Monthly Archives: August 2020

The best of August

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Helen

Last night, I felt so content. Happy. Autumn is in the air and I love it. Beautiful days and cool, dark nights. However, as it is still officially summer, here are some highlights I didn’t get round to posting about … Continue reading →

Posted in Days out, Gardening | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Moving online

Posted on August 28, 2020 by Helen

I hear that more and more people are shopping online these days. Even before the pandemic, it was an increasing trend, but now there appears to be panic that the high street is dying and so we should all get … Continue reading →

Posted in Good for the environment, In the kitchen, Reading | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Thyme to plant

Posted on August 25, 2020 by Helen

A couple of months ago, I got a thyme plant with my vegetable share from the local organic farm. I’m not a particular fan of this herb but I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, either. … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, herbs | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Churning butter

Posted on August 23, 2020 by Helen

Occasionally, I’ve made butter from cream and it has involved a degree of labour – but not as much as today. I was churning away manually with a bowl and whisk. An hour in total and starting to get quite … Continue reading →

Posted in In the kitchen | Tagged , , | 28 Comments

Harvest come early

Posted on August 22, 2020 by Helen

It’s almost a week since I last ventured into WordPress land. Working from 7 in the morning till 6 at night doesn’t help matters. However, it is the weekend, of which I’m already nearing the end of my second day, … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Gardening, In the kitchen | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Urban vs. rural

Posted on August 16, 2020 by Helen

Yesterday, we met up with friends and took a walk from their house to Left Bank, which is a distance of some two miles. Some of it is through green spaces and the building at the end was definitely worth … Continue reading →

Posted in Days out | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Another wire to trip us up!

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Helen

I’ve just read a blogpost about how even plants sold with a ‘Good for Pollinators’ label could still be harmful. This is because they may have been grown with insecticides which kill the pollinators they have attracted. In other words, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , | 10 Comments

An altogether better place

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Helen

You Were Gone by Tim Weaver is perhaps one of the most intriguing books I have read this year. It was lent to me by a distant neighbour in Altofts, near Wakefield. Having now finished this book and duly returned … Continue reading →

Posted in Days out, soil management | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Not used for a year

Posted on August 8, 2020 by Helen

How often do you do a job and then wish you’d done it differently? In my case, the Green Johanna has turned out to be in the wrong place. First, I damaged to top growth of the hazel next to … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, soil management | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Hackfall

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Helen

I don’t always read my emails. There are so many that the majority reach the bin before they are opened. Then occasionally there is one which I’m glad I took the trouble to look at. One such the other day … Continue reading →

Posted in Days out, forest garden | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments