The Demon Beast of Want v The Freedom of Simplicity

I have a reputation amongst my friends of having just about every kitchen gadget one might ever need. It's not entirely justified but as someone who has both a conventional and Japanese mandolin I suppose there is an element of truth in the statement.

The six months I spent in a holiday cottage during my last stay in New Zealand made me realise that I could easily manage on what was essentially the bare essentials in the kitchen. The one thing I had to buy (apart from a really sharp kitchen knife) was a spaghetti 'spoon'. Otherwise almost all that I needed was in the cottage and I just had to make occasional forays to borrow, for example, a tin in which to bake a Christmas cake.

That made me think. When I then translated the situation in the kitchen into other spheres of my life I realised just how much I possessed that I may have wanted but which I certainly didn't need. So I have spent a lot of time this summer disposing of things (why, for example, did I have two cars in Scotland?). It is very liberating!

Mind you everything is relative and looking around me at what I have retained makes me realise how much I still possess. Perhaps another six months in New Zealand will remind me just how little in the way of possessions one needs to be happy. So long as I still have my croquet mallet and my boules and my computer and my music and my...... Ah well it was a thought!