Price cuts on UK holidays

Due to the bad weather we Brits have been experiencing already this year many of us are craving holidays in the sun to get away from the traditional English weather and the British prices that come with UK holidays.

Because of this UK holiday resorts are making a desperate bid to stop British holiday makers from going abroad by cutting their prices by up to 50%.

Companies like Butlins and Pontins are launching ‘stay caution’ offering deals that have cut last year’s prices in half to encourage people to come and stay, along with cottages4you, for those who like a self-catering holiday in the UK are offering 20% off their prices.

British travel agent spokesmen said “Holidaymakers are looking for guaranteed sunshine.“Euro zone countries are also benefiting because the pound has risen against the euro by about 10 per cent since last year.”

 

Summer bookings in every country are up by 17 percent this year thanks to the English weather.

Modern Art Not So Modern – 41,000 Year Old Paintings Offer Clues to Neanderthal’s Artistry

Modern Art?

After a recent find of cave artwork found in Spain believing to date back as far as 41,000 years ago we can now see that our understanding of modern art is not all that different to what was considered to be art all those years ago.

41,000 Year Old

50 different wall paintings found in 11 caves in Spain have been analysed and is now believed to be 41,000 years old, ten thousand years older that what was originally perceived. The images found are the oldest cave paintings in Europe and the earliest accurately dated pieces in the world.

Most cave paintings found are of animals but not all of them in this case, it seems that the earliest forms of this type of artistry are actually similar to our form of modern art today.

The pictures are believed to be painted by Neanderthals but until further research is done it is hard to say.

Art is as they say very much in the eyes of the beholder. What one person my consider to be an exquisite masterpiece, others debunk as unworthy of the title.

                    

Things to look for when buying a used car

Buying a used car isn’t something many of us do that often and is something that has to be taken seriously, after all it is your hard earned money you are spending and cars aren’t cheap. Buying a used car or second hand car is very different to buying a brand new car from a main dealership; used cars hold a history that is impossible to know the complete story about. With this in mind, make sure you have yourself a check list when going to view your dream car and importantly make sure you have done your full research about that particular make and model and the history of the vehicle its self.

Once you have decided what car you would like to purchase and know it is the right for you, do your market research to get an understanding of how much this car will cost you for the age that it is and the number of miles it has done. Have your money ready so you do not end up spending more than you need to. The most important thing to do before you even make the phone call to the trader or owner of the vehicle you have found is to carry out a check on the vehicle. MyCarCheck App can be purchased on your mobile where you can enter the registration number of the vehicle and then check the History of the vehicle, Valuation, mileage and all the cars relevant information for a small cost. Or you can have a full HPI check done on the vehicle which is always worth paying for you’re really certain it is the right car for you at the right price. There is nothing worse than buying a vehicle that has been stolen or written off in the past and the selling did not make you aware of this.

If the car passes the test then make the appointment to view it. If you are asked to leave a deposit over the phone to hold the car before you arrive then do not do this. This is a very well known scam that believe it or not some people fall for. When looking at the car take note of how the salesmen or in most cases the owner of the vehicle is. Are they friendly and welcoming? Do they look at you in the eyes when talking to you? Any salesman who wants to make a quick sale and doesn’t have any respect for the vehicle or your money will want a quick sell and will be quick and short to respond to questions. If they are patient and willing to answer every question you have and not push you on time then this is a good sign.

Ask to see the paperwork of the vehicle. Be sure to do this before you even start looking around the car itself. You could fall in love with a car that has been falsely advertised. Make sure the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) matches what is on the car.

Now for looking around the car itself. Be sure that you have a friend with you with car knowledge and knowhow; taking a mechanic is always recommended. Having a second set of eyes and eyes to ask questions that you may have missed and to be a witness to what may be said or promised about the car is always a great thing to have. Their other job is to sit in the back and listen for any knocks or funny noises that you may not hear when out on the test drive.

Before looking inside the vehicle walk around the outside and look for the key points you should always look at first. Things like tyre ware. If the tyres are slightly worn, is it worn evenly around the wheel? If not this is a key sign that the tracking is not right on the vehicle indicating that it could have been in an accident or simply been miss driven. Take a glance at the break pad. Ask when the car was previously serviced and compare it with the wear of the break disks/pads. Next look at the check the doors all open and close smoothly and that seals are not damaged nor have any paint on them. Paint is a sign of repair or worse it has had a re spray. Look along the side of the car, can you see ripples or waves in the panels? Uneven gaps between two panels? How about dirt nibs in the paint itself? These points are key things to try and look for as this indicates that car has had repair work done for some reason that the salesman has neglected to tell you about.

Now look inside the car, a car that has done a lot of miles is bound to have worn patches and sags on the seats and the carpets. Take a good look at the upholstery, can you see stains or cigarette burns? These kinds of things can be useful when bargaining down the price. Have a look at the windscreen, any chips or cracks? Now look at all electrical items, CD player, windows, Mirrors, heating, AC, seats if they are electric. Make sure it all works and that you fully understand what everything does before going on the test drive.

Now start the engine once you are happy with the interior. Do all of the lights bar the handbrake light go out when you start it up? This is what you want to happen. Check the exhaust is not blowing and is not smoking. Before pulling away always reverse first and make sure it does into gear without being forced. Now check wipers including windscreen washer and lights and working. Get your friend to have a look around the car. Take the car for a good 15-20 minute drive until it is hot. Listen for any rattles, creaks in the suspension and check other necessary things like does the steering wheel have any play or if the car pulls off in a certain direction when you carefully let go of the wheel. Keep testing the brakes, you should not need to force the pedal or for it to travel very far to the floor and firmly pressed.

When you finish your test drive, check under the bonnet for any leaks from the radiator or for any oil anywhere. The oil cap and dip stick should have clean oil with no mayonnaise looking gunk anywhere. Check this while the engine is cold too.

Don’t be afraid to haggle on the price and most importantly don’t be rushed on your decision. Remember all the salesman cares about is your money not friendship. Don’t be afraid to say you’ll go away and think about it. At this point the salesman might just budge on price if you have tried to haggle. And if he doesn’t and you have concerns then it isn’t that car for you. Always trust your gut instincts.

A Hedgehog is your Gardens best friend

Are you forever trying to beat the slugs to your lettuces each year? Perhaps you’re fed up of littering your flower beds in slug pellets and sprinkling gravel around your pots? There is a solution to this and it does not need to cost you money, you are doing something for the wildlife around you and the certain pest controller is very lovely to see. Have you guessed it yet? It is the Hedgehog.

Hedgehogs make great pest controllers and can cure your garden slug and snail problem in just three months and can consume up to 200 grams a night of other insects and bugs that damage plants. So if you play your part to keep them happy, they will keep you happy.

So what is the first thing to do to encourage a hedgehog into your garden? I am afraid the key thing to attracting a hedgehog is a wild and untidy garden, leave leaves littered around your garden or in a heap in a quiet corner, leaves and moss are a key nest building materials for a hedgehog. Another great idea is to leave a few logs stacked in your log pile, providing you have one of coarse, hedgehogs love to hide and nest under or near wood. If you have the space let your hedge rows grow wild with a few brambles, hedgehogs get their name for a reason.

The next point is an obvious one, because without these your hedgehog will not be able to get into your garden to perform his duties. Leave hols under the fence, wall and garden gates to allow you hedgehog to easily enter and exit.

Give your Hedgehogs tasty treats to help fatten them up for winter. Dog and Cat food whether it is wet or dry, this is the most popular snack to feed a hedgehog along with fresh water available. Just like you and I, a hedgehog thoroughly enjoys bits of cake and biscuits along with cooked vegetables and fresh or dried fruits.

To prevent harm from your small friends, make escape routes from deep water, although they love fresh water and a good swim, hedgehogs have small legs and need assistance getting out of ponds if they happen to go in. Make sure your fruit and vegetable nets aren’t too low to the ground too.

Armed with these few facts you should find yourself having your friendly and harmless pest controllers moving in to your garden in no time.

Dulux Trade Durable Flat Matt paint

Delux have launched new Dulux trade durable flat matt paint range allowing decorating professionals to offer their customers a highly durable flat matt finish with over 14,000 shades to choose from.

Designed to provide greater resilience and opacity, Dulux’s new durable flat matt paint is replacing the company’s current flat matt product and is guaranteed to cover up to 17m2 per litre and meets class 1 of the durability in performance test.

The water based formula is to be used on interior walls and ceilings and will be rolled across stores throughout 2012.

Trade paint is the natural choice of professional decorators, not just because of the lower cost, but because it is widely considered to be better quality paint, requiring less coats to achieve a high quality finish. Many commercial decorators believe that retail paint is not the same quality. As is often the way, customers sometimes want to provide their own paint having chosen the colour, and just want a professional to use it for them.

This can present problems for the decorator who prefers to use a specific make of paint because they know the quality of the product as well as the results it will give them. A weaker, thinner paint will need more coats, and therefore take longer to apply, costing the decorator time and money.

We asked a local Bedford painter and decorator, Stewart Masters of www.bospainting.co.uk for his advice and he said “When we are given paint to use by a client, it normally takes us up yo 50% longer to finish the job because household paints are inferior to the commercial paint products available to the trade.”

It seems the moral of the story is to listen to your contractor and let them source the materials for you. Their experience will save you money and give you a better end result.

UK car sales jumped 7.9%

Figures of car sales show by the SMMT Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, that 162.288 new cars were sold in the month of May. This is a 7.9% increase compared to last May.

The big rise is largely due to the percent increase of people selling their cars privately. This has risen by 14.3%. The notable growth in car sales overall is in the demand for more fuel efficient and economic vehicle such as the hybrid and electric cars.

Construction award given for a restored lead mine

A lead mine in County Durum has been given an award for construction excellence.

Funded under an environmental stewardship agreement between Natural England and the land owners, Malcolm and James Nattrass, the Low Slit Mine situated near Westgate, Weardale was presented a North East’s Heritage award after the Mine was placed on the Heritage at risk list and has now finally been restored by a skilled team.

All of the original features in the Lead Mine have been preserved like the Ore washing floor, this is where the women and children would pick out the heavy lead ore to separate it from the lighter waste minerals. The base for an Armstrong hydraulic engine which was used for the mine shaft, and a row of bouseteams, this is where the lead that was brought out by the minors was stored.

Natural England’s North of England regional manager, Robert Burnett said “An important example of the industrial heritage of the North Pennines and the rare plants that have subsequently colonised the site have been saved from further deterioration as a result of this work.”

Millendreath Holiday Park being demolished

The 1950’s holiday park in Cornwall which has been derelict for ten years now, has finally been demolished to make way for the £50 million residential and leisure complex which is expected to take five years to build.

Espalier developments, plan to build world class holiday homes and has said 75 jobs will be made in the five year construction project and 30 permanent jobs once the site is completed in five years.

Managing director Rick Gibbs there is a “tinge of nostalgia for memories of childhood holidays in this once thriving resort”. But he also added that “We are now looking forward to bringing a new life to the valley.”

Ford announce the price for their new Focus ST

The new 2012 Ford Focus ST has now had a price tag attached costing £21,995.

The new 247brp hot hatch will cost the above price while its ST Estate model will cost £23,095 to purchase from new. As of June 1^st orders are being taken for the purchase of these stunning new Fords with Dealers expected to receive them by September 2012.

Compared to Volkswagen, who have bumped up the price of their VW Golf GTI in the recent year, to £25,330 despite having a 207 bhp engine. It seems that Ford might come out on top with their new model with UK Ford enthusiasts itching to get their hands on the wheel.

Between 2002 and 2010 Ford sold 35,000 of their previous ST models and is expected to do just as well as the vehicle will be available to purchase globally.

So what can be expected from the new Focus ST?

Tuned to produce 247brp with its 2.0 litre ecoboost engine, the ST has lost its 5^th cylinder which the previous Volvo- sourced ST engine had meaning emissions and economy will improve by a staggering fifth with 169g/km of CO2 and 39.2mg.

The UK ST model will come equipped with Bluetooth, Keyless start, Recaro seats, DAB radio and 18 inch alloys as standard.

Jaguar wins an award

After owning the key ownership award for 11 years running, Jaguar have stolen Toyota’s title becoming the UK’s number one car maker.

A Which? Study that is in partnership with JD Power has shown that Jaguar owners are really satisfied with their jaguars.

The study was measured by customers satisfaction with the car and they the service they receive from the dealers.  All customers were asked on their opinions towards the cost of their vehicles, reliability, quality and vehicle appeal brining Jaguar out on top.

 

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land rover UK’s Managing director said that this new title will be “another tool in our armoury” He also told BBC news that “Things like this have a long burn life” and that “it rests in customers minds when it comes to making purchasing decisions”

PayPal has hit high street fashion stores

Paypal On The High Street

PayPal has released its new mobile payment app today allowing shoppers to pay for items on their smartphones instead of reaching for their purses.

Aurora Fashion, owner of leading women’s fashion stores Oasis, Karen Millen, Coast and Warehouse has been the first company to put the new payment process in place in all of their 230 nationwide stores.

This is only available in these women’s stores at the moment so unless you fancy treating your partners then all men will have to be patient and wait until it reaches your favourite stores.

The process is very simple to use. You simply download the PayPal shopping app on your smart phone, enter a unique pin, find your favourite items of clothing when in store, try them on and if you wish to buy it you find a member of staff carrying an iPad and get them to scan the item you wish to buy then scan the barcode that appears on your mobile phone screen.

Once you have finished browsing you head to the check out where the cashier will scan your phone screen and pop your items in a bag. No need for your purse or for a receipt to be printed. It is genius.

Many of you think this is a great idea and will reduce queues and shopping time because you will no longer need to rummage through your hand bags to find your card.

Need to integrate Paypal into your business? Find out more here

**Update 2016**

Paypal usage has grown massively and is fast becoming the accepted online payment standard for traditional high street brands as well as for all the ‘new comer’ web stores.

With online security being such a huge issue for so many people, confidence is an important factor that will often make the difference between making a sale and losing out. Many otherwise eager online shoppers often cite security issues as a reason for not buying online. The more that can be done to keep customers safe, the more sales you will make.

eCommerce payment standards are easy to meet as a retailer if you use Paypal for eCommerce transactions.

Artwork donated to the Tate

The Tate has been very lucky to be given a collection of popular and valuable paintings from a British couple who share a love for British artwork.

 The collection of paintings that include art by David Hockney, Lucian Freud and Jacob Epstein have been presented to the Tate by Mercedes and Ian Stoutzker a couple with a passion for British art work and now live in Austria.

It was only last year when the generous couple donated £500.000 for a new concert hall at the Royal Welsh Collage and was named after his mother.

Sir Nicolas Serota, Director of the Tate said “Gifts and bequests from major collectors are the foundation of the national collection”. “The Stoutzkers have added exemplary individual paintings by two generations of British artists and have greatly enriched the national collection of art after 1960”.

 

 

 

Time Capsule found by builders

Two builders working on an 18th century cottage in Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire found a time capsule in the wall cavity that dates back to 1953.

11 copies of the Daily Mirror reporting the Queen’s coronation, a coronation souvenir guide, a copy of the radio times and a coach ticked to London were found between two pieces of cardboard in the wall cavity by 27 year old Tom Butler and 50 Year old David Handscombe local demolition builders.

It is believed that the capsule was left there when the former pub was being restored by 59 years ago builder, Lawrence Gilson. Inside the package was also a leaflet detailing how the cottage was originally built as pub n 1750 and then later restored into a cottage in 1953.

Toms father Colin aged 51 who also works for Butler Brothers Demolition Contractors said “We only came across it by luck because of the way we’ve taken the cottage apart bit by bit so we can reclaim the bricks and other items”. “It was amazing to read all the old news in the newspapers. One was even dates May 23, the day that we discovered it”.

So for all builders who may be reading this, when restoring old properties be sure to look out for similar historical facts that tell a story everybody will be pleased to hear.

Green motoring causing £13 billion hole

With people being encouraged to go green when it comes to motoring with more incentives being offered to purchase fuel efficient and greener vehicles, it seems that while this will be helping our planet and keeping carbon emission levels down, it will eventually burn what is expected to be a £13 billion hole in the UK’s public finances.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found that while we carry on purchasing electric or more fuel efficient vehicles that allow us to have tax breaks and spend less on fuel it seems that this will have a large effect on government income.

Commissioned by the RAC Foundation, IFS research suggests that fuel duty which is collected by the exchequer would fall by 1.7 per cent of GDP to 1.1 per cent of GDP 2029, while vehicle excise duty will be down to 0.1 per cent from 0.4 per cent. Meaning a £13 billion loss in revenue.

This may come as a surprise, or maybe not, that while the government put the price down on running greener cars but put the price of fuel at the pumps up, they are expected to face a drought in motoring income tax if they don’t start clawing back their money from somewhere.

It seems to avoid falling into this £13 billion hole, fuel prices are going to have to be pushed up once again if tax prices on some cars are to stay down.

 

Electric vans are the future

Nissan team up with British Gas to create and test new electric van.

Nissan chose British Gas the large energy supply company to test their new e-nv200 electric van over these previous few weeks. The result of the trial was a success with British Gas’s general manager, Colin Marriott promising to switch 10 percent of the companies 14,000 vans to electric ones in the next three years.

 

Selected members of staff from British gas were chosen to drive the new e-nv200 to and from work, load the vehicle to its full weight capacity and travel the country performing their normal day to day work duties until they had clocked 1,200 miles in their electric vans.

With the price of fuel just continuing to rise, Marriott says that his drivers reported to be happy to charge their vans rather than spending money on diesel. British Gas says they will be buying OEM vehicles not conversions and hope that other large companies with fleets will follow in their footsteps.

Silversmith crafts badge for Queens Jubilee

26 year old Miriam Hanid a Silversmith has been commissioned to craft a silver badge that will be mounted on a hunting stick and presented to the queen for her diamond jubilee.

“I didn’t originally know who my commission was for, so it was a great surprise when I was told it was for the Queen,” Said Miriam. “I wanted every detail to be absolutely perfect”.

The engraving she has so finely created for the queens jubilee is of pheasants flying over a river bed of reeds and rushes and will be proudly mounted on a hand crafted hunting stick which has a Rams horn placed on the end. Miriam hopes the Queen will use the walking stick when out on her hunting trips in Scotland.

Miriam’s great Grandfather, Walid Mohamed made a silver-mounted ostrich egg teapot and an ivory gong and striker for the queen back in 1952 to mark her visit to Kenya. With this in mind Miriam says “It felt really special to be following in my great-grandfather’s footsteps”.

Miriam graduated from Farnham’s University for the creative arts in 2007 and since then regularly gives master classes to students from (UCA) in Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester.

Armoured vehicles sore in fear of terror attack

Heads of state and wealthy business men in the UK are forking out up to £60,000 to customize their vehicles to make them bomb proof ahead of the Olympic Games.

Mark Burton, chief executive and president of Armormax, car modification company says, ‘’ The UK one of our two fastest growing markets, alongside South Africa. There has been a huge increase in interest and I would say it is around 200 per cent in the last year and a half. This is a trend that has been going on for a number of years here, probably since the bombings in 2005 occurred’’.

These modified vehicles are said to be able to withstand any terrorist attacks like bombs and rockets but you wouldn’t be able to notice the difference if one was to drive past you.

The UK based operation is in Ipswich, Suffolk with a work force of 12 people. Since they opened in 1993 they have enhanced and built up to 8,000 vehicles, including 40 heads of state’s cars and the Popemobile.

It’s a great idea and I’m sure many people would love to see an armoured range rover but isn’t this all a bit extreme?

Richard Branson with you ‘in spirit’

Sir Richard Branson creates ice cubes for all first class passengers enabling them to enjoy a drink with him when flying with Virgin Atlantic.

Just picture it. You are on a long flight to your desired destination perhaps on business and enjoying a love chilled G+T. You take a sip and see Richards face grinning right back at you. Many are not sure about this and find it rather funny watching him melt in the bottoms of their glasses while others seem to enjoy the experience and are grateful to have Sir Richard Branson’s head in their drink.

 

 

Richards intentions are so he can travel with his passengers ‘in spirit’ whilst allow customers to experience what it is like to enjoy a drink with a billionaire entrepreneur. It took 6 skilled designers to come up with the overall result using laser scanning and photographic technology to create the moulds.

 

Skinny is out for Vogue

Vogue and its 19 editors made a stand and hope to make a massive change to the modelling industry all around the world.

Early last month it was announced by fashion giant Vogue that they will no longer be using any models under the age of 16 anymore, and that skinny is no longer in fashion and will not use petite women with suspected eating disorders anymore.

Vogue say “not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder,” and continued to say they will perform ID checks to every young model at photo shoots and fashion shows.

Dedicated to improve the working standards for young models, Sara Ziff key founder of The Model Alliance was discovered at the age of 14 and knows her stuff when it comes to working in the modelling industry and the pressures of trying to be the best all of the time. She is persuading the whole modelling industry to make a change and follow her as vogue try and make a lasting impression. Sara continues by saying “Most editions of Vogue regularly hire models who are minors, so for Vogue to commit to no longer using models under the age of 16 marks an evolution in the industry,” she also says . “We hope other magazines and fashion brands will follow Vogue’s impressive lead”.

After two models died in 2006-2007 due to suspected eating disorders it’s about time something was done and it’s great to see such a massive icon be the first to make what hopefully will be a success.

Run your car for less

With the price of car maintenance and services going up and British wages going down, maintaining your car can cost you a lot to look after so knowing what you can do yourself at home with a few hints and tips, looking after your car then means your car will look after you.

• Making sure you keep your windscreen wash tank full and with the right fluid is important. Do not try and use your windscreen wash when the tank is almost empty as you can damage the washer pump.
• Touch up and stone chips as soon as possible, if left the rain and cold is sure to create rust. Rust is alive, it grows like a fungus. It just keeps growing and growing.
• When cleaning your car, remove your car mats from the foot wells, pressure wash them and leave them to dry on the line. Doing this will blast out any grit and mud that is lodged in your mats because eventually if let, holes begin to form.
• Buy Petrol from reputable petrol stations that you can trust. Some petrol stations do not use the correct filtering system to filter there fuel so sometimes it is a good idea to enquire about it, dirty petrol is bad petrol.
• Sometimes it is a good idea not to stop at a petrol station while the fuel tanker lorry is there. When the lorry arrives to fill up the large underground tanks it stirs up and dirt that may have got into the tank, so when you start pumping your car full of fuel you’re just putting that dirt straight into your car. To drive onto the next station or come back the next morning is always a good way of avoiding this.
• Wash your car in the winter as well as the summer. Many people do not bother cleaning their cars in the winter because it will just be mucky again the next day. That is true and it is irritating but the longer you leave your car dirty the more of an effect you are having on its paint work. Ice, snow, rain and general road dirt equals rust.
• Keep your tyres fully inflated to their necessary limit which you can find in your handbook, under inflated tyres equals damaged tyres cost you more money to have to change them more regularly.
• Though out the winter occasional turn your AC in order to keep the generator healthy and preventing it from seizing when you do need it.

 

Trading Standards catch cowboy tradesmen

After a six month sting which was set up by Trading Standards officers in order to catch rogue cowboy builders and tradesmen from electricians, plumbers, washing machine service men to Ariel technicians, the outcome was brilliant with 10 out of 44 tradesmen involved facing criminal prosecution and another 5 advised to receive advice or retraining.

This six month trap was set up a run by a Trading Standard officer who took on the role of playing the homeowner and interacted with the tradesmen while his colleagues sat back and observed the goings on in the property from a hi-tech control room.

The normal every day mid terraced property was fitted up with hidden cameras observing the traders every move and recording all their dodgy handy work. And it worked. The footage that was recorded captured one man testing for a gas leaks using a cigarette lighter, another man falsely claimed to be CORGI registered while another was caught urinating in a water tank.

1 in 4 tradesmen strung out the job as long as possible to get paid more and it was these men who seemed to perform the most dangerous standard of work. Perfect example of this was a boiler engineer that took him 5 hours to complete a small easy job and then charged 4 times the amount on top.

Peter Denard, Trading Standards Officer, said that “If you didn’t have the film evidence, you wouldn’t actually believe what you were seeing,” I am sure many people would love to see the footage just to see what kinds of things you should look out for when getting in the so called ‘professionals’.

DIY tips this bank holiday

It seems it will be a very popular year this year for UK home-owners to spend their bank holidays touching up on their decorating skills and performing a little DIY with their time off work.

To many people decorating a room in your home is a very simple task and can be done rather quickly, but does it always turn out the way you had hoped or do you find yourself sat at home and your eye just keeps taking your attention to something may have missed? Maybe something you could have done a bit better?

With the basic know how and a few tips along the way means that you can decorate your home properly and manage to clean down your paintbrushes stress free ready for next time.

Simple things like washing your brushes in warm water rather than hot will stop the paint from becoming lumpy and gooey around the bristles and will actually wash off without damaging yet another paint brush.

When cutting in around the edge of a wall or door frame be sure to poor what paint you will need into another container, there are a few reasons for this, one being most important is that you do not want to contaminate your paint by dipping a brush that may have dirt on back into the tin, next reason is if you were to knock your tin over you haven’t just wasted yourself a full tin of paint, which may I add, paint isn’t cheap.  And last but no means least when you leave the lid off a tin of paint it starts to go off like it would on the wall you are applying it to and may become gooey or crumbly around the edges, so take what you need and put the lid back on.

Using an old brush with split ends is always a good trick, this makes for a soft brush if cleaned properly after each time of being used. Leaving you smooth and clean lines which a brand new paint brush may not give you.

Always allow the correct time advised on the back of the tin between each coat. If this is not done before each coat you are sure to smudge the layer underneath and will leave an uneven finish.

If painting onto a strong previous colour it is always a great idea to just take a bit of time to paint a light colour like white or magnolia on before you apply your desired colour. This will give the boldness your colour will need.

Bank Holiday Decorating

According to HSBC this year’s bank holidays will see more UK homeowners staying at home, saving money and catching up on the DIY and decorating around their homes.

Decorating your home to many people can seem a doddle but to many, when you get up close your lovely front door or living room wallpapering probably hasn’t turned out as well as it could have, with bubbles and drips in the paint, obvious brush marks and sags in the wallpaper, Homebase, leading home and garden store have trained their members of staff to a ‘T’ by sending them to DIY courses to brush up on their own skills enabling them to give the best customer service and advice when it comes to helping customers make the right choice in home decoration equipment.

So if you’re one of many who will be giving your home a makeover this bank holiday, pop into your nearest Homebase store and ask one of their professionally trained members of staff for help.

The professionals choice of paint is available here:

Range Rover Evoque Convertible

After we all got excited about Victoria Beckham’s version of the new Range Rover Evoque convertible, it seems that already that is old news when Land Rover’s design and engineering department played around to create an Evoque soft top convertible, which was seen on display at the Geneva Motor show in March and was a great hit.

But unfortunately this was just simply Land Rover testing their skills of design and is not available for anyone to buy.

ATOL Flight Protection Is Set To Begin

 Air Travel Organisers Licensing, ATOL, announces new scheme which is set to protect on average 6 million holiday makers when faced with unexpected problems with their flights whilst taking their summer holidays.

When already purchasing a package holiday or all inclusive holiday where all travel, accommodation and food cost are paid as one, you are already covered if something was to happen to your airline after purchasing your holiday or even worse while you are abroad. What it does is simply protects you if the flight company was to go bust. When this happens you either lose your money or even worse you are away on holiday and cannot fly back home again.

This is a very stressful thing when it happens and now ATOL have made it law that normal holiday packages are now protected too in the event of refund needed by introducing a new licence where holiday makers booking a breakaway you will be sent a certificate to say you are covered in the event of this happening.

The certificates will be put in place by October 2012.

Victoria Beckham’s Designer Evoque

Victoria Beckham turns her attention from Clothes to Cars as she designs her own Range Rover Evoque.

The former singer come fashion designer turns all of her time and attention into designing what would be the perfect car for hubby and professional footballer David Beckham. After taking notes on her husband’s likes and dislikes when it come to cars, Victoria kept all of this in mind along with her own wish list to suit hers and her family’s needs when teaming up with Land Rover to design her limited edition Evoque.

The limited edition VB Land Rover shows off its 20” Black alloy wheels, 2.0 Si4 Petrol engine with top speeds of 135 mph reaching 0-60 in 7.1 seconds. Gloss black detailing to trims contrasts well with the unique and first for Land Rover, Hand finished mat paint. Mohair floor mats and micro suede roof liner. Hand finished leather seats, door inserts, arm rests and console lid. Interior rose-gold plated accents.

Not only do you get all of these key features with this limited edition 4×4 your get a set of Victoria Beckham bespoke fitted and matching hand luggage.

Victoria and Daughter Harper were seen shopping in Beijing after the unveiling of the new Evoque at the Beijing motor show. I wonder if a special designer baby seat is available for the new Land Rover.

There are 200 available to buy but at a hefty price tag of £80.000 if you do wish to get your hands on one.

Shopping to Shwopping with M&S

Marks and Spencer and Oxfam join forces with Joanna Lumley to launch new recycling scheme for unwanted clothing putting a stop the number of unwanted clothing ending up in our UK landfill sites.

The new way to shop with M&S is now to be known as shwopping when Joanna Lumley took to Brick Lane, East London last Thursday and decorated the street and its buildings with old unwanted items of clothing to advertise new campaign for M&S.

Lumley promises that this new system of buying something new and swapping it for something old will make a huge difference for those living in poverty and will change lives. As well as the thousands of items of clothing that end up in our landfills M&S are keen to recycle an item of clothing with every item they sell with the help of leading charity Oxfam. This being 350 million items each year. Joanna pleads with the nation in her statement of…

‘We’re asking people to open their hearts, their minds and their wardrobes. Remember we used to just throw away plastic bottles. Now we recycle them without even thinking about it. We need to do the same with clothing. Bring in something old; buy something new. Swap and shop. It’s that simple.’

So next time you find yourself tossing that old summer top a side or even just an unwanted scarf that your granny knitted for you, why not do something good and pop into your nearest Marks and Spencer store and simply buy something new and swap it for your something old.

How to water your garden with a hose pipe ban in place

How to water your garden with a hose pipe ban in place

With the current Hose pipe ban that is affecting twenty million people in England, using your hose pipe during this time of drought can cost you a massive £1000.00 in fines if caught. Despite the amount of heavy rainfall we have received in the past two weeks, according to Defra (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs) and the Met office whether News this ban isnt going to be lifted any time soon.

While it is reassuring that us Brits take pride in our country and take notice of unfortunate events such as this, too many keen gardeners it has been somewhat of an inconvenience and would be happy to hear of a solution of getting around this problem without committing an offence.

Well we are in luck, there is a solution and it is called a ‘Micro Irrigation System’ or a ‘Automatic Watering Kit’ which is fitted between your tap and the hose pipe controlling how much water comes out and a timer allowing you to use the legal amount of water required each day. It is very simple to set and up allows you to water your pots, beds, trees and lawns.

The legislation that has been clearly notified to every house hold in the affected counties clearly states that, “Plants may be watered on domestic or other non-commercial premises using a fixed drip or trickle irrigation watering system, connected to a metered water supply, which is fitted with a pressure reducing valve and a timer and which places water drip by drip directly onto the soil surface or beneath the soil surface, without any surface run off or dispersion of water through the air using a jet or mist.”

And this is exactly what a Micro Irrigation System does, you simply connect your timer and flow monitor to the tap and your hose pipe then goes on to this which then you have another connection for the end of your hose pipe where you connect a number of smaller pipes which you simple pop into the ground alongside desired plant and water will be automatically fed into the soil on a timer. Clever Huh?

But where can you buy them you may ask yourself? There are many online stores where you can purchase the Micro Irrigation kits one of them being the popular Amazon site who sell all the essential parts to get you going but be aware that you do have to buy each part separately, so make sure you have each required part. There are other sites such as easywatering.co.uk and garden4less.co.uk where you can buy the full kit for a reasonable price.