If you ever need some help feeling more positive about autumn’s imminent arrival (it is #positivethinkingday, after all!), then the classic children’s book Brambley Hedge, might a good place to start.
The epitome of ‘cottage core,’ the illustrations in this book are the invitation you never knew you needed, to cosy up under a patchwork quilt, grab some knitting needles, and fill your shelves with home-made jam.
On the face of it, such ‘maximalist interiors’ (a euphemism for chaos of ever there was one!!) seem directly at odds with the gospel of ‘tidy house, tidy mind.’
However, I feel like there is a big difference between the disarray-decor celebrated in this book, and the everyday mess and clutter which is so famously deleterious to mental wellness.
The difference, if I had to speculate, lies in the ‘wholesomeness’ of the mess, or rather the lack of it, such as the case may be when the only jam in your home, is slightly congealed, and long-forgotten at the back of the fridge.
With this in mind, and for the purpose of imbuing autumn with a bit more positivity, I’m from hereon aiming to correct this ‘wholesomeness deficiency’, using Brambley Hedge and its messy-yet-industrious mice, as a blueprint.
Now…if only I could remember where I put my apron?!
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