Highdown Gardens near Worthing in West Sussex, are stunningly beautiful. They are situated on downland countryside with views of the sea beyond. The gardens offer a unique collection of rare plants and trees and have been deemed a National Collection. Entry to the gardens are free but donations are very welcome.
I really need a shed and that is why I am entering the Beast Shed competition. It may seem strange but I have dreamed of owning a shed for many years but to buy a good quality one that will last, does cost a tidy sum. I imagined my shed to be quite a pretty affair with bunting hung outside, a metal cafe type table and chairs where I could sit and savour a cup of tea. A place to enjoy the garden even on wet days and a place to pot up some plants or do some knitting.
I was very pleased when Abi from the Angeledenblog nominated me to receive this hand cream from Hotel Chocolat to try. Abi had been given some of their body butter to test and her thoughts can be seen HERE. The company contacted me to ask for my address and it arrived very quickly. When I opened the package it all looked very special in its own carrier.
I have just spent an enjoyable, challenging and exhausting weekend joining in with the Global Service Jam at Quad in Derby. It is the first time that I have ever been involved with something like this so I am giving some feedback on how I found it. To start with, here is some background information on what a Global Service Jam involves. The global bit is easy, it takes place all over the world on the same weekend or as near to that as is possible. This year over 100 cities joined in with Jam sites existing on six continents. On the poster below you can see the Derby Ram just over halfway down.
I love knitting and wanted to make something to raise money for WaterAid. WaterAid is an international charity that transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation. In this country we can take water for granted, especially this year and many of us must feel we have seen enough rain for a life time. However it is not the same everywhere and thousands of children die each year because they do not have clean water to drink. Lots of information on what your donation can provide and the projects that are going on can be found on the WaterAid website.
Last week I went on a trip to Carsington Water, a reservoir in Derbyshire. The sun was out but it was a very cold day and the black clouds were gathering. The purpose of the visit was to see what the visitor centre could offer as an educational resource. It had very good interactive displays and lots of information about where our water comes from and how it is cleaned for household use. I found it informative and fun as an adult but I feel sure it would be equally so for children.
Christmas is over and the advertisements on the television are all about where to go on holiday. This is not an easy decision as holidays can be very expensive and yet we feel that we must have one to unwind from our increasingly stressful lives. Last year I was very lucky to be able to revisit the Scilly Islands, a place I had not been to for 28 years. Sometimes it can be disappointing going back to a place you have fond memories of as inevitably places change.
Yarn Bombing, yarn storming, knit graffiti is an activity that has really taken off in the last few years. It involves placing knitted, crocheted or felted items on railings, lampposts, trees, fences, bike stands and park benches. These items are left for the enjoyment of all who walk past them and they often disappear to find new homes where they continue to give pleasure. One of the most famous in this country has been achieved in Saltburn on the pier, details can be found here.
The first Fashion Revolution Day will happen on April 24th 2014. It will then be a year since the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh, which killed 1133 garment workers and injured over 2500 more. The idea for this day came from Carrie Somers from the Company Pachacuti in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. Carrie has written a blog which tells how she first got the idea and what the plans are for the first Fashion Revolution Day.
I recently spent a few days in Whitby and thought I would share some of my photos. While there we had a real mixture of weather but this is Great Britain! The first day was reasonably warm for October and so we went to the beach at Robin Hood Bay.
