Lina PacielloSlow Stories

All Categories, Slow Stories

Seasonal Living early autumn: Embracing Nature’s Cycles for a More Fulfilling Life.

Posted on 11 September, 202311 September, 2023 by Lïna

As the leaves begin to change and the air becomes crisp, we are reminded that autumn has arrived. This season is a time for change and transition, and it is the perfect opportunity to embrace seasonal living. By living in harmony with nature’s cycles, we can create a more fulfilling life that is in tune with the world around us.

One of the key aspects of seasonal living is understanding the natural rhythms of the earth. In the early autumn, the days begin to shorten, and the temperatures start to cool. This is a sign that it’s time to shift our focus from the outdoors to the indoors. It’s a great time to start preparing our homes for the colder months ahead, by cleaning, organizing, and decluttering. This will not only make our homes more comfortable but will also help us to feel more grounded and centered.

Another way to embrace seasonal living in the early autumn is to focus on the foods that are in season. This is the time of year when delicious fruits and vegetables, such as apples, pears, pumpkins, and squash, are at their peak. By incorporating these foods into our diets, we can nourish our bodies with the nutrients they need to stay healthy and strong.

In addition to focusing on our homes and diets, we can also embrace seasonal living by taking time to connect with nature. The early autumn is a beautiful time to go for a hike, take a nature walk, or simply spend time outdoors. By immersing ourselves in nature, we can find peace and tranquility, and we can connect with the natural world on a deeper level.

Finally, to fully embrace seasonal living in the early autumn, it’s important to take care of ourselves. As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, it’s easy to feel down or depressed. However, by practicing self-care, we can boost our mood and stay healthy and happy throughout the season. This can include things like getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and taking time to relax and unwind.

In conclusion, living in harmony with nature’s cycles is a powerful way to create a more fulfilling life. By embracing the changes that come with the early autumn, we can prepare ourselves for the colder months ahead, nourish our bodies with seasonal foods, connect with nature, and take care of ourselves. By doing so, we can live a more balanced and harmonious life that is in tune with the world around us.

All Categories, Slow Stories

Slow Living for Busy Professionals: How to Find Balance in a Fast-Paced World

Posted on 11 September, 202311 September, 2023 by Lïna

Everywhere I see ‘Back to work’ and back to school’ but does one have to go back to stress and high spead? In today’s fast-paced world, it can be challenging for busy professionals to find balance in their lives. However, the concept of slow living offers a solution to this problem. Slow living is all about taking a step back from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and embracing a more relaxed and mindful approach. In this blog post, we will explore some tips on how to find balance through slow living.

One of the first steps to embracing slow living is to simplify your life. This means taking a look at your daily routines and identifying areas where you can cut back. For example, if you find yourself spending too much time on social media or watching TV, try to limit your screen time. Instead, focus on activities that bring you joy and help you relax, such as reading a book or taking a walk in nature.

Another important aspect of slow living is being present in the moment. This means focusing on the task at hand and avoiding distractions. For example, if you’re spending time with your family, put away your phone and give them your undivided attention. By being present in the moment, you can fully appreciate the experiences and people in your life.

In addition, slow living encourages a more mindful approach to eating and exercise. This means taking the time to prepare healthy meals and engaging in physical activity that you enjoy. Rather than rushing through a meal or hitting the gym for a quick workout, slow living encourages you to savor the experience and appreciate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

In conclusion, slow living offers a way for busy professionals to find balance in a fast-paced world. By simplifying your life, being present in the moment, and embracing a mindful approach to eating and exercise, you can live a more fulfilling and balanced life. So, take a step back from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and embrace the joys of slow living.

All Categories, Home Stories, Slow Stories, Style Stories

A slow September

Posted on 8 September, 20228 September, 2022 by Lïna

September for me is a month of new starts, of organisation, there’s a back to school feeling and always lots to do. The kitchen garden is groaning with all sorts of wonderful produce, not to mention the abundance of sunripe tomatoes. As I hate waste and love the idea of enjoying all the home grown goodies throughout the winter, I am busy making jars of conserved tomatoes and all sorts of sauces and soups for the freezer. Summer holidays may be over, but there is a sort of excitement in the air and there is a noticeable shift towards autumn. It really feels like a chance to reset and be productive in preparation for winter and celebrations to come. My daughter turned 18 this summer and she just bought a flat and will be moving out in October. A huge change for us as a family and of course very emotional.

Hopefully you’ll find inspiration for a slow and seasonal living in September; Now is the time to collect seeds fom the garden and planting your bulbs for next Spring, I will be planting more Alliums, Tulips, this year in the garden.

I will also contue to work and plan for our new home in Spain, Villa La Romana. We worked so hard this summer trying to get as much done in the short period of summer. we ended up doing most of the work ourself since it was in the middle of vacation time and most companies closes during vacation in Spain. Especially smaller and local contractors. I learned how to plaster, remove tiles and i’m actually very proud of myself for what we accomplished but also that we dared to follow our dream. Even if it scared us.

I will make my best to take the time and ensure that September will a month to enjoy the last of bittersweet indian summerdays. As the days grow gradually shorter and the light shifts ever-so-subtly, the very first hints of briskness in the early-autumn air makes me slow down, reflecting, and contemplating layers for the first time in months as summer turns to fall.

Have a wonderful month.

with love

Lina

All Categories, Slow travel

A hidden retreat in rural Tuscany

Posted on 27 July, 202227 July, 2022 by Lïna

in collaboration with Lena Lena

We left Spain to spend some time in Italy, in Tuscany to be more exact. A hidden villa in the Tuscan countryside.
Villa Lena is located on top of a hill, but it was once under a sea. It has all that old school vintage glamour but in a very laid back, bohemian and artsy atmosphere that made me feel right at home.
Villa Lena is all about creative connections with others but maybe mostly with oneself. The Villa is a art residence and the guests can also sign up for lots of different workshops like clay or why not yoga. There’s also workshops for the children. A mix of artists hosting drinks. Creative workshops, truffle hunts. They have their own beautiful and inspiring veggie garden and much of the food served is from the farm straight to the table. Simply devine kitchen and wonderful service and sstaff.
Sustainable Agriturismo like no other.
Villa Lena is truly so much more than a hotel. It’s a place to reconnect.

We got there by car, we took the ferry from Spain to make it as sustainable as possible but still being able to enjoy the scenery of Tuscany by car. So happy we did. It’s not for nothing that large parts of Toscana are part of Unesco world heritage.

Slow, sustainable and rural agritourism with a bohemian and artsy atmosphere. As if time had stopped and I loved every minute of it.

All Categories, Holistic Health, Home Stories

Gardening is good for the soul

Posted on 28 April, 202211 September, 2023 by Lïna

My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece. – Claude Monet

It was only last year that I started my journey as a gardener for real and if I confess I wasn’t really sure if I was going to feel the same way towards gardening as last year. But as the weather continues to warm and the ground slowly thaws, I’m back out there again. Putting lots of seeds in the ground, planning and dreaming about my herbal garden and potager.

So I guess my feelings towards gardening remained and perhaps even evolved into something deeper. This year I feel a lot more confident and calm and I know what to grow.

I love planting both healthy green things to eat but I’m adding more flowers to brighten up our garden this year.

I have also realized that gardening is more than just a fun hobby – it’s also a way to reduce stress and ease anxiety. And even though I started gardening during a time when most of our plans for the summer looked a lot different because of Covid-19, I learned that the benefits of gardening also provided some much needed respite form the daily stress.

I feel a bump in serotonin as soon as i’m out in my garden or greenhouse, and we all know how serotonin can help ease anxiety. The fresh air and the healthy bacteria inhaled thanks to the soil is also a simple but effective remedy to all sorts of ailments.

The other obvious benefit of taking up gardening is the ability that you have to grow something and experience the process of cultivating and caring for your own vegetables. From my experience, there aren’t many things more satisfying than a fresh carrot straight from the garden, pickling our home grown beans, or picking squash flowers off the vine as summer turns to fall.

Certainly not everyone has the space to grow an extensive vegetable garden, my gat isn’t big at all, but even a small plot or a window box or container can give you the opportunity to grow herbs, spices, chives, or flowers. Simple staples in the kitchen don’t need vast gardens to grow and the satisfaction of your harvest, no matter how big can help to bring a sense of satisfaction that just can’t compare to going to the grocery store.

Finally, working in the garden through the summer gives your outdoor space a purpose and can bring pure enjoyment from simply stepping outside. Planting flowers or a vegetable garden will bring a sense of life and growth to your yard while also utilizing the space for practical and beautiful growth.

The work I put into our garden encourages us to spend more time outdoors getting the fresh air and sunshine we so desperately need.

So I’m planting seeds in the soil and feeding my soul as they grow. You should try it too.

Love Lina

All Categories, Home Stories, Slow Stories

Embracing slow gardening

Posted on 17 April, 202217 April, 2022 by Lïna

Since slow living is all about a mindset it naturally encompasses all areas of our lives and applies to everything from what we eat to how we decorate our homes. Like slow interiors, slow fashion and slow food, slow gardening is inspired by the slow food move that i grew up with, which began in the 1980s in Italy.

Slow gardening is the only way I can and want to grow my garden. It consist in the idea that good things take time – the seasons, after all, can’t be hurried. (Especially not in Sweden). There used to be a time years ago where I would rush to the garden centre on the first sunny weekend of spring, to buy plants and flowers. But a genuine and poetic garden takes time to grow. Thats the beauty of it. You create a story and a journey.

Slow vs fast gardening

I was never really happy with those plants I bought, I mean the result.. it it’s like fast food and slow food. Slow gardening takes a longer term approach which follows the changes of the seasons. Slow gardening should leave you with something to work with, plan and look at 12 months out of the year. Less instant gratification for the summer and rapid garden makeovers and more enjoyment in the slow process. Thats why I particularly love perennials..– plants that return year on year and buxom since they are green all year round. I also enjoy drying plants and collecting seeds like today with these dry wild cilantro. To separate the tiny seeds and then watch them grow.

Slow gardening is about the pleasure in nurturing plants and growing your own produce and rejects the idea of a perfect garden. Slow gardening doesn’t mean being lazy, rather it supersedes the idea of strict checklists and unnecessary stress with a focus on personal and environmental well-being. It’s satisfying, rather than a chore. I feel that there is enough stress in our daily life and I don’t want my garden to add to it. Rather the opposite.

Much like the slow food movement which emphasizes with local food traditions and a strong connection with the food, eating mindfully, slow gardening results in a stronger connection to the earth and natural world. It makes me feel more grounded. The slow garden and the slow food movement are closely intertwined, helping us to repair the broken connection between growing and eating your produce and food. To grow your own flowers or food automatically gives you more perspective and respect for mother nature. Something we could all use more of.

In short, slow gardening is for me is:

Enjoying and finding satisfaction in the process of gardening, rather than achieving instant gratification and ignoring others’ view of what makes a perfect garden.
Feeling more connected to the natural world, where our food comes from and the local environment.
Understanding the whole cycle of nurturing your soil with food scraps, growing flower and produce, collecting the seeds and drying them during winter so you can sow again in spring.

wild dry cilantro ready to collect the seeds

Embracing Slow Gardening

To adopt a slow gardening mindset, I would recommend remove the parts of gardening that you find stressful. Don’t like cutting the grass, or feel mowing and fertilising isn’t very sustainable? Then embrace lawn alternatives, such as wild flowers – there are no rules for what you should have in your own garden. A minimal garden with lots of stones is also an option.
Respect and encourage wildlife to thrive in your garden.
Use fewer power tools, and instead use hand or manual tools. To use the hands and the body feels good and makes it easier to connect with the earth.
Reuse and recycling items in the garden for innovative containers.
For the best chances of success (with less effort), choose plants that will thrive in your garden without excessive care.
And finally, experiment in growing your own fresh produce. If I could learn so can you.

I found that slow gardening gave me a new life. Its a very mindful activity. You can reconnect with your surroundings, notice the form and colours of plants and the wildlife that’s visiting. It’s a kind of active meditation. It’s also gives a great sense of purpose.