<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
    <channel>
        <title>The Wise House Blog</title>
        <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk</link>
        <description>Blog for The Wise House</description>
        <pubDate>Sun, 18 Aug 2019 15:04:18 +0100</pubDate>
        <language>en</language>
<item>
   <title>Back To Nature Gardening - Plants &amp; Herbs</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_189766/back-to-nature-gardening-plants-herbs.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
Our patchwork of gardens have the potential to support a wide range of birds, bees and other creatures, should we create and allow the right habitat for them. In doing our bit to help beleaguered wildlife, we&rsquo;ll also be shaping ourselves a beautiful, natural space to hang out and recharge in!I have always enjoyed my garden tremendously, wherever I&rsquo;ve lived and whatever its size. Over recent years I&rsquo;ve looked to plant specifically to attract nature, as opposed to c...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Fri, 03 May 2019 14:15:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Back To Nature Gardening - Part One</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_189250/back-to-nature-gardening-part-one.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[




&lsquo;When you think about your garden, do you think about the nature living in it at all?&rsquo;.This was the question I asked a group of my friends&rsquo; hubbies recently, when discussing astrograss (read previous blog for my thoughts on that particular matter). They looked at me as if I was a bit mad, before gently ribbing me for my eco ways (threats to post a piece of astro through my letterbox, that sort of thing). I, in turn, treated them to my best blackbird and ea...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2019 10:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Eco-Living Series - School Events</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_188504/ecoliving-series-school-events.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[





My second child (daughter, Rose, 11 years old) is coming to the end of her time in Junior school. Once the &lsquo;dreaded&rsquo; SATS are out of the way, the children will be free to concentrate on the more important events in Year 6, like the much anticipated Leavers&rsquo; Disco....]]></description>
   <pubDate>Tue, 05 Feb 2019 09:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Eco Living Series Part 4 - A Greener Workplace (&amp; Commute)</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_187399/eco-living-series-part-4-a-greener-workplace-commute.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
My friend Suze is waging a one-woman crusade at her university campus; she is encouraging her colleagues to use use the &apos;real&apos; plates and cutlery provided by&nbsp;their on-site canteen, rather than the disposable alternatives that are also available (for takeaway back to their desk). This may sound like an easy ask (and Suze is a very persuasive person) but she has been met with reluctance because people would have to...wait for it...walk their dirty crockery back to the ...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Thu, 15 Nov 2018 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Simple Steps To Eco Living Part 3a - Beauty &amp; Hygiene</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_185109/simple-steps-to-eco-living-part-3a-beauty-hygiene.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
Those who have read my previous blog &lsquo;Growing Up In A Soap Family&rsquo; will know that I grew up with humble beginnings when it comes to beauty products. My mum has always avoided perfumes, lathers and the like, preferring a simple bar of soap to do most of the hard work. Bubble bath came but once a year with Father Christmas. It was an eco friendly approach years before the term was coined!
...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Fri, 29 Jun 2018 12:48:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>“To cosy or not to cosy, that is the question?’</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_117453/to-cosy-or-not-to-cosy-that-is-the-question.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[





It&apos;s been a few years since I wrote the blog below, and since then loose leaf tea has come back into vogue! Not least due to the fact that we now know that most teabags contain plastic. Bit of a surprise to most, especially those of us who have been happily composting away and spreading plastic infused compost onto our gardens! One way to avoid this is to get a teapot and use loose-leaf tea. For a tea pot, you need a tea cosy - expecially as the tea takes a few extra minutes...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Tue, 12 Jun 2018 12:37:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Simple Steps To Eco Living Part 2 - Housekeeping *UPDATED*</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_183750/simple-steps-to-eco-living-part-2-housekeeping-updated.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
*Updated with new tips and tricks from Wise House followers*
Like it or loathe it, we all have to do a spot of housekeeping now and again! In this second in my Eco Living series I share the steps I&rsquo;ve taken towards achieving a more natural way of cleaning our home.
In the West, its the norm to use an arsenal of cleaning products, egged on by advertisements promising the destruction of&nbsp; 99.9% of bacteria. Their message is misleading, as quite a lot of that bacteria is actua...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2018 10:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Simple Steps to Eco Living Part 1 - Grocery Shopping</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_183037/simple-steps-to-eco-living-part-1-grocery-shopping.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
I read an entertaining article recently written by Lucy Holden, a journalist who attempted&nbsp;living without plastic&nbsp;&apos;I&rsquo;ve been trying to live without plastic for a month &mdash; which writes off normal cheese from supermarkets and pretty much everything else you would fill your trolley with.&apos; Holden finds it hard, near impossible to avoid plastic packaging (no surprises there) but she does make some permanent changes like switching to a reusable ...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Thu, 15 Mar 2018 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>The Circular Economy Explained &amp; How It Could Solve Our Global Waste Problem</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_182214/the-circular-economy-explained-how-it-could-solve-our-global-waste-problem.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
The term Circular Economy first entered my consciousness when reading an article in the paper about Ellen MacArthur, of solo round-the-world yachting fame back in the nineties. I was surprised to learn about her journey; from record breaking yachtswoman to spokesperson for a new kind of economic model, one that sets out to make better use of the world&rsquo;s resources and eliminate waste - the Circular Economy.
...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Wed, 07 Feb 2018 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>The Wise House &amp; Me: Five Years Older &amp; A Little Bit Wiser</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_177156/the-wise-house-me-five-years-older-a-little-bit-wiser.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
The Wise House opened its doors 5 years ago and I wanted to share with you a &lsquo;warts and all&rsquo; account of my experience of running a small business to date.Where did it all begin?It began with an ending, when I left the corporate health company for whom I had worked for 13 years in a number of roles - fitness instructor, gym manager, events manager and marketing coordinator. I taught aerobics, took groups of employees away to events like the Corporate Games, wrote countless t...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Fri, 19 Jan 2018 12:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>My Top Picks For Sustainable Fashion Shopping This Season</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_179304/my-top-picks-for-sustainable-fashion-shopping-this-season.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
I spend much of Autumn feeling a bit chilly, as I eek out the wearing of my summer skirts and shorts (accompanied by woolly socks in the privacy of Wise House HQ :-)).
Up until my early 30s a new season meant a trip to the high street for a splurge on new clothes with the mindset that I &apos;needed&apos; new boots, a new summer dress etc. It&apos;s the behavioural norm for most of us, and explains why we often run out of storage space for clothes and have items in our wardrobe th...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Tue, 19 Sep 2017 14:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Goodbye Clingfilm. Hello Bee&amp;apos;s Wrap.</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_176007/goodbye-clingfilm-hello-bees-wrap.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
We are delighted to be the UK&rsquo;s first stockist of Bee&rsquo;s Wrap, an eco-friendly, reusable alternative to modern food wrap such as clingfilm and foil. Bee&rsquo;s Wrap is made from an organic muslin cloth steeped in beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin. It comes in a variety of sizes and can be used to cover bowls and wrap a wide range of foodstuffs; from sandwiches and avocado to cheese blocks and half eaten fruit and vegetables.
...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Tue, 25 Apr 2017 08:55:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Natural Deodorant Review - From A Bit Whiffy to Whiff Free </title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_164765/natural-deodorant-review-from-a-bit-whiffy-to-whiff-free.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[




&lsquo;You do occasionally smell a bit whiffy&rsquo; are not words that you care to hear from your husband, particularly when his expression suggests that he would rather you did smell nicer but is humouring you for your &lsquo;cause&rsquo;!&apos;
&nbsp;
...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2016 09:12:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Photoshoot: New Loungewear At A Glance</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_163415/photoshoot-new-loungewear-at-a-glance.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Wed, 02 Nov 2016 14:34:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Guest Blog: Still Unsure of the Benefits of Recycling? Look to the Rainforests.</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_161317/guest-blog-still-unsure-of-the-benefits-of-recycling-look-to-the-rainforests.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[





Ever since recycling of goods became a widespread, commercial enterprise, skeptics have hailed the process as worthless. Many argue that the emissions from recycling are greater than that of producing virgin paper, or that the emissions from the transportation of recycled goods outweigh the carbon saved by not cutting down trees.
...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 2016 11:50:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Why Fake Grass Might Not Be The Greenest Option</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_157123/why-fake-grass-might-not-be-the-greenest-option.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[





As I stand at the sink doing the dishes, I look out into the garden to see Mrs. Blackbird hopping across the lawn, busily plucking up tasty worms from the ground. Our Blackbird &lsquo;couple&rsquo; are out there every day along with a friendly robin, a noisy crew of sparrows and some dopey looking pigeons.Our garden is typical of suburbia, a modest 70ft long and less than manicured due to years of garden football and a northerly aspect. I&rsquo;m a keen gardener, and whil...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Tue, 02 Aug 2016 12:22:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Planting A Rocket Garden Part 1 - The Arrival Of Our New Guests</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_150462/planting-a-rocket-garden-part-1-the-arrival-of-our-new-guests.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[



The very idea of an allotment conjures up visions of neat rows of bountiful vegetables, wigwam canes heaving with pretty sweet peas, rustic raised beds and a smart potting shed in the corner. Whilst my Auntie&rsquo;s allotment is exactly like this (complete with neat picket fence, wooden bench and bunting), my own experience of having an allotment is somewhat different.When the children were small, the opportunity arose to share custody of a plot at a local allotment. Whilst I thorou...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Wed, 18 May 2016 10:50:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>A Not Quite Magazine Worthy (But Satisfying) De-Clutter</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_142647/a-not-quite-magazine-worthy-but-satisfying-declutter.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[





This isn&rsquo;t my children&rsquo;s bedroom:

This is my children&rsquo;s (8 and 10 years old) bedroom:

I spend far too much time scrabbling around on this very floor, picking up &lsquo;bits&rsquo; and looking for somewhere to put them. My daughter Rose loves to play schools and, as such, one wall is adorned with homemade behaviour charts and small scraps of paper (pupil names) blue tacked to the walls (always interesting to see who has been given the highes...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Wed, 10 Feb 2016 12:45:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>10 Homemaker&amp;apos;s Favourites (Daily Helpers)</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_140763/10-homemakers-favourites-daily-helpers.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[





Drumroll please...Presenting 10 Homemaker&apos;s Favourites; chosen for the role they play in making our daily lives easier and a little cheerier.
1.&nbsp;Tea Cosy&nbsp;- The flicking on of the&nbsp;kettle usually marks the need for a short break. Give yourself a few more minutes&nbsp;and&nbsp;a superior cup of tea by using a tea pot to make yourself a cuppa. Pop a tea cosy on top and allow your tea time to brew. You can then let your own thoughts brew as wel...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Wed, 20 Jan 2016 15:46:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Growing Up In A Soap Family (And I Don’t Mean Eastenders)</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_133416/growing-up-in-a-soap-family-and-i-dont-mean-eastenders.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[




I grew up in a strictly soap-only family. Just the one bar of soap between the four of us. This greige soap was used for months until it dwindled into a few dirty-looking, hard pieces of soap on the edge of the sink. There was no distinction between hand soap and body soap - it was one soap fits all for us Rowes. The soap even came away on holiday with us in one of those natty plastic soap holders - remember those?!

When I was growing up in the 80s, shower gel was the new kid on the...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:29:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Litterpicking - an unlikely Summer Holiday activity</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_132320/litterpicking-an-unlikely-summer-holiday-activity.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[



My children find me embarrassing. Fact.&nbsp;I think I am a cool mum. Debatable.
I do have an obsession with picking up litter on the way back from the local corner shop. There are always wrappers, bottles and cans strewn across the grass verge and I just can&rsquo;t seem to walk past and ignore it all, especially as I am so close to home and a bin. This does mean that I can occasionally be seen carrying home empty beer cans. This makes it look like I am boozing in the middle of...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Mon, 07 Sep 2015 19:07:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>London Underground Poster Campaign With Microloan Foundation</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_130282/london-underground-poster-campaign-with-microloan-foundation.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[





Once in a while an opportunity presents itself that you would have to be a fool not to take advantage of. This was the case with Microloan Foundation&rsquo;s ingenious London Underground Poster Campaign, giving 200 female small business owners in the UK the chance to buy an advertising spot on the London Underground at an affordable price and have their very own poster designed by top agency DLKWLowe.The &pound;100 that each company paid for their poster will be used to help ...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2015 13:09:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Guest Blog - Family at the Fellah Hotel, Marrakech</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_128736/guest-blog-family-at-the-fellah-hotel-marrakech.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[




After reading our Guest Blog (below), Marrakech has now moved closer to the top of my travel destination &lsquo;wish list&rsquo;. With my 40th birthday just around the corner I&rsquo;m hoping it will move to the &lsquo;places visited&rsquo; list very soon (hint to husband, someone tell him to read this blog)! I have heard such wonderful things about it - words such as exotic, bustling, chaotic, colourful, spices all setting the scene for an inspiring and interesting...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2015 09:31:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>A Guide To The Humble Wicker Basket (&amp; Friends)</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_128054/a-guide-to-the-humble-wicker-basket-friends.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[





There is a long tradition of baskets in our family (not to be confused with basket-cases). From as young as I can remember anything wicker was a &lsquo;good thing&rsquo;; we had wicker pots for plants, wicker containers in the bathroom and most memorable of all, a French market style basket that sat next to the back door ready to be used at a moments notice for shopping and the like. A practical bag that looked stylish at the same time equalled winner in the Rowe family.My mu...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2015 10:56:00 +0100</pubDate>
</item>
<item>
   <title>Goodbye Clingfilm. Hello Bee&amp;apos;s Wrap.</title>
   <link>http://www.thewisehouse.co.uk/blog/read_125468/goodbye-clingfilm-hello-bees-wrap.html</link>
   <description><![CDATA[
We are delighted to be the UK&rsquo;s first stockist of Bee&rsquo;s Wrap, an eco-friendly, reusable alternative to modern food wrap such as clingfilm and foil. Bee&rsquo;s Wrap is made from an organic muslin cloth steeped in beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin. It comes in a variety of sizes and can be used to cover bowls and wrap a wide range of foodstuffs; from sandwiches and onion halves to lumps of cheese and half eaten fruit and vegetables (it can currently be found housing an ...]]></description>
   <pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2015 12:27:00 +0000</pubDate>
</item>
    </channel>
</rss>