One Thing Today

Episodes of OTT are rather spaced out at the moment and I'm feeling rather the same! In this episode of the podcast I'm heading out to see the chickens and talking a little about how I'm finding myself moving at an even slower pace than usual and leaning for support of my past work. I then play you a previous unheard episode of The Tiny Adventure Podcast that I shared over on Patreon last week. Wishing you the best week possible. If you'd like to explore the idea of Tiny Adventures a little more, visit The Go Gently Library where, towards the bottom of the page, you'll find a downloadable TA checklist and a short podcast explaining more about what I think Tiny Adventures are and how to embark on one yourself. Happy Tiny Adventuring! https://www.gogently.co/library Throughout March and April I'm experimenting with what I post on Patreon. Join at any level to follow my experiment and to see if it's the right place for you. You'll find plenty of gentle encouragement there to help you live and create at the pace that's right for you: https://www.patreon.com/gogently

In this episode of One Thing Today, I'm discussing having the patience to wait for the right time to do something and how this can be easier at sometimes than others... Today, I'm enjoying finally feeling that the time is right to doing something (chocolate related!) that I first planned to do three months ago. Throughout March and April I'm experimenting with what I post on Patreon. Join at any level to follow my experiment and to see if it's the right place for you. You'll find plenty of gentle encouragement there to help you live and create at the pace that's right for you. https://patreon.com/gogently

In this episode of OTT today I'm making some coffee in my new coffee pot and talking about how returning to this old habit feels like rediscovering a creative ritual and in so doing perhaps opening the door to some other abandoned habits… Why not use this podcast as nudge to take one small step with your creative life today? Set a timer for twenty minutes and doing a little work on your current creative project. Patrons can watch the Podcast Extra that accompanies this episode here:. https://patreon.com/gogently Throughout March and April I'm experimenting with what I post on Patreon. Join at any level to follow my experiment and to see if it's the right place for you. You'll find plenty of gentle encouragement there to help you live and create at the pace that's right for you. https://patreon.com/gogently

Last week was an odd week, that culminated in a walk to Big Oak Field with a flask of hot coffee and my recording this podcast for you. In it, I'm talking about a dear friend who died suddenly a week ago and how her death has brought up questions about how to enjoy our days within our limits (and led me to buy myself a stove-top espresso maker, which you'll hear bubbling away at the start of the podcast). Patrons can watch the Podcast Extra that accompanies this podcast, here: https://patreon.com/gogently Throughout March and April I'm experimenting with what I post on Patreon. Join at any level to follow my experiment and to see if it's the right place for you. You'll find plenty of gentle encouragement there to help you live and create at the pace that's right for you. https://patreon.com/gogently

I hope your week has got off to a good start. In this episode of the One Thing Today, I'm surprised by an early morning flurry of snow and talk a little about an age-old dilemma of mine—routines and planning versus trying to live in the flow and trusting that the next right step will present itself... If you're a patron (or would like to become one) you can watch the Podcast Extra that I mention in this episode, here: http://gogently.co/pe-213 Throughout March and April I'm experimenting with what I post on Patreon. Join at any level to follow my experiment and to see if it's the right place for you: https://patreon.com/gogently

It's spring here in Wales. The rain is falling, the grass is looking very green and it time to start recording episodes of One Thing Today again after my winter break. In this first episode of the year, I'm experimenting with how it feels to walk up to see The Big Oak in my daytime pyjamas whilst talking about offline days and waxing lyrical about the beautiful and patient watchfulness of my favourite tree... It's lovely to be back. If you haven't listened to them, this winter's Patreon-only Hibernation podcasts (plus some extra winter goodies) are still available for free over on my Patreon page: www.patreon.com/gogently

I'm out in the rain and the sun to record the final episode of One Thing Today of the year... Over the winter I'm pausing making episodes of One Thing Today and will instead be recording my annual podcast series, The Hibernation Podcast for my lovely patrons over on Patreon. This year the series will also be available to non-patrons; just visit my Patreon page to listen. (https://www.patreon.com/gogently)

In this third of the final four One Thing Today episodes of the year recorded towards the end of November, you find me taking a cup of tea (in one of my beautiful new mugs) up to The Caterpillar of Oaks…

In this second of the final four One Thing Today episodes of the year, I'm saying hello on a dark and wet mid-November morning... Poor George had been moulting and she was looking how I was feeling – rather raggedy! Hibernation had got off to a very slow start and I was doing my best to let myself go as slowly as I needed, only doing things when it felt the time is right and trying not to worry that that didn't seem to be the case very often.

I recorded this episode of One Thing Today back in late October when I had pretty much withdrawn from the world to spend some time in mourning. I was just beginning my second week of mourning and had had found myself feeling rather guiltily irritable and so decided to go for a walk to see if that would help shift my mood.  After visiting The Big Oak, the walk turns into a rather pleasant mushroom-spotting clamber around the edges of The Caterpillar of Oaks…

Whilst I do say hello at the beginning of this episode, this is mostly a non-verbal podcast. I've been particularly enjoying listening to the sounds of my hillside recently—standing at my gate or walking out into the field up to the Caterpillar of Oaks has been very calming I wanted to try and capture some of that peace and calmness for you and so decided I'd try my hand at making you a soundwalk. Ounce joined me for the walk and George and Louise make a guest appearance towards the end. Below are some timestamps to help you follow along. I'd recommend listening with headphones if you can. *** 01:56 - Starting the walk 02:31 - Ounce joins me at the top of the garden steps 03:11 - Ounce jumps through the gate into the field 03:18 - I climb over the gate into the field 03:31 - I start to walk up the hill towards the Caterpillar of Oaks 03:55 - Ounce starts to follow me 05:35 - We enter the Caterpillar of Oaks 06:34 - Finding somewhere to sit 06:51 - Sitting with Ounce as he circles the microphone and purrs 07:27 - Deciding to head home before the rain arrives 07:51 - Taking Ounce's photo 08:01 - Walking down the hill 08:22 - Ounce decides to follow me 08:52 - Ounce passes me 10:07 - At the gate (Ounce chews some grass) 10:57 - I climb over the gate back into my garden 12:00 - Pausing at the top of the garden steps with Ounce 12:11 - Deciding it's time for a cup of tea 12:18 - Walking down the garden steps 12:37 - Meeting Louise and George 13:34 - Ending the walk

Ounce joins me for a walk up to the Caterpillar of Oaks as I explain why I haven't recorded an One Thing Today for about three weeks and why I may be quiet for a while longer.

In this episode I'm greeted by some VERY welcome cool air as I head out to see the chickens... After I finished talking to you, I sat in the lovely fresh air and knitted for a while. I'll be posting a video over on Patreon in a couple of days so you can work alongside me if you'd like to.

On the third day of the heatwave here in the UK, Ounce and I head out early to see the chickens and then happen upon a cool spot to sit in together for a while...

On the second of three unusually hot days in Wales, I'm enjoying the cool of the early morning as I sit in bed knitting and having a bit of a ponder…

I'm off out with Ounce to say good morning to George and Louise and to get ready for what promises to be a warm day here in Wales...

I'm emerging after a week's holiday and am noticing that my batteries aren't quite as recharged as I had hoped they would be. However, the morning is pleasantly cool and I'm feeling up to a gentle walk up to The Caterpillar of Oaks. Would you like to join me?

This morning felt the right time to do something that I've been thinking about doing for a little while – going on a barefoot walk up the hill to The Caterpillar of Oaks. Would you like to join me?

I'm having an early morning knit in bed and talking about some of the memories that starting knitting again has brought up for me and muse a little on how new memories might be stacked on these old ones...

I'm sitting in my garden talking about unexpectedly finding myself on a Tiny Adventure. The first of this summer...

Walking up to The Big Oak to mark the moment of the equinoxes and solstices has become a regular part of my year. Yesterday, I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it up the hill to for this year's summer solstice, but I was surprised and pleased to find was... Join me under The Big Oak (surrounded by midges!) for a cup of tea and a ponder on how the shape and rhythm of my year has been evolving and how I'm looking forward to seeing what that means for me over the next twelve months Does your year have a shape and rhythm to it? Does it suit you? If not are there any changes you could experiment with over the coming months?

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 49/50 I'm saying hello from bed and talking a little about tuning into the things that help can help us to live at the pace that's right for us.

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 45/50 Some thoughts about rest, in part sparked by Carl Larsson's painting, Convalescence.

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 39/50 As you'll hear, the hens George and Louise have been excellent resting role models this afternoon. I would have loved to have taken a photo of them to go with this podcast but wasn't up to venturing outside. Instead I'm sharing a photo of the first few rows of the sock I'm knitting at the moment with Ounce (also an excellent rest role model!) curled up behind it.

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 33/50 I'm podcasting from bed today, rather appropriately talking about taking small steps from a place of rest :) Today was my seventh day in bed and I think I'm going to be here a while longer. I seem to have started chronicling these bed days over on Instagram, which is a bit of a surprise but I'm just going with it…

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 29/50 This evening, after three days spent mostly in bed, I've been sitting at my newly cleared desk and feeling quite cheered to realise that some small steps have been happening despite how slow I've needed to be...

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 18/50 I seem to have fallen into a rhythm of making a loaf of bread every couple of days and am continuing to experiment with slow baking. I'd mixed up the dry ingredients for this loaf earlier in the day and coming back to them to add the water and oil and to give the dough its first knead, I thought it would be a good opportunity to say hello. I'm experimenting with a slightly different slow-baking method than last time.

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 16/50 I was feeling a little daunted at the idea of making a podcast today, so decided to keep it simple by just taking you out to say hello to the hens and telling you about a small step I took yesterday...

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Days 12/50 & 13/50 Yesterday, I recorded this podcast from bed whilst playing one-handed solitaire, because that was what was possible. Today I'm posting the podcast. Small steps... When I began this 50 Days retreat and decided that I would focus on small steps within it, I had thought my small steps would be... well... bigger (and a bit more creative and colourful perhaps!). However, I'm right up against my limits at the moment and being forced to look at what's possible (and focus on that) rather than what I was hoping would be possible. I hope that you're able to focus on what's possible today (however small that me be) rather than wishing that you could be doing something else

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Days 10/50 & 11/50 Following on from my accidental slow bread making, here is a podcast in four parts in which I intentionally aim to make a loaf of bread over twenty-four hours.  It's an experiment in going slowly and in small steps which turns into a bit of a ponder about product vs process, deadlines and enjoying what we're doing. 

This morning I've been having a gentle potter in bed, working on setting up a notebook for my Fifty Days retreat. If you've followed any of my retreats in the past, you'll know that a notebook has been central to them. This time I thought that maybe I could do without having a dedicated notebook, but a few days in I've realised that I was missing having one. Before heading out to see the hens, I talk a little about how a notebook can create a container of time to retreat into, which is very helpful when it not possible to physically go elsewhere for a retreat.

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 5/50 Sometimes we're not aware of the small steps we take in our days. It's good to notice and realised the significance of them when we can. Yesterday, I unexpectedly found a small step that lead to some very slow bread making...

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 3/50 I'm podcasting from bed again today. In this episode of One Thing Today, I take a small step that involves repairing a corner of my website and talk a little about how it's felt to be back online and visiting social media after a long time away.

Fifty Days of Small Steps: Day 1/50 It's the first day of my latest Fifty Days of… retreat and I'm taking a good friend's wise words to heart and sneaking up of a small creative step and the recording of this podcast (and doing them both in bed!) I wonder if you're planning on joining me for your own Fifty Days of… retreat.  You can follow my progress in these podcasts. Or, if you like to join me for your own retreat, come on over to my Patreon page and support me at any level to get access to all my Fifty Days of Small Steps content.

It's been a long time since I've regularly recorded episodes of One Thing Today, but today I'm hoping to restart sending out regularly episodes again as I embark on a fifty day retreat which I'm calling Fifty Days of Small Steps. In this episode, I'm talking about how I've found my way back to the podcast and working in small steps and how I'm hoping that my fifty day reatreat will help me find a gentle rhythm with both. You can follow my progress in these podcasts. Or, if you like to join me for your own retreat, come on over to my Patreon page and support me at any level to get access to all my Fifty Days of Small Steps content. It's lovely to be back recording One Thing Today. Thank you for listening.

It's been 138 days since I last recorded you an episode of One Thing Today and I really wanted to say hello to you before I begin my three-month long winter hibernation. Join me on my rather blustery hillside for a slightly unusual episode of OTT in which I talk about my thoughts around the future of the podcast, how quiet my year has been and how much I'm looking forward to my hibernation this winter. If you'd like to join me for my hibernation it would be lovely to have your company over on Patreon: https://patreon.com/gogently

Join me for a walk up my hill to visit the Big Oak and mark the moment of the summer solstice. As you'll have noticed I've been taking a break from podcasting. That wasn't something I had a made a decision about, it just seems to have been happening. In this episode of One Thing Today I talk about how I think that podcasting break is going to be continuing for the time being and how I hope creating a fifty-day container of time to retreat into will help me get a clearer idea of both the future of the podcast and my wider creative life. If you'd like to join me in my fifty-day retreat (or just follow along), you can do so over on Patreon: https://patreon.com/gogently

Hello Today marks ten years since I recorded the first episode of One Thing Today and I did want to pop in to say hello and record a little homage to that very first episode. Join me together with my original timer and teapot for a five minute micropodcast. Maybe today you can pick one small thing to do to move your creative life on a little. Or maybe today's a day for a rest :) Thank you for being there

Today, you find me by my kitchen window watching Louise enjoying her first morning out of the coop since her operation and reflecting on how taking care of her has meant that my One Thing has been decided for me over recent days. I hope however your energy is today that you can find something to appreciate and enjoy in your day

Not quite the 1600th episode of One Thing Today that I had planned for you, but maybe this gentle, scaled-back episode is an appropriate way to mark today’s milestone. Join me for a walk halfway up my hillside to visit a crab apple tree… Whether you’re a new listener or have been with me for a while (or even the very beginning!), thank you for your company.

It’s a beautiful frosty morning here in Wales and I’m by my gate saying hello to you after what felt like a very big day yesterday…

The albeit probably brief return of winter here in Wales this morning feels very welcome. Join me as I say hello to the chickens and then take a slow, snowy walk up the hill to the grove of oak trees. May your day unfold into the shape that is right for you.

My One Thing for today is to rest, but I did want to record you a short podcast as today is a big day in chicken world.

I’m hoping that I’m sounding a little less dopey than I did when I recorded the first podcast of the year on Saturday. I do feel more chipper and find myself looking forward to what is increasing feeling like the start of a new creative year. Join me for slightly longer walk than normal as I follow a sheep path to Bluebell Hill (where the first bluebells will be appearing in about a month) and talk about emerging into the new year. As you’ll hear, midway through the podcast I pause the recording to take a photo and before I resume recording find myself on a rather unexpected Tiny Adventure. The video of that Tiny Adventure will be available to watch on my Patreon page in a couple of days.

In this first episode of One Thing Today of 2021 you find me climbing over my garden gate and heading up the hill to the Big Oak to mark the moment of the spring equinox and the start of the new year. The walk up the hill provides a chance to reflect a little on how my hibernation has been, how I’ve tried to make it a distinctly different time from the rest of the year and how I feel about emerging into the new year. I do hope the last three months has treated you well and that if you've been hibernating alongside me you can emerge gently into the new year. I'm looking forward to seeing where the coming weeks and months takes us all. PS Listening back to this episode, I realised that I got myself in quite a knot when talking about the rhyme Oak Before Ash. If you’re interested in much less muddled discussion of this bit of countryside lore, this might be a good place to start: https://oakobsessionsblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/oak-before-ash-in-for-a-splash/

I wasn't sure until about two minutes before I set out that I was going to take this walk, but I'm glad I did. In this final episode of One Thing Today until the spring, I climb over my gate with about ten minutes to go until the winter solstice. My aim is to climb the hill to the Big Oak where I'm hoping to stand to mark the moment of the solstice and the official start of my three-month hibernation... I shall be back with the next episode of One Thing Today in the spring (on or around 20th March 2021). In the meantime, I shall be recording an analogue series of podcasts following my hibernation which will be available here on Patreon for all patrons. I'm looking forward to sharing my hibernation with you. Perhaps you'd like to join me for some hunkering down of your own over the next few months.

I'm back in my kitchen putting the finishing touches to my slow-made chutney. Five days after I was peeling pears with you, I'm sterilising some jars and adding the final ingredients to my saucepan before simmering the chutney mixture for a few hours...

The slow chutney making continues... :-)

It's been a few weeks since I was in my kitchen making some pear and onion chutney, now I'm back, peeler in hand, preparing to make a second, larger batch. In the first in a series of three podcasts, I'm experimenting with some slow cooking, making this second batch of chutney over a number of days at a pace that (hopefully) will fit with my current hibernatory energy level. It would be lovely to have your company.

I feel as though I am gradually sinking into hibernation and as I do so am beginning to notice that my mood and energy levels seem to be improving. Today has started slowly with a small jigsaw puzzle, and now you find me in my kitchen making breakfast for the cats...

In this episode, I'm talking about how I'm continuing to move slowly and focusing on a very simple routine (that seems to include quite a bit of tea drinking!) that is keeping life ticking over.