"A Little About Us"
And Where I'm Coming From!

Although this is a standard 'About Us' page, at the moment this is a one-woman show! This is me...

Within this rural ‘paradise’ without electricity or an honest-to-goodness roof over our heads, we grew our own fruit and vegetables. Although we had some dismal failures over the years, we soon learned what to do and what NOT to do, and within a couple of years, were putting organic fresh food on the table every day of the year, right through the winter months a well as during the regular ‘growing’ season.

During this period all the children grew strong and healthy and with the natural and fresh organic food they were eating every day, we never once had to resort to antibiotics. And I became fascinated with the power of nature to provide and realised that all fruits and vegetables contain the necessary minerals and vitamins out bodies need to be healthy and strong. My children were living proof of that. Herbs provided cures for any minor ailments.

Eventually, the children grew up and all of them, one by one, felt they needed to ‘get back to their roots’ and returned to England to re-establish relationships with family and friends.

Here are two of the "kids" all grown up and enjoying a three day festival in the sun. And apparantly, the bottle in the left hand corner of the picture is definitely organic apple juice - hhhmmm...

On my return to England, with a bag of clothes and little else, my priorities were getting a real roof over my head and a computer. I had been lucky enough to obtain a second hand one in France and I knew I could use a computer as a tool to wherever I was going, although I still had no idea where that was.

I fancied myself as a bit of a website designer, but had no graphics background and only a very little knowledge of html. One thing I had been doing in France though was watching a few internet businesses over a long period and had my eye on one company who offered an incredible hosting service. In France I didn’t have the money available, albeit a very small amount in the great scheme of things, and was waiting for the moment to go for it.

After about 6 months or so and back in England, I took the plunge and decided to go for the company I had so long wanted to join. Hence, Flower and Garden Tips was born. Find out more about this story and how to build your own website here ...Grow Your Own Income

But there was something else I had to do. Alongside learning about nature, plants, food and health, and generally surviving, while in France, I re-discovered a passion I’d had as a child. I loved to write! I remember one day lying on my back after a hard morning in the garden and looking up I saw the great boughs of an ancient cherry tree spreading over the very blue sky. What was so magical, were the hundreds and thousands of cherries shining bright red against the blue sky and the lush green foliage. My breath taken away, I wrote a children’s fairy story.

I built my website when I was back in England and started sharing the knowledge I’d picked up over the years. A creative outlet for my writing needs, but still not enough. So one day, I decided to think about the book that would be handy for me to have, or more to the point would have been handy for me to have in all those years of experimenting in the garden.

I worked hard on that project and eventually it was published. When my complimentary copies arrived I was beside myself. I kept stroking them… yes I know, but hey it was a big moment for me!

I quickly followed that with a creative book bringing traditional housekeeping skills up to date and fun.. (Granny’s Book of Good Old Fashioned Common Sense).

Grow Your Own Groceries came out in 2009 but has just been re-vamped and re-written into my latest title: Grow It, Cook It. I've completed 'Grow Your Own Winter Food' and 'Self Sufficiency: Herbs & Spices' which are both available now! Scroll down for more details of the books.) Writing books and sharing the world of experience I picked up during our adventures is my dream come true. I’m hoping in a couple of years, my writing will start actually paying me a wage and I will be able to once again buy a place with a garden and share with my grandchildren what I was once privileged to share with my children.

In the meantime, my website keeps me connected with the business world and keeps growing and expanding - with very little ‘work’ I’m happy to add! I've just finished writing a new ebooklet that can be printed or not, depending on how accessible your PC is...Oh, and I should mention - "It's FREE!!"

I do hope at Flower and Garden Tips you find some good ideas and advice you can use in your own creative gardening pursuits. If you have a gardening related question, or simply want to say ‘hi’, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch here

All the best and Happy Gardening!

Linda Gray

editor and webmistress at Flower And Garden Tips

P.S. You can also find me and a couple of my articles here About Us - Linda Gray at Self Growth

P.P.S. Listen to me rambling on with Daniel Davies on Beyond 50 Radio - for a SECOND time!.. Radio Link to Summer Gardening Chat

Grow Your Own Winter Food: A good diet incorporating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables is a must if you want to stay fit and healthy and keep the bugs at bay during the cold winter months.

Growing your own winter food is just one way of ensuring you get the freshest, tastiest produce packed with goodness straight from the garden to the kitchen table. This easy-to-follow self-sufficiency book shows you how to grow your own fruit and vegetables for winter use and includes facts on each fruit, vegetable or herb as well as nutritional value, recipe ideas and storage suggestions.

Before the days of computer games and electronic pets, children used to have fun without rummaging about in the fridge every five minutes. Enjoy a few rainy-day games and crafts of yesteryear with today’s kids. They’ll love it and so will you!

www.flower-and-garden-tips.com/about-us.html