In collaboration with Habitat.

I think gathering and eating delicious food in winter is the very best tonic to winter misery/political woe. The dark evenings make them perfect for candlelit meals and fires. I had a lot of fun pulling this shoot together for Habitat a few weeks ago, and then also enjoying the table afterward with my family.

My house is often full of foliage for styling, floral and wreath workshops. Dave says it’s like living in Jumaji and I love it! To get the best out of the flowers I need for workshops, I will often plan a photoshoot the day before using all the material. It’s rare that I get so many flowers in my home to play with! So, in light of a house that has recently been particularly stuffed full of foliage and flowers, I decided to create a flower cloud. My flower and foliage cloud is made from foraged bracken and grasses, wild thyme, Gypsophila, Statis and a few other stems of loveliness I found on my studio floor!

In this setup, I have put into practice my tried and tested styling rules to create a warm sumptuous table. It’s a winning formula!

I love Christmas in a similar way I love the other seasonal celebrations through the year (May Day, Spring solstice, mid summer etc) but there is something especially cozy and magical about Christmas time. Dave and I have talked a lot about how we want to celebrate it, and over the last few years have established some rhythms and traditions that we all love and that align with our family values too. I thought i’d share some of the ways we approach Christmas here, a sort of alternative view I suppose.

Two quick announcements before I dive in: 1) My planing and goal setting e-course, The January Life book, is open for pre-sale now, until Friday, so if you want to give yourself (or a loved one) a fantastically deep and life-changing start to the year, encompassing both work and personal stuff, then head this way.

2) My last workshop with tickets available (the others are sold out) is on Saturday 7th in SE London. Make an everlasting wreath with me and Nadine from Workshop ltd.using one of Nadine's gorgeous handmade brass rings.

December's Sunday Supplement!

Welcome, December, month of shimmer and moonlight. And happy first day of advent! The festive winter season is well and truly underway and we are feeling rather merry and bright about the whole caboodle. Autumn and winter are my busiest work season, and friends often ask if by the time Christmas comes I am done with it. But the answer to that is nope! I love it! More foliage! But I have been thinking about January too, and the whole new decade she will usher in.

As always we are opting for a simple Christmas focused on experiences, rather than ‘stuff’, and taking conscious steps to make things easier for ourselves in the coming weeks. For us this looks like keeping the calendar as free as we can, marking in rest days after workshops, and opting to stay home this Christmas and New Year. We want to create magical moments for the kids based on being with the people we love (although obviously, present joy is high on the list too!). Last night we hung up our advent branch (!) In each fabric pouch we put an activity card and occasionally a little chocolate coin or gift. I no longer do this in advance, and instead do a few days at a time. It has activities like a torch walk in the park to see the moon and stars, baking, Christmas film, decorate the tree, make gifts for family, donate toys.

Happy November!

Autumn in the UK is something pretty darn special. Golden carpets of leaves, bright and chilly, damp and foggy, fierce gusting wind, rainbows and the first frosts, and all against the backdrop of the beautifully changing trees. It’s my spiritual season and i am loving it. November has also been fraught with sickness in our home and we have been canceling things left right and centre to try to make time for us to get well. I have decided to name November a month for nourishment: #NourishinNovember (join in if you wanna!) I am also increasingly aware of the ways I need to look after my mental health more too. A month for movement, nourishment and rest is needed!

I love celebrating November as it has some of my favourite celebrations. Sometimes November is reduced to “nearly December” but let’s not wish this magical month away, hey?! Autumn leaves, first frosts, Bonfires, fireworks, and still being a part of the EU 😜 .

The Sunday Supplement is back after it's unintentional holiday in August, aaand it’s a week late too, which is fairly indicative of our summer! I spent a lot of it offline and it was wonderful, and has taught me a lot about the importance of boundaries when it comes to work and social media. The summer holidays were party lovely time spent with the kids and partly stressful as we were both juggling work with limited childcare! It was a home-based, bimbling around sort of a summer with lots of friends and family visits, and a wonderful spontaneous week camping too. No big trips or excursions, but just perfect for where we are right now.

September in the UK is usually quite warm but the temperature has dropped quite suddenly in the last few days and Autumn is feeling very present. It’s in the chill in the morning, in the darker evenings, in my desire for duvets and proper socks. (Seriously, i’d forgotten how good it feels to sleep under a duvet instead of a sheet! ) Autumn is both my birthday and my favourite season so I’m excited to welcome it.

September is a doorway month bridging the gap between the hot bright days of summer and the cooler days of Autumn. We’re leaving behind the slower paced, languid days of summer, and revving up for a new term and new season. A social and active summer season spent outside is slowly being replaced by a season in which our desire starts to turn inward.

Welcome, July, and welcome also to the beginning of the second half of the year. Whoa! The solstice has passed and we in the northern hemisphere are in the peak of Summer. It is a time of warmth, energy, abundance, growth and fruitfulness. I mean this literally but it can also be figurative too if you can take some time to reflect on it, and soak up all of the suns energy.

The weather is warm and dry, the school summer holidays start in just a few weeks, spending time in the garden or beach is becoming far more appealing than working, berries, fruit and flowers are in the market and by the roadside. The garden is full of bees, my battered sandals are on, and it’s just been bloody lovely. Nothing exceptional or extraordinary has happened in the recent weeks, apart from this sweet kiss of summer, but it just elevates every day life so much.

I finished my own mid year review and plan last week. In the middle of it I was struck by a powerful and vertiginous wave of gratitude for everything we have. Things are NOT plain sailing and far from perfect, but the simple act of just taking a breather made me notice and appreciate all the good in my life. It was a sweet moment that kept me afloat for days- testament to the power of gratitude I guess.

Last weekend it was The Nature Sessions, a 3 day retreat held at my favourite place, Elmley nature Reserve on the island of Sheppey in Kent (yes, there is an island in Kent!) . I helped to found the retreat last year, and this year ran two sessions; a styling with nature session, a beginners guide to journalling session and styled the meals. It was full on from a work perspective but utterly wonderful too. We were blessed with glorious sunshine the whole weekend so everything felt like it was bathed in gold.

The basis of The nature Sessions is getting back to nature, and the focus, unlike lots of other retreats, is not about deprivation. Yes some guests sleep in tents; but they’re 5 meter bell tents with proper double beds and mattresses complete with fluffy towels and bathrobes. Food is served regularly, mostly healthy but definitely decadent too and wine is plentiful at meal times. There was yoga, wild swimming, beach bonfires, picnics, creative sessions, and lots of free time to explore the reserve and be alone. We created our ideal retreat, basically! Below are some photo’s.

Hello, and welcome to the May Sunday Supplement! After a break last month (I was launching the Spring chapter of my e-course and something had to give!) my monthly newsletter is back with 10 wonderful things to make, do and celebrate this utterly wonderful month of May. Spring is entering her maturity as the trees fill up with leaves and the first flowering bulbs and flowers finish for the year, making way for the May and June flowering shrubs and trees. It’s a joy- an actual cheesy joy-to take a moment and just take it all in; the blossom and bluebells and bird song.