SUBSCRIBE (To Receive New Blog Alerts)

Enjoy my writing? CLICK TO DONATE

Tag

natural products

Environment, Travel

The Boutique

Iconic Chewton Glen (Part 2)

Finding a gift shop in a 5 star hotel that has something different, local – well British at least – and perhaps if you are lucky enough, sustainable, is pretty rare I have found. More often than not you find expensive, generic brands that leave you with a sense of blandness and lack of creativity!

Keely van Dam, has brought something special to Chewton Glen’s gift shop. Shaped somewhat out of our experiences during the COVID pandemic, where small local independents came into their own as we took those early steps back into shared spaces, she delivers a totally different experience for guests and visitors….

Read more
June 11, 2024
3413
Environment

Celebrating Seaweed!

… at the Cornish Seaweed Festival

Seaweed may become another ‘thing’ for me. But in all seriousness it’s fascinating to dive into these topics, but even more fascinating to uncover local stories that are supporting this welcomed shift we are seeing to a better appreciation of our surrounding nature. This beautiful illustration of Cornish Seaweed by Rachel Akerman, is definitely to be appreciated.

But it’s more than that. This shift – I am hoping – may help each of consider what small changes we might make that will have less impact on our planet and that nature.

Let’s head to Marazion, a coastal town in Cornwall….

Read more
June 6, 2024
3521
Environment, Travel

It’s All About the Bees – The Iconic Chewton Glen Hotel (Part 1)

Inspiring the Next Generation

Chewton Glen is a glorious and luxurious place to stay, set in 135 acres of beautiful rolling grounds.

Would it surprise you that what excited me most was a tour around their waste management area by their very informed Deputy General Manager, Raymond de Toulouse Lautrec? Probably not by now…. just to prepare you for my ‘bin’ conversation!

But what’s this about the bees? My Dad was an avid gardener and I have fond memories of helping him tend our good sized garden of vegetables and flowers as a little girl. Everything was grown from seed, kept from the previous year. Plant cuttings and vegetable gluts were shared with neighbours as were gardening tips on what to grow with what to keep the bugs in check. Everything that could be was composted. He taught me all I know and his presence is always with me when I garden – not surprising, so many of my plants are from him!

My conversation with the Estate Manager, Darren Venables stirred those memories and really got me thinking about all that Darren told me he was trying achieve….

Read more
May 27, 2024
3569
Environment

Shining a light on South Wonston Sustainability

‘Just ordinary folk, doing what they do to try to make the world a better place.’

Think you can’t make a difference on a personal scale? Think again.

There’s this group in a relative small community of approximately 800 households, on the outskirts of the city of Winchester, Hampshire that is quietly getting on with something that is producing what I would describe as significant results.

I want to shine a light on the changes they are effecting , see if it can be replicated throughout the country…

Read more
May 23, 2024
4009
Environment, Travel

Standing Next to History

… with a group of like-minded, inspirational people who get together to preserve its memory

Hands up who knows the remarkable story of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s voyage to Antarctica on the ship Endurance? It’s the one that took place in 1914 on his endeavour to attempt the first land crossing of the Antarctic, from the Weddell Sea through the South Pole to the Ross Sea.

Remember the part where Shackleton and his men are stranded on Elephant Island? He takes a lifeboat with Frank Worsley, Tom Crean and three others battling treacherous seas and ice for 16 days and 800 miles before reaching the ‘wrong’ side of South Georgia, with mountains between them and the whaling station that could provide the help to rescue his men…

Read more
May 17, 2024
3638
Environment, Travel

There is Life in the Treehouse – and I Don’t Mean Birds or Squirrels!

Do you remember that Woody Allen film, Stardust Memories, where he is sitting on a train waiting for it to depart the station? His coach is full of boring lifeless people who don’t know how to enjoy themselves and are going nowhere.  He is wondering why his life is so dull and where there could be a place he craves for fulfilment.  Just then a second train pulls into the platform.  He can see directly into a carriage which is full of people enjoying themselves in a happy party environment….

Read more
April 28, 2024
3507
Environment

The Results Are In!

Remember the Big Plastic Count 2024 back in March? My personal results, with my households plastic packaging footprint, and the overall results are in, from 225,000 participants. And they are STAGGERING.

Such a lot of data to crunch and analyse. Were there enough contributors to get credible results I can hear you ask? Well, participation was 1 in every 300 people in the UK – that seems a significant enough number to give a pretty good overview of not just how much plastic households are throwing away, but in which categories.

Can you guess which of these had the highest plastic count: Food & Drink, Cleaning & Toiletries and Everything Else? Any idea how much of our plastic is incinerated?

Read more
April 21, 2024
3567
Environment, Travel

Gravetye Manor: A Centre of Excellence for Gastronomy and Horticulture

Is there anything better than the English country garden in the Spring? Two nights at Gravetye Manor makes you appreciate all that is good about this part of England. I swear it was a degree warmer! But that’s not it. Perhaps the locally produced English sparkling wine, the meadows and tranquil gardens littered with spring flowers, the warm comfortable welcome from the happy helpful Gravetye team and the excellent cuisine? Yes, absolutely.

But of course, for me there was more… some surprising hidden ‘goodness’ that radiates outwards from this stately, historic manor hotel….

Read more
April 16, 2024
3616
Environment

‘Some Progress, Must Try Harder’

Climate Report, The Economist

When I first saw this cover, as I worked through a pile of reading materials way overdue to be read – eek, this one was December! – it struck negative thoughts. But take another look….on second glance there seems to be a small element of positiveness! Well, there is one B+ for ‘making commitments’ …

Read more
April 6, 2024
3493
Environment, Travel

Antarctica. A Life Changing Experience

After the success of our short film “It’s time to act. NOW“, we didn’t want to stop there! Continuing the collaboration with the various environmental organisations, we’ve produced a short documentary film that follows my life-changing voyage to South Georgia Island and Antarctica.

Join me as I share my journey and experiences in this very visual way, demonstrating how each of us can contribute to the preservation of our environment and the eco-systems that we are both part of and dependent upon….

Read more
March 28, 2024
4100
Close