Hi there, thank you for stopping by to find out a little bit more about us.
My name is Nic and I write about life in Gloucester with my husband George, sons Euan and Luca and 3 cats.
I started blogging in 2009 to document our gardening adventures as new allotment holders. I continued writing through years of infertility, a life in limbo and eventually parenting a newborn.
My archive is full of posts about growing and cooking our allotment veg but these days I mostly capture the ordinary every day moments of life with a boy and baby. I reflect on our parenting journey, photograph family days out and sometimes create product reviews with Euan. I like sharing posts that foster hope and encouragement or shine the light on simple pleasures and joyous moments. This year I’m particularly excited to be growing at the allotment with two little helpers and share our updates in a series of ”gardening with kids” posts.
warm wishes, Nic x
top to bottom: Poppet, Mikey, Billy
Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging.
They really are gorgeous cats!
they are, they are, they are :o) 3 is my favourite number now!
Thanks for the nice post on my blog and I’m so glad you like it. It is funny we both were writing about currants! I’ve subscribed to your blog now too – you’ve got some great recipes I’ll need to try:)
it’s a pleasure. I’ll look forward to our sharing of ideas – I think you’re way ahead of me in the sewing department ;o)
I hope you enjoy having Bilbo to stay!
What a lovely web site. I have really enjoyed looking at it. Have put Gloucester cathedral on my list of “places to visit” when I retire.
thank you Janet, the Cathedral is well worth a visit. I’ve yet to post about a day out and about in the summer with friends visiting from London. If you like outdoorsy stuff then that may offer a couple more suggestions for your list of things to do in Gloucester when you visit :o)
Nic
this is so so beautiful, such amazing photos and stories and ideas, you are amazing
hi maureen, so lovely to hear from you here, thanks heaps x x x
Taking photos with a decent digital camera has been so inspiring but I’m just sharing the stories of the amazing allotment folk.
You’re one too you know and a cuppa is long overdue. If you’re ever in town on a Saturday morning Robin usually starts brewing the tea about 10.30am….
Hope you’re plot has been fruitful this year, love Nic x
Hello Nic
Congratulations on a lovely blog. We are putting together a showcase of the best UK gardening blogs and we’ve featured it on Gardeners Voice.
You can also add a badge to your site if you like.
Cheers!
Dom (Editor, Gardeners Voice)
how lovely, thanks Dom. I see I’m in good company with some of the other gardening blogs I read featuring too. nice little badge so thanks for that. cheerio and happy gardening. Nic x
Nic is my very lovely and clever sister in law… isn’t her blog inspiring, interesting and amazing…xxx she works very hard and just needs a little shop to sell all her natural and perfect produce…
takes one to know one so the saying goes so ditto to you sista ;o)
Hi again Nic!
I first found your blog when I googled ‘Hedgerow Jelly’ when I was making it – and yes, we seem to share a passion for foraging and for Pam Corbin (she rocks!).
Just noticed that you live in Gloucester – I grew up in Ross-on-Wye, so not too far from you. However, with a military husband I find myself living all over the place now, though I’d love to go back to Herefordshire one day.
Norm (Kate really!)
Hi Kate, I saw that you’d lived abroad. Herefordshire is a beautiful part of the world and if that’s where you heart is you’ll find your way back.
I read your post about St Albans Cathedral – you’d enjoy Gloucester Cathedral if you do ever find yourself over this way.
Truly lovely, inspirational blog! I just love it!
Hi Denise, nice of you to drop in :o) looks like you’re kept busy with all your acres, preserving and crafting.
Hi, just stumbled across your blog and love it. Especially love finding other UK bloggers 🙂
I’m Rachel, II live in Cambridge with the other half and cats (2) and grow veggies in my garden and teach yoga and veganise recipes and read too much….. ah the usual.
oops, popped over to you and then forgot to reply to you here. Have enjoyed browsing your blog and reading your comments. thanks for sharing. Nx
Just found your blog after googling hawthorn berry recipes, I tried the ketchup recipe today and it’s lush!
I’ll be back to read more recipes and ideas as soon as I get the next batch of jam made 🙂
I’ve been making this years batch too. Intrigued by all your Bento box creations!
Thanks for popping over
I have just had a good read and your blog is lovely. I can see I am going to learn a lot from you 🙂
xxx
thank you Angela. Nothing like a huge allotment and a love of preserving to give you lots to write about!
een fijne hobby die je uitoefend.
doe ik ook reeds jaren.
telen van allerlei groenten geeft mij en de ganse familie veel voldoening.en lekkeregroenten.
ik heb (en leer nog veel bij op)( groenteninfo).
iedereen probeert mekaar te helpen in de mate van het mogelijke.
prachtig al die reacties en kommentaren.
ik ben momenteel 64 jaar maar te oud om te leren ben je nooit.
prachtige poezen heb je ook(mijn jongste dochter heef er ook twee lexy en diesel.
met vriendelijke groeten.
fil.
Beste fil
Bedankt voor het komen dan om te zeggen ‘hallo’. Het is altijd heerlijk om te voldoen aan nieuwe tuinders. Hoe lang je doorbrengen in de tuin is er altijd wel iets nieuws te leren.
Het is nooit te laat maar, zelfs bij 64: o)
Blij dat je de katten.
zorg en goede tuinieren. Nic
sorry maar de vertaling van de text is niet goed..
en in het engels lukt het mij niet::
m v g
fil.
Thank you, the seed potato arrived in the post this week. It does have an eye, so I’m hopeful that it will sprout! I’ll start it off in a pot and it will make a fine addition to my black veg project this year. xx
Hi Nic
Following The Big Bulb Plant’s continued success, The International Flower Bulb Centre and the Eden Project are collaborating for the third year running, in order to encourage schools and neighbourhoods to get together this autumn and plant spring flowering bulbs in their communities.
Plantings can take place anytime between 1st October and 30th November and bulbs can be plotted anywhere, from school fields to back gardens. If every person contributes, a community can be transformed.
This year the plant will be launched at Westfield London where BBC Gardener’s World Toby Buckland, Blue Peter’s Chris Collins and the team from Eden Project will be taking workshops and Q&A sessions. We will also be handing out over 500 free boxes of Narcissus ‘Thalia’, the 2011 ‘Spring Flowering Bulb of the Year’.
I was wandering if this would be of interest for your readers on this blog?
I have a PR for more details if you require! I apologise I would have sent this to you in an email but I did not come accross one.
I would love to know your thoughts.
Best wishes
Freya
I am a painter living in Memphis, Tennessee in the USA. I was wondering if I could use some of your apple photos as sources for making painting.
You can see my work at http://www.bethedwards.com.
You have a lovely blog and obviously a great life.
hello Beth, thank you for introducing yourself and sharing your website. I’d be delighted for you to recreate some of my photos as paintings and appreciate you taking the time to ask first. cheerio, N
hi Nic
you quote ”a garden without borage is like a heart without courage” on your blog. is that your saying or someone else’s? i’m creating a calendar and one of the pictures is of a borage flower in my garden and i’d like to caption it with this quote but wanted to check it’s copyright! it’s not coming up when i Google it.
thanks, Caroline
Hi Caroline, thanks for stopping by.
As I quoted the saying I must have read it somewhere and can’t take credit for it (if there had been an ‘author’ I would have referenced it) so I think it’s just a more modern, poetic expression for the the latin phrase ”Ego borage gaudia semper ago” which I read about in Jekka McVicars Herb Book. She says the Greeks and Romans regarded borage as both comforting and imparting courage and the phrase above was quoted in Gerard’s herbal book. If you google something like ‘borage brings courage’ you might get some more interesting links.
cheerio and all the best with the calendar, N
hi Nic, thanks for your reply. i’ve been enjoying your blog, being something of a gardener and a cook myself, though like you (but for different reasons) my garden has been rather neglected this year. i’ll follow your suggestions.
Caroline
Hi Nic, would you be interested in doing a review for our company Goodlife. You may have heard of us, we produce vegetable based (vegetarian/vegan) frozen meals – no additives or preservatives, dairy free and some recipes are also gluten free. We are currently expanding our product range and would love you to test some of the new recipes. Let me know if this is of interest.
Thanks
Vicky
Hope you will not mind: I have used a photo from your site on my
http://www.mucktwineandthinker.wordpress.com
because it fitted in with the theme.
If you are unhappy with this please let me know and I will remove it as I have no wish to cause offence.
Hello Beeseeker, thank you for letting me know, happy for you to use one of my images. I’m a bit puzzled as to which one though – your latest post Remembrance credits me but no picture is visible. Perhaps you could share the link to actual post?
Sorry Nic, just checked, was in a rush, back from the football match and trying to get warm, make a cup of tea and post the piece … forgot to press the button.
Should be there now ??
Not sure which of your posts it’s from I got it by search engine for allotment shed images.
Do you have a contact us page? I work with JCB Kids who i know you have been in touch with but i cant find an email anywhere on here. Thanks
Hi, I was wondering if you would mind if I used your image of a cabbage eaten brassica as part of a sheet on plant problems to teach children what to look out for in the school garden?
Many thanks
I’d be honoured Zana, thank you for asking first though. Perhaps you’d like to share the website link to your sheet on the photo page and then anyone else reading my post can click into yours. Everyone has something to learn ;0)
Nic, thank you so much – the sheet is a print out for the kids so not online unfortunately. But thank you so much for the offer – here’s to pigeon free winter brassicas!
Dear Nic, delighted to see the wonderful pictures, congratulations. Love Nas from the student days in Lancaster.
Wow Nas, great to hear from you :o) What a lovely surprise. Hope you’re all well. I shall email you to find out!