Into the Blue list a wide range of gift experiences around the country, catering for all sorts of budgets.  And they cover a wide range of gifts and interests, with everything from flight simulators to water sports, days out to afternoon teas, short breaks to animal experiences.  They also have an incredible range of creative and craft gifts and outdoor gifts to choose from too. 

SPECIAL OFFER!!

What's more, they've got a fabulous 15% off for you!  It covers all experiences up to £250.00 - there's no minimum spend, although some products are excluded from this offer.  Just use the code...

ITB15FORME

You could give a dog lover
a Sheepdog experience in Yorkshire!

How about a Swinton Estate Lunch & Garden Tour (Ripon, Yorkshire)?
Enjoy talks, garden walks & lunch at Swinton Park
See other Gardening Workshops and Floristry courses here


There are a number of Rural Craft experiences
including this Traditional Basket Weaving Course in Surrey

 
Fly off to see the Falconry experiences -
give them the chance to meet, handle and fly a bird of prey!

Fly off to Into the Blue to see their full range of experiences! 
 
Don't forget, the code ITB15FORME for 15% off experiences up to £250.00, although some products are excluded from this offer.

Have you heard of Snoozimals™?   

They are soft, plush toys, perfect for bedtime, naptime or snuggles on the sofa! 

At the CalendarClub.co.uk, there's an offer on them - you can Buy 1, and Get 1 Half Price!  This offer is available until the 28th August 2025.  

There are lots of Snoozimals™ to choose from at the CalendarClub
and you can buy 1 and get 1 half price.

You can choose from animals such as a red panda, a polar bear, a fox, a dinosaur, sloth, shark and unicorn.  There's also a panda, an elephant, a unicorn, and a dolphin.  A kitty and a hippo, a corgi, turtle and penguin are also in the range!

Hop off here to the CalendarClub to see the Snoozimals™ from the CalendarClub. 

For a great day out for garden lovers, you could treat them to a day at the RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2025 ( (Malvern, Worcestershire).  

It takes place from the 8^th to the 11^th May 2025.

There's a Festival of Houseplants, with indoor plant gardens.  More and more people are looking to bring nature indoors, and houseplants are a great way to do it!

Delve into the Indoor Plant Gardens - bring nature indoors!
The Festival of Houseplants is hosting eight indoor gardens, 
designed with different perspectives and purposes in mind. 
Find out more here - there are tips from the designers.

There's a Dog Day on the last day of the festival (Sunday 11^th May).  Well-behaved dogs on short, fixed leads can enjoy the Festival with their owners on this last day but you need a ticket.  There are a limited number of ‘dog tickets’ you can book in advance.  (Assistance dogs don’t need a ticket.) 

There’s lots of food and drink on offer around the showground, and there are plenty of kids’ activities as well!

Everything you need to plan your visit can be found here.

Find out more and get tickets here. 

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is drawing closer!  The Show runs from the 20^th to the 24^th May, the Tuesday and Wednesday being Members’ Days. 

I’m watching the BBC’s Gardener’s World as I type this, and am very excited about the news of the garden Monty Don is creating (aided by his gorgeous golden retriever, Ned) the RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden!

The idea is to ensure that dogs are integral to the design.   Ned helped Monty design the paths that intersect through the planting.  As you can imagine, golden retriever Ned just followed his nose – and that forged the routes to be copied at the Show!

Monty is creating the garden with a team at Form Plants, led by Jamie Butterworth, who is a plant expert and horticulturalist.  After the Show, the garden is heading to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, where the animals can enjoy it! 

Read the five tips for creating a dog friendly garden from the RHS and Battersea here

The hope is that the RHS & BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden will encourage dog owners to create green spaces for both owners and pets. 

The RHS and Battersea have got 5 top tips for creating a dog-friendly garden which you can read here.   They include fencing off anything which could be toxic to your dogs and the article has information about that.  

Woof for now!

Dig here for more information about the garden Ned has had a paw in designing.

Please note that for entry to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the RHS website says, "Only guide and assistance dogs can be admitted, no pet animals. Please do not leave dogs unattended in parked cars."

Why not treat your loved one to a day out at an RHS Flower Show? 

There are a number of these throughout the year, including a new one, the RHS Flower Show Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire from the 16th to 20th July.   Find out about the RHS Flower Shows here.  

Well, May is just round the corner and for garden enthusiasts that means No Mow May is on its way from the plant charity Plantlife, who are asking us all not to mow our lawns.

No Mow May is all about giving Power to the Flowers, and letting your lawn (or at least some of it) grow.   Why?  Plantlife say that about 97% of flower-rich meadows have been lost since the 1930s, and that means that vital food and habitat needed by wildlife has gone as well.  Wildlife need things like clover, knapweed and long grass to help themsurvive and thrive. 

So they are asking us all not to mow our lawns with a campaign called #NoMowMay.  Different flowers give different resources for different wildlife,  so it’s good to have a variety.  Leave a mix of grass lengths in your lawn and help nature!  You can find out about it here – if we had a sprinkling of longer lawns across the UK, that would really help nature.   Watch for #NoMowMay  on social media!  And then follow on with Let it Bloom June!  Plantlife have lots of help and advice for your garden lawns to help nature and wildlife. 

Take a look at Plantlife's You Tube Channel

We’ve decided not to mow some of our lawn – we haven’t got a big one, but flowers are starting to appear on it, and they look very pretty!   Plantlife has advice on how to increase the number of wildflowers in your lawn, and they’ve got a guide to a nature friendly lawn too!

Dig here for more information.

And if you’re looking for a gift for a plant lover, you could think about giving your loved one a Membership to Plantlife or adopting a reserve, a flower, lichen or fungus, an acre, or a veteran tree.  They've also got very pretty sustainable bags.  Find out more here.