On a very bright June morning our NavenBEEs toddler group enjoyed the sunshine, working on paintings and getting some jobs done in the garden.
Garden notes:
Did lots of watering, as it is a very sunny day!
Found that our pea plants had bee taken by some slugs, so we removed them.
Played in the lavender, making our hands smell lovely.
Harvested our radish plants.
Planted tomatoes plants in place of our failed peas.
We have a few spaces available in our NavenBEEs group, to secure a spot and follow our activities, join the facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1208789059566216
Sustainable Navenby
Shopping Locally to #BeMoreSustainable
A guide to some of the sustainable shopping options in Navenby village.
The Lounge Cafe
Located at the back of the Navenby Antiques Centre, this small cafe has a strong focus on locally soured products.
Choosing small businesses in your local area is a simple way to reduce your carbon footprint, while supporting the local economy.
A delightful, small, florists on Navenby High Street.
They carefully source British grown flowers to reduce the carbon footprint of their displays. Upcycling and reusing items to create one of a kind gifts.
Making cycling accessible to everyone is the goal for this small cycle shop on East Road in Navenby.
Their dedicated staff see electric bicycles as an important tool for reducing car use. Making cycling accessible to those who might otherwise struggle with a standard push bicycle, and allowing confident cyclists to go further or carry more shopping.
Throughout 2022 we’re sharing practical everyday skills inspired by Mrs Smith’s low waste lifestyle and helping us understand seasonal eating, food production, and waste disposal methods to make more sustainable choices.
Have a look at the ‘Be More…’ webpage for more information and see the list below for May’s exciting events!
Coming up in May
We’re open to guests on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Mondays, 12pm-4pm. Mrs Smith’s door was always open to drop-in visitors, and so are we! Due to the small size of the building we recommend booking your visit in advance to avoid disappointment.
As well as our usual opening, we have these great events coming up in May:
Spring Forage: Saturday 14th May – 10-12pm
We are excited about our first seasonal forage! Join us at Hill Holt Wood for a Spring forage led by Hannah, the District Herbalist. The group will be taking a walk around Hill Holt Wood, identifying and gathering the plant material needed to brew a wonderful tea to share at the end.
Do you have any memories of meeting Mrs Smith? We are opening the cottage doors for free for anyone who has memories of Mrs Smith to share with our dedicated volunteer team. We would like to record stories which will help us, and our visitors, to get to know more about Mrs Smith, her everyday life, food, and personality.
Small Space Gardening Talk: Tuesday 31st May – -4pm
The Sage Gardener team will be leading this exciting talk on small space gardening, helping you to make the most of any available growing space. This talk is ideal for beginner gardeners, those with limited growing space, or people who don’t know where to start with their own garden projects.
Find out more about Sage Gardener on their website: Sage Gardener
Group Workshops and Activities
Did you know that we run workshops and outreach visits for youth groups?
From Victorian wash days to rag rug workshops the Mrs Smith’s Cottage team provides a range of exciting activities – we can bring all the resources to your scouts/guides/beavers/brownies group, or you can book a workshop at the cottage and immerse yourself in history.
It was lovely to get our Early Years group to the cottage to make progress on their garden. They will be growing lots of different veggies and flowers which will be enjoyed in the summer.
Todays Activities:
Planted carrot, spring onion, radish, and nasturtium seeds.
Added compost to the corner bed.
Watered front garden, back garden, and pots.
Checked on seedlings in the cold frame.
Made bug hotels from milk bottles and waste paper.
Went bug hunting using magnifying glasses, spotted ants, bees, woodlice.
Enjoyed the different textures and smells of herbs in the garden – we all liked the rosemary best.
Be More Sustainable Blog – Inspirational Growers
Inspirational Growers
The Allotment Cook
Allotment holder and green fingered cook from Lincolnshire. She runs a blog, full of growing advice and seasonal recipes, and appears as the BBC radio Lincolnshire Sunday Snippet Gardener.
A Lincolnshire gardener and sustainable living advocate, whose Instagram page is packed with information and inspiration to get you growing food at home!
A passionate urban small space gardener dedicating their small London garden to food production. They share practical tips and trick on youtube and tiktoc to encourage others to start growing their own, even in the smallest spaces.
One UK grandpa sharing his love of growing with audiences across the world through tiktoc. With cosy videos sharing useful growing information, this grandpa will guide you through how to start growing your own food at home.
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