Quite some time ago, the lovely Sarah of A Life Less Physical asked me to #shareyourserenity. To create a little collage of four things that make me feel calm and peaceful.
In truth, there has been little serenity around here these past few months; highlighted, no doubt, by the fact it’s taken me more than three weeks to get these images together.
But even amidst the chaos of small child-rearing, something that frequently makes me feel as if I never have a single second of peace to myself, these four things invariably make me feel just that little bit more relaxed.
- Plants
Yes, yes, you already know it, I love plants. I love to grow them, look at them, learn about them, learn their beautiful Latin names… This photo is of a particularly beautiful cosmos — ‘Daydream’ – that I grew for the first time this year. It’s been slower to bloom than the white cosmos (Purity) that I normally grow, so I’ve still got flowers in the garden now, and a choice few cut and in small vases around the house.
- Reading
Is there a better sight in the world than a stack of books, a cosy armchair and a spare 30 minutes to curl up and read?
Fact fans: the book at the top of the pile is Lolita. Which is, I think, if really pushed to make a decision, my all time favourite book ever. In fact, this has been the case since I was 18 when my English teacher asked me that question and I am now wondering if that teenage reading experience will ever be bettered? Any suggestions, please make them below!
- Knitting
As Autumn comes in, I am drawn towards my knitting needles once more. No longer the obsessive knitter I was a few years back, I now seem to be a one-knit-a-winter kind of person. But there is nothing more relaxing than the clack clack of the needles as you’re watching a gripping box set in the evening.
- Tea
It feels wrong to have this at number four, because really this is the one bit of serenity I grab every single day. The trusty cuppa. I think I am more than a bit addicted to tea, I simply can’t function before that first cup (which my rather lovely husband brings me in bed every morning. As I write that, I realise it is something to be extremely grateful for!)
So that’s my four.
I’m nominating my friend Annie, at her new blog Pom poms and tutus to join in. If you fancy it, that is, Annie!
If anyone else is interested, you can see a bit more on the Portmeirion blog here. They will be selecting someone to take a one night stay at Portmeirion, so if you fancy joining in, please take this as an open nomination…
Wolves in London 
What a lovely classic choice, those are things that help me too. Serenity is a much needed commodity these days I think. CJ xx
As usual, your pictures are just lovely Sabrina. That knitting looks so sumptuous. And the reading chair looks so comfy. Do you gather your Cosmo seeds yourself then for next year? I will be doing that this year. Suggestions?
Ah thank you!
You know, I’ve never collected cosmos seed… I don’t know if you saw, but I did write a piece last year about seed saving in general: here. All the same principles would apply for cosmos, and I just did a quick Google which said that it’s one of the easiest seeds to collect.
The only thing to be aware of is that if the flower is a particular hybrid then the seed won’t grow true to the parent. (eg, the colour might be different, it might not be as tall etc etc.) But, to be honest, the best thing to do if you can no longer remember the exact details of the flowers you’ve got, is just to give it a go and see what happens!
Ahhh now I am feeling calm. Does counting you as one of my 4 things that keep me calm count?
Blimey I wrote ‘keep me clam’ then and spotted the error at the last minute!