Powercuts. Frozen pipes. No central heating in -6°C. Forget about hot water. The snows came blanketing the impassable village roads - no way in, no way out. We had become the 'escape to the country' cliche - and we loved it all.

‘Take with today's hand only to give away what will come for their tomorrows.’ As I seek to rekindle a seasonal lifestyle I explore the interconnection between seasonality, modern motherhood and how navigating those choices impacts our daily lives. Plus, find 5 books to inspire your own seasonal living journey.

It’s been eight years since we moved in our own home and over that time we have curated a secondhand home. The antithesis of modern living, the slow interior movement brings to the forefront what it means to make a considered home: a movement I did not know I belonged to until I sat down to write this piece. From my experience of shopping secondhand to creating a warm, vintage-inspired minimalist home, I share eight tips on becoming a seasoned thrifter and the importance of stories in our lives.

Every summer, the Plastic Free July campaign rolls back around and reminds me of our wedding day. Eight years ago this month, my husband Mark and I got married. In 2013, we had a somewhat unusual goal for our wedding day: to generate no landfill waste. It turns out, it was far easier than we thought. So if you’re getting married and worried about climate change, from our experience, you can have a beautiful wedding which doesn’t cost the earth.

When I cast my mind back to Christmases past, and the childhood gifts my sister and I were given, there is one memory that always comes to the fore. There, beside the tinsel-laden tree, was a lumpy, bumpy shape shrouded in my parent’s decidedly 1970s floral bedspread. The excitement and anticipation of what lay underneath still lingers on some thirty years later…

I have never considered myself a political person. My enthusiasm for voting was somewhat lackadaisical. Fast forward fifteen years, and 'unpolitical’ me has not just one, but two letters with the infamous House of Commons crowned portcullis letterhead in my possession, addressed directly to me. One of which is from Rebecca Pow MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State herself. I have no doubt you can guess what those letters are about…

Was it worth trying to grow our own fruit and vegetables in our small suburban garden, whilst also caring for our two young children, three chickens and a dog during a global pandemic? Until recently, my answer would have been a resounding no. But it took scrolling through my camera roll to realise that not all failures constitute waste, and that often success can be found in the most unusual of outcomes.

Every day I take a moment to step outside and wander. It grounds me and gives me that one moment to be nothing more than a humble visitor - not a mother, nor writer or photographer. The garden is full of rich promises that tantalise us. This is our edible attempt at suburban permaculture - so far, it appears to be working.

If you type ‘Are reusable nappies better for the environment than disposable nappies?’ into a search engine, the answer that comes back is effectively, no. The top four responses are articles dated from 2018. They all reference a report published by the Environment Agency from 2005. But in February 2020, a new set of statistics were published. Come, hold my hand. Let’s answer the environmental cloth nappy debate once and for all.

When author of The Sustainble(ish) Living Guide Jen Gale announced she was going to run a virtual festival on living a sustainable lifestyle, it felt like fate. Not being a keyworker, I’ve felt redundant during the pandemic but this, this was something I could help with that should spread some positivity. Now I find myself a guest speaker on a topic I am a passionate advocate for. Can you guess what it is…?

As the lockdown approached, and anxieties around food were raised, it was time to take growing our own more seriously. We’ve started our own rapid response victory garden in earnest and I’m delighted to be able to share this new gardening category on the blog with you.

For some, this enforced slow-down is the first time to go out in the world with no goal other than to exercise and see what Mother Earth has on offer right now. This is our home and now more than ever we can hear its call to take care of it. Here are five things you can do to support World Earth Day today and everyday.