Strong winds and troubled trees | Allan Jenkins

As autumn’s blustery weather arrives it’s time to take stock of struggling trees – and plant bulbs for some early spring colour

It is near winter at the summerhouse. Toadstools carpet the grass, some in clumps like fairy homes, others tall and on their own, white like ghosts. The climbing rose is still flowering, a delicate pink and strongly scented. Flocks of birds flit through the rowan, all agitated feeding. Soon they and the red berries will be gone. We have stocked up on sacks of sunflower seed for the residents.

Strong winds shake the trees, swirling leaves colour the grass. Soon the oaks and beech will be stripped of leaf, our neighbours exposed. Bo, the tree surgeon, is here to advise on the dead silver birch and the broken branches on the oak. Last year’s endless summer is still taking its toll. The oaks overheated, threw out hundreds of acorns. He advises cutting back the crown, points out the long-term damage. We will wait on any work until spring, but take a closer look when all the trees are bare.

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Strong winds and troubled trees | Allan Jenkins

As autumn’s blustery weather arrives it’s time to take stock of struggling trees – and plant bulbs for some early spring colour

It is near winter at the summerhouse. Toadstools carpet the grass, some in clumps like fairy homes, others tall and on their own, white like ghosts. The climbing rose is still flowering, a delicate pink and strongly scented. Flocks of birds flit through the rowan, all agitated feeding. Soon they and the red berries will be gone. We have stocked up on sacks of sunflower seed for the residents.

Strong winds shake the trees, swirling leaves colour the grass. Soon the oaks and beech will be stripped of leaf, our neighbours exposed. Bo, the tree surgeon, is here to advise on the dead silver birch and the broken branches on the oak. Last year’s endless summer is still taking its toll. The oaks overheated, threw out hundreds of acorns. He advises cutting back the crown, points out the long-term damage. We will wait on any work until spring, but take a closer look when all the trees are bare.

Continue reading...

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Top tips for buying a renovation property Nottingham Estate Agents

If you’ve ever been tempted by the prospect of a property that needs work – a lot of work – you’ll know that rush of excitement. And that feeling of trepidation. But the rewards can be great. We have thought of some property renovation tips for when buying a renovation property. ‘You’ve got to have […]

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Kraut rocks: 'Preserved cabbage is the perfect hybrid of life hack and craft'

Cabbage is a vegetable that’s conquered the world and its ubiquity has done nothing to dampen its cool factor

The arachnologist Norman Platnick once claimed you’re never more than a few yards away from a spider. There must be so many variables to this statement but I accept it, partially because my nine-year-old son spews out dangerous animal facts with earnestness and partly because I live in Australia where spiders are a fact of life.

In response to Platnick’s claim, I have one of my own: I solemnly would stake that earthlings in 2019 are never more than one meal away from eating some kind of cabbage.

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Kraut rocks: 'Preserved cabbage is the perfect hybrid of life hack and craft'

Cabbage is a vegetable that’s conquered the world and its ubiquity has done nothing to dampen its cool factor

The arachnologist Norman Platnick once claimed you’re never more than a few yards away from a spider. There must be so many variables to this statement but I accept it, partially because my nine-year-old son spews out dangerous animal facts with earnestness and partly because I live in Australia where spiders are a fact of life.

In response to Platnick’s claim, I have one of my own: I solemnly would stake that earthlings in 2019 are never more than one meal away from eating some kind of cabbage.

Continue reading...

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'My home is a portal to how I felt as a child'

An illustrator’s atmospheric family home in Bath is a haven for old objects, lost curios and fairytale beginnings

Aload of CND banners and a gathering of Quaker women in the garden was the harbinger of future happiness for Jude Wisdom and her husband Luther, a sign that this terraced house in Bath was the one. A progressive Quaker belief in social justice meant that although they couldn’t actually afford it, Margaret, the previous owner, decided she liked Jude and her husband and reduced the price.

“Margaret said: ‘I want you to have it.’ We were young, I was heavily pregnant at the time and had a toddler, she was kind and lovely and we just loved the vibe… I’ve never met a bad Quaker,” says Jude.

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'My home is a portal to how I felt as a child'

An illustrator’s atmospheric family home in Bath is a haven for old objects, lost curios and fairytale beginnings

Aload of CND banners and a gathering of Quaker women in the garden was the harbinger of future happiness for Jude Wisdom and her husband Luther, a sign that this terraced house in Bath was the one. A progressive Quaker belief in social justice meant that although they couldn’t actually afford it, Margaret, the previous owner, decided she liked Jude and her husband and reduced the price.

“Margaret said: ‘I want you to have it.’ We were young, I was heavily pregnant at the time and had a toddler, she was kind and lovely and we just loved the vibe… I’ve never met a bad Quaker,” says Jude.

Continue reading...

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