Estate Agents In York

Saturday, October 31, 2020

As the season turns, it’s time to prune and feed the soil

Winter brings with it a new to-do list in the garden

So here we are: November, the month for pruning and soil care. Time now to clear any nets from fruit cages but to keep them over brassicas to continue to deter marauding pigeons. We’ve given up on caging kales, though I admit to occasional envy when I see our neighbours’ extravagant cavolo nero thriving under cover.

Keep nets over brassicas to continue to deter marauding pigeons

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Rental jargon buster: Simplified terms for tenants Nottingham Estate Agents

Find out the latest rental terms and terminology with our jargon buster guide. Whether you are a new or an existing tenant, the world of lettings is constantly changing. Our rental jargon-busting guide explains the words and expressions that are in regular use when letting a property. We explain everything from dilapidations and deposit protection schemes to […]

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African express: an art collector’s colourful home

Inspired by her native Sierra Leone, this designer’s Victorian home is full of vibrant fabrics and West African touches

Isata Funma sees me eyeing up the beaded West African throne in the double living room of her north London home and I hesitate. The upright armchair is not only decorated with colourful beads, it also looks backbreakingly uncomfortable.

“Try it!” she laughs. “You’ll be surprised.”

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African express: an art collector’s colourful home

Inspired by her native Sierra Leone, this designer’s Victorian home is full of vibrant fabrics and West African touches

Isata Funma sees me eyeing up the beaded West African throne in the double living room of her north London home and I hesitate. The upright armchair is not only decorated with colourful beads, it also looks backbreakingly uncomfortable.

“Try it!” she laughs. “You’ll be surprised.”

Continue reading...

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Flower power: Covid restrictions fuel boom in plant and bulb sales

Sales of medicinal plants such as echinacea have risen by almost 3,000% at some outlets

As winter approaches, the pandemic continues and spending time outdoors seems less appealing, how can you still get your fix of nature? By bringing the outdoors inside, or at least that’s what soaring plant sales seem to suggest.

Latest figures show there has been a huge increase in the number of people buying plants and bulbs during lockdown, and medicinal plants have proven particularly popular.

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Flower power: Covid restrictions fuel boom in plant and bulb sales

Sales of medicinal plants such as echinacea have risen by almost 3,000% at some outlets

As winter approaches, the pandemic continues and spending time outdoors seems less appealing, how can you still get your fix of nature? By bringing the outdoors inside, or at least that’s what soaring plant sales seem to suggest.

Latest figures show there has been a huge increase in the number of people buying plants and bulbs during lockdown, and medicinal plants have proven particularly popular.

Continue reading...

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Inside four of the ‘spookiest’ homes for sale this Halloween

Don't be scared...

The post Inside four of the ‘spookiest’ homes for sale this Halloween first appeared on Property blog.



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'Nightmare' of businesswoman accused of mortgage fraud

Santander accused a designer of supplying forged documents – but refused to explain its actions

A businesswoman who found herself placed on the National Fraud Database after she applied to Santander for a mortgage, says she went through a “nightmare” after the bank refused to admit it had made a mistake.

When Claire Foster* from Hertfordshire applied for a buy-to-let loan, staff reviewing her application placed a note on the database of the fraud prevention service Cifas warning that she had attempted a fraud.

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Friday, October 30, 2020

Can you make an offer on a house that is under offer? Nottingham Estate Agents

One of the questions most frequently asked by house-hunters is: what is the difference between ‘under offer’ and ‘sold subject to contract’? They have seen both terms applied to properties and assume, reasonably enough, that they must mean different things. In fact, and confusingly, they mean pretty much the same thing. It just depends which […]

The post Can you make an offer on a house that is under offer? appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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One in eight UK renters unable to meet housing costs in full, says report

Action needed to help tenants in second wave, says Resolution Foundation

Almost one in eight private renters are unable to meet their housing costs in full, according to a report warning that urgent steps are needed to protect households during the second wave of Covid-19.

The Resolution Foundation said private and social renters are bearing the brunt of redundancies during the Covid recession and are more likely to have fallen behind with their housing costs than mortgagers.

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UK house price boom will collapse once buyers lose their jobs

Pent-up demand in the Covid lockdown and the stamp-duty cut kept the property market hot, but a chill is on its way

Bars are closing. Restaurants are seeing bookings cancelled. Retailers are worried about the impact of tightened Covid-19 restrictions on their businesses in the run-up to the crucial period. Everywhere there are signs of an economy rapidly losing momentum after its summer growth spurt.

Everywhere apart from the housing market. There demand is booming, with the Bank of England reporting that mortgage approvals in September were the highest since 2007, the year the last crisis started.

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Plant inspectors and rising prices: UK garden industry set for Brexit shock

Nurseries say doubling up of regulations will mean a rise in costs and EU suppliers going elsewhere

The UK’s love of horticulture has grown during the coronavirus pandemic, but avid gardeners are being warned of a Brexit shock, with rising prices, potential plant shortages and even the need for plant inspectors at nurseries.

Every year 55,000 trucks loaded with plants arrive in the UK from the Netherlands alone. Each individual pot or hessian root wrap bears an EU “plant passport”, which allows frictionless cross border trade.

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Plant inspectors and rising prices: UK garden industry set for Brexit shock

Nurseries say doubling up of regulations will mean a rise in costs and EU suppliers going elsewhere

The UK’s love of horticulture has grown during the coronavirus pandemic, but avid gardeners are being warned of a Brexit shock, with rising prices, potential plant shortages and even the need for plant inspectors at nurseries.

Every year 55,000 trucks loaded with plants arrive in the UK from the Netherlands alone. Each individual pot or hessian root wrap bears an EU “plant passport”, which allows frictionless cross border trade.

Continue reading...

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Payment holidays are ending in the UK – but there are options

Mortgage, credit card and loan schemes are finishing, but help is available

Millions of UK borrowers have been granted payment holidays since the start of the coronavirus pandemic but 31 October is the official end date for the schemes covering mortgages, credit cards and loans. However, that doesn’t mean people struggling financially will be left high and dry.

So says the main financial watchdog, whose main message is that “help is available after 31 October”, with a range of short- and long-term options to assist those finding it hard to keep up with payments because of the Covid-19 crisis.

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UK house prices jump but slowdown is likely, says Nationwide

Lender feels mini boom after Covid lockdown will stop when stamp duty holiday ends

House prices rose in October at the fastest annual rate in almost six years but the UK market is likely to face a “sharp” slowdown when the government’s stamp duty holiday ends, the mortgage lender Nationwide has warned. 

The average UK house price jumped by 5.8% in October compared with the same month last year, to £227,826, according to the UK’s biggest building society.

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Edwardian homes for sale – in pictures

From a stable complex near Newmarket to a converted boys’ school in Faversham

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As a rent crisis looms, councils have a plan – the government should take note | Gaby Hinsliff

Buying up cheap housing could provide a safety net to millions who may struggle to pay the bills as the pandemic continues

Julian Higson has just bought a new house. Or to be precise, he’s bought about a hundred of them.

For months he’s been snapping up properties off plan all over Bristol, as developers begin to fret that flats planned at the height of a pre-Covid boom might not sell so well in a recession. But Higson isn’t some passing property speculator or ruthless buy-to-let mogul. He’s the director of landlord and housing services at Bristol city council, which plans to turn these new-builds into social housing for people who can’t afford to rent privately in one of the most expensive British cities outside London.

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Thursday, October 29, 2020

UK economy feels the effects as Covid second wave hits critical stage

Our latest snapshot of key economic indicators shows recovery is fizzling out

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Buying and selling a house with subsidence Nottingham Estate Agents

Few things strike as much fear into buyers and sellers alike as subsidence. Who would buy a property that was at risk of structural collapse? And if you are a seller, the nagging question that keeps you awake at night: should you buy a house if the tell-tale signs of subsidence are going to be […]

The post Buying and selling a house with subsidence appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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Where has seen the biggest rise in million pound streets?

Find out...

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Lloyds cashes in on UK mortgage boom as profits rise

Lending rose £3.5bn in Q3 after bank processes highest number of applications since 2008

Lloyds Banking Group reported stronger-than-expected profits after the UK’s largest mortgage lender cashed in on a surge in demand for home loans.

The UK bank, which owns Halifax, said mortgage lending increased by £3.5bn over the three months to September, as it processed the highest number of applications since 2008.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2020

How to make your home burglar-proof on a budget Nottingham Estate Agents

It’s everyone’s worst nightmare – you enter your home to discover someone has broken in and stolen your most treasured possessions. It’s a horrible feeling that no one should have to go through. It is also important to remember that there is no guarantee in stopping a burglar and therefore having insurance is critical. Burglars […]

The post How to make your home burglar-proof on a budget appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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The best new design this month, from walking wheelchairs to floating churches

News and design stories from around the world, including kids’ creative take on Boris Johnson and the plywood renaissance

As lockdown confusion reigns and rules about where you can go and at what time change every day, there’s one thing that has become clear. The creative community are rising to the challenges of the Covid crisis. In the US, new initiatives have turned the plywood boards nailed to shopfronts during lockdown into creative opportunities for artists and local communities. One architecture firm is using discarded plywood to make street furniture for restaurants. In the UK, designer Jonny Banger has joined with artist Jeremy Deller to let children vent their feelings about lockdown and create a unique exhibition. Creative spirit and inspirational design live on.

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Drone Video & Photography Nottinghamshire

 Drone Video And Photography for estate agents in Nottingham can provide great high level and aerial shots of your properties for sale in Nottingham.




The best new design this month, from walking wheelchairs to floating churches

News and design stories from around the world, including kids’ creative take on Boris Johnson and the plywood renaissance

As lockdown confusion reigns and rules about where you can go and at what time change every day, there’s one thing that has become clear. The creative community are rising to the challenges of the Covid crisis. In the US, new initiatives have turned the plywood boards nailed to shopfronts during lockdown into creative opportunities for artists and local communities. One architecture firm is using discarded plywood to make street furniture for restaurants. In the UK, designer Jonny Banger has joined with artist Jeremy Deller to let children vent their feelings about lockdown and create a unique exhibition. Creative spirit and inspirational design live on.

Continue reading...

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Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Renting with friends? What you need to know about joint accounts Nottingham Estate Agents

Opening a shared account when you’re renting can take away the stress of splitting the monthly outgoings. ‘Providing all parties have good credit history, a joint account for paying bills is the easiest way to neatly manage finances in a rented property,’ says Mustard estate agents, which covers Milton Keynes, Towcester and beyond. But there […]

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Why are flowerpots traditionally round? Square ones are better

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

Why are flowerpots traditionally round? it make more sense to have square ones – they make it easier to sort out spacing once planted, there’s less wasted space between pots, and they are easier to store.

Paul Cooper

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Why are flowerpots traditionally round? Square ones are better

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

Why are flowerpots traditionally round? it make more sense to have square ones – they make it easier to sort out spacing once planted, there’s less wasted space between pots, and they are easier to store.

Paul Cooper

Continue reading...

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Patio heater, fire pit or a bigger jumper? How to stay warm while socialising outside this winter

If you live in an area where you aren’t allowed to mix with other people indoors (or just don’t want to), here is an ethical, expert guide to keeping toasty

Indoor socialising is off. Even if it is not specifically proscribed where you live, a once innocuous cup of tea with friends now carries an unappetising tang of risk. The answer is to socialise outside – but how do you do that in a cold climate? No wonder that sales of patio heaters in the UK are rising: Homebase has nearly sold out, and sales on eBay have soared. Mensa Heating UK recently sold 750 infrared heaters in one day. But what about the environmental impact of patio heaters? In Germany, the federal government is offering subsidies to hospitality businesses wishing to buy them, even though they had been banned in some cities, while the French ecology minister has called them an “ecological aberration” and announced a ban from next year. So what is the best way to socialise outside and stay warm?

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Patio heater, fire pit or a bigger jumper? How to stay warm while socialising outside this winter

If you live in an area where you aren’t allowed to mix with other people indoors (or just don’t want to), here is an ethical, expert guide to keeping toasty

Indoor socialising is off. Even if it is not specifically proscribed where you live, a once innocuous cup of tea with friends now carries an unappetising tang of risk. The answer is to socialise outside – but how do you do that in a cold climate? No wonder that sales of patio heaters in the UK are rising: Homebase has nearly sold out, and sales on eBay have soared. Mensa Heating UK recently sold 750 infrared heaters in one day. But what about the environmental impact of patio heaters? In Germany, the federal government is offering subsidies to hospitality businesses wishing to buy them, even though they had been banned in some cities, while the French ecology minister has called them an “ecological aberration” and announced a ban from next year. So what is the best way to socialise outside and stay warm?

Continue reading...

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Monday, October 26, 2020

How to make a competitive offer as a first time buyer Nottingham Estate Agents

Are you looking to buy your first home? Nick Manson, Director of Mansons, in Jesmond, Newcastle, talks us through how best to prepare before making an offer Being a first time buyer can be hard work, stressful and nerve-racking. Chances are that you won’t necessarily know the market and it’s easy to be blind-sided by […]

The post How to make a competitive offer as a first time buyer appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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Top tips to help secure your end of tenancy deposit

The number one reason for landlord and tenant deposit disputes is cleaning. Curry’s PC World asked Lynsey Crombie aka the ‘Queen of Clean’ for her top cleaning tips that could help you secure getting that end of tenancy deposit back that no one wants to lose out on. 1. Plan A week or two before moving […]

The post Top tips to help secure your end of tenancy deposit first appeared on Helping Innovate Property (HIP) - Blog, Housing Market News and Articles.



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Covid drove us to share a home but what are council tax implications?

My partner and I have our own properties but lockdown led to us choosing to stay in one together

Q My partner and I each have a house of our own and while we originally split our time between the two, we gradually started spending a little more time at one rather than the other.

During the coronavirus lockdown we chose to stay in just one house to form a bubble and we currently spend all of our time in one house, with the other left pretty much empty other than when friends or relatives use it now and again.

We are worried about council tax. We both pay single occupancy on our own properties but due to the recent situation we are worried about being “found out” for actually having two of us in one house. If we did pay full council tax for the property we both stay in, what are the implications for the other house (including insurance etc)?
RW

A Judging by what it says in Paying the right level of council tax in England, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in May 2019, you are right to be worried about council tax.

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Sunday, October 25, 2020

Should you extend your home or sell it? Nottingham Estate Agents

You are happy in your home, but for one reason and another, it seems to be getting smaller and smaller. Perhaps your cute toddler has grown into a strapping teenager and acquired a younger brother or sister. Perhaps you have bought so many box sets of Game of Thrones that they take up half the […]

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Don’t worry about Latin names or Victorian rules

No need to listen to too much good advice – just get stuck in and have some fun

To the uninitiated, the world of horticulture can seem like a daunting place, full of unpronounceable Latin names, unfathomably complex pruning rules and the constant fear of killing everything in your care if you deviate even slightly from them. These doubts can serve as a really effective barrier to would-be newbies from experiencing one of the most rewarding, uplifting and therapeutic of arts. But trust me as a botanist when I tell you it simply doesn’t have to be this way.

Religiously adding a layer of crocks to the bottom of pots actually impedes drainage

Continue reading...

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Don’t worry about Latin names or Victorian rules

No need to listen to too much good advice – just get stuck in and have some fun

To the uninitiated, the world of horticulture can seem like a daunting place, full of unpronounceable Latin names, unfathomably complex pruning rules and the constant fear of killing everything in your care if you deviate even slightly from them. These doubts can serve as a really effective barrier to would-be newbies from experiencing one of the most rewarding, uplifting and therapeutic of arts. But trust me as a botanist when I tell you it simply doesn’t have to be this way.

Religiously adding a layer of crocks to the bottom of pots actually impedes drainage

Continue reading...

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Saturday, October 24, 2020

The Danish plot is all about trees, but it’s hard to resist flowers, too

It’s a simple piece of land by the sea but we wanted to add to the aesthetics

It took us years to add flowers at the Danish plot. An aesthetic thing to some extent. It is, after all, a simple piece of land by the sea, surrounding a black wooden beach hut, or summerhouse as they call them. There were already delicate wild hepatica, clumps of cowslip and campion, and carpets of celandine and cow parsley.

We planted a crimson rugosa, an echo of the beach-side banks that colonise this coast. Next, a pale-blushed clambering rose, an old Danish variety.

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The Danish plot is all about trees, but it’s hard to resist flowers, too

It’s a simple piece of land by the sea but we wanted to add to the aesthetics

It took us years to add flowers at the Danish plot. An aesthetic thing to some extent. It is, after all, a simple piece of land by the sea, surrounding a black wooden beach hut, or summerhouse as they call them. There were already delicate wild hepatica, clumps of cowslip and campion, and carpets of celandine and cow parsley.

We planted a crimson rugosa, an echo of the beach-side banks that colonise this coast. Next, a pale-blushed clambering rose, an old Danish variety.

Continue reading...

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Shared private roads and the potential pitfalls Nottingham Estate Agents

If you are buying a property, or own one already, that is on a shared private road, there are some things you should be aware of to avoid unnecessary expense or conflict with the road’s owner or you neighbours. This article considers the issues that can arise in relation to shared private roads and how […]

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Drone Video & Photography For Estate Agents

Drone Photography & Video here 

Inner visions: inside the homes of the world’s most creative people

From Zandra Rhodes’s Rainbow Penthouse, to Grace Coddington’s Long Island retreat, what do the homes of top creatives reveal about them?

Colour has always played a central role in the career of designer Zandra Rhodes throughout her more than 50 years as a self-described “notorious figurehead of the UK fashion industry”. The designer’s trademark pink hair and outrageous clothes are as colourful as her home, the so-called Rainbow Penthouse, which she bought in 1995 on Bermondsey Street in southeast London. Her apartment sits on top of the Fashion and Textile Museum, founded by Rhodes in 2003. Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta rejuvenated the warehouse building, incorporating a split-level, two-bedroom home. The lower level houses the bedrooms, galley kitchen and textile print room.

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Inner visions: inside the homes of the world’s most creative people

From Zandra Rhodes’s Rainbow Penthouse, to Grace Coddington’s Long Island retreat, what do the homes of top creatives reveal about them?

Colour has always played a central role in the career of designer Zandra Rhodes throughout her more than 50 years as a self-described “notorious figurehead of the UK fashion industry”. The designer’s trademark pink hair and outrageous clothes are as colourful as her home, the so-called Rainbow Penthouse, which she bought in 1995 on Bermondsey Street in southeast London. Her apartment sits on top of the Fashion and Textile Museum, founded by Rhodes in 2003. Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta rejuvenated the warehouse building, incorporating a split-level, two-bedroom home. The lower level houses the bedrooms, galley kitchen and textile print room.

Continue reading...

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The house that cork built: is this the ultimate eco-friendly material?

Using cork to clad an extension – inside and out – was a speedy, sustainable and affordable choice for this family home

When Dan Barber and Hat Margolies bought a two-bed Victorian terrace house in 2013, the entire building needed an overhaul. It had leaky pipes, asbestos and rattling windows; and it needed rewiring, new radiators and a new boiler. Wind whistled through the front room floorboards. “The light and proportions made it really special but there were no original features – the fireplaces had long gone,” says Margolies, a photographic agent with an eye for vintage furniture.

But the couple saw it as a chance to make their new home, in south London, as eco-friendly as they could: to conserve energy, and recycle and reuse as much as possible. They lived with the house as it was for five years, during which time their second daughter was born, and then employed NimTim architects to transform it on a tight budget.

Continue reading...

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How to grow walnuts | Alys Fowler

A small tree, in a warm spot, will shower you with walnuts within five years – if the squirrels don’t get there first

Squirrels are bastards. How else can you explain every single walnut on the tree gnawed through to its bitter green husks, the unripe nut cracked open only for the thief to discover that the flavour is not to his liking. There is not much to salvage from such nibbled nuts in terms of eating, but the fleshy outer husks make an excellent dye that ranges from yellow to pinkish grey to deep brown, depending on the age of the husk and what fixer is used. It is easily extracted in water brought to the boil.

So, to the soundtrack of mocking squirrels, I picked up the spoiled nuts and cooked up a vast vat of dye. We may end up looking like medieval monks by the time I have finished dyeing all our faded white T-shirts, but I feel, at least, that I have honoured the harvest, for it has been a bumper year for walnuts.

Continue reading...

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How to grow walnuts | Alys Fowler

A small tree, in a warm spot, will shower you with walnuts within five years – if the squirrels don’t get there first

Squirrels are bastards. How else can you explain every single walnut on the tree gnawed through to its bitter green husks, the unripe nut cracked open only for the thief to discover that the flavour is not to his liking. There is not much to salvage from such nibbled nuts in terms of eating, but the fleshy outer husks make an excellent dye that ranges from yellow to pinkish grey to deep brown, depending on the age of the husk and what fixer is used. It is easily extracted in water brought to the boil.

So, to the soundtrack of mocking squirrels, I picked up the spoiled nuts and cooked up a vast vat of dye. We may end up looking like medieval monks by the time I have finished dyeing all our faded white T-shirts, but I feel, at least, that I have honoured the harvest, for it has been a bumper year for walnuts.

Continue reading...

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The house that cork built: is this the ultimate eco-friendly material?

Using cork to clad an extension – inside and out – was a speedy, sustainable and affordable choice for this family home

When Dan Barber and Hat Margolies bought a two-bed Victorian terrace house in 2013, the entire building needed an overhaul. It had leaky pipes, asbestos and rattling windows; and it needed rewiring, new radiators and a new boiler. Wind whistled through the front room floorboards. “The light and proportions made it really special but there were no original features – the fireplaces had long gone,” says Margolies, a photographic agent with an eye for vintage furniture.

But the couple saw it as a chance to make their new home, in south London, as eco-friendly as they could: to conserve energy, and recycle and reuse as much as possible. They lived with the house as it was for five years, during which time their second daughter was born, and then employed NimTim architects to transform it on a tight budget.

Continue reading...

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Friday, October 23, 2020

Nine top tips for renting a property Nottingham Estate Agents

The private rented sector of the UK property market has grown dramatically since the late 1990s and the growth is predicted to continue. OnTheMarket’s renting guide Private rentals accounted for 4.7 million or 20% of households in England in 2016/17, more than doubling in number since 2002 (Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, July 2018). […]

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How first-time buyers are working together to get their deposits

StepLadder is a type of savings club that could speed up your plans to buy a home – but there are risks

  • Mortgage for average first-time property needs income of £37,096
  • Mortgages: how to get a loan as lenders pull up the ladder
  • It can take years for many people to save up enough cash to get on the property ladder – so what if there was a way to dramatically cut the time it takes to raise a deposit, perhaps down to as little as a couple of months?

    Such a scheme does exist in the UK. It is called StepLadder and it allows people to team up with other aspiring first-time buyers in a sort of savings club. Everyone regularly pays in the same amount and each month one member is picked at random and receives all of the cash in the pot, which could be the full amount they need for their deposit.

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    Mortgage for average first-time property in Great Britain needs income of £37,096

    Figures covering England, Scotland and Wales show problems of getting on housing ladder

    At first glance the housing market appears to be thriving: for sale signs are being replaced by sold signs more quickly than ever, estate agents are reporting a surge in the numbers of would-be buyers signing up and the prices properties are being listed at are continuing to climb.

    Things may slow down as parts of the country go into lockdown and housing markets are effectively shut but record low interest rates combined with a stamp duty holiday are putting more money into the system.

    Continue reading...

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    Mortgages: how to get a loan as lenders pull up the ladder

    First-time buyers face significant hurdles and high interest rates in their search for a home

  • Mortgage for average first-time property needs income of £37,096
  • First-time buyers work together to get their deposits
  • The Bank of England is preparing for another interest rate cut, which would put already historically low rates into negative territory. But for first-time buyers, the reverse is true and mortgage rates are rising. To make matters worse, some lenders have introduced restrictions against mortgages on flats as they worry about price falls.

    Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, loans for first-time buyers were plentiful, with many banks willing to advance as much as 95% of the purchase price and the best deals carrying an interest rate of only 2.6% a year.

    Continue reading...

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    The Guardian view on the pleasures of autumn

    It will be a difficult winter, but the natural world brings small, precious consolations

    As different parts of the UK find themselves under varying degrees of restriction, as indoor pleasures dwindle for many, the outdoors may provide some shred of solace, some healing connection to nature. Impervious to human travails, autumn happens to be putting on a particularly spectacular extended show this year, thanks to a damp August and sunny September. In some parts of the UK acers, or Japanese maples, are now entering the period of their most vivid crimson pomp; Amelanchier lamarckii, or the juneberry, is shedding its delicate apricot autumn foliage to reveal its handsome dark branches; oaks are on the turn towards a warm yellow.

    Observing this seasonal drama is called momijigari in Japan – or “leaf-peeping” – and the National Trust notes that the British are becoming more susceptible, at this time of crisis, to its pleasures. It is also a remarkable year for apples and honey-scented quinces – indeed, for fruit and berries of all kinds, from rowan and sloe to spindleberry and holly. For those lucky enough to have a garden, raking is now a seasonal task and ritual, the rich scent of rain on fallen leaves a small pleasure to be savoured. To plant daffodil bulbs and sweet pea seeds is to engage in small acts of optimism and expectation – it is to insist that there is something to look forward to.

    Continue reading...

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    The Guardian view on the pleasures of autumn

    It will be a difficult winter, but the natural world brings small, precious consolations

    As different parts of the UK find themselves under varying degrees of restriction, as indoor pleasures dwindle for many, the outdoors may provide some shred of solace, some healing connection to nature. Impervious to human travails, autumn happens to be putting on a particularly spectacular extended show this year, thanks to a damp August and sunny September. In some parts of the UK acers, or Japanese maples, are now entering the period of their most vivid crimson pomp; Amelanchier lamarckii, or the juneberry, is shedding its delicate apricot autumn foliage to reveal its handsome dark branches; oaks are on the turn towards a warm yellow.

    Observing this seasonal drama is called momijigari in Japan – or “leaf-peeping” – and the National Trust notes that the British are becoming more susceptible, at this time of crisis, to its pleasures. It is also a remarkable year for apples and honey-scented quinces – indeed, for fruit and berries of all kinds, from rowan and sloe to spindleberry and holly. For those lucky enough to have a garden, raking is now a seasonal task and ritual, the rich scent of rain on fallen leaves a small pleasure to be savoured. To plant daffodil bulbs and sweet pea seeds is to engage in small acts of optimism and expectation – it is to insist that there is something to look forward to.

    Continue reading...

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    London is the wild west of the global property market – and it needs a sheriff | Simon Jenkins

    We must legislate to curb the overseas tycoons buying up apartments and leaving them empty

    One of the biggest property tycoons in London is the president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Guardian revealed last week that he owned around £5.5bn of real estate in the city. This covers streets and buildings in Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Kensington, and may be more valuable even than the London holdings of the Grosvenor Estate, surpassed only by the Crown.

    For a foreign head of state to secretly possess so much property in any capital is bizarre and presumably of security concern. When his regime is dictatorial and believes in the use of torture, enforced disappearance and imprisoning government critics, it should be triply unwelcome. Imagine the outcry if the owner was revealed as Vladimir Putin or Kim Jong-un.

    Continue reading...

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    Thursday, October 22, 2020

    Homes for sale on British islands – in pictures

    From a former lock-keeper’s cottage in the River Severn to a pink harbourside home on Jersey

    Continue reading...

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    Five common mistakes first time buyers should try to avoid Nottingham Estate Agents

    Buying a home is one of the most exciting and self-affirming life experiences but it can also be one of the most stressful. Martin & Co can help you stay one step ahead. Martin & Co has put together some of the most frequent mistakes that first time buyers continue to make to help you avoid them. 1. Becoming financially […]

    The post Five common mistakes first time buyers should try to avoid appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    How to make it as a landlord

    Here's our Q&A.

    The post How to make it as a landlord first appeared on Property blog.



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    Find out what major property trend is reversing in London



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    Inside five of the dreamiest coastal homes on Rightmove

    Don't be shy...

    The post Inside five of the dreamiest coastal homes on Rightmove first appeared on Property blog.



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    Wednesday, October 21, 2020

    Buying or selling a property affected by Japanese knotweed? Nottingham Estate Agents

    We asked Nic Seal, Environmental Scientist and Managing Director of Environet UK to provide advice to buyers and sellers of property affected by Japanese knotweed. It’s the UK’s most invasive plant and awareness among the general public has grown significantly in recent years, but why exactly is knotweed such a cause for concern among homeowners? […]

    The post Buying or selling a property affected by Japanese knotweed? appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    Private rents in London plunge by up to 34% amid Covid crisis

    Other cities across Britain have also reported large year-on-year falls, says SpareRoom

    Private rents in London have dropped for the second quarter in a row, with some areas posting sharp falls of up to 34% year on year, while other cities led by Edinburgh have also reported a decline during the pandemic.

    Although Covid-19 restrictions were eased over the summer, the rental market in the capital and other cities struggled to recover, according to the house-sharing website SpareRoom. The average monthly rent for a room in London fell to £725 between July and September, down 7% from £780 in the same period last year.

    Continue reading...

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    What the Wales firebreak means if you’re in the process of moving

    Read more.

    The post What the Wales firebreak means if you’re in the process of moving first appeared on Property blog.



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    Jacarandas in bloom: a purple lining to 2020 – share your pictures

    In a year where so many traditions have been disrupted, the annual jacaranda burst of lilac is a reminder of normality

    Purple reign: the irresistible allure of Australia’s jacarandas – in pictures

    Australia’s love of jacarandas is an unlikely foreign affair – despite being such an accepted part of the landscape of our towns and cities they are not actually native. The vivid purple variety, Jacaranda mimosifolia, that is common in parks and gardens across the temperate areas of the continent, is native to the northern end of the high Andes in South America.

    It’s unclear exactly when the jacaranda was introduced and the debate over it has become a botanical version of State of Origin. The first official records of it being germinated in Australia are at Brisbane’s botanic garden in 1864, but news reports point to earlier plantings in Sydney. An account of the Prince of Wales’ birthday celebrations in the Sydney Morning Herald from 10 November 1865 describes admirers observing well-established trees: “Many enjoyed a stroll through the botanic gardens, which show the beneficial effects of the late rain; some of the most beautiful trees are now in luxuriant blossom, in particular the lilac flower of the Jacaranda mimosifolia is an object of much admiration.”

    Continue reading...

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    Jacarandas in bloom: a purple lining to 2020 – share your pictures

    In a year where so many traditions have been disrupted, the annual jacaranda burst of lilac is a reminder of normality

    Purple reign: the irresistible allure of Australia’s jacarandas – in pictures

    Australia’s love of jacarandas is an unlikely foreign affair – despite being such an accepted part of the landscape of our towns and cities they are not actually native. The vivid purple variety, Jacaranda mimosifolia, that is common in parks and gardens across the temperate areas of the continent, is native to the northern end of the high Andes in South America.

    It’s unclear exactly when the jacaranda was introduced and the debate over it has become a botanical version of State of Origin. The first official records of it being germinated in Australia are at Brisbane’s botanic garden in 1864, but news reports point to earlier plantings in Sydney. An account of the Prince of Wales’ birthday celebrations in the Sydney Morning Herald from 10 November 1865 describes admirers observing well-established trees: “Many enjoyed a stroll through the botanic gardens, which show the beneficial effects of the late rain; some of the most beautiful trees are now in luxuriant blossom, in particular the lilac flower of the Jacaranda mimosifolia is an object of much admiration.”

    Continue reading...

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    The Big Breakfast house is up for sale for £5.75 million

    Is it how you remember?

    The post The Big Breakfast house is up for sale for £5.75 million first appeared on Property blog.



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    Star property under £250,000 Nottingham Estate Agents

    This cottage is just as charming inside as it looks from the outside – and there’s plenty of garden to be had to the rear as well. The stone-built, two-bedroom, mid-terrace property is situated in the Somerset village of South Petherton and has been renovated in recent years. The cottage is for sale for £190,000 […]

    The post Star property under £250,000 appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    Favourite fixer upper Nottingham Estate Agents

    It’s hard to appreciate just what this amazing property has to offer without viewing it from the air via stunning drone footage. Backstone Gill Cottage represents a superb and very rare opportunity to acquire a period cottage located in a prime edge of village position bordering open fields with garden and woodland extending to just […]

    The post Favourite fixer upper appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    Social housing has come to Britain's rescue before, and it can do again | Sonia Sodha

    We need to forget about ‘affordability’ and focus on providing good quality homes to as many people as possible

    Lockdown taught me that spending far more time than usual between the same four walls changes your relationship with where you live. It might have felt like an oppressive prison, maybe it inspired cosy nesting, perhaps it was constant bedlam. Good, bad or ugly – or all of the above – many of us will have experienced intensified feelings about home.

    But none of this has yet been reflected in the way we as a society talk about homes. The political and media debate is still focused on prices, deposits and affordability. We remain locked into a paradoxical conversation: on the one hand, rising house prices are treated as a glimmer of hope in an economy collapsed by a global pandemic; on the other, they take homeownership further out of reach for a generation of young people whose opportunities are being crushed by Covid-19.

    Continue reading...

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    Tuesday, October 20, 2020

    What you need to know about living in a conservation area Nottingham Estate Agents

    The term ‘conservation area’ is well known but how are these protected property patches different and how do they affect homeowners? OnTheMarket has this guide. What does it mean to be in a conservation area? Conservation areas “exist to manage and protect the special architectural and historic interest of a place – in other words […]

    The post What you need to know about living in a conservation area appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    Star property over £500,000 Nottingham Estate Agents

    You’ll struggle to find another five-bedroom period farmhouse this stunning for such a reasonable asking price. Grade II-listed Manor Farm dates back to the 17th Century and is a detached stone under thatch farmhouse with two bathrooms and a double garage, set back from the High Street in Lavendon village in Buckinghamshire not far from […]

    The post Star property over £500,000 appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    What is my landlord responsible for in my rented property? Nottingham Estate Agents

    Landlords have certain responsibilities to their tenants by law, just as tenants have to fulfil their side of the bargain. If you are renting a property, it is important to know what your landlord must do and what your responsibilities are. The rules are there to protect both parties and ensure a mutually beneficial arrangement. […]

    The post What is my landlord responsible for in my rented property? appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    Monday, October 19, 2020

    ‘We’re like athletes’: the secret lives of giant-vegetable growers

    From onions as big as babies to pumpkins that weigh more than a car, it has been a record-breaking year for oversize veg. But what motivates someone to grow an 8-metre beetroot – and is skulduggery involved?

    The pumpkins are as big as Cinderella’s carriage, and so heavy that a tractor is required to hoist them out of the earth. Immense, pockmarked marrows bulge from the ground like something from a phantasmagoric nightmare. Cucumbers soar to the height of a four-year-old. Onions bloat to the size of a head. You can have your giant vegetables in any size, as long as it is large, extra-large or extra-extra-large.

    For Britain’s giant-vegetable growers, 2020 has been a vintage year. Three world records were set on this year’s Grow Show tour in September: the world’s heaviest red cabbage (31.6kg), the world’s longest salsify (5.6 metres) and the world’s longest beetroot (8.6 metres). This month, Ian and Stuart Paton, 59-year-old twins from Lymington in Hampshire, grew the UK’s heaviest-ever pumpkin, which weighed in at a monstrous 1,176.5kg.

    Continue reading...

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    ‘We’re like athletes’: the secret lives of giant-vegetable growers

    From onions as big as babies to pumpkins that weigh more than a car, it has been a record-breaking year for oversize veg. But what motivates someone to grow an 8-metre beetroot – and is skulduggery involved?

    The pumpkins are as big as Cinderella’s carriage, and so heavy that a tractor is required to hoist them out of the earth. Immense, pockmarked marrows bulge from the ground like something from a phantasmagoric nightmare. Cucumbers soar to the height of a four-year-old. Onions bloat to the size of a head. You can have your giant vegetables in any size, as long as it is large, extra-large or extra-extra-large.

    For Britain’s giant-vegetable growers, 2020 has been a vintage year. Three world records were set on this year’s Grow Show tour in September: the world’s heaviest red cabbage (31.6kg), the world’s longest salsify (5.6 metres) and the world’s longest beetroot (8.6 metres). This month, Ian and Stuart Paton, 59-year-old twins from Lymington in Hampshire, grew the UK’s heaviest-ever pumpkin, which weighed in at a monstrous 1,176.5kg.

    Continue reading...

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    Residents asked to leave London blocks over safety concerns

    Nearly 900 people, mostly students, told to move from Paragon site in Brentford

    Almost 900 people living in a six-block development in London are being moved out immediately because of serious safety concerns relating to the construction of the buildings.

    The residents, the majority of whom are students, were told at 11am on Monday that they would have to leave their homes on the Paragon site in Brentford, west London, which is owned by the housing association Notting Hill Genesis.

    Continue reading...

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    Asking prices are at an all-time high right now

    Here's the full story.

    The post Asking prices are at an all-time high right now first appeared on Property blog.



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    Sunday, October 18, 2020

    Can we buy a property in unequal shares to rent out?

    And if we can do that can we be taxed on the rental income on the basis of the ownership shares?

    Q My wife and I are going to purchase a house to rent out and we have a couple of questions.

    Can we purchase the property with a 90% share in my wife’s name and 10% in my name? If we can do that can we be taxed on the rental income on the basis of the ownership shares, so 90% of the income is taxed at my wife’s tax rate and 10% income taxed at my tax rate?
    MC

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    15 tips for making buy-to-let work Nottingham Estate Agents

    Since the advent of the buy-to-let mortgage in the 1990s, many thousands of people have invested in a property to rent out. Some have gone on to acquire multiple units and become professional landlords. Others find themselves becoming ‘accidental landlords’ – as when a temporary job move takes place and the family home needs to […]

    The post 15 tips for making buy-to-let work appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    Average asking price of new UK homes 'hits record high'

    Surge in sales down to stamp duty holiday and ‘race for space’ as Rightmove predicts 7% rise in prices for 2020

    The average asking price of homes coming on to the market in Britain has hit a record high, according to figures from the property website Rightmove, and for the first time estate agents are listing more homes as sold than they have for sale.

    The website’s monthly snapshot of new listings showed sellers are asking for an average price of £323,530, an increase of 1.1% since last month, and 5.5%, or £16,818 more than this time last year.

    Continue reading...

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    'Boomerang' trend of young adults living with parents is rising – study

    Exclusive: researchers believe increase in single Britons not fully leaving home till their 30s is here to stay

    The so-called “boomerang” phenomenon – young adults returning to their parents’ home until well into their 20s or early 30s – is now a permanent feature of UK society and likely to trigger a profound rethink of how many families live their lives, experts have said.

    Research found nearly two-thirds of childless single adults aged 20-34 in the UK have either never left or have moved back into the family home because of a combination of a precarious job market and low wages, sky-high private sector rents and life shocks such as relationship breakups.

    Continue reading...

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    Queen sends wrong message on masks | Brief letters

    Clothes for gardening | The Queen | Consultants’ fees | Older readers | John Crace

    This is what I wear to garden in: a T-shirt from the London Greenpeace “What’s Wrong with McDonald’s” campaign, acquired in about 1995; jeans from a charity shop and customised with cyanotype splashes; fleece from a Keswick outdoor shop in about 1993; old shoes – just everyday ones that are too worn out for other wear. I don’t buy a £380 cardigan to garden in (Hort couture, 17 October).
    Jane Lewis
    Edinburgh

    • It’s a shame that the Queen did not wear a mask on her visit to Porton Down (Report, 15 October). In neglecting to do so, she failed to set an example to those who, in insisting on the “freedom” to refuse to wear a mask, are in fact claiming the licence to put others at risk.
    Dr Lynda Mountford
    St Albans, Hertfordshire

    Continue reading...

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    Queen sends wrong message on masks | Brief letters

    Clothes for gardening | The Queen | Consultants’ fees | Older readers | John Crace

    This is what I wear to garden in: a T-shirt from the London Greenpeace “What’s Wrong with McDonald’s” campaign, acquired in about 1995; jeans from a charity shop and customised with cyanotype splashes; fleece from a Keswick outdoor shop in about 1993; old shoes – just everyday ones that are too worn out for other wear. I don’t buy a £380 cardigan to garden in (Hort couture, 17 October).
    Jane Lewis
    Edinburgh

    • It’s a shame that the Queen did not wear a mask on her visit to Porton Down (Report, 15 October). In neglecting to do so, she failed to set an example to those who, in insisting on the “freedom” to refuse to wear a mask, are in fact claiming the licence to put others at risk.
    Dr Lynda Mountford
    St Albans, Hertfordshire

    Continue reading...

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    Bohemian rhapsody: designer Alice Temperley’s whimsical Somerset home

    Alice Temperley’s designs are filled with colour and romance – just like her historic house

    Back in the spring, fashion designer Alice Temperley was scouring online marketplace Preloved for vintage fabric and ended up in the pet section. “Within an hour, I had driven five miles up the road and come home with a house rabbit. Florence is an amazing character, either very rampant or very cuddly. She lives under the piano in the sitting room, where we all hang out.”

    “We” is Temperley and Fox, her 11-year-old son, any chickens who “just come into the house when they feel like it” and of course Florence. The four llamas live outside. “They’ve always got their heads just slightly over the garden wall.”

    Continue reading...

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    Revealed: Sheikh Khalifa’s £5bn London property empire

    Documents reveal UAE president owns multibillion-pound property portfolio spanning London’s most expensive neighbourhoods

    The row of 1960s-built houses with untidy gardens on a quiet cul-de-sac near Richmond upon Thames appears to have little in common with Ecuador’s red-brick embassy in Knightsbridge, where Julian Assange spent seven years in hiding, just across the road from Harrods.

    Continue reading...

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    Bohemian rhapsody: designer Alice Temperley’s whimsical Somerset home

    Alice Temperley’s designs are filled with colour and romance – just like her historic house

    Back in the spring, fashion designer Alice Temperley was scouring online marketplace Preloved for vintage fabric and ended up in the pet section. “Within an hour, I had driven five miles up the road and come home with a house rabbit. Florence is an amazing character, either very rampant or very cuddly. She lives under the piano in the sitting room, where we all hang out.”

    “We” is Temperley and Fox, her 11-year-old son, any chickens who “just come into the house when they feel like it” and of course Florence. The four llamas live outside. “They’ve always got their heads just slightly over the garden wall.”

    Continue reading...

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    Grow moss to give you a green lift all year round

    Heres’s a horticulture happy pill just when you need it most

    I’m a fair weather gardener. As someone who works in horticulture I am supposed to claim that each season has its own wonder and that I embrace all the changes nature offers, but that wouldn’t be honest. As temperatures and light levels plummet, the growth of the vast majority of plants grinds to a halt. This means that if you get a mood boost from living green, winter can be tough. However, there is one much-overlooked group of plants that does the exact opposite, bursting into life just as most garden residents are slipping into dormancy. Moss provides you with a horticulture happy pill just when you need it most.

    Mosses are an ancient group of plants that don’t follow the rules of other garden species. Their growth rate isn’t so much determined by light and heat, but by the availability of moisture – and that is something we don’t lack at this time of year. Given the right conditions, their rugged constitution makes them incredibly easy to propagate and establish. And they can be sourced for little to no money.

    Continue reading...

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    Grow moss to give you a green lift all year round

    Heres’s a horticulture happy pill just when you need it most

    I’m a fair weather gardener. As someone who works in horticulture I am supposed to claim that each season has its own wonder and that I embrace all the changes nature offers, but that wouldn’t be honest. As temperatures and light levels plummet, the growth of the vast majority of plants grinds to a halt. This means that if you get a mood boost from living green, winter can be tough. However, there is one much-overlooked group of plants that does the exact opposite, bursting into life just as most garden residents are slipping into dormancy. Moss provides you with a horticulture happy pill just when you need it most.

    Mosses are an ancient group of plants that don’t follow the rules of other garden species. Their growth rate isn’t so much determined by light and heat, but by the availability of moisture – and that is something we don’t lack at this time of year. Given the right conditions, their rugged constitution makes them incredibly easy to propagate and establish. And they can be sourced for little to no money.

    Continue reading...

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    Saturday, October 17, 2020

    Blaze of glory: 20 of the best autumn gardens in the UK

    For fiery beech trees and golden ferns, savour the changing seasons at these glorious gardens

    Some gardens are all about effect. Created in the 18th century near Bath, Stourhead is a Palladian ideal of a landscape, augmented by temples, grottoes and follies – it’s magnificent. But explore beyond the oaks and fiery beech trees and there’s a sense of wildness and abundant autumn fruits on this National Trust estate, including rosehips and crab apples.
    nationaltrust.org.uk

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    Blaze of glory: 20 of the best autumn gardens in the UK

    For fiery beech trees and golden ferns, savour the changing seasons at these glorious gardens

    Some gardens are all about effect. Created in the 18th century near Bath, Stourhead is a Palladian ideal of a landscape, augmented by temples, grottoes and follies – it’s magnificent. But explore beyond the oaks and fiery beech trees and there’s a sense of wildness and abundant autumn fruits on this National Trust estate, including rosehips and crab apples.
    nationaltrust.org.uk

    Continue reading...

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    Chopping wood and other autumnal pleasures | Allan Jenkins

    The Danish plot requires plenty of wood work at this time of year, but we still had time to enjoy the changing of the seasons

    Do spaces have personalities? Do different gardens speak a different language, demanding you to be a different gardener?

    I am not quite saying I am more of a Viking at the Danish seaside plot. I leave that to Bo, the local tree surgeon with his flowing plaited beard and hair and his missing index finger. But I wonder whether he might hear nuances in the language of the land here that I may at first miss.

    Continue reading...

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    A guide to selling your first property Nottingham Estate Agents

    Here are some top tips to help take first-time sellers from novice to know-it-all. And don’t forget our property jargon buster. Get a rough idea of what your home’s worth You can see what properties have been going for in your local area quickly and for free at OnTheMarket. Simply go to the homepage, click on […]

    The post A guide to selling your first property appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    Chopping wood and other autumnal pleasures | Allan Jenkins

    The Danish plot requires plenty of wood work at this time of year, but we still had time to enjoy the changing of the seasons

    Do spaces have personalities? Do different gardens speak a different language, demanding you to be a different gardener?

    I am not quite saying I am more of a Viking at the Danish seaside plot. I leave that to Bo, the local tree surgeon with his flowing plaited beard and hair and his missing index finger. But I wonder whether he might hear nuances in the language of the land here that I may at first miss.

    Continue reading...

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    Hort couture: gardeners road test the workwear fashion trend

    Designers have taken inspiration from the great outdoors this autumn, turning to all-weather clothes, smocks and big boots. But do actual gardeners dig it?


    Continue reading...

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    Hort couture: gardeners road test the workwear fashion trend

    Designers have taken inspiration from the great outdoors this autumn, turning to all-weather clothes, smocks and big boots. But do actual gardeners dig it?


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    Inside the most viewed homes on Rightmove this autumn

    Which is your favourite?

    The post Inside the most viewed homes on Rightmove this autumn first appeared on Property blog.



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    Prickly business: the hedgehog highway that knits a village together

    With their miniature ramps, stairs and holes cut into fences and stone walls, the gardens of Kirtlington in Oxfordshire are a haven for wildlife

    Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. This was the first lesson from my village safari around Kirtlington in Oxfordshire, home to the UK’s longest volunteer-run hedgehog highway. “Leaving out bread and milk is the worst thing you can do,” says resident Chris Powles, who created the highway. It passes through 60 properties in the village, all linked by CD-sized holes cut into fences and walls, some of which have been around since the 18th century.

    Hedgehogs need space to create territories, forage and find mates. The compartmentalisation of land into private gardens is one of the causes of their disappearance from our landscape – they have declined by 90% since the second world war. More than 12,000 hedgehog holes have been created as part of the UK’s hedgehog highway network, and Kirtlington has one of the most creative routes on the map. Miniature ramps and staircases thread between gardens in this higgledy-piggledy place, with its 13th-century church and notices about cake sales and “cricketers wanted”.

    Continue reading...

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    Prickly business: the hedgehog highway that knits a village together

    With their miniature ramps, stairs and holes cut into fences and stone walls, the gardens of Kirtlington in Oxfordshire are a haven for wildlife

    Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant. This was the first lesson from my village safari around Kirtlington in Oxfordshire, home to the UK’s longest volunteer-run hedgehog highway. “Leaving out bread and milk is the worst thing you can do,” says resident Chris Powles, who created the highway. It passes through 60 properties in the village, all linked by CD-sized holes cut into fences and walls, some of which have been around since the 18th century.

    Hedgehogs need space to create territories, forage and find mates. The compartmentalisation of land into private gardens is one of the causes of their disappearance from our landscape – they have declined by 90% since the second world war. More than 12,000 hedgehog holes have been created as part of the UK’s hedgehog highway network, and Kirtlington has one of the most creative routes on the map. Miniature ramps and staircases thread between gardens in this higgledy-piggledy place, with its 13th-century church and notices about cake sales and “cricketers wanted”.

    Continue reading...

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    Friday, October 16, 2020

    How to object to a planning application Nottingham Estate Agents

    OnTheMarket explains how you can object to a planning application and what to do to try and ensure you get the result you want. Where can I find details of the application? Before you can object to a planning application, you first need to know it exists. Local councils are supposed to notify neighbours likely to […]

    The post How to object to a planning application appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.



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    'They have to think differently' – shoppers on John Lewis's new strategy

    Some customers back chain’s new ideas, while others are dubious about renting furniture

    Christmas is still nearly 10 weeks away but Ina Ukstina is standing in John Lewis’s Kingston upon Thames store clutching several strings of shiny tree decorations.

    “For the first time in my life I’m getting an artificial tree,” she says. “I’ve always had a real tree but have started to think about what happens afterwards, and I will be able to reuse it.”

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    Heart-warming letter uncovers happy memories & history of our homes

    Read Mark's story.

    The post Heart-warming letter uncovers happy memories & history of our homes first appeared on Property blog.



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    Why are renters hunting for two-bed houses?

    Get the latest.

    The post Why are renters hunting for two-bed houses? first appeared on Property blog.



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    Cluttercore: the pandemic trend for celebrating stuff, mess and comfort

    Chuck out your decluttering manuals. As we’ve been forced indoors by the global crisis, clutter has emerged, dusty and triumphant

    In the past few months, the pavement outside my flat has been taken over by stuff: baby baths, filing systems, books, stools. People leave them, others take them; no money exchanges hands. It’s a well-established, sustainable micro-economy – and, according to my neighbour, whose bedroom window opens on to this pavement, it’s becoming a problem. “You have to ask: where did this crap come from – and where’s it going to go?”

    Clutter has emerged, dusty and triumphant, as a defining byproduct of the pandemic. Yet we are undecided on what to do with it. “Forced inside, some people have been decluttering, absolutely, but I’ve noticed others actively re-embracing their stuff,” says Jennifer Howard, author of Clutter: An Untidy History. “The pandemic has forced us to reevaluate what we have, make better use of objects and space ... and also see their value, often for the first time.”

    Continue reading...

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    Cluttercore: the pandemic trend for celebrating stuff, mess and comfort

    Chuck out your decluttering manuals. As we’ve been forced indoors by the global crisis, clutter has emerged, dusty and triumphant

    In the past few months, the pavement outside my flat has been taken over by stuff: baby baths, filing systems, books, stools. People leave them, others take them; no money exchanges hands. It’s a well-established, sustainable micro-economy – and, according to my neighbour, whose bedroom window opens on to this pavement, it’s becoming a problem. “You have to ask: where did this crap come from – and where’s it going to go?”

    Clutter has emerged, dusty and triumphant, as a defining byproduct of the pandemic. Yet we are undecided on what to do with it. “Forced inside, some people have been decluttering, absolutely, but I’ve noticed others actively re-embracing their stuff,” says Jennifer Howard, author of Clutter: An Untidy History. “The pandemic has forced us to reevaluate what we have, make better use of objects and space ... and also see their value, often for the first time.”

    Continue reading...

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    John Lewis to build rental homes at 20 of its UK sites

    Retailer’s plan is part of strategy to rebuild profits to £400m within five years

    John Lewis is to become a major landlord, aiming to build rental homes at 20 of its sites around the UK as part of a strategy to rebuild profits to £400m within five years.

    The retailer, which also owns Waitrose, said the new homes could be built above or beside stores or on other land it owns, and would be furnished with products from John Lewis department stores. Residents would also be able to order food deliveries from Waitrose supermarkets. It is aiming to make planning applications for two sites in Greater London in the new year.

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