'Free the leaves!' Costa Georgiadis on his three most useful objects

Gardening Australia’s gregarious host shares the items he depends on to get through the day

If there was any doubt Costa Georgiadis is a man who lives his job it’s dispelled when he answers the phone, freshly washed, after getting himself covered in mud in the garden.

The Gardening Australia host has always offered a wealth of ideas but, during a pandemic that has left many of us housebound, his pragmatic optimism has taken on a particular poignancy – and attracted a surge in ratings, too. So what does the man who has taught Australians to think like a microbe, and guided us through an urban henhouse boom, do for himself every day? We asked him to share three items he relies on.

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'Free the leaves!' Costa Georgiadis on his three most useful objects

Gardening Australia’s gregarious host shares the items he depends on to get through the day

If there was any doubt Costa Georgiadis is a man who lives his job it’s dispelled when he answers the phone, freshly washed, after getting himself covered in mud in the garden.

The Gardening Australia host has always offered a wealth of ideas but, during a pandemic that has left many of us housebound, his pragmatic optimism has taken on a particular poignancy – and attracted a surge in ratings, too. So what does the man who has taught Australians to think like a microbe, and guided us through an urban henhouse boom, do for himself every day? We asked him to share three items he relies on.

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How will the new rules affect your move?

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UK economy nears 'perilous turning point' on Covid-19

Our latest snapshot of key economic indicators shows UK plc is fast losing momentum

• UK economy shows signs of faltering before second Covid-19 wave
• IMF chief: Covid will widen inequality without global action
  

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Mortgage approvals rise sharply in rush to escape Britain's cities

Dramatic rise in August upends what is usually a quiet month in the property calendar

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Mortgage approvals leapt in August to their highest monthly level for nearly 13 years, driven by the pandemic and a rush to buy homes outside Britain’s large urban centres.

Ultra low borrowing rates and the government’s stamp duty holiday on home purchases, due to expire next March, also helped to push mortgage approvals from 66,300 in July to 84,700 in August, according to Bank of England figures, their highest level since October 2007.

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Dual-flush toilets 'wasting more water than they save'

Thames Water says design is more likely to leak as Waterwise warns 400m litres are being lost from UK toilets a day

Toilets specially designed to save water are wasting more than they conserve, the UK’s largest water firm has warned.

Campaigners have warned for years that dual-flush toilets, introduced as more efficient alternatives that were expected to use less than half the amount of water per flush, are more prone to leaks.

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A coronavirus exodus from cities is pricing locals out in rural Wales. We need protection | Mabon ap Gwynfor

Urbanites in search of a new life or a second home in Britain’s most beautiful areas are warping regional economies

• Mabon ap Gwynfor is Plaid Cymru’s Senedd candidate for Dwyfor Meirionnydd

As the coronavirus crisis consumes politicians every waking hour, another crisis is facing

many of our small coastal and rural communities, from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to the delightful fishing villages of Cornwall and everywhere in between. Communities are being hollowed out as second homes and Airbnb suffocate our communities.

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