Showing posts with label year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label year. Show all posts
Shedworkers save more than £1 000 a year on travel treats
Shedworkers save more than £1 000 a year on travel treats
New research from American Express reveals that the average commuter spends more than £1,000 a year on treats for their journey to and from work. Drinks are the most popular purchase with commuters spending £16.93 a month on tea, coffee, juice and energy drinks. Snacks such as crisps, chocolate and fruit, are the second favourite (£16.49), followed by breakfast on the way to work (£13.44). Spending on newspapers and magazines (£12.83), books and ebooks (£12), music (£11.83) and apps and games (£11.48) are also on the shopping list to help make the trip into work less appalling.
The main reasons given by the 3,000 adults polled in the survey for indulging in a daily treat are a ‘stressful day at the office’ (29%) and ‘ to cheer me up’ (22%).
The research also reveals that spending habits vary significantly, with Londoners spending more than £1,900 a year on treats, closely followed by those in Birmingham (£1,758). Brighton’s commuters are the least likely to part with their cash for treats, spending £600 a year. ----------------------------------------------------
Shedworkers save more than £1 000 a year on travel treats
Beach Hut of the Year
Beach Hut of the Year
Retired teacher Pam Norris has been awarded first prize in the national beach hut competition organised by insurance company Love Your Hut. She won £500 to spend at Cath Kidston, plus a bespoke winners plaque. Pams beach hut is named His Roses in memory of her late husband Vic.
Mr Norris was the former head of drama at the West Hatch High School in Chigwell and a wellknown charity fundraiser. At their last family Christmas celebrations, he wrote a song for his three daughters - Vikki, Carli and Sophia - called Roses in my Garden. It was this song that inspired the His Roses name for their winning hut.
Mrs Norris from Colchester said: "I was just so thrilled. I never win anything. It was just lovely, and bittersweet really. We love that hut. It is such a peaceful, lovely place. To everyone else it’s just a hut but to us it’s a beautiful sanctuary. It exudes peace and warmth."
At the ceremony were daughters Vikki Myers and Sophia Norris (in pink dress) and Love Your Huts Matthew Briggs who chaired the panel of judges (which included me).
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Beach Hut of the Year
Shed of the Year 2015 Inshriach Distillery
Shed of the Year 2015 Inshriach Distillery
Arguably, this years Shed of the Year is a garden office. The Inshriach Distillery in the Scottish Highlands Inshriach Distillery, once a hen house, now a farm shop, bar, general nice place to relax in, and of course, a gin distillery. Lots more information and photos at shedblog.--------------------------------------------------------------------
-Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office specialists. Click here for more details.
Shed of the Year 2015 Inshriach Distillery
National Beach Hut Competition Love Your Hut of the Year
National Beach Hut Competition Love Your Hut of the Year
The lucky winner of ‘Love Your Hut of the Year’, which claims to be Britain’s biggest national beach hut competition, can win a £500 shopping spree at Cath Kidston to lavish on their hut.
The owner of the hut crowned as the Best in Britain will be awarded £500 to spend exclusively at Cath Kidston (either in-store or online) or, if they like their hut just the way it is, a rather decadent ‘ultimate’ picnic hamper and four-person dining set. Picnic hampers will also be awarded to the second and third placed huts, and all winners will get a bespoke, weatherproof plaque to proudly show off to their neighbours.
‘Love Your Hut of the Year’ launched back in April and the team at Love Your Hut, beach hut and garden office insurance specialist, emphasise that the ‘best’ hut might not be the biggest, most expensive or lavish, it’s what it means to the owner that counts. For example, there’s often a strong emotional attachment, with some huts staying in the same family for several generations.
Owners are invited to enter their hut or chalet in the competition, submitting at least one picture and a few words, exclusively via www.loveyourhut.co.uk. Submissions can be viewed on a dedicated Instagram page: @loveyourhutoftheyear. The competition is open until midnight 21August, with the winners being announced the following week.
Pictured above is Bertie on Mersea Island, Essex, owned by Jayne Eyers. "When I first saw Bertie he looked very unloved and sad amongst all the other brightly coloured huts on Mersea beach, being one of the oldest huts, now 60 years old," she said. "So I decided to buy him and rescue him. He is now a very much loved little hideaway, cosy, handsome and stands out from the crowd. Many a family can now visit him with his character and warmth as he is now part of The Little Beach Hut Company and feels he has been given a new lease of life for all to enjoy. A happy ending for Bertie."
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-Monday posts are sponsored by garden2office, the Swedish garden office specialists. Click here for more details.
National Beach Hut Competition Love Your Hut of the Year
A year in the life of a garden office supplier
A year in the life of a garden office supplier
Richard Grace of the long-established Garden Structures has taken a wander through the projects hes worked on throughout 2015 on his blog which makes for very interesting reading. As well as the art studio for the head of design and creator of Liberty prints pictured above, the list features a client who knows exactly what he wants, a building to help grow a childcare business, a therapy studio for a chiropracter, and a garden office for somebody who buys horse blood. Well worth a read.
A year in the life of a garden office supplier
New Year
New Year
No fancy clothes, no stress, plenty of fresh air, relaxed people and two salmon on our hooks. That was how we rounded off 2014 and welcomed 2015. Loved it!
Hope you all had a wonderful evening and we wish you a successful new year.
New Year
Island Bed Year Two
Island Bed Year Two
Last year I decided that the south side of my yard around the house was a problem area. No matter how much water I poured on this spot, it never looked as good as the grass around it. So I thought I would add a small island bed to this part of my yard. See THIS post. I used hose to outline it and after a week of playing with the shape I outlined it with marking paint an begged my husband to till it up for me. I removed all the sod pieces and started adding compost. Lots of compost. I then added rocks to the border, weed cloth and bark mulch.
Then, because I can never wait to do things at the appropriate time, I started planting it. I found that a lot of mail order catalog companies also sell on Ebay under a different name for a lot less. A lot less. I also found that lots of people with big gardens also will sell their divisions on Ebay for pennies on the dollar. I started ordering and planting in the heat of the summer. I figured that if I could get 75% of it to come back this year I was golden.
I would say Mission Accomplished. I think I lost a few things. A Honeycomb Butterfly Bush, which blooms yellow and I am sorry about that. A rose bush and a few others. I planted so many things I will have to consult my planting map to be sure of what did not make it. I had put all the hoses away in the fall and then it dried out long before it ever got wet again, I am pretty sure most of the casualties were my fault. I just know I have some holes where there is nothing and I will plant these from seed. I planted more shrubby type things in the middle of the bed and tried to graduate the sizes to the edges all the way around. As soon as the rain lets up for a minute I will head out and edge this bed with the technique you all suggested. I have already done this to several other beds and it looks very nice. Wish I had known this sooner. Live and learn!
Island Bed Year Two