New Products Now Available…..

At the moment there is our constant work on new products. We have lots more in the pipeline to come on stream in the next few weeks in time to encourage you to keep gardening throughout the winter months. Right now there is an enormous selection of bulbs and just enough time this week to buy and sow the last of the seed potatoes that will give you new potatoes on Christmas Day. This year we have chosen Nicola potatoes. Also it is good to keep an eye open for Christmas gifts and ‘spread the load’. Getting new products to market, even if they are not exactly new, involves going through a lot of tick boxes before you, our customer gets to look at them. Now that the schools go back imminently this should free time to clear the garden, and start harvesting and tidying and composting and shredding. 

Willow Salad Planter

This week we have some indoor/outdoor wicker Herb Planters and Salad Planters to keep you going for this season. They are really lovely and make a great gift, not least because they flat pack well into a Christmas parcel. We can supply the salad seeds and herb seeds too from our usual suppliers. The addition of that little extra makes a gift into something really special and memorable. In Spring just transfer them to the patio

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Friends of the Earth Hints & Tips

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environment, Friends of the Earth, hints and tips, love your environment, recycle works

Natural Air Conditioning

Some of the worst air quality is to be found in the home fumes from paints and cleaning products can lead to a build up of chemicals like benzene, a known carcinogen. Plants filter out many air impurities and give off oxygen, so why not grow a few indoors?

Help your garden to hatch out

Just boiled an egg? Don’t chuck the water away: simply wait for it to cool and then pour it on plant beds – it’ll be rich in calcium from the egg and help your plants to be blooming marvellous.

Ed: I know that my Mother was most insistent that we NEVER reuse the egg water for consumption!!

Morecambe Bay Walk – I Did It!

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Morecambe Bay, recycle works, RNIB, Sylvia Hopwood

I did it!

 Well I always wanted to do this challenge and every time the opportunity came in the past I was unable to take it, so this time I made it happen! All the relies and dogs from next door came and a couple of cousins/nephews. Millie came too. Boo did not pass the leg length test so she stayed at home with a big Boneo for good company. We all packed into one car and left it at the finish, Kent’s Bank, to catch a train to Arnside where we milled about for almost 2 hours before the walk began as the outgoing tide was still in the estuary. This was possibly the most rewarding part for me. Before and at the beginning of the war my uncle was Methodist Minister there and I spent many holidays and days out at Arnside. It was such joy at my age to go somewhere after over 70 years and see a place, this place, almost completely unchanged on the sea front and beyond. It was  amazing! Small concessions had been made like a ramp down to the beach, but it was negligible. Arnside was the same for me and very very evocative of the past.

Morecambe Bay Walk

Regrettably I did not venture up the hill to the Manse and the Chapel, I felt it wise to conserve my energy before the big walk, but I told everyone that would listen that Arnside remained unspoilt for over 70 years. The fairy steps were still there down to the beach from Mr Poppelwell’s large garden. Some of the trees had come down and ownership had inevitably changed. So the story was related by me to two more generations.

The walk was more of a plod. 4 hours of it! We walked in socks or bare feet. We saw very few birds, just a few gulls right out in the bay. There was no litter at all. We never saw a cockle. There was very little seaweed, but at the Kent’s Bank end we saw quite a bit of samphire, sea grasses and star grass close to the beach, such as it was. The crossing of the River Kent was great fun. With the very strong wind in our faces which had been with us all the way, we waded up to our thighs and I found it very wobbly! Wind coming from ahead and the tide going out right to left I had a good giggle as my favourite son tried to balance us both!! We had been divided into two parties to cross the river and Cedric Robinson, the Queen’ appointed Official Guide across the bay, sent the slow ones from the back over first. It is interesting that when the fast group crossed about 10 to 15 minutes later the level of water had fallen by 4 inches. Millie tried to swim but with the wind blowing waves over her face she was carried for a few yards! We had meandered in curves around the quicksands whilst all of the time our destination did not look far away we did not appear to be heading there as we walked in good faith. After we crossed the River Kent we were interested to see that there was a running race across the bay taking a far longer route, further out to sea. I admired them, but was wholly satisfied with our smaller achievement.

Even the dogs enjoyed the walk!

 Thank you to everyone for your very kind sponsorship. I raised £100.00 The Charity was not quite the RNIB who I thought it was. It is older than that. It is Galloway’s Society for the Blind that benefits local part sighted and blind. A public meeting in Preston’s Corn Exchange in 1867 established organised welfare work for the Blind in Preston and marked the beginning of our Society. A guy called Galloway made a bequest that was large enough to establish this Charity.

Renewed thanks for your support!

Festival of the Tree at Westonbirt Arboretum

Tree-mendous fun for everyone Festival of the Tree at Westonbirt Arboretum, 24 –31 August 2009.

 Woodcarvers at work, trips into the treetops or some gentle retail therapy… this year Westonbirt Arboretum’s Festival of the Tree has something for everyone. From Monday 24 August, 12 talented sculptors will take up their chainsaws and chisels and carve out fabulous giant sculptures – all from tree trunks recycled from this much-loved Forestry Commission estate, and made ready for auction on Bank Holiday Monday in support of the charity Tree Aid.

Throughout the week, there’s also loads of family fun – from wand making and giant willow weaving to wildflower walks and the William Woodworm trail. New this year, Westonbirt’s very own ‘Laboratree’ tipi has everything from mini-beasts under the microscope to ‘Meet the scientist’ sessions and gardeners’ question times with our Plant Centre experts. Come inside and find out why trees are so important for the future.

Sustainability is at the heart of Westonbirt’s woodland management, and during the week visitors can watch the Arboretum’s talented tree team at work, have a go at green woodworking or help weave a giant willow structure. There are also ‘Wood Works’ guided walks into the wilds of Silk Wood, taking in the new-raised medieval-style craft barn along with hurdle and charcoal making.

Then over the long Bank Holiday weekend – from Friday 28 – Monday 31 August, the festival is buzzing as the tented woodcraft exhibition gets up and running with over 150 craftsmen and women demonstrating and selling their wares. Top woodworking stars such as Canadian Rob Cosman will give free masterclasses through each day, and in the new open-air arena there are loads of demonstrations, from chair-making to Morris dancing.

There’s so much to see and do, it’s well worth planning ahead. For the full programme of events, go to www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt

Westonbirt is open all year round. The Festival of the Tree is open from 9am-5pm. During the festival, admission to the whole arboretum is £8 for adults, £7 concessions, £3 for children (18yrs and under). Discounted tickets for return visits to the festival will also be available  – £20 adults, £16 concs.

Westonbirt Arboretum is three miles south west of Tetbury on the A433 (Tetbury to Bath Road). It is 10 miles north east of Junction 18 of the M4, and south-east of junction 13 of the M5.

Compost Bins Make Great Toy Boxes

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compost bin, Composting, recycle works, recycleworks, toy box

Last week we recieved this email from a customer and thought it was a fabulous idea………

‘Dear Sylvia, I’ve recently spent around £500 on your deep raised beds and have transformed my front garden into a vegetable patch.  I’ve been very impressed with the quality of the beds and with the speed in which they reached me.  I have been looking for a storage box to keep small hand tools in which will double up as a seat and haven’t been able to find anything small enough on the Internet.  Then I thought about your compost bins with lids.  The adult sized one is too big but the child’s one would be ideal, except I only need and have space for one, not a twin composter.  Would it be possible to purchase just the 4 posts and 12 boards plus lid needed?  Please advise! Many thanks, Lisa’

So what was Sylvia’s answer? Read on, and find out!

‘Dear Lisa, I am sure we can do this. I am not in the office – well a sort of holiday, but I will send you a price later for you to consider, if that’s OK? Best regards, Sylvia’

Please, please do keep emailing us your questions as we definitely answer them and who knows what product ideas can be generated!

Love Your Environment!

Home Helps from Friends of the Earth

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eco-friendly, environment, Friends of the Earth, recycle works, save money

1. If you’re renovating your house, go green by following the BUDD rule: Buy only what you need, Use everything you buy, Donate any leftover materials, Dispose of waste responsibly. 2. Brush up on green cleaning After decorating, clean paint-covered brushes in real turpentine rather than synthetic alternatives. Genuine turps is made from pine resin rather than synthetic ingredients, and has a smaller environmental footprint. 3. Sink or swim It’s a sad fact that industrial fishing techniques are bringing global fish populations to the point of collapse, especially sought-after species like bluefin tuna and cod. Look for products marked with the blue tick of the Marine Stewardship Council, as these are from more sustainable sources. 4. Floral knits Looking for a new sweater for this winter? Use an old jumper that is past repair to line a hanging basket. The woollen fabric will keep the compost safely contained inside the basket, while allowing proper drainage. 5.Keep mini sewing kits or invest in a few reels of cotton and a couple of needles. As well as being the most cost-effective way to make simple repairs to your clothes and make them last longer, sewing’s also great for giving your glad rags a new lease of life, eg, by adding sequins, patches, ribbons, etc. Sewing also lets you make a whole range of things that you might otherwise buy. Try simple things like purses, placemats, clothes for kids’ dolls, pillowcases, aprons, draught excluders, pencil cases – the possibilities are almost endless! 6. Stoke up an appetite Planning a barbecue? Cook up an outdoor feast the green way by avoiding gas-fired barbecues – cook over locally sourced charcoal instead. Put delicious organic meat or veg on the grill and you’ll have the perfect party combo. For more info on beating climate change in the kitchen, see FOE Food Chain Campaign.