Architecture and its impact

I never realised before how much of an impact the architecture of your home has on your daily life and rhythms.

One week in our new home, and already there's a marked difference. Previously, the activities which I saw as part of my simple living journey - crafting, baking, faffing around on the internet researching - seemed to pull us apart rather than bring us together. I would be drawn into a different room, a different rhythm, and I spent far too much time with headphones in listening to the radio or watching historic re-enactments, period dramas and other sources of entertainment information.

Reviewing my simple progress

January seems an appropriate month to review my progress in living a simple life. As I set up this new home, I want to ensure that I do so in a way that will enable further simplicity, by taking this opportunity to reduce clutter and arranging things in an organised way.

So to help me organise this, I am reviewing the various things I am managing to do simply, and looking at the areas I want to improve or embrace next.

I'm back - with a new challenge

Well, it's been a fairly long gap, and as you can see the Simples challenge has been temporarily suspended.

There is a reason for these two things. My boyfriend and I have spent the last few months sorting out paperwork and other items - because we have bought our first flat, and will be moving in the next month.

This is of course massively exciting and massively stressful. I have in my head a picture of the flat as I want it to be - filled with homemade and preloved items, each with their own story, and set up to facilitate more homemaking. I want to cover the little balcony with potted plants and put a reflective mosaic on the wall to make it feel lighter and more colourful. I want beautifully crafted home-made curtains hanging at all the windows, with patchwork quilts and crochet blankets on the bed, and cupboards stocked with preserves and home brew etc etc.

I want, I want... I have had to accept that with our limited budget and limited time - and limited transport options, as we have no car and the flat is several floors up - many things are beyond our reach and we have to accept stop-gap measures as a temporary fix. So the Simples challenge will be carried over to the new flat and my challenge to myself in 2013 is to make this house a home. A simple home.