the green gal

Palette pingpong no34

The image I chose for this week's palette pingpong post represents exactly what I would like at the moment – a spot of indoor camping:

source

Doesn't this look so inviting and cosy? I'm well aware it's a child-sized tent in an obviously children's room but still, lose a few of the building blocks and I'm there! It's just the thing to do on a grey, chilly, decidedly un-summery day.

I challenged Kirsty at ginger and george with this photo and I'm super keen to see what loveliness she has created using its colours as inspiration. Rumour has it she may have cooked up a little download for us all to enjoy…! Right, I'm off to Kirsty's blog now to find out, are you coming?

Five lovely things 7

And here we are again, is it just me or does everyone find that weeks are flying by? We're almost halfway through the year but it feels like only a little while ago it was dark at 4pm and we were digging ourselves out of the snow.

And so to a few lovely things about my past week. For No1 I have to go with Eurovision last Saturday night – it was entertainingish on its own but watching it with twitter in the background made it hugely more entertaining!

At No2 is decision my hubbie and I have made to go camping! For various reasons we've decided to buy ourselves a tent big enough to house us and the little dog and be ready to take ourselves off to a pretty corner of the country at a moment's notice for a little r&r. And I'm determined to glamp in style! 

source

I had a very exciting meeting this week with a lovely lady who is setting up a fabulous craft studio – Butterhill Studios – in my local town and even more exciting things are underway in connection with it! More will be revealed in the future but that's my cryptic No3.

For No4 I'm pleased to have finally blogged about the end of my no new clothes for a year challenge. It finished nearly three months ago so I've been v slack about blogging but I did it this week! You can read the post here.

I always seem to save the best till last and today's No5 is no exception. I am THRILLED to show you my latest creation – a tea towel featuring my bunting design! It's made from 100% organic cotton and printed in the UK by a company who are v lovely to work with. This is the sample I received this morning, I'll receive the finished articles in about a month's time and then you'll be able to order your own from the green gables! More matching kitchenware is in the pipeline – who knows how excited I'll be when they arrive! Hope you like it :)

PS I will be sending out the first the green gables newsletter very soon so make sure you sign up here to receive yours.

Too beautiful to camp in

source

This is my kind of tent. Impractical for British weather but sooo romantic. Sigh.

Try out a tipi

If you're thinking about holidaying in the UK this year I can heartily recommend a tipi holiday. Yep, that's right, a tipi. Not a tent, not a caravan and definitely not a hotel room.

Hubbie and I spent a week at Cornish Tipi Holidays and it was one of the most memorable holidays we've ever been on. Brushing your teeth wandering around your own camping area looking at dragonflies is an experience I loved! This pic shows our tipi hidden in the woodland, it was taken from across the stream!

The site is in Cornwall (clue's in the title) in what was once a quarry. The woodland and lake (where you can fish if you're so inclined) belie the fact it was ever such an industrial place.

The lovely CTH people provide you with loads of stuff like a cooking stove, cooler box, cooking utensils, tin plates and mugs, but, like camping, the more you bring from home the more comfortable your stay will be. You'll be amazed how spacious it is inside. If you fancy going on holiday withe friends you can rent tipis together in a clearing. if you want a bit more privacy you can choose a tipi in it's own little corner, complete with picnic bench. There's a log pile providing fuel for your open fire and a water tap near each tipi. Toilets and showers are provided at central points. 

That's some of the practical stuff but what's more important is the peace and quiet of the site and the feeling that you're totally immersed in nature. Knitting in the dappled sunshine while butterflies fluttered by was an idyllic daytime moment, while lying on the picnic bench watching shooting stars was a pretty amazing way to spend an evening too!

It wasn't all perfect, I'll concede, crawling in and out of the tipi made the back ache a smidgen and it got quite chilly at night (it was September after all) but in the grand scheme of things they weren't big issues. One tip to note, don't leave food outside unless you want the larger local wildlife to keep you awake with their rummaging!

Whether you're a bunch of mates, a couple or a family, a tipi holiday is one you should try at least once in your lifetime! Check out www.cornishtipiholidays.co.uk

Green in the broadest sense

I use the word green to cover all manner of things which I think are included in the general ethos of greenness - the idea of treating the planet, people and creatures the way you'd like to be treated. So, my list of websites and books don't just cover topics to do with climate change but also things like getting back to nature, the fairtrade ethic, even making your own natural beauty products!

Happy Campers

One book that doesn't live on the climate change shelf but is just fab for life in general is Happy Campers. From advice on what to take camping to get the home from home feeling and campfire recipes, to a guide to identifying clouds and knitting instructions, it's a must-have for anyone who wants to look up once in a while and smell the roses. I took it when we went teepee camping in Cornwall and it was invaluable. The book link takes you to Amazon or you can log on to the Happy Campers own website. Be happy camping, or otherwise!