Construction & Home Improvement
Ahh the mellow fruifulness of autumn – it’s fantastic to have a lare patio window and door combination so the garden is visible from every chair in our family room. We all appreciate being able to sit and while away the odd few minutes just taking in the seasonal changes, the wildlife activity and make mental notes on what needs doing in the garden next. Nost newer homes have patio…
If one tries to record all the changes that occur in life of a garden over a year, it’s pretty much impossible. There are definitely stages of activity that will happen regardless of the weather. The house always looks more cheery when the spring sunshine comes in earnest and the same goes for the garden. Early bulbs poke through, lawns start to look and feel springier, and regrettably the weeds…
The best of the new design patio doors have much greater effect on the way the family use the house than in the old days. they do allow access in and out, but more than that. A really beautifully installed system will reveal the outer space in more glory – no hefty and cumbersome frameworks getting in the way. There is something truly relaxing about being able to look…
I was watching a programme about two English sisters trying to buy a holiday home in France. It was one of the usual day time life style fodder that many have got used to over the months. Usually they feature hot places like Spain, Portugal or Cyprus and I’ve not seen that many from France. The difference of course being the buyers usually seek a balcony or outside space with…
Several positives have come out of the most recent lockdown restrictions. Instead of folk just getting totally fed up with it all, there have been strenuous efforts to make the most of the family time together, wherever that may be. The greatest change for some families has been the chanceto plan, shop, cook and eat together. Over the last twenty or so years, the sheer number of diversions available to…
Ah, now that Christmas and the new year festivities have passed, somewhat dully this time it must be said, our thoughts pass on to the soon to be joy of spring arriving. Already the garden is beginning to show a few signs of positive growth. The hellebores are really going great guns this time, although the dreadful wet conditions sometimes look as though they’re going to give up the ghost…
It’s a funny thing that these days we are encouraged to leave all the creepy crawlies of the bug life where they are on our plants. The outdoor ones anyway. The birds and bees are in dire need of these extra little grubbings, on top of the mountains of bird food, nuts, seeds and fat balls that festoon the gardens. Much of this over feeding is generated by fed companies…
When you have only a small space for growing anything at all in your garden, it’s still possible to grow a range of vegetables and fruit – in pots and containers. I had always contained my enthusiasm to colourful shrubs and flowers. This year I experimented; having dispensed with 50 daffodil bulbs that had turned ‘blind’, I had 2 huge black containers spare. I gathered up various oddments of compost…
Gardening is one of those activities that for some folk is the absolute limit of their endurance – they can just about bring themselves to mow the lawn and maybe tidy up the rubbish areas but as for actual planting things . . . well that is far beyond their interest level. For others, being out in the garden is the sole point of their existence – particularly if they…
I’ve been taking a great deal of interest in the goings on at a house just over the back of mine. They began a programme of building upwards and ouwards by moving on up into the loft and with a specialist converting team, replacing the original roof supports and had beautiful velux roof lights installed. Then the garage was converted to g – both doors taken off, replaced by walls…