Win a fabulous recycled Christmas Tree with Recycle Now

When I heard about the recycled cardboard Christmas Tree that Recycle Now was offering in its website competition, I couldn't wait to see it especially as it is based on the inspirational work of designer David Stark.

And I have to say, I am not disappointed. The 6 ft tree sculpture certainly looks like it could feel at home in my own living room.

The Christmas Tree competition is part of Recycle Now's campaign to raise awareness of the amount of waste that is created over the Christmas period and to remind people that most of it can be recycled.

The website also includes a whole list of inspirational tips on how to reduce waste, by upcycling everyday products into jazzy decorations. There's something else of interest on there too, which I'll tell you all about tomorrow.

In the meantime, why don't you pop over to the Recycle Now site and sign up for the draw. It's free to enter, but you'll have to be quick as the closing date is 17th December. However, before you go, take a peek at the video below, which reveals how this unique piece of art was made.





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Great expectations

I've had to think carefully before writing this post. After all there are only 5 days to go until Christmas Day and I've realised that this year I have been living in a HUGE state of denial.

And it's the kind of denial that makes you want to run to the hills and live in a cave for a week and then come out when it's all over.

Yes I know, perhaps I need therapy.

Especially when you see the evidence...

• I've only written one card - and yes I know today is the last posting day before Christmas.
• I've not bought any crackers - we're going to make hats and Mr A will make up some jokes instead.
• Our presents for the boys have been pared right back to just a few things each, plus some coins and the traditional satsuma.
  
• I have not even bought a bottle of Baileys Irish Cream.

Oh my word - you can see what I mean can't you!

But therapy would only be useful if I really wanted to get back to the norm.

And the norm is - or more to the point was - filling the house with booze and food that would end up going to waste or making me fat, spending stacks of cash on Mr A and the children and expecting him to do the same and then surprising others with presents they probably don't need or even want.

I'm not really up for that this year! Not now that I've woken up to the amount of waste that our excesses used to create.

I don't think I need therapy and I'm certainly not going to run and hide in a cave because believe it or not, after months of denial I am actually looking forward to Christmas and the festive cheer actually starts today!

Not September, when the shops start selling presents, nor the middle of November when the lights are switched on. And visiting Father Christmas at the beginning of December, when we all know the big guy doesn't make an appearance until next week was most certainly not on the agenda.

Phew - at last I feel that I've broken free from the burdens of Christmas that has become as traditional as the event itself and I can tell you, with it comes a huge feeling of relief.

But I really feel like I'm breaking the rules. - the rules of social etiquette that bind us together giving us a shared understanding of how things should be.

To break away from all that is not easy. It is hard to be different and really does need strength of character to fight those feelings of automatic generosity or conformity, whilst defending any impressions of selfishness. It's not even as though I am particularly religious but I can't help wondering whether, it might be easier if I was bound to a faith.

But I do have renewed faith in Christmas and now feel brave enough to share my beliefs.

It's taken me a while but I've grown to realise I don't need gifts to know that someone cares for me. For those that do, I will respect it but memories of good times, traditions and laughter last much longer than presents.

And a card is only useful for sending Christmas wishes that I can't deliver myself. A personal hello, a telephone call or an email are much more appreciated than an automatic card from someone who has become a stranger.

But the one thing that has kept me most sane is the growing realisation of one important fact and I can't believe it's taken me so long to work it out or indeed share the knowledge.

Right....here we go, my one pearl of wisdom, for what it's worth.

"Christmas Day is a just day and not a deadline".

There, I said it and how wonderful it feels to get that off my chest!

So please forgive me if I remain calm while the rest of the world scurries around me. I shan't judge those who do, just as I hope those who enjoy or accept the excess and panic of Christmas will not judge my realisation that it no longer suits me.

Ah...Peace at last.

Now doesn't that sound festive.....so as I break into the Carols and start organising Christmas, I'll see you next week, when I will have finally sorted my Christmas greetings and caught up with replies to other posts.

.........Tis the season to be jolly, tra la la la la, la la la la!"

"Ho, Ho, Ho!"


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My Trashy Update!

What a couple of jewels I've discovered this weekend. Having spent the last few weeks indoors at my computer, it was a true delight to go out and play. And look what I've found.

My first discovery was Raspberry Rascals, a fantastic children's shop that's just opened in Langton Place, Bury St Edmunds. Here's Heather, the founder, sorting out a few clothes that I decided to buy for the children.



Now this shop might look expensive, but Raspberry Rascals isn't just any old new shop if you get my drift. It's a gorgeous nearly new store aimed at children under 5. With clothes, toys, books and nursery equipment, Raspberry Rascals stocks a wonderful range of items in such excellent condition, you'd hardly know they were pre-loved.

It's a real gem of a shop and a perfect addition to the town centre. I can see it will be a regular hang-out for a fussy bargain-hunter like me.

Talking of real gems, on Sunday I popped over to one of Bury St Edmunds' other treasures, the wonderful craft fair at Blackthorpe Barn, a major event in Suffolk's Christmas calendar.

And look who I bumped into! The fabulous Steve Weeks, who'd travelled all the way up from Wiltshire to promote her stunning collection of handcrafted bags



And they really are beautiful, but as you can jolly well guess, I wouldn't just rave about any old bags, apart from my gorgeous Radley of course.

You see, each handbag is made from rescued materials that are sourced locally, which means every item is unique and a real eco-friendly find. Steve's work is really worth a blog post of its own, so I'll be coming back to that in the new year. In the meantime, take a look for yourself at www.beaubags.co.uk.

And if the weekend wasn't exciting enough, Just Gai over at Zero Waist has published December's Carnival of Trash today, so do hop over and have a read of all the fabulous posts. Then when that's done, tune into BBC Radio Suffolk's James Hazell Show on Tuesday morning when I'll be popping up at around 11.10 to chat about minimising waste this Christmas.

At last I'm beginning to feel some festive vibes. It's about time too. After all, I've done nothing but polish off mince pies since Friday. So before my Christmas spirit takes another nosedive, I'm off to decorate the Christmas Tree and wrap some presents.

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All in a Christmas lather

Blimmin 'eck. It's Sunday night and there's a bit of a lather going on in the Almost Average household.

I've been falling over myself with responsibilities with the dawning realisation that the festive season is upon us and the one thing that I really want for Christmas isn't really possible. It might sound drastic but I could do with the whole thing being pushed back a few months.

Blubbedyrubbedyflibbedy-woo. The tell-tale signs are starting.

Take last week. Mr A went brought our Christmas tree home and put it up on Wednesday (we always do it early in our house). I had explained that it would not be possible to decorate until Friday.

So the bare tree sat in the corner of the living room.

There were my school governor responsibilities to deal with on Thursday followed by speaking at a regional Climate Change conference on Friday. With so much impending excitement leaving me on the cusp of turning green, by the time the evening arrived I'd felt like an alien had eaten my brain. All I could do was stay awake long enough to enjoy the curry that Mr A had made to celebrate the anniversary of when we first met back in 1992. A delicious Rogan Josh followed by a big long sleep.

So the tree stood bare in the corner again.

Then there was the book to write in the morning, followed by a quick visit to the market and then an afternoon Hen Party with a difference as well as a champagne laced Christmas party on Saturday night.

Flibbedy-wibbedy-wotsits.

Another busy day today and the tree's still bare. Too tired to do it tonight. It's a two hour job that'll have to wait till tomorrow.

Problem is...I'm beginning to like the minimalist look and I think I'd like it to stay. Perhaps pop an angel on top to show some festive spirit.

But someone's been busy in my absence. I think they're a bit desperate, either that or the Christmas fairies have got some other ideas. Have a look at the photo again. It's certainly a new take on a hanging decoration.

Having been woken up early by my 4 year old for the 7th day running, I'm now off to bed to catch up on my beauty sleep. But don't let that spoil your fun.

Before you head off, be sure to visit the brilliant Just Gai over at the ZeroWaist blog to find out how you can take part in the Christmas Carnival of Trash that's taking place on the 15th December. Looks like I've got the perfect Christmas Tree photo to kick off the seasonal fun. So please join in and submit your entry by Friday 12th and do take time to find out how Just Gai managed with her own zero waste challenge earlier this year.

And come back soon, when I'll be revealing some photos of my neighbour's hen party. It was definitely the best zero waste event I could have wished for

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Just look how I fell off the wagon!

Now if you'd spent a whole month trying to avoid buying nothing new, what would be the first thing to encourage you to part with your cash? Bet it wouldn't be a tub of dishwasher powder! Something with a touch of luxury would probably win the day and who could blame you.

But for me it was pure unadulterated minimal packaging that broke the financial fast, a tub of Bio-D dishwasher powder, a gleeful alternative to packaged tablets that are not just fiddly to open, but make it difficult to be more economic with measures, especially those with the plastic wrappers that dissolve in the dishwasher.

By now you probably think that I'm either jolly sensible, satisfactorily frugal, or indeed barking mad. A combination of all three might be appropriate. A Buy Nothing New month, in November, just before Christmas...perhaps bonkers might spring to mind.

But with the exception of some new pyjamas - bought to cobble together an elf costume for the Defender of the Bin's Christmas play - we did it! And oh boy did we save a decent amount of cash in the process. Mr A avoided the departments stores down in London and rejected the temptation of a brand new extension set for his Warhammer hobby. That alone saved us a whopping £100. I denied myself a couple of books and avoided all my usual retail haunts. Altogether, I reckon we saved ourselves about £200 from our usual whimsical spending.

So what about Monday...the first day of December and the end of our month's challenge?

Did I rush to the shops? No

Was I itching to treat myself? No

Was my credit card burning a whole in my pocket? No

So I got away with it for another day then....a whole new me?

er..............hum......................No.

Well, I would have got away with it if it hadn't been for those pesky kids, er I mean the most wonderful people over at Natural Collection with their fabulous range of goodies.

You see, all I did was innocently log on during Monday evening to buy a a tub of Dishwasher Powder. Yep, the one shown above, which is refillable and a super duper Zero-Waste winner.

But with my Christmas browsing head on I happened upon this....



a solar powered lamp that would be perfect for the kids' playden, which means they can hang out there after school even in the Winter.

Then this...


a solar powered multi-gadget recharger, ideal for charging up Mr A's phone and other gadgets. Never will his Blackberry be out of juice again.

And just as I was closing down, I saw the most delicious present for the kids...



Mr Robot Head, a wind-up toy which looks like it could prove an interesting challenge for the whole of the family and no doubt will create a big buzz this Christmas.

Look at him....how could I say no!

Kerching!

The best bit for me is that I covered most of my Christmas shopping in just one evening and even remembered the wrapping paper, recycled of course. And with all that's on offer, I may be revisiting Natural Collection very soon to finish the task in hand.

So there you have it. The end of the challenge and the credit card put to work again.

I just hope Gordon Brown will be pleased with my efforts as I'm always a good barometer for the economy you know.

So it's now feet up and rest until I welcome my delivery!

This is my kind of Christmas shopping.


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The Festive Opportunist: never too early to plan

Slap me round the face with a wet fish if this was just a bit too cheeky...

To me, it's careful planning. To others it might feel a tad premature. But on Monday this little old Festive Opportunist struck lucky...and the best bit is it's only August.

I feel like I've beaten the High Street at its own game just before the Christmas cards hit the shops in September. That's right...in just a couple of weeks time, you'll start to see stores everywhere being feng shui'd and rearranged to entice you to start early with gift packs, cards and wrapping.

But this year I've crept up behind them with a boo!

It'll be no surprise that I'm aiming for a minimal waste Christmas...and if I'm going to succeed I need to get cracking. I'm going to have to be as creative as a cuckoo in a magpie's nest.

I've got four months to minimise as many excessive accessories as I can, whilst showing our friends and family that we still love, cherish and appreciate them perhaps even more than ever. It's going to be a tough one since most of our close family live in Wales, Scotland, Bristol and Switzerland and our friends are dotted around far and wide too.

Oh gee, what have I let myself in for? ... hopefully loads of fun and more cash in the pocket if it all goes to plan.

And it's kicked off with the most fabulous start, with a friend from Bedfordshire popping over for a rare visit with her two kids.

Imagine the scene...rainy day, small house and four boys, aged 4-6.

...friend wants a tour of Bury St Edmunds.

...[sub-text...friend would like to browse the town's beautiful independent shops]...

We pile into town, decide to settle in a cafe that also does pottery painting....

We enjoy coffee...the kids paint pottery...

My friend thinks it's lovely...

I pose the killer question...

"Do you mind if I make this an early Christmas present?"

I pause and worry she'll think I'm crackers. My time-check tells me it's still August.

But what a relief!

She thinks it's a great idea...I'm glad there's no packaging...the kids are just happy to have had a fun time. I've even saved money on wrapping paper and postage.

They won't miss one less present at Christmas. What's more special is that we had a great experience we shared in the cafe, the memories of which that will remain.

It think I've hit on the trick there...spreading Christmas across the year through shared experiences, with time to give creative personal gifts instead of buying all that Crimbo clutter. My friends will now be shaking in their shoes at the thought of what I'll be doing with those jam jars.

With careful planning I hope to enjoy the festive period as simply as we can, with carefully chosen food, carols and trips to the seaside.

I know, I know...I talk about Christmas in August and visit the seaside in December.

I'm about as unseasonal as snow in May.

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