Volcano crisis

Nicola & Pete plus daughters Lola, now 9 and Nell, now 7, spent last year exploring Britain in a carbon-light manner. Our spring 2008 challenge is to give up waste from 24 March to 24 April. Most posts are by Nicola (as it was her silly idea). This is how it’s going:

The adults need their coffee fix and our old-fashioned, Italian volcano pot that brews up deliciously is out of action. The inner seal has completely crumbled. I ask around and no one seems to know what to do. In desperation I try the Gill Wing Cookery shop on Upper Street and find you can buy a packet of replacement seals for just #2.75.

Verdict: The best of this story is not just that coffee is back on the menu, but that I was able to give my friend Debbie one of the seals so her coffee pot has also come back on to the kitchen frontline – rather than be chucked out.