So what is winter sowing? Many of you probably think it’s the same as winter growing. Winter growing is when we grow crops outside during winter. Winter sowing is different in that it is done in late winter but not directly in the garden. Winter sowing is completely different as you plant seeds in containers…

via Winter Sowing 101 — That Bloomin’ Garden

Hurricane Matthew has weakened over the past 24 hours and is now a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph and is currently centred just off the South Carolina coast. Matthew made landfall just to the north-east of Charleston, South Carolina on Saturday bringing with it widespread and locally record breaking flooding and destructive […]

via The latest on Hurricane Matthew — Official blog of the Met Office news team

If you are a fan of historical and romantic novels, you may be familiar with the works of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), one of Scotland’s most famous and prolific authors. His classics, Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, Waverley, and many others, brought him a good deal of fame and fortune, and with his riches he bought a […]

via “Time Rolls His Ceaseless Course”: Abbotsford House and Gardens — Edinburgh Garden Diary

People in some parts of the globe are anticipating the arrival of extreme weather. Australia Thousands of homes in South Australia are without power as an unusually deep area of low pressure moves across the area bringing gale force winds, rough seas and heavy rain. 50-100mm of rain is expected, which will fall as snow […]

via What’s happening around the globe — Official blog of the Met Office news team

We’re back from a great trip to Ireland. We met new people, including some from our area, and everyone in Ireland was extremely friendly and hospitable. Homes with real thatched roofs, horses and carts in almost every town, gardens, churches, castles, cliffs, and enough sheep, cows and horses to keep any photographer busy. It was a great […]

via Ireland — NewEnglandGardenAndThread

If you arrive in Lisbon by ship, you might understand how Portuguese navigators felt as they entered the tranquil waters of the Tagus river to glide into the city’s warm embrace. Every week, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship treads the same waters where Vasco da Gama once sailed to bring its passengers to Lisbon. The cruise operator asked us: […]

via 10 hours in Lisbon — Salt of Portugal

I’m delighted to feature another guest post this week, this by Rosamund West who is researching ‘London County Council housing schemes and public art, 1943-1965’ for a PhD at Kingston University. She’d be pleased to hear from anyone with an interest in her work – further information and contact details are given at the end of the post. The London […]

via ‘The plan might look well on paper but it would not be London’: How the London County Council used art and architecture to rebuild the communities of London — Municipal Dreams

The ancient gods of Greece and Rome satiated their hunger with ambrosia, a food with exuberant colors, an elegant aroma and a taste that has the perfect combination of sweetness and acidity. No one knows what this divine food looks like except the people from the island of São Miguel in Azores. It is an open […]

via Ambrosia from Azores — Salt of Portugal

I locked myself out of the flat today while alone at home. It happens about three times a year and is usually solved by presenting myself forlornly before either my husband or my sister (who keeps a spare key for us) wherever in town either of them happens to be. One memorable bank holiday weekend […]

via Good Neighbours — Edinburgh Garden Diary