The new composter is manufactured by HOTBIN and the product “is made from a resource-efficient fully recyclable material called ARPRO, known more commonly as expanded polypropylene (EPP). HOTBIN consists of just 4% raw material and 96% air”. In effect it insulates the heat, locking it in like a thermos; the walls lock in naturally produced heat generated by the bacterial process; no turning, accelerators or external power source required. Therefore, with temperatures of reaching between 40-60°C naturally. These temperatures are achieved as bacteria breakdown waste and produce heat as a by-product of decomposition.
Waste such as cooked food, small bones and weeds is quickly and efficiently reduced to an end product of wonderful peat-free compost in as little as 30-90 days. Not bad when our traditional composting would usually have a one-year cycle. Ultimately this means that less waste is sent to landfill and: “Did You Know? Composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to all the CO2 your kettle produces annually, or your washing machine produces in three months?” In 2019 the updated HOTBIN 200 Litres was launched alongside the new HOTBIN Mini 100 Litres and was awarded the RHS Chelsea Garden Product of the Year 2019. Check out: HOT COMPOSTING
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However, a month or so ago (during a miserable half-term break, at the end of May) we did tick the box to visit a local house and garden which is on the Cotswold tourist trail and, of course, when it’s on your doorstep you never make the effort! Bourton-on-the-Hill is only 14 miles from our cottage and is a tiny village a stone's thrown from Snowshill and Moreton-in-the-Marsh and close to Stow-on-the-Wold and Broadway. In the immediate vicinity there are also the Batsford Arboretum and Sezincote (a bit of a curve-ball for the Cotswolds as the 200-year-old Mogul Indian palace and estate is inspired by the Taj Mahal). However, Bourton House Gardens was more accessible and a ‘gentler’ activity suiting my demeanour at the time.
From their website, here is a brief history of Bourton House: “Since Saxon times, the stone-built village of Bourton-on-the-Hill has hugged the Cotswold escarpment. Bourton House and its Brewhouse, Stables and Coach House were built on monastic lands and have created a courtyard since the late 16th century. The Grade I listed Tithe Barn preserves the dedication stone of 1570 with the initials RP for the then owner, Richard Palmer. The house itself was rebuilt as a foursquare Jacobean house by the eminent lawyer, Sir Nicholas Overbury in 1598. At the beginning of the 18th century, the then unfashionable house was once again rebuilt on the earlier footprint by Alexander Popham, the grandson of a Cromwellian general. The house was taken down to its lower ground floor but the whimsical towers retained, the slits replaced by generous Georgian sash windows. The architect remains unknown. This setting has remained unchanged for over three hundred years”. SEE:
As a quick catch-up; on 10th June 2024 (a Monday) I had an emergency optic surgical operation called a trabeculectomy. This was performed at Cheltenham General Hospital. Subsequently I have been signed off work for two weeks, in the first instance, and have to attend weekly check-up appointments for the next month or so.
I cannot write/type a great deal because… well, I can’t actually see a great deal through my left eye. As you can imagine this is rather distressing. So – please ‘bear with’. |
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