Just Humans Being...

 Holidaymakers are swarming down to Cornwall, so we are enjoying a couple of days being homebased and it's finally warm and dry... instead of the cold, wet and windy weather we have had over the last weeks or is it months? We have much to do in the garden  jungle, and after being crazily busy for what seems like forever - we were dreaming of spending some quality time at home with the kitties, pottering about outside...and now we have exactly what we have been craving. Yesterday we visited our local farm shop and for the first time we bought some Green Wheat Freekeh from Palestinian company  Zaytoun  and we love it! We cooked up some spicy veggies and added the soaked Freekeh at the end and served on a bed of salad and topped with chopped coriander. We have also been experimenting and decided to have a go at making our own version of a vegan frittata using silken tofu and buckwheat - it was delicious! We'll make it again and share the recipe soon. The weekend wouldn't be co

  One thing we learn from spending time with older folks is how NOT to live! We are well aware that we are not like most people and our views on life are probably very different, but is it not weird that so many people happily follow the path of many others? All with similar jobs, houses, cars, clothes...all influenced by something they’ve seen on TV or read in a magazine. Groups of similar aged people all wanting the same; conforming to what they feel is expected of them without question. We can only imagine what it is like to feel the sort pressure that would make someone want what others have and slipping into a strange world where everyone is the same. We only catch glimpses of these lives and from where we are standing the results are not looking good. There are many lists out there for improving lives with recommendations for happy and healthy retirements; most of them are quite twee and superficial, so we thought people need to know what not to do!!! Without further ad

We take much pleasure in this view...The gateway to our plot. Yesterday we had a lazy day, after a few days of being on hand 24 hours a day supporting a client. We have spent time looking at the garden and thinking about our plans for the little caravan, which was originally used (by the previous dwellers) as guest accommodation.  We would like to eventually wood-clad it and use as a potting shed, freeing up the workshop for other things and as the farm has a hostel and camping field, any folks wishing to stay have those options instead of this little caravan, but we would highly recommend a visit because it really is a lovely place to be. Have a little look at  Holifield Hostel   It was built by the community using reclaimed wood from Falmouth Docks and we believe it's going to become a very popular holiday destination, especially as it's already getting booked for the summer! If you are planning a trip to Cornwall - come and see us...you will of course not only be immersed in

There are several growing areas on our plot, so we have decided that the veg bed directly outside the cabin will eventually become a flower bed and picnic area.  The kitties love this space and we have the bird feeders here too.  Our French windows need fixing and then they will open out on to what we hope will be a pretty little space for us all to chill out. We think the bin lid may make a nice bird bath, which Sime wants to set up on a plinth. Our plan for the old polytunnel space is to make a greenhouse, using recycled panels. We are a bit late with getting our seeds going, but so far we have tomatoes which will go into the greenhouse plot and leeks which we plan to put amongst the rather overgrown plot of raspberries and assortment of greens... We are spending a lot of time away at the moment; caring for one of our clients; giving his family a break...it's not quite how we imagined this year to be, but as always, we go with the flow - the garden isn't going anywhere and wi

Do you live in fear of growing old, of becoming ill and dying?  Or do you enjoy your life; living with purpose and seeing the beauty all around you? Our work has evolved in the last year and has taken us on a path which felt right...caring for others.  Going into the homes of older people who have needed help and human contact.  We started with 2 clients, people we have been supporting with housework and pet care for many years and as the months ticked by, they both asked if we would go into various friends too. We are now working pretty much full time, doing whatever is needed...housework, gardening, dog walking, food preparation, sometimes just sitting and chatting over a cuppa.  We feel we have calmed those who were fearful and helped them to see things more logically...there is little virus here in Cornwall and it is very doubtful anyone will catch it while sitting in their house. Those who had become frightened of the outside world, have now started going out again - seeing family

It is important to have some quiet time each day, to turn off TVs, radios, devices and just enjoy the peace. We see how addicted people are to technology and the information they are constantly receiving – it is very clear that these things are having a huge impact on their lives. This unhealthy habit is being encouraged and it almost feels like an obligation to stay “tuned in” and up-to-date with everything that is going on in the world. We are also bombarded with messages about the past - world events to acknowledge, shows to commemorate and documentaries keeping us fixated on a time gone by. Even social media pushes photographic memories. Why do we need to keep dwelling on the past? And then of course, there is “the future” – we must worry about what is coming next... Ask yourself this question: What would happen if you switched everything off for a few hours? Well, this planet we call Earth will continue it’s journey around the sun and the huge machine dishing out it’s sl

We like to keep our meals simple, preferably in one pot and do eat lots of stews, chilis and curries. We also never throw food away and any leftovers will get added to the next day's meal and so on... All our meals start life as a pan of freshly chopped veg. So far we have: 3 onions, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 sweet potato, 2 medium tomatoes, 1 large red pepper and 1 courgette with a good sprinkle of dried basil, oregano and smoked paprika. This is a tub of leftover stew from the weekend. If you follow us on Instagram @thesmithsontour you will see a post from Saturday regarding the ingredients, some of which is from the garden. The leftovers whizzed up and added to the mix as a thick stock. We also added a little water and stir-fried/simmered for around 20 minutes. Next up mushrooms. Sliced and chucked in for a further 5 minutes of simmering. Then added chopped kale from the garden... and lastly - we added beans (today we used Suma's tinned black beans) and juice of half a lemon. Co

We are living in a time when seemingly healthy people are susceptible to germs, disease and even die. We often hear of the shock family and friends feel when their loved ones depart this world..."they were so fit and healthy”! What most people don’t realise is that exercising and calorie counting doesn’t necessarily make you healthy and it is a combination of things that cause dis-ease. Those underlying problems may just be simmering away and if you are busy, work long hours and have a stressful job – you probably won’t even notice. Most illnesses will come along because of a build up of toxins in the body over a number of years, which is why it usually hits us in our 40s... from eating a poor diet full of processed foods, large quantities of animal protein, fats, dairy and foods sprayed with nasty chemicals. Top this off with living in a polluted city or large town, along with being employed in a job with many rules, regulations and other people and you have the perfect ingre

We have been in the cabin for 4 months and it is wonderful to think that we are just a few weeks away from spring, not that we are wishing our lives away - because we absolutely love this cosy little place and as serial hibernators, we are very happy to be warm and snug. Choosing to live simply has exceeded our expectations and we have been on this journey since leaving Meadowcroft 4 years ago.  Our time at Cotna Eco Retreat  gave us a great grounding and enabled us to start preparing for this...outdoor facilities, mud and nature!  Simple rural living can be a challenge in the winter, but we are strong and more resilient than ever, which feels so good. We are doing exactly what we have dreamed of for many years... One of many lovely messages left behind by the previous cabin dwellers. Here we keep our recipe and natural health books...we are very passionate about food and nutrition, as you may know and seeing this message everyday has probably had quite an impact on us.  Like many peop

  My sister Joanne died 21 years ago – she would have been 52 today. Life was not easy for Jo; she was born with a congenital heart condition and was labelled “mentally handicapped”. Eventually that label was softened and it was deemed that she had “learning disabilities”. She had amazing abilities actually - they were just different to what the powers that be decided she should be good at...She had the most incredible memory, photographic really and could remember every tiny detail from years ago and when I say every detail, I mean everything...Dates, times, names, what we were wearing, what we all ate and drank. She was also a living encyclopaedia when it came to music, TV shows and films – it never ceased to blow our minds and provided hours of entertainment for my brother and I when we were kids. She was always right too, which bugged us. Jo also talked to dead people and had a very sharp sixth sense, it freaked me out on several occasions when we were sharing a bedroom to

  The idea for this stew came from Caldwell Esselstyn's book  Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease . His recipe for Marrakesh Express Red Lentil Soup is delicious, but we wanted something more filling. I added celery seed, as we didn't have any fresh celery, a pinch each of sage and thyme instead of a bay leaf and ground coriander (cilantro) instead of fresh. Along with fresh garlic, carrots, potato, leek and kale. Ingredients 1 large onion 4 cloves garlic 1 leek Small knob fresh ginger 2 large tomatoes 2 large carrots 3 medium potatoes A few handfuls of kale 300g dried red lentils 300g cooked chickpeas 1/2 tsp dried turmeric 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp celery seed 1 tsp ground coriander Pinch each of sage and thyme 1 litre or more of cold water Juice of half lemon Few drops liquid aminos Instructions 1. Chop all the veg into required size and place into a large pan. 2. Add herbs, spices and enough water to stir-fry ingredients. 3. Fry for around 10 minutes. 4. Add lentils and the rest

  A simple and comforting favourite! Ingredients 1 litre of homemade stock - 4 cloves garlic, 2 medium potatoes, 2 large carrots, 1 apple, 1 tsp each of dried sage, thyme and cumin, 1 tsp yeast extract, a pinch of ground black pepper and 1 litre of water. 700g onions  200ml French red wine 2 tablespoons cognac Instructions 1. Chop all the veg for the stock and put all the ingredients into a pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. 2. Whizz up with a hand blender until nice and smooth. 3. Slice onions and fry in the red wine until translucent. 4. Add the onions and wine to the stock and simmer for 45 minutes. 5. Add the brandy and serve. Taking the time to make your own stock turns this soup into a filling meal and the apple adds a subtle sweetness, which is lovely in this savoury dish. We use Essential Yeast Extract, probably available from most UK health shops and must say it is worth the extra dosh! We had this for our New Years Day supper...delicious! Hope you enjoy it and

 The shortest day is here and we can feel the excitement of the returning light... It's a dark morning here and although we are looking forward to the longer and lighter days, we still enjoy these cosy candlelit mornings. We may bring in some greenery at some point today and find a branch to decorate. Hope you are enjoying some slowness and taking time for yourselves. Wishing you a peaceful and Happy Solstice! Lots of love, Kay and Sime xx