There’s a bit of a theme going on around here at the moment - harvest. At this time of year a lot of my ‘gardening time’ is spent picking produce and working out how to store it, cook it or preserve it. It can be time-consuming in the short term, but it’s so great to be able to enjoy your homegrown fruit and veg all year round. In this post I’m going to share some ideas for preserving herbs - they make such a difference to recipes ...
Harvest time craft: making veggie creatures
We've been having lots of fun this season turning our allotment harvest into veggie animals, so I thought I'd share this fun craft activity with you. Every year my local horticultural society holds their annual show in September. There are lots of categories you can enter your produce into - things like 'heaviest pumpkin' and 'best floral arrangement' - and there is a whole section exclusively for children. The kids were planning to ...
How well do you know your apples?
Is there a fruit that symbolises this time of year more than the apple? For me, apples go hand-in-hand with Autumn days; heavy fruit ready to fall from the tree in our garden, fighting the wasps for the juiciest ones, and of course cooking with our lovely harvest. I have to confess though, my knowledge of the hundreds of types of apples is limited to say the least. I suppose we’re all too used to the handful of varieties on sale in ...
Creating the perfect boy’s bedroom
I think it’s pretty typical to spend the warmer months developing your garden and outdoor space, but as the seasons start to change we tend to turn our attention to indoor projects. With Autumn around the corner we’re about to tackle a tricky room in our house: our eight year old son’s bedroom. I think kids’ rooms are so hard to get right. They’re often small and need to multi-task hard, providing space for sleeping, playing and learning as ...
Exploring Clumber Park
Visiting Clumber Park is one of those days out where the minute you arrive, you just know it’s going to be brilliant. We’ve been meaning to visit for such a long time and we finally managed it over the bank holiday weekend. Covering over 3,800 acres of parkland, heath and woods in North Nottinghamshire, Clumber Park was once the country estate of the Dukes of Newcastle. The original house is no longer there but there are lots of other ...
Imaginative outdoor play with Stick-lets
During the Summer holidays we've been trying out Stick-lets, a clever little product designed to take playing with sticks to a whole new level. Stick-lets are a very simple idea: they're silicone joints in a variety of sizes and shapes and you use them to lash sticks or wooden canes together. The idea is that they allow you to create more stable and imaginative structures than you would be able to manage without some sort of joint to hold ...
September birth flower: Aster & Morning Glory
Do you know what the September birth flower is? Just like birthstones, there are birth month flowers for every month of the year. Birth month flowers are usually in season during their specific month, so they should be easy to find in florists and mixed bouquets – making them perfect for a really thoughtful gift, or just a treat for yourself! If your birthday is in September, or if you’d like to buy a personalised gift for a loved one with ...
In Season Now: September
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Supplements every gardener should try
Gardening is not only a good way to enjoy some time in the fresh air, but is also a great form of exercise. Like all physical activity, it's important to look after your health and protect against any aches or pains. Here Lindsay Baldry from nutrition expert Pharma Nord gives some tips on how you can stay physically fit and pain free through the right nutrition and supplements. Take care of your joints Did you know that digging and pulling out ...
Reviving garden furniture with Sadolin
This week I've been giving our garden furniture some much-needed and long-overdue tlc. We have a hardwood outdoor patio set which, until a few years ago, we took very good care of; we treated it with preserver every year and stored it in the shed over Winter. However, as family life has placed more demands on our time and the space in our shed, we've really neglected it. Take a look for yourself: It's really showing the effects of ...