Paring Back.

                      Just off to a barbecue last August on a typical English summers day!

We had glorious weather in Spain (mid March-first week in April) but I've returned to yet more inclement weather here in England. Apparently, whilst I was away there were a few sunny spring days, but these have been replaced with relentless grey skies and drizzle since my return last week.

Actually, the last time I saw cloudless blue skies and felt the sun on my back was (you've guessed it) in Spain over the new year. We talk about the seasons here in the UK but we haven't had a white Christmas for several years, nor cold frosty winter mornings. Wet springs roll into equally wet summers and last year I attended numerous barbecues and garden parties where we all huddled under gazebos or inside kitchens, shying away from the cold and the rain.

During this last trip we grabbed every opportunity to be outside, (essentially the Spanish way of life is about outside living) and took several long walks through the beautiful countryside surrounding our village. This buoyed me up no end and made me compare my two lifestyles.

Modern society has lost the art of living simply and for many of us, material wealth has become the yardstick by which we measure ourselves and others. We often forget that today is our most precious possession and each day is the only thing we truly own. We live in the fast lane cluttering our homes and our minds (the word clutter has the same root as 'clot'. And as a clot blocks the circulation, so clutter can weigh us down.)

My Spanish home (whilst very beautiful) is small and has minimal possessions. It's actually very liberating to be free of the sort of objects I've accumulated in England. With minimal possessions, the present moment assumes a much greater intensity, I would rather be walking through the orange groves than spend hours bogged down with shopping and housework. I want to enjoy a simpler life and diverse routines rather than measure my worth by what I own.

I think perhaps (possibly like many women of my generation) I was obscured by the years of rebelling against the simplistic life of my mother. I was part of a new generation and we wanted it all, well paid careers which would buy us lots of lovely possessions and (ironically) freedom. We didn't stop to realise that with less to do and more time to think, we would live simpler yet more fulfilled lives.

In Spain my life is definitely governed by less is more. I'm not constrained by the temptations of having too much or proving my existence. For many of my friends this outlook is totally alien, the general consensus being, the more we have, the more accomplished we are, however, I have come to understand that the only way to buy more time, is to buy less of everything else.

According to writer Dominique Loreau who was inspired by moving to Japan, the best ways to enhance our lives are: to walk for half an hour everyday. Live life at a slower pace and refuse to work extra hours if you are able to. Only do one thing at a time and realise that acquisitiveness saps vital energy.

With our fast and furious lifestyles comes bad eating habits, quality is nourishing, yet so many of us subsist on processed/fast food. Loreau says: eating well means eating slowly and mindfully. This is another aspect of my Spanish life where food and eating still play a vital role in family and community life. Smaller lighter meals are common in Spain rather than the hurried large portions we eat in the UK and I always feel the benefits within days of adapting to this way of eating.

When I returned to England last week I was immediately tempted to go back into hibernation mode and comfort eat (which would eventually lead to me doing some 'retail therapy' to cheer myself up.......gosh what an awful treadmill.) However, whilst I haven't done much walking I have been cooking some delicious meals with a Mediterranean slant, this next recipe is so simple I urge you to try it.

Colourful couscous

 Take a selection of vegetables, peppers, squash, sweet potatoes, onions and a bulb of garlic. Season and drizzle olive oil over the vegetables

 Roast the vegetables in a hot oven for 30 minutes or until tender and slightly caramelised. Squeeze the garlic out of the cloves (like toothpaste)

  Cook some couscous according to packet instructions and add to vegetables

                    You can cook some peas separately and add just before serving

'It's such a lucky accident, having been born, that we're almost obliged to pay attention.'
- Mark Strand.

Love Donna xxxxxxxxx