Tuesday Essays
A collection of thoughtful, personal essays from Our Little House in the Country, exploring seasonal living, ordinary days, home, family, change, midlife and the quieter things we notice along the way. Published on Tuesdays, these are reflections on living more intentionally — finding meaning in everyday life, making space for where we are now, and learning to move gently through the changing seasons of both the year and our lives.
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Knowing When You’ve Done Enough
There is always something else we could be doing. Another improvement, another plan, another thing to organise. But what if we've already done enough? A personal reflection on perfectionism, getting older, letting go of unnecessary pressure and learning to enjoy the life we've worked so hard to create.
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What Are You Filling Your Life With?
What are we filling our lives with? A reflection on attention, ordinary goodness and learning to notice what deserves more room in the lives we're already living.
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A Slower Life, Right in the Middle of a Full One
Slow living doesn't necessarily mean having a slow life. An autumn reflection on intentional living, seasonal rhythms, full family days and learning to notice the life that's already happening around us.
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Slow October: 31 Simple Ways to Cosy Up Your Days This October
Welcome to Slow October — 31 gentle invitations to notice the season, find little moments of comfort and connection, and enjoy the heart of autumn. Download the free illustrated and large-text October calendars plus the October Journaling Reflections page.
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When the Days Feel Like Themselves Again
There’s something lovely about summer days losing their edges. But as autumn returns, I’m rediscovering the quiet comfort of the week finding its shape again — Friday feeling like Friday, Sunday feeling like Sunday, and ordinary life settling back into its familiar rhythm.
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Not Everything Ripens at the Same Time
On a soft, drizzly September morning, the apples, pears and blackberries offered a quiet reminder: not everything ripens at the same time. A seasonal reflection on change, readiness and learning to let life unfold in its own time.
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Still Four Months Left
September can feel like the beginning of the end of the year — autumn arrives, Christmas appears on the horizon and suddenly we're looking towards January. But there are still four whole months left. Not four months to catch up, optimise or make the most of. Just four months of ordinary life still waiting to be lived.
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Living in Two Seasons at Once
September asks us to live between things: summer and autumn, freedom and routine, what has been and what comes next. A reflection on the strange beauty of allowing two seasons — and sometimes two truths — to exist at once.
- Intentional living, Midlife Reflections, Parenting and Family Life, Seasonal Inspiration, Slow and Intentional Living, Summer, Tuesday Essays
The Quiet Gift of Beginning Again
September has always carried the quiet feeling of a fresh beginning. This reflective essay explores why we don't have to wait until January to begin again and how small, intentional changes can gently shape a new season.
- Intentional living, Midlife Reflections, Parenting and Family Life, Seasonal Inspiration, Slow and Intentional Living, Summer, Tuesday Essays
Stay Here a Little Longer
As August gently gives way to a new season, it's easy to find ourselves mentally rushing ahead. This reflective essay explores the quiet practice of staying present, noticing the beauty of ordinary evenings and learning not to leave a season before it has finished unfolding.
