Show season is in full swing in the gardening world, and today sees the gates open at RHS Chatsworth Flower Show in Derbyshire. I went along yesterday for a sneak peak at what's on offer, and boy did I get a flower fix! The show is in a fantastic setting, with Chatsworth House as the backdrop, and the showground arranged around a beautiful river. There's a huge amount to see, including five show gardens, a selection of long borders, eight ...
Supporting nature: the Yorkshire Fish Pass Scheme from Yorkshire Water
If you’re a regular reader of the blog you’ll know how much we love getting outdoors and enjoying nature as a family. Whether it’s exploring our amazing countryside, helping our native wildlife or just a good old stick hunt, outdoor adventures are a big part of family life for us. They’re also a brilliant way to encourage the kids to learn about and care for our environment. It’s always great to see organisations making positive changes to ...
Kitting your kids out for spring adventures
Now that spring is finally here, a lot of you are probably getting busy kitting your family out for the warmer weather. We're in the process of going through the kids' wardrobes, checking what still fits and making a shopping list for spring and summer. All this organising means it's a good time to take a look at the type of clothing retailers like Fashion World have available for children. Here are some suggestions for what to go for when ...
Exploring the UK with The Discovery Adventures by Land Rover
Isn’t autumn a fantastic time of year for getting outdoors and enjoying nature? We try to squeeze in as many outdoor adventures as we can in autumn; whether it’s a day trip to a specific location, or just a family walk in the local park, we all love the chance to really interact with everything that the season has to offer. Conker hunts and leaf collecting always feature rather heavily! I do think that it’s all too easy to let busy family life ...
School holidays: ideas for keeping the kids busy
School holidays are always around the corner, as my children keep reminding me, and I’m afraid if I don’t find us something fun and active to do things will rapidly descend into chaos! I’ve been thinking of some ideas that will help all of us relax, learn and have fun during the school holidays this year. Have you got any of these on your list? Create a game If you have to work or don’t have lots of budget to do anything outside the ...
A winter feast at River Cottage
I'm sure we're all familiar with the River Cottage TV series, headed up by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and famous for championing seasonal, ethically produced food. There's probably a River Cottage cookbook or two on your kitchen shelf. But have you ever visited River Cottage HQ itself? This week I got to do just that. I joined the HIBS100 team for a fabulous day at River Cottage, exploring the wonderful ingredients they use in their food, ...
Five tips for increasing family time outdoors
Do you spend much family time outdoors? We all know the benefits, don't we: it helps keep us fit, allows us to engage with and learn about nature, combats stress, and stimulates creative play, to name just a few. We try and get outdoors together as much as possible, but the hectic pace of family life sometimes makes it tricky to fit it in. Inevitably there are days when we have other commitments and an outdoor trip just isn’t possible, but in ...
4 Incredible Parks, Nature Attractions and Gardens to Visit in Glasgow
UK city breaks don't have to be exclusively limited to arts, culture and sampling city life; many offer some fantastic outdoor attractions and adventures too. This guest post from Extra Mile Coaches explores what's on offer in and around Glasgow to tempt you outdoors and into nature. Enjoy! In addition to incredible architecture and art galleries, Glasgow is gaining a reputation for the excellent quality of its parks, nature attractions and ...
Zoflora’s ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’ Show Garden at Hampton Court Flower Show
Yesterday I visited Hampton Court Flower Show press day as the guest of Zoflora. I was given exclusive access to the show before it opens to the public today, and treated to a hands-on experience of the Zoflora ‘Outstanding Natural Beauty’ Show garden, and a preview of their new fragrance, ‘Green Valley’. What a great start to the week! Zoflora are sponsoring a show garden at Hampton Court for the first time this year. Zoflora are very ...
Family fun for free: Great British Tennis Weekend
It’s that time of year when I become hopelessly unproductive for two weeks. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships have started! I certainly can’t be described as a big fan of watching sport, but tennis is the exception. Every year, the last week in June and the first week in July have me in a frenzy of excitement, as I try to juggle work and family commitments so I can watch as much tennis as possible. I’ve always loved tennis. My mum got me ...