Taken from Lynne’s weekly column ‘Green Scene’ for the Western Mail
22nd November 2025
Great Gates
I am currently organising a new garden gate for a client. I say ‘organising’ as it is a bespoke metal gate being made by a local blacksmith.
My client had a few ideas of her own but Ross and Annie from Anvil Forge Blacksmithing in Pontypool came to the garden to see the setting and surroundings and – with a very ‘brief brief’ – are going to come up with a few suitable designs to choose from before making and installing it.
It is a fabulous ‘journey’ and we have all had lots to think about and deliberate already. Ross has over 25 years experience of ‘making metal magical’ and the couple work closely together to enable Annie to create a design that will be brought to life by her husband’s talent.
They explained that one client of theirs had commissioned a ‘Memorial Gate’ which incorporated several special features to represent their client’s memories of someone special.
The ‘special person’ had been a seamstress and Ross even created small thimbles to look like flowerheads – it is a stunning piece of art, which is also functional and memory provoking.
The other gate that they created and I absolutely adore is the ‘Garden Gate’ with its wellingtons and cleverly arranged array of tools. The owner puts seasonal flowers in the wellingtons throughout the year to create even more ‘ooohs and ahhhhs’ as walkers pass by and admire it.
A gate is such a well-used part of the garden and is the perfect way to add that personal touch to your plot – and can be something that will make you smile every time you go through it.
I have permission to share the photos, and there are even more lovely examples on their website, including freestanding allium sculptures and a stunning Floral Gate.
Do have a look at www.anvilforgeblacksmithing.co.uk
Bad Boots
Just over two months ago I slipped down some stone steps in work, fractured my ankle and swore … swore I would be more careful in future. And then last week I slipped down a different set of garden steps. This time I landed on my bum, which is well-padded enough to avoid injury. But it did shake me up.
I have realised (a little late, maybe) that it is the particular work boots that I am wearing. Despite them being waterproof, warm and comfortable – which is all you would think you needed in a work boot – they have ‘lethal soles’ on wet paving.
I have struggled to find good work boots for years, trying everything from Military boots to hiking boots, and a whole range in between. And at a whole range of prices too. The latest pair ticked the boxes for being waterproof and comfortable (and costly) but at the expense of spending too much time on my backside for my liking.
They are now in the cupboard under the stairs and will be used only when the paving is dry – or more likely, they’ll be forgotten about completely. I now have trust issues with them.
I have been doing (even more) research and there is actually a non-slip rating and ‘spec’ for work boots, and so I am currently talking to a company in Germany to determine the best pair of their boots for me. I’m sure it shouldn’t be this difficult – surely being non-slip is quite important for any pair of shoes or boots, especially walking and working boots.
Until I can sort the boots from Germany out, I have bought a pair of Muck Boot Safety wellingtons from Screwfix, which claimed to have a proper non-slip sole too. And I’m pleased to report that they have indeed. They also have a composite toe for safety, which makes them ideal for dry stone walling, and are insulated so have been lovely and toasty in the cold snap we’ve had this week. However, they are a bit heavy and cumbersome to be wearing all day gardening, or for longish walks, so I am still keen to get another pair of ‘working and walking’ boots sorted out. I’ll let you know the outcome.
Before I put my ‘bad-boots’ in the cupboard, I did waterproof them – and several other pairs – with SNO Seal wax. It does a great job and has excellent reviews from others who think so too. It’s easy to apply – although you have to warm up your boots first. I just used a hair dryer, which seemed to work well. My brother always uses Nikwax to ‘protect’ his boots so I had a look at how they compare and apparently, ‘SNO Seal is a beeswax-based paste that creates a durable, waterproof outer layer, while Nikwax uses water-based polymer formulas that penetrate the material, offering better breathability and making it easier to apply.’
After reading numerous reviews, I would say that they both seemed to be well-respected by keen ‘outdoorsers’.
Festive Fowl
After years of rescuing ‘ex batts’, not ‘ex pats’ but ex battery hens – the local-ish chicken farmer has retired and therefore I bought my current hens from Plas Poultry in Brecon. I don’t think I have ever heard better comments about a place or supplier. Anyone who has ever had chickens from them, only has good things to say – about the hens and their health and the service.
It’s a family run business and they do all sorts of ‘posh’ and very pretty chickens. A friend’s little boy wanted blue chickens but was cleverly guided toward some Devon Blue hens as a compromise, by owner Tom, as they lay blue eggs. Remember what I said about ‘good service’.
I always go for the trusted ISA Browns (I think), as they are one of the most enthusiastic egg-layers and have great characters. Mine often wander into the kitchen to see what’s going on and I love the way they run to the gate to greet me when I come in from work.
I got in touch with Tom recently to see if he would have two hens that I could give my brother for Christmas. It’s OK, my brother doesn’t read anything I write, in the same way he doesn’t listen to anything I say. Tom said they won’t have any ISA Browns ready to leave until the second week of January but they do offer vouchers for Christmas presents – from plaspoultry.co.uk
I explained that my brother is 58, so I’ll just tell him he’s having chickens as a ‘late present’, but I think vouchers are an ‘eggscellent’ idea. It means that if you do want to buy someone (responsible) some hens as a present, then you can choose and collect them together and you can make sure everything is ready for them beforehand without the endless ‘skulduggery’ involved with tricky Santa-esque secrets.
Disappointing People
I read a lovely heart-warming story last week about how engineers and environmentalists had combined their knowledge to create a new method of de-icing roads in Sweden. The traditional method of using rock salt, or sodium chloride, is known to have detrimental effects on wildlife, and even on our pets, as it can ‘burn’ their paws when they walk on it and cause internal damage when they lick their contaminated paws.
The article claimed that a new medium of beet extract and starch was proving to be an effective road de-icer without any harmful effects on the environment. I was impressed with the news and hoped it would be adopted in other countries (like ours) soon. With the environmental advance being tagged as ‘innovation meeting compassion’, it restored my faith in humans.
That was until I read that the ‘new solution’ also ‘fed’ the birds during the harsh winter months. It didn’t sound very sensible to me to encourage birds to eat on busy main roads and so with a bit more investigating, the whole story turned out to be ‘fake news’. Why use precious time to write and promote that? It’s beyond me.
People can be so disappointing. ‘Restored faith’ now in jeopardy.
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