Becoming Domestic

My mother-in-law gave me her copy of ‘You’ magazine at the weekend which I assume is the glossy supplement which accompanied her Sunday newspaper. I read it on the lonnnng journey back from Cornwall (6 hours when you’re towing a caravan at 50 miles an hour).

The first article caught my attention as it describes how being frugal and thrifty has become hip and its no longer at all trendy to spend spend spend. It made me laugh that this article was placed opposite a full page advert for Harrods ‘New Children’s International Designer Room - Big Names for Small People’ and also some strappy sandals priced at £95…

Anyway here’s the article - it made me feel good that my sort (dressed head-to-toe in very old favourites, charity shop treasures, cast offs and still looking reasonably fly) are becoming recognised to be setting an example rather than people to be sneered at.

Why It’s Fab to be Frugal by Mimi Spencer

My dear friend Fenella has been the laughing stock among our gang for years. Fenella is one of those women who hoards things. She is a coupon-cutter, a leftover-eater, a make-do-and-mender. Fen is adept at self-denial, recycling and getting away without paying the bill. She wears what must be the nation’s most eclectic collision of clothes, culled rfom here, there and everywhere - predominantly from her mother’s attic, though occasionally from her own childhood.

Fen is the only woman I know whose trousers have more than three holes. ‘These are fine,’ she’ll trill, holding up a pair of jeans which last saw service when Val Donnican was a boy, overlooking the fact that there’s a smiley-face patch on the pocket and a good three inches of ankle showing between her hem and sock.

Ah Fenella, I love her dearly, but she has never what you might call fashionable. While I would arrive at pubs and parties in the latest Chloe style sunglasses and Miu Miu capelet, Fen would turn up in an ancient cardie and a backless jumpsuit she’d found in a skip. Here is a life of hand-me-downs and vests that were crying out to clean the bathroom floor.

And now, what do you know? The kind of rampant consumerism that has devoured most of us for decades is suddenly out of fashion. Just lately, the high street has seen a chain-store massacre; the grabby, get-it-all culture that defined it now seems nauseating. We’re thinking harder about our clothing purchases, fuelled by the knowledge that untrammelled consumption is threatening our very existence. Heavy stuff as Fenella herself would explain, if you gave her half a grapefruit and an hour of your time.

The joy of course, is that Fenella and her ilk have suddenly been thrown into the limelight. As commentator and fellow spartan Michele Hanson put it recently, ‘Through no fault of our own, we’ve become hip. Our ethical stance is spot-on. We can ‘make do’, just like the postwar generation, without being sneered at.’ Times have certainly changed and swiftly too. These days it is no longer a gaffe to venture out in the same frock twice. Call it the Princess Anne syndrome, but wearing a dress again and again is now the height of chic. Hanson backs the return of bartering and rationing - a brilliant notion, the former already being practised with impressive results on certain websites such as Freecycle. It might be a surprise to Fenella, but I’m all for it - just as long as they don’t bring back tripe and powdered egg too. So I’ll start the bidding, in the manner of the late, great Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, one of my favourite programmes from the days when I too had smiley-face patches on my jeans pockets. What’ll you give me for a well worn and once loved mohair pullover?

I’ve got a new veg patch and it has many tender seedlings and young plants growing nicely which I’ve tended to with more care than my own children. We’ve had to ensure it is rabbit proof by completely surrounding it with chicken wire fencing dug deep into the ground as there are loads of rabbits in the field next door.

Only a true city dweller nutter would start encouraging a sweet little fluffy baby bunny to stay in the lawned area of the garden by leaving tasty carrot morsels and shooing the neighbours cat away in case it devours the poor little mite. I can’t help myself. He/she looks so lost and vunerable and appears most evenings and mornings from behind the shed and compost area.

I still feel so very lucky to have so much wildlife appearing in our garden each day. Only yesterday I saw two different types of woodpecker and a goldfinch.

While at the Malvern Spring Show I saw a ’swimming pond’ show garden. My friend Tissy reminded me how we used to go swimming in Hampstead Lido which was an enormous swimming pond.

I really love ponds and would love one day to have a big pond to attract lots of frogs and other watery creatures but what a fantastic idea to build one to be pleasant to swim or dip in too!

It seems to me that if you have enough marginal planting and gravel, steps to get in and out of the water easily, and a deep enough bit to paddle around in anyone can call their pond a swimming pond. The main idea is that the water is regenerated by the marginal planting so that it is clean enough for people to want to take a dip. No more chlorine, pumps or sterile blue rectangles - swimming ponds are definitely the way to cool down. I particularly liked the area next to the pond where one could dry off and lounge around.

I’ve just found the handout given to me by Hartpury College’s team that built the inspirational show garden at Malvern & it says:

Natural swimming ponds are stiull relatively unknown in the UK but are a natural alternative to chemically managed swimming ponds. A natural swimming pond combines a swimming area with aquatic planting that not only looks aesthetically pleasing but also serves the purpose of cleaning the water.

Natural swimming pools use the idea of the natural landscape to create a safe swimming environment and employ the same biological processes to clean and purify the water as those found in the wild. They consist of two zones - a deeper central area for swimming and a shallow planted area for cleansing the water.

The biological processes are a combination of the actions of plants and beneficial bacteria. They break down the waste matter into usable substance for the plants.

A swimming pond has a number of benefits such as the fact that it is easy and less costly to maintain than regular swimming pools, it is free of artificial chemicals, it is aesthetically pleasing and is also wildlife friendly.

My friend Tissy and I had a great day out at the Malvern Spring Garden show last week & amazingly the rain held off for us.

We both love gardening and knew that there would be plenty of opportunity to see lovely planting ideas with the show gardens and chance to spend a day looking at loads of garden related things to buy. Since our last visit to a garden show together (it’s an annual treat for us ladies and we always take a day off work for it) we had both built up a small shopping list of gardening things we wanted as there are so many retailers selling their wares it is easy to get just what one wants at a reduced price.

Tissy was in the market for good quality secateurs and a garden tool belt. I’d showed her the belt Bealers had bought for my birthday and how great it is for just having everything to hand at all times in the garden (secateurs, scissors, twine, marker pen & labels, gloves). At first it felt a bit geeky wearing it but very soon I loved the fact that with one easy move I could hang everything up on the coat rack.

We found a super company selling really funky big neoprene garden tool belts/aprons. The people who run the company Garden Tribe were really helpful in pointing out that if you put your trowel handle pointing at an angle then it won’t poke you in the ribs as you crouch down. I told them I’d put a link to their site from mine so do add one of these to your birthday wish-list if you like gardening as much as we do.

Doesn’t she look glamourous yet practical…(actually the one she bought was bright pink as we figured it was prettier and easier to spot if left lying around in the garden).

…well actually that is a slight exaggeration based on one twenty-nine hour period spent in a rainy, waterlogged, riverside campsite (next to a fun-fair) BUT we did have a wonderful time ‘living’ in Big Bertha and making sure we know how to get the awning up, plug gas, electricity and fresh water in.

We walked along the river to a nice enough pub, sat outside for a pint, the kids fell into a deep sleep at bedtime and didn’t wake until 7am this morning (result!), we had a lovely meal cooked on the camp stove in the awning rather than in Bertha’s kitchenette, drank some wine & a watched a DVD together last night. Today we all stomped around Symonds Yat (in our full wet weather gear, incl. lovely waterproof slacks for all) and admired the views and the wildlife.

We are as pleased as punch that our savings were able to stretch to buying Bertha. We admit to one another that our consistent track record of slowly trashing vehicles over a number of years means we almost certainly won’t be selling her on in the future but she is the perfect size and comfort level for us & we definitely didn’t have queue to get on a plane, get foreign currency.

With a bit of luck our first actual long weekend in her will be less rainy and even more fun (this weekend was purely for testing the awning and our ability to put it up without filing for divorce, to check we knew how everything worked and that we had the right amount of kit to make a trip pleasant without too much packing).

Viva carvanning en famile!

This list was given to Bealers when he completed his Caravan Manoeuvering course a couple of weeks ago. It is pinned to my pin board here but suspect it may be of use to others setting off with their touring caravans:

1.  Caravan is hitchd up correctly
2. 12n - 12s cables connected
3. Breakaway cable connected
4. Stabiliser engaged - if fitted
5. Handbrake is off
6. Jockey wheel is up and secure
7. Corner steadies up and secure
8. All ramps and blocks stowed
9. All water carriers stowed
10. Fridge is set to 12 volt
11. Gas is turned OFF
12. All windows and roof lights secure
13. All road lights working
14. Outside lockers & door secure

Have a safe journey!

This weekend I paid a visit to my remarkable friend Jane who lives on Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire (a large rock in the Atlantic ocean just off the coast of south western Wales).

Jane won’t mind me saying that I was completely humbled by seeing where she lives with her young daughter Martha and her partner Juan.

They are incredible people to chose to live in such a remote location. Juan has held the position of Skomer’s resident warden for about nine years while Jane has lived there with him for the past four. They are the only permanent residents on the island but even they are forced to evacuate due to severe weather during the winter months.

It is a stunning environment which cannot be imagined. Sheer cliffs all around, no trees or shrubs, thousands of bluebells and pink campion creating a lilac carpet, many thousands of sea birds noisily making Skomer their chosen breeding ground as there are few predators (such as rats), huge numbers of burrows made by puffins, Manx sheerwaters and rabbits make the island’s surface feel like one could fall the whole way down to sea level if a wrong foot is placed (hence strict rules of only being able to tread on the footpaths).

I’ve known in principal, since Jane moved to Skomer, that everything they consume must be brought on to the island by hand but only by my visiting and negotiating the steep coastal path down to the boat jetty which takes day visitors and volunteers to the island and then up the very steep steps having disembarked from the boat am I able to really comprehend what this means. The milk, the sausages, the coffee we enjoyed during our visit were all carried in this way and more likely than not by the only free hand which was not carrying Martha.

Jane I’m totally awestruck by where and how you live. No wonder you felt compelled to write your book (Skomer Island by Jane Matthews). The most amazing thing is how little you’ve grumbled about the hardships to me over the past few years. I can’t imagine how cold it must have been with no heating in March nor how you can bear it when you have to get more supplies in or take bottles back to the mainland. Please grumble more from now on and I’ll try my best to never moan about my very easy life…

I’ve made a vow to myself to return again to Skomer as soon as I can as our trip there was sadly curtailed by the prediction of strong winds potentially making the boat stop running. I’ve also vowed to NEVER moan about having to carry bags of shopping up our drive way or feeling a bit chilly when the central heating oil is running a bit low.

http://www.wrap.org.uk/caw/index.html

The seventh annual Compost Awareness Week (CAW) will be celebrated nationwide from Sunday 6th to Saturday 12th May 2007.

Compost Awareness Week aims to encourage more people to recognise the benefits of home composting and the great results that can be achieved by using peat-free composts containing recycled materials in the garden. The week was brought to the UK by The Composting Association and now forms a key part of WRAP and The Composting Association’s (TCA) annual calendar.

As a nation we produce around 30 million tonnes of rubbish each year and over half of this waste can be easily recycled. In fact, over one third of the contents of an average UK household dustbin can be home composted, not to mention all the garden waste that can be added to a compost bin. Yet many people still do not recognise how important and simple this is to do.

Compost Awareness Week is our chance to help people get closer to the benefits of compost. There are plenty of activities going on across the country, so don’t miss your chance to take part. If everyone gets involved in spreading the compost message, we can all help to create a cleaner environment for future generations.

As I walked through the playground to collect the children from pre-school the other day I was drawn to a small rail of second hand uniform. Each item was under £1 and the woman selling it (to raise money for the school) had every size and every item.

I managed to kit out both of the twins for their first year at school for under £12. For this I got a couple of pairs of grey trousers and shorts, grey pinnafore dresses and skirts, gingham summer dresses, royal blue sweatshirts with the school’s logo and cardigans, white polo shirts, a couple of book bags and even a blue gingham hair scrunchy. Over twenty items in all.

A few days later I went through the school’s pack of information and forms I had to fill in before the children start the reception year and was astounded to find the price list of brand new school uniform from the local supplier. Each item was priced at about £8-10 which means I had made an incredible saving of well over £100 possibly closer to £200. I vowed to never buy new school uniform if I can possibly help it.

A day or so later when I was pondering this I recalled my school days at a school with the same coloured uniform. I always looked squeaky clean in my brand new clobber but actually felt quite square being kitted out in regulation uniform. The coolest kids all had slightly different versions than those stocked at the official school uniform shop, sometimes a little more faded too. If my kids ever lobby me to buy new kit I shall get them to save their pocket money for new school uniform or explain that I won’t be taking them to the cinema/ice skating/pony riding (or whatever it is they’ll be into when they’re older) if I spend £20 or so on some royal blue sweatshirts.

We are very excited because Big Bertha has finally joined the family. She is a twelve year old, 5-berth, Coachman touring caravan with peach soft furnishings a small shower/loo and a great kitchenette.

A while back we started wondering whether we should get a ‘van as we love taking the children away but did not want the expense or hassle of going abroad. Bealers loves surfing, the kids and I love playing on the beach and so the hunt was on for something that would fit all of us in relative comfort, was clean and tidy inside and was within our budget of under £5k.

Amazingly for us we did not have to search very far as the local caravan dealer had Bertha on the forecourt back in February. To our untrained eye she looked in very fine condition (I was quite sure the shower room or toilet has not been used much if at all as it was spotlessly clean) - the seats were reupholstered in modern(ish) beige floral chintz, it had a rear ‘dinette’ which converted into a single bunk bed and a double bed WITH a sliding door to contain the children after their bedtime, a wee fridge, an actual gas oven, a grill, a three hob burner, gas fire with extra blowers, a fold down shelf to park a tv on, plenty of cupboard space and even a wardrobe.

We were smitten and paid a deposit of £200. She also came with a 12 month warranty from the dealer and went off for her inspection & fixing of anything which needed fixing soon after (a cupboard catch was broken, the sliding door of the kids’ bedroom was coming off the rails).

Bealers attended the Camping & Caravanning Club’s one day ‘Manoeuvering Course’ which gave him loads of practice of reversing a van round steep corners.

Collection day was scheduled for Friday which meant a full 90 minute handover by the caravan technician. He asked us what level of knowledge and experience we had about touring caravans and we admitted it was absolutely zero other than the crumb of knowledge we had picked up from pouring over my father in-law’s caravan magazines. He showed us where to attached the fresh water tank next to the caravan and how to put the pump in, how to let the water taps in both the kitchen and bathroom run to expel any air bubbles, how to attach gas bottles, the electricty supply (or battery), how the fridge locks when travelling and how it can run on both gas or electricity.

I made copious notes and got very excited about the prospect of pitching up at endless scenic places with our buckets and spades (and surfboard) this summer and with a bit of luck for many more in future years.

Our first trip is planned for next weekend when we are travelling about 20 minutes away from here into the Forest of Dean where we have a pitch reserved by the River Wye at Symmonds Yat. Apparently it is very lovely which is great but we are really just using the weekend as a training exercise to practice putting the awning up, attaching all the pipes and hoses to the right orrifice and making sure our caravanning essentials checklist has everything on it we need and not too much more as travelling with minimum weight is of major importance when towing a caravan.

The cost of Bertha should be negated when we’ve taken approximately three week-long holidays and several weekends away instead of spending money on hotels and aeroplanes.