I wondered why she had to fly to the Taos community with their recycled housing (using bottles and other reclaimed materials) in New Mexico. There is plenty of information about it, after all it's been going for over forty years. What I particularly love is her philosophy for happiness, which is the subject of her new book, A Year of Living Simply. The clue is in the title. Remember the basics. Instead of barging through the day on autopilot, really stop to think about the tiniest little things that added a moment of joy. No, of course stopping and smelling the flowers won’t cure all our ills and woes. But taking the time to savour the things that bring pleasure, really being in that moment and appreciating it, can remind you that most days have moments that buoy your mood.’– JO ELVIN, MAIL ON SUNDAY YOU

Last thing you put on your credit cardI don’t have a credit card, but the lastthing that went on my debit card wasanimal feed. Growing vegetables is a wonderful way to become self-sufficient, so hire someone to plant them for you. Kate begins to wonder what, if anything, she can do to make life simpler. Her first project was to embark on a spot of gardening. She wants to learn how to grow fruit and veg in a dedicated section on her 4 acres of land! This sounded like a good place to start, the excitement and enjoyment of growing your own food. Her last book, Thinking on My Feet, was shortlisted for both the Wainwright Prize and the Edward Stanford Travel Memoir of the Year. A year of Living Simply by Kate Humble was released in 2020. Where to Find Kate OnlineInstead, we actually follow Kate Humble while she meets tons of people who have changed their way of living, and who tell her about their own stories and experiences. Once all the seeds were potted and growing was underway, Kate turns her attention to other ‘simple life’ projects to try. She takes a bread making course and shares a few recipes for bread & chilli jam. Ok, now we’re getting something useful. Sadly, next up was a trip to New Mexico for three weeks to help build an Earthship (Google it I had to!). I’d still like to see any city/suburban working mums with kids under ten who can’t disappear off to the country and home-school them take up any of these ideas (other than an allotment). Now that would be a book worth reading*.

It took me a long time to read A Year of Living Simply because I had a considerable amount going on in my life but every time I returned to it I found it complete balm for the soul. It was akin to meeting up with an old friend you haven’t seen for years and yet it’s as if you only saw them a couple of hours ago. And In the same way Kate Humble discovers new skills, I learnt all manner of things from her warm, conversational, humane style. I’m usually sceptical of celebrity endorsements for books, but the comments attached to A Year of Living Simply are absolutely right. It is a treat of a read. If there is one thing that most of us aspire to, it is, simply, to be happy. And yet attaining happiness has become, it appears, anything but simple. On 16 Feb 2009, she showed up in Countdown’s Dictionary Corner. On 3 Oct 2009, Humble was designated President of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. As a WriterSo in the book Kate started to think about what she really enjoyed, but never seemed to spend enough time doing. A keen environmentalist, one of the other areas she considered was how she could reduce her impact on the planet and the amount of resources she was using by learning to repair and repurpose items like previous generations might have done. The minute the book is opened, there is some sort of serenity about it and an optimism. Kate Humble talks briefly about some hard times that she has faced, but it moves onto a positive calmness. It is a joy to read about her walking in the countryside. I, myself am surrounded by countryside and yet, still feel this and a quiet calmness whilst reading this book, in a way I've never known quite possible through a book. So there are some things I’ve absolutely adopted, and some things I want to keep learning and some things that I’m not doing that often, like washing by hand.”

What superpower do youwish you had?I’d like to be able to teleport myselffrom one place to anotherlike Harry Potter. This book has been patiently sitting on my Netgalley Shelf for a couple of months now. So I’m pleased to have been able to read it this week. Here’s my book review of A Year Living Simply by Kate Humble. Pleasures, she shows come in all different forms, such within people you meet, an unexpected letter or tantalising food. Then in 2018, she published another book titled Thinking on My Feet: The small joy of putting one foot in front of another. Rumors, ControversyPDF / EPUB File Name: A_Year_of_Living_Simply_-_Kate_Humble.pdf, A_Year_of_Living_Simply_-_Kate_Humble.epub I vaguely recognised the author’s name from tv shows my husband and son enjoy watching. They are both outdoorsy country types and so I absorb some things, at least by some sort of osmosis.

This isn’t the book for you if you’re looking for a diary format of ‘A year of Living Simply’ that you can apply to your own life. It’s not, as I was expecting, a week by week account of Kate’s life in which she de-clutters her home, her job and her life. It is not just the ecological breakdown that we are witnessing that tells us we need to pause for a while and re-think. Rising mental health problems should also give us an indication that we are losing our way. Perhaps the biggest question though is how we manage to do that reflection and make those changes collectively. It feels like we have rarely been so divided as people, whether economically, socially or virtually any other potential line of difference you can think of. Are we capable of cohesive thought and action at this crucial time? Maybe that’s where smaller and less really comes to its own solution, through localised relationships and communities. When big has been the problem for so long, looking for the big solution is perhaps futile. The story was ok, it was relaxing to listen to on my long journeys to work, but I did not look forward to listening to it like I normally do with an Audible book.Overall, an interesting if somewhat hypocritical view of minimalism, self-sufficiency and anti-consumerism. My views differ somewhat considerably but perhaps an interesting read for someone who is starting their own journey. The last person you textedMy friend Emma. She is staying at mycabin in France and had seen akingfisher for the first time in her life!