Author: James

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Tidy Up or be Robbed

At least, that’s how the Urban Legend goes… To be exact (and to quote this news story: “The colour of litter, a code for burglars, insurer says”):

In South Africa the colour of the litter on the pavement outside your house could contain clues as to whether your home is being staked out by robbers, according to an insurance firm.

A green object, such as a beer bottle, could be a signal to thieves to ‘go ahead, the coast is clear,’ whereas a red object, such as a Coca-Cola can, could be a sign to ‘steer well clear.’

Now, whether you choose to believe that is up to you. Personally, I think somebody who was upset with the litter in their area decided to ensure people tidied up. And they did it with the world’s best motivation: Fear
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Planting Sage

The Story

Planting Sage? Make sure you don't over water it...I recently planted Sage in my Herb Garden. Sage is definitely a must-have for everybody who cooks, as it is a great addition to many meals. ESPECIALLY if you enjoy Jamie Oliver’s cooking.

Anyway, after planting any plant, it is key to ensure that the roots get sufficient water to prevent them going into shock. At least, that’s how I see it. So I watered the Sage thoroughly. And I watered it again the next day, and the next. I didn’t DROWN the plant, but I made sure that it had water.

BUT, the Sage started drooping. Admittedly, it was in the middle of a hot spell here in South Africa, so I thought that once the temperature cooled down, things would start to perk up a bit.
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Coricraft good service

Ok, as a final note on Coricraft (for a few months at least 🙂 ), I thought I would add this post. There are a LOT of visitors coming here every day looking for info on Coricraft, and some are disappointed to find that they can probably expect really bad service from them.

Can Coricraft give good service?The main problem with Coricraft is that there’s no reason to GIVE good service. They’ve received your deposit, so it’s unlikely you’ll back out, and the furniture is not sitting in the showroom, so it’s somebody else’s problem. I’m not sure if the sales staff receive commission, but I would expect that they do, so it’s in their own best interest to give good service if they will receive more custom from other shoppers because of it.

So, here’s my plan.
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Gift ideas for Mothers Day in South Africa

Mothers Day is coming up soon. This year (2009) we’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day in South Africa on May 10th.

Most people need gift ideas for Mother’s Day, so i thought I would give a nice list of places you can and things you can buy online, or, at the very least, use to get ideas for your mother’s present for Mother’s Day. If you’d like to add to the list below, please feel free to add a comment at the bottom.
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Planting Mint where you want it

Planting mint in a hanging pot for decoration and control.In my previous post, I mentioned how mint was a weed in my opinion. You can read it here:

“In my previous post, I mentioned how mint was a weed in my opinion. You can read it here:

“Mint – the weed that just keeps going”

Anyway, even though it is a weed, it still looks good and smells GREAT! So, almost everyone wants to grow it, including me. But I wasn’t about to let it loose in my herb garden again. 😉
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March Guide for Roses

What to do for your roses in the month of March.Purple Rose - Looking after your roses in March

Northern Hemisphere

This is when you’ll need to:

  • Pick off about half of the new shoots, to encourage new growth
  • Water your roses at least twice a week
  • Spray your rose bush every 2 weeks
  • Fertilise the soil

Southern Hemisphere

  • Water around 3 times a week. More if it’s really hot where you are
  • As mentioned in “4 tips for caring for Roses“, prune your roses, cutting back the flowers once they’ve bloomed.
  • Spray your roses every 1-2 weeks
  • And, fertilise your roses at the beginning of the month, watering them thoroughly afterwards
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OUTsurance cancels cover

Ok, not really related to much around here, but I just read this article about how OUTsurance cancelled a client’s insurance due to the person claiming too much.

According to the article:

There are 3 groups:

  • Those who are claim free
  • Those who claim within expected norms
  • Those who claim excessively

So, if you’re good, you pay less… Not really cool, but that’s life for heavy claimers, but that’s nice for the non-claimers, in a way.

Hmmm… I just hope OUTsurance covers me properly when I need them.