Say no to faddish clean eating, pointless diets and learn how to cook

Let's get one thing straight- food is not entertainment. So-called clean eating gurus are frauds. If you want to learn how to prepare nourishing, wholesome meals, buy Escoffier's Ma Cuisine or an early publication of Mrs Beeton's cookbook and learn the basic principles of food preparation. I cook to nourish my body and my mind. I honour the farmers and the animals when I prepare my main meal of the day. I cook every day. If you care about the planet stop eating processed or ready made food.

Meals I've cooked in the last few days:

Chicken Casserole with Coriander

Tuna with Fennel, Sautéed Potatoes and a salad of Wild Garlic (Ramsons)

Oxtail Stew with Kidney Beans served with Rice and a Cos Lettuce salad.

Photos SvD.

Time waits for no one

My beloved father, Arnie, took this photo of me, age 6, marvelling at nature as always. When I look back at my life, I feel incredibly sad that time has gone so quickly. I might be in my 50s but there is a real sense that I have grown wise before my time. My advice to anyone today is to seize life with both hands, do whatever you feel in your gut that you need to do and embrace every second. Forget fashion, the mainstream and what others think. If you want to live life fully, remember this- the exception proves the rule. The last time I saw my father before he died (I was 42) he remarked that I hadn't changed at all and was the same as when I was a little girl. He's right: I don't think we can ever change who we are or who we were meant to be.

Challenge yourself

Not content with holding down a full time job, writing articles for The Huffington Post and doing the odd radio show, I have now started an antique business which fills up my weekends. Up at 5.00am is the secret if you're wondering. Energy is learned- get up early, eat properly and keep pushing yourself. Most importantly, don't expend precious energy on people who waste your time and don't appreciate you or teach you something useful. Life is a challenge and we should keep reaching for what interests us while there's still time left.

My little stall. Photo copyright SvD.

Surprise resident in our village

No one knows how he got there but he has been living in our village for years. He is loved, fed and watered by non-terrorist normal humans. He was calling for a mate outside my kitchen window last evening. I hope he didn't have me in mind!

In Greek mythology, the markings on the peacock's tail came about this way: Argus was a man who had one hundred eyes, of which two only slept at the same time. Juno sent him to watch Io but Mercury, at Jupiter's command, killed him. Juno put one hundred eyes into the tail of the peacock, the bird sacred to her.

Photos copyright SvD.