Hello, welcome, and apologies.

Hello lovely readers

Thought it was time I welcomed some new followers to the blog, so hello to

Paid in Chickens, LuvMuskHunySukl, The Vintage Kitten, MrsHippo&Me, Rupert Neil Bumfrey, Northern mum down South, Tracy @ Cardmaker's Delights, alifrew and Wendy at Blue Borage

who all follow via Google Friends Connect.

and  welcome to my new followers on Bloglovin'. many apologies here -  I know there are lots of you who are new to the blog,  but the email feed telling me about new members seems to have been turned off, so I just know I have new followers but not who - again many apologies and I am contacting Bloglovin to see what is happening.

Could I ask if maybe you could re- follow using Google Friend Connect? Then I would know for sure who you all are and could welcome you properly :)

Anyway thank you and a warm welcome to The Compost Bin.

Don't forget to enter my Blog 7th birthday giveaway by leaving a comment on the post. I will be drawing a name in the next few days :)

Guardian Live Better Challenge - #1 Food Waste

(Don't forget to enter my Blog 7th birthday giveaway!)


There is an interesting new project starting today on the Guardian Online website called  Live Better.

Each month, it will focus on a different area of sustainability: reducing food waste, reducing energy, recycling, reusing and up-cycling, improving health and wellbeing, saving water, sourcing sustainably, and getting involved. Over the course of the project it will also feature a Blog of the Week. 

The first monthly challenge is about reducing your food waste; now as you know this is a cause dear to my heart and one I volunteer to help with by doing the Love Food Hate Waste cookery demonstrations and stalls.

On the website, there are some interesting, thought provoking articles and  writer Zoe Williams has accepted the challenge to live for a week on just the contents of her store cupboards and her vegetable box. There will be regular updates on her progress and The Guardian are asking for helpful tips and ideas in the comments space below her live blog or via Twitter  @Gdnlivebetter  I am sure all of you reading this could offer her loads of ideas!

The challenge thrown out to the rest of us  is a  bit less demanding; simply click here and accept a one week challenge to not throw away any leftovers or edible food. The Guardian want us to come up with ingenious ways to use up mashed potato, to work out the correct portions so that we're not scraping plates into the bin, to eat the last slice on the loaf, or to use up that last, blackened banana in the bowl.

I have signed up as I think this is a great way to educate and inspire people to reduce their food waste. I know that lots of you already do this sort of thing every day, but a lot of people don't! I am often surprised at how many people really don't know how to minimise their food waste or use what they have bought to the fullest extent.

So please, can I ask you to visit the Guardian site and show them how we do this sort of stuff day in day out? For a lot of people it is normal life NOT to waste food; lets share our experiences and tips to help other people do the same  :)

The Live Better Challenge (from the Guardian website)

Welcome to the Live Better Challenge. Over the next seven months, we're going to challenge ourselves and you to live … well … better.

We all know that action on the world's looming environmental crisis needs to be taken now if issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and water shortages are not to reach a point where we can't turn them around – or at least dent their progress.

Action needs to be taken at every level of society, within the highest tiers of the biggest corporations and by national governments. Nothing will happen without international and national action. But let's not discount the power of individuals. One person turning their thermostat down may not amount to much by itself, but if a thousand people do the same thing, then we're getting somewhere. Individual actions brought together become collective action – and collective action can change the world.

The Live Better Challenge is all about positive action. Over the next seven months, we hope you will use this website to tell us about the projects your local community is setting up, organisations that you like, gadgets you have tried out, shortcuts you have discovered – or the plain joy of growing your own tomatoes/making three dinners out of one chicken/watching your children jump in muddy puddles. We want to share knowledge, pool ideas, and think, together, about the future.

On top of this – and starting today – we will be issuing seven monthly challenges to some of the UK's best writers and to you. Each of the challenges will be focused on an issue, such as food, waste, health, sustainable sourcing and taking political action.

We'll work through the challenges, swapping and sharing tips, gossip and pictures as we muddle through together. Sometimes we'll zoom out to look at the wider picture; sometimes we'll zoom in to look at the tiny details that make it work. Welcome! Please read on ...

View from my window - March 1st St David's Day

( Don't forget to enter my Blog 7th birthday giveaway!

 After the most glorious sunshine Thursday and yesterday morning the bad weather has returned.

More rain!

Happy St David's Day

A reminder about my "How to" guides

Don't forget to enter my Blog 7th birthday giveaway!


Hello lovely people I have been tidying up a bit more on this blog and re reading old posts - gosh I have written a lot of stuff on here and you have all left some wonderful comments.

I have identified more posts which I think are useful or will answer questions you might have so I have added them to the "How to" guides.

Just to remind you all, just in case you didn't know, look up ^ and below the main header picture you will see a line of tabs, click on the "How to guides" tab and you will find the ( I hope!)  helpful articles I have written over the years on various subjects.

At this time of year the most useful for gardeners would probably be "Things to be doing in Dec/Jan" , "things to be doing in Feb",  "Starting Tomatoes, Peppers and Aubergine seeds (Feb)" and " Growing Potatoes in bags" The last one is for those with polytunnels or some sheltered indoor place - it is still a bit cold in my opinion to put potatoes outside. But if you want to try, feel free :)

There are also guides on composting (!) crafts and chicken keeping. If you find them helpful please leave a comment to let me know :)

Enjoy xxx