Ok, so zero waste for me is primarily avoidance of buying into the consumer waste cycle and the older I get, the less I feel I need! My candle business began out of my desire to avoid throwing out things that were perfectly useful and that is something I continue to do.
However, aside from my business, I have also been trying to reduce waste in general and I have bought a few things which I hope will help with that, in the long term.

One of the first things I bought was these reusable cotton cleansing pads for removing make-up:

Photo courtesy of The Little Green Shop

They are absolutely brilliant - I have had them for a while now and washed them many times and they are still going strong! They are gentle on the skin but can exfoliate slightly with the right cleanser. Available from The Little Green Shop which has loads of other great eco-friendly products.

Next favourite has to be my William Morris bamboo cup from The Coffee Lady

Photo Courtesy of The Coffee Lady

I mean, how gorgeous is this?! I actually have several keep cups on the go but this is the one I have in work and I love it so much.

Lough Boora Discovery Park is one of my favourite places to visit. We hadn't been for quite a while as it's a bit of a drive (about an hour and a half from Kilcullen) but the Bank Holiday seemed like just the right time to go. The weather was amazing and the lakes looked gloriously fresh and cool as we set out on our walk.



The wonderful thing about Lough Boora is its vastness.  When you enter into the park you have an immediate sense of wide open sky and vistas that stretch into the distance.  It's an incredible amenity that is well used by families but you never feel crowded. There are 5 different walking routes, from an easy 3.3 km to a challenging 15.8 km.


You can hire bikes and cycle around and one of the cutest things to see is the small ones being pulled along in the special cycle cars.
Hiring a tandem bike is also an option and prices are very reasonable - from €5.00 per hour for an adult up to €50 for a full day for 2 adults and 2 children.

The sculptures are what I love the most.  It's almost like they have evolved out of the earth itself, although it is human talent that has brought them into being.  They fit so well with the landscape and create a magical journey around the park that I never tire of.  You can read more of the fascinating story of each sculpture here.

Paper Boats by Amanda Ralph

Bog Track by Johan Sietzema

60 Degrees by Kevin O'Dwyer

Another gorgeous thing to do is the Fairy Avenue. Aimed at children really but it's so cute it's worth going around no matter what age you are! And if you want to learn about all the fairies and how they came to be there, you can read up on them on the Lough Boora website :)





Last but most definitely not least, is nature in Lough Boora. This for me is so wonderful, biodiversity is celebrated and encouraged and the park is teeming with insect life as well as wild flowers and birds.  I like to amble and take pictures and enjoy the smells and sights of everything around me and on a sunny day, this is particularly enjoyable.

So I will leave you with a few of my nature pics to give you a sense of how nice it is.






Check out the map below for directions to Lough Boora:







You might also enjoy reading Emo Court and the Rock of Dunamase.