Connecting, Encouraging, Nurturing and Supporting
National Trust launches #BlossomWatch to emulate Japan’s Hanami National Trust asks people to start a new tradition that emulates Hanami – the Japanese tradition of celebrating blossom Conservation charity aims to build #BlossomWatch year-on-year to become an annual moment of celebration in nature’s calendar #BlossomWatch encourages people to enjoy blooming trees they can see from their windows or in their gardens and share their best images Fleeting chance to see blossom is one of
Social Isolation diaries week 2 I cried over chicken breasts this week. I found three packets of two in M&S and literally cried. Seems as people started to realise that lockdown might become an actual thing panic buying is now a reality. Not just for Christmas and incoming snow, but for the entire population on a weekly basis. Fresh food of all types are now up there with loo
International Waffle is today! 25th March and whilst everything around us seems to be changing I need to recognise days like this just to feel some semblance of normality, don’t you? Since international Waffle Day also falls around Easter I decided a few years ago to combine the two and decided I would experiment a bit. Regular readers will know I am a huge fan of waffles and that this
The social isolation diaries — Week 1 My granny was a hoarder. When she moved down to Hampshire from Lancashire 11 years ago the removal company said they had never moved so much stuff for a single person in all their years of business. When it arrived the boxes had to be stored in the garage and the shed until my parents could get them all unpacked there was
National Trust urges caution as good weather at the weekend could tempt people onto roads Trust warns that a good weather forecast combined with Mothering Sunday could tempt people onto the roads and toward tourist hotspots Coast and countryside will be open as usual but people are urged to use local outdoor space and not travel unnecessarily, in line with government guidance Trust has pledged to allow free access to
I have felt my anxiety increasing recently so knowing how to keep it, and my mental health in check during self isolation or social distancing has been as important to me as worrying about keeping my physical health in check. In all the news stories and updates I have watched over the past few weeks (and trust me I have watched hours) I haven’t seen much about how to keep
This isn’t just a story about mugs and friendship, it’s goes so much deeper than that. It’s about how the two things are connected, how we are all connected really, and how the world isn’t quite as big as we think it is. This is the story of two mugs that arrived in a recycled Sephora box this week all the way from the USA. It’s about the kindness of
If you are thinking of spending a weekend in Warwick here are some ideas of things to do. We recently decided to break up a journey from Cheshire to Hampshire halfway and stop for a few days to recharge our batteries. A pin in the map suggested we spend the weekend in Warwick but having done the castle we decided we would concentrate on seeing what else the town had
Ever thought about giving up forty things in forty days for lent? Probably not, I hadn’t until this week. Lent begins today. I only know this because Tuesday is Shrove Tuesday and I always know when to celebrate pancake day. We are not a religious family so events such as Lent are often over looked in this house, but this year I felt I wanted to do *something*. At the
Wisley’s giant houseplant takeover is well under way, and ends on 1st March so if you want to visit you need to do it soon! It really is a wonderful exhibition, all inside a giant glasshouse and as the name suggests the houseplants have taken over! Here are some photographs to show what I mean: I think that bed might be my favourite of all the set ups, it is
Sharing the love on #FridayWithFriends this week because it feels like there has been a sadness this week online. It has been palpable. Events over the past seven days feel like they have rocked everybody, and social media has taken a kicking. Justifiably so in many cases. As lovers (for the most part) of social media Annie and I decided that for #FridayWithFriends this week we would share the love.
Have you ever taken a trip to Blenheim Palace? Situated in the pretty town of Woodstock in Oxfordshire, Blenheim Palace is easily accessible from the A34 and makes a perfect spot for a day out. Gifted to the 1st Duke of Marlborough in 1704 by a very grateful Queen Anne as thanks for his victory at the battle of Blenheim. With a Capability Brown landscape that took ten years to
