Different BBQ’s

Odd way to make a BBQ
1) If your washer on its last legs take out the drum before chucking stand it on its end, on a stone surface, cover the top over with mesh and you have a perfect wood barbeque, or firepit. The holes in the drum are great for letting oxygen to the fire, and as the wood burns, the ash falls through them
2) Make a barbecue out of a terracotta pot fill it with stones and about 1/4 charcoal and place the grill or mesh over the top. Make sure the pot is about an inch thick!
3) No this only works if you have a stand or some spare heavy brick. Get a metal barrel or bin as long as it’s metal. Cut in half long ways and either put on stand or on a concrete surface lay with bricks propped up around and bingo a barrel bbq

Brighter work place

Well I well and truly have the Tuesday post Bank Holiday blues today’s and trying to think of what would make coming back our office desks it a little brighter I could look at all the crazy ideas to make the works place a little brighter
Now seriously I have found a website that’s specializing in growing grass in the office!! . Fancy a little feng-shui in your office? Why not try a grass square to brighten up your desk
This grass squares were designed at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design to combine nature and architecture. By bringing some nature indoors like these moss mats, the designers hoped to provide a grounding piece of nature.!!!! I tad bizarre I think maybe a nice pot plant would be better!!!
On an idea of feng shui level I have looked too other theory’s like getting personnel. According olden days it’s good to have pictures of your children or you pets something that make you smile… but obviously remember it is the work place the result beings so says old Feng shui says that family pictures should be placed in the middle and top-right hand corners of your desk and other images, such as holiday’s snaps, need to be positioned on the left. So there you go!!!

Competition Crazy!

I know this is an unusual hobby but one my friends is obsessed with competitions and questionnaires and has turned it into one of her favorite pastimes and hobby. As soon as a ‘take a break’ comes out or the local paper she reads it from cover to cover scanning for the local offers and opportunities to win a Caribbean holiday or the latest sunglasses etc. Now I’m all for doing the odd scratch card or buying a raffle ticket for the local scout hut but sometimes I think its just the excitement of filling in and the anticipation that you could win something.

I mean the other week she filled in a dozen Business telemarketing lists in the hopes of winning a year supply of office stationary!!! I mean isn’t that taking it a bit too far she does even have an office chair. To date thought she has won some random things. Every time you go round to tea or see her on an evening out there is also way something random that we get introduced too. Whether it is a new tea plucked from the mountain peaks in the alps that she now has a year’s supply to get rid off or the high tech lip gloss that gives another meaning to trout pout.
Despite all this I think it’s the knowledge that she has won it that makes the latest item as valuable at the golden ticket in Charlie and the chocolate factory!

But something tells me she will be having the last laugh when she is in the Bahamas slipping cocktails in her Chanel Bikini and £5000 in her pocket… remember me!!

DIY : Cast Iron Fireplaces and Radiators

At the moment I am in the process of a bit of DIY in particular the living room

One of the biggest things to tackle is the Fireplace, as I truly do think it is the heart of the home.

Fortunately for us we did have a rather beautiful old fireplace dying to be restore underneath the diabolical 1940’s electric effort that was there when we bought the house.

We had considered was it worth the effort don’t get me wrong there was no way the electric one was staying – but lets face it not all of us process the DIY touch. But no! we decide to go the whole hog and restore what was there. We managed to find a cast iron fireplace surround that would have been similar to what was there to begin with and get Cast Iron Radiators to match to really set it all of to a tee. God it was so worth the effort it looks stunning, even if I am bias.

It is hard knowing where to start but what with doing my home up I can say that DIY is a hobby I enjoy you do get carried away. The please of doing it yourself and even if you save only 2 p its the fact that you did it and can do it

I know real fires are work, what with all the sweeping of the chimney, keeping it clean, hunting and gathering on wood and for the best offers coal but when you come in and the welcoming glow of the fire is waiting for you, there is nothing like it. The extra money and elbow grease is worth it.

Locks Locks Locks

Pick a lock and bang yourself a hooby too!
A few years ago I used to work in the security industry, not guarding people but selling locks and access control security systems. Every year we would visit the master locksmiths exhibition and one thing that I always found amazing was the interest some of the attenders had in old locks. Many of them would have hobbies which involved collecting old locks and keys and having lock picking competitions. Now I don’t know if you have ever tried to pick a lock but believe me its is not as easy as TV would have you believe, stick a credit card in the door, use a couple of lock picks or stick a picking gun in the lock and hey presto..I don’t think so.
Modern locks today have a number of built in security features that prevent most people from picking them, some of theses guys though at the exhibition could open them but that comes with years of experience. However modern electronic access control security systems are a different matter, for which you are better using a sledge hammer !!
I guess if you want a hobby that requires patience and time then give traditional lock picking a go!

The joys of a Garden Gazebo

So with all this lovely weather at the moment it’s so nice to be able to have a glass of wine in the garden.

As the garden is a little bit of a hobby of mine, I am always looking for ways to make the little patch of heaven outside my back door an extension to my lounge. I have lovely garden furniture but with unpredictability of the weather I am thinking a Garden Gazebo is the way forward.

It’s not just a case of simply buying one and slapping it up in the garden… oh no you have to do it right.
Try to find the right spot in your garden, on a firm base, but think about your surroundings. If you have a pond or beautiful view why not make the most of it and position to get the benefit from the outlook.
If you want shelter, then a patio gazebo in the one corner of your decking can complement and break up what can be a long, boring space.

Remember don’t put too far from the outside of the house. If you’ve spent money on a beautiful garden gazebo and it isn’t in view, then why bother buying it.
The best place to have your gazebo is smack bang in the middle of your garden where you can turn it into a sanctuary for relaxing or entertaining. We spend so much time attending to the flower beds and the lawn so why not, despite the weather, site and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

How to make your own bunting

What with the current climate and all the summer festival coming and all the kid’s party and bbq thought I would give some simple tips on how to make you would bunting.
The best thing about this is that you can customize and use up any old bits and bobs to make as special d and as personnelise or glitzy as you want.
Right where to start
Stuff
1. Get some string, ribbon bought bias binding about 9 feet long to whatever to the required lengths.
2. Gets lots of oddments of fabrics or pictures or anything colorful. If you go to your local fabric shop they will have bags of oddments and should be really cheap.
To do
Flags.
1. To make the flags you need to cut out two triangles with the below dimensions.
As per the diagram below

2. Cut out a bunch of flags. For a further fancy effect use pinking shears to cut them out.
3. This is where you can go crazy and get the kids in involve, get personal and with glitter and colour fabric pens
4. Put the right side of the fabric together and Sew up three sides leasing about an inch (leave the top part open).
5. Turn the flags inside out. Use a dull pencil crayon to push out the pointy part.
This is the posh way of doing it if this is too much use put the back of the triangle together and sew round the edge
6. Iron flat.
7. Sew the triangles on to ribbon leaving spaces them out evenly between.

Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup

Well i love cooking as a hobby and despite it being nearly summer i still love to sit down to a bowl of home made soup. I doesn’t matter what time of year you can adapt to suit was vegetables are available at the time. It doesn’tt have to unhealthy either in fact there is something very cleansing about a healthy detox soup

So here’s one of my favourite roast butternut squash and sweet potato

What you need is:

• 1 butternut squash
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 2 red onions
• 1 dessert spoon of cinnamon
• 2 tea spoons of ground nutmeg
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• Pint of boling water

What to do

Chop up the vegs in to cubes, lay out on a deep baking tray and sprinke the cinnamon and nutmeg evenly over the top

Cook in a pre heated oven gas mark 6 for 1 hour till all go brown even slighty chared. Remove from tray and add to a deep pan. Add stock cude to the boliing water and slowly stir in the the cut vegatable

Blend to smooth mixture if too thick add more bolied water

What book to read?

As the weather is so poor what better way to spend the day reading on the sofa .. that is if your not at work

I Am in desperate need of a good book at the moment has anyone got any ideas?

I recent read Shopaholic and baby and at the time it was just what i was after lighthearted no stress read that you could just pick up if and when ever you had half and hour

However i am struggling at the moment. My spare time what little time i have of it needs to be send reading something worth while . I get sop annoyed with myself as despite how crap it is i just feel compelled to read on in the hope ot will get better .. but more often or not i should have gone with my gut instinct and stopped pages before

So whats good then I’ve heard the below are good feed back anyone?

Magic in the Wind by Christine Feehan

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa,

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

How to make a kite : Diamond Kite

DIAMOND KITE
What you need
String, cord or thin garden twine
sticky tape or glue
1 sheet of strong paper (102cm x 102cm)
2 strong, straight wooden sticks of bamboo or wooden dowelling
first stick 90cm stick 102cm
Any thing you want to personnel you kite paint or crayons glitter
1.Cross the two sticks, with little stick placed horizontally across the longer stick – like a crucifix shape
2.Tie the two sticks together in middle with the string and also a little glue
3.Cut a notch at each end of both sticks. Make the notch deep enough for string to fit .
4.Cut string long enough to stretch all around the kite frame.
5.Make a loop in the top notch and wrap string around the stick, stretch twine down stick. Stretch the string through the notch bottom. Re do for vertical stick too
6.Lay the paper flat and place the stick frame face down on top.
7.Cut to fit shape leaving lip of 2-3cm for a margin. Fold over frame and tape or glue it down
8. Cut string about 122 cm
9.Tie the string through the top loop of the kite and before threading it through the bottom loop make a little loop in the middle opposite the centre of the cross
10. Thread through the bottom loop then back up through the middle loop – this is you twine for holding when flying
11. Make a tail by tying a small ribbon roughly every 10cm along the length of string.
12. Go crazy with the glitter Decorate!