Slow & Simple Moments | 03.25

This winter, perhaps more than any, we’ve travelled a hard road, and I don’t know about you, but I’m excited for spring, for light, and for the warmth to come. But where did March go?

Mar 30, 2025

Welcome to Rediscover · Reconnect · Re-Emerge. If you find the fleeting changes of modern life wearisome, maybe even overwhelming, join me on a journey, a path well-trodden, as I share heartfelt and often nostalgic reflections on living slowly, simply, and in tune with the seasons.

In this series, I share some of the things I’ve been getting up to, places I’ve been, and other beautiful and special slow and simple moments from the past month.

Where did March go?

That’s what I’ve found myself saying this week. Perhaps it’s the arrival of spring, and the hope, expectation, and renewal which that brings? Perhaps it’s our craving to leave the long dark days of winter behind? Whichever it is, March came, and March has almost gone.

As you read this, the clocks will have gone forward, an we will, once again, be enjoying the long-anticipated lighter evenings. How we have craved those so much in the recent months. It feels like we have waited a long time for this moment. This winter, perhaps more than any, we’ve travelled a hard road, and I don’t know about you, but I’m excited for spring, for light, and for the warmth to come.

Many people quote the phrase ‘spring forward, fall back’ as a means for remembering which way the clocks go. We might like to hide it, but we have a spring in our step too. For many of us, it might be a gentle lolloping, just like the bunnies we see in the fields, but nevertheless, spring brings momentum, energy, and hope.

But with energy, we have to be careful. I’ve learnt over the years that energy must come with boundaries. For those of us seeking a slower and simpler approach to life, we’re perhaps even more mindful of these. We have all experienced those people in our lives who take far more energy that perhaps they deserve. Maybe that’s a harsh fact, but our energy stores are limited.

As we enter the spring season of renewal and rebirth, maybe this is a good opportunity to revisit those boundaries. As we’ve sought the restock our energy reserves over the winter months (in reality, not always as successful as the idea sounds), how might we seek to mindfully and thoughtfully preserve them in the months to come?

After all, it is by nurturing and nourishing ourselves that allows us to do the same for others.

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March 2025

‘In March the earth remembers its own name.
Everywhere the plates of snow are cracking.
The rivers begin to sing.’

~ Mary Oliver

What a wonderful way to think of spring, as the natural world awakens from its winter slumber, that after that quiet and gentle rest, the rivers will sing once more. As I type this, a bird sings shrilly outside the window, its see-saw song heralding the arrival of a new season.

Here are some of my slow and simple moments from March. I hope they might inspire and encourage you to seek out your own in the months to come.

Colour

One of the things which I love about March is not only seeing the garden coming to life, but seeing all the beautiful colours beginning to emerge - not just the yellows and oranges of the daffodils, but reds, pinks, blues, purples, and not forgetting the many different shades of green. After what sometimes feels like a sepia autumn and a monochrome winter - beautiful as they are - suddenly, glorious technicolour has returned. The bees and butterflies flit excitedly around the garden, a signal that new life is here.

Which colours have you most enjoyed seeing over the past few weeks?

Lemon

Perhaps it’s the glorious yellows of the daffodils, but somehow, the flavour I most associate with the arrival of spring is lemon. Maybe it’s the zesty freshness which seems to so beautifully echo the changing mood of the natural world outside. With the arrival of spring came lemon cakes galore, a lemon drizzle loaf cake and a clotted cream lemon drizzle bundt, recipe courtesy of

Emily Scott

Which flavours do you most associate with the coming of spring?

Kitchen Table

Given that I own around 300 cookery books, these days, I try to be a bit more selective in the new ones I buy. I look for books which aren’t just about food, but are about people, place and landscape, where their story is as important as the recipes contained inside. I think the subtitle of Emily Cuddeford and Rachel Morgan’s Kitchen Table, sums up not only my approach to food, but to life:

‘Simple Things Made Well’

The book draws together recipes and stories from the authors’ journey, with an emphasis on the producers and the ingredients themselves. I had seen the book in passing, and

Sarah Robertson

also shared it, so that was a good reminder to pop into Waterstones and order a copy.

‘Honest food that tastes incredible’

What have you enjoyed cooking during March?

I look forward to seeing which slow and simple moments April will bring. Why not let me know in the comments some of your special moments from the month of January.