In a previous post on this discussion forum I described my laundry bin...a 30L cardboard barrel which I lined with an old shower curtain and decorated still reigns supreme on the lid of my top loder, Nobody knows what it is and its a never ending source of admiration from an artistic angle. Lacking floor space the only option was to sit it up there or out on the veranda.It works as a cat toy too. It has, however, acquired some vents in the lid since some of my art shirts are often a bit oily and I learnt that some oils tend to self combist in enclosed spaces and can be the cause of house fires. Sometimes hiding things in plain sight is a good option. With Tribbletrouble45142k7Trek...Your baskets sound pretty...why hide such nice functional souvenits!

I'd go for a giant mirror above the sofa, open that space right up and throw some light around the place. You don't have to go for an expensive option either, I found mine at a salvage yard for $30 and repainted the frame with a sample pot of paint! Jenn

Pretty much all the advice we were going to suggest has already been given - this is why we love Houzz so much! A full 'Houzz' of top notch advice :) The only thing we would say, in addition to good soil and planting with the seasons, is to keep on top of the weeds and make sure you're planting the right herbs/edible plants where the sun is right. Weed mats are a great option, and others swear buy mulch/grass clippings too! We have some garden items that may help - like trellis', frost covers, mulch mats, etc. Check out the garden solutions range here. Also, here's a short post about the benefits of having shade in the garden. We're excited to see how your garden goes! Please share progress shots with us!

And in the storms last week, we had a 24 hour blackout!! I'm with wuff - just how simple is simple. I think there is quite a bit of difference between labour saving devices and technology now. Labour saving devices became more and more essential as our lives got busier, women were freed from the drudgery of housework and given encouragement and the freedom to grow, seek out careers and a life outside the home. In many ways, I feel technology is putting us back in our homes and not encouraging us to explore the outside world. We are letting too much technology take over our lives and we are not interacting with people like we did in the old days. The other disadvantage with technology is its continual need to be updated and upgraded which can not only be expensive but also requires constant learning. Take TVs for example - in the olden days you bought a set plugged it in and that was it, now they have to be specially installed and set up and for the average person to know how to do this and understand it is not easy. Older people are being disadvantaged by all this technology too, they were not raised with it like the young ones today so it is constant learning, even learning a whole new language, and quite frankly there comes a time in life when head space just reaches saturation point.