Here at Long Cottage, March is really when preparations get underway for “the growing season”, with planting and potting up to be done both inside and out.

My intention this year is to grow some seasonal food and as we love garlic at the cottage, I’m keen to try that first. I learned that if the cloves are sprouting (as they often do at this time of year), all you need to do is peel back some of the papery layers and sit your bulb in a small pot of water.

After just a few days, you’ll see roots start to emerge. Change the water often to keep it fresh and when you’ve got a good length of strong root, pot it up. Then, with a bit of luck, you’ll have home-grown garlic on tap through mid to late summer.

Mine is organic, but garlic is garlic and will root in the same way, organic or not.

As the landscape evolves into many shades of green, it’s time to refresh our surroundings and answer the pull to get some spring cleaning done.

Keeping my home free of toxins as much as humanly possible is such an important factor for me, and the products I use to clean with are no exception to that rule. Having long been a white vinegar advocate, I decided to purchase a bottle of distilled water and make myself a three-ingredient kitchen spray.

I had a spare amber glass spray bottle floating around under the sink which is just the right size for my spray.

To make a people and animal-safe kitchen spray you will need:

A suitable glass spray bottle (mine holds 500ml)
Distilled water (widely available online)
Distilled White vinegar (available in most supermarkets)
Essential oils (optional)

I prefer to make up about half to three-quarters of a bottle rather than a full bottle each time -

Fill your spray bottle a quarter way with distilled water
Top up with distilled white vinegar to about halfway. There are no hard and fast rules here, as recipes do vary somewhat.
Next, add a few drops of your chosen essential oil. Be mindful of those to which pets are adverse, such as - cinnamon, clove, citrus, peppermint, pine, sweet birch, tea tree, wintergreen and ylang-ylang. If you have a cat at home, it’s best to avoid essential oils as they are particularly sensitive to them. If you’re not sure, leave out the essential oils. I used red mandarin oil from The Soapery
Give the mixture a little shake and you’re ready to go. I use it on all surfaces including our wooden worktops, but you might want to test it on an inconspicuous area first if you’re not sure.

On a cautionary note: I’m a firm believer that essential oils, whilst rather useful, (and smell lovely), can also be harmful, not only to us, but also to pets, if not used responsibly. Always use sparingly, and remember, your pet can’t tell you if it doesn’t like the smell, or it feels unwell.

Make a label for your bottle -

I took to Canva, for my naively attached label., and after selecting from a choice of label templates, I added my wording etc, and printed it off onto a sheet of copy paper.

Note: I printed an entire page of repeating labels to ensure that the size was right, but reworded only the first couple of labels for my needs. I then attached it to my bottle with clear sticky tape to keep it water-safe. There are, of course, fancier labels to be found online, or, you could buy a dedicated bottle with a ready-made label to store yours.

“Spring is a time to be present more than ever. Noticing the ever-changing light, how it falls over the river, or on walls and buildings. Look up and all around you and be immersed in nature - this is the most wonderful time of year for it”.

New arrivals at Lliving Rooms

As soon as I caught sight of these beautiful ribbons, I knew immediately, I wanted to add them to our collections. Our velvet ribbon spools with artisan-made, dark wooden spools will be part of our spring/summer 2024 collection and are available to purchase now.

Velvet has a wonderfully vintage feel to it, don’t you think? and is something that shouldn’t be discarded after a gift is unwrapped, but reused around the home and in many ways - I used it to thread an old brass picture frame, and it will be added to wreaths and floral decorations as the season progresses. Otherwise, the spools make a rather gorgeous addition to your styling kit.

You can save on postage costs for the ribbon until further notice with code HALFSHIPPING at checkout. Available in four vintage-style colours.

Oval seagrass baskets

Another new addition are these beautiful oval-shaped baskets with a lovely plait detail that sets them apart from “the average” basket. Hand-woven by artisans and available in two sizes (large and small) which just happen to fit perfectly inside one another for stacking. Baskets are a must-have and certainly one is never enough. Find them here.

“I’m enjoying the lighter mornings and as the light streams in through our linen curtains, my eyes are getting the all-important signal that it’s time to rise and get on with the day.

Go outside, breathe in the spring air and give gratitude, for brighter days, knowing that spring is officially around the corner”.

Warmly,

Sam

Cottage life in March