Can you believe it’s been over six years since Jim and I cycled along the Rhine from Mainz to Cologne? Why, we were practically children.
On that occasion it was the sheer number and variety of castles that stick in my mind.
And on the cycling holiday before that, it is the vast, resinous pine forests of the Spreewald that I particularly remember.
But from last July – when we cycled 220 miles from Rothenburg ob der Tauber to Füssen along Bavaria’s Romantic Road – it is the wildflowers that stand out.
A rich vibrancy of colour and form;
whether cornflowers in silken barley;
wheat fields speckled with summer poppies;
or dew drenched alpine meadows with orchids.
The flowers that lined our route were astonishing in their beauty and diversity.
The call of cuckoos and the drone of insects was a near constant too
– as was regularly swallowing or inhaling a fly or two as we hurtled along.
We were in Germany for almost a month last summer, travelling about by train and visiting a list of German towns as long as your arm… and mine: Berlin, Leipzig, Ochsenfurt, Munich, Nuremberg, Potsdam. And, in addition, we stayed in a further eight towns on the Romantic Road cycle route – battling both to reach them by push bike and then pronounce them: #deepbreath Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen, Donauwörth, Augsburg, Landsberg am Lech, Schongau and Füssen.
As always on these holidays, we followed a fantastically well-signposted route,
using a supplied-with-our-bikes route guide
on solid reliable bikes. In eight days of cycling we didn’t get a puncture nor a breakdown and apart from an absolute soaking on arrival in the town of Augsburg, we had almost non-stop sunshine too.
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It’s an age-old debate that’s almost impossible to avoid when living with another person: Does silverware go up or down in the dishwasher? And is there even a right answer? Since the popularization of the dishwasher, how to load this appliance has been a hot point of contention, particularly when it comes to silverware. Should silverware be rinsed first? Should you organize each utensil so like is grouped with like? Should you use the silverware basket or the rack, if your dishwasher is a newer model? Some people are adamant that silverware should be placed handle-up, while others insist on handle-down—but those aren’t actually the only options.
Pot to Product – Plant Pot Recycling Scheme Hooray, hooray, hooray – someone has organised a pot recycling scheme so that all our surplus plastic pots languishing in sheds around the country can be taken to a local garden centre from where they will be collected and made into useful and well-designed products. The Garden Centre Group and around 130 independent nurseries are supporting the scheme.
Retail therapy at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2014 by Daniel Carruthers The Chelsea Flower Show, now in it’s 101st year, is revered for its wonderful gardens showing the latest trends in garden design. The show does also have many other elements of inspiration too with a wide and often unsung retail section. Predominantly the Eastern Avenue is the shopaholic gardeners first port of call with everything on display ranging from hats and gardening apparel to seeds and works of art.
The ancient principles of Feng shui say the kitchen is the ‘heart of the home.’ It represents prosperity, nourishment, and health. Apart from being a vital part of our life, it can also usher abundance and good health if you grow these Lucky Indoor Plants For Kitchen!
Upcycling prevents wastage and also helps in keeping expenses low. Several interesting, clever upcycling ideas can transform your garden for really cheap. From styling a garden path to decking outfits for the yard furniture with old and used items, you can find some Amazing Up-Cycled Garden Ideas and Projects here.
Does the threat of cold weather and the changing of the seasons bring a tear to your eye? Pre-winter blues got you down?Just because it’s turned crisp and co
Autumn is my favorite time of year! As the air becomes crisp and fresh, I find myself reenergized and geared up for a second round of gardening.For me, growing crops in the fall has become a fantastic way