How to live lagom

Ideas for a more balanced life, Swedish style

Just as you’ve mastered hygge, along comes another Scandi concept to get your head around. Lagom (pronounced “law-ghum” or “lah-gum”) is Swedish and means “just the right amount”, or being satisfied with your lot. As Anna Brones explains in Live Lagom, “It’s a happiness drawn from contentment with now.” 

Quality not quantity
Unlike hygge, lagom is not an excuse to stockpile candles. Roughly translating as “less is more”, it’s about valuing what you do have, whether it’s furniture or food. 

Look for balance in all aspects Including work/life 
Switch off, take proper holidays, embrace the Swedish fika coffee break (cinnamon buns encouraged). 

Live in awareness of the wider picture
Taking just enough means there should be plenty for all, a concept that encourages respect for the environment. 

Think more lagom
Ask yourself “Is this good enough?” rather than “Can I do better?”

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How to make yourself smarter

Quite easy – if you’re a gum-chewing, coffee-guzzling daydreamer with incredible self belief...

Short term: 
Drink coffee after a task. Boosts your chances of remembering it (also works with chewing gum or doodling while you do it).

Listen to music you like. This increases dopamine levels, in turn thought to improve cognition.

Daydream. Daydreamers do better on tests than their more focussed peers. 

Long term: 
Exercise. Increases the level of a protein that helps in growing new neurons.

Eat brain-friendly food. Food with Omega-3 fatty acids like fish, as well as B vitamins (think green veg, milk and shellfish), are believed to be good for brains. 

Clean your teeth properly. Having no teeth is linked to lesser cognitive abilities.

Really long term: 
Stick around. Over subsequent decades, IQ scores have been getting better and better – so, thanks simply to when you were born, you’re probably smarter than your great grandmother.

And a super easy short-term fix... 
Studies have shown that just believing you can be cleverer actually makes it come true.

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Garden hacks | Picture frame succulents

Make your plants pretty as a picture

You will need:
An old picture frame
Thin plywood
Screws and a drill
Chicken wire
Compost mixed with horticultural grit or sand
Dibber
Succulents: try a mix of hanging plants and rosettes

1 Remove any glass from the frame and replace with chicken wire.
2 Fashion a box frame to fit on the back of the frame using the plywood and attach.
3 At the bottom of the box, drill holes to allow for drainage.
4 Fill the box with compost mix.
5 Create holes between sections of the wire mesh, adding one of your plants into each hole.
6 Leave to stand for a few weeks to bed in before hanging, so that your plants don’t fall out!

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How to build a swing

Branch out with this playful addition to a garden

You will need:
Wood that’s at least 2.5cm thick, avoid pine and damaged wood
Poly twist rope
Handsaw
Sandpaper
Drill

1 Find a thick, living branch, parallel to the ground.
2 Cut your board to measure 45 x 25cm and sandpaper it.
3 Drill four holes a little bigger than your rope width in each corner of the wood, 2.5cm in.
4 Cut rope into two lengths twice the height of the swing plus 3.5 m.
5 Take a piece of rope and double it over so cut ends are together.
6 Holding the looped end, place rope over branch and then thread the two cut ends to secure the loop against the tree branch. Repeat with the second bit of rope – the same distance apart as the holes on the seat.
7 Thread lengths through the four holes and adjust for height.
8 Tie each length in a figure eight stopper knot under the swing.

More practical and playful suggestions in Miscellany, every month in The Simple Things!

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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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Miscellany | Jane Austen special

Today marks the bicentenary of Jane Austen's death (18 July 1817). In the July issue, The Simple Things presents Miscellany: a curious combination of the practical and the playful, circa 1817. Buy July here.

Learn how to make small talk at a ball, make us giggle with a caption for wet-shirted Colin Firth as Darcy, and learn an Austen word for a noble or young gentleman. 

Discover a fab gadget (Austen was reportedly a dab hand at this cup and ball game), cast aside your cocoa in favour of a much nicer nightcap, and take a household hint from Northanger Abbey. 

Shop three beautiful editions of Austen's classics, learn a classic 18th century card game as played in Emma and Pride and Prejudice, and discover how hard it can be to be an accomplished lady. 

Finally, get to grips with Austen's homes in our identifier and learn how to improve your garden, Austen style. 

Find out more about talks, walks, exhibitions and performances at janeausten200.co.uk. 

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How to make mosquito repellent

Persuade mozzies to buzz off with this natural spray

You will need:
Small spray bottle
Distilled or boiled water
Witch hazel or vodka
Vegetable glycerin
Essential oils, one or a combination of the following: lemon, citronella, tea tree, rosemary, lavender, mint or eucalyptus

1 Mix your water and witch hazel (or vodka) in the ratio 1:4.
2 Transfer to your spray bottle, leaving space for shaking.
3 Add a tsp of vegetable glycerin and 30 drops of essential oil (essential oils shouldn’t be applied directly on the skin – and keep kids away from them too). 
4 Give it a good shake before use. You’ll need to reapply every few hours.

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How to become an expert stone skimmer

You may not beat the world record of 88 bounces but you can give it your best shot 

Pick your pebble

Even the novice spinner can improve their chances by seeking out flat, round and smooth stones. Scientists have proved that stones of roughly 5cm in diameter fare best (it’s down to their surface area). Record holder Kurt Steiner recommends a weight of around 100–200g and a thickness of 6mm.

Find your entry point

Another previous record holder advises keeping the first bounce close – aiming for splashdown within 4.5 metres of the throwing point.

Give it a spin

Spin the stone as it leaves your fingers.

Let’s get technical

Those clever scientists have proved you need to ensure there’s an angle of 20 degrees between the stone and the water and that it’s launched at a speed of at least 5.6 miles per hour. How you actually use that knowledge out in the wild, we’re less sure of, but you’ve got until 27 September, the date of this year’s World Stone Skimming Championship near Oban in Scotland, to figure it out. 

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How to stop procrastinating

Here’s how to knuckle down, focus and really get the job... ooh look, a badger!

Everyone is prone to a spot (or several hours) of procrastination. While there’s no magic fix, these strategies may help you tackle it. Start: the bigger the task, the more likely we’ll procrastinate. Just making a start makes stress levels fall. Break the task into small ones to tick off as you go.

Remove distractions: browser plug-ins such as StayFocusd can block distracting internet sites. Try working on your task in dedicated chunks. The ‘Pomodoro Technique’ advises doing one thing only for 25 minutes before a break.

Be answerable: procrastination increases with self-imposed deadlines, so ask your boss/a friend to give you one. Failing that, website stickK lets you set yourself a goal – if you fail, a pre-pledged amount of money is donated to something you don’t like. It claims to increase success by up to three times. 

Forgive and forget: studies show people who forgive themselves for procrastinating go on to do it less. To lurk on Facebook for 37 minutes is human; to forgive – divine!

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Give it a grow: Raspberries

WHY WOULD I?

Plant now, and you’ll be enjoying the fruits of your labour by summer – raspberry canes will produce fruit from their first year, and even more the next. They prefer sun, but do well in shade, too. You can also try them in large (60cm diameter) containers.

WHEN DO I PLANT THEM?

Any time from November to March for summer fruiting raspberries, if there’s no frost and the soil isn’t waterlogged. Plant each cane 60cm apart, about 8cm deep. In a container, plant a few cm from the side, equally spaced, and ensure they’re kept well watered. 

HOW DO I KEEP THEM ALIVE?

Make sure soil is never too dry or too waterlogged. In spring, add a layer of manure around the base of the canes and you can water them with tomato feed as they fruit. In late autumn cut every cane that has borne fruit that year to about 25cm from the ground. It’s upsetting now, but will make for a more fruitful bush next summer. 
 

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Winter Skin Tonic

A facial toning elixir for all skin types – soothes irritated skin, tightens pores and keeps acne at bay

MAKES: 375ml
KEEPS: For two weeks in the fridge 

INGREDIENTS
375ml water
1 peppermint teabag
1 rooibos teabag
1 chamomile teabag
ESSENTIAL OILS:
1 drop rosemary
4 drops lavender

1 Bring the water to the boil, then leave to cool for 3 mins.
2 Pour the water over the tea bags in a pot and leave to stand for 5 mins. 
3 Cool completely before removing the tea bags. Add the oils and pour into a glass bottle. 
4 Shake bottle before use. Apply toner daily to cleansed skin prior to moisturising.

Courtesy of Jenny Pao. Found in The Domestic Alchemist: 501 Herbal Recipes for Home, Health and Happiness by Pip Waller (Leaping Hare Press)

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How to make egg box firelighters

Made from recycled material, these are super eco-friendly and non toxic

You will need:
Ends of candles
Empty baked beans (or other) tins
Egg cartons
Some sheets of newspaper
Sawdust
Scissors

1 Place the candle stubs in a rinsed out baked beans tin and place in a bain marie with a couple of inches of water.
2 Turn the heat on low to gently melt the candle wax.
3 Remove the lid from the egg boxes and place on a few sheets of newspaper to protect your worktop.
4 Put a large pinch of sawdust in the bottom of each egg holder.
5 When the wax is liquid, fill each egg holder to about half full.
6 Wait until completely cooled and set, before using scissors to cut up into individual firelighters.
The egg cartons light really easily and the sawdust acts like a wick for a candle, keeping it lit more than long enough for the fire to get going.

Idea from sugarandloaf.com/cottages/the-stable-at-huntington, who use these lighters for their wood-fired hot tub and Kotlich outdoor cooking pot/fire pit.
 

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Christmas: How to light your Christmas pudding

These methods will set off your plum pudding with aplomb

These two loved and trusted ways of getting a fabulous flame on your pud both rely on the same essentials – that is getting your brandy, your serving implement and the pudding itself warm. Our additional serving suggestions include keeping your audience calm and seated, and moving anything flammable well out of range.

FLASH IN THE PAN

1 Pour cooking brandy into a small pan and gently warm until it begins to start steaming.
2 Tip to the side of the pan, then light.
3 Angle the pan away from you and pour over a warm pudding.

LADLE IT ON

1 Fill a metal ladle or large metal spoon about three-quarters full of cooking brandy.
2 Heat over a flame.
3 Carefully tip the candle flame towards the brandy to light.
4 Pour your flaming brandy over the top of the pudding. 

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How to be a better caroller

Hark! The herald angels sing... more harmoniously by following our suggestions

While these tips won’t magically gift you the voice of an angel, they will improve what you’ve got, or at least make you more confident about it.

Take the stand

Singing is a lot about breathing. Stand with legs apart, chest lifted up, and shoulders back to help with air flow.

Stay hydrated

Step away from the egg nog. Water keeps vocal cords hydrated and happy.

Open wide

To create air space within your mouth, your tongue should be forward, touching your bottom teeth; your mouth open (long, not wide).

Tune in...

Singing with others is great for aspiring improvers – listen to other voices to work out when you’re getting it right. Resist the opportunity to belt it out – mid-volume is better.

... and keep going

Stronger voices come with practice, so keep carolling, whether in the shower or the car, and by next year you should be ding donging merrily on high. 

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Give it a grow: Bare-root climbing roses

WHAT IS IT?

No surprises here – it’s a perennial plant with exposed roots. Available from autumn to mid-spring, often by mail order, plants are dug up while dormant, roots washed, then shipped. 

WHY WOULD YOU?

Once in the ground, bare-root are exactly the same as container-grown plants, only cheaper. As this is the traditional way to plant roses, you’ll also and more varieties. The key thing is to soak the roots as soon as you can, before planting (if the ground is frozen or waterlogged, plant them temporarily in pots). The planting hole should be deep and wide enough to ensure roots aren’t bent or broken and are covered by at least a centimetre of soil. 

WHY WOULDN’T YOU? 

Perhaps if you were shopping in spring or summer, when only container-grown are available. 

WHICH VARIETY?

With hundreds to choose from, picking the best is a tall order. Rosa ‘Gertrude Jekyll’, a scented shrub variety (pictured above), was once voted the Nation’s Favourite. The RHS suggests ‘Madame Alfred Carriere’ for a north wall or shady spot; ‘Paul’s Himalayan Musk’ to clamber into trees, and ‘Pink Perpetue’ for covering pillars and trellis.

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Give it a Grow: Pilea Pepermioides

WHAT IS IT?

A rather trendy leafy houseplant that, until fairly recently, caused a bit of a brew-ha-ha in the horticultural world because none of the experts knew what it was called. For years it had regularly appeared at Royal Botanic Gardens Kew’s help desk to be identified by mystified members of the public. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that it got a name, when Kew botanist Wessel Marais suggested that it was a Chinese species of Pilea. It now has several common names, including the Chinese money plant, the missionary plant and the pancake plant.

WHY WOULD YOU?

It has a rather appealing story attached to it: the plant was introduced to Europe in 1946 by a Norwegian missionary who had been travelling in the Chinese province of Yunming. Making the most of the plant’s easy-growing nature, he gave cuttings to friends and family in Norway, who in turn passed it on to friends in Sweden, then the UK and so on. It’s easy to grow, needing indirect light, good drainage and an occasional drink when the soil is dry.

WHY WOULDN’T YOU?

It can be hard to find a plant because more often than not, it’s ‘passed on’ rather than sold via nurseries. Try eBay. 

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Give it a grow: Violas (Heartsease)

WHAT IS IT? 

Violas are the daintier but tougher cousin of the pansy. Perfect for adding colour to a dull, partially shady spot in your plot, they are compact enough to thrive under larger shrubs and plants as well as provide the perfect partnership to small bulbs for most of the year.

WHY WOULD YOU? 

Thanks to a bunch of innovative plant breeders, these days violas are happy to put on a show with only the merest flash of sun during the shorter days, as well as coping in cold, wet and windy weather. They flower continuously, too – good news as some varieties are edible and can be added to salads, puddings and drinks. 

WHY WOULDN’T YOU? 

You might be turned off by the gaudy two-tone varieties generally on offer in your local supermarkets and DIY stores.

However, venture online and you’ll discover much more interesting varieties available from independent nurseries and specialists, such as boutsviolas.co.uk.

They can be susceptible to slugs and snails so be vigilant and pick the little blighters off when you see them. You can also try organic slug pellets to spoil their fun. 

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Make: Rosemary water

A delicious  flavouring for foods, and a great tonic for hair and skin

MAKES: 300ml
KEEPS: 2 years
INGREDIENTS:
150g dried rosemary (300g fresh) 
2.5 litres water

METHOD:
1 Put everything in a pressure cooker near the sink. Close lid and remove pressure regulator to expose the vent pipe.
2 Connect a hose to the vent pipe. Pass the hose beneath the water tap and then on and into a glass collecting bottle.
3 Turn the heat to high. When water boils, open tap to let cold water cool the hose.
4 The distillation process should be slow with minimum heat. Simmer on low until you have distilled 300ml of water – in a household pressure cooker, this should take around 30-45 mins.

Found in The Domestic Alchemist: 501 Herbal Recipes for Home, Health and Happiness by Pip Waller (Leaping Hare Press).

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Make: Exfoliating seaweed scrub

Kelp's wonderfully fresh seashore scent makes this exfoliating scrub a summer shower must-have

Exfoliating seaweed scrub

MAKES: 100g
KEEPS: At least 6 months
INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp fine sea salt
1 tbsp kelp powder
5 tsp vegetable glycerine
7 tsp sweet almond oil
5 drops juniper essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil

METHOD:
1 Mix the sea salt and kelp together.
2 Add the glycerine and half the almond oil and mix well. If the mixture is too stiff, add more oil until it makes a thick, gloopy paste.
3 Add the essential oils and stir really well.

Note: this recipe isn’t suitable for dry skins

Courtesy of Lynn Rawlinson. Found in The Domestic Alchemist: 501 Herbal Recipes for Home, Health and Happiness by Pip Waller (Leaping Hare Press). 
 

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How to prevent travel sickness

Putting these tips in motion can take the edge off suffering

Go gingerly
Ginger is the most trusted traditional remedy. Have it a couple of hours before travelling. Try popping a fresh slice between your teeth and gums, or nibble on a real ginger biscuit .

Take your position
One bonus of track sickness: making the call on where you sit. Go for the front seat in cars so you can see out, likewise the window seat on planes.

Eyes on the horizon
Motion sickness is caused by a conflict between what you see and what your ears – which help with balance – sense. Help your brain cope is by fixing your eyes on a stable object. Or go the other way and keep them closed.

Listen to music
Distract yourself by relaxing to calming music. But avoid reading or checking your phone as they disturb that whole eyes/ear thing.

But ultimately...
Some people are more prone to motion sickness, including women who’ve had kids and, it’s been said, introverts... 
 

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