Category: Features

When the mercury soars, some gardeners enjoy the peace and calm of a cool, shady haven. Yes, we can all crouch under the sun umbrella, but it’s just not very pretty, is it? And I’m afraid I don’t go for canvas gazebos either, even if they are practical, what with all those metal poles and… Continue reading Find solace in summer shade

1. If your home has a painted exterior, it won’t stay looking good forever because the weather will take its toll. The easiest way to give the exterior a new look is to paint it a different colour, using a high-quality masonry paint. Even if you’re happy with the existing colour, repainting it can work… Continue reading 5 tips for an exterior makeover

In homes across the country, families will be preparing for the next big milestone – moving up to secondary school. It can be an exciting – and nerve-racking – time for everyone, mainly for children, but also for parents, as they stand by and watch their little ones head off on the first day in… Continue reading Smoothing the path to 'big school'

John Whaite felt restless about his latest cookery book. Since winning the third series of The Great British Bake Off, the 27-year-old has published two books – Perfect Plates being his third – regularly whizzed up meals for Lorraine Kelly on her ITV morning show and founded a cookery school.

It’s a well-known fact that eating a Mediterranean diet has numerous health benefits. But according to new research, it’s also more likely to help weight loss than a low-fat diet. A study by the University of Barcelona revealed an unrestricted-calorie Mediterranean diet, high in olive oil, led to participants losing a small amount of weight… Continue reading Eat like you're on holiday – Mediterranean diet

Before you know it, the summer holidays will be coming to an end and kids have to get ready to go back to school. One way that parents can soften the blow is to distract them with some cool new school gadgets to give them a positive outlook on heading back to the classroom.

Cloud control – Hozelock Cloud Controller including hub This new automatic watering system allows you to water your garden through an easy-to-use App, whether you’re at work or on holiday, via your smartphone. It uses a low-power, long-range radio signal to connect to the internet while the free App eliminates any need for complex timer… Continue reading Six of the best: Garden gizmos

As Baz Luhrmann told us in his 1999 song, Sunscreen: “Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.” Some two million people around the world have surgery called knee arthoscopy every year to heal meniscal tears, damage to the crescent-shaped cartilage that cushions the knee joint.

1. Our brain produces less of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin when our eyes are exposed to light, so having a dark bedroom at night could increase your chances of sleep. Fitting blackout curtains and/or blinds is a good way to achieve this and is usually a straightforward DIY job. However, light flairs around the edges… Continue reading 5 tips for a restful bedroom