Den Building.

With spring well on it's way we have managed to build the most wonderful willow den. It great to have a creative experience working outside with natural materials. Now for those that are professional at this I know you may gasp at horror, but it's all ok! Yes I know that our willow den will not live and grow because it is under a tree but that isn't really the point for us. And I know that although I followed the instruction's on how to build a den generally I always think there is room for artistic interpretation.

All the same we had a wonderful time building, and now the smaller children will have there own special place in the garden. I will be sharing this on today's creative Friday over at http://naturalsuburbia.blogspot.co.uk/

Some things.

Some times I think I must bore you all with my "look what I did today blog" . But then again it is an example of a family trying to live a simple loving life, and yes I do love to share! So here I go again.......

I have been over come with the joys of spring! My aching muscles are loving every minute! With the start of the good weather every gardener is out, preparing.  So from this :

To this:

And this :

Although we have had raised beds for many years sadly they have rotted somewhat and we all worked hard to up grade the garden. Arthur loved to do EVEYTHING that Daddy did!

A little speak preview of the bounty coming our way. I just love the way leaves unfurl themselves.

I also stocked up from the library on inspiration, The weather has been to good that I haven't had a chance to look at therm yet!

Have you sprung into spring yet?

Planting Trees

We had a wonderful weekend, although there has been some hard frosts  an area where a little tree planting took place was still suitable. I belong to the Women's Environmental Network, Crediton group, the lovely Kate applied to the Woodland trust for, yes Trees! We had a 420 trees that are native species, put along a bank to create a hedge on a wonderful small apple orchard.  The trees planted where mixed dog rose, elder, hazel and crab apple. Kate's plans are that in the future picking and gathering parties will return to this site, it should also encourage wildlife.

A good group of us working away, suitable for all ages.

Look at how small they are to start, the plastic coverings protect them from the rabbits.

A good job done, over 250 planted in just a couple of hours

Kate gave a me an apple tree to take home and plant myself. They had to show me what to do and how to care for it. 

I has a wonderful time, it has really inspired me to get out and do some work in my own garden.

More than Make Do and Mend.

I have recently had to remind myself to start not just thinking in the make do and mend terms but something a little more than that. The story begins with a lovely pair of boots bought at the beginning of winter and another pair of lovely walking boots bought for my birthday last year. We know purchases like this are costly and rather than letting them rot away in the mud it is time to actively look after what I have.

Yes our boots are a sorry state but I think the make do and mend have missed an opportunity of 'cherish what you already own' by looking after it. I spent Sunday with Callum dubbing our boots.

For me it bought back happy childhood memories of cleaning our school shoes on a a Sunday evening ( Callum found this very hard to believe that people really did that kind of thing!) I also though that it bought a sense of achievement to Callum and he was really proud of his shinny boots.

So for a sense of pride, knowledge that your belongings will last longer and I promise you will feel the love, start to cherish and look after your belongings.

Thoughts on clothes swapping.

Tonight we  (WEN the women's environmental network ) http://www.wen.org.uk/ The Crediton bit anyway held a clothes swap. I thought I would just say how great an opportunity it was to get together with other women, make an evening of drinks and nibbles, chat and laughter.
I had a number of clothes to swap, I thought it was about time to rid myself of all those items that I thought I might one day fit t into again, lets face it, it's not going to happen, so swapping seemed better than simply handing it over to a Charity shop.
I discussed with a friend how liberating it felt to give clothes away that held emotional baggage. That it was good to feel renewed giving to others.
I also felt that this was a great opportunity to add to my wardrobe some lacking items such a s trousers. Joining in the seamless challenge http://seamlessblog.wordpress.com/ so no buying new meant this was a great opportunity.

Then the darker side of swapping hit me when everyone had gone home and I was looking through my new pile of clothes, yeas quite a pile. Four pair of trousers, seven T shirts, Two cardigans, two pair of shorts and a bikini top . This is where my hoarding takes over the need for quantity rather than quality has hold!!! AAAArgh, is clothes swapping good for me ask? Well if I find I am not wearing the new items I will be handing them over to a bigger clothes event in March. But it does make me wonder a little about what is my style, what do I need, how many pair of trousers do I really want?It's not that I disagree with the cause or the objective of swapping, maybe I just can not trust myself.

2012 - Welcome.

I like to start the New Year with a plan, a theme, or something to work towards for  the year coming. I wouldn't really call it a resolution rather than positive thinking .
2009- we had Arthur our youngest son.
2010 - we got married, 1940s style!
2011 - we took more weekend breaks and holidays of sorts/ living life, taking adventure.

Unfortunately I have been busy, too busy to really give the proper time a yearly theme needs. On New Years eve I had a terrible sense that I simply wasn't ready for 2012!

Well that is the answer in it's self. I have been too busy. Although we have had a wonderful year it has had struggling moments with Mr PBs work and the thought process of running my own child minding business. The there's the usual, kids, dogs , life! I have been spreading myself too thinly and after a really good heart to heart on New Years Eve, I woke with a new sense of how things could be this year.

The answer is simple although we will have to live on less money, yet again. But I have always thought that when I have been at mt poorest I have been my happiest and most creative! So I am cutting my working hours to two days a week. I can not exclaim the sense of relief I feel to be able to keep up with the house work, the kids the garden, time to think!! This will be more helpful than ever as Mr PB will be working away during the week for the next three months.

By doing this I am also having more time to work at cycling. I have always wanted to reduce the amount of car use. So this month I will be getting a new seat for Arthur, and a basket for the front of my bike and start on getting myself fit. This is no mean feat! In Devon there are hills every where and I wouldn't consider myself fit, BUT I will be.

So with a new sense of freedom 2012 is already looking positive and challenging in a good way.

So any plans for yourselves, how do you find the yearly transition?

Home made.

It is likely that if you are reading this you are more than likley a crafty type, or know the benifits if home made, so I wont preach to the already converted! Although I would like to share my little homemade gnome family.

I really have enjoyed making these, this little family are for me, yes it's true! I have started a Steiner inspired toddler (mother and baby ) group and these will become my resources. I am planning a stort time and these will be my puppets for autumn. I am not so mean to say the children are not able to play but they will have some of their own and I'm hoping parents will want to make some too.

They are delightful, and a pleasure to make I am encouraging Mr PB to make a family for Arthur for christmas.

Electric changes, why did it take me so long?

Today I am making a big change in my life. The sad thing is I have been meaning to do it for so long, why are we so often full of good intentions and struggle to do simple actions that have big impacts?
 I am changing my electricity company, a simple step that takes five minutes but is probably the biggest step I will take in reducing our household emissions.
I will be changing to Ecotricity the green power house. The first UK company (maybe the world) that uses all the money from out bills to make more wind mills so they can provide more greener energy. In four years they have doubled the amount of green energy that they are supplying, with just over 50,000 customers. I will be very proud to be one of them.
Ecotricity don't just build wind mills either, they now have a solar powered farm too. They are also planning greener gas powered by algee and food waste, sounds interesting, whats more these new aspects can become a reality is we put in the support.
It's not support for a company to become big and rich (after all isn't that all we have known so far), no this is far far more important. By changing my power supplier I will be reducing my emissions and helping our beautiful planet.

Ecotricty, take a look http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/about/