Author Archives: Helen

About Helen

I have always been interesting in living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle and used to do what I could. Now, I have come to realise that we have reached such a point in terms of environmental degradation that it is more important - perhaps - to focus on building resilience. I therefore do as much as I can to reuse, grow my own and encourage a supportive community, for example. I also keep reading and learning all the time.

Round the garden in 80 days #55

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Helen

On Saturday, I managed to speak to a doctor about my lack of sleep and tiredness over a long period of time and then had to rush down to the surgery for blood tests. As I was putting my jumper … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, trees | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Round the garden in 80 days #54

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Helen

Now, you are possibly wondering what the following photo is all about? It’s soil, I hear you reply! And yes it is but, even though the shot doesn’t show it very well, it looks like a pile of worm casts. … Continue reading →

Posted in soil management | Tagged | 6 Comments

Round the garden in 80 days #53

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Helen

Today was glorious – warm, relatively speaking, and sunny. After sleeping in and then reading, there wasn’t time to take advantage of the good weather but that didn’t stop me thinking about the garden. In a departure from crime fiction, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Reading, Wildlife | Tagged | 6 Comments

Round the world in 80 days #52

Posted on January 15, 2022 by Helen

On a day when temperatures didn’t go above freezing, it would have been great to get the step ladders out and prune the higher branches on the Reinette Orléans. However, it wasn’t to be as today was also the monthly … Continue reading →

Posted in Crafts, forest garden | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Round the garden in 80 days #51

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Helen

Fortunately, the local electrics shop was able to save the kitchen radio. The lead had come loose from the plug over Christmas and I’d been unsure whether a replacement lead and plug could be found. Little did I know that … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Good for the environment, soil management | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Round the garden in 80 days #50

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Helen

I hadn’t expected the sun to cone out today. We’d taken a short trip out to collect our raw milk, stopping off en route at a local garden centre to see if any of their food range was in the … Continue reading →

Posted in forest garden | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Round the garden in 80 days #49

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Helen

I’ve just watered the compost with a pint of milk…. It is a shame to have mixed up the milk bottles in the fridge and used the newest first but such situations were what galvanised me to compost my food … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, soil management | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Round the garden in 80 days #48

Posted on January 4, 2022 by Helen

I love being on holiday when it’s a normal workday. In this case, it meant that today I could peruse the wares at IKEA without having to navigate through throngs of people. My New Year’s resolution is to finally make … Continue reading →

Posted in forest garden, Gardening, Wildlife | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Round the garden in 80 days #47

Posted on January 2, 2022 by Helen

Another small job was ticked off the list this lunchtime: the new rhubarb crown moved from its pot to a place in the ground. The crown reminded me of an octopus in shape, though I doubt it is quite as … Continue reading →

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

Round the garden in 80 days #46

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Helen

It’s time to calculate approximately how much produce the garden gave me last year, in 2021. The result is a disappointing £180. When I see the results of other gardeners’ labours, it is clear that more could be done in … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged , | 21 Comments