A practical gift guide for gardeners

Gardening is another hobby that can be a great inspiration for presents. But, and speaking from experience, while it's always nice to have a pretty garden trowel set there is a limit to how many you can have, and often something more practical might also be appreciated.  For this week's gift guide I've put together a mix of items that I use, and which I have my eye on.

While the secateurs I told you about in the summer are brilliant, when there's more heavy duty work to be done I turn to my ratchet secateurs which we bought one year at Grand Designs - they were so good that when we went to another home show later in the year, we bought another pair. Now when we're working in the garden we know there's two pairs available and after having my pair nicked by MOH once too often, mine can usually be found in my back pocket when not in use.

It was earlier this year that I shared my admiration for the Stihl trimmer, and I'd recommend the Stihl range generally. You'll remember I went to visit their factory in Kufstein in January, and not only was it fantastic, the research that goes into these products blew me away. Coupled with the fact that the people were so lovely too, for me, if there's a choice I'd always opt for the Stihl or Viking products, because I've seen how they're assembled and looked their top management in the eye (in a non-confrontational way!).

While I was in Portugal this October they launched a new range of powerful and lightweight tools, and if I'm honest I've got my eyes on the leaf blower from this range - looking at the details it weighs 2kg, including the integrated battery.  Their site says it's quiet and I can well believe this, remember I've been into their Competence Centre, which is Europe's largest anechoic chamber, and totally mind blowing (pun not intended). 

At the time I told you how the echo from all sound, including sound you don't hear, is removed - but anyway, the testing that goes into noise levels means I believe it when they say it's quiet.  Our current leaf blower (and sucker) is far from quiet, in fact it sounds more like a motorbike and therefore isn't used very much at all.  And we wouldn't buy a leaf sucker bit again, as it gets even noisier (which we never thought possible) if it sucks up a stone - worth remembering if you're in the market for a leaf blower.

A practical gardener's gift guide by lifeat139a on Polyvore

The henchman ladder is also on my wish list. I'm a bit wobbly up ladders, but I'm also impatient so often can't wait for MOH to finish doing whatever he's doing to come and hold the ladder - which I instantly regret of course, every single time!  This one has a wider base, which will make it more stable and it also has adjustable feet, because no garden ever is ever flat is it?  

My current ladder has a lean guard - that's my non-technical name, but hopefully descriptive enough for you to know what I mean, and having somewhere to rest tools, gloves and string is always a good move too.

The gloves and cloche, well I go through gardening gloves like anything - I'm not quite sure what I do to them - but I do like to have pink gloves, I leave the more usual green ones for MOH. Cloches are also on my wishlist, and this Victorian style cloche would be a great addition to any garden wouldn't it? 

And I wouldn't even mind seeing it, much nicer than anything I've Heath-Robinson-ed together!

A gift guide for cyclists

You know how it is, you've presents to buy and you've no idea where to start. You know they quite like cycling, but that doesn't really help you either because as with any hobby or sport a certain amount of knowledge is needed. 

It's never just as simple as just buying something for the bike is it?

In this gift guide I've put together some suggestions, some fun, some serious of what the cyclist in your life might appreciate this festive season. One of these is the first Christmas present I bought, but which one?  I'll not share yet, just in case this is the one post that MOH reads here before the big day, and if you're reading - he, he, he - be worried, be very worried!!

So whether it's a very festive Christmas-jumper style cycling top, or cycle related clothing who knows?  The Cycology clothing makes a regular appearance in my Facebook feed and I think they've a good range and one that nods to a cycling habit, but also very wearable. 

The Crank Brothers cycling multi-tool is the one I have, it's not the lightest, but then again nor is my bike. But after a few chain incidents I wouldn't be without it, and I don't cycle anywhere without it.  I work on the theory that even if I don't know how to use it all - and I do know how to put my chain back on now - then if I was having a bike incident then at least having the tool is a start. Cyclists generally are a friendly bunch and I'm sure one would stop and help, so having an idea and a multi-tool is a very good start. Plus this one's super stylish too.

Gifts for cyclists by lifeat139a featuring a men's clothing

You'll not be surprised to see a basket on my gift guide, my basket is an essential piece of kit for my bike. MOH is likely to be very afraid now as I keep threatening to buy him one for his bike, as when we're out together he often gives me stuff to put in my basket. It's the cycling equivalent of "can you just put my keys in your handbag!" - please tell me you get asked that too?!

There's a navigation device which is billed as a smart compass which can be strapped onto handlebar, looks more like a bell than anything else I've seen and avoids the need to stop and check your phone for the route, and better still avoids having your phone strapped to the handlebars.  If that's not your thing, then having a stylish bell that really is a bell might work. All bikes are sold with a bell now, but often they're cheap and nasty and quickly rust, so a good looking, small and loud bell could be the thing for your cyclist.

If they're a more serious cyclist, then they've probably eschewed mudguards because either they don't fit, or spoil the look of the bike, or worse still add extra weight and affect the aerodynamics.  You can tell I speak from experience can't you?  But on wet days, your cyclist will come home with a trail of mud up their clothes and that's where the Ass Saver comes in. It quite literally does what it says, is lightweight and even the most discerning cyclist will consider this, so I'm told.

My final entry on this list is waterproof socks. Apparently you can never have too many, and once you've tried them you wouldn't be without them. I've not tried them but the idea of cold, wet feet while out cycling doesn't appeal, but then again wearing cycling shoes with mesh or holes in the bottom (for cleats) isn't my thing either.

Hopefully there'll have been some ideas that you can use to provide the perfect gift for your cyclist. And if you're a cyclist, what else would you add?

The Wideacre Trilogy, books 2 and 3

It's been a couple of weeks since I finished these books and even now looking back on them, it's still easy to immerse myself in the story.  After I finished the first book, simply titled Wideacre, I was keen to get started on the next one.  I already told you that I read the start of the second book hungrily, trying to work out who was the lead character, and let me just say that book 2 - The Favoured Child was just as good.

As you'd expect it picks up the story from before but this time focuses on the two Lacey children and only one of them can be the favoured child, but which one is it?

Photo by Prasanna Kumar on Unsplash

Following the fire at Wideacre the remaining family live elsewhere on the estate and although the children believe themselves to be cousins, are brought up more like siblings. The cousin/sibling thing is important, and each of the children have similarities to their Lacey parents and you can feel life repeating itself, as it so often does.

There's friendship, loyalty, love, heartbreak, deception and sheer bloodymindedness in this book which once again I couldn't put down.  Towards the end of the book, the introduction piece becomes clearer and you have to wonder how and where it will all end.

Meridon, the final chapter

Once again I broke my rule of paying for kindle books, and immediately started on the final book. I was in for a surprise though as the setting was completely different and Meridon, the central character is a gypsy girl. 

This book was no less compelling, but it felt a bit left field, even though there were clear likenesses to the strong female characters in the previous book - red hair and riding skills.  I wasn't sure how this related to the story, but carried on reading as you've probably already realised I was hooked.

The plot turns and Meridon arrives in Wideacre, a place that's familiar to her even though she's never been there before. I found this part the most far fetched part of the books but I also recognised that the author needed to connect the stories.  

At times too, it felt like the main character was going to fizzle out - and maybe she does, or maybe not, that would be telling wouldn't it?

For me the story picked up again and even though I was willing her to make different choices, she didn't always!  

I'm still in that book hangover period where I can't quite manage to start another book as I'm still pondering what I might have done differently, either writing the book or as the main character. I haven't come up with anything concrete, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed the whole series, and who knows, maybe the next book(s) I read will be just as compelling - but let's hope they don't all make me break my low-spend rule!

Have you read the Wideacre trilogy by Philippa Gregory?