Category Archives: Uncategorized

I am standing in my kitchen with my little son. He asks me what’s all that noise outside. I tell him the neighbour’s tree is being cut down because it’s not feeling well. Why is it not well? He asks. I … Continue reading →

We’re a prosperous nation, who can argue with that? Prosperous synonyms include thriving, successful, bouyant, flourishing. Yet for all that wealth and success, our school children are growing more obese, sick and depressed every day. Something’s not right. The problem is … Continue reading →

I urge any parent to read Robert Macfarlane’s article,  A word to the wild,  in the recent National Trust magazine (Autumn 2015) about our vanishing natural words. It’s a bombshell to any parent who has a garden, enjoys woodland walks or strolls and … Continue reading →

Don’t take it from me, I only read it in the papers. But it’s exciting and it’s bold and I can’t wait to see it come to fruition. I’m talking about Peckham’s proposed new Coal Line, inspired by its more … Continue reading →

Fenton House, hidden gem of Hampstead Hampstead has much to offer the visitor, from the wonderful windswept Heath, to a range of galleries, museums, pubs and boutique shops. Yet hidden up one of the oldy worldy backstreets is a real … Continue reading →

It’s not often you wander about a town and come across a decorative edible public garden. You might brush past an allotment or a few herbs growing in pots here and there. But an elegantly designed public garden with only … Continue reading →

London restaurants have a penchant for plastic plants. I don’t get it! Walk down any commercial street and I guarantee you’ll find plastic buxus screening and not a herb in sight. In Greece for a short holiday with friends last month, … Continue reading →

If you have rosemary planted in your garden, then you have the potential to boost the power of your brain and long-term memory. Amazing. Of course perhaps you knew that, as the ancient Greeks, Romans and Arabs were already onto it. … Continue reading →

Almost half of all food produced worldwide is wasted. That’s the equivalent of two billion tonnes. And we’re all implicated, from farmers to supermarkets to consumers. The past few years has seen a growing surge of reports and measures taken to … Continue reading →

Now I feel the irresponsible fool. Only yesterday I was extolling the virtues of playing with hoses and buckets in the garden – and today I read in the papers that we need to prepare ourselves for a potential drought. So, … Continue reading →