Take back control – could self-sufficiency be the answer to a no-deal Brexit?

I moved with my husband and kids to rural Kent to try to grow our own food to alleviate even the harshest crisis next year. Unfortunately, crops are as complicated as the latest withdrawal agreement

In January 2017, my husband, Jared, and I moved our family from a semi in Ramsgate to a ramshackle house in rural Kent that came with two acres of mud. Our desire for change was born of the political, social and environmental turmoil. There was certainly a naive pursuit of the good life, but we were also reeling from the outcome of the Brexit referendum and feeling sick about Trump’s presidency. We needed a personal survival plan.

In the face of a world shifting in a direction we could no longer understand, predict or rely on (and despite having no practical skills or experience), we sought a shared vocation that was less tied to systems and structures that appeared to be wobbling. We planned to grow and raise some of our own food and – as wildfires, floods and landslides hinted at the impact of climate change – move towards a more sustainable way of life. It felt like a personal resistance that would be good for our family life and physical and mental health, as well as teaching us new skills.

Continue reading...

from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2SsCYkP
via IFTTT

Take back control – could self-sufficiency be the answer to a no-deal Brexit? https://t.co/uFBCuq1TwS Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM

Take back control – could self-sufficiency be the answer to a no-deal Brexit? https://t.co/uFBCuq1TwS Solicitors & Estate Agents In One Just £899 + vat .. https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1069615296279965697)

Take back control – could self-sufficiency be the answer to a no-deal Brexit?

I moved with my husband and kids to rural Kent to try to grow our own food to alleviate even the harshest crisis next year. Unfortunately, crops are as complicated as the latest withdrawal agreement

In January 2017, my husband, Jared, and I moved our family from a semi in Ramsgate to a ramshackle house in rural Kent that came with two acres of mud. Our desire for change was born of the political, social and environmental turmoil. There was certainly a naive pursuit of the good life, but we were also reeling from the outcome of the Brexit referendum and feeling sick about Trump’s presidency. We needed a personal survival plan.

In the face of a world shifting in a direction we could no longer understand, predict or rely on (and despite having no practical skills or experience), we sought a shared vocation that was less tied to systems and structures that appeared to be wobbling. We planned to grow and raise some of our own food and – as wildfires, floods and landslides hinted at the impact of climate change – move towards a more sustainable way of life. It felt like a personal resistance that would be good for our family life and physical and mental health, as well as teaching us new skills.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2SsCYkP
via IFTTT

A quick word on muddy shoes…

At this time of year, a viewer can bring more than dreams and visions to your home: the bottom of their shoes can leave a lasting reminder of their visit!

Asking your visitors to take off their shoes is often awkward, particularly if they are somewhat elderly, or not especially mobile.  Of course, if you’re not present for the viewing, you may return home to find an evidential trail of footprints, so you need a non-intrusive, fail-safe way to protect your carpets without upsetting anyone.

Your viewers won’t dirty your Axminster deliberately of course, but they may be so engrossed in looking at your beautiful home that they will forget to look down.  It’s even worse if they have a wander round your garden (which you absolutely want them to do) then come back through the house (which you may not).

My suggestion is those oh-so-fetching blue shoe covers.  Leaving a few in a basket by the door is a gentle message that you value your home, and you expect your visitors to show it the respect it deserves.  (By the way, that goes for your agent too: check out my post “The Obnoxious Agent” for how not to do it.) This visual clue will also remind your viewers of show homes, where they are more commonly in use.  Not a bad mental connection if you think about it.

So, where to get these covers? Well, I did some trawling on the net, and these are the cheapest I could come up with: at only £4.50 for 50 they are a bit of a bargain, but as I haven’t used this company myself, please do your own research too.  Let me know how you get on!

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

The post A quick word on muddy shoes… appeared first on Home Truths.

from Home Truths https://ift.tt/2Q6hoWN
via IFTTT

A quick word on muddy shoes…

At this time of year, a viewer can bring more than dreams and visions to your home: the bottom of their shoes can leave a lasting reminder of their visit!

Asking your visitors to take off their shoes is often awkward, particularly if they are somewhat elderly, or not especially mobile.  Of course, if you’re not present for the viewing, you may return home to find an evidential trail of footprints, so you need a non-intrusive, fail-safe way to protect your carpets without upsetting anyone.

Your viewers won’t dirty your Axminster deliberately of course, but they may be so engrossed in looking at your beautiful home that they will forget to look down.  It’s even worse if they have a wander round your garden (which you absolutely want them to do) then come back through the house (which you may not).

My suggestion is those oh-so-fetching blue shoe covers.  Leaving a few in a basket by the door is a gentle message that you value your home, and you expect your visitors to show it the respect it deserves.  (By the way, that goes for your agent too: check out my post “The Obnoxious Agent” for how not to do it.) This visual clue will also remind your viewers of show homes, where they are more commonly in use.  Not a bad mental connection if you think about it.

So, where to get these covers? Well, I did some trawling on the net, and these are the cheapest I could come up with: at only £4.50 for 50 they are a bit of a bargain, but as I haven’t used this company myself, please do your own research too.  Let me know how you get on!

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

The post A quick word on muddy shoes… appeared first on Home Truths.

from Home Truths https://ift.tt/2Q6hoWN
via IFTTT

Void periods and how to avoid them Nottingham Estate Agents

Landlords naturally get a bit twitchy at the thought of their properties being empty and unlet for any length of time. But the savviest landlords know that it is possible to avoid void periods altogether, or at least keep them to an absolute minimum, with one tenancy following seamlessly on from another. If you dread […]

The post Void periods and how to avoid them appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

from OnTheMarket.com blog https://ift.tt/2PgDsbU
via IFTTT

Void periods and how to avoid them https://t.co/skFLfla1FX #conveymove #estateagentsnottingham https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM

Void periods and how to avoid them https://t.co/skFLfla1FX #conveymove #estateagentsnottingham https://t.co/GmjoJxU3bM (via Twitter http://twitter.com/conveyandmove/status/1069572068306505728)