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K M E U P ?
The best way to beat the January blues, says astrologer Jennifer Racioppi – and live a happier and healthier life all year round – is to take a cue from nature
dictated by Earth’s daily rotation and yearly revolution around the sun, we allow our bodies to function better. But when we live out of sync with natural cycles of light – as we do in society when we banish darkness with artificial light, and work and rest according to a clock, not the rising and setting of the sun – this natural internal clock is disrupted. Metabolic function, mood and cognition are all compromised, performance suffers, and the mood-boosting chemical serotonin dips too low. This inevitably drives us to push ourselves harder, which only causes us to start feeling worse and weakens our immune system.
Conversely, if we return to a life that’s more in sync with circadian and cosmic rhythms, we can improve our mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. Small, simple practices, such as shutting down digital devices at a set hour each night, can help. But looking at the bigger picture – how the hours of sunlight change across the year – and working out how best we can try to work with the seasons is also important.
The trick is to stop expending valuable time and energy fighting these rhythms, because they guide so much of our biology. When we live in sync with them, everything becomes easier. Here’s how to plan your year…
NOURISH YOURSELF IN WINTER
While other parts of the year are all about the social whirl, winter should be a quieter time. Think of it as a chance to focus on yourself and what you need in order to feel content. Pick up the phone and call loved ones, and really invest time in catching up with friends.
The lack of sunlight means decreased serotonin levels, making this feel like a season to retreat. Remember, this is part of the natural cycle. Life can’t always be about being upbeat – we need downtime too, and opportunities to reflect in order to grow. A lot of people find this introspection a bit frightening and, if you’re one of them, don’t panic. Think about what you can learn from the stuff that feels uncomfortable, without letting it overwhelm you.
Winter is the season for restoring the calmer energy of your body – a time when nature goes dormant, yet underneath, the power required to grow remains strong, working hard beneath the surface to rejuvenate itself. It’s the traditional season of hibernation for nature, so you may be less inclined to be out and about anyway. But while this extra time can be an opportunity for extended focus on work, do also take time to nourish yourself from the inside out. The long nights provide ample opportunity for restorative sleep and rest.
MAKE PLANS IN SPRING
People tend to think of spring as lush, blooming and full of life, but really, in early spring nothing is ready for harvest yet. This is
Julia Llewellyn Smith meets the little chef with big ambitio ns
He may be just 12 but Omari Mcqueen already hashisownshow,food brand and co o kbo o k.
Omari was doing any more than warming up food,’ she says. ‘My husband knows I would have gone ape at the thought of him alone in the kitchen with hot stuff. But what he’d cooked was delicious.’
Despite his talent, Omari wasn’t immune to mishaps in the early days. ‘I would either cook the pasta for too long or too quickly,’ he says. ‘And once I forgot to put the lid on the blender.’
‘He made me a curry with rice that was still hard in the middle,’ Leah says. ‘His smoothies and soups were good, but let’s just say it was an interesting first year.’
As Omari’s skills improved, he began investigating vegan food. ‘I didn’t like the way people were treating animals, so I decided to cook plant-based meals,’ he says. Then a school trip to Kidzania, an entertainment centre where children role-play adult jobs, led Omari to another realisation. ‘I came home and said, “Mummy, I don’t want to work for people, I want people to work for me.”’
Leah explained to him for that to happen, he would have to start a business, ‘But I meant when you were older,’ she says to him today, ‘I didn’t mean right now!’
But Omari signed up to the 2017 Children’s Business Fair where he unveiled the vegan dips he’d created – and sold out in an hour and a half. His brand Dipalicious now sells three varieties online.
For his tenth birthday, Omari asked his parents to give him membership of business networking site Linkedin. Through it he contacted Roger Wade, boss of events venue Boxpark, which runs pop-up food festivals, telling him he wanted to open a restaurant when he was older. But Roger’s response was ‘Why wait?’ and the next thing Leah knew, she was taking a call from Boxpark. ‘They said, “We’d like to speak to you about dates Omari could open his restaurant.” I had no idea what they were talking about.’
Omari was given a week to launch his restaurant in Croydon. ‘It was stressful for me, fun for him,’ Leah chuckles. ‘But when it opened, I saw my little boy become a man running his own company. I’d say, “Do you want me to help?” and he was like, “No Mum, I know what I’m doing.” When he had a break, people would come up wanting to take photos. I’d say he needed a rest but he’d say, “No, I need to speak to my customers.”’
Omari is engaging and fun, without coming across as cocky or precocious. ‘The most important lesson I’ve learnt is to stay humble, be yourself and your flaws make you unique,’ he says, and smiles politely as he lets his mum do most of the talking. ‘He’s the quietest of all my kids,’ Leah says (there are five more children at home – Laquarn, 16, Mahkai, 11, Kiara, nine, Kainon, seven and their cousin Jaylen, also seven). Leah
‘I WANT TO BE LIKE GORDON RAMSAY, BUT WITHOUT THE MEAT AND THE SWEARING’
removed Omari from primary school for the final two years after teachers wouldn’t enter him for the Sats test. But Leah says, ‘I told him, “You can do anything you put your mind to. I’m not having you lose your confidence.’’’
Omari started secondary school in September 2019, but Leah says he was bullied, with his classmates saying, ‘You think you’re so great because you’re famous.’ Then came lockdown and Omari’s confidence was further crushed as he struggled to tackle schoolwork without any formal structure.
He went back to school for two weeks this September, but – worried he’d fallen behind – Leah quickly decided he should stay home again. He joined the four youngest children who were also all home schooling, largely to protect Kiara who has a lung condition, with Jermaine working nights so he can help out.
‘I do a lot of creative stuff with the younger kids but for the older ones I use tutors,’ she says when I express complete horror at what they’ve taken on.
Leah and Jermaine share the cooking but it helps that Omari cooks lunch for everyone and on Fridays serves up a three-course dinner. ‘I love Omari’s desserts. I could eat his blackberry crumble all day long,’ Leah sighs. Another typical recipe might be his vegan shepherd’s pie made with plantain, or his callaloo (it’s a bit like spinach) ‘mix up’ with rice and peas. His nan is a particular fan of Omari’s jackfruit barbecue wrap. ‘She was amazed – jackfruit has the texture of pulled pork. You put it in a wrap with rice and beans and it’s delicious,’ Leah says.
Omari also loves to experiment with herbs and spices, ‘My kitchen is my science lab,’ he says, and Jermaine challenges his son to come up with meat alternatives, such as asking for a version of the Burger King Whopper, and gives Omari the whole week to practise. But the family isn’t fully converted to veganism. ‘I’m almost there but I still dabble in fish for the omega-3 benefits,’ Leah says. ‘We all tend to have a vegan dinner, though, because I can’t be bothered to cook two meals.’
To persuade other kids to give his vegetable-based food a go, Omari says, ‘I tell them, “If you cook something delicious, it will be delicious.”’ And he’s putting that message to full use on his Youtube channel, CBBC show and book, which he wrote – or rather, since he’s dyslexic, dictated – during lockdown.
The excitement surrounding his new projects helped distract the family from their worries about Jermaine returning to work, as around 30 London bus drivers died of Covid. ‘It’s been a stressful time, but when everything is up in the air, Omari just concentrates on the good stuff, because he knows if you concentrate on the horrible things you’ll get stuck – and you need to keep moving forward,’ says Leah, who turns to Omari, ’you showed me and Daddy that.’
But, in other ways, Omari is just like any other kid. ‘He’s meant to wash up his own pots but he tries to get out of it by putting them in the dishwasher,’ Leah sighs. ‘His dad says he goes into the kitchen to destroy it, opening all the cupboards, getting all the ingredients out.’
She doesn’t sound cross. After all, who could be annoyed with a boy who tells you his ambition by the age of 25 is to own a chain of international restaurants, with his dips stocked in shops all round the world?
And by the age of 17, he wants to open a restaurant on a bus. ‘People will eat on it and my dad will drive it,’ he says. ‘He works long hours and I wish I could see him more. This way he can drive around with me all day.’
From any other 12-year-old it would sound like a cute dream, but when Omari’s speaking you can be almost certain it will come true.
Omari Mcqueen’s Best Bites Cookbook will be published on 7 January by Scholastic, price £12.99*. What’s Cooking Omari? is on Sundays on CBBC and is also available to stream on iplayer
Need an office that pops up then packs away? Or a working area that fits stylishly into your living space? Here’s how
he key to planning a home office in a compact space is to think carefully about what would help you get your tasks done (or those creative juices flowing) and build exactly the work zone to match those needs. Then you just have to figure out a way of squeezing all that in to whatever floor area you can spare.
Wall-mounted desks that drop down when required, then fold up again to occupy as little space as possible, are perfect for tight corners. Floating wall-mounted desks are another option as they free up floor space (Ikea sells a wide selection). Choose one with a cubbyhole or shelf below so that you can store your laptop when not in use. If you’ve got a spare corner in the living or dining area, look for furniture that transforms when office space is required, such as a sideboard that becomes a desk by sliding the top forward, or a chest with a fold-down work surface.
Alternatively, opt for a desktop on trestle legs, which is easy to remove and slide away under a bed or behind a door if you’re planning to have guests round.
Or why not hide your office in a built-in closet? A simple curtain pulled across can conceal your work space, allowing you to roll your chair under the desk when you are done and keep everything out of sight. If you already have a wall-mounted modular storage system with uprights and brackets, there may be a desk module available. Such systems are ideal for creating a versatile work area that’s tailored to your needs – and they’re great for making the most of every inch of space, too.
Here are a few ideas to get you started…
This is an edited extract from How We Live Now by Rebecca Winward (Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99). To order a copy for £14.95 until 17 January, go to mailshop.co.uk/ books or call 020 3308 9193. Free UK delivery on orders over £15