It's a horrible day here in the North of Scotland we have had snow showers all day although thankfully so far it doesn't seem to be settling. I have spent the day indoors baking and have made a second batch of hot cross buns I suspect we may have some children round at the weekend. Our neighbours daughter is very keen to earn some pocket money and may come round to help me with muck spreading in the veggie patch (weather permitting of course!)

I have also been tidying cupboards and checking whether I have the necessary cleaning ingredients as I need to think about spring cleaning. So here are a few tips for you-

What to keep in your cupboard

Washing soda/soda crystals

Bicarbonate of soda

White vinegar

Essential oils

Dri-Pak Borax substitute

What to do with it

&nb ...

It's been a while since I was here and I must apologise for my tardiness. I was away visiting the family last week and seem to have been catching up since then.

I wanted to tell you about my recent experiences with African Black Soap which you can find in the shop here I have previously used it for hair and body washing in the shower but have found that it is absolutely superb for washing my face and cleaning off make up. I should explain that I have had lifelong 'problem skin' which I have despaired of on many occasions. It is greasy usually with a tendency to spots but over the past year has become unmanageably dry. I have tried all sorts of hydrating cleansers etc without much success. Anyway one day I tried ...

Busy day for me today I went on a long walk with the dogs this morning unfortunately I come home more tired than they do after half an hour they are more than ready to go again. I need less energetic dogs! I am off for a short break later in the week to see my grandchildren and as always will have a suitcase stuffed with clothes from the shop for them. I shall have to start looking for larger sizes soon Jacob is unbelievably going to be five in September!

Anyway thinking about them set me thinking about baby clothes and items that are environmentally friendly and make good presents for newborns. Lots of  local people  come to me when they have baby gifts to buy so I thought I would share with you some of the popular items.

So here goes first of all I have blankiez, these are really soft organic terry co ...

I have been busy day today, dog walking for most of the morning and baking ever since For a Macmillan fund raising event on Saturday. Unfortunately I am not supposed to be sampling the baking because I run a weight watching group on Mondays and have been shedding a few pounds myself. One of the things that is really important when you are trying to lose weight is planning ahead so that you know what you are eating, coming home tired after a long day and raiding the cupboard is not a good idea. So I was interested to read a blog about how to save money in the kitchen which advocated that very thing.

In fact several of the things mentioned you have probably already read here on this blog if you regularly dip in. Anyway a few ideas here of how you can save money and as a bonus eat more healthily. They are courtesy of Care2.

1. Ditch prepared meals right now: Consumers have been led to believe that they don’t h ...

We had a lovely day out at the beach yesterday and took a picnic. I wish I had taken my camera because the beaches on the West coast are truly beautiful. We went to Oldshoremore near Kinlochbervie and walked along the headland to a further bay I'm not sure of the name but it was completely deserted the only thing which spoiled it was the usual plastic rubbish which had been washed up from the sea. My husband commented about its being there for the next 100 years as it would not bio degrade and it made me recall a piece I was reading recently about reducing our dependence on oil.

So here are some ways that you can reduce, they sound simple but are not all easy to do in my opinion although it would be great to be able to.

1. Switch to a push mower that is powered by none other than you. (Tricky for us we have a very large garden and I think it would be a full time job.

 2. Plant gardens to reduce the amount of lawn that needs cutting. ...

I am looking out of my window today at an extremely wintery scene and its hard to believe that Spring and Summer are just around the corner. I have been thinking about the coming seasons quite a bit over the past few weeks as I suspect most retailers are doing.

My theme for  Summer 2010 is very much about stripes. I have always loved striped clothing and vibrant colours and I have examples of both within the shop. As a plus they are all in soft organic cotton so they not only look great but feel good too which is an important factor to consider when buying clothes for your baby in my humble opinion. I just hate to see babies wearing harsh uncomfortable fabrics printed with rude slogans.

Playsuits don't come much funkier than this and at an excellent price too

A beautiful frosty Monday with lots of ice floes on the river. Its one of those days when I look out and feel glad to be alive!

I have been reading rather a shocking blog today about childrens attitudes to violence against women. It is based on a small study carried out in Glasgow involving 89  Primary school children aged between 11-12 years from 5 different schools. Children apparently thought that  a slap from a male partner  was justified if she had an affair or was late making the tea. Whilst they did not agree with violence as such they thought it was ok if the woman was perceived to have done something wrong.

Researcher Nancy Lombard described the findings as "worrying" because the youngsters had naturalised and normalised violent behaviour.

The study also suggested that girls expected to modify their behaviour and narrow expectations once they were married and had childre ...

Hello again! Its a cloudy day here but thankfully dry. I have spent the morning baking and making lentil soup which is my absolute favourite. A lot of people make it with stock from a ham bone but I use bouillion stock powder for mine.

I onion chopped

2 carrots sliced

2 sticks celery chopped

6oz red lentils

1 litre bouillion stock

1 tin chopped tomatoes

2 teasps. thyme

1 teasp. cumin

It could not be easier just dry fry the onion for a few minutes then add all the other ingredients bring to the boil and simmer for about 45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. I always liquidise mine but you could have it as it is if you prefer. Enjoy!

As you know I spend a lot of time looking for new things to put into the shop and I have just found some funky organic cotton rompers and baby grows so here is a sneek pr ...

I just checked the date on my last blog and am ashamed that it has been so long since I posted! It has been chucking down the white stuff here all morning I have been out with the dogs and ended up sitting down rather suddenly on my bum! It 's certainly slippy. We have painters here at the moment and the smell is awful so all in all I am a bit grumpy.

I have just been reading a post about of all things toilet seats, apparently it's very common to get toilet seat dermatitis. Sounds horrible! “Most cases of toilet seat dermatitis are mild and easy to treat with topical steroids. However, if not treated properly, the inflammation can persist and spread, causing painful and itchy skin eruptions and unnecessary discomfort for children and parents. Skin that's persistently irritated is vulnerable to bacteria and may lead to more serious infections that require treatment with oral antibiotics.”It's all down to the strong chemicals that people use to clean their loos t ...

Our snow is thanfully almost gone now just some rather sad looking piles at the side of the road. The river Tirry which goes along our garden is now flowing again but there are enormous chunks of ice cast up on the banks which look as if they will be there for a while, some are about a foot thick!

I have been checking stock this morning after having had a number of sales and I am going to be buying more Keptin Jr which is one of my most popular lines. They  make perfect gifts for that special baby.  From the Netherlands, Keptin-Jr. have  soft, comfortable and natural toys for babies & toddlers.  Their toys are made from natural cotton wool, which easily absorbs the mother’s & child’s natural smells & matching temperature.  With Keptin-Jr. you can be assured of your child’s safety.  These colourful toys have been bleached without chlorine and are dyed using non-metal dyes.&am ...