StOM 1811 StOM 1811 | Page 17

MOANS, GROANS AND TIPS THE 5 TOP ANNOYANCES THAT GRIND YOUR GEARS: • A “sorry we missed you” failed delivery note (especially if you were actually at home) • The spinning “wheel of death” on your computer • Failure to get a phone signal when you need it • Listening to someone talk loudly on the bus • People talking or rustling sweet wrappers in a cinema CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS • Kitchen sponges can pick up a lot of bacteria, especially if they’re left in the sink. To clean it up, just pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds. • Blinds pick up a lot of dirt. Mix equal parts of water and vinegar in a bowl and put a sock over your hand. Dip it in the liquid and run it over each slat to remove dirt or dust! • To get rid of stubborn burns from your pan, fill it with water and add white vinegar. Bring to the boil, take it off the heat and add 2 tbsp of baking soda. Cool, then wipe the mixture out of the pan. IN THE GARDEN • SOW, hardy annual seeds of brachyscombe, larkspur, nigella and linum in pots in a cold greenhouse, garden frame or porch, and the plants will be ready for planting out from late March to give an extra-early display next summer. • DIG. There’s no doubt about it, hardy woody, evergreen and deciduous plants will do best if planted in early autumn. They’ll make lots of new roots in soils that have been warmed by summer sun and get well established before winter sets in, growing strongly next spring. • PLANT prepared Hyacinth bulbs in pots and keep them cool and damp, such as on top of a polythene sheet against a north-facing wall. Cover them with a deep layer of peat, so they can develop strong and healthy roots. When the shoots are 5 cm, bring them in to force them into early flowering. Courtesy of Woman’s Weekly (16/10/18) 17