Unless you’re under 35 or over 65 you might not have noticed that there’s been an explosion in city living. London apartment developments have been popping up all over the capital fed by a growing need for neat single living units and a desire to be where the action is, and at the most within a night bus home.In the UK some 50% of new homes are apartments, a trend that’s found worldwide, and this has led to some unusual trends in garden design and gardening. In particular it has led to gardens on a tiny scale with a new trend in micro gardening including vertical green walls and grow your own. Community gardening in these new neighbourhoods is a big trend that we’re hearing about. But one trend that has gone under the radar is the rise of slick independent male apartment living – old style bachelor pads with a new twist. They want a garden to match their stylish new homes.The rise of these new bachelor pad gardens is led by a few different influences. First of all there is a new sophistication for staying home and if you are entertaining your date then what better than taking them out into your stylish outdoor space, sitting around a fireplace at night time whatever the season. Second climate change in city centres has led to more exotic gardening, if you have a warm micro climate in your London garden then you can grow exotic plants like luxurious tree ferns and sexy jungle plants like canna lilies.The other big influence is technology, serious boys toys for the garden. New LED lighting technology gives a great atmosphere year round and even when it snows what better view than a snow lit landscape. But of course night time garden lighting allows busy city boys to relax in the garden when they get home, have a beer from their slick stainless steel cooling drawer and chill out. Add in a great sound system linked into the internal computerised music feed and an outdoor TV and you’ve got an extension to your small apartment for year round entertainment.A challenge for every small city garden is seclusion, especially if you’re a bachelor entertaining his latest girl or boyfriend. It doesn’t have to be the usual timber fence and the contemporary horizontal trellis that has sprung up in suburban gardens isn’t enough when your home displays your tastes to people you want to impress.And plants are just as important to create that secluded atmosphere. In small gardens every plant counts and it’s important to choose wisely. For the gardener he might sacrifice seating space for planting but for many it’s about low maintenance garden design that means occasional gardening whilst enjoying great simple planting schemes with a peak of interest for the summertime. For the minimalist bachelor pad it might mean a single great Japanese Maple but the clear white branches of multi-stem birches and black bamboo are a popular choice. For the single male interested in emanating Gordon Ramsey or Jamie Oliver there’s also an interest in planting more unusual exotic edibles like Szechuan pepper or Cocktail Kiwis that thrive in the warmth of the city.Whatever their taste for planting and gardening there seems to be a cool modern garden for every bachelor, whether it’s the city banker with his rooftop space for entertaining or the newly independent divorcee retiring into the city rather than out to the country and wanting a city garden to enjoy for gardening and relaxing in. So next time your London garden is looking a bit tired check out the garden of the single male living next door and get a few tips for a fab garden design.
What Are The Greatest Changes In Shopping In Your Lifetime
What are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime? So asked my 9 year old grandson.
As I thought of the question the local Green Grocer came to mind. Because that is what the greatest change in shopping in my lifetime is.
That was the first place to start with the question of what are the greatest changes in shopping in your lifetime.
Our local green grocer was the most important change in shopping in my lifetime. Beside him was our butcher, a hairdresser and a chemist.
Looking back, we were well catered for as we had quite a few in our suburb. And yes, the greatest changes in shopping in my lifetime were with the small family owned businesses.
Entertainment While Shopping Has Changed
Buying butter was an entertainment in itself.
My sister and I often had to go to a favourite family grocer close by. We were always polite as we asked for a pound or two of butter and other small items.
Out came a big block of wet butter wrapped in grease-proof paper. Brought from the back of the shop, placed on a huge counter top and included two grooved pates.
That was a big change in our shopping in my lifetime… you don’t come across butter bashing nowadays.
Our old friendly Mr. Mahon with the moustache, would cut a square of butter. Lift it to another piece of greaseproof paper with his pates. On it went to the weighing scales, a bit sliced off or added here and there.
Our old grocer would then bash it with gusto, turning it over and over. Upside down and sideways it went, so that it had grooves from the pates, splashes going everywhere, including our faces.
My sister and I thought this was great fun and it always cracked us up. We loved it, as we loved Mahon’s, on the corner, our very favourite grocery shop.
Grocery Shopping
Further afield, we often had to go to another of my mother’s favourite, not so local, green grocer’s. Mr. McKessie, ( spelt phonetically) would take our list, gather the groceries and put them all in a big cardboard box.
And because we were good customers he always delivered them to our house free of charge. But he wasn’t nearly as much fun as old Mr. Mahon. Even so, he was a nice man.
All Things Fresh
So there were very many common services such as home deliveries like:
• Farm eggs
• Fresh vegetables
• Cow’s milk
• Freshly baked bread
• Coal for our open fires
Delivery Services
A man used to come to our house a couple of times a week with farm fresh eggs.
Another used to come every day with fresh vegetables, although my father loved growing his own.
Our milk, topped with beautiful cream, was delivered to our doorstep every single morning.
Unbelievably, come think of it now, our bread came to us in a huge van driven by our “bread-man” named Jerry who became a family friend.
My parents always invited Jerry and his wife to their parties, and there were many during the summer months. Kids and adults all thoroughly enjoyed these times. Alcohol was never included, my parents were teetotallers. Lemonade was a treat, with home made sandwiches and cakes.
The coal-man was another who delivered bags of coal for our open fires. I can still see his sooty face under his tweed cap but I can’t remember his name. We knew them all by name but most of them escape me now.
Mr. Higgins, a service man from the Hoover Company always came to our house to replace our old vacuum cleaner with an updated model.
Our insurance company even sent a man to collect the weekly premium.
People then only paid for their shopping with cash. This in itself has been a huge change in shopping in my lifetime.
In some department stores there was a system whereby the money from the cash registers was transported in a small cylinder on a moving wire track to the central office.
Some Of The Bigger Changes
Some of the bigger changes in shopping were the opening of supermarkets.
• Supermarkets replaced many individual smaller grocery shops. Cash and bank cheques have given way to credit and key cards.
• Internet shopping… the latest trend, but in many minds, doing more harm, to book shops.
• Not many written shopping lists, because mobile phones have taken over.
On a more optimistic note, I hear that book shops are popular again after a decline.
Personal Service Has Most Definitely Changed
So, no one really has to leave home, to purchase almost anything, technology makes it so easy to do online.
And we have a much bigger range of products now, to choose from, and credit cards have given us the greatest ease of payment.
We have longer shopping hours, and weekend shopping. But we have lost the personal service that we oldies had taken for granted and also appreciated.
Because of their frenetic lifestyles, I have heard people say they find shopping very stressful, that is grocery shopping. I’m sure it is when you have to dash home and cook dinner after a days work. I often think there has to be a better, less stressful way.
My mother had the best of both worlds, in the services she had at her disposal. With a full time job looking after 9 people, 7 children plus her and my dad, she was very lucky. Lucky too that she did not have 2 jobs.
Mary Kay Cosmetics Makeup and Skin Care Product Use
Fascination with makeup occurred at a young age. But when we start experimenting, we don’t always use the best face, body and cosmetic products. This is truly because we can only afford the stuff from the five and dime.As we mature, we learn that our skin requires special attention. It takes a little time and effort to maintain good skin that is glowing and totally flawless. Sometimes, based upon your skin type, special care needs to be taken. Such as a customized products for acne. So you should care for your skin as it asks you to. It shows you what needs to be done to keep it healthy. Mary Kay Cosmetics Makeup and Skin Care Product use enhances and helps maintain good skin.There are five essential steps when using Mary Kay Skin Care Products for good skin results:1. Cleanse: Removes makeup, impurities, excess oil and environmental pollutants2. Exfoliate: Exfoliates dead surface cells to re-texture and refine the skin’s surface3. Freshen: Completes the cleansing process as it helps tone, soothe and re-hydrate the skin4. Moisturize: Increases skin’s ability to retain moisture and forms a protective shield to reduce moisture evaporation and improve skin’s resilience and elasticity5. Protect: Evens skin tone for a flawless finish and shields from the environmentNote: A Moisturizer with Sunscreen SPF 15 helps protect skin from premature aging due to incidental sun exposure.Your skin may also require customized skin care and color products. For instance, you may need to:Smooth and softens fine facial lines, Minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, Reduce puffiness under the eyes or have sensitive skin. Mary Kay Cosmetics offers customized products to care for skin that needs additional support in keeping the skin clear.Sensitive skin is defined as skin easily irritated by topically applied products or environmental factors. Be sure that you use a customized skin care and color product that says “suitable for sensitive skin”. Mary Kay Skin Care Product are made for sensitive skin.Blemish-Prone Skin – Acne or blemish-prone skin is a remarkably common skin condition. While many adolescents may experience acne, this condition also can appear for the first time in adults in their 20s or 30s or even later in life. Generally, however, if you had acne as a teenager, you are more likely to have it again as an adult. Eighty to 100 percent of all teenagers have acne to some degree, and an increasing number of adult women also have some acne. It may require a dermatologist’s care.Most Mary Kay Cosmetics Makeup and Skin Care Products have customized skin care products fit the specific skin care needs of most people. It takes a little time to determine what is actually needed by use. Symptoms of extremes in skin types, such as acne, overly dry or oily, can be improved through proper skin care use. It’s very important to remember that skin care products and cosmetics will help the skin look and feel good, but will not cure skin disorders. That’s when dermatology care is worth investigating.Note: In addition, once acne is present, excessive scrubbing or frequent cleansing will not control it, and any rough manipulation of the skin may further irritate and inflame the lesions or even lead to the formation of new acne lesions.When choosing a color cosmetics always go for the latest trends. It’s usually refreshing and fun to make the change. This also ensures assures freshness of the products.Pamper and care for your skin all over. Use the very best in body care. Layer your body care products on the skin before applying the fragrance because it can extend the wear time of the fragrance.Find a fragrance is completely unique and one with “staying power”. Different ingredients come into play in the fragrance at various stages of the perfume’s life on the skin.Perfumers distinguish between the various parts of the fragrance in the following way: The first impression of the fragrance. It is the initial impact of the scent on the sense of smell. The heart of the fragrance unfolds and develops a few minutes after the perfume is applied to the skin. The final impression of the fragrance . It is the most lasting part and can last several hours after the fragrance is applied.That’s because each one can include up to 1,000 different ingredients, which vary not only in how they smell but also in their “staying power” on the skin. Different ingredients come into play in the fragrance at various stages of the perfume’s life on the skin.Remember that the whole body needs care. And remember to make yourself feel special everyday!