From La Porte Rouge.
Go wild swimming
The activity that has everyone buzzing this summer is wild swimming. For those of you who haven't heard of it, wild swimming is simply taking a dip in natural waters: rivers, lakes, hidden pools - you get the picture.
We were initially a little sceptical, as our knowledge of secluded, idyllic waterways is limited to say the least. There's a river outside our window, but it's in the centre of town, so stripping off for a dip seems rather inappropriate.
Luckily, we found wildswimming.co.uk. This handy website has a section on the best places to go wild swimming all over the UK, as well as a guide to getting started, including safety issues, what to wear, what to bring and so on. Useful, right?
If you're feeling really inspired, Wild Swimming have a range of books and apps available. Their latest offering gives the low-down on Wild Swimming in France, where the weather is warmer and there's almost no chance of bumping into someone you know. So there's no excuse not to get exploring!
Wordless Wednesdays ... summer rain
From Joy Felicity Jane.
Knock up a folding tripod stool
Want to see our latest picnic essential? This folding tripod stool, which will help us relax in style when we're worn out from rambling through the countryside. We love the smart tan leather, we love the old-fashioned design and we especially love the fact that we can fold it up and sling it over our shoulders when we're on the move.
Matt from Design*Sponge assures us that it's possible to knock up our own using some study dowel and a few hardware essentials. Pop over to the blog to see how it's done.
Mix up your tea break
We're firm believers that there are very few problems that can't be fixed by a good cup of tea.
Even though nowadays there seem to be more types of tea than there are days in the year, our interest was still piqued when we stumbled upon a beginners guide to tea mixology at Yellow Bird Yellow Beard.
Like chamomile? Love mint? Well, now there's no need to make that agonising choice, because we can have both together! Guest blogger Lauren from The Perfect Pear has done all the leg work for us and shared the best combos so we can avoid a nasty oh-that-really-doesn't-work surprise, but we still can't wait to get experimenting for ourselves.
Wordless Wednesdays ... daisy chain
From Joy Felicity Jane.
Camp out in a homemade pup tent
Rigging up a makeshift hidey-hole must be some sort of rite of passage.
Everyone we've spoken to has fond childhood memories of fashioning a lopsided tent out of some old sheets, the edge of a sofa or two, and 'camping out' indoors until their parent's had had enough of the mess in their lounge.
ReadyMade has gone one step better and knocked up their very own pup tent, using an old sheet and some wooden rods. If you're feeling up to it, pop over to the ReadyMade blog to find out how they did it. Your kids will love you for it, trust us.
P.S. If you're having problems with the pictureless instuctions, pop over to craft blog cakies where there's a similar A-frame tent how to, with helpful photos to make things a little clearer!
Join in the Slow Food UK Week
News has reached our ears that next week is … Slow Food UK week! If you haven’t heard of the Slow Food movement, where have you been?
For those that have come to the party late, Slow Food is a non-profit, member supported organisation which reconnects people with where their food comes, so we can all make better choices about what to put on our plates.
This year, Slow Food has been creating links with chefs to champion local, sustainable ingredients, and that is what this year’s Slow Food UK week is all about.
From Monday 18th – Sunday 24th July, Slow Food invites you to feast on special menus from top UK chefs, get inspired by vibrant talks, or attend the first ever Slow Food Crawl. We’re definitely up for that last one (we’re assuming it doesn’t involve actual crawling).
Pop over to the Slow Food website to find out what’s going on near you.
Book shelf: My Cool Shed
What do you have tucked away in your shed? Apparently, sheds can be much more than hidey-holes for lawn mowers and cracked plant pots, as Jane Field-Lewis proves in her new book, My Cool Shed.
Following on from the success of My Cool Caravan and My Cool Campervan, this latest offering delves into the nation's hippest sheds, cabins and beach huts and invites you to meet their creative / reclusive / crafty owners.
Check out Jane's My Cool... blog for a little taster of what's in store.
Have you read any of Jane's books? What do you think? Let us know below!
Wordless Wednesdays ... street party nostalgia
From Join me in the 1900s.
Learn the capital's secrets in the London Style Guide
Born and bred Londoner Saska Graville has decided to divulge her insider secrets in her London Style Guide.
As we all suspected, true London style doesn’t reside in Big Ben or the London Eye, but tucked away in backstreet bars and pubs, cool boutiques and hidden markets. London Style Guide also gives us a little window into the lives of those who have shaped our capital, with interviews with the likes of boutique owner Brix Smith-Start and hotelier Kit Kemp.
If you’re as curious as we are, keep an eye out in your local bookshop from 7th June.
Keep your picnic tidy with cutlery wraps
The sun is shining, the grass is green and jackets are stowed securely back in our wardrobes. That’s right, picnic season is upon us.
To make al fresco eating much more practical, Etsy seller NStar Studios has come up with these genius picnic cutlery wraps. Roll it up and tie it in a bow to keep your cutlery neatly together rather than clattering around the bottom of your hamper and poking holes in your food bags.
Designer Nicky Ross gets extra points for using bamboo cutlery (reusable, and much more eco-friendly than plastic) and designing a pouch that can be put in the washing machine, ready for the inevitable (or is that just us?) lemonade / yoghurt / juice explosion.
What's your greatest British day out?
The National Trust has announced My Great British Day Out, a new competition with a chance to win £2000 towards making their perfect day out happen.
Entrants are being asked to pick their favourite location, from castles to woodland to the home of one of The Beatles (the National Trust don’t just do stately homes, you know!), then get imaginative and dream up their ideal, unique event.
Log on to the Facebook competition page to have a nosey through other peoples’ dream days out and get some inspiration for how you’d like to spend your summer. To give you a little taster, Sam would love a woodland mad-hatters tea party, Rory dreams of a sunrise fry-up on the beach, while Scooby (ahem) wants to spend a night hunting ghosts in a crumbly old castle.
Vote for your favourite idea, or if you think you have a better one, pop your own up – but get cracking, because the deadline is the end of May!
50 things to do before you're 11 3/4
These days it feels like children are more likely to be found scaling buildings on their Playstation than climbing trees in their back garden. The National Trust has decided to fight the trend by launching 50 Things to do before you're 11¾, a nationwide campaign to get kids off the sofa and into the wild.
The initiative provides a checklist of activities to complete before you hit the grand old age of 11¾. Camp out in the wild, set up a snail race, hunt for bugs or light a fire without matches - there's a whole host of mini-adventures to be had.
Children can pick up a free scrapbook from participating National Trust properties or check off each activity on the 50 Things to do before you’re 11 ¾ website. Here they can also get advice from the Elite Rangers, an intrepid team of outdoors experts including Den-Boy and Captain Skim. Go to www.50things.org.uk to get started!