Self Sufficiency and Sustainable Living – with a family of six
On this unusually hot May day, we chose to take a left turn at the entrance gate and follow the cool and shady forest trails down towards Upton House. We were just in time to see the last of the late spring bluebells. The children enjoyed the natural play areas and dens, jumping between felled […]
A completely blue sky in autumn, after days of low dark clouds and rain. We could not stay inside today. Pulling on wellingtons, we crossed the village, climbed the hill and picked our way through muddy fields towards Bradgate. Everywhere looks different. Buildings in the far distance that were obscured by tall crops just a […]
It is a perfect summer’s day. We set off on foot through the Wells Recreation Ground, where musicians are busy setting up and deckchairs are being set out in rows around a band stand. We follow the calm moat of the Bishop’s Palace, and head into the centre of England’s smallest city. On the main […]
Setting off in the late afternoon, you are not expecting to conquer the summit of Snowdon, as the trecherous darkness can fall very swiftly. Instead, you can cherish having a little piece of this most beautiful mountain to yourself, away from the tour buses and crowds, just as the sun begins to set and the […]
We arrived in Haworth by steam train, travelling along the lovingly restored Keighley Valley Railway. This is Haworth Station and the bridge in the distance is the footpath up into the village towards the Bronte Parsonage. A steep cobbled path leads up through the main street, past tea rooms and vintage shops. This was my […]
We were so happy when our little bare root stock gave us delicious raspberries in its first growing year … … and then the slow-growing cabbages, that had braved late winter weather, flooding and fended off greedy slugs, were finally ready to harvest. I planted successions of spring onions, so we are still picking those […]
Today we are busy building another two raised beds, which will be just in time for quick-growing summer vegetables this year – but will provide us with lots more space for next year’s growing season. The best news is that we have had our first strawberry harvest, and some are even making it from the […]
This was our first camping trip of 2017. As we live in the very middle of England, the furthest possible point from the sea in every direction, there is a feeling of sheer joy at seeing sand and waves again. -scroll for video- Our little ones sit on a picnic blanket and dig their toes […]
In late spring we make our annual trip to the Staffordshire border in search of the wild garlic. At Ilam, it carpets the banks of the River Manifold, and the wonderful scent is heavy in the air. We breathe it in: summer is on the way. Scroll for video Starting at Ilam Park, a National Trust property, […]
It’s like being on a film set. Stamford, on the border of Lincolnshire and Rutland, feels very familiar and has doubled for both George Elliot’s Middlemarch and the village of Meryton in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. On a gloriously sunny Saint George’s Day, we arrive early whilst the streets are still quiet. A short […]
#Vegan Smokey Garlic Ketchup The base for this ketchup comes from one of my favourite books The Homemade Vegan Pantry – which provides great basic recipes and also explains the science behind store cupboard staples. I was surprised how incredibly easy and fast it is to make ketchup – I’m a complete convert to the homemade version. Ingredients: […]
Very early on Easter Sunday we visited the Labyrinth at Beacon Hill Country Park in Leicestershire. At this time of day it was completely empty and we were able to listen to the birdsong all around us. We also took a video, so that you could travel into the centre of the rhododendron tunnels with […]
Just a short journey from home there are vast acres of parkland, with rocky outcrops, banks of bracken, gentle streams and, near the top of one of the many rolling hills, a cluster of trees known in my family as “the treehouses.” These are ancient trees that are hollowed out with many years of rough […]
Here in England we have had the most perfect spring week of bright sunshine, so we have been away from our blog getting lots of work done on converting the garden into a potager. Here’s a little update on how it’s going… With thanks to our online friends, we have our slug problem humanely under control […]
Lincoln Cathedral at dusk – Eco-Touring Britain by #Tesla On the occasions when our adventures are city-based, our family of six pack our rucksacks just as if we were about to hike across fields or mountains and we treat the landscape exactly the same. We walk and explore, and try and find the hidden corners […]
After the first few days of warm spring weather, any bluebell plants outside of the forest canopy, with full exposure to the sunlight, burst into flower. One of our favourite spots is a quiet glade in the centre of the forest, and this is often where our first bluebells of the year are found. Always, the […]
In 2016, the summer weather seemed endless, and we were still able to camp in the Lakes in late September. When the skies are this clear and blue in autumn, it’s time to get up into the mountains. This is our beloved Hobbit tent (so called because of the round door) A quick pause on […]
Aloe vera ice cube soothers for children – with added dinosaurs The inspiration for freezing aloe vera comes from James Wong’s natural home remedy book Grow Your Own Drugs. I have greatly diluted it (so it is less messy to use with kids) and added little frozen toys, to cheer children and keep their interest in […]
When the forest paths turn to slippy, ankle-deep mud in the winter months, we like to take our four children stream-walking. This is one of the forests to the north of the village we live in and we like to visit after heavy rain, when the tiny streams are full and running much more […]
It strikes me that being the youngest of four boys is a tricky thing. You get swept up along with the rest of the family from the moment you arrive. So every few days, I like to take our youngest for a walk, just the two of us, and see where he chooses to go. […]
Vegan Apple Cake (Apfelkuchen) Original version of the recipe by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau in The Joy of Vegan Baking This recipe has no need for eggs because of the applesauce, which provides the binding and moisture that eggs normally would. In just about any cake recipe, you replace every egg with approx 60-70g of apple sauce – and it […]
I had to ask the children’s permission to share this with you, because this post gives away the existence of their secret forest rope swing… they’ve agreed, as long as you keep it to yourselves. In previous posts we’ve shown the farmland and woodlands that are right beside our home, whilst this is one of […]
One of our little boys has profound autism and this sleepy spray blanket forms part of our nightly routine to help him to settle down for sleep peacefully. I prefer to spritz the mild scent onto a cloth, as opposed to a pillow, because I am then able to warm the blanket on a radiator […]
Just on the horizon in the picture below, you can see the shadowy arch of our local woodland. It takes around 20 minutes for us to walk there from our doorstep, across the fields. We always try and spot the continuous changes in the landscape – which can be different every day. We thought we’d […]
Eco-touring Derbyshire by Electric Car Tesla Touring for a family of six – Where to charge, visit, and park… High Peak Estate, Derbyshire We love the High Peak area of Derbyshire, especially Mam Tor, which was the first “serious” hill our little children ever climbed. Tesla announced this week that there is a new bank […]
The peppermint and orange oils in this cleaner not only cancel out any vinegar scent, but also add antibacterial properties – making it perfect for wiping down kitchen surfaces. It’s also much safer to have around the house with children than commercial kitchen bleaches. Ingredients: 300ml of boiled, cooled water 60ml white vinegar 10 drops peppermint oil […]
It’s rained heavily all day here, and whilst we don’t mind being outside whatever the weather, today we cosied up indoors. We finished jarring the shallots in white wine vinegar, sugar and spices – and started our first attempt at cultivating mushrooms. Our mushroom kit arrived as a propagator with compost laced with mycelium, […]
This coconut body lotion is really quick and easy to make, and results in a lotion with a light, soufflé-like texture. Recipe: 1 cup coconut oil, room temp 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil 5 drops essential oil of your choice (effective essential oils for skin lotions include lavender, frankincense and geranium) Whip for 6 mins in an […]
Hazelnut Milk and Dark Chocolate Vegan Fudge Inspired by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s recipe in The Joy of Vegan Baking We make this for Christmas and Birthday gifts – and it also sells well at charity fundraisers. If it’s been in a fridge overnight, it holds up well on a hot day on a stall. We keep […]
We’re steadily moving flowers and shrubs out of the back garden, to make way for it to become a potager garden, and into the area by our front porch. Our youngest son is in charge of caring for this area, which he loves and takes very seriously. He helped plant out the bedding flowers and […]
We live right on the edge of an ancient forest that teems with blackberries, (as well as all of the hedgerows within a minute’s walk of our house) – and we have our secret patches right off the beaten track, where we collect ours at the end of August every year. So since we […]
After lots of advice about how I was better off buying small pepper plants than attempting to sow seeds, because they are so tricky to grow – I planted extra for this first attempt, just to try and avoid disappointment …. and now I have 80 little pepper seedlings in two varieties (Patio Red and […]
Even though it’s not -quite- spring yet here in England, there’s still lots going on in our kitchen (currently our bay window is a makeshift greenhouse) and every morning I rush downstairs with the children to see if anything new has germinated, and note any changes in the seedlings. My favourite thing, is when you […]
It doesn’t seem very momentous, to snip some herbs from a pot on the patio and bring them inside, but it’s more the intention setting behind it that’s important. I’m saying, this is the point at which I never buy herbs again. No more trying to prop up drooping supermarket fresh herbs for those few […]
