Quote of the day
“Minimalism is not defined by what is not there but by the rightness of what is and the richness with which this is experienced.” John Pawson, architect
Monthly Archives: April 2017
Tip of the day – cleaning caddies
If your house, like most houses, has more than one floor, consider making yourself cleaning caddies that have a permanent home on each floor. Our house has a converted attic, so it’s three stories high – one of my huge extravagances is having a vacuum cleaner on each floor: no more lugging this heavy appliance up and down the stairs. I… Read more »
Quote of the day
“There is no greater sin than desire, No greater curse than discontent, No greater misfortune than wanting something for oneself. Therefore he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” – Lao Tzu
Task of the day: window cleaning
Blurgh. Window cleaning is a tough job and not one I much looked forward to until about a year ago, I hit on a solution – clean one at a time. Voilà. I don’t know why this didn’t occur to me earlier. I’m used to splitting up other jobs, after all – I don’t vacuum the whole damn house in… Read more »
Quote of the day
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” – Pablo Picasso
Brand of the day – Briochin
Briochin is a French household ‘natural’ products brand – they make all manner of cleaning products with a retro, olde-worlde look and feel. The packaging is generally retro, usually navy-blue cardboard with white lettering and most of the products are certified by Ecocert as not harmful to the environment. I value them too for their pleasant, natural smells, often based… Read more »
Thought for the day
Few people get everything they want or even all they need.
Fragrance review: White Shoulders, vintage
White Shoulders – a name to get right up the nose of the Civil Rights Movement if ever there was one – was created in 1943 by Evyan. It has head notes of aldehydes, white flowers (gardenia, jasmine, tuberose, lily-of-the-valley, lilac, lily and orris) and a drydown that contains amber, benzoin, musk, civet and oak moss. Just one look at… Read more »
Product of the day – falun
Falun is a pretty esoteric French household product. I first came across it at a garden fête and quickly got addicted. I buy a few tubs of it per year and in between, I make my own from scented sand. So what is it? Falun is a type of absorbent limestone. Sold in the form of rough sand, manufacturers impregnate it… Read more »
Tip of the day – bin freshener
Placing an inch-thick layer of cat litter at the bottom of your kitchen bin, under the bag, helps absorb odours and drips. The fuller’s earth type works well, but makes the bin heavy to move, while the crystal type or pressed pellet type is lighter weight. Almost all types can be placed on the garden when they become soiled and will… Read more »