It takes a lot to keep our youngest out of the garden. This morning she could not understand why the rest of us were not keen to play out in the biggest storm to hit Britain so far this year: Storm Dennis is arriving today. Our garden is quite sheltered and I find the gales…
Tag: children
Potager Garden: February 2020
My little helper, who pulls on her boots the moment she sees me fetch the kitchen door key, joins me in the garden today. I’m so pleased to see tiny crocuses popping up in the old terracotta pots I bought from the library plant sale last year. I like the look of these old frost-hardened…
Travel Diaries: Scotland Tour – A little cottage near Scourie and a riverside adventure
We arrive at our holiday cottage, a little north of Scourie, in the late afternoon. It is early April and spring has sprung in the mountains. The little garden is carpeted with daffodils and, just beyond, a small wooden gate leads out to the river bank. The skies are still blue, and the trees are…
Almanac: Winter … and a welcome return to tree climbing
Our visit to Bradgate today is a special one. It is a welcome return to tree climbing. Our second eldest son has spent the last six months recovering from a broken arm, caused by a painful cyst in the bone. To our immense relief, he has had an all-clear that everything has healed and he…
Potager Garden: Late winter in the garden with a little helper
It is very cold today, but the bright sunshine and clear skies make the garden irresistable. Warmed by cups of hot tomato soup, we check the vegetable plot’s progress. All of our onion sets are now sprouting. The seed company have just sent through a delayed order of giant garlic bulbs and, as I usually…
Almanac: The Old Treehouses
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…
Travel Diaries: Lincolnshire Tour – The Cathedral at dusk
Lincoln Cathedral at dusk 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 that breathe character into the…
Almanac: Searching for bluebells – watching the seasons with children
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…
Potager Garden: Raised bed building, courgette flower buds and maple-pickled shallots
News from our garden is that yesterday the weather was beautiful so my husband and children built our first raised bed for the garden, ready to be put in place this weekend… … the parsnips have all germinated this morning, the carrot seedlings are just starting to show and the peppers continue to thrive. Our…
Travel Diaries: Lake District Tour – The children’s first mountain
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…
Seasonal Recipes: Aloe vera ice cube soothers for children – with added dinosaurs
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…
Almanac: Waiting for spring – stream walking the forest
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…
