Selfsufficientish.com

If they are in the garden I leave them to their own devices, but if they building a nest in pavement cracks near the house, boiling hot water works a treat. A quick/instant death; just keep your eyes out for more ants and repeat as necessary until they decide to nest elsewhere. Oops, beat me to it S...

We've enjoyed a perfect spring, so far, down here in southern Italy. A gradual increase of temperatures (mid-to-upper 20s mostly) and, more importantly, occasional showers. I've already got fruit on my courgettes and cucumbers, flowers on my tomatoes, aubergines and french beans and I'm picking a co...

The also make looking out of the round window possible

Do you mean to render with adobe? If so, their are only three soil types that will work: Loamy sand, which is 85% sand and 15% clay. Sandy loam which is is 70% sand, 20% clay and 10% silt. The final choice is sandy clay loam, which is 70% sand and 30% clay. A neighbour rendered his trullo, but had t...

Abandoned fridges make great raised beds and as a bonus they are insulated too. I've nearly finished constructing a keyhole garden using rocks from the garden and a bit of chicken wire for the central basket.

An alternative use of the word bee is for any communal work, such as, sewing groups, harvesting crops etc; and derives from Middle English bene (meaning prayer, boon and extra service by a tenant to his lord). American's use it more nowadays but it's nice to know that a bee (any gathering to accompl...

I watched it last night and rather enjoyed it and suspect that it may encourage a lot of people to start sewing. If you want to learn proper sewing techniques, take lessons.

The Barefoot Beekeeper is worth getting, especially if you want to keep bees in a more natural environment http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1409271145/?tag=googhydr-21&hvadid=4430188743&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=275442140511492383&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_...

Please say it's not just me who thought this was a thread about the nefarious, after-hours goings on of leeks and lettuce

I've rescued marmalade with frutapec after additional lemon didn't work and it hasn't impaired the flavour.

I use the machine for getting the desired thinness, but don't bother with any of the cutters, as a knife works just as well. The only time I don't use the machine for rolling is when making egg-free pasta, which spookily is resting as I type. Egg-free pasta dough is perfect for fatter pasta shapes (...

I'd also recommend helpx, but only consider people with references.

I got hubby some muckers for Christmas and he really, really loves them. It's no longer a chore to shut the chickens in of an evening and last night he said that whereas before his feet felt like ice-blocks, now they are so toasty it makes the rest of him feel cold .

I just finished the Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng, which, is by far, the best book I read off last year's Booker prize list. With the garden representing memory, loss and finding order amongst chaos, it's a beautifully written book with many themes seamlessly woven, against the backdrop of...

I've always been quite impressed by pallet vertical gardens, which make great use of wall space. http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/ ... al-garden/