PLAYFULNESS + CURIOSITY Page 5 of 22

Food for thought at The Little Beach Hut of Dreams

Posted on 2015-08-19 at 8:55 am.

In the spirit of summer we’re delighted to bring you this post from lifestyle blogger Niomi Smart who packed a delicious picnic to enjoy at The Little beach Hut of Dreams….

Last week I was lucky enough to spend the day in the ‘Little Beach Hut Of Dreams‘ in Hove, Brighton, so I whipped up lots of delicious food in preparation for a delicious picnic by the sea.

The beach hut is beautifully decorated in greys, whites and pale pinks, and there are comfy seats with big fluffy cushions to help you get comfortable while you dream the day away. As it’s the height of summer (although you’d never know from the windy weather!), I thought I’d make this video to share a few of my fresh and healthy recipes, which are perfect to pack up and enjoy on-the-go. They’re all listed below, too. I hope you enjoy!

Fruit skewers

strawberries
blueberries
raspberries
melon chunks
grapes

1. Chop the strawberries into chunks, and slide onto a skewer. Follow with a blueberry, then a raspberry and finish with another strawberry chunk.

2. Repeat with the melon and grapes.

Corn on the cobs

2 corn on the cobs

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

2. Wrap in tin foil and place in the oven.

2. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Salsa

2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/4 red onion
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red chilli
Himalayan salt & pepper to taste
handful fresh coriander leaves
1/4 cucumber, chopped

1. Place all of the ingredients into a food processor apart from the coriander and cucumber and pulse until the tomatoes and onions are chopped to the consistency that you would like the salsa.

2. If there is a lot of liquid from the tomatoes, spoon out the excess liquid. Transfer into a container with a lid.

3. Chop the cucumber into small chunks and pick a handful of coriander leaves and stir into the salsa.

4. Store in the fridge for up to three days.

Butternut squash & buckwheat salad

1 cup uncooked bulgar wheat
1/2 butternut squash
salad leaves
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp paprika
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
handful fresh coriander

1. Peel the skin from the butternut squash and chop into about 1 inch thick chunks. Steam for about 20 minutes or until soft.

2. Cook the buckwheat according the the instructions and allow to cool.

3. When the buckwheat and butternut squash are cool, transfer to a large bowl and stir in all the remaining ingredients.

Fresh mint & orange water (serves 2)

10 fresh mint leaves
1/2 large orange
1 lime

1. Slice the orange and lime into slices and divide into two glasses.

2. Add the fresh mint leaves to the glasses and top with water.

Naomi’s outfit: Dress – ASOS, bag – Skinnydip, shoes – ASOS, sunglasses – Quay Australia

To find out more about Niomi, visit her website.

Adventure – are you getting enough?

Posted on 2015-08-10 at 9:47 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today’s post is by Rachel Kempton, Senior Editor at Do What You Love

I love the idea of microadventures; mini escapes for people who want an ‘adventure’ but who don’t have the time, money, freedom or expertise to do something big or off the wall. It’s a concept that I was introduced to recently by one of Do What You Love’s guest bloggers, adventurer and author Alastair Humphries, and one that has inspired me to think about adventure as a whole, and what it really means to me.

Adventure can mean something different to everyone. For many it’s about thrills and excitement, taking risks, or discovering the unexpected. For some it’s about physical exertion and extreme, even dangerous, challenges; and for others, it can be mental or spiritual, or involve an emotional journey of some kind. For me, adventure is about being open to new experiences and finding little ways to challenge myself every day. It’s about making life richer and more fulfilling, creating lasting memories, learning, growing and getting to know myself better, and ultimately, doing more of what I love.

When you choose adventure, doors open – as if by magic!

As Alastair says: “You do not need to fly to the other side of the planet… be an elite athlete, expertly trained, or rich to have an adventure. Adventure is just a state of mind. Adventure is stretching yourself; mentally, physically or culturally. It is about doing what you do not normally do… and doing it to the best of your ability.”

Adventure is a way of being, a way of seeing, an approach to life.

Over the last few weeks, in a bid to mix up my day-to-day routine, I’ve been challenging myself to step out of my comfort zone and seek out adventure in my daily life. So far I found myself doing all sorts of new things: reading (and enjoying!) books I wouldn’t normally choose; getting up earlier and starting my day with a morning power walk or breakfast in a café; learning new skills to boost my creativity; exploring new towns close to home; and planning our next big steps as a family.

Half the fun is getting there! I’ve realised that when you see life as an adventure even mundane things, like supermarket shopping with my son, can be fun, especially if they involve befriending grizzly bears on the way there and getting the bus home!

I’ve also been inspired to organize a couple of impromptu microadventures with my little family. One was cycling the Tissington Trail in Derbyshire. Although we didn’t quite manage the full 26-mile course we pushed ourselves and definitely earned our picnic! Escaping the city and immersing ourselves in nature, even for one day, was so liberating and energizing. It’s true what they say: ‘the best things in life are free’.

My other microadventure was a last minute trip to Croatia – somewhere my husband and I have never been before. Every part was an adventure, from flying with an excited two-year-old (which, as any parent knows, is all part of the fun!) and driving on the other side of the road, to familiarizing ourselves with the language, culture and food and deciding what we most wanted to see and do.

The stunning Istrian Peninsula coastline inspired us to dream

The highlight was heading inland and veering off the beaten track, up a steep, winding, dusty gravel road, to explore the charming hilltop town of Grožnjan.

In the summer months Grožnjan’s labyrinth of cobbled streets and courtyards become one great stage for musicians.

Grožnjan is home to around 30 national and international artists whose houses are the stuff of fairy tales and fantasy novels with their tiny doors, colourful house numbers and cute window boxes. It was a pleasure to wander around the artists’ open studios and galleries and see them blissfully happy in their surroundings, making a living by doing what they love.

A gorgeous photography studio – I couldn’t resist treating myself to a print!

Grožnjan’s lovely antiques dealer

A potter’s paradise: an open ceramics studio

The last few weeks have shown me that adventure really is right there for the taking! It’s all around us, at all times, so it’s up to us to seek it out. Here are my top tips for making adventure part of your every day life:

Alter your perspective: see adventure, and the ability to seek it out in the daily routine of life, as a challenge. Each morning ask yourself: How can I be more adventurous today?
Slow down and indulge your senses: The more we tune into our five senses, the more easily we can tune into that magical and vital ‘sixth sense’ – intuition – the gut-feeling we all have. We also start paying more attention the signs all around us, the little ‘coincidences’ and ‘messages from the universe,’ as well as the things that feel good, easy, or magical, we open the door to possibility. All of these are clues leading us towards what it is we really love, and want to be doing, and invite serendipitous opportunities our way.
Switch off regularly. Give yourself permission to have a daily digital detox. Step away from any distractions, and focus on what you really want to do. Adventure can only start when you take control and captain your own ship.
Live in the moment and be spontaneous. Planning is all well and good but sometimes you just have to do it. Some of the best adventures come as a result of an impulsive, spur of the moment decision. What would you love to go and do today, tomorrow, or this weekend? How can you make it happen?
Connect with your inner child: The wilder your imagination the better! Climb a tree, write a story, go running, roll down a hill, sleep under the stars, take a road trip, take a new class, start a conversation with the mystery person you pass each day on the way to work – everything in life can be an adventure if you choose to see it that way.

We’ll be blogging about adventure throughout August and we hope our posts inspire you to be more adventurous in your daily life. As always we love to hear from you so please do share your experiences – no matter how big or small.

Will you choose adventure?

Posted on 2015-07-24 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Make time for microadventure

Posted on 2015-07-24 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by adventurer, author and motivational speaker Alastair Humphreys. Find out more about Alastair here.

The single biggest obstacle that gets between people and the adventures they dream of is a lack of time. Microadventures have always been about making the best of what is available, squeezing in small bursts of adventure into a busy calendar, rather than just lamenting how busy you are.

This weekend was pretty busy for me. It involved 14 hours on a train, an evening speaking event, a Christening, and not a lot of time for the sort of mucking about I enjoy. But I was speaking in Scotland, and any visit to Scotland feels like an opportunity to do something fun in the outdoors…

Kings Cross might be a very cool station, but I’d still rather not be here on the weekend. Still, at least I could be very grown-up and diligent and knuckle down to seven concerted hours of book-writing. This went well for a while. Until I got so very bored that I resorted to taking photographs of my computer instead.

A good time-filler on a train is gazing out the window and looking for cool spots to sleep wild for a night. Then you pin the location in Google Maps on your phone and save it for when you happen to be back in this part of the world and in need of somewhere free to lay your head.

As a very professional motivational speaker, I was sure to arrive at the venue very early. This allows plenty of time for what is known, in the trade, as “faffing about with your slides”. Swapping one picture of a desert for a slightly different one is – you feel – the key to giving a cracking talk.

Time for a spot of Dutch Courage before the audience arrive. Makes my jokes funnier (at least to me).

Time, at last, to give my talk. I spoke at length about microadventures, about the joys of sleeping on hills and making the most of whatever opportunities come your way. Time then for me to practise what I preached. I headed off into the evening to find a hill. But first, serious expeditions require serious nutrition. This is the glamorous world of the itinerant speaker – long hours on trains and snatching crap food when the chance arises.

The long, light summer evenings are perfect for climbing hills. The air was warm though wet with drizzle. It felt like a fine night to be high above a city and enjoying the dusk.

And so to bed. I slept well until about 7am when I was woken by the bellowing of a too-close stag which slightly scared the crap out of me, but successfully ensured I did not oversleep. If it’s raining hard and you are in a bivvy bag it is always worth finding a wood to sleep in. The rain rattled on the tree canopy but I was dry and sheltered down beneath it.

I woke to this view:

I enjoy the odd feeling when I am removed from the rest of the world, but still close enough to be connected.

I also enjoy being in situations where small pleasures become all that I need in life. A shaded bench, sheltered from the rain, to eat my breakfast apple and enjoy the view…

And now, to church! I had a Christening to attend and didn’t want to be late. I set off walking east.

It was such a pleasant feeling to have nothing to do but walk. I wish more of my mornings began in this way. On the road I saw a very good lesson for life for me: to slow down.

The rain was quite heavy but the landscape was beautiful and I was in an uncommonly good mood. An elderly man walking his dog passed me. “Not so good this morning.” he said, briefly. Weather observations are the glue that holds together most British social interactions. The correct technique for my response would be to agree, briefly, and carry on. Something like “Indeed!” or “haha!” or even a smile and a nod.

But I was feeling wild and reckless and the rain smelled great and I loved the shining beads of water on the cow parsley and gorse. So I contradicted him, “Not at all! It’s a wonderful morning!” and carried striding on. The poor gentleman is probably penning a shocked letter to The Telegraph as we speak.

Shortly before I reached the church I ducked into a small wood. I extracted my suit from my rucksack, smoothed it down as best I could, and hung it in a tree to try to get rid of a few creases.

Then I stripped to my boxer shorts and attempted to turn myself into a respectable-looking gentleman on his way to church.

Suit plus rucksack. Always a strong look.

I made it to the church on time. In fact, I was the first to arrive. You don’t want to be late for the Christening of your first godchild. I’m supposed to be setting a good moral example here!

And then it was back on the train, back down south, but with even less book-writing than before. Trains are brilliant for looking at the world and wishing you were out in it, making the most of it and exploring.

[Tweet “What plans do you have to squeeze some microadventure into your busy life?”]

You’ll never know if you never try

Posted on 2015-07-17 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

It’s time to step out of your comfort zone and do something out of the ordinary.

What new thing will you do today? This week? This month? This year?

Be inspired to do something new today

Posted on 2015-07-08 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Do you feel stuck, bored or frustrated? Are you searching for deeper meaning in life? Then perhaps it’s time you tried something new.

The truth is that it’s always within your reach to make new connections, learn new things and have new adventures. You may not be able to quit your job, or change the fact you have a long commute, but every day presents countless opportunities for you to decide how you want to handle these things, and every other part of your day, in order to make the most out of life.

Of course it’s easier to carry on doing things the same way you’ve been doing them for days, weeks, months, years, but taking a chance and doing something different can bring enormous benefits. Sometimes even the smallest shift in thinking or doing can create the biggest opportunity, paving the way for positive life changes and major fulfilment.

[Tweet “How will you push yourself out of your comfort zone today? What new thing, or things, will you try? “]

Download a high res version to print here.

We go places we’ve never been because we want to be surprised

Posted on 2015-07-07 at 8:55 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

This is a guest post by adventurer, author and motivational speaker Alastair Humphreys. Find out more about Alastair here.

There are many aspects to travel.

We go to places we’ve never been because we want to be surprised.

We want to see new sights and experience fresh things.

We seek out remote places to see what they might teach us – about the world and about ourselves.

Going somewhere you have never been means there are no familiar crutches to prop yourself up, no old memories to fall back on. Everything is new and different.

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We need your vote! The Little Beach Hut of Dreams shortlisted for Beach Hut of the Year!

Posted on 2015-07-06 at 12:15 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Yesterday we opened up The Sunday Times newspaper to discover that The Little Beach Hut of Dreams has been shortlisted for Beach Hut of the Year (cue squeals of excitement!)

This is particularly exciting for us, because it is a tiny creative project that we dreamed up in order to create space in a busy world, to honour the importance of carving out time to dream, and just be in the moment. But more importantly because it recognizes our idea to share this tiny space with the world through our Dreamers-in-Residence programme, which allows members of our community to borrow The Little Beach Hut of Dreams for free for the day in return for a blog post which will in turn inspire others.

Now the competition is on to find the winner – and there is a public vote so we would LOVE for you to support our project and vote for The Little Beach Hut of Dreams! It just takes a minute – CLICK HERE to vote.

By voting for The Little Beach Hut of Dreams you are showing your agreement that we all need time and space to dream, and encouraging others to use assets like this for wider community benefit, not just their own enjoyment.

Here are just a couple of examples of how The Little Beach Hut of Dreams is playing a part in other people’s dreams and plans:

SHABNAH: Shabnah used the time to think about a big adventure she was planning, and in doing so realised just how much power there is in pressing the pause button. Since her residency, Shabnah has travelled to Peru and Ecuador, before spending January in Colombia, which she tells us was 100% unplanned and 100% perfect. She wrote about her Dreamer-in-residence experience here.

In Shabnah’s words “Every time I catch sight of (a beach hut) I am taken to that silence within my previously overactive, second-guessing mind. When I applied (to be a Dreamer-in-Residence) I had been feeling lost and struggling with all decisions – I might make the wrong one, so best to make none. Being able to take a deep breath and return to how I felt that day makes it easier to listen to myself and make a decision that feels right in the moment, however small. Thank you Little Beach Hut built for dreaming for letting me clear enough of the chatter from my head for dreaming space.”

PETA: When Peta applied to be a Dreamer-in-Residence she was in need of a huge boost of inspiration. She had been working on an illustrated book for months, but needed space, and the view and calm to make real progress. She said that in her home office she was constantly distracted by emails and other work obligations. She also has a grand plan to live somewhere where she can plant fruit trees and keep bees, but is currently stuck somewhere with little nature nearby, so the day in the beach hut was a taste of being close to nature for her. She made great progress with her book during the day and we are waiting to hear when it comes out.

Our 2015 Dreamers-in-Residence are using The Little Beach Hut of Dreams this summer and we will share their stories soon.

If you like our idea and love our Little Beach Hut, please do take a moment to vote..

Huge thank you – this means a lot!

From all at Do What You Love

[All images: Holly Booth]

You are the master of your own destiny

Posted on 2015-06-29 at 9:31 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today’s post is written by our Senior Editor, Rachel Kempton.

My big dream, growing up, was to be a magazine journalist. When I was eight-years-old I had an article published in a national newspaper and that was it. I just knew that was what I wanted to do. But as I got older, a combination of bad careers advice and self-doubt led me down a different path and for years my dream was just that: a dream.

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Passion + talent + attention to detail = a Global Art Gathering in Brighton

Posted on 2015-06-23 at 11:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

The Global Art Gathering 2015 is behind us, but the magic of the event lingers on. Rose Radtke takes a look back on why the event was special for her…

Usually, when I picture Brighton, I picture home. The familiarity of my little flat, a pebble beach remaining unchanged as the seasons come and go, the route I take to work and the shops and cafes I like to mooch around at the weekend. But now I look back on one week in June 2015, and I see Brighton differently. I see it through the eyes of a group of people who arrived in a sunny, quirky seaside town on the south coast of England, eagerly anticipating exploring a new place and meeting long-distance friends in person for the first time.

This group of people are special. Led by Lilla and her lovely team (including husband Andy, son Jacob and daughter Natasha), they radiated positivity from the moment they set foot on British soil. They saw Brighton sparkling in the sunlight, and sought out treasure in the little shops that line the North Laines. While we obsessed over whether the weather was on the turn, they obsessed over our British accents and reveled in our polite, gentle culture.

A whole week was festooned with new people, group shopping trips and VIP events, but the main Global Art Gathering event, held at the Brighton Dome, was undoubtedly where the real magic happened. With artists from the UK meeting those from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand in person for the very first time, you could feel it in the air from the moment we opened the doors.

As I watched so many women (and one man!) join forces, I was struck by how different this event was to any conference I’d been to before. Instead of suits people wore colour and big smiles, and instead of business cards they exchanged compliments. I suddenly understood the power of this community that exists in the most part online, but sets a room alight when they come together. Even though I’m not an artist, that week I felt like one. And seeing those women living their passion made me more determined than ever to seek out my own.

Some really hard work went in to making this event happen. That much you could tell from the careful details on each table, the surprise envelopes hidden under each chair and the stage set up as a cosy living room. The attention to detail combined with the talented speakers and the passion of the crowd made the event so worthwhile for all those who’d travelled from far and wide.

I’m sure the Global Art Gathering 2015 will stick in my mind for many years to come. And I hope I’ll continue to draw on the magic I became a part of. Next time I’m feeling a little deflated I’ll cast my mind back to that special day and remember that I have passion, talent and thoughtfulness somewhere deep inside me.

Where does your mind take you when you need a lift? Is there a person, or a tribe, that continues to inspire you even when you’re not together?

PLAYFULNESS + CURIOSITY Page 5 of 22

All images by Debbie Joliff