We’ll soon be springing into action with the beginning of spring only a mere four weeks away. Now’s a good time to get your garden into shape and garden furniture cleaned and spruced up.
What to do
Begin by pruning your rose bushes. They will soon start sprouting new growth so prune by removing competing branches and twigs. To water, start with a deep soak and then water once a week. If the weather is hot and dry increase watering to twice a week. Spray if you find greenfly on the tips of new young shoots. It’s also a good time now to plant new roses.
Clean up the garden beds by removing the ground cover which has gone wild and taken over. Weed the beds in preparation for planting new seedlings and dig in some garden compost.
Wash down all garden furniture with warm soapy water and have a look at your garden chair cushions and covers. Looking worn and grubby? No problem! MrPHome stocks some gorgeous garden accessories, including cushions in beautiful bright colours which will really take your garden furniture to the next level. You’ll also find stunning outdoor garden/patio furniture and accessories at Builder’s Warehouse, and Makro and Pick n Pay Hyper stock smaller ranges. At @HomeLiving and Woolworths, you’ll find garden furniture cushions too. Last year spring came early with late August gloriously hot. If this is the case this year, you’ll be ready to welcome spring with a bang.
Décor colours for the new season
Think juicy fruit and you won’t be far out with colours for your homes this spring and summer. There are no hard and fast rules with décor though and really it’s what colours and shades you enjoy most.
I’ve always loved natural earthy colours, creams, blues, greens, and sandy shades as well as greys. It’s quite ridiculous how many shades there are in each colour and it can be quite bewildering choosing the right one.
Lemons, orange/peach shades, blue/turquoise and lime greens will be big this year but if you prefer sticking to more earthy colours for walls and furniture, pick one of these for your cushions and accessories to give your home some wow factor.
I’m still loving navy blue and saffron together and yellow is a proven colour to project confidence, optimism and happiness.
Over the next month or two I’ll choose a room in the home each week, how you can decorate it in style and colour and choose some beautiful accessories. Look out for this.
Tiramisu – serves 8
Ingredients
Large packet of Boudoir Biscuits (2 packets in pack)
1 tub of mascarpone
500ml fresh cream
3 dessert spoons of coffee granules diluted with half a cup of boiling water, fill the rest of the cup with brandy
Chocolate to sprinkle on top
Method
Line a glass dish with one packet of biscuits and place the other packet on a plate, spread out.
Pour the coffee/brandy mix over the biscuits in the dish and over the ones on the plate.
Whip the mascarpone until thick’ish. Whip the fresh cream until stiff (not too much though).
Mix the whipped mascarpone and whipped cream together.
Spoon over biscuits in the dish and then with a spatula take the soaked biscuits from the plate and layer on top of the cream mixture. Cover with another layer of cream mixture. It can be thick. Sprinkle with pieces of chocolate.
Leave in fridge for at least three hours to get really cold. So easy and absolutely delicious.
That’s it for this week. Shop till you drop!
Julie
