Park has something for everyone, locals and tourists, young and old, from skating to birding to pedal boating to picnicking on the Long Meadow on beautiful days. The Park also boasts a stunning variety of natural and geological features, such as Brooklyn’s only forest, rolling meadows and shaded hillsides.

Find out more about Prospect Park, and read an extract from Prospect Park: Olmsted & Vaux's Brooklyn Masterpiece by David P. Colley (cover pictured).

Turn to page 26 of July's The Simple Things for beautiful photographs and recipes to inspire your own portable feast - on sale 27 June 2014.

Sponsored post: June’s cut flower patch planting diary

Louise Curley, author of The Cut Flower Patch, shares this month’s planting diary.

'June is the month when I breathe a little sigh of relief. The seeds which I have nurtured into young plants over the last few months are all now planted into their final homes on my cut flower patch. The last of the half-hardy annuals have been planted out as the days and nights should hopefully be warm enough now for these tender plants. Cosmos, rudbeckias and dahlias will take a little longer to come into flower than the hardy annuals but they will provide buckets full of blooms throughout the summer and autumn.

'It’s a little odd after months of there being a sea of green my windowsills, greenhouses and cold frame are now empty. It would be easy to sit back and think that was the last of the seed sowing for the year but there’s a range of plants which can be sown now if you can muster up some more seed sowing energy. Miss this opportunity and you’ll miss out on some of the best cut flowers.

'Biennials tend to be a bit neglected but they are well worth the effort. Sow from now up until mid-July and they’ll make small plants this year which will sit in the ground over winter. Then, next spring they will shoot away providing cut flowers in late spring through to August. This makes them perfect for that difficult gap when spring bulbs have finished and your hardy annuals are yet to start flowering. Sweet williams and wallflowers are classic cottage garden flowers; both are fragrant and last well once picked. Other biennials to try are Iceland poppies, forget-me-nots, sweet rocket and honesty.'

Louise Curley is the author of The Cut Flower Patch, published by Frances Lincoln.

Making: Upcycled jeans runner

Give an al fresco meal the stylish setting it deserves. Turn a picnic into an occasion with our upcycled jeans runner project. Ditch the saccharine sweeness of picnic pastels, and add a contemporary edge to your outdoor table instead. Just rummage for old jeans and begin. Make the denim runner to whatever size your table dictates.

Supplies

Old pair of jeans Fabric scissors Sewing machine Thread

1. Cut the legs off a pair of jeans (as far up towards the crotch as possible) using fabric scissors.

2. Cut down the inside-leg seam to open each leg out and then iron them.

3. Now hem each edge using your sewing machine.

4. Hem the cut edge at the end of one of the jean pieces, then hand-sew or machine-sew it on top of the other piece.

Project by interiors journalist, Heather Young, who blogs about her enviably stylish and crafty life at Growing Spaces.

For two more midsummer table makes, turn to page 40 of June's The Simple Things. Buy or download your copy now.