I had a brilliant discussion with some female colleagues the other day whilst we were filming our answers to some questions asked by The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts for International Women’s Day. One of the overriding impressions was that we all felt like we had to prove ourselves and felt like we had to... Continue Reading →
Winter blues…
…and pinks, oranges, yellows and greens… November colour I’m delighted with the flowers still blooming in the garden. They’re not even bedraggled and just clinging on – they’re still budding and growing new flowers! (probably at least partly due to the unseasonably mild weather). I’ve not seen many bees about recently, but if any late... Continue Reading →
Laptop refurbishment part 2 – How long can a Dell laptop last?
Earlier in the year, I thought my laptop was coming to the end of its life – painfully slow, sounded like a hairdryer as soon as it was turned on and got as hot as one too, and despite a couple of battery changes in the past, had got to the point again where I... Continue Reading →
Make do and mend
"Manage with and repair the possessions one already has rather than buying replacements."Definition from Oxford Languages I naturally live by the "make do" part of make do and mend, wearing and using things until they fall apart due to an aversion to throwing things away, and re-purposing them when I can when they're beyond their... Continue Reading →
Wildlife-welcoming wins
Two things have made me very happy in the garden recently. I wanted to share them as an example of making space for nature without much (if any) time, and without spending a fortune (in my case, spending nothing at all). Bees in bee hotel One Sunday evening in the winter, I spent an hour... Continue Reading →
Surprise seedlings revealed
I mentioned in my last blog post that I was looking forward to seeing what some unlabelled wildflower seedlings would turn into. Their flowers have finally started opening, confirming my growing suspicion of their identity... ... Cornflower! (Centaurea cyanus) As some of the first wildflowers out in our garden, they have already been attracting some... Continue Reading →
Seedling Excitement
About a year ago a made a little wildflower patch in my parents’ garden. This year I’ve gone a bit mad adding pots to my little (rented) patio. The wildflower mixes I used last year gave the added anticipation of waiting to see what appeared, but I decided this time to choose a few specific... Continue Reading →
Reused “pots” – a new life for old wellies
My trusty welllies have got me through years of volunteering, work, walking and camping until the soles were slick and the green upper became visible through the bottom of the boot. My aversion to throwing things away led me to find a new use for them when the time finally came to replace them –... Continue Reading →
Simple Swap – Cleaning with vinegar and baking soda
How did you spend your Friday night? I spent mine getting excited about cleaning bathrooms without cleaners… Maybe not the most fascinating subject, but we were out of cleaner and I wanted to try using vinegar and baking soda. It worked amazingly and there are plenty of “pluses”. It’s cheaper Only 40p for a bottle... Continue Reading →
New year, old “stuff”
New Year is often thought of as a time to be “out with the old and in with the new”. Those of us wanting to do our best for the environment might think twice about buying brand new things, especially when they don’t desperately need replacing, but we don’t have to be excluded from turning... Continue Reading →