Greetings to you from the chilly North of Scotland its a bit of a dreich day here today drizzly and breezy but we hope it will improve. This may be my last blog for a few days because I am flying to Bristol on Saturday and then driving to Devon to spend a few days with the family. My long awaited Maran chickens are also arriving on Saturday would you believe, talk about the best laid plans etc etc. My long suffering husband is going to look after them until my return which he is not particularly enthralled about chickens are my interest.

There seems to be lots of conflicting new items about how the organic and fairtrade organisations are weathering the downturn in the economy. I have just read a report from Ethical Fashion to say that it is doing well.

A GlobeScan survey on Fairtrade support, commissioned by Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) and ahead of celebrations for World Fair Trade Day 2009 on 9 May suggests Fairtrade certified cotton ...

Just back from walking the dogs, lots of cuckoo's about I love to hear them don't you? Later this week we shall be having a guest blog from my friend Mel which I am looking forward too so watch out for it!

I have been having problems with flaky dry skin recently and using the whipped shea butter cream not sure why the sudden dry skin perhaps its the cold winds we get up here, anyway it is feeling considerably soothed now. I don't know how many of you have tried shea butter but its a bit different to the usual run of moisturisers. For a start its quite solid I usually use a finger nail(clean!) to dig some out of the pot but it sort of melts onto your skin and feels really nice. Another thing its lovely for is dry heels I rub some in every morning after my shower. I want nice soft cared for feet for wearing my Summer sandals I hate to see grimy cracked hee ...

I have spent most of the afternoon creating a newsletter to send out and have been having a very frustrating time. I managed to lose the whole thing twice but it finally got finished. Still having some problems with the pictures though!!

I have just ordered some wooden Fairtrade toys from Lanka Kade and thought you might like to read a bit about them.

All products are handmade by seven family based enterprises with whom Lanka Kade has long term working commitments. New products are designed in the UK for each supplier to utilise their individual knowledge and skills. The aim is to provide continual employment throughout the year for each supplier, their families and their employees. A representative is employed full time in Sri Lanka to coordinate shipments, liase with the UK on behalf of  suppliers and to arrange prompt payment for all goods supplied to Lanka Kade.

Each business is independent and supplies direct to Lanka Ka ...

Just got back from yes you guessed walking the dogs! You must wonder when I ever do anything else. It was a lovely afternoon and we went to Casseley Falls which is a favourite walk. I came up to my computer on our return and was looking at this post about the commercialisation of children and childhood it certainly gives food for thought. Its really quite chilling how children are being exploited and groomed to become tomorrows super consumers. One of the saddest things is that they are being taught to judge on appearances. Being able to buy everything that you want doesn't equate with happiness but that is the message that is being sent out.

As will know if you are a regular reader I am very keen on green cleaning. Chemicals such as sodium laurel sulfate, phthalates, phenols, naphtha, petroleum distillates or bleach interact with o ...

A beautiful day here today with lots of sunshine there are lambs everywhere and they are such sweet little creatures skipping around the fields enjoying the weather. I was amused this morning to see a ewe with about 7 lambs all asleep around her, she seemed to be 'baby sitting' for 2 other ewes who were on the other side of the field enjoying the peace. They both scurried back when they saw me with the dogs.

I received a newsletterfrom the Green Providers Directory which took issue with the way that the G20 summit protests were treated in the media.This is what they had to say -

Listening to various TV and radio reports about the G20 summit protestors recently, I was struck by the many references to the protestors as a mixture of ‘anarchists, anti-capitalists and green campaigners’. These reports then went on to describe the damage and violence inflicted by this ‘group of protestors’. One of the reports concluded by speak ...

Sones are an ecommerce site whose clear aim is to sell baby clothes and accessories which are both ethical and fairtrade. I spend a lot of time researching suppliers and trying to ensure that they meet this criteria. Whilst we cannot be compared to any high street giants we do try to bring you a good selection of fairly priced clothes, accessories and toys together with honest and reliable service. We believe that organic is best for the environment and best for your baby and we have never compromised our standards to bring you inferior quality.

I have been reading a very sad article which looks at the high incidence of suicide in cotton growing farmers in India. This has come about because of overwhelming debt in the face of crop failure. The agricultural state of Chattisgarh has been hit by falling water levels.

"The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a few years ago,"  said Shatrughan Sah ...

In our household we love honey and have been concerned to hear that honey bees have been in decline in recent years. It wasn't until yesterday watching Countryfile that I grasped the wider implications to all of us whether or not we llike honey. Bees are vital when it comes to pollinating our crops and without them  we are going to be in trouble. The Co-op have become the first company to ban a group of pesticides produced by Bayer who of course say there is no problem.

The Co-op said it will eliminate the usage of the neonicotinoid family of chemicals where possible and until they are shown to be safe. The Co-op has over 70,000 acres of land under cultivation in England and Scotland, making it the largest farmer in the UK. Since 2001, it has already prohibited the use of 98 pesticides under its pesticide polic ...

Taken in the garden a couple of days ago. Spring is here!

I awoke this morning with a very busy day to look forward to, my office needed a good sort out I had new clothes to put into the shop and some general updating to do. My first job however was to take the dogs out its the only way of getting any peace around here! I have just finished putting the new clothes in and you can find them here. Apologies to anybody who has been in the shop this afternoon and got a bit dizzy from things appearing and diappearing!

I love the

It's been another fairly pleasant day here in the highlands I have been out working at the coal face of smoking cessation and managed to get home fairly early today. Since I arrived home I have been catching up on multiple emails and packing orders no peace for the wicked!

I just received my newsletter today from www.naturalmatters.net and they were highlighting the alarming increase in allergies apparently about 40% of us have allergies and many people have multiple allergies. It has been suggested that there are a number of factors which may be responsible climate change is mentioned and also our increasing exposure to all manner of toxins in our food, clothes, and the general environment. Apparently there is a proposal put forward for a new vaccination for children for hepatitis B and if this is adopted children will now be given a staggering 33 vaccinations before they reach school. A question that comes to mind is "could this be part of the problem"? I don't ...

Another nice day here and we went to Dingwall today so that I could buy my seed potatoes and get the  shopping, we treated ourselves to lunch out so no cooking tonight.. I am going to put my seed potatoes out to 'chit' or sprout for a couple of weeks. I have bought some pink fir apple potatoes to try this year. I find it very exciting planning where it is all going to go, I am going to grow loads of peas this year so that I can freeze them and have another try at growing dwarf runner beans which have been a bit of a failure for me so far. Any tips gratefully received!

I have just printed off an essay that I have been writing about smoking cessation (1,500 words) and it is with a great sense of relief that I am putting it into an envelope ready to post. Do you ever have that feeling when you have been putting off doing something when its finally done its like a weight off your shoulders. Even the ironing has seemed attractive recently.

We are living in ...