I've used the company Bunches.co.uk several times, to send my Auntie Joan plants through the mail.  She's always been really delighted with them.   She loved her garden when she had one and was full of gardening tips and advice when we went to visit her. 

Anyway, Bunches.co.uk have some gorgeous house plants, which would make lovely gifts.

There's a Peace Lily Plant - we have one of those in our bedroom and it looks beautiful, sitting on a dresser.  One of the things I love about it is that they are very good air purifiers, and I've certainly felt ours gives me peace just looking at it and that the air is cleaner. They can filter harmful toxins and boost the humidity of a room, too. 
 

There's also a stunning Yellow Calla Lily Plant for £26.00 with trumpet shaped flowers;  I think it's quite unusual but the bright yellow colour will brighten up any room! 

 There's also a Grow Your Own Herb Garden.  It comes with 7 seed packets - Oregano, Basil, Coriander, Thyme, Parsley, Chives and Mint - all suitable for cooking used as a garnish.  This gift comes with 7 coloured plant pots, potting soil and a zinc display tray with handles.  All for  £27.00! 

Or how about this Cascade Phalaenopsis Orchid?  It's elegant and stunning, all for £29.00! 

There are other house plants too - one for gin lovers, another for those who enjoy afternoon tea.  There's begonia, rose, azalea, and a coral Anthurium.  

Head to Bunches.co.uk now and take a look at their full range of houseplants. 

The 20th July 2019 is an important anniversary for a very special event.  It's the 20th anniversary of the Moon Landing when Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin walked on the moon.

When their space craft touched down, Armstrong said "Houston, Tranquility Base here.  The Eagle has landed."

And 20 minutes later, Amstrong opened the hatch of the landing craft and got out to walk on the moon.  "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" are words that surely go down in history as some of the most famous in the world.

Aldrin joined him shortly afterwards, and together they explored the surface of the moon, taking photos and collecting samples. 

They left an American flag behind, a patch to honour the fallen Apollo 1 crew and a plaque on one of Eagle's legs, which read: "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind."

Visit NASA to find out more.

Emma Bridgewater had produced a couple of mugs to commemorate this very special event, but it seems they are no longer produced.  Watch this space for more gift ideas connected with the moon landing!

Meantime, you could take a look at Emma Bridgewater's Cities and Landscapes collection, as there may be something there that would suit, or her Hobbies collection which covers a range of hobbies and interests.

First Moon Landing 50th Anniversary
Apollo 11 Travel Mug First Man On The Moon
1969 2019 Lunar Mission 
Find out more from Amazon

The RSPB has just launched Gola Rainforest Chocolate.

It’s made from sustainable, ethical and environmentally conscious cocoa.  And it’s grown in the shade of forest trees by communities living around Sierra Leone’s Gola Rainforest National Park.

It’s really important to help farmers earn a living without encroaching on the rainforest.   Local farmers are farming in ways that helps forest wildlife.   Many endangered species live in the forest, such as pygmy hippos, forest elephants, chimpanzees and over 300 bird and 600 butterfly species, so it’s a very important hotspot for biodiversity.

The RSPB has been working with local partners on a sustainable management model for the Gola Rainforest. 

Gola Rainforest chocolate
£3.49 from the RSPB's Shop
There's dark chocolate and milk chocolate!

The chocolate is made from bean to bar in Cornwall in the UK.  Profits from the chocolate are reinvested into the Gola Rainforest Cocoa Project.  The farmers are thus rewarded for their role in protecting the rainforest and the wildlife living there.  And importantly the chocolate is palm oil free!  

You can help protect wildlife, help the RSPB work with local partners and help local communities earn a living without encroaching on the rainforest by buying this chocolate as a gift for someone, perhaps an animal lover!

Fly off to the RSPB's Shop to find out more!

Kids love dinosaurs and if you're looking for some great dinosaur gift ideas, you could always take a look at the National History Museum's online shop.

Their range of dinosaur gifts is mind-boggling, they have everything from dinosaur books, to dinosaur soft toys, games and puzzles, kitchenware, clothes and accessories! 

There are some gorgeous soft toys, and even gifts such as a dinosaur football, and a dinosaur pop-up tent your little one can go and hide in!  

There's dinosaur clothes and accessories,
all with a dinosaur theme!

A dinosaur cave pop up tent

Here's a dinosaur football!
Get the kids active and doing some sport, kicking around and having fun!

And a dinosaur drinks bottle
for water to refresh them and keep them hydrated

Plus dinosaur soft toys and hand puppets!

And books to quench their thirst for knowledge

Visit the National History Museum's Dinosaur Items 
to see the range for yourself!

If you're looking for animal books for 7 to 9 year olds, let me introduce you to these two:

The Hodgeheg by Dick King-Smith from Foyles

Max is a hedgehog.  He lives with his family in a nice home, but it is on the wrong side of the road from the park.   There's a pond in the park, with lots of slugs, worms and snails.  

The road is very dangerous but Max makes it his mission to find out how hedgehogs can cross safely.  He gets hit on the head in his efforts to find a way, and consequently mixes his words up.  Max thinks:  if people can cross the road safely, hedgehogs should be able to as well!

Max sets out to solve the problem and of course he does - enlisting the help of a lollipop lady and another hedgehog. 

The Last Polar Bears by Harry Horse from Foyles

I loved this book with the bumbling grandfather and his dog called Roo, as they head off to the North Pole in search of the last polar bears.   Why it should be kept for children, I don't know.  The story of grandfather and Roo are told through a series of letters.   We hear how Roo told the most ridiculous stories, how she changes her mind about going to the North Pole, about the wolves who keep them up all night with their singing, and the penguin injured by one of grandfather's golf ball.  (So there are inaccuracies in the story because there aren't any penguins in the Arctic - they are all in the Antarctic.  No matter, I loved the story anyway).  

Both take the reader into the natural world in an easy reading style, which I hope children (and adults) will enjoy.