journaling the slow life
in the suffolk countryside

Recent posts

Sam

Nov 193 min read

Journal

In Search of St Edmund

Earlier this month, to prepare for St Edmund's Day, we visited Hoxne in search King Edmund and his legend…

Pottery Painting at the Hatter Street Studio

Sam

Oct 132 min read

Journal

Pottery Painting at the Hatter Street Studio

A few weekends ago, as a (very belated) Birthday present for Elle, we had a morning of pottery painting at the Hatter Street Studio.

Weaving (and more) at the Lavenham Guildhall

Sam

Sep 192 min read

Journal

Weaving (and more) at the Lavenham Guildhall

It has been my Birthday weekend and – like any self-respecting gentleman of six and thirty years – I decided I would spend it weaving...

Sam

Feb 205 min read

Journal

Sloe Crafts: Writing

Writing may seem a strange place to start a series of posts on crafts, yet I'm not alone in finding my creativity stimulated by handwriting.

Sam

Dec 10, 20234 min read

Journal

Winter Walking

Winter walking is one of the best pleasures of these colder months: frost, crisp air and subtle colours.

Sam

Nov 12, 20234 min read

Journal

Three Sloe Reads for the Darker Months

The evenings are drawing-in, and the lure of an armchair and a good book becomes hard to resist... Here are three great reads for autumn.

Rehabilitating the Barbecue: Advice for Modern Outdoor Eating

Sam

Jul 16, 20235 min read

Journal

Rehabilitating the Barbecue: Advice for Modern Outdoor Eating

Barbecues have acquired something of a bad reputation, but with a few tips, you can turn outdoor eating into a calming, modern experience.

Among Old Friends: The Importance of Ancient and Veteran Trees

Sam

Jun 11, 20234 min read

Sustainability

Among Old Friends: The Importance of Ancient and Veteran Trees

The recording of ancient trees is important, urgent work: despite their ecological and historical importance, few are protected in the UK.

Unthink: Improving My Relationship with the News

Sam

May 29, 20235 min read

Journal

Unthink: Improving My Relationship with the News

Until only a few months ago, I felt I had become addicted to the news. It would seem I am not the only one...

Sam

May 3, 20234 min read

Sustainability

The Fate of the Skylark in the UK

Skylarks are important to us here in the UK. Yet, despite their central place in our culture, they are now critically endangered.

Sam

Apr 4, 20233 min read

Foraging

Getting Back to the Sloe Life

The foraging season is just starting again after the lull of winter. It is the perfect time for harvesting three very similar wild greens.

The Pumpkin Patch: Pick-Your-Own at Rougham Estate

Elle

Oct 11, 20223 min read

Sloe Suffolk

The Pumpkin Patch: Pick-Your-Own at Rougham Estate

One of our favourite things about the Halloween season is decorating the house with pumpkins and squashes of every shape, colour and size.

Elle

Jul 31, 20225 min read

Journal

The Small Pleasures of a Picnic

Perfect picnic days can be few and far between, so here are a few quick tips to help you seize the moment when the opportunity arises.

Elle

Apr 28, 20225 min read

Journal

Spring Storms and Fallen Trees

Spring heralds the return of colour, but also the arrival of storms. The destruction can be terrible, but also brings renewal.

Elle

Jan 29, 20224 min read

Journal

B is for Brussels Sprouts

Is there any vegetable that divides opinion as much as the humble Brussels sprout? It certainly divides our household...

Sam

Dec 30, 20213 min read

Journal

A Year of Suffolk Reading

We set ourselves five rural reads, and I soon fell in love with those books about the people who have lived and farmed here in Suffolk.

Over-Consumption: 3 Ways to Break the Habit

Elle

Dec 22, 20215 min read

Sustainability

Over-Consumption: 3 Ways to Break the Habit

Over-consumption is not going to be an easy habit to break, but after the excess of Christmas, this is the right time to challenge myself.

Sam & Elle

Dec 11, 20215 min read

Journal

Rural Reads V: The Fat of the Land

Today, the idea of the countryside being "an escape" seems very modern, but The Fat of the Land proves this urge is as old as the hills...

Sam

Nov 25, 20214 min read

Journal

Fog and Ruins: A Walk to Rougham Hall

Between the trees ahead of us, the ruin of Rougham Hall materialised out of the mid-morning fog like a ghost.

Rural Reads IV: Adrian Bell's Corduroy Trilogy

Sam

Oct 29, 20214 min read

Journal

Rural Reads IV: Adrian Bell's Corduroy Trilogy

Adrian Bell’s trilogy, beginning with Corduroy (1930), creates a world of quiet beauty that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.

Contact

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journaling the slow life in the suffolk countryside

Recent posts

Contact

journaling the slow life
in the suffolk countryside