Does anyone remember sunlight? With spring underway, it’s making a comeback after a winter season that dragged on for longer than first anticipated.

It’s now ok to go outside without fearing being stuck in a blizzard or having your view obscured by freezing fog; but one look at your garden might dampen your spirits, especially if you’ve not tended to it for years.

You might find that the grass is growing and needs to be mown, some of the plants that still remain are dying and that the whole area doesn’t seem like a safe or welcoming place to spend long spring and summer afternoons. Fortunately, with summer still a long way away and the days getting longer, you have plenty of time to fix all that.

A place to relax

First and foremost, when turning your garden into the best living space imaginable, you should think about getting something to sit or lie down on – preferably both! A hammock like these could work, especially if your garden has a couple of trees where you can attach both ends to, while a bench or some cool patio furniture might make your garden seem more inviting.

It’s possible to get an outdoor sofa such as this one for your garden too that will be able to cope with a little rain or extreme sunlight – two things that can ruin a nice warm spring or summer’s day. Furniture alone doesn’t make a garden though, so you will want to sort out plants and the exterior of your home to complement it.

A place to play

If your garden has a lawn and it looks a little on the unkempt side, giving it a trim won’t do any harm. If anything, it will give you a green canvas from which you can work out what you want to with it – grow some new plants, install a water feature or leave it for the kids to play football on.

Make sure that any plants you do decide to grow should be seasonal, as they’ll be easier to take care of.

As a finishing touch, the addition of a glass veranda placed over the top of your patio could look great on your home’s exterior and can add a touch of class to your home. It could provide something to sit or stand under when it’s lashing down during an outdoor dinner party or, perhaps, some much-needed shade for when it gets a little too hot to stand in direct sunlight.

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The kitchen is the heart of the family home and it needs to supply a variety of needs. It needs to be somewhere for the cook to cook, the family to run in and out or sit and play, and in some cases somewhere to entertain family and friends especially if the kitchen is where the family eats. However this doesn’t mean you need to compromise on style. When considering your luxury kitchen fitting, make sure you choose a good designer who will listen to your needs and make it perfect for your family. 

Separate Zones

If possible, clear zones for the different uses should be defined. There should be an area to prepare meals near the cooking area and a separate area for eating and entertaining. The area for eating and entertaining may be shared with the space for children to play unless there is a separate dining area of the house that is always used. Making the zones carefully defined means that all the separate activities can take place without each getting in the way of the other.

All kitchens must have a door to the outside for safety reasons, but if your kitchen is the main thoroughfare to the outside space, it’s a good idea to try and link that to the family/children’s area and have the cooking and eating area separated in some way – maybe by a counter or breakfast bar to ensure the cooking area isn’t crossed by the comings and goings of the family.

Materials

To keep a family kitchen looking sleek and stylish the right materials are important. For very young children a stone or tiled floor will stay smarter than a wooden floor, and solid granites and tough acrylics may prove the best for surfaces. Hi gloss doors will clean up well and take more knocks than some natural woods. Make sure any table tops to be used in the family area are made of the same tough materials to maintain a wipe clean, scratch free surface.

Storage

As well as all the usual considerations for use of all the available space inside cabinets – using deep drawers instead of cupboards, stacking appliances in wall cabinets and smart corner units makes sure there is no dead space – these storage principles should be carried through to the family and entertainment area. Try installing a table in a booth with built in benches where you can access storage under the seat pads. If using stand alone furniture in this area perhaps try for a table with sleek drawers or team with a generous sideboard, storage box or cupboard to be used for toys and drawing and messy art materials.

If your kitchen is the link to the outdoor space, make sure there is a designated storage area for muddy shoes and wet coats! 

The Hub

You and your family will spend a lot of time in the kitchen so make sure its well lit with ambient light as well as directional light for task areas like counter tops, work surfaces, cooking areas and tables. If you want to add a television or entertainment centre, make sure they can be used from both areas bringing the family together, rather than separating them.

This is also likely to be an area where post is opened and letters and reports are bought home from schools and clubs. Have part of the family area where these things can be shared such as a notice board or cubbyholes that fit the design of the whole room so family matters don’t take over when you want to entertain others in your beautiful kitchen.

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At the end of the month we’re attending the wedding of a lovely couple in Cornwall, the day promises to be fabulous as the Bride is arranging the day herself and it’s taking place on a beautiful piece of land (with a marquee) owned by her in laws to be.  Imogen was honoured to be asked to be a flower girl and will look beautiful and Joseph is bound to look cute in a little three piece suit we’ve brought for him, even if he does wear it with trainers. The only thing that is worrying me about this wedding is the gift, you see there is no gift list and we have purely been instructed that if we’d like to buy a gift then to just buy one!

The bride and groom have only recently moved in together and have merged their two homes into a two bedroom cottage, so they aren’t exactly swimming in space and possibly not in need of anything.  My initial thoughts were of holiday vouchers but it’s a little impersonal and with the happy couple having livestock to look after it’s doubtful they’d ever use them.  We could go down the practical route and help out with a bit of storage or I could buy them something truly wonderful and personal that they have no need for but would love, but what?  Something to hang on the wall so that it doesn’t take up much space?

I have spent many an evening trawling the internet looking for inspiration and I’m stumped and Tony is much good either and with time running out it’s going to have to be vouchers, in a beautiful handmade card of course.  Is it just me that thought everyone registered for gift lists nowadays?

When shopping for a new car, it’s easy to focus on top speeds and cool features. We get so caught up in the performance aspects that we forget to inquire about how safe the vehicles are. If you stick with these 4 cars, you can’t go wrong. They’re some of the safest options on the road.

Volvo 40 Hatchback

Image via Flickr by NRMA New Cars

Price: GBP 20,000 – 34,000

The Volvo 40 hatchback has just about all of the safety features that you could ask for in an affordable vehicle. Even the base model comes with a driver’s side knee airbag. Oh, a pedestrian airbag comes standard, too. If the car hits someone, an airbag inflates between the hood and windshield to lessen the impact.

Other benefits that you get from this Volvo include

• Blind spot detection
• Dynamic stability control
• Car Safety technology

You also get the peace of mind that comes from driving a car that has Euro NCAP’s highest crash test score.

Ford Kuga

Image via Flickr by StuBez

Price: GBP 20,000 to 29,000

The Ford Kuga SUV takes a serious stance on safety performance.

If you buy a Kuga, you get safety features that include:

• Active city stop
• Easy fuel system (it won’t let you accidentally put the wrong type of fuel in the      tank)
• Hill start assist
• Electronic stability control

You also get the benefit of a five-star safety rating from the Euro NCAP.

Interesting fact: Of all the SUVs tested by Euro NCAP, Kuga gets the highest marks.

Audi A3

Image via Flickr by Michi1308

Price: GBP 18,000 – 28,000

Here’s another vehicle that gets top ratings from the Euro NCAP (as if a car could make this list without getting five stars). Audi, of course, has a reputation for making cars that know how to handle crashes. The Audi A3 crumbles upon impact, which makes it much safer for passengers all vehicles involved in the accident.

Thanks to features like lane departure assist and a radar-controlled cruise control, however, it’s not very likely that you’ll have an accident unless it’s someone else’s fault.

Citroen C4 Picasso

Image via Flickr by Cha gia jose

Price: GBP 18,000 – 22,000

The Citroen C4 Picasso  is one of the safest SUVs that you can guy. When Euro NCAP tested the vehicle, it’s results showed that

• Adult protection was 87 percent effective
• Child protection was 78 percent
• The safety assist did its job perfectly in 89 percent of scenarios
• The pedestrian protection prevented serious injuries nearly 50 percent of the      time

Combining those excellent safety grades with a stylish look, strong motor options, and an affordable price should make the C4 Picasso one of the most popular Big Motoring World West Malling SUVs.

These are just 4 of the safest vehicles in the UK. There are others that almost made the list, but for various reasons fell slightly short. That doesn’t mean they’re not great options, though. What cars would you add to this list?

Post written by Annie Davis.