I used to work for Safeway Stores. They are charmingly called loyalty cards but aren't about loyalty at all. They are marketing tools, pure & simple, used to better understand shopping habits, to check the effectiveness of targeted promotions and to increase average basket spend. And to try and...

I know that much of the loyalty card thing is to encourage you to shop exclusively in one outlet but I visit different places for different things. Anyway I have wate-rose, pestcos and son-o-morris loyalty cards. The Son-o-mo seems to be the best at the moment for sending me money off vouchers for s...

I was out at the weekend with my two girls planting sunflowers in the back garden 9and one in a pot on the kitchen windowsill). the day after we had planted them Teaspoon (Snr) was asking if we could go and see if they were growing I have ordered some assorted wildflower seeds so hopefully I will ha...

I already have patches of clover, especially good for bumble bees I am told. I haver some bare patches that died off due to us inheriting a trampoline and it shading the turf, so I intend to reseed it with mmore clover and some daisies as well as some grass.

this year, when i get around to it, I will build and site a set of sparrow nest boxes. they used to nest in our old rotten eves but sadly I had them replaced with some shiny UPVC ones so they were denied their nesting spot. we still get our blackbirds nesting in a bush thing at the end of the garden...

Thanks for the tip.

you don't get a problem with screaming audiences on BBC4

My garden isn’t big by any stretch of the imagination but I have got some grass and a few beds around the edges. I have recently ownership of the adjoining fence with my neighbour (long story but he has issues) and replaced the old rotting 8’ fence with a 4’ on with a trellis on top, the idea is to ...

Fair enough it was a wrong end of the stick thing. I always try and buy British farmed meats, obviously this is not always possible if you want something like Parma ham. But British means higher welfare than the rest of Europe and fewer food miles. Sustainable fish is a biggy for me as well although...

I spent a good deal of time over the weekend clearing some space in my garage, When we moved in there was already a large collection of offcuts of wood left by the previous owner (and probably from the one before him and the one before that). Add to that odd bits left over from my various DIY projec...

but then a huge bag of veg costs less than a tiny piece of meat so that excuse for animal cruelty is a bit thin for those who have time and intelligence to think about it. I have the intelligence and have taken the time to consider the issue. I eat meat as do my children, they are informed as to wh...

I haven't been to Warsash for years... I used to drive past it on a daily basis in my old job

When it comes to meat and fish I favour quality and animal welfare above cheap so no tips on money saving there from me. However I try and get my fruits and vegetables from the fruits and vegetables shop as he is a local business and he tends to be a few bob cheaper because the produce doesn't confo...

How many books are there? Glad you are enjoying them. there are twelve all in all ( I think), the first 4 were written in the '40s and '50s I think and that is as far as the original series goes. He then he wrote the others after the success of the original televised series. I am on book 6 at the m...

Not so long back I had a dozen or more Goldfinches on my sunflower heart feeder.