May | 2014 | Comfort and Joy

You can’t have failed to have noticed all the fields of rapeseed growing in the English countryside at this time of year. Love it or loath it…. it’s all over the place in Spring!

If you are a hayfever sufferer you almost certainly dread it’s arrival in our fields every year, and it’s also got bad press for it’s possible links to causing asthma and even heart disease. All in all it’s not the most popular of plants, and it’s ever increasing spread of acid yellow in early summer as more and more farmers plant out this cash crop, mean lots of sneezing and wheezing for some (me included).

The oil with its high levels of good fatty acids, and low percent of saturated fat than olive oil make it a popular crop not just in the UK but also in Europe, Asia and America – and so it looks like it is here to stay. Enjoy the fields of gold!

In a world where we are constantly being encouraged to buy more, I am interested in less. It’s not that I want to live in a Spartan environment with no home comforts, quite the opposite in fact. I love my little luxuries – but I want to rid myself of the clutter and unnecessary rubbish which seems to follow me around!

So this year I have started a major overhaul of my possessions, which began with getting rid of clothes and shoes that I no longer needed. It’s amazing how much you accumulate (there are no small children in my house and so can’t blame the clutter on them), and I’ve only just started – so there is still a lot to go through. I’m finding it very enjoyable, and it’s not all about throwing things away as I’ve found quite a few things that I’ve forgotten about but would still like to use. I’m already impressed with the results. I feel a lot calmer and it’s easier and quicker to get dressed in the morning now that I don’t have to burrow through all the junk to get to the things I want.

Dressing table

“where do you keep all your stuff‘” my visiting friends want to know. Ah – the ‘stuff’. Of course I still have lots of it – I can’t forego my little pleasures. The kitchen cupboards are full of tasty ingredients and my dressing table houses some serious luxury potions (Chanel, Christian Dior, Bobbi Brown and Lancome to name just a few)! But I’ve pared down the surface bric-a-brac and been quite ruthless about what I really need. Good storage has been my goal in all this, and I’m always looking for attractive and practical ways to store the essentials which I still need.