Spring Newsletter and A Really Good Read !

5 days to go before the official arrival of Spring! More snow and slush this week- but the good news is that the bantams have started laying again and crocuses are appearing under the apple tree. The days are getting longer and, at last, it feels like winter might be coming to an end. Our existing customers will be getting a Spring Newsletter very soon, deliberately illustrated with daffodils. Did you know that Newent (in Gloucestershire) is famous for tiny wild daffodils? Whole fields used to be carpeted with them and they were picked and sent to London by train in days gone by. Sadly we no longer have the railway and sadly there are far fewer daffodils, but West Gloucestershire is still famous for them and they can still be found in undisturbed woodlands and where farmers have kept to traditional farming methods.

"He'll be Ok" - this wonderful book is subtitled "Growing Gorgeous Boys into Good Men". As a mum of three teenage boys, I am recommending this encouraging and reassuring book to all of us who have boys. ... written by Celia Lashlie and published by Harper Collins, Celia spent many years working in the New Zealand prison service, and saw what can happen when boys make wrong choices. As a single parent she pondered on how best to guide her adolescent son safely to adulthood, and this book is the result of her research and discoveries.
It tells us, as mothers, how to learn to step back and appreciate that boys really are different to us and that they need to learn to be men during their teenage years. It deserves to be on every family bookshelf- go on, order it from your local bookshop and, even better, tell all your friends about it as well.

Improved Sleep - we can help you!

Today's blog has an "Improved Sleep" theme- it is something that most of us are searching for, but few manage to achieve. After 6 years of being in the business of providing deliciously warm and cosy bedding, we would like to share with you our five top tips:

• Keep your bedroom cool - have a window open if necessary
• Maintain a particular routine and try to be in bed at a regular time
• Make time to read- few people can get to sleep straightaway- it is a great way of reducing stress
• Try to avoid leaving lights on- even low level lighting will severely affect the ability to sleep well
• Choose the best bedding you can afford- you will have years of comfort and you will soon forget the initial cost- and in fact you will be pleased you made the investment. Life is often full of regrets for those things we didn't buy, rather than those we did ...

Finally, an extract from a recent customer who lives in deepest darkest Scotland and who bought a "Queenstown" duvet a couple of weeks ago:

"I was concerned it might not be cosy enough for the recent cold weather but last night the temperature went down to -4% but we were warm as toast and have even slept more soundly than before"

"Wool runs on grass" - an environmentally friendly choice

For this week's Blog we thought we would share some environmental facts about the wool industry-

• It takes almost 6kg of oil to produce 1kg of Nylon, but under 1kg of oil to produce 1kg of wool
• Significantly less energy is required in the production of wool products, compared to manmade fibre products. This ensures carbon dioxide emissions are kept very low. Therefore the increased usage of wool can positively reduce the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
• Wool has a natural UV protection factor of 30+ - this is much higher than most synthetics and cotton.
• Wool can last for many hundreds of years without losing its resilience or structure- did you know that wool fibres can be bent 20,000 times before breaking?

Just a few interesting facts that we have assembled for your enjoyment in the past week! All this just goes to show that by purchasing wool , eg a wool duvet (one of ours naturally!) it will both last and benefit the environment. Also, you will sleep well, safe in the knowledge you have made a good investment ......