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Life in the UK

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Nature & Wildlife Journal

Spring Flowers in the UK that Herald the New Season

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English bluebell landscape in the woodlands - spring flowers in the UK - Sehee in the World

I realise the start of a new season by seeing spring flowers, like forsythias, azaleas and cherry blossoms when I lived in Korea. Here are some of the spring flowers in the UK bringing this news when I walk in town or the woods. Snowdrops The first snowdrop encounters of each year cheer me up to get over the long winter. They also nudge me that I should get on with the new year’s resolutions. Although I like winter for family events like Christmas, this season sometimes makes me feel down because of the weather. Daylight is still lacking after the first day of the new year; rainfall is more common than snowfall or sunlight; and walking paths are thick with mud… Then one day, I see the delicate but brave snowdrops breaking through the cold! They instantly encourage me to feel positive about what might be ahead. This feel-good…

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Creative

DIY Gift Ideas: 10 Creative Presents I’ve Made for Family!

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Creative DIY gift ideas - personalised jigsaw puzzle: a collage of 4 photos taken by ourselves in Korea-Sehee in the World

I love making gifts for those I care a lot about, for their birthdays and Christmas. Although it’s pleasing to spot good presents on the high street, in my experience, handmade pressies go down better. I also find it more rewarding when my own ideas are transformed into something tangible. So, here, I’m going to write about some of the DIY gifts and personalised items I’ve created. I hope they give you some fun ideas for your own DIY gift ideas! Order customised jigsaw puzzles Jigsaw puzzles are great presents for indoor entertainment, especially in winter when it gets dark so early and it’s too nippy to go out. I had a special person to give a Christmas present to, who loved jigsaw puzzles and hadn’t been to Korea. So Josh and I ordered a personalised 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Good jigsaws have plenty of colour, variety and things going on…

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Park House Recipes

Kong-guksu: Easy-(chick)peasy Korean Summer Food Recipe!

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Kong-guksu made of tinned chickpeas in water - Sehee in the World

Kong-guksu (์ฝฉ๊ตญ์ˆ˜) is a must-have for me on a scorching day… so Park House decided to serve the dish the other day! This noodles in a cold soup made of ground beans is one of the Korean seasonal dishes. Soybeans are the typical choice to make the liquid part (kong-mul, ์ฝฉ๋ฌผ), but you might also see it in a dark colour form if black beans (seoritae, ์„œ๋ฆฌํƒœ) are used. I didn’t use to like kong-guksu when I was a child and personally it had always felt like the older generation’s favourite. Maybe I’ve finally entered that generation as I love it so much now… Yum! Type of beans to make kong-guksu When I first made kong-guksu in the UK last year, I had soybeans and mung beans kicking around in the cupboard as I had been in a frenzy of homegrown soybeans and making Korean mungbean fritters called bindaetteok (๋นˆ๋Œ€๋–ก),…

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Nature & Wildlife Journal

Hedgehog Highway to Link between Gardens for Prickly Wanderers

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Josh and I went out for an evening stroll after supper a few days ago. The streets were all very quiet in the residential area except when cars passed us occasionally – quiet enough to spot foxes twice, hurrying to hide. Keen to reach 10k steps a day, we extended our walk and tried a different route. As I was striding off, Josh suddenly grabbed me to come to where he was. It was then when I saw ‘Hedgehog Highway’ first time in real life! I’d come across this sign on my birthday card cover, which I found adorable, and it really was sweet… What is Hedgehog Highway? Hedgehog Highway is a public road specially built for hedgehogs. Like the photo shows, you create a small hole at the bottom of the fence and put this sign on top. If someone asks “why should you make a hole in the…

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Nature & Wildlife Journal

Stonehenge Wildlife: Colourful Starling & Adorable Pied Wagtail

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Stonehenge was a great place to spot some wildlife, as I was welcomed by a group of starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and a pied wagtail (Motacilla alba). It was my second visit to Stonehenge, almost exactly a year ago. Although it was only the beginning of March, it felt as warm as my first trip in mid-summer. (Or rather, the summer visit was as chilly as March because of the strong wind blowing at Stonehenge!) In fact, in terms of photography, I took better photos this time thanks to more sunlight. When I first visited Stonehenge 5+ years ago, I had not spotted wildlife at all. This could be due to several reasonsโ€ฆ too many tourists in mid-summer, a different season, or maybe more likelyโ€ฆ. I hadnโ€™t paid attention to wildlife at Stonehenge then. But that was an old me and weโ€™re now talking about the โ€˜newโ€™ me. The First wildlife…

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Nature & Wildlife Journal

Bullet Journal Monthly Cover Idea -for Wildlife Lovers

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collection of my 2020 bullet journal monthly cover designs - wildlife theme

At the beginning of 2020, I decided to try a bullet journal to better organise the year. Having used it for a year, although I won’t use it for 2021, I wanted to share an accomplishment related to my highlights of 2020 and bullet journaling: designing my own bullet journal cover. Design Your Bullet Journal Monthly Cover with Wildlife You Watch My highlights in 2020 were all about nature and wildlife; designing each month’s cover on the bullet journal with wildlife sightings and natural experiences was the best way to record them. Every month, I noted new species I encountered in person or any interesting episode or experience about wildlife in the UK. Among them, the most memorable one became a topic for next month’s cover design. My families and friends loved this idea and with their support, I’m going to continue to do so for 2021 as well. :)…

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