A Night of Hope

Tonight is Halloween, and while you may have been ready to carve your pumpkins with scary faces and getting ready for some 'safe scares', World Vision are using Halloween to highlight the reality of life for children in Syria, for whom a 'scary' night happens every night.

This Halloween, World Vision are asking that you carve a heart into your pumpkin instead of a scary face, to show the children of Syria that they have not been forgotten and turn a night of fear into a Night of Hope. As well as standing up for a cause, which you can also donate to via text, the heart pumpkins look really nice and add a different twist to the tradition of pumpkin carving!

Never carved a pumpkin before? It's actually pretty simple...

1. Just cut around the stalk by cutting around the stem in about a 5cm radius to create a bit of a lid. 
2. Then scoop out the filling, using a spoon, and get it as clean as you can so that more light will shine through. 
3. Draw on and cut out your shape, a heart if you're trying out this idea, using a small knife and cutting away from yourself incase the knife slips. 
4. Finally, pop a tea light inside the pumpkin to see the shape glow out, and position it in your window for all to see.

And so it ends... the Great British Bake off is off the screens

The Great British Bake off has come to an end, and while some of you may be weeping, others are rejoicing, both at the results and at the fact that it is over for another year. If you have yet to watch the final and are trying to avoid knowing who won, read no further!

Mr Fothergill's Nation of Gardeners Campaign

In the last issue of the Phonebox Magazine you'll have noticed a feature about the Mr Fothergill's Nation of Gardeners campaign, with an interview with the local representative for Buckinghamshire, Diana Herniman. 

We found out about the campaign and what it requires of it's 12 gardeners across the country, with the aim of discovering more about the way in which plants grow in different locations around the country, and how, where and when they grow the best. Diana had been discovering that many of her plants were the first to bloom and quickest to grow compared to the others, an interesting point if you're a gardener in the Olney area.

We've grown quite interested in the campaign, and have been following it's progress on the official blog. If you're a keen (or budding) gardener it's well worth keeping an eye on the progress, as you're more than likely to pick up some interesting tips. One of the most interesting and useful things being studied during the experiment, is the differences in growing certain plants in the autumn compared to in the spring, letting you learn from the experiment rather than having to risk your own plants.

Having seen how well plants have grown in Diana's local garden, it's pretty inspiring to try at home for yourself. Knowing that you can grow your own beans, garlic, fruit etc. and grow them in abundance, makes it seem well worth it! Think of how much you'll be saving from not having to buy certain things in the supermarket, not forgetting how much better home-grown foods are bound to taste. Why not keep track of the Mr Fothergill's Nation of Gardeners campaign while planting your own seeds? It's time to go green!