Buying chainsaw gear

Ian's going on a chainsaw course in May - and he needs new H&S equipment. But rather than buying it completely new, we got it from EBay - reuse, recycle!

Devon green tourism business network

Ian was invited to the start-up meeting of Devon's Green Tourism Business Network, held at Paignton Zoo Today. He met plenty of interesting people from other green tourism organisations. The aim is for the network to encourage other (ultimately all) Devon businesses to go green. Watch this space....

Digging up the Spanish bluebells

Maggie has been digging up the Spanish bluebells from our garden again, so they don't hybridise with the true British native flower in Popehouse Moor SSSI...

Sadly, the Spanish flower is threatening our own more delicate emblem of spring across the country. Unlike the native species, the Spanish bluebell grows fast - one has even seeded itself and bloomed in a neglected flowerpot. So the digging will probably have to go on for a few years yet...

Recycled water butts

Our latest water butts - recycled mango chutney drums bought through the country store in Okehampton for a tenner...


So not just recycled but also far better value than a garden centre buy. And that's a recycled tap on the bottom, from when we replaced a bath in one of the lodges. We did have to buy the downpipe kit - that came from the 'everything' shop on Winkleigh's old airfield.

We've got several now - including one near the biodigesters on the gravel - for washing off wellies and dogs!