Garden Lighting

Whenever I’ve watched so many imported home and leisure programmes over the years – not all from the european continent, but latterly from the north american one.  They of course adopted a style of housing that used the local resources available to them when the earliest settlers made their uncertain way to the New England … Read more

This time of year brings peace and serenity to my heart – in a weird windswept and rainy fashion.  Perhaps because I am definitely an autumn birthday person, this has some bizarre hold over my mind, telling me that trees and woodlad look fantastic when just turning to ‘fall’ colours.   Having spent some time on … Read more

This is definitely the time of year to be enjoying the fruits of our gardening labours.  We have to watch out for bugs and diseases that can really kill off some of our favourites.  Blackspot on roses for example – has to be controlled with a special spray because just taking off the affected leaves … Read more

There can’t be anything nicer than being able to go out into our gardens in the height of summer and sit by a nice wall with a flower border along it.  The smell of roses in the morning haze or perhaps during the evening twilight cannot be over estimated.  To achieve this idyll we need … Read more

There are many problems throughout this vast world of ours – industrial strife and factories shutting down through lack of orders . . . .  Youngsters starting to worry about what kind of planet they are inheriting.  It’s very true that our generation has managed to wreck much of the planet in only a hundred … Read more

We have had some truly extraordinary weather this last couple of seasons.  Normally when winter has gone and we get the spring rush of brisk winds and sharp showers, we can then rely on the summer to be mostly dry and sunny.    If last summer is an indication of what’s to become the norm, then … Read more

I was helping out at a local heritage property recently – stewarding teh main ballroom area.  The bigger of two ballrooms. . . .  It struck me for the firt time that the ceiling had downlights and as the house had been completed in the 1700s, there wouldn’t have been any lighting beyond oil lamps … Read more

Gosh we need to get a bit warmer before too long.  This cold damp weather is having an effect on my limbs.  Nothing feels particularly comfortable when we’re very cold and very wet. It’s always worth checking out various maintenance jobs in these adverse conditoins, lest we come downstairs to find something ghastly has occured … Read more

We need our outdoor spaces – badly.  When the second world war was finally over, the government of the day had a massive rebuild programme on heir hands – moving families ou of war ravaged areas, into suburban council estates.  Although the houses were very utilitarian, built as quickly and cheaply as could be allowed, … Read more

When anyone moves into the houses in my area, it seems that the first thing to be done is always rip out the existing kitchen and replace it within a  massiveextension, all shiny white mirror like tiles . . . .  then the finishing touch is a massive bi fold patio door arrangement across the … Read more