Sssshhhhh, we’ve been keeping a little bit of a secret here at Turtle Towers but now we’d like to share it with you. We’d like to introduce you to the newest addition to our Turtle Mat Classic Collection, the small but incredibly mighty “Micro” Mat…..isn’t it a beauty!

The “Micro” Mat measures 37×50cm the perfect size for all sorts of situations and locations. Here’s just a few:

• Festival/camping essential to keep tents mud free – the perfect “glam-ping” accessory

• Caravanning – perfect doorway size, because Turtle Mats deserve   a holiday too!

• Pet mats – for food and drink bowls

• Kneeling mats – appealing to the gardener in us to avoid muddy knees

• Car foot-well mats

So go take a peek (you can nip straight there by clicking on the picture) and now for the best bit….they’re only £14.95 each and until the end of July we’re offering free postage* when you quote offer code MM88.

* free delivery offer is available to UK mainland addresses only, postage saving for Micro Mat orders is £4.95, postage saving for Micro Mat orders with Turtle Vac is £7.50.

Well, spring has definitely sprung since our last spring watch update, with one of the driest and sunniest Aprils we can remember – the sunglasses and flip flops have already made an appearance! In fact we’ve sprung so far we’re almost in summer.

No longer is spring hiding its modesty behind early morning frosts and hazy showers, now it is out in all its splendor; our gardens and their visitors are testament to that.  We have an abundance of colour from poeticus daffodils proudly and fragrantly showing us their wares to the blossom in its final farewell for the year, leaving in its wake a confetti-like trail of petals.

Our “Turtle Towers” visitors are still setting up camp around our feeders. We have desperately been trying to snap a few shots of our resident yellow hammer but he seems to be a little camera shy! The Jackdaws in all their foreboding menace are however strutting around the feeders like Mike Jagger at his finest and have been since about the beginning of the month. Also spotted: finches, sparrows and tits. No return however of the woodpecker.

Of course, how could we forget April also means spiders – whether you love them or loathe them you’ll find them basking on some sunny wall. When dealing with our eight-legged friends we tend to follow the old English rhyme:

“If you wish to live and thrive, let a spider run alive.”

We’ve been propagating like crazy– white Black Eyed Susan (Thunbergia alata Alba) for which we are having mixed success with only 50% germinating, the ubiquitous sweet peas, Cosmos and other annuals; as well as veg a plenty.

Finally, there’s some rain forecast for this weekend (typically just in time for the bank holiday!) so if you plan to be out in the garden come rain or shine like us, then don’t forget your Turtle Mat at the back door for those muddy wellies!

The threat of frost is not quite over, our Turtle Mats are still adorning our windscreens, tufty-side down to keep them ice free (thanks for the tip Susan), but there is definitely more of a spring in our step.

The Turtle Mat garden, although quietly coming to life, is seeing some impressive bird activity already. Amongst our usual winter visitors – finches, robins and blue tits, we have spotted yellow hammers and a great spotted woodpecker, so twitching here is almost a full time job!

We’ll try to keep you up-to-date on our visitors in future posts, with a few snaps if they’ll stay put long enough.

We missed the opportunity to plant bulbs in autumn so the garden isn’t as colourful as it could be – we’re reliant on several different coloured Cornus for a bit of zing.

We’re thinking daffies for next year so if any of you have any favourite varieties you could recommend – please let us know by commenting on this post. (more…)

Image by mtsofan via Flickr

People who are nearing the end of remodeling their bathrooms might begin thinking about small details that are important in such space. More specifically, they might begin thinking about what type of bathroom mats to buy. They might have a friend who will ask them: “Why are you thinking so hard about this? Aren’t all bathroom mats the same?” Although this is a common belief, the fact is that all bathroom mats are not created equally. Some are far superior and longer lasting than others.  (more…)

Image by Mr Noded via Flickr

Bathrooms have come a long way in terms of décor and style. Gone are the days when a bathroom cabinet was little more than a square box with a small cabinet used for storage, a predictable white sink and a small amount of counter space. Today’s bathroom décor offers variety, elegance and style.

Perhaps the most popular trend in bathroom options is the above-counter sink. Sometimes referred to as vessel sinks, these bowls sit atop or are only slightly recessed in the vanity. They provide a more contemporary look to your bathroom. Sinks can now be found in a multitude of materials, such as brass, glass and of course, ceramic. They’re beautiful alternatives to the traditional white recessed sinks. (more…)

Image by ChiefBraun via Flickr

Making your home environmentally friendly can be a truly motivating process. Not only you will be helping to save the planet from pollution, but you’ll be also making savings for your budget by using less energy.

You might want to start by something extremely simple. Make it a house rule that everybody turns out all lights anytime they leave a room. You can also do something as simple as getting up earlier everyday – this will prevent using the artificial light and also save money and energy. (more…)