Grow your own tea?

Last year Jacky reported on home-grown British tea, and yesterday Radio 4's On your farm visited the Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall which now sells a range of fourteen teas: four black teas (including Earl Grey) and ten herbal infusions.

Tregothnan teas are now served and sold at a select number of establishments throughout the UK including Claridges and Fortnum & Mason’s in London. They are also available online and you can even buy a tea bush (Camellia Sinensis) to grow your own tea at home!

Comfort-eating through the recession?

The BBC website reports on how Britain eats its way through recessions: "when the going gets tough, the tough, it seems, tuck into pudding". The report suggests that this may be more than just comfort eating, and that there may be profound implications for the way we understand what happens to the economy (in both good and bad times) and for how it might behave in future.

60 years of Bible distribution in Britain

2008 marked 100 years of worldwide Gideon Scripture distribution, with over 1.3 billion copies of the precious Word of God placed and presented around the world. In Gideon's diamond, read about how the United Kingdom became a ‘Gideon’ country in 1949, and by 1975 was a self-supporting National Association. The Gideons' website resources include Bible Helps, Daily Bible readings, and a two-year Daily Bible Reading Plan.

The Happy Planet Index

The Happy Planet Index reveals the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered. The index combines environmental impact with human well-being to measure the environmental efficiency with which, country by country, people live long and happy lives. The Happy Planet Index 2.0 was published earlier this month and reveals a surprising picture of the relative wealth and progress of nations. Learn about the ideas behind the HPI, how it is calculated, and why we need it on the HPI website.

Historic Bible pages put online

About 800 pages of the earliest surviving Christian Bible have been recovered and put on the internet. Visitors to the website www.codexsinaiticus.org can now see images of more than half the Codex Sinaiticus manuscript - written in Greek on parchment leaves. For 1,500 years, the Codex Sinaiticus lay undisturbed in a Sinai monastery until it was found in 1844 and split between Egypt, Russia, Germany and Britain.

The British Library is marking the online launch of the manuscript with an exhibition - which includes a range of historic items and artefacts linked to the document.

Boiled eggs for the culinary incompetent

It may be hard to believe, but thanks to a miracle of modern ingenuity you need never boil or shell another egg again. You just buy pre-boiled eggs from the Happy Egg Company - and all the hard work has been done for you! Read the Guardian on making the ultimate convenience food even simpler - or alternatively read Delia on how to boil an egg.

Compost links

• Free Green Cone & Food Waste Digester Workshops: Leicestershire Waste Partnership are offering residents the chance to find out just how useful food waste digesters are. The free workshops are a great opportunity to see what units are on offer and get advice on which type would suit you best. A local workshop will be held on Sat 25th July at Loughborough Town Hall, from 10:00am - 12noon.
• If you can't make a workshop then read about Food Waste Digesters and take the opportunity to buy a digesters at up to 60% off the RRP.
• Wiggly Wigglers sells plenty of worms. However, the site, set up more than 10 years ago, also has more than 2,000 gardening goodies to help create an environmentally friendly Eden in your backyard.

Christian Concern for our Nation (CCFON)

Christian Concern for our Nation (CCFON) was set up almost a year ago to serve the Church by providing information to enable Christians to stand up publicly against a tide of unchristian legal and political changes in the United Kingdom. It brings together focused legal, policy and media expertise and strategic intervention in order to secure favourable legal and political outcomes in areas of concern. It also acts as a rallying point for those concerned with these issues and a place where individual members of the public and organisations will be able to seek assistance and advice. CCFON draws on the skills and expertise of lawyers, but is dependent on the support of thousands of Christians in churches across the UK who want to see the nation turn back to God. Visit the CCFON website or download CCFON's Vision Pamphlet for more information.

New map shop from OS

The Ordnance Survey has recently relaunched its online map shop to make it easier to find the maps that you are looking for. Simply enter the location you want to visit and the OS will take you to a range of products that will help you get the most from your holidays and days out. Checkout OS Select which gives you the opportunity to decide exactly where you want the centre of the map to be - whether it is your house, a town (anywhere in Great Britain), your favourite walk or even a tea shop!

A Platypus for wine

OK, so a Platypus isn't suitable for porridge, but another product from the company behind the Platypus hydration system may intrigue you. The PlatyPreserve claims to be "the best way to protect the taste of an opened bottle of wine by completely eliminating the presence of oxygen". How dies it work? The three environmental factors that damage wine are: oxygen, temperature, and ultraviolet light. The PlatyPreserve solves the first factor by isolating your wine from oxygen. You can deal with the other two factors by storing the PlatyPreserve in a cool dark place.

Birdsong Radio lives on

Did you ever listen to Birdsong radio? Unfortunately the DAB Station went off air on 1st June. However, you can order the CD for offline access, or listen to the peaceful sounds of Dawn Chorus via your computer, using the player on http://www.birdsongradio.com/. You can also become a Facebook Fan or follow the service on Twitter.

Shrinking the Footprint in every parish

A senior bishop and a Government minister have spelled out the importance of the Church of England’s role in mobilising action on climate change, as its Shrinking the Footprint campaign unveiled energy saving toolkits for every parish in a bid to create the 20% Church by 2050. Read more details here.

Calvin at 500

Marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin, Radio 4's Beyond Belief this week discussed why this major Protestant reformer altered the shape and changed the thinking of Western Europe. Listen here to learn more about the legacy of Calvin and why his ideas still influence churches in Britain and around the world today.

Over on the Theology Network, Mike Reeves introduces us to Calvin, his life and theology, in three talks.

Gadget reviews

The John Lewis website contains a Buying guide for technology gadgets. More informative than just a straight sales pitch, for each topic (e..g. digital cameras, laptops and mobile phones) there is a succinct overview of the technology and the main options. For independent advice, view the Which website (for thousands of products that have been individually tested and rated by experts) and the Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI), described as an "unbeatable check-before-you-buy resource".

Recycle Week 2009

Recycle Week 2009 takes place from 22-28 June. It's a campaign that wants you to do less, not more! This Recycle Week is all about the many, easy ways we can all waste less.

It’s easy to get involved this Recycle Week. We can all help by doing anything from re-using our carrier bags to recycling old electrical items – remembering to put as much of our recycling out, reducing our food waste and home composting of course! However you choose to waste less, it helps the environment and you might even save money in the process. To show how much we can contribute as individuals, the website includes a list of easy-to-achieve pledges.

Leading group walks (and other tips)

As midsummer approaches, here's advice on leading group walks in remote areas or demanding conditions, in a helpful factsheet from the Ramblers. There are lots more helpful tips on the Ramblers website.

See also:
- Preparing for hiking

- Long Distance Walkers Association