Chapter One of The Simple Life: Simply Living our Autumn Dream

We’re finally here…

I have been wanting to begin another diary kind of series for a while- with a minimalist/ lifestyle theme. Our move to a more basic, smaller home and more basic situation seems like the perfect time to start. So here is Chapter One of our “Simple Life Story” in our new home… with a castle on the hill…

Our new home has the exciting and rather unique feature of having it’s own English Heritage castle! A magnificent feature as part of our local view every day, for all four seasons, all weathers we will get to see this piece of history watching over us on the top of the hill overlooking our neighbourhood.

Since the majority of unpacking and household admin, visits from various service men and deliveries of furniture and appliances, Jesse and I have found some time over the past couple of weeks to explore local walks and meet some new friends (as you can see above) in this rural neighbourhood. Being so close to nature is very important to us. I aim to take Jesse outside every single day for some fresh air- no matter the weather. Dean and I even took Jesse out puddle splashing in the cold drizzle yesterday! Of course, we have stocked up on weatherproof outerwear to tolerate the Autumn elements!

simply being outdoors

Jesse LOVES being outdoors. He kicks up a fair tantrum if he doesn’t get his daily dose of the great outdoors- especially since moving here. There are so many places to explore here. A park right on our doorstep, community allotments and a village green full of lush trees, currently painted in fabulous Autumn colours. There are country trails galore and, if we get into the car and drive, the beautiful Derbyshire Dales and wonders of the Peak District are not too far away either. We could not be more blessed with our new location in the world.

Simply growing

We are looking to get involved with the community allotment group and have also got our names down on a waiting list for a full plot to ourselves (which we may get early next year and bring chickens back into our lives again!) As part of our simple lifestyle, we are also aiming to be more self-sufficient by learning to grow our own food. We have some experience of keeping hens and growing potatoes but having a bigger space to grow more things is a new chapter for us and important stepping stone to becoming completely self-sufficient one day in the future. We could not be in a more convenient place to gain some valuable insight into this organic lifestyle and finally start getting our hands dirty!

simply downsized

After living in a three story terraced house with four spacious bedrooms, you may think that moving to a two bed house would be a bit of a headache- actually it was a breath of fresh air!

We were fortunate enough to secure a property, part of a project in which the council had a large budget to renovate fully and so is like living in a brand new house with an unused kitchen, bathroom and has been fully carpeted by ourselves- our own choice of colours and vinyls for the whole house!

The downsizing experience, itself, I am currently working on another post for so keep following for minimalist inspiration and tips!

Although smaller, the house is actually a lot wider than our previous home, so our living room does feel large and free! Our kitchen also has more space and we have been able to explore our creativity for storage solutions. Having a tiny bathroom has actually made it easier to keep sparkling clean and we actually do not have many things now, to store in the bathroom, therefore it is still looking minimal even after unpacking!

Simply enjoying simplicity!

If you have been following me for a while, you may be aware of my prior intentions to become a qualified life coach (or similar professional) this year…

Well, since discovering our requirement to leave our previous home, I decided intuitively, to postpone this long expectant “goal” and, instead, follow my Buddhist lessons to pursue happiness through enjoyment of the simple things- my family, my home, our natural environment. The more I thought about this, the more I imagined becoming a happier, more content being embracing motherhood through simplicity- without a work schedule, without booking assessments and marketing myself to become noticed as a professional. Maybe that will happen to me some day, but for now, as our current situation allows, I am happy to enjoy the simple life as a mother, a wife, a contributor to my new local community and continue to inspire others through this blog.

So, as you can see, we have not only downsized our property, but in actual fact, we have simplified our entire lifestyle. I believe that with less responsibilities outside of family life, I am able to become a more robust mother, find it easier to balance life and have more strength to help others when I can.

The centred image above shows the fortune Dean received with his first local Chinese here- I think confirms the satisfaction of landing on our feet..

Peace,

Mama Judd x