September 2019 – Page 2

Creating a hand-stitched pamphlet

September 14, 2019

Producing your own work can be a daunting prospect but it also allows the space to fully immerse in the words and creation. Sometimes a publisher (or record label) is the way forward with a piece, but occasionally (about every four years) I enjoy re-grounding in the practice of producing an entire pamphlet from scratch, including the hand-stitching. If you are also adept at design (which I’m not) then that’s great, otherwise you might want to approach a friend or…

creating OUTSIDER Patreon chapters travel

New OUTSIDER chapter out tomorrow

September 13, 2019

If you’d like to subscribe to the exclusive OUTSIDER chapters for as little as $1 a month to support my work then please visit my Patreon page here. I love sharing new work with you, the people, who have a genuine interest in the writing and the insights I’m unearthing across the landscapes of this nomadic life. Thank you for your support, I cannot tell you how much it means. Sent with much love,Sophie…

creating Europe nature poetry vanlife

exchange rate

September 12, 2019

Back on the European mainland. Feels like we’ve driven back into summer as we head farther south through central France. We’ve definitely driven back into the dream vanlife. I’ve had some professional rejections these past few weeks. This is ok. It happens to writers. It happens to everyone. The trick is to learn & grow from the knockbacks, not to be defeated by them. Recognition is lovely, and it helps, but it’s not everything. The art is everything. The words…

Cymraeg Europe feature politics

Walking the borderlands of Y Mers

September 10, 2019

Sophie McKeand Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself.Walt Whitman I am in love with swallows. They have become the mascot of our travels as we follow their migratory paths: north for summer, south for winter. Standing at the borderlands of Y Mers (The Welsh Marches in south Wales) with fellow collaborator Mark Daman-Thomas, we watch summer swallows swing determined arcs from farmhouse roofs out across ankle-high grasses to take flying insects on the wing then sling-shot…

creating dailyconnectionwithnature Europe food vanlife

meeting new friends & old

September 9, 2019

I’ve had a continual love-hate relationship with social media over the years. A couple of years ago I deleted Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Then when we hit the road I set up this new OUTSIDER Instagram account because I wanted to document these experiences. I’d thought to put it all in a book but as there’s no end date to these travelling days I didn’t know where the book should finish. I’ve preferred using Instagram/blog/Patreon instead. Maybe it’s less polished,…

books creating dailyconnectionwithnature Mental Health nature poetry

on learning and intuition

September 8, 2019

Woke thinking of this poem today so decided to go with it and post. It’s too easy to step away from the path of following intuition; the ego wants to start taking over saying, ‘ok this is a pattern so now you have to post at 6am every day for consistency blah blah blah’ or ‘ok, van photos are what get the most likes here so we’ll stick with that.’ But one of the things I wanted to do with…

dailyconnectionwithnature Europe food slowlivingactivism

the joy of French autumn fruits

September 7, 2019

Loving all the autumn fruits around just now. Pictured here are a mix of blackberries foraged from a pleasant 10k hike around the farmlands and vineyards of Tillières, they’re near the very end of their harvest here so I’ll poach them rather eat fresh. These delicious crispy apples & fat, juicy yellow plums are from a farmer’s market stall the next day in Parthenay. I had information that the market in Parthenay is predominantly food on Saturdays but this one…

creating dailyconnectionwithnature food poetry

notes on foraging

September 5, 2019

Some thoughts on recent shoreline foraging. Definitely an activity I intend to continue with. Seaweed! #eatyourgreens #eatyourweeds…

food travel vanlife

eat your seaweed

September 3, 2019

Following on from yesterday’s seaweed forage I thought I’d use the finds to make a spicy rice & greens dish while we’re overnight parked in a ferry port (oh the glamour!). This is something I make all the time in the van because it’s super easy to pull together and feels like comfort food even though it’s pretty healthy. Ingredients are (serves 2): Kelp, Gut-weed, Sea-lettuce dried or fresh, chopped (I usually use shredded cabbage/kale but seaweed is delicious!)1/2 bag…

dailyconnectionwithnature Europe food vanlife

south coast foraging

September 2, 2019

Sea beet, sea lettuce and a couple of edible others I’ve already forgotten the name of foraged from the shoreline here on the south coast of England. Although I’ve got books on foraging I’m never confident enough to eat it until I’ve been shown by a real-live-person. In this case the generous & knowledge-filled Caroline @foundandground has been utterly wonderful in showing me what’s what. She used the seabeet in a delicious tomato pasta sauce last night. Going to try…

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