About

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Hello and a warm welcome to acoastalplot – my blog about my life and gardening exploits. I’m Sam and I live with my husband David and two dogs in a village by the sea in the south-east of England. We have three adult children who are in the various stages of leaving home, so they each still have a bedroom and lots of their stuff here!

In my professional life, I work in tourism marketing and communications, promoting the amazing area where we live to visitors. It’s not a hard sell, to be honest – we have the world-famous White Cliffs, Dover Castle, and loads of other wonderful places to visit and things to do nearby. In my previous life, I was a book editor for many years and I still miss the excitement of unwrapping an advance copy from the printers. Those author accounts you probably follow on Instagram? That unwrapping excitement is real.

We have lived on this coastal plot since 2012 (when we moved out of London) and have spent the years since renovating the house, maintaining the house and looking after the garden, which is larger than we have time to manage (approximately 1/3 acre). It’s on chalk, terraced and very exposed, which all pose challenges. My love of plants, gardens and gardening has been steadfast and I know it’s what helps to keep me sane. Gardening is medicine and always makes me feel better. David and I both have the RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture and I have a qualification in garden design, so we try to put our learning into practise. The great thing about gardening, of course, is that you never stop learning. We try to garden collaboratively and it generally works.

Before the children left home, I used to write about our everyday family life and our work in the garden, plus anything else that interested me, such as books and food, and (occasionally, because none of us lives in a bubble) wider world issues. It’s now 2024 and life has moved on from the busy family household, mum-taxiing and logistics of five people with hectic schedules. We still have the coming and going but with longer gaps in between and we’re rarely all together, sadly. It’s taking some getting used to.

I hope you enjoy visiting here. Do leave a comment and say hello. I do my best to answer comments, unless the only answer is ‘thank you’, in which case please take that as given :-).

28 thoughts on “About”

  5. Sam – have just been enjoying your latest blog entry. Love the tulips and will try the scones, but sorry to hear David has been ill. Do please keep writing. It brings a little bit of beautiful Kent into our rather grey London life.
    Frances x

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  6. I’ve just come across your blog in the comments of Sarah’s Down by the Sea blog. I love it! and will be reading regularly. I’ve always lived by the sea (Cornwall, Weymouth, Bournemouth, Yorkshire, Florida) until coming up to London (decades ago now) and still hanker for it. Like you, I’m also very keen on wildflowers so hoping your descriptions will help me learn more!

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    1. How lovely – thank you Caro. Living by the sea does that to you, I think. There’s something about the light, and the sound and smell of it. I’ll do my best with the wildflowers!

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  9. Hi Sam, maybe you’ve already found a good simple how to crochet guide but if not and if you don’t mind sending me your postal address, I have one to send you. Was sorting through my knitting patterns earlier this week and found two more, one of which I’d love to pass on to you. It’s brief, clear, and very simple! All the best, Deborah

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    1. That is really kind of you Deborah – thank you! I have to confess to having a complete block when it comes to getting the hang of it, so any help is extremely welcome. I don’t want to put my postal address here (and I couldn’t see an email on your blog), so would you mind emailing me – [email protected] – and I’ll send it to you. Thanks again for thinking of me. Sam x

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  12. Lovely blog. I have a horrific time with slugs too (Isle of Wight). Have recently tried nematodes (with some success – must get more for the bits I didn’t do).

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    1. Hi, and thanks, thestarter1978. We tried nematodes (in a previous garden) with limited success. I did think of trying it here but it’s yet one more thing to remember to do! Definitely worth considering though.

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  14. Hi Sam,
    Your yellow flower picture caught my eye, and then when I visited your sight….Wow! What a beautiful view of the ocean. I’ve enjoyed reading a few of your blogs. I’m going to be a follower. Thank you for sharing your life.

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Please leave a comment if you'd like to. I love reading them. Making connections with people is the nicest part of blogging.

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