The intermittent reading of poems is such a pleasure over the course of a month. I haven't read all of the poems from my February choice of the Virago Book of Love Poetry, but those that I have read have provided much needed creative inspiration and time for reflection on what is important in life; namely, love. Mr CC and I don't get to spend much time together, but we try and make the most of what time we have. This week we took Bella for a walk and laughed the whole way as we watched her scamper and frolic in the fields and it felt so joyous that I didn't want to return back home.

I had already read a number of the poems before, but nevertheless it was pleasant to peruse a few classics and some more modern selections. Despite a vast number of poems and many favourites among the bunch, I doubt it will be a book I reach for in the near future; rather a reference book should I ever feel the desire to read a love poem, or perhaps to utilise when we are choosing the readings for our wedding ceremony.

For the month ahead I'll be trying something a little more countryside-focused: The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane. Following ancient tracks, holloways, drove-roads and sea paths, Macfarlane explores the stories of these tracks, the people and places associated with them and the landscapes which they inhabit. Professing to bring togther 'natural history, cartography, geology, archaeology and literature', it promises an adventurous journey and 'nourishment for the mind.' A hefty tome, it presents as the perfect choice with which to begin the Spring segment of my year in books journey, with positive energy and a renewed focus on the natural world.

What have you been reading this month? Any recommendations? As always, head over to Circle of Pine Trees for more inspiration and to share your choice for the year in books.

Good morning and happy Sunday! I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend so far. Yesterday was gloomy and miserable and it felt as though Spring had deserted Lincolnshire after tempting us with sunshine late last week. Today I am hopeful that things will improve; there's nothing better than bringing in washing that has dried on the line to a hearty dinner after a day planting in the garden, and all being well that's how I'll be spending today. If it's miserable where you are, or if the duvet is simply too tempting to leave this morning, check out this week's links and explore things to read, eat and do...

Read

Tips on conscious living and how to set yourself some simple living goals. The thoughts on media consumption are particularly enlightening.

Soft, Spring-like images over here.

How to deal with work-related anxiety. Something I am sure many of us can identify with.

I am a little obsessive with magazines. I now want to go and buy lots of new ones after reading this post.

Eat

Looking for something sweet but don't have to time to commit to proper baking? Try this super easy apple tart.

Banana, chia seed, cashew butter and cocoa smoothie. Perfect for a post-workout energy boost.

For a lighter dinner or a weekend lunch try this avocado and blush orange salad with miso yoghurt dressing.

Do

Catch up on news of The Lost Carnival and use the clues to solve its mystery. Intrigued? Book tickets here.

If you're looking for a blogging or small business course with a difference, sign up for the free to flourish inner circle for a six month mastermind group for heart-centred businesses.

Book yourself in to learn something new. I've been browsing the exciting range of courses on offer at Trill Farm this week: willow weaving, simple herbal remedies, seasonal beauty and living nutrition to name just a few. Book your place here or be inspired to search for something similar in your area.

Have I missed anything this week? Post a link below if so!

This week has been such a strange one. It has been full of exhilarating highs and stressful lows, but is ending on a happy note: a new job! I am starting at a smaller company and have been offered a promotion - both swaying factors in leaving my current employment - and although it will be a few months before I officially begin my new role, I am so excited for a fresh start.

Most of the rest of the week was been spent preparing for the interview for said job, never a pleasant or stress-free experience, and it does tend to take over every other element of your life (my house is looking a little worse for wear as a result). My plans for the weekend therefore involve an awful lot of sorting out and clearing up and doing all of those everyday things that have fallen by the wayside over the past few days.

Pre-empting memories, we are going out for a meal to celebrate this evening with friends and family and I can't wait to catch up and switch off from the working week. How are you spending your Friday night?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Photo via Unsplash.

Morning is my favourite time of the day. Sunrise is even better. There's something about the clarity of a fresh new day that offers a release, and a chance for a different beginning, no matter how tough the day or night before has been. This month the mornings have been particularly beautiful, with cold, crisp breezes and bright blue skies that herald the true start of spring. The sunrises have blazed majestically at times, with deep hues of ochre and burnt orange smeared across the sky. Other times, the pale pastel pinks and peaches have softened the early morning lines.

Nothing makes a sunrise more beautiful than a Lincolnshire skyline, and the silhouettes of trees have featured heavily in these early morning vistas across the rolling Wolds. I've been capturing images most days: sometimes with my phone stuck far out my back bedroom window, sometimes braving the elements in the garden, clasping the camera with my dressing gown on still and the dog circling my feet, wondering what's going out.

Somehow a sunrise seems even more sublime at this time of year, as the fingers of branches stretch far across the sky, itching to break out and unfurl. The melodic sound of birdsong accompanies these moments of solitude and punctuates the otherwise deadly silence. The world is still. Life is about to awaken, and so is the day. I can take my time, because I know that most others are still curled up in bed, curtains closed and trying to ignore their alarms. A cup of lemon and ginger tea, a hot bath and a moment to breathe are all I need, for there will be no other time for these during the hectic day ahead.

Do you get up early to see the sunrise? What do you like to do on early mornings?

1. Take any spare tins/cans you have to a food bank.
2. Leave your partner or friend a post-it note to let them know how much they mean to you.
3. Use discarded envelopes as shopping lists to save on paper.
4. Plant a tree. Even a dwarf version in a pot counts.
5. Write a positive comment on a website or blog. You might make someone's day!

It's that time of the week again. Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day! How are you spending your weekend? We spent last night with family (sixteen of us squeezed into my nan's house) and dined on a very Spring-like meal of salmon with tiny roast potatoes and creamed leeks and mushrooms. There were no less than four puddings (yes, four!), all of which I consumed with gusto. This morning I awoke tired (any bedtime after ten leaves me feeling this way) but happy; getting the whole family together can be difficult and often there's one person that is out of town or has to work, but this time we were all there and it was wonderful.

I've not had a huge amount of time this week to read and comment on the blog posts I have enjoyed, but here's a taster of what's been gracing my screen with loveliness over the past seven days...

Read

Reasons to love Spring. It's time to get excited by the new season.

Sarah talks about the creative process of blogging and her essential tools for the job over here.

Eat

If you're running a bit late this year, try these Mother's Day macaroons for a quick, homemade gift.

I think brunch might just be my favourite meal of the weekend. Looking for some brunch inspiration for Spring? Look no further than this asparagus and mushroom strata.

It's a pie. It involves chocolate. I need to make this now.

Do

These candles are pretty special.

Looking for a gift for a tea lover? Want an unusual way to display house plants? These DIY teacup planters are most definitely the way forward for you.

Are you the sort of person (like me) who takes their rings off while washing up, going in the bath, gardening and so on? If so, you need to make yourself one of these nifty ring cones.

What posts have you loved this week?

This week, for the first time this year, I ventured out into the garden to attempt a bit of a sort out. Walking out of my door to be greeted by a gale-force wind, I was pleased to be able to remove my hat and scarf because it actually wasn't that cold (!) and the sun shone the whole day long. Daring to climb the steep bank next to our house to feast my eyes on a whole host of dancing snowdrops, I decided to try and capture their beauty, but photographs never seem to do them justice. I even attempted a video but I need to work on my skills before sharing on here. We also took delivery of our new DSLR camera, and I am so excited to get started!

Over the weekend I managed to clean the polytunnel and give the garden a spruce to prepare for the planting season. There's nothing better than that satisfying feeling of being ready and poised to begin. I also bought some new herbs for the hanging basket next to our front door - I'll be able to swing out and grab a handful now whenever I'm cooking.

Mr CC and I took Bella for a walk with her favourite toy, and spent a happy time running (yes, I know!) through the fields, chasing the wind home for our reward of sausage sandwiches.

I also received some positive news from work this week; regardless of what (if anything) will result from it, it's always nice to hear that you're seen as a valued employee and that people recognise the hard work you put in on a daily basis. Mr CC and I went to the local pub for dinner to finish off the successful day and consumed some local cider before heading home for relaxation, then blogging for me and hammering away making bee hives for him: perfect!

What memories have you made this week?

Buying British products and produce is something that I will be forever passionate about. If it's available in the UK, why waste time, money and air-miles on products flying in from far afield? Nearly 90% of the flowers we as a country buy are imported, often travelling thousands of miles before being packaged and placed in our shops and advertised to sell as 'fresh' flowers. What's fresh about that? Perhaps more importantly, why do we feel the need to buy in these exotic blooms when British flowers are so wonderful?

A posy picked straight from the garden is always going to make a house feel firmly rooted in the season. Failing that, a bouquet or small bunch from a local florist will do almost as well. They might be a little more expensive if you choose certain flowers, but go for the ones that are abundantly in season, and you'll find they're usually cheaper than any other flowers you can buy. In March, daffodils often go for a pound a bunch and can brighten up any frosty Spring morning with their vibrancy. As we get further into the season, tulips can often be just as inexpensive and can surely satisfy that need for pops of colour in our vases? You'll also be helping to support the habitats of insects in the UK; from butterflies to bees they all need flowers, but farmers will only grow them if there is the demand.

With this in mind, here's a quick summary of what's in season (florally, of course) during Spring...

• Daffodils {so easy to grow in the garden}
• Tulips {look for different varieties - there are plenty!}
• Hellebores
• Hyacinths
• Irises {a particular favourite of mine}
• Lilac
• Bluebells

March heralds the start of Spring, and that means fresh new shoots and green vegetables emerging from the soil. But we are also still in the depths of the 'hungry gap', where the veg plot has little to offer that can appear on our plates. It is instead a time for waiting, nurturing and patience. With that in mind, a lot of what is seasonal at this time of year is either forced (rhubarb) or stored from the winter months.

If you can hunt out some early Spring greens, try them sautéed with bacon and mustard seeds - head over here for a recipe. Wild garlic should also start to surface soon - difficult to buy in the shops but available from organic veg schemes such as Riverford, it has a subtle flavour and is perfect in homemade pesto and pasta sauces. In fact, anything green and leafy is good at this time of the year; as the winter months come to a close and the stodgy puddings and hearty casseroles are left behind for another year, it is only natural to start craving nutritious, healthy foods.

Salads are sneaking back into our kitchens in many forms - add olive oil, mozzarella and a few nuts or sultanas to mizuna or rocket leaves and you've got yourself a nutritious side dish. I've been adding leftover grains from chillis and risottos to make a more substantial lunch.

Finally, if you're looking for ideas for a Spring feast, you can't go wrong with hogget. Not as well known or as popular as lamb, it is actually far tastier as the sheep is slaughtered somewhere around a year old and as a result the flavour and tenderness are much improved. Find cuts in good butchers or local farm shops (you won't find them in supermarkets!), roast and serve with fluffy roast potatoes.

The Lovely List is back under a new guise! I wanted to go one step further and group together the lovely links I like to share with you all, and the new name seemed a natural progression of this thought process. So without further ado...

Read

This post from Nicola on how to make frugal the new normal is enlightening, particularly if you worry about your frugal tendencies and how others may respond.

Using images and objects to reflect on the week gone by is such a lovely way to document life. See what Erin's week looked like over here.

I love finding new blogs to follow, and this week I discovered The Owl and the Accordion, a lovely space created by blogger and freelance writer Vicky. This post on inner calm and how to beat anxiety really hit home for me and is so useful if you find yourself struggling. I'm working on tip number 9 right now.

Eat

If you follow me over on Twitter, you'll know that I've been inspired by Deliciously Ella in my quest to eat better over the past few weeks. All of the recipes I have tried are delicious, and these granola bars are next on my list.

Something warm and hearty for those blustery Spring days.

Cake is remarkable, in whatever form it comes in. Make sure you always have some in the house by trying this easy recipe for orange tea bread.

Do

As part of my acts of kindness series, I'll be thinking about sending some blooms to loved ones - not for any particular reason, just to remind them that I care. Make it easy for yourself and send some via post through Bloom and Wild.

Want to save a heritage variety of peas or a rare kale variety? Head over here and adopt a veg.

Re-use your green tea bags - head over here for six great ideas.

Today is International Women's Day. For 10 ways to celebrate, visit Seeds and Stitches.

Wishing you a wonderful Sunday!

What happened to the carefree days when laughter, fun and making memories were the only important things? When did life become something to get through in order to reach the end of the day, the week, or the season? I'm as guilty as anyone at wishing away those tough times, hoping that what comes next will be so much better. But what if we saw each trial and tribulation not as something to overcome, rather as an experience that forms and shapes who we are as people?

Admittedly, it often seems impossible to switch off the stresses of everyday life. Work, money, health, family - life can be demanding and we inevitably prioritise the things that seem to require our immediate attention and the things that appear to be going wrong. So what's the solution?

It's time for a shift in focus, a change of outlook and a re-focus on making memories. Life will be difficult - that's not going to alter - but what we can do is look to cherish those happy moments rather than letting them pass us by in a haze of disappointment and stress that has the ability to diminish everything other. Really, that's what starting this blog was all about, and I want to actively create the opportunity to notice the memories that we do make. Happiness comes not only from the moment, but also later as a memory, and can be utilised as a coping mechanism to turn to when you have a bad day, week or even month. With this in mind, I'll be documenting more memories on here, starting with what's been happening this week...

Looking out of the back bedroom window to see the sunrise bleeding into the pale blue sky has been a spectacle this week. The mornings have been crisp; the sort that make you feel like sticking your head out of the back door and breathing in deeply just to fill your lungs.

Bella has been very needy these past few days, wanting to hop on my lap for cuddles every five minutes, and despite being busy in the evenings with work I have loved the attention.

Last Saturday we had friends round for dinner and I experimented with some new recipes: a buckwheat focaccia to go with pesto and pine nut tagliatelle and some homemade lemon meringue ice cream alongside raw brownies. The focaccia left a lot to be desired, but the dessert was a hit! The wine flowed, we laughed and caught up, and everyone fussed over Bella. A wonderful way to spend a weekend evening.

What memories have you made this week?

1. Have a picnic at the beach (even if the weather is bracing).
2. Visit somewhere new, perhaps somewhere you only normally visit in the summer.
3. Make your own pesto – you could use wild garlic, nettles or spinach.
4. Go for late evening walks with a flask of something hot and enjoy the starry night sky.
5. Spring clean using natural products. You only need lemon juice, bicarbonate of soda, distilled white vinegar and a bit of beeswax.
6. Buy a bunch of seasonal British blooms: look out for daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and irises.
7. Plant seeds in the garden for flowers and vegetables. Even a tiny plot can yield plenty of salad for the summer months.
8. Make a spring wreath.
9. Challenge yourself to get outside for at least 30 minutes a day.
10. Keep a nature diary of everything you see in your garden, or when walking.