August Slow Living

Once again I am hooking up with these good folks for a little reflection on the past month.

 

In sunny St Helena, it is known as Scruffy August. Think April showers with added fog, mix in a dollop of mist and quite a lot of drizzle and you've got it.

 

Having said that, one day last week was so lovely that we hung out at the pool for the afternoon, all be it with wetsuits on to combat the freezing water.

 

Not too scruffy!

Nourish

After spending July mostly eating cake, I have been trying to be a little bit healthier through August. Not totally succeeding but definitely an improvement. I have been making lots of soup to pack in the veg and have baked bread rather than cake.

Repurposed tyres are everywhere here since the alternative is landfill...

Prepare

No foodie prep other than trying to use up what we have in the freezer because in two days we leave for the UK. The last week or so has been a flurry of washing and packing and we are almost ready for the off. First though we have been preparing Big Trouble because tomorrow is his first day at preschool. He will be going every morning once we get back and is quite excited. He wants an orange packed lunch box for his snack so I'll be on the hunt once we are home...

Counting found pennies

Grow

We ate a handful of home-grown leeks this month and have a few more which I am saving for tomorrow. The flowers are doing ok too, I just hope they survive our absence because I have not found anyone to water them. Long may the drizzle continue...

Saving ladybirds

Reduce

We have started composting our veg waste again! The St Helena National Trust has started a scheme, taking it away to a central composting place. If they make more than they need for their propagation projects they plan to sell it back to the public.

78 little squares sewn around the edge.

Create

I have got back on the bandwagon with my crocheted blanket. It now measures 40 inches square (31% of the total). It is the only project I am taking with me so hopefully I can crack on with it... I also made my Stitches and Seeds banner and rejigged the blog template this month.

I have to say I am loving it!

Discover

 

I finished An Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry, which in the end I enjoyed very much. I found the first couple of chapters hard going and had got stuck there at least twice before, but this time I persisted and I am glad I did. The rest was really interesting and gave me a new appreciation for poetry. I am not sure I am ever going to become a great reader of poetry, but when I heard some read aloud the other day I got a lot more out of it than I would have done before.

 

We have met a new family here who are Swedish. My Swedish amounts to a few disconnected words, mostly to do with food and drink, but I have had fun rediscovering them in the depths of my memory in an attempt to communicate with Smalls who speak no English at all.

 

Enhance, Green

School hols have been upon us, and with the scruffy weather just keeping on top of life has been enough. No energy left for enhancing. I've got nothing on green either.

Enjoy

Lots of fun walks and solidarity-with-other-Mums-in-the-face-of-challenging-Smalls have meant August has been more enjoyable than it might have been. We have made new friends and soon will be reconnecting with old ones.

Bring on September!

xx