Tuesday 20 December 2011

Surprise Plants! Perhaps More Potatoes?

Potatoes may never stop surprising me.  I'm now on a quest of sorts to see exactly how little of a potato needs to be planted to grow a potato plant.  My first surprise potato plant today came when I opened the lid of the puple bin (the purple bin where my surprise potatoes had grown the first time).  After harvesting the potatoes, I had put the soil back in the bin until there was space in my compost bin for it.  I opened the lid to put the soil in the compost bin, but found this potato plant.





When I opened the compost bin, I was attacked by spiders as usual, but as I dug down, I found several long white stems.  I thought they were roots from the old cabbages I'd put in there a few weeks back, but I soon worked out they were actually potato plants.  I planted them in a pot and covered them over.  I will let you know how they all grow!
These are the little white potato plants.  They'll green up when they sprout properly.  I don't have a picture of them in the pot, as they're covered over to protect them from the sun and encourage growth, so it just looks like a really big pot of dirt.

Signed with love,
Cassandra Louise.

Thursday 8 December 2011

Just for something a little different...

Here's a picture of me working in my garden.
I hope you like it, I enjoyed making it.
Lots of love,
Cassandra Louise.

Sunday 4 December 2011

Not a disposable cup

Ok, I told all these links to open in new windows so you can have a look at them as we go.  If it doesn't work, let me know.  I'm not a computy-type person.
Here's something you already know about me: I hate waste.  Here's something you may know about me: I think about waste and waste reduction strategies almost all the time.  Here's something you probably don't know about me: I absolutely love both tea and coffee!  I'll often have a tea or coffee when I'm out somewhere, usually a cappuccino since someone else is making, but I really try to only go to cafes which will give me a ceramic cup.  I don't want to drink from a disposable cup which will end up in landfill unless it's some sort of cappuccino emergency (which I can't think of what that might be).  The problem with this system is that I am a very fidgety person and my mind never stops.  I may decide I need to absolutely be somewhere else right now when I'm not finished my drink yet, so, since it's in a ceramic cup, I can either drink it all down really quickly, burn my throat and not enjoy it at all, or leave some and feel like I wasted milk, coffee, sugar (yes, I do.  What of it?) and a percentage of the money I spent on the drink.  I have decided the only real solution to this conundrum is to bring my own cup.  But first I need to buy one, and what kind do I want?  Let's see:
I had a little explore in internet-land and found that there are all kinds of reusable travel mug and cup, and you don't have to look far at all to find a cheap one, a sturdy one, a plastic or metal or ceramic one, but that's not all that's important to me.  I looked into environmental impact; materials, packaging and transport to me.  I really like the idea of Oxfam's "not a paper cup", even though it's traveled a long way to get to me, but it is ceramic.  When I was doing a little research into the Oxfam reusable cup, I found another not-paper cup which has a very nice design, but is also ceramic.  Even though it looks awesome and would last a long time as just a normal kitchen cup, I don't give it long in the den of horrors that is my hand bag.
I really like the idea of helping a charity through the simple act of buying something I'd buy anyhow, like the Oxfam cup, but I still find myself researching where things are made and how they were shipped to my area.  My searches led me to these Animal Rescue reusable cups, some of which look really great and I'd be proud to carry one.  That is a US site, though, so I kept looking and also found Breast Cancer Awareness travel mugs.  These are only some examples.  Your own searches will take you wonderful places!
Too far away, too big, too expensive... a comment on my last post here suggested Keep Cup, so that is one I looked up specifically.   Keep Cup is very popular, and I had a lot of fun on the site designing my own over and over (oh my gosh you guys!  I made it so pretty!) but haven't actually bought one, yet.  I will, of course, let you know when I do.  I found this review of Keep Cup really helpful and informative, (and it basically said everything so that I don't have to) and I actually really liked a lot of things on the blog, so it's in my "stuff I like to read" section, now.  I was a little skeptical about a plastic cup, but it's only made once.  It can be used for four years (or more) and then can be recycled.  That's pretty awesome!  Think about all the disposable cups you could not-use in four years!  Personally, I'd not-use 208 or more!  Very awesome.  I hope to be telling you about my reusable coffee cup in the near future.
I hope I didn't ramble, but looking at the clock and noticing the time, I'm sure I did...

Love you all, really I do!
Cassandra Louise

Saturday 3 December 2011

Just a tiny update...

I want to tell you wonderful people about something awesome other than my garden, so I'm currently researching reusable travel coffee cups.  I will post a real update with my findings within the next week.  If any of you know about a good reusable cup, do let me know, please!

Lots of love to you all,
Cassandra Louise.