We are always looking for interesting ways to explore and enjoy our beautiful local area using public transport. So we were delighted in 2025 when Plymouth Boat Trips introduced a summertime ferry service from Saltash Waterside to the historic Royal William Yard, stopping at the Barbican on the way. From The Royal William Yard you can […]
How to identify wild flowers in early summer
It’s that time of year when the hedges are abundant with beautiful flowers. You may be familiar with many of these flowers, but hopefully this short guide will help you name ones you don’t know. It is far from comprehensive; but there are many excellent field guides to extend your knowledge. We recommend Marjorie Blamey’s Wild […]
Five planet saving actions to do in an afternoon
1. Change Bank Using an ethical bank that doesn’t support fossil fuels is the single most powerful thing you can do to help the environment. Ethical banks include Triodos, Starling, The Cooperative Bank and Nationwide. The credentials of your bank can be checked at bank.green and there’s a blog here with a list of suggestions: https://wise.com/gb/blog/ethical-banks-uk […]
Our journey to net zero – Decarbonising our energy use
Running any business requires energy, and we are not in a position to go for complete self generation, although we do have some solar panels. So we rely on external providers. Along with making sure we have green energy, we also have worked hard to reduce our usage. We are currently carbon neutral in electricity […]
Our Snowdrop Collection
When we first bought our woods in the 1993 we planted a small clump of snowdrops from our friends Bernie and Jeanie Skewes’s garden. (Bernie was a sign writer, poet, poacher and actor, who’s claim to fame was as the first UK Tarzan in the 1930s and the author of a Poacher’s Tale – a […]
How to tackle plastic pollution
What weather we have been having! The stormy seas and full rivers have bought in large quantities of plastic beach waste, so over the last few weeks I’ve been filling bags with rubbish. A sizeable portion of the rubbish is fishing waste; broken lobster pots, ghost nets, filament and fish boxes. There’s bits of cut […]
How to be a community player
We are so lucky in our area of Cornwall to have such vibrant communities. For me, being a part of the community is one of the greatest joys of living in a village. Being part of a community can lead to wonderful experiences, from playing at being a shop-keeper in the community shop, or pasty […]
Love local and keep our town centres alive
Several years ago I decided to give up supermarkets for lent, then found it was so convenient I’ve stuck to it ever since. I have never regretted it, although I do allow myself some flexibility on special occasions if there’s something I simply cannot source anywhere else. This rarely happens. The majority of our food […]
New Year’s resolutions. Who needs them?
I couldn’t write a new year’s column without making some reference to resolutions. We all tend to make and break them. I resolved not to do new year resolutions a few years ago. However I do still give time for reflection, and think about the person I would like to be. I want to do […]
Solidarity with those risking liberty to save the world
Do you have anything you feel really strongly about? Are there things that worry you about your future, or the future of your children and grandchildren? If so, how far would you go to try and save the situation? Would you risk your liberty? And if so, what would you risk your liberty for? We […]