Our veg plot has come along in leaps and bounds recently, even more so when I look back at how it was a couple of months ago (then again where have the last couple of months gone???) Being so busy that I don't have time to check on it every day means that when I do go and take a look I am always amazed at just how much things have sprung up. Keeping on top of the weeding and generally keeping the plot tidy has been a tad difficult of late, but we are at least reaping the benefits from our first attempts at growing our own. Over on the right hand side of the ... read more
Grow your own update
Veg production seems to be starting off rather well here. Above are the courgettes happily growing from the free seeds I got from this year's BBC Dig In campaign. They're starting to take over this part of my kitchen, but I'm just waiting for the last frost to be over before planting them out. The rest of the veg plot is looking pretty good too. From the left there are potatoes hopefully starting to grown from seed potatoes in the bag on the paving. The random assortment in the back left hand corner of the raised bed is the contents of the magic grow your own box that I ... read more
Making a moses basket for Baby C
I was luck enough to get not one, but two moses baskets via St Albans freecycle recently (along with a stand too!) but as these were just the bare baskets, literally, I knew I'd need to use my sewing skills to turn these into somewhere for Baby C to sleep. A new mattress (always recommended for a new baby) was easy to come by, and the same goes for a fitted sheet for the mattress (although how the same shop can sell fitted sheets that so not fit the mattresses they also sell is beyond me!) The bit I needed to make was a cover for the basket itself that the mattress could sit on top ... read more
It’s Not Easy Being Green – Dick Strawbridge
After all my list based reading lately I actually went off-list for the last book that I read. Ever since watching the TV series a few years ago and having a bit of a "green epiphany" I've been meaning to read the accompanying book, yet it was only last week when I finally spent an Amazon gift voucher on a copy of It's Not Easy Being Green: One Family's Journey Towards Eco-friendly Living.The book follows the Strawbridge family as they move from Malvern to Cornwall to embrace a new green life. The book is written in a very chatty style and covers ... read more
Windowsill progress
I'm delighted that my gardening efforts from last week seem to be paying off. Not only have the basil and coriander pots on the kitchen windowsill started to grow, but even the parsley is showing a few signs of life. There's also good news from my other grow your own efforts. Both of the types of tomato seeds that I started off in the propagator also seem to be starting to grow and even the first of the onion sets are showing some green shoots. It's very early days, but maybe I have some green fingers after all! Fingers ... read more
Further steps towards growing our own
It's a long time ago now since I wrote about Mr C and my very first steps towards self sufficiency. Since then we have indeed managed to (finally) buy a house with outdoor space to allow us to do a bit more. I'm pleased to report that the kitchen windowsill seems to be thriving so far with the basil continuing to grow well, and the coriander making a first appearance yesterday. I'm having a few problems getting the watering levels right - I swear the watering can just puts out more water than I want it to sometimes! - but it's really good to see those first green shoots.After ... read more
The No Money Man
If you're interested in hearing about how one man, Mark Boyle, has been living for 14 months without money then take a look at this video that I found on the Guardian's website. ... read more
Recycling Christmas cards
Whilst Mr C creates dust downstairs (or tries to dig out the old chimney as he describes it) I've brought myself upstairs and am doing one of those little jobs that I normally leave until much later in the year. I always hang on to all the Christmas cards we are sent with the aim of re-purposing them. Normally it takes at least 11 months to get around to it, but in a strange moment of organisation I'm ahead of myself this year.With a pair of scissors I cut out any interesting bits of cards we received, punch a simple hole in one corner and thread through a bit of brightly coloured ... read more
Tales from the Green Valley
If you enjoyed Victorian Farm like I did then make sure you catch Tales From The Green Valley as well. I have to admit that I'd not heard of this series before and it was pure fluke that I turned on the TV tonight and caught the last ten minutes of what was unfortunately the penultimate in the series. Very much in the same vein as Victorian Farm, Tales from The Green Valley the team worked on a farm for a year as they would have had to have done in the times of James I (i.e. the 17th Century for those of you whose history isn't up to scratch!) This ... read more
Make do and mend – updated
I wrote previously about the press coverage of John Lewis' updated version of Make do and mend, and I'm not delighted to say that I managed to pick up a copy when I was in my local store recently. I was delighted to find that they are selling copies for just £3 each. Admittedly it's only a small book, but one packed full of valuable tips and hints and in my opinion would make an excellent stocking filler at Christmas for anyone who is keen to save a few pennies. The book starts with some traditional "home truths"; those handy little hints about how to solve household ... read more