Taking care of jewellery when gardening

Gardening and jewellery - are they compatible? Maybe, maybe not. I do tend to garden while wearing my rings, but then again I wear gardening gloves most of the time and seem to get through them relatively quickly. This summer it’s been a necessity though as i’ve struggled to get my rings off most evenings, given the temperatures.

I used to take them off and always put them in the same place in the house, but after a scare when they were moved, with good intentions, by MOH I decided some mud was probably my best approach, even though gardening is often messy. I hope that by wearing gloves I’m less likely to damage my rings, or cause them to lose their sparkle.

Photo by Eco Warrior Princess on Unsplash

So how can we protect our jewellery

Take it off 

The sure fire way of preventing jewellery being damaged while gardening is taking it off prior to gardening, the issue then becomes, remembering where you’ve put it, or in my case where MOH moved it to, thinking he was helping. Luckily he remembered where he’d put my rings, or there would really have been trouble. As I said before my rings are generally quite tight, but if the jewellery was quite loose I think I might reconsider my approach. It’s surprising how easy it is to lose rings for example, when you’re busy weeding or planting flowers, and I’m not sure I’d want to be combing our garden for a lost ring.

We lost a spare key once a good few years ago, we think while gardening, and we’ve not found it yet…

Wear thick well-fitting gardening gloves

Wearing gardening gloves helps protect your jewellery if you can’t or prefer not to take it off. If you’ve invested in expensive high-quality pieces, you’ll need some protection over them. However, you’ll want to focus on the type of gloves you’re wearing. You don’t want them to be too tight, but you do want them to be tight enough to hold your rings in place. 

There’s a staggering number of different types of gardening gloves out there - mine are always coloured, you’ll not be surprised to hear that, I’m sure and I tend to buy some for MOH which are plainer and less fancy, mainly so he wears them. I’ve recently switched brands of gardening gloves, mainly because I seemed to be getting through gloves at an alarming rate. I recommend something that is rubberised, so your hands don’t get wet when the gloves do and searching for the best gardening gloves online is easier than you think.

Get a professional to repair any loose stones

If your jewellery has any loose stones, you’ll know the name of the law that they’re bound to come out somewhere where you’re least likely to find them - remember my key? While it’s annoying, especially if the pieces are precious to you, it’s a good idea to get them repaired by a professional. Prevention is always better than a cure isn’t it, and it’s definitely worthwhile if your jewellery is expensive. It costs far less to repair a loose stone than it does to replace one.

Overall, looking after your jewellery while gardening is crucial if you want to avoid damaging or losing it. Hopefully the tips above will help you to enjoy your favourite hobby without risking the beauty and condition of your jewellery.

** This is a collaborative post, but all views remain my own.

A dramatic kitchen room set

It’s been a while since I shared a room set, and today is the last of the main room sets at this year’s Ideal Home Show. But it’s not the last of the room sets from that show as there were some more, bonus, room sets towards the back of the show. They were smaller but all bathrooms and kitchens so there’ll be some more to ogle at at some point.

Looking through my pictures though I was surprised I’d not already shared this one, as it’s a beauty. And totally my colours. Sadly it’s too dark for our kitchen space, and we don’t actually need a new kitchen having replaced ours only in 2013. But a girl can lust, can’t she?

And when it’s as gorgeous as that, the answer to my question is obviously yes!

Earlier in the year “mixed metallics” was a thing, and maybe still is, but this kitchen is the best example I’ve found of that trend. Copper and brass mix together with ease, and while my natural inclination would be to scrinch my nose up at the thought of those together, they go a lot better than I ever imagined.

The stools though, aren’t they great? And the integrated breakfast bar is done well and I can see this being a really flexible and social space.

In fact, when can I move in?

The metallics also lift the dark coloured units, and I think more of us should have some decorative areas in our functional spaces, because if we don’t like the look of somewhere we’re fickle things aren’t we and avoid spending time there. And in a space like this, that’d be a real shame.

So, what do you think - hit or miss for this dark and earthy with mixed metallics kitchen?

The Rose Garden at Parcevall Hall

Today I’m sharing a burst of sunshine, both literally as it was a glorious day for my visit and because it’s great to look around an independent garden.  I think there’s some real gems out there and we often overlook these, unless we already know them or they’re close by.  I discovered Parcevall Hall as I was scouring maps of the local area on our trip to Yorkshire to see what was close by.  It wasn’t that far away, as the crow flies, but in reality it was more up and down than I expected as it’s in Wharfedale in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.  I don’t know about you but I find driving on steep and windy country roads exhausting, less than walking obviously, but tiring nonetheless given the additional concentration needed.

It was worth it though, as the gardens didn’t disappoint.  I’ve plenty of photos to share from here and some will no doubt brighten up the chillier days ahead, and I’ll not apologise for sharing some more sunshine when I think we need it. To buck the trend I’m not starting at the beginning of our visit either, instead starting with the Rose Garden, which at the end of June was full of the heady scent of roses, a scent that until our trip to the Loire I didn’t get.

The garden was set out symmetrically, its paths willing you to wander around.  There were places to stop and enjoy the garden, but with so much to explore we didn’t pause as much as perhaps we would have if I hadn’t already planned for us to go to RHS Harlow Carr in the afternoon, and squeeze in an afternoon tea at Betty’s - I told you I’d packed it in, didn’t I?

But taking some time to wander around and enjoy the roses was just what we needed, and there were certainly plenty to see and smell, all types and colours too.  There were roses with tightly packed petals and more open, relaxed roses.  Pinks, whites and reds the most prominent colours.  And, oh the smell in the sunshine, heavenly.

Even then I remember thinking it wouldn’t be a garden I’d look forward to dead-heading, there were just so many blooms. You’ll see though that the garden looks no worse for a few decaying roses, and of course if everything was dead-headed there’d be no rose hips. 

I normally favour roses with plenty of petals, but in this garden these delicate pink edged blooms caught my eye, and so my journey into the world of roses, with this rose with its more wild rose style flowers knocking me for six.  

And look. Proof, that a garden can still look pretty and be enjoyed when it’s not perfect. The photo above shows every stage of flowering for a rose, and if there was a rosehip I’d have a full house! 

That’s pretty reassuring, isn’t it?