Bringing seasonality into the home, via cooking, decoration, shared celebrations, or just simply noticing the different atmosphere with changing weather and light, is one of life’s great joys. You do not need a grand home, an Instagram worthy house, or designer furniture, to notice and be nourished by the ways in which changing seasons bring a rhythm and quality into our domestic lives. In our cottage, we have always taken time to notice the first spring flowers by arranging a tiny bouquet for the table, savouring the first fruits or vegetables as they come into season, filling the house with evergreen at Christmas.
This has been the inspiration for my most recent, and my last, calendar. I have produced four calendars now, all focussing on the cyclical energy that underpins our lives and our connection to the natural world. This one is called the Home Calendar: Inside Out, because it represents the ways in which the outside finds its way into the home, and the way our inside lives are shaped by natural rhythms, both past and present. I’ve included a lot of my own memories here, as well as anecdotes from friends who remember celebrating Easter, or autumn in specific ways around the home and garden.
I do hope that you love this calendar. It’s available now, for £12 as always, and can be sent anywhere in the world. Although, as many of you know, we will be contending with Royal Mail strikes this year, if you order early you will hopefully get it in time for Christmas.