Gift experience company Virgin Experience Days have an offer for you !  

They've got a wide range of experiences with a wide range of budgets to suit all ages!  Whether you're looking for a family day out, or a romantic break for couples, or the chance to do something you wouldn't ordinarily do perhaps, this is a chance to break from routine!

With animal experiences, afternoon teas, arts and craft opportunities, adventurous days out, short breaks, food and drink, spa and beauty and more, there are lots of gift ideas, and plenty of fun to be had! 

For garden lovers, there are garden experiences at Kew, the RHS, and gardens north, south, east and west!  

There are animal experiences, featuring big cats, donkeys, horses, dogs, birds, bees, pigmy goats, Arctic wolves, capybaras, alpacas, llamas, meerkats... the list is endless! 

If you want to have a go at something of an arts and crafts nature, you can - some experiences can even be done from home!   There's cooking, chocolate making, candle making, blacksmithing, Hobbycraft workshops, photography, pottery, glass blowing, create your own perfume, brush painting and more! 

Head off to Virgin Experience Days here

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. 

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.

It can be really difficult to come up with gifts that are a bit different.  Those fabulous people at Paper High have had some new gifts in recently and I wanted to share some of them with you!

How about this duck?  Introducing from Paper High, Janhvi,
the Small Quacking Duck Wire Garden Ornament.
For £26.95

~
Or how about this Multicoloured Jute and Cotton Oval Rag Rug
from Paper High?   For £44.95

For people who love writing in a journal,
Paper High have this Large Sari Fabric Journal 
for £16.95. 
There are different colours to choose from, 
and they could be used as a diary, travel journal, sketchbook or simply for to do lists!

How about a Vaani Multicoloured Saddle Crossbody Bag from Paper High:


These are handcrafted from recycled leather.
Designs are a patchwork of bright colours,
stylish patterns and animal prints.  For £64.95
 

Paper High's products are unusual, eco-friendly products carefully crafted by artisans in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.  The products on their site are handmade from recycled and sustainable materials.  What's more, purchases made on the Paper High website supports Fair Trade artisans in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal AND it helpls fund the planting of 200 trees a month!  

They work with Tree Nation, who are on a mission to reforest the world.  Every month, Paper High plants 200 trees wherever they are needed most, be it Africa, America, Asia or Europe.  Tree Nation's efforts help to  restore forests and protect biodiversity, to create jobs and support local communities.  

And if you leave a review on Feefo, it will help Paper High fund the planting of 50 trees a month with Treefo/Ecologi.  Find out all about it here. 

Visit Paper High here