Film Ideas, Tips & Guides

Dera Burreson

Cameron Trimble

Airbnb

Burrow

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Instagram over the last few weeks, you’ve likely seen an increased interest surrounding The Soprano’s Carmela Soprano or Casino’s Sharon Stone, clad in fur coats, animal prints, black leather, and smokey eye makeup. It’s being hailed as the “mob wife” aesthetic, and the hashtag on TikTok already has nearly 158 million views. As trends tend to go, you could consider this a natural progression as social media moves away all things “clean girl” and “quiet luxury."

This weekend has been beautiful, much improved from last weekend. I hope when the latest load of storms blew through you didn’t lose anything. I’ve seen on various gardening and allotment Facebook pages that lots of people lost greenhouses. If you can, and I know it’s tricky to on an allotment site screw your greenhouse to a solid base of either concrete or slabs. For those who lost precious items I hope you are able to put them back together. We were very lucky and all I found was a slate roof tile on the gravel at the front of our house, but I couldn’t find exactly on the roof where it came from. Opposite lost 6 ridge tiles and 1 is clinging on for dear life so maybe the slate tile flew off from their roof. Oh but when Eunice blew through on that Friday we did lose electricity just before 3pm and finally returned a little after 11pm. But no biggy, we had fish and chips by fake candle light and then were in bed by about 6.30pm.

I made a decision about a month ago that from 6pm on Saturday until 8am on Monday morning I would put my phone in silent. I know this may sound rather odd to some of you, but when you’re self employed there are times when you just have to switch off and have a bit of time to yourself. No work phone calls or texts can be that important between those times. I’ve also decided to not answer any claire’s allotment messages during that time as well, they will just have to wait until Monday. I do check my phone occasionally just incase there is a phone call or message from family, but other than that it’s a phone free day. Try it, it’s very liberating.

Good afternoon! Well I am pleased to report that I had very mild side effects from my covid vaccination, how I managed that I don’t know, must be the red hair, we have special powers you know. Hopefully when I have my second jab in about 12 weeks time I will sail through just as easily. I was a little achy, but just from my knees down to my ankles. I felt tired, so had a little nap for 2 hours late afternoon, but nothing to stop me going through a load of emails. My head started to feel a little “upset”, but a regularly took paracetamol and ibuprofen and that seemed to make my aches go away and my head feel happy again. But the weirdest feeling I had was that my head felt like it was in a goldfish bowl, not wet and with fish swimming by all the time, but that spaced out feeling. To be honest it was really quite nice. But with that feeling I wouldn’t have wanted to drive anywhere and my brain did feel a little foggy as well.

The weird and wonderful world of Willy Wonka is back, with a new film starring none other than Timothée Chalamet as Willy himself (and Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa!). Out in theaters in the U.S. December 15, the newest installment inspired by Roald Dahl’s fantastical story follows how Willy Wonka himself—magician, inventor, and chocolatier extraordinaire—came to be.

Karen Delahay

Create your own thoughtful Christmas gifts and decorations

These persistent pests not only signify uncleanliness, but they can also pose serious health risks by spreading germs and triggering allergies. Fortunately, there’s good news for those seeking immediate solutions. This article reveals tried-and-true Tricks to Get Rid of Cockroaches Overnight!

Google the name “Monty Don” and the resulting list of endearingly odd questions that appears on the screen is eye-opening in terms of what it reveals about the public’s fascination with this charismatic, Cambridge-educated British gardener, writer, broadcaster and host of BBC’s Gardeners’ World.

Determining where to start your paint color journey can be daunting no matter the shade, but when it comes to kitchen cabinetry, taking a bird’s eye view is essential. That's why we were totally intrigued reading a new report from Living Spaces, which noted that one of 2023's most popular kitchen cabinet colors in the U.S. was bolder than we expected: alongside white, blue was tied for second among most states.

The National Trust has been keeping some of the country's most treasured places safe for over 100 years now, making historic houses and gardens, as well as beautiful landscapes available to visitors. This summmer, take a trip to one of these gorgeous gardens and support their work, while taking in breathtaking displays of flowers, shady woodlands, and tranquil waterways. Opening hours and ticket prices can be found on the website of each garden.

Gardens can be a hotbed of activity for local wildlife, but much of this activity happens out of sight. Whether it’s nocturnal creatures such as badgers, foxes or hedgehogs, or elusive creatures like rabbits, we often miss a lot of the goings on in our outdoor spaces.

Header image: Andrew Taylor. Spud Fit/Facebook

Before I got a garden and a gardening blog, I wasn’t really in to photography. I used to have a compact (point-and-shoot) camera for holidays, and the earliest photos of my gardening efforts are just snapshots. The photos got a bit better over time, mostly because I was taking more of them and selecting the better ones, but I also learned a bit about light, composition and the wonders of cropping!

Header image: Solarpunk imagines a sustainable future, and what it might be like to live in it. Image from www.shutterstock.com

Stephen M. Cullen, University of Warwick

By Sam Humphrey

Marsha Arnold

Join us for an exclusive conversation with the nation’s head gardener, Monty Don, recorded at BBC Gardeners’ World Live. Hosted by presenter and broadcaster, Nicki Chapman, the live audience listened in as Monty gives behind-the-scenes insight into filming Gardeners’ World TV. You can buy tickets for the next live show, BBC Gardeners’ World Autumn Fair here.

Introducing plants into your home or office can create a more positive energy flow. Certain plants have the ability to purify the air, while others provide a sense of well-being, peace, and even stress relief. Eliminating negative energy is an important step in regaining health and happiness. These plants will promote positive energy that will benefit you and those around you!

Also called the weathering steel, cor-ten steel is maintenance free. It is developed to eliminate the need for painting. It is a group of steel alloys that form a stable rust-like appearance if exposed to the weather for several years. Read more about corten steel on Wikipedia.

Discover how to summer prune apple trees to get more fruit in this helpful film. Pruning trees often scares people, but we show you how to cut back new growth in a few simple steps. Tamsin Westhorpe, gardener at Stockton Bury Gardens, shows how easy it is. Winter pruning is focused on growth, but summer pruning is done to make sure you get a really great crop of fruit next year.

The Sycamore is a picturesque tree the largest member of the European maples. It is one of the most common trees in the northern temperate zones enjoying exposed situations in most types of soil.

DEAR OLD,

Join us this July as we celebrate the 2-for-1 Gardens that feature in films and TV. Enjoy a day out at any of these famed gardens and landscapes, while making savings with your 2-for-1 Gardens card.