Four legs good: furniture fit for high-class hounds – in pictures

Why shouldn’t dogs enjoy minimalist furniture in natural shades?

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* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

Four legs good: furniture fit for high-class hounds – in pictures

Why shouldn’t dogs enjoy minimalist furniture in natural shades?

Continue reading...

* This article was originally published here

As a renter, I can't redecorate. But you should see my wallpaper squares | Hannah Jane Parkinson

Like most of us, I love to put my stamp on a place. So I order lots of samples and create a collage on a distinct section of wall

I am not saying I do not live an exciting and fulfilling life, but I enjoy ordering A4 samples of wallpaper online. I am saying that I truly believe the moment capitalism spiralled out of control was when homeware stores started charging for tester pots of paint. I am saying I’ve bought a plant from Homebase to cover my shame when walking out with rolls and rolls of the test wallpaper one tears off the racks like clingfilm.

All of this forms what I am going to refer to as the “renter’s renovation”. Long-term renters will know that only minimal changes to decor are permitted. Renters will also know that a single gossamer strand of cobweb spotted in a moving-out inventory check can see a portion of deposit chalked off. 

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* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

As a renter, I can't redecorate. But you should see my wallpaper squares | Hannah Jane Parkinson

Like most of us, I love to put my stamp on a place. So I order lots of samples and create a collage on a distinct section of wall

I am not saying I do not live an exciting and fulfilling life, but I enjoy ordering A4 samples of wallpaper online. I am saying that I truly believe the moment capitalism spiralled out of control was when homeware stores started charging for tester pots of paint. I am saying I’ve bought a plant from Homebase to cover my shame when walking out with rolls and rolls of the test wallpaper one tears off the racks like clingfilm.

All of this forms what I am going to refer to as the “renter’s renovation”. Long-term renters will know that only minimal changes to decor are permitted. Renters will also know that a single gossamer strand of cobweb spotted in a moving-out inventory check can see a portion of deposit chalked off. 

Continue reading...

* This article was originally published here

Country diary: last dance of a long-legged mayfly

Abbeydale, Sheffield: As it nears the end of its extraordinary life cycle, time is running out for this delicate, short-lived creature to find a mate

Where nature is concerned, expect the unexpected. One day I was listening for cuckoos on the moors above my home, the next I was having surgery on a part of my body I didn’t know existed. After a week in hospital, I was returned to my garden, quietly grateful and as weak as an infant, to lie on the grass in a blissful daze and watch insects busying themselves among the flowers. I had never properly stopped to notice how many and what kinds our little patch supports: bumblebees, among them common carders, miner bees, butterflies, solitary wasps, ants marching over my legs, beetles muscling through the wild strawberries.

One small drama in particular held my attention: a single male mayfly, pulsing up into the air and drifting back down. As it floated towards my feet, the mayfly’s elongated front legs, used for grasping the female during mating, and its even longer tail appendages, called cerci, bent into an arc – an improbable contraption for flight. Yet when it pushed itself back into the air, it did so almost without effort on slender, transparent wings.

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* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here

Country diary: last dance of a long-legged mayfly

Abbeydale, Sheffield: As it nears the end of its extraordinary life cycle, time is running out for this delicate, short-lived creature to find a mate

Where nature is concerned, expect the unexpected. One day I was listening for cuckoos on the moors above my home, the next I was having surgery on a part of my body I didn’t know existed. After a week in hospital, I was returned to my garden, quietly grateful and as weak as an infant, to lie on the grass in a blissful daze and watch insects busying themselves among the flowers. I had never properly stopped to notice how many and what kinds our little patch supports: bumblebees, among them common carders, miner bees, butterflies, solitary wasps, ants marching over my legs, beetles muscling through the wild strawberries.

One small drama in particular held my attention: a single male mayfly, pulsing up into the air and drifting back down. As it floated towards my feet, the mayfly’s elongated front legs, used for grasping the female during mating, and its even longer tail appendages, called cerci, bent into an arc – an improbable contraption for flight. Yet when it pushed itself back into the air, it did so almost without effort on slender, transparent wings.

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* This article was originally published here

Indoor gardening? Just add flowers

Those of us with no garden can still learn from traditional outdoor techniques

It’s fascinating that in recent years the cultures of indoor and outdoor gardening have evolved along different lines, not just in terms of aesthetics, but in horticultural practice, too. As a new generation gets into gardening, inspired by recreating the indoor paradises on Instagram, many traditions of outdoor gardening are being bypassed – leading to a sort of parallel horticulture. This diversity is all part of the fun, but there are approaches one side can learn from the other – and two big tips indoor growers can pick up from outdoor ones.

One of the biggest trends you see on social media is collections of dozens of plants all in individual pots, shot against the obligatory white industrial wall. I can only imagine this is because indoor plant collections tend to start with a cautious one or two specimens, and quickly spin out of control when the horticultural bug bites. But there are downsides to this. Small pots have a larger surface area to volume ratio, so they dry out far more quickly. This means loads more watering effort, and a far higher risk of plant failure. Then there’s the nightmare of dusting and cleaning in the nooks and crannies between containers and, let’s face it, the cost of all those individual pots can add up.

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* This article was originally published here

* This article was originally published here