Slow Living - Doing It Old Style!

Brie

Hope you have a slow evening and for those who have kids or just like a giggle don't forget that you can track Santa round the world.

Official NORAD Tracks Santa

Nelliegrace

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Moorviews

Fellow Slowies, Season’s Greetings to you all 🎄 May we all stay present with ourselves and the natural world whilst all around us is busy 😊

leftatthetrafficlights

I hope you've all had a lovely day whatever you've been doing 🎄😁 

My day has been quiet - we popped over to see dd, sil & grandbaby this morning for an hour but have done nothing else other than eat, watch a few bits on tv and snoozed a bit! It's been lovely and we have no plans for later either! 🙌 

I'm planning on a reasonably early night tonight, dh is away tomorrow for a couple of days and I never sleep well when he's not around so I'll get what I can, while I can!! I've got a few bits to do in the morning but basically it's peace and tranquility for the next few days! 😁 

Im looking forward to having some total 'me' time - I've got plenty of fruit and salad in the house, I'm going to have a couple of days of very basic food to balance the rubbish I've eaten over the past few days and I'm going to basically have a 'spa' break - cleansing food, meditation, asana and yoga nidra practices, body treatment, deep moisturising treatment, writing, reading, exfoliation, epsom salt bath etc the full whammy! 😁 I'm going to enjoy my complete solitude - it's rare for me to have so long alone so it will be a welcome change.😁 

Okay, time for another tea - have a fab slow day!! 🐌😁

Moorviews

Christmas Day was wonderful but very busy with all the family here. I absolutely loved it and was so happy to have everyone together of the three generations.   

Yesterday, was just the most beautiful morning with a very pretty sunrise followed by delicate blue skies and sunshine. In contrast to the day before, I had a leisurely start and a long relaxing bath. The window was open and the world so utterly quiet apart from some very musical birdsong and the distant sounds of the river travelling through the thin cool air. It felt like the best of spa experiences. In the afternoon I lit the fire, made a pot of tea and curled up with the dogs to finish my library book, in preparation for starting my new Christmas present books. With a box of chocolates to hand it felt very luxurious! Off for some light exercise today with a walk and a car picnic.
 

@Nelliegrace - I loved the decoration of your cake; just how our family cakes looked and very traditional. 

leftatthetrafficlights

@Moorviews - what a beautiful start to your morning and what a perfect day you had!! 😁 It sounds truly blissful! 😍

I've had a lovely, quiet time and I'm enjoying it immensely! I've spent a lot of time thinking, writing and meditating and it's been a really useful exercise to help me plan for the final month of winter and the first month of spring. 

My focus in 2025 is to immerse myself into trying to live the 8 limbs of yoga - I want to spend time every day exploring the limbs in more detail and introducing as much of them as I can into my day to day life. My decision is based on the serenity that regular meditation, pranayama and yoga nidra practices have brought me in the past few months - I want to carry that feeling of clarity and peace throughout my day and build on my connections to both my micro and macro environments. 

I have written a list of reading materials for myself between now and the end of spring; the list is a mixture of nutrition books, gardening books, books of the physical aspects of asana practice, books on the 8 limbs of yoga plus some other random books. I've also written a list of tasks to complete in the house and garden - all of which support my yoga life....😁
 
I'm looking forward to living more authentically - I have felt drawn to the yoga life for a while now but it's taken quite some time to fit all of the pieces together. It finally feels that I can give it the commitment it deserves 😁

I'm going to keep a paper diary of my year so when I return in 2026 I'll be able to do a 'highlights' post! 😉😂 I expect that I will be quite different in 12 months (I'm certainly hoping to be fitter in mind and body!) and I am looking forward to that type of growth 😁 

Anyway, I've babbled for long enough!! 🤦‍♀️ have a fab slow day!! 🐌😁

Nelliegrace

The third day of Christmas, our hens have given us three new laid eggs!
DH was a volunteer at the Boxing Day football match yesterday. I enjoyed a foggy walk with the dog. 
Meals were easy, leftovers served simply.

I suppose that those who put the lights and the tree up straight after Halloween, and crammed all the food and presents into Christmas Day, it is all an anticlimax now, with hangovers and indigestion, and half of the huge turkey and all the trimmings are being thrown out, and there are huge debts to start the year.

We shall enjoy the twelve slow days, the Christmas holidays, with a few richer treats to enjoy, short walks and coming home to the warm, simply decorated house, and our books.

We are well stocked, no need to go shopping.
I worked so many Christmases, it is a joy to be at home. 

KajiKita

Could you share your gardening books list @leftatthetrafficlights? I would be interested to see what they are 😊

That sounds like a really good year. Almost like an inner pilgrimage.

KK

leftatthetrafficlights

@nelligrace - enjoy your slow days! Coming home to a lovely warm house after a chilly walk is one of the greatest pleasures in life 😁 on days that are really cold, we light the fire too - bliss!! 😍 

Today will be busy - dh is returning from his family get together and bringing mil with him so I'm cleaning this morning!! Once the cleaning is sorted (or perhaps before! 🤔), I'll need to cook something for dinner tonight - I've got some puff pastry left over from solstice so I may make a lentil and veg pie and serve it with mashed potatoes, mashed swede, cavolo nero with tofu crumbles, red cabbage and apple and broccoli. I'm also going to make a veggie soup and some bread - that way, if they are immediately hungry I can make the full dinner while they have soup for starters. We don't have a lot of 'nibbles' in now so dh may have to pop to the shop on the way home to get a few bits....

I'm very much looking forwards to life returning to some sort of normality in a just over a week - once mil has gone, dh has a few days off work then I'm babysitting my grandbaby while dd is working (on dh's first day back at work) so we'll have done a week of 2025 before any type of quiet descends upon my household!! 😳🙄 I'm looking at it as a good test for how I can practice a yoga life despite external demands! 😉😂😂😂  

I suppose I'd better get started - have a fab slow day!! 🐌😁

Moorviews

@leftatthetrafficlights  - your plans sound very interesting and I look forward to hearing about the review after your year out. I don’t think that many of us are ever encouraged to live really authentically, particularly women. It is a wonderful goal to have. 

Yesterday was amazing with the beautiful mists and the light for our drive and walk in the moorland. I enjoyed just drinking it all in and seeing others out doing the same. It was very joyous seeing individuals, couples, families, friends and dogs just enjoying the simplicity of a walk together in beautiful surroundings. Whatever is going on in life a walk seems to help too. 

We are still enjoying our delicious leftovers and the break from proper cooking.