Hope and the Super Green Highway.

Hope MacGregor is around ten years old, or at least she was ten in the previous book, Hope and the Magic Martian, so she’s about that age… A typically curious child she lives in the not too distant future when Carbon rationing is in full effect and the products and energy we use have their full cost applied – so a kilo of bananas is over £7. Think about it and look at the price of bananas next time you go shopping and then think about how far they’ve travelled and how much fuel they’ve used to get to you…

That’s what this book does, it makes you think. It’s packed full of information and ideas as well as telling a good story that will have your child asking questions and questioning why we don’t do more in terms of caring for our world.

I loved the small details such as a baby being carried in a brightly coloured sling, the tag-along pod for a small child to be able to join in cycling rather than using a car, knowing the local producers of food and other items – like they’re every day things – but think about it, how many local farmers and craftspeople do you know by name? Do you know where your sausages come from? Where the pigs were raised, how they were raised? Have you ever grown something to eat? Do you know how far the potatoes you had for tea have travelled to get to you?

This book raises many questions and ideas and really does make you think. But what I really want to know is, does Graham at Port City Zoo know of a breeding pair of Golden Toads in captivity somewhere that could be used in a reintroduction program for Juan’s Cloud Forest? I was waiting until the very last page for Hope to go back and ask him…..

My kids love them. They love the idea of a countdown to Christmas, a small gift or treat each day leading up to the big event. Of course they’ve been seduced by modern commercialism and in previous years they’ve had those and enjoyed them. We’ve taken them apart and recycled the card sleeve but not been able to deal with the plastic tray locally.

This year is different.

This year we’ve decided to dig out a fabric advent calender that we had hidden at the bottom of the box of Christmas decorations and we’ve been hunting for minimal or zero waste alternatives. I’d love to go fully organic and fair trade but money isn’t exactly flowing like water here so we’ve cut back a bit.

So, we’ve got 2 net bags of small foil wrapped chocolates in the shapes of snowmen and santa from Wilko’s at 2 for 97p and I’d already got a bag of assorted pencils, sharpeners, rubbers and the like – small things that I was going to slip into stockings for them. Some of those have been tucked into the pockets too.The foil from the chocs will be recycled, the net bags are now hanging in the garden full of nuts for the birds and the only waste for landfill will be the one or two bits of plastic that comes inside the plasticine that’s on the 18th. I’m sure that with a bit more thought you could come up with other treats to go in the pockets and end up with Zero waste and much more fun.

Reusable advent calender

We’ve had it for years, bought it at a Christmas market somewhere I think and this year it’s come back into use at the children’s request.

Fabric, reusable calenders that you fill yourself are readily available and it shouldn’t be hard to find one!

Alternatively, if you’re not bothered about the chocolate and treats then why not book mark one of the online advent calenders?

The Woodland Trust have one where each day has a free activity for children to do, and I’m sure adults would like to join in as well. I’ve got the Advent Calender Online saved from last year and that one has a little arcade type game to play each day. No waste at all with those… Other than wasted time.

Now, I’d disagree with the paper tissue thing and I’d say use a reusable cloth hankie and then wash it hot with a few drops of tea tree essential oil as an antibacterial agent in the wash.  But hygiene is vital if we’re to fight off infections, avoid spreading viruses and stop secondary bacterial infection sneaking in while our immune systems are being battered.

Regular and thorough hand washing can help prevent the spread of all sorts of bugs – including swine flu, food poisoning and tummy bugs. It’s something we should all do as a matter of course and especially when someone in the house is sick. One way to achieve thorough hand washing is to use a liquid soap that will make less mess on your kitchen/bathroom sink and is easy to dispense. It’s also fun for smaller members of the family to squirt it themselves! Soap and washing are one of the areas where it is very easy to choose a more natural alternative that won’t leave your skin dry and cracked while still doing the job effectively.

If you are concerned about infection then you’ll need to choose a soap with an anti-bacterial agent in it, such as lavender or tea tree in either a bar or in a liquid form.

Good luck, look after yourselves and I hope swine flu passes you all by.

Also just uploaded some new toothpaste, in fennel flavour to the shop. Fennel is just as refreshing as mint for those who don’t get on with mint and catering to those on both sides of the added fluoride argument – it comes in fluoride and fluoride free! However, both varieties are free from SLS, sweeteners, artificial flavours and enhancers and also free from preservatives.

As always, postage is free on all orders to any destination but bear in mind that UK deliveries will be sent via second class post and overseas will be send by surface mail.

So, what can you do?

I’ll be making sure we eat properly, keep making sure we get our vitamins through lots of fresh food, especially fruit and veg. I’ll also be making sure that we all get plenty of fresh air and exercise to make sure we’re as fit as we can be, and hope it passes us by as no-one likes being ill do they?

So, I’ll be wiping down surfaces here with a blend of tea tree and lavender essential oil in soap nut solution, for their anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. I’m not sure how anti-viral the oils are but it does seem to help to prevent secondary infections, particularly bacterial ones.

What if you do catch it? Or if you get some other flu or heavy cold? For the fever you can take homeopathic Belladonna, and for the overall aches and pains I’ve been recommended homeopathic Gelsemium. As always, if you are going to use homeopathic remedies I do suggest you consult a proper homeopath for a personally tailored set of remedies. I’ll also have some eucalyptus oil handy for in my oil burner as that helps open and clear the respiratory system.

Now I’m no expert but swine flu doesn’t seem to be worse than regular flu unless you already have a compromised immune system or an underlying serious illness.

You should, of course, contact your doctor or NHS direct if you think you may have caught swine flu, or any other illness that requires medical attention.

Caroots, strawberries and blackcurrants.

The carrots were started off in reused toilet roll inner tubes and then planted out.  I stripped the two blackcurrant bushes and got about 500g of fruit! The strawberries are 2 varieties – tiny wild strawberries and large cultivars, not many of each but very very tasty and, would you believe, grown in a toilet.

Wild strawberries

When the downstairs toilet was replaced we asked to keep the old one for planting and the kids decided to grow wild strawberries in it, which they grew from seed!

The blackcurrants are being used for my first ever attempt at jam making! I think some luck might be needed….

In times past people have added comfrey to their diet as a valuable source of potassium, calcium, and vitamins A, B12, and C. As always though, please do not go eating comfrey or making comfrey tea and consuming it without checking with an expert first and especially if you’re pregnant, might be pregnant or are trying to conceive.

Comfrey is also used extensively by gardeners to help in the compost heap, where it speeds the whole process up and adds valuable nutrients, and also by decomposing the leaves in water to make Comfrey tea which is used as a plant food.

Now, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend making your own comfrey poultice without some specialist advice or training, but I do love this Comfrey Healing Salve. It’s a thick cream that you smear onto any bumps, bruises, grazes and you’ll be surprised at how fast they heal and at the minimised scarring too.

Yaoh Organic Hemp Seed Oil Salve contains a high concentration of hemp seed oil, plus the addition of healing herbs like calendula, comfrey, elder and yarrow, making this ointment ideal for any skin complaints, ranging from tattoos to nappy rash. Can also be effective in treating more severe skin complaints

Don’t forget, postage at EthicTrading is FREE on all orders. UK orders will be sent via 2nd class mail and overseas will go by surface mail.

The kids have cleared a couple of bucketfuls of weeds from their patch and sowed peas, carrot, marigolds and lettuce.

I still have to dig the pumpkin/squash patch to a better tilth before they can go in and my potatoes are looking unwell. Might go and dig one up and see what’s happening, if they’ve failed then they can come up before any disease gets too far into the soil. Not doing spuds for a year or two now. Also need to reposition the cold frame for my melons, and weed the strawberries and apple trees. Oh and the garlic needs to come out over the weekend…..

The Moon Cup is made in the UK from medical grade flexible silicon and replaces tampons as a sanitary care product. It neatly fits internally and catches menstrual flow safely and cleanly. The smooth surface of the mooncup will not trigger your body’s natural defences and will not cause irritation.

Think of how much you spend on sanitary products each time you menstruate and you’ll find that you’ll likely recoup the cost of your mooncup within an average of 6 months with nothing to dispose of into landfill along the way.

The Moon cup comes in 2 sizes, A and B.

The size A mooncup is suitable for women who have given birth vaginally and are over 30 while the size B mooncup is suitable for women who have not given birth vaginally and are under 30.

Please make sure that you order the appropriate size as, for hygiene reasons, mooncups cannot be returned for refund or exchange.

The front page is now much cleaner, less busy and leads to only two places – this blog and the all new, all singing and dancing Shop! I haven’t worked out how to get it to make my tea yet…..

I will be loading more products into the shop over the next few days so do keep checking back in to see what’s new. There’s a regular Sale Rail in there for you to hunt through the bargains on offer and a new Health range offered in conjunction and consultation with Fiona Dilston of Moonlight Essence.

It’s looking a lot better now, don’t you think?