Living in a very dry area of Australia, I am actually very happy
to see all the ants coming inside the house as this means we are in for lots of rain. Trouble is, leave any trace of food around and it is covered in ants in seconds. The dog/cat dishes have to be emptied and cleaned straight after feeding and make sure the kids don’t leave the honey or cordial out!
The problem lies when the ant problem becomes an
infestation and they start taking over the house. Then we have to do something to fix the problem.

There is no point in just killing the ants you can see, this is actually only about 1% of the entire colony and when they do not come home to the nest more ants are automatically sent out.
The ideal situation is to find the main nest where the queens and all the other ants are and eradicate the entire colony with liquid bait.

You can try following the ant trail back to the main colony but this is near impossible as the trail may go behind skirting boards, along the inside of the walls and out somewhere at the other end of the house
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When you think of a chess set, chances are you think of an old wooden board with plain pieces that those strange guys in college played with into the wee hours of the morning. And while there can be no argument that chess is certainly a great way to pass the time, there is a use for chess that you may not have thought of – decorating.

But why would you want to decorate a room with a game? Well, chances are you won’t be basing the entire room design around the set, but you should consider adding a decorative set to accent your current design. It’s time to let go of the notion of chess being simply a game, and start thinking of it as a decorating tool.

Of course, you can’t really justify decorating with an old musty board and cheap wooden pieces, can you? This is where you need to start thinking of a chess set as décor and not a hobby – a nice chess board and pieces (and possibly table) are going to run you a good bit of cash, and thinking of it as a hobby or game is going to make it that much more difficult to buy. But, if you start to consider it as an ornamental piece, then it becomes much more justifiable. After all, how much will you spend on a custom framed picture, or an ornate coffee table? They both qualify as decorations, but consider that nearly everyone has these – how many times have you seen an intricately carved chess set in someone’s house?
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You cannot stand it. The same old dreary windows that do little to add life to your home. It is time for a change. But, where do you start? How do you keep from making an expensive or embarrassing mistake? In fact, how can you know what you really want?

1.Start with one room at a time.
There may be the temptation, especially when moving into a new home, to decorate all of the rooms at once. This takes far too much energy and can sap your creative juices, leaving the decorating flat and less interesting. It can also make decorating your home an overwhelming task. Go slow. Do one room at a time and then move on to the next one.

2.Assess, review your needs.
With pen and paper in hand, jot down some notes about all of the windows in the room. Measure them and note their size and shape. Rough sketches will help. Are the windows too large? Too small? Odd sizes? Mismatched sizes? Is there too much light in the room? Not enough light? Do you want to block an unattractive view? Do you want to enjoy the beautiful view? Do you need privacy? Daytime privacy? Nighttime privacy? Or both? Do you want to liven up a dreary room? How do other family members feel about these needs? What is your budget for the windows?
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“Old”, is ‘hip’, ‘with-it’, ‘cool’….’phat’, even. And although these terms may not be so ”in” – depending on your generation –, ”heritage”, ”antique”, or simply trusted, beloved and admired things of the past are again “in vogue”.

Clothes that mimic those we relinquished to the rag bag (and wouldn’t be caught dead in) have become the rage, and wind-storm-look hairdos and retro-look furniture have become as coveted as true antique heirlooms are by avid collectors.

Old-time vegetables and flowers are also making a comeback in many a garden, and among these are roses. “Antique/Old Garden/ Heritage” roses, –showing that “heritage” means something. Old is good.

Rose enthusiasts everywhere are turning again to antique roses for their gardens, for good reasons. The many advantages of these old garden roses are being rediscovered. Their general ease of care, as compared to some of their more sensitive, more “modern” cousins, is one of their prized winning attributes. Not all heritage varieties are immune to the dastardly black spot disease, but most suffer little from its effects, and this eliminates the regular spray programs required by more delicate cousins. Other diseases and insects aren’t usually major problems with this group…assuming you have provided them with proper nurture.

Old Garden roses are known for their gloriously abundant perfumes, and they need less major pruning. As more hardy shrubs or climbers, they lend themselves to many landscape uses, allowing them to socialize and adorn our yards with vertical bloom and graceful arches in various areas, as opposed to confinement to one rose bed or area.
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