It's a Classical Life

"I imagine we are none of us what may be called rich, though we all possess a genteel competency, sufficient for tastes that are elegant and refined, and would not, if they could, be vulgarly ostentatious.” Cranford, Elizabeth Cranford 1904 I know that q uiet luxury  is a not a recent or new trend but recently I was watching a simple living blogger on Youtube who made a comment that made me stop and think. She said that many people who follow the quiet luxury trend aren't actually rich but are simply trying to appear wealthy and that that particular trend is not in alignment with simple living.  I sat with her words for a while, not entirely sure that I agreed with them. I realised that her interpretation of the term "quiet luxury" and mine didn't match up. For her, it was a focus on wearing expensive clothing and jewellery and even going into debt to appear that one was more wealthy than they actually were. There are some people trying to appear rich and luxurio...

  Happy 2025! The New Year was welcomed quite gently this year with family visiting, dinner eaten outside, cricket, an evening stroll, movies, games and finally watching the fireworks at midnight on the television. It was relaxed and joyful and I am hoping, will set the tone for the coming year. 2024 ran away with me. I lost a lot of direction, felt overwhelmed and fell back into old habits that did not improve either my mental health or my bank balance. I stopped blogging, which saddened me and enabled me to move even further away from the intentional and slow lifestyle that I so craved. In the last couple of months of the year I decided that I needed to make a change. I began to wake early and meditate. I watched the sun rise. I tried to consistently take an evening stroll once the heat of the day had passed. And I began to research the concept of a no-buy year for 2025. There are more than a few articles, Youtube videos, blog posts and personal accounts on the internet that disc...