Together, my daughter and I have taken out a subscription to The Simple Things for a year. She gets the magazine in her letterbox first, and I get it when she’s read it. That means I’m always behind, but I don’t mind. I’m now reading the April issue, which contains an interview with James and Helen Rebanks. They have a farm in the English Lake District, are both authors and have four children aged 7 to 19.
One of the things that come up in the article is how they find balance in their busy lives, and Helen says something that really strikes a chord with me: “Rest is a huge part of regenerative agriculture. Plants need time to grow, time to flower,
time to set seed
and time to recuperate. […] People are the same. We can’t push our bodies and minds to the max all the time. We need periods where things are slower and quieter, particularly as creative people. Sometimes we just need to stare out of the window
or take a walk and let things mull.” (Quote The Simple Things, April 2025, p. 49; photos mine.)
Yes, absolutely, hmm (can you see me nodding in agreement?). But what if you are too restless to rest? Hot summer weather does that to me. I really struggle with that, but have found some ways of dealing with it:
- Take a walk every day no matter what.
- Wear sunglasses. On the one hand, I hate having a barrier between myself and others and not being able to see the world in its true colours. On the other hand, aside from protecting my eyes, sunglasses also seem to give my brain some rest.
- Snatch brief moments of rest and have a list at hand of small things to do during those moments. That may sound like a contradiction (resting – doing), but doing certain things (see below) can be more restful to me than just sitting around doing nothing.
- Read one article in a magazine. Or, if even too restless for that, just look at the pictures and/or cut some out and stick them in a scrapbook.
- Listen to one song. Three of my favourites (in random order):
- Dùn – Ailie Robertson
- Chord Left – Agnes Obel
- On the Nature of Daylight – Max Richter
- KNIT!!! (even if it is just a couple of rows).
- Spin (even if it is just for five minutes).
- Play with colour – with pencils, water colours or yarn.
These beautiful little hanks were hand-dyed by Marianne of Lindelicht (who is taking the entire month of June off to rest). It is a blend of blue-faced Leicester wool and silk, and each hank is 3 g/24 m/26 yds.
Some yarns are so beautiful that I don’t use them because I’m afraid of ‘wasting’ them, but what’s the use of that when they are then languishing away in a dark corner? So I’m determined to do something with this yarn this summer, but what? It is sold as embroidery yarn, so that’s an option. Or could I use it for knitting or crochet? Or a combination of several techniques?
Well, I hope this summer will bring you some time to rest, whether at home or away. We’re not going anywhere this summer, but I may take a short rest from blogging now and then. Or I may not – I just don’t know yet and don’t have a plan at all (eek! – that’s very unusual for me). Anyway, I hope to see you here from time to time. xxx
Prachtig garen!
We zouden in september een high tea kunnen organiseren voor breiers die blij zijn dat de zomer achter de rug is. Wij hebben sinds twee jaar airco met zonnepanelen, ook als extra verwarming, en dat is voor mij echt een redding op hete dagen. Maar desondanks kan ik genieten van het moment dat ik weer met plezier onder een wat dikker dekbed kan slapen en een groot breiwerk op mijn schoot behaaglijk voelt.
Net als jou draag ik een zonnebril. Ik eet veel salades met pittige smaken en ik slaap niet overdag, maar ga wel vaak even liggen.
Count me in!!!
Ik ga een datum prikken!
O ja, leuk idee! Goed om te horen dat je manieren hebt gevonden om met de hitte om te gaan. Dat is de komende dagen wel nodig! Ik red het ook wel, maar kijk net als jij uit naar koelere tijden.
Your posts are lovely and calming. I love the walks and visiting such interesting places. Yes, knitting is a good way to calm down and relax even for a short time. We all need to treasure quiet moments. Thank you.
Thank you, that’s lovely to hear. Wishing you some quiet moments over the coming week.
Oh, how I love your posts, Marieke!
This one spoke to me loudly, since I am feeling exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and I’m in need of recharging myself.
My husband is not well, and I’m his caregiver…
While experiencing a sense of great satisfaction, as this is my job now, I also feel the emotional effects of worry, as well as physical exhaustion.
Yet, each day I hear the wise words of my dear dad, who used to impart these words to me after each visit, “Carry on, Honey.” And I do!
Life is a gift and that’s why it’s called the PRESENT. I’m sure that you’ve heard these words before.
Again, any thanks for your wise words in this post.
I’m sorry to hear that you’re going throug such a difficult time. I hope you can find the time to recharge now and then, as you’ll need that to be able to carry on. I love the saying about the present. Thank you for your message and take care!
I was searching for some information about East Friesan fiber, and a link to one of your posts popped up.
I have knit for years, but not very actively through the years of mothering young children. But now I am in a season where I have just learned to spin, have bought a loom, and several wool sheep. So much to learn and it has been a joy.
When I read your description of loving your little corner of the earth, and your joy in fiber arts, it felt so familiar to me, to the way I feel. It’s always lovely and encouraging to feel those connections with unknown people in distant lands (I am in the SE of the US). I’m enjoying your post; I take a rest time almost every day!
Hello, it’s lovely to hear from you! It means a lot to me, too, to have people with similar interests to chat to/with, so thank you for coming over for a visit. I love spinning, but do not have much experience with weaving. What kind of loom do you have? How did you start and learn? And do I understand correctly that you actually have sheep now?