Pottering: A Cure for Modern Life

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At first I did struggle with some of the very detailed descriptions of pottering activities. This topped itself when I read about the author's passion for dishwashing by hand. I almost stopped reading there and then. But then, finally the message of the book got to me.

Pottering – a peculiarly British pastime that evokes the shuffling sound of someone (quite possibly in slippers) going contentedly from one thing to the next – is something McGovern is good at. “I think you can lose yourself entirely while you’re pottering,” she says. “It’s a mental break, it’s completely unpressured and it frees you momentarily from all responsibility. It may seem inconsequential, but it has a uniquely restful effect, which I only discovered by chance.” When you potter, there’s no where to get to. Nothing to achieve. The aim of the game is to slow down and enjoy doing one activity at a time.Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of self improvement. I’m all for doing things more effectively. But sometimes you need a little time out. There are, according to McGovern, five fundamentals of pottering. First, pottering is about “making the best of your circumstances and the resources you have to hand”. Improvisation and compromise are key here. In fact, there is an element of make do and mend.

Heading to the upper floor you'll walk into a large open plan living/dining room with another cloakroom off and a HUGE Garden room bringing the outside in - just what you would expect from a home of this standard. Thats not all though, two balconies adorn either end of the house with access to the hidden gem beyond! The fabulous fully equipped wide galley style kitchen is very modern and caters for all chefs! It’s time to dial down the noise in your life and brain. Keeping away from your phone, Netflix and social media will help. As McGovern states: I found myself nodding away in agreement as it's pottering in a nutshell but so is the point that not all elements are of equal importance and the emphasis on each will vary person to person and task to task. In the book Pottering: A cure for modern life author Anna McGovern describes pottering in the following way: When you set aside time to potter, your time is entirely your own. When someone asks you what you are doing for the weekend and you reply, ‘Oh, I don’t know, really. Just pottering’, what you’re saying is you haven’t decided yet, you don’t want to commit – in fact, you could do with a bit of time to yourself.Recommended if you want a fast, light read to shake you out of a rut - but don't read it too fast or you’ll miss the message. But one thing should be changed: In the fantastic epilogue of this book, Anna McGovern explains in a fantastic way why you should read this book, in a beautiful way. So dear author, dear publisher: In the next edition (I think there will be one), please put the epilogue at the very start of the book. While many books offer trendy cures to the bustle and stress of modern life that involve going to far-off places or making drastic life shifts, this book’s approach is, with intention, much closer to home. Pottering—“to occupy oneself in a pleasant way but without a definite plan or purpose”—is akin to fixing a squeaky hinge or making a cup of tea, and McGovern explores the freedom and comfort inherent in such basic human tendencies, though they’ve been crowded out of contemporary definitions of success and happiness. When you potter, there’s no pressure to achieve results or a perfectly clean room/home. And there’s also no need to share your pottering experience on social media. That would defeat the purpose. Why? Because pottering requires you to take time out from screens.

it robs us of the sanity-restoring time for reflection on our inner life, and may even dull our awareness of the need for regular encounters with the self.” My quest to slow down Some or all information pertaining to this property may have been provided solely by the vendor, and although we always make every effort to verify the information provided to us, we strongly advise you to make further enquiries before continuing.The Master Bedroom is ahead of you looking over the garden and has the en suite off while another double bedroom adjacent enjoys exclusive use of the family bathroom! A full utility room occupies the right hand space beside the front door making it invisible to the working of the house! I adored reading it and felt so validated that so many things I already do on summers and weekends will qualify as "pottering." It's about switching off from the stresses of the world and being happy with what you've got, living in the moment, appreciating the little things. Many "self-help" techniques (like mindfulness) try to impart a similar principle but because of how they're presented they become a "thing" and just another something that you're "failing" to do or keep up with. Though it asserts that reflection is a key to change, the book doesn’t make reflection work unto itself. Instead, it includes low-key reflection prompts, making reflection an enriching part of everyday life. These include asking oneself “why are your pottering?”, with suggested answers: distraction, procrastinating, or avoiding something else.