How to remove glue from jam jar labels
Why is it always the prettiest jam jars that have the most stubborn labels and glue? There’s no chance that they would accidentally peel off and nobody would know what was inside. And when you want to fill them with your own home made preserves they cling to their gluey deposits like stubborn stains. I’m late with my Seville orange marmalade making this year. But I have Sevilles, lemons and sugar at the ready. The real problem has been the jars. In past years I have washed them, dealt with the labels and stored them ready for use....
read moreDeep root trainers: a review
I’m way behind with sowing my seeds this year. I was very envious of Celia’s seedlings that I spotted in her greenhouse at Purple Podded Peas HQ this week. So this weekend will be a flurry of seed sowing activity. I think that I’m a bit late for sowing chillies this year, as these really need to be sown in early February but I might try a few alongside the tomato seeds in the electric propagator. Apart from the seeds that can go straight in the ground, I’ll be using seed trays and deep root trainers for everything else. Deep root...
read moreSponsored video and post: Mr Kipling’s granny and her tin
This post has been sponsored by Mr Kipling, but all thoughts are my own. I love the granny in Mr Kipling’s new advertisement. As we never see her face she is the archetypal generous and slightly mysterious old lady. With the help of her special tin she can make what you are thinking appear in the form of one of the large range of Mr Kipling cakes. The fact that each cake is offered on a tiny old fashioned tea plate is so grannyish too. This charming advertisement conjures up the epitome of happy childhood days and the simple pleasure of...
read moreNaNoWriMo from the heart of Cheveley
What is NaNoWriMo? It’s a project that has almost seduced me for a few years now. Run from Berkley, California this is a project designed to get people writing. In their own words@NaNoWriMo Berkeley, CANational Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. The goal: write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November.You can check out the details here http://www.nanowrimo.org. I’ve been toying with writing a novel for the last few months. I don’t have a subject, genre or plot so the thought has wafted...
read moreDealing with an invasion of mice
This hugely sentimental (yet brilliantly airbrushed) photo that I discovered on the Internet indicates that I’m a bit ambivalent about mice. I love them, enjoy observing their balletic antics but do not want them rampaging in our kitchen. If they slept in their beds at night and went elsewhere for their food they would be more than welcome. We live in racehorse country, land packed with studs and stables that are magnetic to mice. Loads of free food, warmth and a rural environment. We also keep chickens. The sum of horse country and...
read moreWe are now the proud owners of a Kelly Kettle
Suddenly at the Milton Keynes get together, Jean and Roy (aka Gottaknit and Seth) stepped forward and offered me a large mysterious object – wrapped in a dustbin liner with a very tight knot. “Here is a late birthday present Fiona. You’ll need this on the allotment!” The package was bulky. As I struggled to open the parcel I wondered what was inside. I could feel cardboard and something hard. Could it be metal? Some sort of feeder? Imagine my delight when I finally peeped inside the box and found a Kelly Kettle lying on a nest of twigs...
read moreThe Andrew James Halogen oven has been updated and improved: a review
If you buy something that is a relatively new invention/model there are bound to be a few teething problems. Product testing probably extends to just a few months. It’s only when multiple purchaser’s feet stamp with rage that tweaks and essential design faults are addressed. Which manufacturer wants/can afford to send out streams of replacement units after all? We bought a new model Zannussi cooker years ago and the plate behind the knobs was see through. It looked cool but within a few weeks all the little bits and bobs that...
read moreRiver Cottage Veg Everyday! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. A review.
One of the key reasons for getting an allotment was to have the space to grow more fruit and vegetables. Energy prices are rising and this ultimately affects the cost of food. By concentrating on growing as much of our food as possible we could eat a healthier diet, cut costs and reduce our carbon footprint. But if we were to eat more vegetables where would we begin? How could we produce good, tasty, satisfying food? Most of the vegetarian dishes that I’ve tasted over the years have not been very good. Admittedly I first dallied with veggie...
read moreMyFarm – The National Trust’s innovative new project at Wimpole Home Farm
As you know, I’ve been interested in farming since the age of 9. Back then it was fantasy farming centred around my toy farm – the sprawling estate was located on a conveniently patterned carpet in my bedroom. I visited Wimpole Home Farm with Seraphina at Easter this year. Along with hundreds of others we saw day old lambs and teeny piglets – the latest progeny of the sheep and pigs that are being raised at Wimpole. We watched the shire horses, the long horned cattle and examined the old carts and ancient farming machinery in the...
read moreMinding My Peas and Cucumbers: Quirky Tales of Allotment Life
I’ve often wondered what it’s actually like to have an allotment. Is it social and companionable? Competitive or relaxed? I suppose that every allotment site, like all disparate communities, has their own individual characteristics and quirks. So I was delighted to receive a copy of Minding My Peas and Cucumbers: Quirky Tales of Allotment Life by Kay Sexton. This brilliant book opens the lid on the allotmenteering experience. Tempting recipes and valuable tips are thrown into the mix – providing a more down to earth chorus to balance...
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Recent Comments
{ I was thinking the same as Magic Cochin but then like you I don't have my phone attached by an umbilical cord wherever I go.... } – Wed 8 :47 pm
{ Good point but I don't tend to take it about with me everywhere 
} – Wed 7 :25 pm
{ Doesn't your mobile phone have an alarm setting? C x } – Wed 6 :32 pm
{ I would put it towards a bbq, it's just a shame you can't purchase some sunshine from b&q } – Wed 12 :04 am- { Hi Lesley The clucking means that she is brrody also plucking her own feathers is a sign too. } – Tue 11 :58 pm
- { Hi Lesley They have to stay in the broody coop 24/7. Could you put in a garden shed or garage? } – Tue 11 :57 pm
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