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A Natural Year: Living Simply Through the Seasons
A Natural Year follows writer Wendyl Nissen's life in the peaceful New Zealand countryside over one year.
It's the story of what happens in her garden, her kitchen and her life over twelve months, and the thoughts inspired by each passing season.
She writes about the freedom that she has found in ageing and the joy that comes along with it. She addresses her depression, anxiety and the mental well-being she's gained from her back-to-basics lifestyle and the practical things she does to live in a sustainable, natural way.
With photographs taken at her home in Northland, Wendyl shares 100 new recipes, including how to make yeast from grapes, yoghurt using chilli stalks and many others she has discovered.
In a world which can be full of stress and confusion, A Natural Year is a guide to a simpler, less complicated life.
It's the story of what happens in her garden, her kitchen and her life over twelve months, and the thoughts inspired by each passing season.
She writes about the freedom that she has found in ageing and the joy that comes along with it. She addresses her depression, anxiety and the mental well-being she's gained from her back-to-basics lifestyle and the practical things she does to live in a sustainable, natural way.
With photographs taken at her home in Northland, Wendyl shares 100 new recipes, including how to make yeast from grapes, yoghurt using chilli stalks and many others she has discovered.
In a world which can be full of stress and confusion, A Natural Year is a guide to a simpler, less complicated life.
- GenresNonfictionCookbooks
376 pages, Paperback
Published March 31, 2020
12 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 8, 2020
Such a fun book to read. She writes with such character that I haven’t found anywhere else but is so entertaining and makes you feel like you are having a conversation. Definitely aimed at 50+ old women but I still enjoyed it lol.
May 31, 2021
A homely, inviting and warm read. Like pulling on your favourite jumper or curling up in front of a fire. An assortment of memoirs, recipes, natural products, living off the land, life in your 50s and so much more. Reading this was like sitting down with Wendyl over a cuppa and home made bread. She has such an easy and honest writing style. Being at a similar stage of life, there were lots of "aha" moments, but I would also recommend to young woman... kind of like "what advice/tips might I give to my younger self", especially in the living more naturally and making good choices about what you put on and in your body. Embrace who you are.
June 27, 2020
I really enjoyed Wendyl's earthy description of her life up in Northland. It was an extremely easy but eclectic read, and while some parts were enjoyable fluff, and others were practical and informative, some other parts were profoundly meaningful and relatable. I particularly enjoyed reading her anecdotes and perspective on life as an older middle aged woman. She offers sage advice and made me realise that I still have a lot of living left to come.
June 4, 2020
I love anything by Wendyl and as usual she delivers!! This book is funny, sad, honest, raw and liberating. I love Wendyls openness and honesty. This might be her best book yet!!
June 10, 2023
Review first published in Organic NZ magazine, May 2020, www.organicnz.org.nz
Here’s another gem from high-flying magazine editor turned Green Goddess Wendyl Nissen. In A Natural Year she writes about her (mostly) chilled out life in the Hokianga, far from the Auckland rat race.
Loosely based around the four seasons, the book is a patchwork quilt of laugh-out-loud anecdotes, post-menopausal wisdom, dozens of recipes and tips for foraging, gardening and daily green living. There’s everything in here from microplastics, to chooks, to food intolerance and nutrition, through to great comeback lines to climate change deniers. You can dip in and pick out what appeals to you, or immerse yourself in the whole thing.
The recipes are mostly simple but sound delicious, like feijoa chutney, preserved lemons, rosehip syrup and pipi fritters; plus there are skincare recipes and natural medicine such as cough remedies.
Nissen’s style is flowing and breezy, yet she also writes poignantly about her own anxiety, stress and depression, and about her ageing parents. No wonder her books are popular because she candidly shares her foibles, revealing herself to be just as human as the rest of us. The tale involving a French train station, teddy-bear pyjama bottoms and irritable bowel syndrome was hilarious.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
Here’s another gem from high-flying magazine editor turned Green Goddess Wendyl Nissen. In A Natural Year she writes about her (mostly) chilled out life in the Hokianga, far from the Auckland rat race.
Loosely based around the four seasons, the book is a patchwork quilt of laugh-out-loud anecdotes, post-menopausal wisdom, dozens of recipes and tips for foraging, gardening and daily green living. There’s everything in here from microplastics, to chooks, to food intolerance and nutrition, through to great comeback lines to climate change deniers. You can dip in and pick out what appeals to you, or immerse yourself in the whole thing.
The recipes are mostly simple but sound delicious, like feijoa chutney, preserved lemons, rosehip syrup and pipi fritters; plus there are skincare recipes and natural medicine such as cough remedies.
Nissen’s style is flowing and breezy, yet she also writes poignantly about her own anxiety, stress and depression, and about her ageing parents. No wonder her books are popular because she candidly shares her foibles, revealing herself to be just as human as the rest of us. The tale involving a French train station, teddy-bear pyjama bottoms and irritable bowel syndrome was hilarious.
Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
October 3, 2020
Witty, informative and enjoyable .
January 15, 2021
A quiet empowering read
How lovely to get the sense of her woman power, and place in our world
How lovely to get the sense of her woman power, and place in our world
April 22, 2021
Really enjoyed this read.
Honest. Real and well written
Would definitely recommend
Honest. Real and well written
Would definitely recommend
February 3, 2025
2.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews