Wednesday 29 December 2010
End Dec 2010
If you looked out of my upstairs spare room window you would get a great overview of my garden (and some of the neighbours); you would also get, at the time of writing, a sense of the misery of winter in its dampest and greyest form – not the sparkling cold but sunny landscape in the distance, or even like a couple of weeks ago a fresh blanket of snow, this is fog and damp and grey with seriously impaired visibility. A day like today does, however, make the advent of a cold and sunny winter day all the more appealing as at least you can escape the cabin fever and get outside without the fear of turning the lawn into a mud-bath. Grass grows at 10 Degrees C and that certainly seems a long way off right now but with the harshest start to winter in living memory preceded by what can only be described as a half hearted attempt at summer any sign of the end of winter would be welcome – oh dear, it’s not even January yet!
Friday 22 October 2010
Climbers
I bought my house at what I reckon was a bargain price. This is just as well when you consider that the very week that we moved in was the same week that the Northern Rock collapse, the trigger that ushered in this age of economic woe, occurred.
And when I say a bargain price, I mean a good 25 or 30 grand cheaper than anything comparable in the area, and I think I know why.
It’s all very well being in the perfect location at the very end of a quiet Cul de Sac with enough space for 5 cars at the front and having a spacious 4 bed detached house with the potential to extend, but when it comes to selling you have to get people through the door.
If you imagine a picture of the front of a square red brick house with a red garage door and not a lot else then I believe you are conjuring up an image of urban banality, not the stuff that dreams are made of. This I believe was the vendors and their agents mistake as when we saw the details we didn’t think ‘wow, we’ve got to see that’ but more ‘we are in the area anyway so let’s cross it off our list of enquiries’.
Having made the trip we found everything we were looking for, it was perfect and, at that price, a bargain. Once we were in and the urgent stuff was done I then considered the front exterior of the house and looked around our pretty neighbourhood and noticed that none of the other properties suffered from the same look of domestic blandness and so considered why. All the other properties had at least one of three redeeming features, they were either constructed from a much more aesthetically pleasing grey brick, they were rendered of half rendered or they had a leafy covering of some climbing plant to soften their features.
It wasn’t the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. I was unwilling to demolish the property and start again with a different coloured brick and therefore weighed up the other two. So it was dropping a few grand and future hours of painting on rendering or going down the garden centre to sample their different Clematis, Wisteria, Virginia Creeper and suchlike.
Our criteria was based on the following; it must be evergreen, non-venomous, not Ivy and must grow rapidly to at least 10 metres. We found a couple of half dead Clematis Armandii so got 2 for the price of one. The picture you see below is after one full years growth, it certainly is a rapid climber.
In next doors flowerbed is a massive and very mature Wisteria. I ascertained that rather than the view of my plain red bricked side wall they would prefer to see their Wisteria trained over the fence and up a couple of trellises. The picture below is the growth from April to October.
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Now the project is well under way I can be proud that I have achieved two things. Firstly, and by necessity, I have overcome my fear of ladders, or rather climbing ladders, and secondly, in years to come I could offer our estate agent of choice a picture that may initially sell the house.
I bought my house at what I reckon was a bargain price. This is just as well when you consider that the very week that we moved in was the same week that the Northern Rock collapse, the trigger that ushered in this age of economic woe, occurred.
And when I say a bargain price, I mean a good 25 or 30 grand cheaper than anything comparable in the area, and I think I know why.
It’s all very well being in the perfect location at the very end of a quiet Cul de Sac with enough space for 5 cars at the front and having a spacious 4 bed detached house with the potential to extend, but when it comes to selling you have to get people through the door.
If you imagine a picture of the front of a square red brick house with a red garage door and not a lot else then I believe you are conjuring up an image of urban banality, not the stuff that dreams are made of. This I believe was the vendors and their agents mistake as when we saw the details we didn’t think ‘wow, we’ve got to see that’ but more ‘we are in the area anyway so let’s cross it off our list of enquiries’.
Having made the trip we found everything we were looking for, it was perfect and, at that price, a bargain. Once we were in and the urgent stuff was done I then considered the front exterior of the house and looked around our pretty neighbourhood and noticed that none of the other properties suffered from the same look of domestic blandness and so considered why. All the other properties had at least one of three redeeming features, they were either constructed from a much more aesthetically pleasing grey brick, they were rendered of half rendered or they had a leafy covering of some climbing plant to soften their features.
It wasn’t the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. I was unwilling to demolish the property and start again with a different coloured brick and therefore weighed up the other two. So it was dropping a few grand and future hours of painting on rendering or going down the garden centre to sample their different Clematis, Wisteria, Virginia Creeper and suchlike.
Our criteria was based on the following; it must be evergreen, non-venomous, not Ivy and must grow rapidly to at least 10 metres. We found a couple of half dead Clematis Armandii so got 2 for the price of one. The picture you see below is after one full years growth, it certainly is a rapid climber.
In next doors flowerbed is a massive and very mature Wisteria. I ascertained that rather than the view of my plain red bricked side wall they would prefer to see their Wisteria trained over the fence and up a couple of trellises. The picture below is the growth from April to October.
.JPG)
Now the project is well under way I can be proud that I have achieved two things. Firstly, and by necessity, I have overcome my fear of ladders, or rather climbing ladders, and secondly, in years to come I could offer our estate agent of choice a picture that may initially sell the house.
Sunday 26 September 2010
Garden Plan 2010 Results
Back in February I set out a plan of all the improvements we wanted to do in our garden with the promise that I’d report back in September to let you know how I got on. Well I have the results and whilst 5 out of 9 is not good there is the addition of the BBQ Corner (see last blog) that might be taken into account so in reality the score should read a slightly less dismal 6 out of 10.
Here’s what happened
1) The redundant bit of land next to the summer house is no longer redundant. It is now a dumping ground and definitely not what we had in mind. Something for next year I think – nil point (French)
2) Three raspberry canes were planted. The first shoot that came through was mistaken for a stinging nettle and pulled out, then re-inserted in the earth with the mutterings of ‘why didn’t they say they looked like stinging nettles’. It didn’t grow very much and was soon overtaken by its neighbour however very oddly it remains the only one to actually bear any fruit. One of the others failed and the other is, as I said, tall but fruitless and we look forward to a better crop next year – one point (English)
3) There isn’t, wasn’t nor ever had been a clematis growing along the fence by the climbing frame – a very definite nil point.
4) The creosote was purchased along with the spray gun round about late March. Then it rained and by the time the sun came out, one of the fence panels had become so weakened by the children that live behind, in their efforts to communicate with ours, that our neighbour and us decided to replace all the panels for the strong feather edged variety - all fences are jointly owned where we live. The new ones were pre-treated giving me an easy but slightly expensive one point.
5) The 2 extra bits of wood delivered with the climbing frame have not evolved into a balance beam and remain as 2 bits of wood – nil point.
6) The sandpit has been assembled but is re-born as a ball pool as we already have a Hexagonal Sandpit – one point.
7) There can be no proof that power hosing took place as the shine has now gone so you’ll just have to take my word for it – one point.
8) Red cushions for the chairs and red throws for the summerhouse furniture were purchased as planned – one point.
Back in February I set out a plan of all the improvements we wanted to do in our garden with the promise that I’d report back in September to let you know how I got on. Well I have the results and whilst 5 out of 9 is not good there is the addition of the BBQ Corner (see last blog) that might be taken into account so in reality the score should read a slightly less dismal 6 out of 10.
Here’s what happened
1) The redundant bit of land next to the summer house is no longer redundant. It is now a dumping ground and definitely not what we had in mind. Something for next year I think – nil point (French)
2) Three raspberry canes were planted. The first shoot that came through was mistaken for a stinging nettle and pulled out, then re-inserted in the earth with the mutterings of ‘why didn’t they say they looked like stinging nettles’. It didn’t grow very much and was soon overtaken by its neighbour however very oddly it remains the only one to actually bear any fruit. One of the others failed and the other is, as I said, tall but fruitless and we look forward to a better crop next year – one point (English)
3) There isn’t, wasn’t nor ever had been a clematis growing along the fence by the climbing frame – a very definite nil point.
4) The creosote was purchased along with the spray gun round about late March. Then it rained and by the time the sun came out, one of the fence panels had become so weakened by the children that live behind, in their efforts to communicate with ours, that our neighbour and us decided to replace all the panels for the strong feather edged variety - all fences are jointly owned where we live. The new ones were pre-treated giving me an easy but slightly expensive one point.
5) The 2 extra bits of wood delivered with the climbing frame have not evolved into a balance beam and remain as 2 bits of wood – nil point.
6) The sandpit has been assembled but is re-born as a ball pool as we already have a Hexagonal Sandpit – one point.
7) There can be no proof that power hosing took place as the shine has now gone so you’ll just have to take my word for it – one point.
8) Red cushions for the chairs and red throws for the summerhouse furniture were purchased as planned – one point.
9) The garage door remains red, not a nice red but a light and sun-bleached red and desperately needs doing next year – nil point.
I hope next summer is better on the garden projects front, i'll be back with the Summer 2011 plan in February.
Monday 16 August 2010
BBQ Corner
I've always preferred using Charcoal BBQ's over gas. Probably something to do with the preparation time, the need to allow the coals to heat up properly permits me a guilt free glass of wine or two as there is nothing else I can be doing but watching carefully over the coals, ensuring safety and judging the perfect time to start cooking.
This year however I also set up one of our very own SilverSteel Stainless Steel Gas barbecues more because of the rotisserie function and also because for the England Algeria game (less said the better) we were catering for 22 people and I thought we could do with the extra cooking space.
Baring in mind we already have a small charcoal Tripod BBQ and a much larger Outback Charcoal BBQ the space needed for these and the the even bigger SilverSteel BBQ led to a bit of a problem.
By our garage, at the back of it, we had a pretty dysfunctional patio area that never gets the sun and leads to a concrete shed base that we use for herbs and vegetables. Along the left hand side of the said dysfunctional patio area was a log roll border with pebbles and an old disused stone frog water feature, or more accurately speaking, a waste of space. The right hand said of this bit of patio leads to the garden and the functional patio area. The allotted space for the massive SilverSteel was always in front of the log roll.
So to work and it only took an hour to get the pebbles and log roll up and smooth over the earth that was left behind. Another hour and a half or and we had the 6 white paving slabs and border gravel that we needed to make the area look nice. The SilverSteel is now 2 foot nearer the fence and because it is so high the left hand shelf of the Outback slots under the right hand shelf of the SilverSteel.
What we are left with is a BBQ corner with the benefit of charcoal and gas and I don't think we could have catered for 22 hungry people effectively unless we had both on the go because for all the virtues of charcoal the gas gave me instant searing and adjustable heat, so when at half time, and some were in need of a pick me up sausage but the coal started to fail, we had something to be happy about.
Monday 26 July 2010
5 Top Tips for Barbecuers
Nothing quite beats a good barbecue in the Summer. Whilst cooking on a barbecue is usually straightforward, the finer points of the event can make all the difference and ensure you'll become a top host in the eyes of your guests.
Make use of the five tips below to get the most from your barbecue this year:
- Flies can be a real nuisance at a barbecue. For a simple yet effective way to keep flies at bay, light Citronella candles and place them near to where you are eating. The smell acts as a natural fly and mosquito repellent, while filling the air with an attractive scent.
- The British summer is renowned for being unpredictable, so set up your barbecue and eating area accordingly. Have to hand windbreaks or umbrellas for windy days, and suitable lighting and heating for night time do's (or poor Summer days). Patio heaters are widely available, or go for something more attractive and natural such as a Chiminea.
- Try toasting on a barbecue, it's not as difficult as it sounds! Put on a few slices of bread only when the barbecue is giving off low heat. Place on top a few slices of tomato, cheese and onion for a tasty treat. Perfect as a light barbecue meal or vegetarian alternative.
- A must have accessory for your barbecue is a basic spray bottle filled with water. It's all too easy for a barbecue to get carried away when fat and grease begin to cook, so spraying small amounts of water can dampen the flames and prevent food from becoming unevenly cooked or burnt.
- Lastly, don't let your dad (typically the self-styled barbecue expert) do the cooking unless you enjoy your meat extra well done i.e. burnt to a crisp!
Photo credit, chew-the-fat.comFriday 25 June 2010
Some Fun Outdoor Activities
There's a never ending number of activities you can do with your kids outdoors to keep them happy. For those without nearby parks, the garden makes the perfect place to have fun, even in small gardens without a lot of space, you just need to make sure that the activity is enjoyable and interesting enough. A garden allows kids to appreciate the nature around them, enjoy the fresh air and have fun at the same time. Below we've listed just a few of the activities you could enjoy with your kids in the garden.
TREASURE HUNT WITH YOUR KIDS
Kids always love adventure. It follows that kids would love an adventure hunt out in the garden. Setting up a treasure hunt is easy and can be played with virtually any items, most kids will enjoy searching for sweets and chocolate most, but anything that interests them will do. Make sure to hide them well as kids are particularly good at finding things! Treasure hunt is best enjoyed with a group of kids, such as a birthday party.
GARDEN SANDPITS
Just about any child enjoys playing in the sand at the beach, but for many who live inland getting to the beach regularly may not be so easy. The answer to this problem is to bring the beach to your garden, or a small part of it at least. All you need to purchase is a sandpit, some sand and you're ready to go. Pick up a plastic bucket and spade and your kids will think they are at the seaside!
MAKE A DEN
Kids have vivid imaginations, and nothing comes close to stimulating them as much as an outdoors den. Throw a sheet over a table, between two chairs or similar and your kids have a cool place of their own to play, but do make sure that wherever you choose is safe. The fun is amplified when friends or siblings join in.
GIANT GARDEN GAMES
It may be hard to imagine for modern generations that games consoles were not always around to entertain, and that some fantastic, mega fun games can be played outdoors - no plug sockets required! Just take a look at the range of garden games available on our website, where you'll find classic garden board games, fun activities and much more. These games have been specially chosen to be fun for the whole family. Even without the kids they can still be a lot of fun!
PLAY HIDE AND SEEK
Last but not least is the classic game of hide and seek. No doubt this classic game has remained popular throughout many years as it's only requirement is having a handful of good places in which to hide - which just about anywhere will have. Some precautions need to be observed, such as making sure kids know the boundary limits and to not go near places where machinery or dangerous chemicals may be. Make sure that you keep harmful chemicals and equipment away from places where your children may possibly hide.
So there we have it, five of many fun activities that can be enjoyed outdoors with the kids and family. Hopefully these pointers have inspired you to do more with your outdoor space this year. We're sure you'll think of a few more fun ideas yourself! Have fun and enjoy the nice weather this Summer.
TREASURE HUNT WITH YOUR KIDS
Kids always love adventure. It follows that kids would love an adventure hunt out in the garden. Setting up a treasure hunt is easy and can be played with virtually any items, most kids will enjoy searching for sweets and chocolate most, but anything that interests them will do. Make sure to hide them well as kids are particularly good at finding things! Treasure hunt is best enjoyed with a group of kids, such as a birthday party.
GARDEN SANDPITS
Just about any child enjoys playing in the sand at the beach, but for many who live inland getting to the beach regularly may not be so easy. The answer to this problem is to bring the beach to your garden, or a small part of it at least. All you need to purchase is a sandpit, some sand and you're ready to go. Pick up a plastic bucket and spade and your kids will think they are at the seaside!
MAKE A DEN
Kids have vivid imaginations, and nothing comes close to stimulating them as much as an outdoors den. Throw a sheet over a table, between two chairs or similar and your kids have a cool place of their own to play, but do make sure that wherever you choose is safe. The fun is amplified when friends or siblings join in.
GIANT GARDEN GAMES
It may be hard to imagine for modern generations that games consoles were not always around to entertain, and that some fantastic, mega fun games can be played outdoors - no plug sockets required! Just take a look at the range of garden games available on our website, where you'll find classic garden board games, fun activities and much more. These games have been specially chosen to be fun for the whole family. Even without the kids they can still be a lot of fun!
PLAY HIDE AND SEEK
Last but not least is the classic game of hide and seek. No doubt this classic game has remained popular throughout many years as it's only requirement is having a handful of good places in which to hide - which just about anywhere will have. Some precautions need to be observed, such as making sure kids know the boundary limits and to not go near places where machinery or dangerous chemicals may be. Make sure that you keep harmful chemicals and equipment away from places where your children may possibly hide.
So there we have it, five of many fun activities that can be enjoyed outdoors with the kids and family. Hopefully these pointers have inspired you to do more with your outdoor space this year. We're sure you'll think of a few more fun ideas yourself! Have fun and enjoy the nice weather this Summer.
Thursday 20 May 2010
It's Time to Buy New Patio Furniture!
It's Time to Buy New Patio Furniture!
Warm weather is here. Do you know what that means? It is time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather in your fantastic backyard. Part of that enjoyment should include relaxing on your patio or deck. If you don't have any furniture to sit on, you need to go shopping. You need a website that not only sells furniture, but also sells grills, outdoor games, fire pits and basketball equipment.
You have a fantastic deck, but you need a grill and a place to sit and enjoy a meal out there. Visit the website where you can buy a grill and furniture, its one stop shopping. It is time for a beautiful table and 4 chairs so you can eat that burger sitting down. Styles are endless so buy what meets your needs.
Choose from propane or charcoal grills. Don’t forget the accessories, such as a brush to clean the grill or a three piece tool set. You need the right tools to cook outside, so why not get them at the same time?
Don’t buy cheap plastic tables and chairs when you can buy wood. Teak furniture is very beautiful. It holds up well in all types of elements. You can buy a teak table and 4 chairs, or other styles with 6 chairs. If you want to add some punches of color to the outdoor furniture, add some brightly colored cushions.
If you just want some lounge chairs for your deck, there are a few options. Get a sun lounger with wheels and you can move it anyplace in your yard. If you want to sit up and read a book, then the steamer chair would be a great addition.
Don’t forget outdoor lighting to add beauty to your outdoor spaces. Extend your time outside with solar powered lighting for your pathway or tabletop. Exterior lighting is decorative as well as a safety feature, you don’t want to trip and fall.
If you want the kids to burn off some energy, get them a trampoline from the same company. They will love it. You can buy something each member of your family will find useful, comfortable and beautiful.
Buy your outdoor furniture and other accessories from an established company that offers excellent products, along with friendly and helpful customer service. If a problem occurs with a product you purchase, we will gladly take care of it.
Tuesday 23 February 2010
The 2010 Summer Garden Plan
Like so many people I’ve had enough of Winter. Don’t get me wrong, I love snow & Christmas but we’ve done that now and the allure of the garden and sunshine and everything else that goes with it is now becoming ever increasingly appealing.
Every year, like many people, we try and make a few improvements to the garden and the outside of the house in general (see some of the other blog posts). Today we formulated our plan.
Give the garage door a re-painting of blue
A wooden sandpit, as it currently is
The perfect area to grow raspberries
Needs a hoseing down
Start a Clematis growing along the fencing
The fence could do with a treatment
Every year, like many people, we try and make a few improvements to the garden and the outside of the house in general (see some of the other blog posts). Today we formulated our plan.
- Get the redundant bit of land next to the summer house and behind the swing chair at least looking nice if not serving a purpose.
- Grow raspberries.
- Get a clematis going along the fence nearest the climbing frame.
- Treat all the visible fence panels as they are getting a bit ropey.
- Make a balance beam from the 2 extra bits of wood delivered with the climbing frame.
- Assemble the sand-pit that came with the climbing frame.
- Power-hose the patio & side passage.
- Get the summer house furniture and the teak chairs all matching with bright red cushion covers, maybe with a parasol for the table.
- Paint the garage door blue.
Give the garage door a re-painting of blue
A wooden sandpit, as it currently is
The perfect area to grow raspberries
Needs a hoseing down
Start a Clematis growing along the fencing
The fence could do with a treatmentFriday 8 January 2010
Frozen Parsnips Anyone?
There’s not much going on down in the garden at this time of year, everything has been battened down, the teak is in the summerhouse and the garage is full to bursting with garden toys and BBQ bits and loads of other stuff that we take for granted when our gardens are fully operational. Also, at the time of writing, the garden is frozen solid and we’re expecting a load of snow..
There is, however, one garden project that is ongoing, and is indeed being enhanced by the very cold weather we are having. It could be an attempt to enter the Guinness Book Of Records for the worlds largest snowman, but it’s not. It could be an experiment to see the effects of constant freezing and thawing on a whole range of garden furniture and toys, but it’s not. So what is it I can hear everyone exclaiming..
It is of course Adam’s Parsnip Project (does it sound familiar) and I’m very excited as by the time they’re ready for harvesting in March it is these re-occurring freeze and thaws that each time they happen will make the parsnips even tastier and are fully responsible for their unique sweet and nutty flavour. The rule here is the more times they freeze, the better the parsnip.
So even whilst the garden is a frozen wasteland of unused accessories that in the summer months I couldn’t live without, I still get a bit of pleasure venturing out to the garden on occasion and checking that all is well with the parsnips.
Have a look at Gardening Patch as further reading for all you parsnip enthusiasts out there.
There is, however, one garden project that is ongoing, and is indeed being enhanced by the very cold weather we are having. It could be an attempt to enter the Guinness Book Of Records for the worlds largest snowman, but it’s not. It could be an experiment to see the effects of constant freezing and thawing on a whole range of garden furniture and toys, but it’s not. So what is it I can hear everyone exclaiming..
It is of course Adam’s Parsnip Project (does it sound familiar) and I’m very excited as by the time they’re ready for harvesting in March it is these re-occurring freeze and thaws that each time they happen will make the parsnips even tastier and are fully responsible for their unique sweet and nutty flavour. The rule here is the more times they freeze, the better the parsnip.
So even whilst the garden is a frozen wasteland of unused accessories that in the summer months I couldn’t live without, I still get a bit of pleasure venturing out to the garden on occasion and checking that all is well with the parsnips.
Have a look at Gardening Patch as further reading for all you parsnip enthusiasts out there.
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