Saturday 31 January 2009

Make Provisions for Recycling in the Home

Make Provisions for Recycling in the HomeIt can never be stated enough when it comes to recycling things at home. The majority of us have no real control over recycling in the business and commercial world, but we do in our own homes. There are many things you can do that will not only make a difference to the environment, but make you feel good inside as well. It may even save you money, which is another bonus.

Why not try making space next to your bin for a recycling container. It is if handy and close it will be used, this will work if you just get it organised.

Sometimes your local authority will give some sort of recycling scheme which is brought to your doorstep; make the most of it. Find out where your nearest recycling centre or information about local collection schemes that are running. This may save you a trip to dispose of your recyclable collections and save you time, petrol costs. At the same time give the council a good reason to continue this scheme or expand it with more users coming in and using it.

Make Provisions for Recycling in the HomeThe majority of bottles and cans should be segregated and stored then put in the recycling bins that can be found in many public places now. Make it part of your routine to take these with you if you know you are passing them. 99% of people shop at supermarkets daily, weekly or monthly, they all have recycling facilities. If you don't go, ask someone, perhaps a neighbour who does and get them involved!

Glass jars are thrown away by most people, they come in all shapes and sizes from spice jars to coffee jars. If you rinse them with the left over washing up water and leave to dry for a day of so on the drainer you can recycle them with all your other glass. Don't try and waste time and energy by removing the labels,the recycling process will take care of that.

Make Provisions for Recycling in the HomeThe bathroom is one of the most neglected areas of recycling. Shampoo and shower gel bottles are often just binned without thought. If you simply rinse out the empty bottles whilst you're in the shower you will also save on water and get the last drop out of the bottle - a double saver! A recycling bin can be put in your bathroom to collect the bottles. Makea point of saving all those cardboard tubes from inside of toilet rolls and add this to your paper and cardboard collection for recycling.

Friday 30 January 2009

DIY Spark Plug Change - It's Easy!

DIY Spark Plug Change - It's Easy!If you own a car and want to save some money on servicing, then one of the easiest things to do is change the spark plugs yourself. It's easy not too messy and garages will sting you for something that anyone can do.

As Well as anything else your spark plugs are vital to your engine running and performance. The spark plugs should be checked regularly along with oil and water levels, tyre pressures, including the spare and lights and horn. It is so easy to check and replace spark plugs here's a simple guide that you can follow. You can't go wrong.

You need the engine to be cool before you start, the last thing you want is to burn yourself. There will be a spark plug lead the is covering the spark plug. You need to pull each on off, a slight twisting action will help with this. Only take one spark plug lead off at a time, this will make sure that the right lead goes on the right plug when you put them back.

You need to loosen and remove the spark plug with a spark plug wrench in an anti-clockwise rotation. Then clean the recess with a dry cloth if it is dirty. Remove the spark plug and dispose of sensible. I tend to keep a couple as spares if their condition isn't too bad.

DIY Spark Plug Change - It's Easy!The new spark plugs should be screwed in by hand and then finished off being tightened the spark plug wrench. Do not tighten too much. Half a turn after tightening by hand should do it. You can now pop back on the spark plug lead and go on to the next spark plug. It's as easy as that!

Think how much you would have saved on garage fees, the more efficient your car will run and the satisfaction of knowing that the job has been done well.

Thursday 29 January 2009

Home Made Bamboo Plants - Easy and Rewarding

Home Made Bamboo Plants - Easy and RewardingBamboo is so useful for so many things, it's food for Pandas, supports tomato plants, can be made intot a fishing rod, is a great house plant and there has even been a bicycle made out of it to name a few. It is also the fastest growing plant in the world. The bamboo as a present has been a popular choice over the last few years. Many are sold in shops in the high street, but surprisingly very little worth buying online. Making your own home made Bamboo plant is very easy and rewarding.

You will have happiness, prosperity and fortune for as long as you have a bamboo plant in your house according to the Chinese. Even if you don't believe that, it is a lovely ornamental plant to have around.

Home Made Bamboo Plants - Easy and RewardingThe bamboo you use as an indoor plant grow much slower than other bamboo that grows wild outside, this is due to the root system being constricted in a little area in the container.

You can make you own bamboo indoor plant very easily if you have access to a bamboo plant you can take cutting off to propagate.

There is no compost, fertiliser or other material needed other than water and stones. The method is to place the bamboo cane in a container and cover the roots with pebbles, stones or sand. Fill with water until and you have a ready made bamboo plant that needs very little maintenance.

Home Made Bamboo Plants - Easy and RewardingYou need to change the water once a week and that's it! You can train the bamboo into different shapes by bending and holding new soft growth bends with pipe cleaners.

So, right now you can save yourself a fortune, get your place looking better, add good karma to your home and lastly, but not least, have the satisfaction of having done something yourself rather than falling again to a consumer society that we are being forced to live every day of our lives.

Wednesday 28 January 2009

Mold Prevention - The Acts of Destuction

Mold Prevention - The Acts of DestuctionRight now is a prime time for mold to infest your home. The extended cold and damp weather during winter is a perfect breeding ground for these harmful bacteria. What's more it is not only horrible sight, but this is bad for the health of you and your family. Spores released by molds get into your eyes and nose to cause allergies giving irritation, congestion and headaches. You should act right now to prevent this.

As with most things, prevention is better than the cure and with regular checks in places that are know to have a build up of mold the problem will be eliminated. Every few weeks go to these places and give them a wipe with disinfectant; this doesn't just apply to winter, but all seasons. If you do this, mold will not seek a home there and this is the main way you can prevent it happening.

There is a routine you can take which will help you get this problem solved. Check every room in your home. Then go in cabinets and drawers and check out whether there is mold there already or damp patches, which will lead to mold. You can use a torch to illuminate dark places, which are mold's favourite hide outs..

Look at material that will hold moisture for example leather items. these again will be the first to attract mold. Jackets handbags, footwear tucked in a cupboard need to be checked out.

Mold Prevention - The Acts of DestuctionBleach is the destructor of mold. Armed with a solution of bleach in a spray gun and a cloth to wipe afterwards you will be a ‘moldbuster.’ You need to clean the area first with damp cloth spray with bleach and wipe off. One word of warning though, don’t use this system on your leather materials, just use a damp cloth for these and dry them out before returning them to their home.

Once the areas are bleached a wiped you can use a hairdryer to finish off the drying before closing areas off. In small areas such as cabinet and drawers, use bags of silica gel, which you will find in many white goods packaging. You may also buy these from good hardware stores otherwise.

Mold Prevention - The Acts of DestuctionWith all this in place yo should have a mold free environment and your health will be so much better. It doesn't take much to solve the problem. Many people just don't bother and suffer the consequences and in the long-term redecoration, replacement of furniture and poor health is the result.

Tuesday 27 January 2009

The Grossology Exhibit - The Best Education Medium for Kids

As a primary schoolteacher, education is always on the forefront of my mind. So when I come across an opportunity that give an ideal learning foundation done in a multi-sensory way I get excited. It is the thought of children attending and interacting on this science platform and coming out with something that they probably would never learn at home or at school. The tip is quite simply to get uyour children to the exhibit if you can. The learning curve is intense.

The Grossology Exhibit - Orlando Science Center is sponsored by the Arnold Palmer Hospital. It is an upbeat, bright, colourful and very much hands-on exhibit giving a great insight into matters of health and biology.

It is based upon the book called Grossology by Silvia Branei where the humorous and messy business of how our bodies work is shown. Having sold over 350,000 books worldwide, the exhibit has taken on the same name 'Grossology'. This is the second Grossology exhibition for the Orlando Science Centre, the first was held in 2006 with an animal theme.

There are many activities including puzzles, games, rock wall and a 30-foot long slide that replicates a digestive system in three-dimensional fashion. Then there is Nigel Nose-it-all who gives the run down of noses, sneezes and various allergies that we get.

If you have ever read the book you see that things have come tom life from it. Kids love this kind of stuff and it will seem like a holiday for them and learn at the same time. They will have an unfair advantage in biology science when they get back to school after visiting this exhibition.

In my experience as a teacher in the UK, this would have been definitely planned as a venue for a school trip. For schools in the Orlando area, they can count themselves very lucky to have such a resource to draw upon for young learners. There is no reason why you can’t attend from other areas if you can get transport there.

Wherever you are based, it is well worth a visit, but get your skates on as the exhibition open from 31st January 2009.

Grossology


Post?slot_id=31188&url=http%3a%2f%2fsocialspark

Monday 26 January 2009

Massaging - There Are Many Forms

Massaging - There Are Many FormsIf you have ever had a massage, either from your partner of from a professional masseur, you will know how good it feels. However, it is not just a case of pulling and pushing muscles to get you totally relaxed, there are other benefits alongside such as stress reduction, improved blood circulation and the release of endorphins. You may be interested to know that there are many forms of massage....

There is the Swedish Massage therapy, probably the best known. The method uses circular, kneading and long strokes on muscles with oil or lotion. The Deep Tissue Massage is specific massage being used to work in deeper layers of connective tissues and muscles. This is focused on severely tighten muscles an used as a remedy for injury recovery or reoccurring strains. The receiver of this type of massage could well remain sore from the treatment for several days after.

Massaging - There Are Many FormsThe Hot Stone Massage is another form. This uses warm stones on certain parts of the body to get an equilibrium of energy centres and also loosens and warms muscles that show stress and tightness. Then there is the Aromatherapy massage. This uses oils in in conjunction with the with massage. The oils used is chosen on individuals' needs to each individual person. An emotional element is attached to this form of massage essentially relating to a specific physical condition.

Massaging - There Are Many FormsFinally, there is the Shiatsu Massage. This is a Japanese type massage that embraces finger sequencing placed on meridian points of the body. Not to dissimilar to acupuncture, which improves the energy flow and balance the body.

Massage treatment is grossly underestimated for its effectiveness on the mind and body. You don't need to see a specialist to be treated. If you have a partner or friend, massaging each other will give some of the benefits. Of course you can delve deeper into different massaging techniques by researching further. The rewards from this will be well worth it.

Thursday 22 January 2009

Make Great Soup Every Time - Tips Given

Make Great Soup Every Time - Tips GivenIt's winter right now and what a great winter warmer soups are. Home made soups are the best, no doubt about it, but how do you make a great soup on a tight budget, we all want to save money as well of course. It's easy if you follow some simple rules.
  • Most people know this tip, if you didn't you do now. Add raw potatoes to a soup that is too salty. Simmer for around 20 minutes and the saltiness will have reduced. You also get a great potato meal as the flavours are absorbed, a bonus if ever there was one.
  • If you saute your vegetable ingredients before adding to the main cooking they will taste ten times better.
  • You don't have to boil your soup for too long, some soups don't even need to reach boiling point. Try to use just enough boiling for the ingredients to cook properly and turn the heat off. You'll have a better tasting soup, a better looking soup and on top of that save energy as well.
  • How many time have you burn your soup? A great saver is to pour the unburnt portion of the soup into another saucepan, add a little curry powder or mustard and reheat. The curry or mustard will disguise the burnt flavour, and of course add to the meal warming you up during the winter evening.
  • If your soup is too runny, there is a good way to thicken it, whilst still stirring, add some instant mashed potato, this won't affect the flavour of the soup too much. You can use gravy granules depending on whether you don't mind the gravy flavours being added.
  • If your soup lack flavour and body, just a a canned soup to your own, no one will know and it will make the difference between being good and great.
  • Leftovers make great soups, cooked pasta, meat or vegetables. Whether raw or cooked they can be pureed and turned into wonderful soups.
  • Finally, if you get the chance and have enough ingredients, make big batches of soup and freeze the portion you don't use. If you make up lots of little portions you can have a whole season of soup you can just defrost and heat quickly and efficiently.
Make Great Soup Every Time - Tips GivenThere are thousands of soup recipes that you can take up, but most soups don't need much to make them special meals on a cold evening. Perfect as an aid for dieting as well. Good luck with you soup making efforts, yo now can't go wrong.

Friday 16 January 2009

Travelling Abroad On Business? - Some Useful Advice

Traveling Abroad On Business? - Some Useful AdviceMany people have to travel as part of their job or business. This is a necessary practice, but can be a strain and can affect your health and working efficiency. There are ways to combat this and relieve some of the stress involved in the line of business travel.

Tell everyone you leave behind you won’t be bringing them back any presents, if friends expect presents to be brought back, then perhaps they don’t deserve them. It is a business trip after all, you are working it's not a holiday and you can explain that.to them. Think of yourself for a change and your leisure time should be spent relaxing not shopping for presents to bring back all the time. If you do shop, just shopping for your most loved ones.

The last thing you want is to look tired after arriving at your destination and meeting potential business clients. If you take with you eye masks and earplugs you will get that much needed sleep en route without being disturbed or distracted. I find that wax earplugs are the best, you can find these in sports shops in the swimming section. These are really worth the little money they cost for the peace and quiet to sleep through. A blow-up pillow is also a very useful item to take with you and takes up very little space in your hand luggage, or even in your jacket pocket.

Traveling Abroad On Business? - Some Useful AdviceThere are many reasons for a flight being delayed. This means that you will be waiting hour upon hour in the plane for whatever reason. Your body needs a regular source of food to keep you at your peak and most airlines food is basically no more than a chemical based snack. If you have a supply of good healthy food as a backup this will see you through well. A healthy cereal bar and a couple of pieces of fruit will make the different between you feeling good or feeling drained at the end of the day.

When you are staying in a hotel the alarms and wake-up calls just can't be relied upon. Before you set off have your own alarm system with you. It can be a small travel clock, a cheap digital watch with an alarm setting or even a stopwatch. If you have a pager check out the alarm system on that and get familiar with it. The last thing you want is to rush and forget things because third party alarm system fails you.

Traveling Abroad On Business? - Some Useful AdviceCarrying too much luggage is a burden and not always necessary on business trips. A good tip is to dress up in you business outfit if you have a meeting straight after arriving. Amongf other things it acts an insurance in case you luggage is lost - this has happened thousands of times, to thousands of people don't think you are excluded; just don't take the risk. Pack the least amount of clothes and shoes you think you can survive on. This way you will also save on tips having to be giving with help with you luggage from porters.

A very simple bit of advice is to take mainly dark clothing for the simple reason that unlike light coloured clothes they don't show up stains, wrinkles are disguised and drak clothing is always fashionable both in leisure and business.

Clothing includes footwear. The question is how many shoes do you need to take? The answer, two pairs, one for business one for casual. You will always be wearing one pair, so you only need pack one set. Don’t bother with slippers; just take a thick pair of socks to wear in hotels instead.

Traveling Abroad On Business? - Some Useful AdviceCommunication is important and a good tip is to send faxes back home to communicate if you are in a different time zone. Not only that a fax is cheaper than you think it is definitely cheaper and more practical than calling by telephone at an unearthly time. It also adds a personal touch if you send it handwritten. In fact, this is quite romantic nowadays to send handwritten messages through the fax medium. If you leave the hotel fax number with friends and family they can contact you. Email is the other unromantic option you can normally set up an email account for nothing for your children and send them lots of massages and attachments. Pack a digital camera, and send digital photographs of you destination – it’s free don’t forget.

I hope these tips give your trip a much easier time and will improve your overall experience.

Thursday 15 January 2009

Transform Your Home WIth A Cheap Quality Rug

Transform Your Home WIth A Cheap Quality RugRugs last for many years in fact a lifetime and are surely one of the most valued treasures in your home. It makes the difference between a cold home and a warm home transforming the environment into something special for you your family and guests. A home with lovely rugs actually increases the value of you house and could make the difference between getting a buyer or not.

So if it is a rug you're after, here's a good tip for buying rugs, find the best quality at the lowest price, how can this be achieved? Read on.....

A rug shouldn't just be for Christmas it should be for life. It should be an integral part and character the home. A home certainly feels much more comfortable and warm with a rug than without. Homes without rugs and carpets are generally, cold environments.

Back to the original question, the best for less. A company exists which has a massive range of rugs, this quality synthetic and affordable rugs silk rugs, traditional and contemporary wool rugs. Sizes of area rugs available range from 4 x 6 to a 13 x 16 with most colour combinations you can think of. There is bound to be a rug that suits your home here.

Transform Your Home WIth A Cheap Quality RugHigh quality area rugs have been sold from this company for over 20 years and is considered the best in the field of rug products. With staff that are highly trained and choice you can make with an a online presence, the rooms in your house can be completely transformed.

Why should you buy from Superior Rugs? After all, there are many other companies and businesses around selling rugs, what sets them apart from the rest? In this day an age, money is tight, there is a world recession and the spending is being done much more carefully nowadays. So the first reason you should use this company is that there is no middle man selling the rugs, they come straight out off the warehouse factory from source. This will save you lots of money. Quality comes into the second reason, needless to say the quality of the rugs that are in stock are second to none. The other reason you are well advised to choose Superior Rugs is the great service they provide for customers. The is not just during the sale but the after sales service that remains with you, including the guarantees that come with all rugs purchased.

If you are not too sure what rug is for your home, there is a comprehensive guide you can visit online to help you pick the right one. Also advice is available by telephone by their staff or in person at their offices.

Transform Your Home WIth A Cheap Quality RugSuperior Rugs have a rug collection of the day which gives information including a history, the processing details and other facts you will find quite enlightening about the said rug featured.

Lastly, and to reassure you, Superior Rugs is not a minnow in terms of business, they are part of the Superior Importers Company. This is one of the largest manufacturers of Oriental and Persian rugs including large exports on a worldwide scale. A lifetime of use should be in store once you have bought and laid your rug in your transformed home.

The best tip if you are wanting to buy a quality cheap rug, is to check this company out. After all, why pay more for rugs that are not up to the standard of Superior Rugs and many that don't come with a guarantee?

Screw and Bolt Tips For The DIYer

Screw and Bolt Tips For The DIYer Screws are a great invention; they secure things ten times better than nails and don't need any impact to insert. However there are quite a few tips you may need to know on how to deal with screws. Now not being a DIY expert myself I have looked up ways of solving some of the problems you have when using screws.
  • Quite often we want to get a screw out and it has rusted up. If you soak it overnight with some lemon juice by wrapping a lemon juice soak tissue, this will make it much easier to remove.
  • If a screw is stuck no problem here's a great trick to sort it out. Assuming the screw head is above the surface use a small hacksaw blade to cut a new groove
  • You know those little bags of silica gel crystals you find in many electrical products packaging? Save them and put it in you screw boxes. Apparently it will keep them shiny.
  • Another tip for rusty screws came up trying to remove it. Try using a soldering iron to heat the head of the screw. The heat will expand the metal and loosen the rust.Screw and Bolt Tips For The DIYer
  • Coca-Cola has a phosphoric acid content, which eats rust. So when you have a rusted screw dip it in some coke overnight and the rust will be gone.
  • Yet another interesting, but successful tip for rusty bolts is the use of good old Tabasco sauce. Just squirt a small dose on the screw and make yourself a cup of tea. After which there shouldn't be any problem unscrewing it.
Finally, a very useful tip for the storing screws using a jam jar with a metal screw top. Simply drill a hole in the top of the lid and screw it to the underside of a shelf of table. You now have a place to put the jar and its contents, what a space saver this is.

Tuesday 13 January 2009

Toilet Paper - Good Environmental Practise

Toilet Paper - Good Environmental PractiseThere are so many things we can to with toilet rolls to help reduce the negative effect on the environment. Many poeple just aren't aware of how to achieve this, hopefully this will help somewhat. Toilet paper is a favourite subject of mine. Toilet Paper - Good Environmental PractiseThe reasons are that there is a slight amount of humour attached to it and secondly, almost everyone in modern society use them as part of their daily lives, it household item that most can't do without. As I have said before, there are so many uses of toilet paper, but in the main it is just thrown away and no more thought is given about it. There are however many green ways to use your toilet paper that may give reason to practise.

  • Go for toilet paper that isn't individually wrapped. If we all did this, it would make a big different to the amount of plastic wasted and manufacturers would mo longer produce them as there would be no demand.
  • Please recycle your old toilet paper tubes, they can quite easily go alongside other cardboard and newspaper recycling.
  • If you tear the toilet paper from the top instead of under it actually saves a few squares every time the toilet paper is used.
  • Scented toilet papers? Bad, very bad! It is purely a marketing strategy to get customers to buy their brand of toilet paper over a non-scented brands. There are extra chemicals used to produce this scent, which is totally unnecessary.
  • Recycled toilet paper is the greenest way. It is used for a dirty job so why use toilet paper that comes straight from freshly cut trees. Any paper made from recycled material is best for the environment.
  • Bleached with chlorine reacts with paper to produce dioxins. Use unbleached toilet paper and you will be doing us all a favour.
  • Here's a useful one - Half the amount of toilet paper you use by switching to one-ply toilet rolls.
  • Toilet Paper - Good Environmental PractiseBuy toilet rolls that have more squares per roll. The roll will go further and again save on packaging waste. If you can afford it, bulk buy toilet paper, it is cheaper and saves a great deal of packaging waste.

Toilet Paper - Good Environmental PractiseFinally, and this doesn't apply to all, but toilet paper can be used very effectively for fire starter, either wood burners or garden bonfires. This avoids the need for flushing toilet paper down the toilet, which isn't good for drainage systems or the environment. Store the toilet paper in bucket lined with a very thin plastic bag. Store the filled and tied bags in a shed or garage then use as a fire starters for the wood burner/bonfires.

Monday 12 January 2009

Great Shoebox Idea Made From Egg Boxes

I thought this was a great idea and great tips although I haven't seen these types of egg boxes in Bulgaria, I sure there are in other countries. Having just taken jogging up again I wish they did have them here. Anyway, shoeboxes from eggboxes, just seem to be made for each other looking at this. I guess you can paint ti as well to enhance the shoebox. Great to store as well as by the looks you can stack these as well.

Make and enjoy, but don't forget to use your trainers if that is what you are going to store in them. It's a great way to keep fit after Christmas and New Year celebrations, but you don't need that as an excuse to jog.


Shoebox is 100% Recycled. But Wait, There's More...
shoebox packaging photo

Here is a neat demonstration of good packaging design. You take the crappy coarse 100% recycled pulp that egg cartons are made of and you mould it around the shape of shoes so that you still have packaging to protect the shoes, but because it is the shape of the shoes rather than the shape of the box. Like an egg carton, the moulding adds strength so you can probably stack them pretty high.

clipped from www.treehugger.com

Thursday 8 January 2009

Community Garden Grants On Offer

LogoGardens bring so much pleasure to so many people especially public or community gardens that are shared and appreciated by so many people. But sometimes it is difficult to keep these gardens spic and span; keeping on top of weeds, maintaining lawns, trees and shrubs and replanting new stock when needed, not to mentions ornament an garden apparatus. All this takes time and money that is not always there.

Many people, including myself love gardens, but countless people don't have one and have to rely on public and community gardens. So with this in mind, it is heart warming when someone does something or makes a gesture supporting public or community gardens. Fiskars Project Orange Thumb is a community gardening grant program and was created to do just this and is totally committed to funding public and community gardens to encourage, share and inspire creative expression within the local garden environment.

Think of what $1500 of gardening tools plus $800 of gardening related equipment could do to a community garden in your area. This is now being offered twenty time over from Fisker Project Orange Thumb to US and Canada based projects and four individual grants of $1000 gardening tools plus up to $1000 of gardening equipment to Australian based project.

The grant, which will give substantial funds is open to many groups that have community based garden or garden projects that are intended to add to the neighbourhood beautification. If you are a gardening group that you feel it is worthy of the grant such as a school, youth group, part of a community centre or club and and are based in the USA Canada or Australia, then this may well be just for you.

Only group applications are considered and you should be reminded that this is not a sweep stake or contest, but a grant based purely on merit. However, this will only be considered through a simple application that needs to be completed. (Click on the link above.) If you know of any group that may qualify to benefit from this, tell them about it. Tell your family and friends about it, they may know of a good cause where they are based.

Don't forget Fisker Project Orange Thumb is not just about enhancing existing projects but starting one up, so if there is a need in your area get an application in. Anyone who is interested in starting or maintaining an existing garden in their community is eligible to apply. You application needs to be sent in before the 17th February 2009, which is the deadline for submissions by electronic mail.

Spring is here soon, so get yout thinking caps on and your applications in, your project may well get the boost it needs to get off the ground.

Wednesday 7 January 2009

Cheese on Toast - The Best Food in the UK

I was a great fan of Brian Turner and respect his cooking advice totally. So when I came up against his advice on cheese on toast, I wondered how the best food in the UK could become better. Well look and try his advice on this one - I did and am still buzzing.
Turner’s Ultimate Cheese On Toast

Brian Turner CBE

Celebrity chef and restaurateur Brian Turner CBE has revealed his ultimate cheese on toast.

The chef, a regular on programmes such as Ready Steady Cook and Saturday Kitchen, laid out a comprehensive list of recipes in time for National Cheese On Toast Day, last month.

Included in this, is his favourite concoction, a mixture of piccalilli, horseradish and mild cheese, but Brian emphasises that the sour dough bread, rather than a normal loaf should be used and that the slices should be toasted on one side first before the toppings are spread out.

The mixture of chopped piccalilli provides the perfect taste and texture with a kick from the horseradish that makes this recipe one of Brian’s top tips.

This and other recipes can be found at www.cathedralcity.co.uk

Source http://www.tandoorimagazine.com/

Monday 5 January 2009

Yoga - Where Do You Begin?

Yoga - Where Do You Begin?Yoga is something that has been around for as long as I can remember. It is something that has never really gone out of fashion, so why take it up? Many claim it will change your life and help bring balance to your body, spirit, and mind. Well, with claims like that is no wonder that many want to get started. But where do you begin?

The Internet is probably the best place to start. There are hundreds of sites on yoga, many offering excellent advice on yoga for beginners all for free.

Chat rooms, online forums and chat lines are also a great help for beginners who may meet other people asking the same questions as you. Also the Internet is also a great place to purchase yoga equipment. It is often much cheaper than high street stores and of course no hassle with crowds of shoppers or travelling miles to specialist stores. You will probably need a yoga mat and a yoga ball to start out with and later on further resources such as blankets, slings and blocks to assist with different yoga postures.

Books are another excellent resource to draw upon as a beginner, again use online bookstores to buy. There several good books about yoga specifically targeted to helping beginners get started with their yoga. If you are very keen you may want to buy your books, but why not pop down to your local library to borrow initially before buying. They will probably have a few DVDs that guide you through the initial postures and steps of yoga. Then is you like them you can then buy them.

A good book will give lots of diagrams and pictures giving you easily understood written descriptions of different postures. Good books can also give advice on meditation and breathing techniques.

Yoga - Where Do You Begin?There is a limit to the Internet bookstores they only go so far. If you really want to learn the yoga for real you should join classes. There are Yoga centre all around the country, there is bound to be one near you. Check out your local phone directory or local sports centre that should have details of Yoga clubs locally. You might also ask your local GP or hospital as yoga classes is often offered as part of their medical care.

There aren't many things that relax you and give you the benefits of mental therapy as yoga, which is why it has and continues to be as popular as it ever was.

Friday 2 January 2009

Replacing Buttons - Pretty Easy Really

Replacing Buttons - Pretty Easy ReallyEveryone loses buttons off garments or fashion accessories, without granny there to sew it back on for you what do you do? Here are a few tips on how to replace the button.

Lay a pin across the top of the button before you start sewing the button on. Once the button has been secured and you’ve completed the job, remove the pin and you will have a button that has a little give.

If you are faced with a a 4-hole button, just work with two holes initially. Once finished cut the thread and then sew the other two holes.

If there is a lot of strain on a garment you can reinforce it by placing a small piece of material formed into a square and put it underneath the button and on top of the garment. This then can be sewn beneath the button to the garment. The square of material should be smaller than the button therefore not be seen as the button should completely hide it. This also helps reinforce the button.

You can seal the threads on the button by painting some nail varnish (clear or opaque) to the top of the threads of the button. This can also be applied to the threads inside the garment. As an alternative, waterproof glue can be used instead.

If you have trouble finding a match of button for your garment as you can paint a button to the required colour if you can find one that is roughly the same size and shape. Use an epoxy type paint when doing this, as this works best.

You can use a variety of material such as dental floss, carpet thread, embroidery floss or fishing line as thread for sewing on buttons garments. These alternative materials are often much better as garments often go through rough treatment. They are a much stronger than ordinary thread and in addition will last much longer.

Sew a button on is quite simple if you give yourself time to do it. Also bear in mind that the simplest sewing kit is just as good as the most expensive!


http://site4truelove.com

Shop Safely

Install Shopping Advisor

http://site4truelove.com

Followers

My Other Blogs

As Featured On Ezine Articles