How to Choose Round Dining Room Tables

Remember the tales of King Arthur and the Knights of the round table? Simply by looking at those myths we can see that round dining rooms tables have enjoyed a long history as a method of bringing people together.

Myth has it that Camelot’s round table used by King Arthur was created to ensure that was no head or end of the table, so that no one could claim to be favourite based on their position at the table.

So what are the advantages of round tables in this day and age. Are they of as much use now as they were to the likes of Sir Lancelot?

Style. Rectangular and oval tables are the most common of types of table at the moment – and people have come to expect them. Round tables have a style that is at least equal of those types of table whilst giving something different, something striking, something that your guests will remember and be impressed by.

Conversation. It is important to remember the obvious here – round dining room tables are, at heart, still dining room tables, a place for us to eat at. Since it is common to eat in groups, whether family meals or a dinner party conversation can play a big part in our enjoyment of the meal.

Space. With more traditional rectangular tables space is wasted thanks to the corners, there are areas that people are unable to sit at.

Centrepiece. Because round dining room tables are, rather obviously, curved they work best in the centre of the room. They curve away from all the angles that rooms traditionally have allowing more space to walk past them – great for serving meals, replenishing wine glasses and the like!…

There are several factors to consider when choosing a lawn irrigation system. These include the terrain slope, the watering frequency, and the system’s resale value. You will also want to consider how the system works and whether it is best to use a drip or spray system.

Drip Vs. Spray

If you are wondering about the difference between drip and spray lawn irrigation systems, you are not alone. Both methods irrigate landscapes, but they have distinct advantages and disadvantages. You should be able to make a decision based on your specific situation. Drip systems use less water than sprinklers. This helps to reduce runoff and prevents evaporation. It also allows the soil to absorb more moisture. Consequently, it promotes healthy, deep-root growth. However, drip irrigation requires more maintenance than sprinklers. Spray systems can cover a larger area quickly. They are typically used for golf courses, sports fields and commercial green spaces. To avoid excess watering, it is important to design the system to minimize overspray. Drip systems are a great choice for small gardens. They can be set to target specific plants or different garden water areas.

Terrain Slope

When choosing a lawn irrigation system, you are going to have to take into consideration the topography of your property. For example, do you have a steep slope or a stepped terrain? If you do, you may need to employ a pump or other devices to deliver water to the appropriate level. You should also consider the type of irrigation system you install. This is a critical component of a good landscape plan. Make sure to get input from your local landscaping contractor. They can help you avoid pitfalls like erosion. In general, turf grass is a good choice for slopes. However, this isn’t always the case. Some slopes are planted with ground covers, such as prairie grass, which can be a better choice.

Resale Value

If you’re looking to put your house on the real estate market, it’s time to start thinking about your yard as a property to be cherished and appreciated. Keeping your lawn tip-top shape will make your home easier to sell and keep your abode from falling out of favor with your neighbors. The best way to do this is to invest in a sprinkler system. It’s also a worthy investment for your pocketbook. Irrigation systems can save you money on your water bill and, in some cases, your electric bill. Besides, an irrigation system can add value to your home in the long run. It’s a good idea to buy from a reputable company. 

Adjusting The Frequency

The best time to water your lawn is during the cooler months of the year, so the trick is to schedule your watering accordingly. This is not only more fun but will also yield better results. Planning and executing the appropriate routine will ensure your lawn looks its best-come rain or shine. A properly tuned system will minimize the risk of overwatering and will ensure that all …

How to Improve the Look of Your Home on a Budget

If you want to update your home, or are fed up of peeling wallpaper and broken furniture, then perhaps you’ll want to change the look of your home.

Here’s how you can do it without spending a fortune.

1. Perhaps some new furniture will be all it takes for your home to look different and better. What about a new table and chairs for the dining room, or a new three piece suite for the living room?

2. Maybe a lick of paint or some new wallpaper will be all it takes to transform your home. You don’t have to spend a fortune, or be a DIY expert, to redecorate your home, and the changes can be immediate, and last for many years.

3. You might just decide that changing your internal doors is going to be enough to get the look you want. Perhaps you’ll choose lighter or darker woods to give your rooms more warmth, or more colour. You might choose glass doors, or solid wood doors to help create separate areas of your home.

4. Perhaps you really don’t like your door handles, and want to change them. Maybe you’ll start with the front door, and work all the way through your home, and fit handles that are easier to use, or that match the colour of your rooms.

5. If you want to change the look of your home then new carpets or flooring might be just what you need. You won’t have to spend a fortune if you don’t want to, and will have a wide choice of laminate and real wood flooring to choose from, as well as carpets and tiles.

6. Having a mirror in your front room or dining room, can help to bring more light into the room, and will make the room seem a bit bigger too. As well as in your downstairs rooms, why not make sure the mirror in the bathroom, or in your room, is big enough?

7. A new kitchen might seem extravagant, but will be worth it, and might add considerable value to your home. You’ll have plenty of storage and food preparation area, and you’ll have the modern appliances such as a large fridge, dishwasher and washing machine too.

8. A new bathroom might be a good idea if your current bathroom suite is old, or isn’t to your taste. Perhaps you want to change the colours, or maybe you’ve got your eye on a corner bath, or a roll top bath.

9. As well as doing up the interior of your home, don’t forget the garden. You can quickly and easily transform the look of your garden, with some new garden furniture and plants and bushes. Why not see whether a shed, or a trampoline, or a barbeque area would improve your garden?

10. Although you might not want to spend a lot on doing up your home, you’ll want to get …

Concrete Is the Best Approach to Creating Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Rainwater harvesting systems are nothing new; for centuries mankind has been using rainwater for his own purposes. Some of the techniques have changed, but the basic concept is still very easy: accumulate the rainwater and store it and filter it for future use. Rainwater is commonly used as free drinking water (not subject to tax!), irrigation purposes, toilet water, laundry water, gardening water and car washing water. For a variety of reasons, rainwater might be the only type of water available.

Rainwater is not only collected from the sky, but also from rooftops, tents, and even areas of the ground. Did you know that rooftop rain water doesn’t even require that much filtering for everyday non-drinking purposes?

Many people choose to create rainwater systems out of cheap and plentiful materials. The rate at which water can be accumulated depends on the plan area of the harvesting system, as well as the efficiency of it. Naturally, the rate of rainfall also plays an important part in determining this “rain profit.” Commercial harvesting systems obviously bring in the most rainwater while also reducing the demands on the mains network. These systems can also help to reduce floodwater damage.

Concrete is one of the best materials to use for harvesting systems. Concrete is highly durable and very strong, and is fully capable of keeping all rainwater contained in a basin. Furthermore, these harvesting systems allow for the conservation of “mains” water supplies and for cost-effective use of a natural resource. Yes, concrete (made of water, aggregate and cement) is one of the most plentiful materials on earth. This makes concrete environmentally friendly.

These systems also offer fast installation, low maintenance and full cooperation with SUDS (Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems) directives. How do people like the actual units used for rain conservation? Most businesses and land owners are completely satisfied, as designs are unobtrusive, and the filtered rainwater tends to be softer than average. All water collected is chlorine free, making it ideal for most water uses.

Some of the best rainwater harvesting systems are insured for upwards of one hundred years. (Speaking of the concrete tank) What are other features to look for? Top up systems are also advantageous, as they allow additional water to be added to the tank directly. The average household can save up to 50 liters a day using these systems. Why not consider rainwater systems today?…

Dining Room Decorations – What All You Need for Your Dining Room

In many American homes, meals are eaten in the Dining Room, especially when company is invited. Picking out furniture for this room is important, as it contributes greatly to the whole appearance and feel of the room. Aside from decorative hutches and paintings on the wall, the table and chairs in the Dining Room are the main features.

There are many styles of Dining Room Tables to choose from, ranging from simple to very complex and elaborate. To start with, there are the legs. You can get four legs in the corners, as is the traditional style. These can be made of wood, metal, or any material strong enough to support the table. If they are wood, you will want to make sure they have a carved pattern that suits your Dining Room needs. Do you want lots of twists and turns, or just simple straight wooden legs? Do you want them to look like wood, or do you want the wood to be painted? Once you make these choices, you can narrow down your search. Perhaps you don’t like wood and would rather have a glass table, but are afraid that glass won’t hold up as table legs. This is actually not true, as glass legs can be constructed in a stack formation that looks very modern and complements a glass table top. If you prefer metal, there are lots of aesthetic options as metal can be molded in all sorts of ways and look either modern or traditional.

Maybe you don’t want four legs, but one big form of support in the center of the table in your Dining Room. You can have one central wooden support with smaller legs of its own, reaching out like roots of a natural tree. Or, you can have a modern-looking sculpture of metallic shapes that form together in a clean display beneath your clear glass table top. Or, perhaps you want an elaborate wooden carving with a clear table top to display it.

The table top itself will be an important aspect of your Dining Room. Make sure that it is appealing on its own, but be aware that you can cover it with a cloth at any time to protect it. If you want to prevent scratches to natural wood, consider getting a piece of glass fitted precisely to the table top so that nothing can ever tarnish it.

Dining Room Chairs tend to match the aesthetic of the table, but this too is up to you. The legs of the chairs should look somewhat like the legs of the table to make them fit together well. You will also want to think about the different sorts of cushions and backs that are available, finding a set that is both comfortable to sit in and appealing to the eye when one walks into the Dining Room.…

Creating An Outside Room Ready For The Summer

When the warmer weather approaches, the idea of creating an outdoor living space will inspire and encourage open-air entertaining throughout the summer months. Outside dining rooms can be created with all the comforts of an indoor dining room and are paramount when created as an extension of the home. Designing an outside room can be straight forward with some simple planning in advance and once completed, even a basic outside room will enhance the use and appearance of the overall garden space.

Planning The Outside Room

Regardless of the size of the yard space available, creating an outdoor room for dining can easily be achieved by planning the room before all else. Locating the perfect space to create an outside dining area may be obvious. Using an existing decking or patio space will drastically cut the time it takes to create the room and if close to the house, make it feel like a true extension of the home. However, when no such space exists, an area of the garden that promotes peace and a relaxing atmosphere will work just as well. Keep functionality in mind when planning for an outdoor dining room for the space to be used on a continual basis.

After pinpointing the location of the room, there are several basic components to consider. When these specific components are combined the perfect outside dining room will be formed. The first basic component to consider is the flooring. The use of hardscaping for the flooring of an outside room will ensure the room is clearly defined. Features such as wooden decking, stone or brick paving, tiles and concrete patios are all considered flooring hardscape. The outside dining room will also need to be protected from the elements. To establish a dining area that can be used in all types of weather, use a cover such as a shade cloth, an outdoor awning or gazebo style roofing.

Decorating The Outside Room

To make recurrent use of an outside dining room, comfortable dining room furniture is essential. When choosing outdoor furniture for the room, take into consideration the material the furniture is produced from. Even with adequate roof covering, not all furniture material will survive the elements and water resistant options will assist with the longevity of the chosen furniture.

With the larger items of an outside dining room in place, suitable lighting can be beneficial for setting the mood of the ultimate outside dining experience. When the sun sets, well placed lanterns and candles will give the room character with ambient lighting. Dining hours can be extended with some simple outdoor lighting and make the outside room into a retreat for guests. For cooler summer nights, a heat source such as a fireplace or fire pit will prolong the use of the outdoor room in summer and for cooler months in general.

The final basic component to consider when creating an outside dining room area is the decoration. To make an …

Australia’s Major Invasive Species

Taking species from natural environments and introducing them to foreign ones can, and has caused many unintended consequences. The following cases have caused considerable destruction of Australia’s environment and natural ecology. While the issue needs to be addressed at a national level, individual farmers may be able to resist some pests’ damaging effects through the use of protective canopies

Cane Toads

Cane toads were introduced from their native South America, to control the native cane beetle, which damages sugar cane crops. In addition to being unsuccessful in this pursuit, the cane toad has gone on to become a major national menace. From their limited introduction in Northern Queensland in 1935, they have procreated rapidly, up to a population of over 200 million. They have also spread dramatically, right through Queensland, into New South Wales, and west into the Northern Territory.

Foxes

Unlike the cane toad, foxes were introduced to Australia for leisure, namely hunting, in the mid 19th century. Ironically, more hunting than ever is needed to try and reduce the out of control population of feral foxes. Baiting is also used to try and control a population numbering over 7 million. Foxes have been responsible for the extinction of several native Australian animals, for which foxes became a predator.

Rabbits

Around the same time that foxes were being introduced for hunting, so too were rabbits, for the same purpose. By eating native plants, rabbits have been responsible for exposing topsoil, making land susceptible to erosion. The use of Myxomatosis helped reduce Australia’s rabbit population from an estimated 600 million to 100 million. Unfortunately, rabbits became resistant to myxomatosis and populations recovered to possibly 200-300 million. A similar experience unfolded with the accidental release of calicivirus, which reduced rabbit populations, until rabbit populations became resistant.

Feral Cats

Cats have been in Australia since the time of the convicts, and continue to be a popular pet. With cats being very adept at catching small animals, it is believed that Australia’s large feral cat population has had a very negative effect on Australia’s native fauna. In an interesting twist, feral cats have, however, been helpful in also feeding off wild rabbits, another introduced pest. Feral cats cover much of Australia’s territory, with the exception of regions with dense rainforest.

Introduced Birds

Most Australians will recognise the ubiquitous Indian Mynah, so prevalent due to its prolific breeding. It was introduced into Australia to control locust plagues. Indian Mynahs can disrupt native bird populations, by forcing them from their eggs and nests. Common starlings and rock pigeons are also introduced pests.

Other Pests

Australia’s native freshwater fish populations have been decimated by the introduction of more powerful species from overseas into local river systems. Such fish include very damaging carp and trout, as well as redfin perch and mosquitofish.

Other types of introduced pests include insects such as wasps, bees and fire ants. Marine pests include mussels and the crown of thorns starfish, the latter being extremely deadly to coral …

Educators have discovered that a one size fits all method to education does not work. A variety of teaching methods, therefore, have been entertained and tried in classrooms across the country. Among the varying methods are reggio emilia schools. The Reggio Emilia approach is practiced in some schools with the belief that children thrive in educational environments where their interests are the mobilizing factor.

Here are three facts about the Reggio Emilia approach.

History

The Reggio Emilia approach was born in the Italian town of Reggio Emilia. It is how the children of that area were educated based on the town’s needs. From there, surrounding areas would adapt the approach and educate their children based on their unique needs, too. This approach is used on children of preschool age. There are no formal training classes since no child and no community is the same. It is simply about putting each child at the center of their own education.

Characteristics

Under the Reggio Emilia approach, it is believed that children can construct their own learning. They are curious enough to want to know more about subjects that interest them. By allowing children to freely interact with others, they gain a better understanding of others, their environment and the world. Their environment is one of their teachers, and the adult acts as a mentor and guide. Since children are natural communicators, language is how they discover when they ask questions. Children are encouraged to immerse themselves in symbolic languages like painting, sculpting and drama.

Collaboration

An emphasis is placed on collaboration when the Reggio Emilia approach is used. Since children are going to become important members of their community, they learn to critique, negotiate and problem solve. Through these experiences, they gain an understanding of how to get along with others and how to cope with resolving disputes. Essentially, they are preparing to become contributing citizens of their immediate group.

As educators continue to grapple with the best way to educate children, reggio emilia schools offer one approach that places the child at the center.…