View Post

#LoveYourForest Launches Recycle Reward Machines in Forest of Dean Trial

#LoveYourForest Launches Recycle Reward Machines in Forest of Dean Trial aims to incentivise people to recycle their bottles and cans Two new characters have arrived in the Forest of Dean today, in the form of Recycle Reward Machines, as part of the ongoing #LoveYourForest initiative to reduce litter and boost recycling in the area.   Sir Recyclesalot and Buddy the …

View Post

The Vegetable Garden

The Vegetable Garden The Vegetable Garden is no longer producing a lot to eat, but this years crop is looking good. We are just coming to the end of the leeks, and we have a few cabbages that are almost ready to eat. Right through the winter te vegetable garden fed us well. This years planting Cauliflowers are up, rhubarb …

Reflection Window Cleaning

Reflection Window Cleaning We have seen the van from Reflection Windows outside our neighbours and decided to give them a try. They did a marvellous job on cleaning our windows which are much too high for us to reach and yesterday they returned to clean our fascia boards. I can’t recommend the highly enough and they are based in near …

View Post

Growing your own

Growing your own vegetables Amid all the doom and gloom over coronavirus , the last few days have been warm and gloriously sunny, so Vanda and I have been out in the garden and thoroughly enjoying it. We are still eating leeks, onions, garlic and purple sprouting from the garden. These of course will soon be coming to an end …

View Post

Self Isolating in the Forest of Dean

Self Isolating in the Forest of Dean Like many others we are doing our best to stay at home as much as possible, but the fact of the matter is it is simply impossible to completely self isolate. We retired here 5 years ago so we don’t have family members to help. our children live in Manchester, Southampton Stonehouse and …

View Post

Environmental charity calling on local artists to help highlight new  recycling on-the-go initiative 

Each year 250 tonnes of rubbish is removed from the Forest of Dean, costing local taxpayers £457,000 per year to clean up.​ In 2016, environmental charity Hubbub launched its #LoveYourForest campaign, to tackle the issue through a number of interventions which in four years, has seen more than 800 bags of litter collected in the area. Now, in its fifth year, Hubbub is calling …

View Post

Growing vegetables in a tiny plot

Growing vegetables I have said many times it is not difficult to grow some vegetables even if you have a tiny garden like ours, or even if you have no garden at all. The photo on the left shows lettuce and a courgette growing happily on a window ledge. We started off the seeds in a tray in my shed, …

View Post

Enjoy your Garden

Enjoy your Garden At this time of year we are all busy sowing, planting and preparing soil, but one of the chief benefits of your garden is simply sitting down and enjoying it. Usually by about 4 pm we have finished all the jobs and that is the time to open a bottle of wine or beer and sit looking …

View Post

Planting time and compost

Planting time and compost I have done a lot of early planting this year as the weather has been very kind to gardeners. All my early potatoes are in now ( in containers and bags ) and I have also planted lots of onions in my deep beds. We are just finishing last years leeks and carrots and have started …