A Year of Living Simply: The joys of a life less complicated (Kate Humble)

Product Information

Before I started listening to this, I vaguely liked Kate Humble, but had no strong feelings either way. However, having got through the story to the end, I find myself deliberately avoiding watching anything on TV with her in it. She’s the poster girl for good, clean country living, but don’t befooled by the wholesome image. Kate Humble tells Francesca Babbwhat makes her happy – and what makes her really lose it. Kate begins to wonder what, if anything, she can do to make life simpler. Her first project was to embark on a spot of gardening. She wants to learn how to grow fruit and veg in a dedicated section on her 4 acres of land! This sounded like a good place to start, the excitement and enjoyment of growing your own food.

The minute the book is opened, there is some sort of serenity about it and an optimism. Kate Humble talks briefly about some hard times that she has faced, but it moves onto a positive calmness. It is a joy to read about her walking in the countryside. I, myself am surrounded by countryside and yet, still feel this and a quiet calmness whilst reading this book, in a way I've never known quite possible through a book. Kate Humble's new book is a lesson in moving on from a tragedy and finding our place in the world' - WOMAN & HOME A Year of Living Simply is timely, given that the pandemic has forced most of us, in some way to simplify our lives, whether we planned to or not. Kate wrote it before any of us were aware of the upcoming crisis, but it captures the current moment perfectly… It’s not necessarily a “how to” book, more of a “why not try?” approach.’– FRANCESCA BABB, MAIL ON SUNDAY YOU I wanted to like this book, I really did. Unfortunately it mainly consists of "early morning walks with my dog" and "having a bit of a tidy up" intermingled with travelling around the globe visiting people who have attempted to live a semi-alternative lifestyle and who are making a decent living from it! There is a constant undercurrent of "Where is my next job coming from" despite the author having far more wealth and opportunities than her average reader will ever have.Kate Humble’s new book is a lesson in moving on from a tragedy and finding our place in the world’– WOMAN & HOME A Year of Living Simply is timely, given thatthe pandemic has forced most of us, in someway, to simplify our lives, whether we plannedto or not. Kate wrote it before any of us wereaware of the upcoming crisis, but it capturesthe current moment perfectly. There is a recipefor banana bread, included, she swears,before we became a nation obsessed;advice on making the most of your outdoorspace; thoughts on stepping away from ourphones and social media obsessions (‘I couldn’tbe less interested in what people are havingfor breakfast or what they’re wearing’). It’snot necessarily a ‘how to’ book, more of a‘why not try?’ approach. It took Kate a little while to convince Ludothat the move was the right one. ‘It’s not thathe didn’t want to move to the country,’ she says.‘It’s more that he’s the practical, pragmatic onein our relationship, whereas I’m more, “f*** it,let’s do it”. We make a good team. We wouldprobably be in a debtors’ prison right now iflife were entirely up to me and my spur ofthe moment, slightly ludicrous decisions.’

Kate was born as Katherine Humble on Dec 12, 1968, in Wimbledon, London, England. Her ethnicity is English.Last great book you readI’m in the middle of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet. It is, as I expect from her,captivating, haunting and beautiful. I vaguely recognised the author’s name from tv shows my husband and son enjoy watching. They are both outdoorsy country types and so I absorb some things, at least by some sort of osmosis.

I also loved how she shared her own personal memories of happy times with friends and family, and how things have changed over the years that people seem to value things differently now. At the beginning of the book Kate recounts her favourite holiday in the South of France some years previous. In which she stayed in a log cabin with very basic facilities and no technology. Totally isolated, with time to walk, swim in the lake, read, sleep and eat delicious food collected from the local market. It is not just the ecological breakdown that we are witnessing that tells us we need to pause for a while and re-think. Rising mental health problems should also give us an indication that we are losing our way. Perhaps the biggest question though is how we manage to do that reflection and make those changes collectively. It feels like we have rarely been so divided as people, whether economically, socially or virtually any other potential line of difference you can think of. Are we capable of cohesive thought and action at this crucial time? Maybe that’s where smaller and less really comes to its own solution, through localised relationships and communities. When big has been the problem for so long, looking for the big solution is perhaps futile. In this book, Kate shares her journey to find out what it really means to live a simple life. Kate has a busy life, her tv career means that she travels around the country, often away from home for weeks at a time. My husband thinksit’s hilarious thatI’m describedas wholesome,’TV presenterKate Humbletells me with glee,down the phonefrom her farm inWales’s Wye Valley. ‘He’ll say, “Do they know thatyou use the C bomb, all the time?” I’m one ofthose people who will get absolutely furious,often at myself. I break things – including myown hand once smashing a wall – but then it’sdone. I don’t understand anyone who doesn’tlose their s**t every now and again.’

I did Springwatch at Pensthorpe, I’ve done lots of filming on the coast. It is a very beautiful part of the world. My husband also has good friends who farm there and I find myself there fairly often. And I’ve never seen mad March hares boxing anywhere better than Norfolk.”

Materially, many of us have more possessions than our ancestors could have imagined. Thanks to technology we are more connected than ever. And yet numerous surveys have found that it doesn’t necessarily lead to happiness.Overall, an interesting if somewhat hypocritical view of minimalism, self-sufficiency and anti-consumerism. My views differ somewhat considerably but perhaps an interesting read for someone who is starting their own journey. So there are some things I’ve absolutely adopted, and some things I want to keep learning and some things that I’m not doing that often, like washing by hand.”