Page 32 - News

Young woman sitting on a garden bench surrounded by flowers and succulents, smiling at her phone.

6 long-lasting plants for a colourful flower bed

Harriet M. Ashford • October 9, 2026

Would you like a colourful flower bed but do not fancy constant weeding, watering and replanting? These 6 reliable performers...

Person holding smartphone and pen, writing in notebook at desk with laptop, coffee, clock, and sticky notes.

How Micro-checking Is Reshaping Attention

Harriet M. Ashford • October 9, 2026

In brief 🔍 Specialists identify micro-checking-brief looks at a phone’s lock screen-as a more covert threat to concentration than extended...

Hands planting a vibrant orange nasturtium flower in a raised garden bed with lettuce and kale in the background.

Nasturtiums Against Aphids: The Natural Trap Plant for Tomatoes and Cabbage

Harriet M. Ashford • October 9, 2026

Aphids are already clinging to tomatoes and cabbage, and the pressure to spray is mounting. Yet one modest flower can...

Sleek dark green futuristic electric sports car displayed in a modern showroom with large glass windows.

Carport Dispute After Thirteen Years: What a Neighbour Can Challenge

Harriet M. Ashford • October 9, 2026

On a Saturday in May, while cars were quietly coming and going in the housing estate, an envelope changed the...

Man talking on phone while working on laptop with graphs and documents at wooden table in bright room

The One Thing to Ask Your Broadband Provider for a Retention Offer

Harriet M. Ashford • October 9, 2026

A discount ends, a promotion runs out, or a “price adjustment” appears on the bill. Your Wi-Fi may not have...

Hand using tongs to remove fried chicken from a steaming black air fryer on a kitchen counter.

Dreame F60: a cross between a steamer, grill and oven

Harriet M. Ashford • October 9, 2026

Dreame has officially unveiled the new F60 air fryer, featuring what the manufacturer describes as a unique steam-then-bake cooking technology....

Older woman reading a document at a kitchen table with a laptop and cup of tea, looking concerned.

New State Pension Age: What It Means for Your Retirement

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

On a gloomy Wednesday morning, the line outside Croydon Jobcentre seemed longer than the queue at Greggs. A man in...

Person wrapped in a knit blanket sipping a hot drink on a decorated balcony at sunset with fairy lights and candles.

How to make a balcony comfortable in colder weather

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

When temperatures fall, many people abandon their small outdoor space. Yet, with a few carefully selected additions, it can be...

Young boy examining ladybird with magnifying glass near garden stones, hedgehog, and bird on sunny day

How a Gabion Wall Becomes a Refuge for Garden Wildlife

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

Initially, the aim was mainly to dress a boundary line and create a modern mineral feature. Two years later, close...

Person holding smartphone showing battery usage screen at a wooden table with coffee and earphones nearby

The background processes slowing your phone

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

You tap to open your photos, but nothing happens. The keyboard is slow to respond. Instagram judders as though it...

Man holding a map and garden shears standing beside overgrown plants and a sign that reads Council Downstairs Pesticide.

Neglected land: why cutting back brambles is not enough

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

Every summer, Marc brings out his brushcutter behind his detached house. On the other side of the wire fence, the...

Young woman reading a letter at a table with documents, a lit candle, and a framed photo in the background.

Parking fines after a death: how families can fight back

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

The letters kept arriving long after the flowers on the grave had faded. First there was a white envelope, then...

Young man tending to houseplants in a sunlit room with large windows and wooden furniture.

5 plants florists recommend for low-light north-facing flats

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

On a Monday morning in a north-facing flat, the light can sometimes look like a rainy day’s, even when the...

Person scrubbing a tiled floor with a brush and natural cleaning ingredients including lemon and baking soda nearby.

How Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide Clean Bathroom Grout

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

Last Tuesday morning, I stood looking at my bathroom tiles, caught between the usual frustration and embarrassment. Grout lines that...

Person holding smartphone showing budgeting app, with coins, notes, jar, and notebook on wooden table.

How Monzo Pots Made My Emergency Fund Grow 15% Faster

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

They grow when unremarkable habits become routine, when your cash shifts before your resolve starts to wobble, and when a...

Woman in overalls and straw hat using water pump in stream with maps and clipboard on rocks in countryside.

Hydraulic Ram: the French Low-Tech Invention Returning in 2026

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

A trickle of water runs through a pipe, somewhere at the bottom of a garden or beside a spring. At...

Person caring for a hanging pothos plant near a window with sunlight, books, and watering tools on a wooden table.

Devil’s Ivy: Benefits, Care and the Best Place in Your Home

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

Devil’s ivy is a houseplant prized for its rapid growth, trailing leaves and ability to adapt easily. Alongside its tropical...

Person kneeling to start a red lawn mower on uncut grass next to a notebook, in a sunny garden.

Lawn mower cutting height: why your lawn turns yellow in summer

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

At the end of every July, the same pattern played out in this small housing-estate garden: the lawn looked yellow...

Person planting a flower bulb in a garden bed with tulips and daffodils nearby on a sunny day.

Planting Bulbs Too Shallow: Why Flowers Disappear After One Spring

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

On a chilly October afternoon, I saw my neighbour crouched beside her flowerbed with a bucket of tulip bulbs next...

Young man analysing financial charts on a laptop at a wooden desk with coffee and phone nearby

How a “Miracle Token” Turned Hundreds Into Millions Before One Click Changed Everything

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

An everyday investor, a dazzling “miracle token”, and one mouse click that temporarily transformed hundreds into millions before the truth...

Person in gloves covering garden bed with green tarp, with coiled green hose and logs nearby.

Why a Tarpaulin on the Ground Attracts Snakes to Your Garden

Harriet M. Ashford • October 8, 2026

Even so, an ordinary item left on the ground can turn a peaceful corner into an ideal hiding place for...