Koru

14/06/2026

"Let the beauty of what you love be what you do"
~ Rumi

It's no secret that our passion for pizza is only surpassed by our obsession with nature.

And truly we wouldn't have it any other way.

You can often find us seeking solace in busy days, in the wonder of a stolen moment... gazing transfixed into flowers, watching the sky, or marvelling at the bees or the birds.

A recent poppy filled rabbit hole has been such a joy to fall into headlong.

It's become something of a ritual to wander out into the garden early each morning and spot any new buds that have burst, whatever the weather.

Zooming in to revel at the scent, the delicate petals and stunning architecture of the seed heads has been all consuming....Admiring their strength in storms despite apparent frailty...watching the bees make them sway as they fly from flower to flower.

If only for a moment the world and our heads stop spinning and we get lost in the beauty of it all.

And the best bit of all...the thing that utterly overwhelms us with even more love for these miracles....the poppies self seeded from last year! We didn't try to control them or tend them in any way...they just appeared.

This unexpected gift from the cycle of nature is such an inspiration. It will eternally be a fundamental power behind what we do at Koru.

So what our camera reel lacks in pizza and other food shots it makes up for in flowers!

Capturing the breathtaking awe of it all is something the camera can't quite encapsulate but hopefully these snaps give a sense of the extent of our adoration! And for those of you possibly curious...these were all taken with my phone camera without any filters or editing.

This isn't so much photography as simple pausing to notice.

Yet more evidence of how all it takes to change a mood, transform a day, and maybe even save the world... is by noticing nature....

Our Summer menu is launching very soon....with magic like this at its heart and featuring some of our favourite, nature fuelled offerings.
..We just have to tear ourselves away from our beloved poppies for long enough!

Easier said that done?!

🌿💚

25/05/2026

“Your diamonds are not in far distant mountains or in yonder seas; they are in your own backyard, if you but dig for them.”
~Russell H. Conwell

After having to withdraw from plans to visit RHS Chelsea Flower Show on Saturday for family reasons, it felt more than apt to spend the whole weekend pottering about in our own Peace garden at Koru HQ.

It truly has been nature therapy....taking time to pick daisies, rather than fretting over achieving a manicured lawn, potting on new tomato and rosemary plants, sowing seeds, setting up bee feeding stations and a bird bath, and much more!

Receiving plenty of beautiful photos from Chelsea has been an inspiration too of course, thanks to !! (No prizes for guessing which pics are Chelsea and which are our garden!!!!)

We would have loved to be there...but in the end slowing down and tending our roots here has felt so recharging and completely what we needed.

We sat out under the trees by candlelight until dark tonight, listening to the birds, not wanting the spell of the retreat into our own garden rhythms to break.

It's all been a welcome reminder of what matters most and a relaunch of our garden ready for Summer. Wishing for many more times like this over the months to come!

💚🌿

23/05/2026

'You are the sky. Everything else...it's just the weather'
~ Pema Chodron

Happy Bank Holiday, and what ever you might be up to we hope you can take time to pause for some cloud spotting, even just for a micro moment!

(This was the sky yesterday at Tynemouth)

💚🌿

20/05/2026

"Never cease to stand like curious children before the great Mystery into which we were born."
~ Albert Einstein

I've been eloping lately....to my Secret Beach.

The idea was my birthday gift to myself....one day a month in my favourite place on Earth (swipe for a clue!).

I've been visiting there since I was 5 years old, so for 50 years, and still it feels like magic to behold.

The feeling of crossing the causeway is like no other, despite global travels far and wide.

Time goes so so fast and it's madly easy not to create chances to do what sets your soul on fire. The problem with that is the fire can go out.

And so this continues to be my favourite ever gift. Alone time. Walking. Taking ridiculous amounts of photographs of clouds and shells and tiny flowers....and revelling in the silence, waves, seals and birdsong.

My wish is that everyone could take more peaceful pauses ......and seize (or create) chances to do what they love the most too....(so long as it isn't visiting my secret beach!)

I know it doesn't always feel easy....trust me I took 20 years to finally get round to this...and I look back and wonder what I waited for...permission?

Even this week when I had pencilled it in the diary I've had to reschedule. Only this time I'm aching to go and won't break the promise to myself. Because I know how much difference it makes to push myself and actually take a pause from the every day mayhem. I literally carry the feeling of the freedom in my heart.

It's crazy that we neglect ourselves....and it really can be the simplest things that truly make life feel more worthwhile.

So....why not give yourself permission?

💚🌿

18/05/2026

'One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, 'What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?'"
~Rachel Carson

💚🌿

15/05/2026

This looks wonderful Gillian Cross Art 🙂💚🌿

I'm excited to be back at Northumberland Wildlife Trust Hauxley Reserve on Sunday 7th June for a Walk & Sketch class.

Bring your own materials and take a stroll with me. Soak in the tranquility of the countryside and learn how to sketch en plein air.

https://www.nwt.org.uk/events/2026-06-07-walk-and-sketch

08/05/2026

Urban Sketching is back at Koru on Sunday 31st May. I sketched this view en plein air in Lincoln and took the reference photo afterwards. I was drawn by the juxaposition of the old wall, old fashioned lamppost and the ultra modern roofline of the house.

https://gilliancrossx.art/products/art-class-at-koru-31st-may-2026

01/05/2026

"Maybe these are our salad days?"
~ M.T. Anderson
..So why not swing in the hammock, walk barefoot on the beach, tiptoe through some bluebells, star gaze under the full moon?....
..However you spend it, wishing everyone a glorious May Bank Holiday weekend!

💚🌿☀️

04/04/2026

'Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.'
~ Dr Wayne Dyer

Taking time to get outside this week has been such a vital part of re-establishing life balance.

Recently time commitments and responsibility shifts for Koru have consumed us.... and the sense of teetering on the brink of burnout has felt so real.

It's not something to brag about, or feel ashamed of,...just a fact.

Choosing what to do about it is key.

Rather than stick on a smile as usual and tough it out I've had the urge to sit in the honesty of it.

When asked how my birthday went last week or how I'm feeling I've let people know the truth.

Overwork and under-rest are habits many of us fall into and as an independent business owner, and parent, the risk of this is high.

The fact of our whole concept being based on Peace, and us being huge advocates for this, adds a potential silent pressure to conform to a perception of this. In reality there's nothing to be gained from inauthenticity. Life is after all a spectrum of peace and chaos, light and dark, and a range of emotions along the way.

Hopefully shining some Spring light on the vagaries of trying too hard to keep up can help invite more honest conversations around this.

This is the time of year to step out into the energy of revival. The activation of Spring urges us to rise up. But we've all seen plants that bolt too soon when lured by a fools Spring. This is still a time to go gently.

I can see how I'm fully responsible for all the choices that brought me here and am now happily on track with resetting onto a healthier path again. Daily practice. Nature time. Walks. Detox. Rest. Fun time. Music. Breathing through it all.

These pictures were taken during a dog walk on Friday. The stunning blossom buds captured my attention and zooming my eyes in to notice the detail was so soothing and restful. As I walked away I looked back and spotted the tree that had mesmerised me....so lovely but distant. It would have been so easy to walk by and not notice the delicate detail of the buds.

Only by slowing down can we ever hope to look with fresh eyes. A walk in nature will always be my medicine.

💚🌿

16/02/2026

'Keep your face towards the sunshine and the shadows will fall behind you'

~ Walt Whitman

Just this 💚🌿