living lightly in ireland

Plant one Veg this Autumn – Garlic

It happens all to often. We have the best of intentions and then life interrupts. We swore we’d start growing veg this year and never quite got around to it. Well it’s not too late so I’m setting you a challenge; before Hallowe’en plant some garlic. They’re super easy to grow and now is the perfect time to plant them. You don’t even need a veg patch, a container will do fine. Read on to find out how to do it.

Self-Sufficiency and Jam

Maybe it was that quirky TV sitcom from the seventies; The Good Life, that led to my hankering for a life of self-sufficiency. It’s a hankering that’s existed for the longest while and one I feed frequently with articles about growing your own fruit and veg, preserving it through the winter and stocking your own pantry with all manner of homemade paraphernalia. Of course this has never actually translated into reality. I have skirted around the edges of self-sufficiency with great aplomb, but actually living off the land completely doesn’t really sit with my very cosy suburban life. So I practice supplementary living, where I supplement bought goods with homemade ones, which includes jam! If you’d like to join me in making your own jam read on.

My Sanity Saviour; Knitting and my Knitwit Friends

I can’t believe I’ve been writing this website for over a year without mentioning what has become a cornerstone of my life. I joined my first knitting group about 4 years ago during the winter months. Seemed like a good way to keep these gardening fingers busy while the garden was snoozing. Little did I know how much I’d benefit from the therapeutic click-clacking of needles in the warm and supportive bosom of fellow knitters.

Eco School & College Stationary & Supplies 2026.

There can be so much waste involved in buying school and college supplies. In our house we do our best to keep it as low as possible by reusing, buying second-hand or buying fully recyclable / compostable / refillable items. To save you doing all the research yourself I’ve listed what to buy where below. Enjoy.

Minimalism, my way

Well, I’ve been struggling to let go of some of my possessions in recent years. I can get very attached to ‘things’, even when they’re way past their point of usefulness. Couple that with a desire to keep everything out of landfill / incineration and you’ll find the problem just builds and builds. Clearing out rooms in preparation for having carpet fitted turned the problem on its head. Now instead of choosing what to take out of my rooms, I now had to choose what to put in to my freshly painted, newly carpeted zen dens. Surprisingly this made the whole decision process of what to say goodbye to amazingly easy.