I'm currently organizing a new garden gate for a customer. I say “organize” because it is a custom metal gate made by a local blacksmith. My client had a few ideas of her own, but Ross and Annie from Anvil Forge Blacksmithing in Pontypool came into the garden to look at the area and surroundings and – after a very short briefing – will work out a few suitable designs to choose from before making and installing it.
It's a fabulous “journey” and we've all had a lot to think about and think about. Ross has over 25 years of experience in “making metal magical,” and the couple work closely together to enable Annie to create a design that is brought to life through her husband’s talent.
One of their clients commissioned a “Memorial Gate” that included several special features to represent their client’s memories of someone special. Another gate that I absolutely love is the “Garden Gate” which contains crafted rubber boots and a cleverly arranged selection of tools. A gate is a 'frequently used' part of the garden and the perfect way to add a 'personal touch' to your property – and can be something that makes you smile every time you walk through it.
You can see the gates on their website as well as other examples of their work including freestanding allium sculptures and a stunning floral gate. Take a look at www.anvilforgeblacksmithing.co.uk
After years of rescuing “ex-bats”, not “ex-pats” but ex-battery chickens, the local chicken farmer retired and so I bought my current chickens from Plas Poultry in Brecon. I don't think I've ever heard better comments about a place or supplier. Anyone who has ever had chickens with us can only say good things – about the chickens, their health and the service. It is a family run business and they produce all types of “classy” and very pretty chickens, but I always prefer the tried and tested brown chickens as they are some of the most enthusiastic egg layers and have great personalities. Mine often go into the kitchen to see what's going on and I love the way they run to the gate to greet me when I come back from work.
Image by Ralph from Pixabay (Image by Ralph from Pixabay)
I contacted Tom to see if he had two chickens that I could give to my brother for Christmas. (It's okay, no spoilers, my brother doesn't read anything I write – or hear anything I say). Tom said they won't be ready to leave until the second week of January, but they are offering vouchers for Christmas presents. I explained to him that my brother is 58, so I'll just tell him he's getting chickens as a late present, but I think vouchers are a great idea. That is, if you want to buy a couple of chickens as a gift to someone (responsible person), you can choose and collect them together, making sure in advance that everything is ready for them, without the endless “swindle” that comes with tricky Santa Claus secrets.
Whatever you want to buy and give as a gift this Christmas, think about the current survey from “HIPPO”. It is “astonishingly sobering” amid the festive mood as it highlights the scale of the UK's Christmas waste problem, with millions of unwanted gifts and huge amounts of uneaten food going straight to landfill every year. Apparently the UK generates more than 230,000 tonnes of food waste over the Christmas period, as well as an estimated £42 million worth of unwanted gifts.
A stark contrast to David Suzuki's observation that “nothing is wasted in nature.”