Haunting, eerie and mesmerising: 35 pictures of abandoned buildings in Reading and Berkshire

From abandoned baths to an empty prison and office blocks, these pictures are fascinating

from getreading - Berkshire History http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/berkshire-history/haunting-eerie-mesmerising-35-pictures-8524858

Motorcyclist who died in Streatley crash named

The 52-year-old man from Tadley was pronounced dead at the scene

from getreading - Local News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/motorcyclist-who-died-streatley-crash-12102597

Bracknell ghosts: Meet Old Bert and the Binfield centaur

There are plenty of spooky characters haunting buildings in Bracknell

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/bracknell-ghosts-meet-old-bert-11075876

10 haunting pictures of an abandoned Berkshire school

The Urban Explorer's pictures show PE kits hanging up at Crookham Court Manor School, which was abandoned after a child abuse scandal in the late 1980s

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/berkshire-history/10-haunting-pictures-abandoned-berkshire-8664834

London Irish kid tickets are £1 this weekend PLUS learn how to Charleston at Reading tea party

Take a look at our ultimate weekend round up - complete with family and kids events, gigs and more

from getreading - Music & Nightlife http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/london-irish-kids-go-1-12094197

Asda tills and card machines break down causes chaos across UK due to system error

Customers have been told that the system glitch is due to the clocks changing, but people have left their shopping in store

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/asda-tills-card-machines-break-12100172

Abutilon ‘Red Tiger’

This year, one of my favourite plants in my garden has been my Abutilon. I bought it in April, and it is still flowering now. They are utterly marvellous plants, and I plan to grow many more. 

My plan advanced a little further yesterday when I met Leila Jackson, who holds the National Collection of Abutilons. Her giddy excitement about her plants was dangerously contagious, and it was only because she had run out of stock of her most beautiful flower, Abutilon ‘Red Tiger’, that I didn’t succumb completely. 

This, of all the Tiffany-lamp-like Abutilons, is the most beautiful. Its petals are like dragonfly wing, and the shrub itself grows tall. Living in sheltered South West London, I’ll probably get away with keeping it out in winter too, but a little protection from frost is important. 

You can buy Leila’s plants here. Just don’t buy my Abutilon ‘Red Tiger’, please. 

from Fennel and Fern http://www.fennelandfern.co.uk/blog/2016/10/30/abutilon-red-tiger/

9 fascinating and useful garden design ideas from the top

I’ve just heard some really inspiring garden design ideas from Andy Sturgeon,  winner of nearly 40 national and international garden design awards.

He spoke at our local Painters Forstal Gardening Club, in Lorenden School hall.

And everything he said was not only fascinating, but was also directly relevant to our own gardens. We were on the edge of our mini-sized primary school chairs.

He whisked through a quick history of garden design, from the Alhambra, the Renaissance and the influence of the Grand European Tour, ending up with the influence of package holidays and the TV programme, Groundforce.

He pinpointed the time at which garden design became a career, and no longer purely the preserve of the wealthy with their grand estates. ‘In the 1960s, the package holiday arrived,’ he said. ‘And with it came patio doors.

Andy Sturgeon, winner of over 40 national and international garden design awards including several Chelsea ‘Best in Show’.

Patio doors?

Patio doors, he explained, have transformed the middle-sized garden. In the interests of full disclosure, I must admit he didn’t use the word ‘middle-sized’. But that is undoubtedly what he meant.

‘People brought the idea of patio doors back to their own homes,’ he said. ‘For the first time, they could see their gardens from their houses all year round.’ Television programmes, such as GroundForce, stimulated our interest in what we could do with our gardens and Andy Sturgeon started winning Gold Medals at Chelsea.

Most of his work is in urban gardens, he says. Even if their owners can afford one of Britain’s top garden designers, they are still restricted by some of the same factors that frustrate all of us – mainly lack of space.

How to design your garden so that it doesn’t date

A garden will date if it’s too fashionable, explains Andy. ‘Hidcote is the most visited garden in Britain,’ he says. ‘And it was designed in the 1920s. It hasn’t dated.’

That’s because it uses natural materials, such as brick, wood and stone, for the hard landscaping elements.

So protect your garden from looking ‘dated’ by using brick, wood and stone. You can follow fashion with the planting.

Give a garden a heart

‘Give your garden a heart or a hub,’ Andy advises. He showed us a number of gardens he’d designed. It was noticeable that places to sit weren’t always directly outside those patio doors. Sometimes there were a pair of sun loungers halfway down the garden or a table and chairs a third of the way down.

If your house isn’t beautiful, mask it

Not all houses are beautiful. If yours isn’t, then it’s worth thinking about trees, pergolas or major planting close to the building.

Take elements from the context of your garden

What can you see of your wider environment? Andy designed a roof garden for a block near the River Thames. He incorporated a pond, which reflects the sky in the same way that the Thames reflects the London sky. Another roof garden was near the Lords Cricket Ground, so he used fake lawn to echo the cricket green.

Take inspiration from nature

Andy is always taking photographs of landscapes from car windows. He uses these to inspire his domestic gardens. Don’t copy nature, he says. Take elements of it, such as the smell or the way the greenery grows.

Be realistic about how you maintain your garden

It may be a surprise to hear that a top designer has used fake lawn. ‘But you need to be realistic,’ says Andy. ‘The housekeeper at the flat near Lords hoovers the lawn when she does the carpets. It would be almost impossible to maintain real lawn in that context.’

Think about the green structure first

‘When I design a garden, I think about the green structure first,’ says Andy. ‘The flowers are on top.’

I can see, looking at my own garden, where the green structure works. It is, undoubtedly, the best part of the garden. It’s so easy to get diverted by the excitement around flowers.

Curves are more expensive than straight lines

If you’re planning a garden design, straight lines will be cheaper to implement. Andy reckons that ‘curves add 50% to the cost of landscaping.’

It makes sense – a curved wall, path or terrace will mean more time is spent cutting bricks and laying them.

Put images on paper when you’re planning

Andy uses Powerpoint to collate images of his ideas. ‘It reminds you what direction you’re going in.’

A top garden design tip is to repeat the image if you’re planning to repeat the element. If you are thinking of using, for example, a particular grass in several places in your garden, add several images of the grass to the plan, not just one.

I’m trying to use Andy’s technique to decide if I should go for softer or more vibrant colours with next year’s dahlias.

Oddly enough, this is harder than it looked. I tried to plan next year’s border using Canva, but don’t feel I’ve got the Andy Sturgeon touch quite yet.

Pinks or oranges? I think the pink is very pretty, but maybe the more vibrant oranges ones will be better in the current garden?

Andy Sturgeon is a brilliant speaker. I could have listened to this talk several times over, and I would still have learned something new. And it was great that he took the time to visit a village gardening club. See his website for stunning photographs of gardens he’s designed.

(I have to say that the Painters Forstal Gardeners’ Club punches well above ‘a village gardening club’ – other speakers have included Fergus Garrett of Great Dixter.). If you live near Faversham (East Kent), find out more about it here.

 

 

The post 9 fascinating and useful garden design ideas from the top appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/4-fascinating-and-useful-garden-design-tips-from-the-top/

Which are the top secondary schools in Berkshire?

The Real Schools Guide 2016 uses 25 different measures to create the most comprehensive guide ever to state-funded secondaries - find out where your local ones rank

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/top-secondary-schools-berkshire-11690960

Hate Halloween? Here are a few tips to get you through the weekend

Not everyone enjoys Halloween so getreading has a few ideas on how to avoid it

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/hate-halloween-here-few-tips-10359807

Heart attack survivor urges people to download life saving app

South Central Ambulance Service's Save a Life App show where the nearest defibrilator is and guides people through how to respond when someone has a cardiac arrest

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/berkshire-ambulance-service-launches-app-12085330

Slough boasts third-highest number of Michelin stars in the UK

Slough has one of the highest numbers of Michelin stars in the country - see which restaurants have landed the area in the top rankings

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/slough-boasts-third-highest-number-12087369

Reading council predicts 200 families will be living in bed and breakfasts after revealing £7.49 million overspend

A report shows huge pressure on the children's services and adult care departments

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-council-predicts-200-families-12089050

Friday's top stories including man fighting for life after A33 crash, Royals ban fans and latest on Swan Heights

A rundown of the most-read stories for October 28 on getreading

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/fridays-top-stories-including-man-12095369

The Zombies bring UK tour to Newbury this November

Here's all you need to know about getting your hands on tickets for the show

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/zombies-bring-uk-tour-newbury-12086273

Binfield rapist who took 'advantage of young girl' jailed

Shane Matthew Chubb, 43 of Apsey Court, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Friday, October 28

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/binfield-rapist-who-took-advantage-12094360

Halloween events: What's happening in Reading, Bracknell and Wokingham?

From club nights to kids' parties, check our guide to Halloween in Berkshire

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/halloween-events-whats-happening-reading-10319651

MPs debate A34 safety after two fatal collisions in four months

Richard Benyon and Ed Vaizey have long campaigned on the issue which was debated on Wednesday, October 30

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/mps-debate-a34-safety-after-12082486

Could you see the Northern Lights above Reading tonight?

Heavy fog is likely to scupper any chances of seeing the spectacular display on Wednesday

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/see-northern-lights-above-reading-12082443

Crystal apple cucumber

This year, one of my most successful crops has been the Crystal Apple cucumber. I bought a bunch of plug plants of this lovely fruiting vegetable, and watched it scrambling about my garden enthusiastically. 

It has a lovely scrambling habit, and because the fruits are small and light, the vine really can support them itself, unlike many squashes which grow such swollen brutes of fruits that they need your help just to hold the darned thing up. 

And what fun fruits. Just a little smaller than a tennis ball and roughly the same colour when ripe. 

Gardeners say this the whole time of their crops, but this really knocks the socks off anything you can buy in the shops. It is so juicy and sweet, almost like a crisp-flavoured melon. Eating it in a salad feels like a treat rather than a healthy chore. And given I often forgot to feed this plant, it’s a crop that doesn’t feel too much like a chore to produce, either. 

from Fennel and Fern http://www.fennelandfern.co.uk/blog/2016/10/26/crystal-apple-cucumber/

Child Genius looking for Berkshire bright sparks to take part in fifth series of the TV show

Here's all you need to know about how you and your family could star in the new series

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/child-genius-looking-berkshire-bright-12071938

Reading Traffic: Delays in usual areas but no problems on trains

Your traffic and travel for Monday, October 24

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-traffic-delays-usual-areas-12072223

Halloween fun for kids and 10 more things for the weekend

Take a look at our new ultimate weekend round up - complete with family and kids events, gigs and more

from getreading - Music & Nightlife http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/halloween-fun-diwali-celebrations-more-12060759

What you really need to know now about making garden videos

Garden videos don’t feature in lists of the UK’s biggest YouTube stars.  Although it can only be a matter of time before Zoella gets to ‘that gardening age’…

But video is here in a big way, even for gardeners. If you’re a blogger or you run a business, you need to start thinking about video now.

YouTube is the second biggest search engine after Google. Many people go directly to it when they want to know, for example, ‘how to prune roses’ or ‘gardening for small spaces.’

You may hate the way you look on camera. Or you may be embarrassed by how your voice sounds.

Me too.

It’s taken me about two years to summon up the courage to do something like the video below. It explains what my YouTube Channel is about (tip: you should have an ‘introductory’ video).

I am quite pleased with the lighting, but it has reduced friends and family to helpless giggles at about 25 seconds in. Mr Middlesize says he’s suddenly noticed that I look like Theresa May, and my son says I must change it tomorrow. Other friends have suggested I might like to put on some John Travolta and dance round the kitchen.

However I’m going to leave it up for a week, so that you can feel  encouraged to make mistakes, too. You may even know the difference between right and left.

The most helpful advice I have ever had about any sort of creativity came from the novelist Wendy Holden.

She said that whenever she worried about her writing not being good enough, she simply reminded herself that there were many worse books out there. You will never be the worst.

However, some of my early videos certainly qualify for the accolade of Worst Video Out There. Luckily, I accidentally clicked on something earlier this week that whisked them off my channel (or might not have… I don’t know what I clicked, but I can’t see them any more, although that’s no guarantee of anything. Maybe you can still see them…)

I’ve been to several workshops and presentations on YouTube with my blogging teacher hat on. All the tips that follow come from one or more of those YouTube experts.

What do you need to make videos?

I set out to create the Middlesized Garden Youtube channel and its garden videos, so that I could report back to you all with some helpful tips.

You may not be able to afford expensive equipment. However, today’s smartphones and tablets are capable of delivering good video quality. I do everything on my aging iPhone 5 or my bottom-of-the-range iPad (the phone seems to have a better camera).

The advantage of doing it on phone or tablet is that you can edit it on the same. I use the free iMovie programme. I really am not very technically-minded, but I find iMovie an easy editing tool.

My local Apple store has a scheme where you pay £79 for a year’s worth of one-to-one tuition on using Apple products. I did the iMovie session twice (OK, maybe three times), but now find it quick and easy.

A separate microphone

If there’s one bit of kit you need to buy, it’s a separate microphone. All the bloggers I know swear by Rode Lavalier. I bought my first one for under £50. I gave that to my son, but when I tried to replace it, I discovered it had probably been counterfeit.

The second Rode microphone cost nearly £200, but that did include a much longer cable, and a proper box with a guarantee. I’m so glad Mr Middlesize doesn’t read this blog, as I plan to imply it was a large Ocado bill.

Use the YouTube Creator Academy

There is loads of free and well explained tuition provided by YouTube itself under the YouTube Creator Academy label.

Top tips include: ‘research other successful videos in your niche or special interest’. Think about what you like and don’t like.

As far as I can see, successful YouTubers wave their hands around alot. (That’s why I did that thing that went so wrong on the first video in this post.) You are supposed to start your videos with ‘Hey, guys! I am just so excited to be showing you my armpits today!’ Then you wave your arms in the air, and gabble a bit more.

To be fair, garden videos are much more measured, but some of them do drone on.

The most popular garden video I could find had three million views. The first five minutes featured a man saying that he was really excited to be basing the whole thirty-five minute video on just one letter. But it was such a good letter, he said, and he would be so excited to base all his videos on one letter. Please send him all your exciting gardening letters….I’m afraid I fell asleep before he read the letter out.

Experts now say you should keep your videos short. I’ve started a series called ‘One Minute Gardening Tips’ (see below).

Caption or sub-title your garden videos.

A huge percentage of viewers see their YouTube videos without sound. So I made a video about how to measure out one litre of compost (don’t laugh, very useful) without any talk at all. It had sub-titles. I haven’t quite got to grips with making them stand out, as you can see from the video below.

Then I found another top tip that emphasised the importance of music in YouTube videos. So I added music from YouTube’s free music tracks. It is important to know the rules of copyright in making videos, so never use any images or music unless you know you have the copyright.

The upshot is that ‘How to Measure One Litre of Compost’ has a stirring rendition of Mozart in the background. Try not to giggle, please, if you view it.

Top Tips

Have a script and plan out what you are going to say or do beforehand. Make sure that your video explains who you are at the beginning and the end.

As with all social media, use all the options to have photographs, logos and descriptions on your Channel page. Don’t look anonymous.

Make sure that your YouTube header has links to your website or social media icons in it.

Post new videos regularly. Organise your content by creating ‘Playlists.’

Make a ‘custom thumbnail’ when you upload your video to YouTube. This is the picture that YouTube show to people before they click on the video. I use Canva to create my custom thumbnails. It’s free and very easy to use.

If you don’t make your own custom thumbnail, then YouTube will just grab any image, and it won’t look good. All my gardening videos above have custom thumbnails, but this one doesn’t. You can see the difference.

Be helpful or funny

I recently bought some privet hedging from Best4Hedging. In the email accompanying the delivery, there were links to short YouTube garden videos telling me how to plant my hedging. They were really useful (see below), and I can see how companies of all kinds could make good use of video.

Use all the rules of photography when making video. Shoot with the light on your face, not behind you. Shoot in the early morning or late afternoon for a better light.

Above all, be genuine. The experts say that people don’t mind imperfect videos. Real people make mistakes. If your video is too slick, it can feel less authentic. Of course, the skill of a pro video-maker is to create authenticity and professionalism, so if you’re running a business and can afford a pro, it’ll be a good investment.

And do you know? I really am excited to be telling you all about this. You can see that my garden videos are far from perfect and that I am far from Zoella. I hope that’ll encourage you to get your smartphone out and give it a go.

And if you feel like subscribing to The Middlesized Garden YouTube Channel, that would be even more exciting…thank you!

The post What you really need to know now about making garden videos appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/really-need-know-now-making-garden-videos/

Berkshire restaurant lands spot in world top ten

See which restaurant featured highly worldwide and which restaurant placed in the UK top ten

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/berkshire-restaurant-lands-spot-world-12059686

Work on a new Reading West swimming pool won't begin until 2018

Reading Borough Council wants to build a six-lane 25 metre pool in Palmer Park and a competition pool at Rivermead Leisure Centre

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/plans-emerge-readings-new-swimming-12060343

Pick of the Past: Can you help identify the mystery Bentley drivers?

We know these pictures were taken in Berkshire in 1970 and that's about all

from getreading - Berkshire History http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/berkshire-history/pick-past-can-you-help-12059669

October half term events in Reading, Bracknell and Wokingham

Take a look at what you could be getting up to with the little ones this half term week

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/october-half-term-events-reading-12014107

First look inside Reading MERL museum after major redevelopment and investment

Take a look at our video and gallery of photos from the exclusive preview of the newly redeveloped museum

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/first-look-inside-readings-merl-12037590

Fresh calls for Reading councillor Jan Gavin to quit

The Lib Dems say it's not right for the council officers to resign but the councillor in charge to "carry on as though nothing has happened" 

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/fresh-calls-reading-councillor-jan-12034655

Berkshire rescue workers fake M4 crash to help prepare for future incidents

Volunteers from Berkshire Lowland Search and Rescue took part in the exercise last week

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/readings-green-park-hosts-practice-12036484

Supermoon snaps sent in by getreading readers

The moon appeared to be 14 per cent bigger and 30 per cent brighter on October 16

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/supermoon-snaps-sent-getreading-readers-12037828

Whiskey Festival debuts in Reading, party with Gaz from Geordie Shore, Halloween family fun and more things to do this weekend

Take a look at our new ultimate weekend round up - complete with family and kids events, gigs and much more

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/whiskey-festival-debuts-reading-party-12032245

The Great Storm: Reading lost hundreds of trees as 80mph winds hit in 1987

29 years ago today one of the most ferocious storms ever recorded hit Berkshire

from getreading - Berkshire History http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/berkshire-history/great-storm-reading-loses-hundreds-12026063

Reading artist captures Berkshire's beauty for charity exhibition

Take a look at some of the beautiful paintings that will be on display

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/reading-artist-captures-berkshires-beauty-12021456

How to avoid a garden shed disaster…

Are you thinking of buying a new garden shed?

Is your current garden shed looking tatty? Do you need more garden shed storage?

We’ve been pondering these questions for the last ten months. We’ve dithered and googled. We’ve quizzed friends and experts about their garden sheds.

So I’ve found out some things that surprised me. They’re worth knowing before you waste money on a garden shed that isn’t right for you, doesn’t last or costs much more than it should.

1) Garden sheds are portable

Obviously, you can’t pop one in your suitcase and take it away with you for the weekend. But if your garden shed is in the wrong place, you may not need to buy a new one. You may find it cheaper simply to move it.

We had a small shed and needed more storage space. While the new shed was being built, our landscapers moved the old shed onto the terrace, so that we could continue to use it for storage until the new one was ready.

Hup, one, two, three…our little old garden shed is picked up by strong men…

It’s quite a small shed and took two strong men, so this isn’t a trivial job. But it’s probably cheaper than buying a new shed.

The garden shed sets off on its travels across the terrace.

The shed sat outside the back door, looking disconsolate, but offering useful storage.

2)The most important thing about a garden shed is its base

We spent hours on the internet and in shed stores, trying to decide on the style of our new shed.

However, we barely gave a thought to the base. Many people just opt for the cheapest. It’s an extra tick on an online form.

Some people don’t bother with a base at all. But if you have a poor quality base or no base at all, the shed will absorb water from the ground. It’ll rot quickly.

And a slightly uneven base puts pressure on the construction of your shed. A shed set on paving stones or gravel may sink and become uneven over time.

There is no point in wasting money on a good quality structure if you’re going to expose it to damp and rot from the base upwards.

If you buy your shed from a shed company, you will be offered a separate base, usually a wooden grid. It’ll add to the cost (starting from around £100).

Wooden grids will protect your shed by lifting it off the ground, but they will rot themselves over time. Ready-made sheds all usually come with floors, but that’s not the same as the base. The base is what the shed sits on.

You can have a paved, gravel or concrete base, too. After talking to shed experts, I have concluded that a concrete base, professionally laid, is probably the best base for a shed.

So we got a concrete base laid first, with one course of bricks on which the shed could sit.

That’s why we had to move the old shed out of the way. We couldn’t get rid of it immediately because we still needed somewhere to store the garden chairs while the concrete was setting.

3) And the roof is pretty important too…

I spent hours thinking about the design, the windows, the door, the shelving and the colour of our new shed. I gave very little thought to the roof.

If I’d never owned a shed before, I think I would just have chosen the cheapest roofing felt. But when we bought this house, the garden sheds were already there.

My potting shed. It looks OK from a distance, but the roofing felt won’t remain on, so the wood is rotting.

The potting shed and the terrace shed both had roofing felt. We have had endless trouble with it. It curled off. We nailed it down again. The wind ripped it off. We even got a new piece of roofing felt. That didn’t last.

The roof was so leaky that I didn’t have to water the plants inside when it rained.

We got quotes to replace the whole potting shed roof. They varied from £350 to £850.

I could buy an entirely new potting shed for around £750. It seemed madness to spend hundreds of pounds restoring an old shed when we could buy a new one for not much more.

We didn’t want to spend hundreds of pounds on a twenty-year old shed, but why spend more to replace it, if it doesn’t need replacing?

When you buy a ready-made shed, the roof  is often extra to the list price. There is a board roof supplied, which will be fine for a few years. If you want more protection, there is usually a roofing felt option. It will add around £50 to the bill.

However, we never want to see roofing felt again.

Eventually, we took one of the lower quotes (around £350) to replace the potting shed roof with a rubber membrane roof. It’s slightly more expensive than roofing felt, but should last longer. The old roof was cut away and the new roof brought in as a single unit and put on top like a lid.

The roof coming in. It was put on the shed like a lid.

Now that there is a new roof on the potting shed, it is dry and sound. I’m very glad I didn’t replace it.

4) A little extra internal space can make a very big difference

With so many good ready-made sheds on the market, is it worth spending a few hundred pounds extra on having a shed built for you, in exactly the right size and shape?

Our original terrace shed was 6ft x 4ft. It was crammed to bursting with deck chairs and the barbecue. We couldn’t even get in there to keep things tidy.

This shed measures 6ft x 4ft and is squeezed into an oddly shaped corner of the terrace.

We wanted to replace it with a 6ft x 6ft shed. This is the biggest standard size we could fit into the space available. We also wanted to keep the height of the shed to just over 6ft as it overlooks our neighbour’s back door.

A ready made shed either has a pent roof, which goes from one side to the other in a slope. Or it has an apex roof, which is an upturned V. Both the pent and apex roofs were too high in some places and too low in others. The other problem with ready-made sheds is that very few of them measure 6ft x 6ft.

So we decided to have the shed made for us by a local company called Lockhart’s. It fits exactly into the space and is slightly rhomboid.

Instead of being 6ft x 6ft, it is 6ft 3″ x 6ft 7″. We asked for it to be an extra 6″ longer along one side, in order to fit exactly into the space available, so one wall is 6ft 9″.

This shed is only 2ft wider and a few inches longer than the old shed, but takes so much more inside. Note the very shallow roof, and the extra 6″ on the right hand side.

The roof has a very shallow slope. It looks almost flat. You can barely see it along the line of the fence.

The shed roof is just a few inches higher than the fence, and merges with it visually.

Having the extra 2ft of width plus the extra few inches on both length and width has transformed our garden storage. As well as the garden chairs and the barbecue, we can also store three bikes, several brooms and a large folding table. We can walk into it easily, too.

The total cost was around £1,200, using good quality ship-lap wood. Ready-made 6ft x 6ft garden sheds – if you can find them – typically range from £400-£800, depending on the quality of the wood. You may also have to pay extra for delivery, base and roof options and installation.

Calling buying the wrong garden shed a ‘disaster’ may seem like exaggeration. But having exactly the right size and shape of shed, with the maximum storage capacity, is really critical when you’re short of space.

We have ended up with a very simple, almost ‘invisible’ shed, but we are delighted with it. I’m looking forward to painting it next.

I love this Victorian shed in an Australian garden. I hope the owners never replace it.

Do join us every Sunday morning – fill in the subscriber box on the top right of this page, and we will whizz into your inbox as dawn comes up. Thank you!

The post How to avoid a garden shed disaster… appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/how-to-avoid-a-garden-shed-disaster/

Berkshire drivers urged to watch out for mating deers on dark roads

Deer will be roaming the roads throughout autumn looking for mates

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/berkshire-drivers-urged-watch-out-12025431

When will the supermoon pass over Reading and when is the best time to see it?

The University of Reading's Professor Chris Scott has created this video to explain the best time to see the special cosmic event

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/supermoon-pass-over-reading-best-12027440

Reading's urban myths: Wonky lions, grumpy queens and alleged centres of devil worship

Reading has some extraordinary legends purported as truth

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/readings-urban-myths-wonky-lions-12023945

The best independent restaurants in Reading as voted for by you

Not sure where to go for dinner on your next night out? Take a look at some of the top readers' suggestion

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/best-independent-restaurants-reading-voted-12018705

Domino's is delivering pizza by canoe and could use the River Thames

Domino's is trialling the new method of delivering pizza

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/dominos-start-delivering-pizza-canoe-12017638

Berkshire actors launch petition fighting South Hill Park funding cuts

The arts centre in Ringmead could have its funding cut by £244,000 over the next three years and groups are worried

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/south-hill-park-bracknell-petition-12009280

Reading traffic: Slow moving on M4 and congestion in town centre

How the roads around Berkshire are looking on Thursday, October 13

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/reading-traffic-slow-moving-m4-12022060

M4 closure means slow going around Reading and Wokingham

Most of the routes in the two towns are likely to be affected by the ongoing closure

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/m4-closure-means-slow-going-12015866

Tesco is going to fine shoppers using disabled and parent and child bays

A new app will be used to fine shoppers who are using the shop's disabled and family parking spaces when they shouldn't

from getreading - Shopping http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/tesco-fine-disabled-parking-space-12009357

Creepy cocktail recipes to complete your Halloween party in Reading

From black widow vodka shots to pumpkin spice punch, spookify your party cocktails with our Halloween recipes

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/halloween-creepy-cocktail-recipes-complete-10241621

Green tomatoes

Today, scurrying to post a letter, I realised that The Nip had arrived. Everyone knows The Nip. It turns up unannounced on one of those fine October days when the Virginia creeper glows warm paprika and the cherry tree leaves are starting to hang like goldfish from a rod off their blackening branches. 

October is one of the finest months, full of change and melancholy and so many appeals to every sense. But The Nip is the sign that it’s getting colder, the frosts are on their way and your summer vegetables have been served notice. 

So I’ve brought in my tomatoes. One of the many things that has surprised me about living in London (along with the fact that I actually like living in London, something I never thought possible) is that my tomato crop has been the biggest and most blight-free that I’ve ever had. And I’m just growing on a patio. 

Look how many green tomatoes I have left! I felt sad as I pulled them from the vine, that wonderful musty scent of the foliage filling the air. But then I remembered: now I can make green tomato chutney. And that is one of the finest things about autumn.

from Fennel and Fern http://www.fennelandfern.co.uk/blog/2016/10/10/green-tomatoes/

Discover history of Reading's urban streets, the town's musical talent, and more things to do this weekend

Take a look at what you could be getting up to this weekend with our round up

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/discover-history-readings-urban-streets-11995232

Most read: The top five stories of the week on getreading including sex assault in Reading town centre and murder in Crowthorne

Take a look at the most popular articles which hit the headlines between October 2 and 9

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/most-read-top-five-stories-11999795

See newborn deer on autumn safari and more things to with the family near Reading

Take a look at what you could be getting up to with the little ones with our guide to family and kids' events

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/see-newborn-deer-autumn-safari-11995241

Visit one of Berkshire's most haunted places this Halloween

If you are searching for a real-life scare this Halloween, then why not investigate one of Berkshire's spookiest sites?

from getreading - Find Things to Do http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/find-things-to-do/halloween-berkshires-most-haunted-places-10338432

How to deal with sudden tree death

Sudden tree death is a particular tragedy for small and middle-sized gardens. We only have a few trees and each one is special.

We have a Cotinus coggygria ‘Grace’ which has grown to a height and spread of around 7 metres (about 25ft).

Cotinus coggygria ‘Grace’ in summer 2015. It’s the deep red tree.

Its glorious red foliage is the main focus in the garden, especially in autumn when it changes from glowing copper to burnished gold almost in front of our eyes.

The copper and gold of the autumn cotinus have inspired the rich red theme for our dahlias.

This year has seen a long, cold, wet spring followed by a hot, dry summer. In the middle of August the Cotinus suddenly turned brown on one side. All the leaves off one main branch had died.

One side of the tree has died. This was in August 2016 after a short hot spell.

Step one – try Google

I searched for ‘Cotinus coggygria dieback.’ Second from top of the page was the RHS advice page on Verticillium wilt.

The symptoms matched. There was also a list of other susceptible plants, including elder and rose. Two years ago a Sambucus nigra and a Rosa ‘Rosarie de la Hay’ both seemed to have died.

We cut back the black elder and it has since revived. It seemed likely they were both affected by Verticillium wilt.

Other trees have also died in this garden. We thought honey fungus was to blame, although we couldn’t see or smell it.

Step two – phone a friend (one who knows more than you do)

I consulted Posy Gentles and Matt Jackson, both professional gardeners.

Posy looked at the tree and spotted that all the dead leaves were attached to one branch. She advised cutting it off. She also agreed that the symptoms looked like verticillium wilt.

The tree after one main branch was removed. It is about half the size in volume.

The tree looked more graceful, and appeared completely healthy. Phew. A lucky escape.

However, a month later we returned from a long weekend to find leaves browning and curling up in another section of the tree.

Matt Jackson is a garden consultant, and works on some large estates. These have lots of trees, so he’s accustomed to peering at bark and rootling around roots. ‘But on a large estate, a dying tree either isn’t a problem – we just take it down – or it’s a very big problem because it may have a notifiable disease.’

In a middle-sized garden, a dying tree is quite a middle-sized problem because the tree will leave a big hole when it’s gone. And it takes years to grow a tree to seven metres high.

Matt recommended that I scrape away a bit of bark to see what was going on underneath. ‘If you can see green, then the tree is probably fundamentally healthy,’ he said.

These dark stripes could be a sign of a fungal infection, such as verticillium wilt.

I can see green, but I can also see the striations of fungal infection.

Step three – post it on social media.

I posted ‘Has my smoke bush got verticillium wilt?’ on Twitter, along with photographs.

Are these the marks of earlier – non-lethal – infestations of verticillium wilt?

Nobody sniggered. One person got back to me and said she thought it looked like it.

Step four – join the RHS and send a sample

The RHS run a personalised advisory service for members. You can send a sample of material, plus photographs.

I went out to snip some dead leaves off, and also noticed that there were tiny, flea-like insects on the leaves.

It’s all been bundled into a bag and is ready to post. However, if it is verticillium wilt, there is nothing I can do about it.

You can also consult the Forestry Commission‘s diagnostic and advisory service, Forest Research. They also take postal samples, but charges apply.

Step five – consult a tree surgeon

The problem is that not all people who call themselves tree surgeons are qualified to diagnose diseases.

The Arboricultural Association has a Find-a-professional service here. However the nearest one to us was around 40 minutes drive away, and that tends to make visits expensive. Qualified tree surgeons have day rates that start between £220 and £600 a day.

They can do things like improve the soil and nutrition around the tree, but it’s not a guaranteed cure.

There are lots of people who live nearer and who call themselves ‘tree surgeons.’ Some I would describe as ‘Chain-Saw Man’, whose only aim is to cut trees down. I don’t want to pay hundreds of pounds to have someone try to convince me that my only option is to cut my tree down.

Step six – plan for the worst and hope for the best

We have decided to prune the tree in the winter, and also to plant another tree nearby. It must be one that is resistant to both honey fungus and verticillium wilt. Matt recommends liquidambar, which is resistant to verticillium wilt and rarely attacked by honey fungus.

The morning sun streaming through the Cotinus – I hope we’ll see this again next year.

We’ll mulch the area. When spring comes we will also look into giving all our trees some extra nutrition.

And then we’ll wait and see. Fingers crossed.

The post How to deal with sudden tree death appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/how-to-deal-with-sudden-tree-death/

Reading's heaviest baby of 2016 weighs a whopping 12lb 6oz

Spare a thought for the mothers of these big babies born in the Reading area

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/readings-heaviest-baby-2016-weighs-11987989

32 dog friendly pubs in and around Reading

Check out our list of pubs where thirsty walkers can take their four legged furry friends

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/32-best-dog-friendly-pubs-11993228

Eleven of the best places to get brunch in Berkshire

Fry ups, pancakes and butties in the top spots around Berkshire, well only some of them

from getreading - Berkshire History http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/eleven-best-places-brunch-berkshire-11276882

12 things 1990s kids can no longer do in Reading

A look back to the good old days of multiple cinemas, mobile phones which didn't take pictures and junk food served on plates at Wimpy

from getreading - Berkshire History http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/berkshire-history/12-things-1990s-kids-can-10741722

Halloween: Pick your own pumpkin patches near Berkshire

Find out where you can pick your own pumpkins from farms in the area.

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/halloween-pick-your-pumpkin-patches-10274044

How likely are you to win a school place appeal in Berkshire?

One in 16 Reception to Year 2 admissions in Reading in 2015/16 were appealed by parents

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/berkshire-school-place-appeals-win-11982831

Happy Birthday Kate Winslet! Plus nine reasons why we think she's awesome

Happy Birthday to Reading girl Kate Winslet! Take a look at our list of reasons why we think she's great

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/happy-birthday-kate-winslet-plus-11977439

Homelessness in Reading soars by 700 per cent

The concerning increase was outlined in a new Berkshire Community Foundation report

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/homelessness-reading-soars-700-per-11972976

Murder probe, Reading sex assault and three more stories you may have missed

See all of the stories you may have missed on getreading from Monday, October 3

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/murder-probe-reading-sex-assault-11974293

Berkshire has two new Michelin stars - find out where as the guide announces its awards for 2017

The respected food guide Michelin has announced its list of restaurants for 2017 and two Berkshire restaurants have received new stars

from getreading - Food & Drink http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/berkshire-two-new-michelin-stars-11972839

The Oracle car park delays, town centre arrests and more stories you might have missed last week

See the stories which have been hitting the headlines since Monday, September 26

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/oracle-car-park-delays-town-11970524

Sing along with Legally Blonde The Musical, browse literary classics and more things to do this weekend

Take a look at what you could be getting up to this weekend with our round up

from getreading - Arts & Culture http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/sing-along-legally-blonde-musical-11961844

Locked up: The Berkshire criminals sent to prison in the last three months

Here are some of those from Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell who were jailed in July, August and September

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/locked-up-berkshire-criminals-sent-11951767

Vintage fun fair rides, teddy bears' picnic and more family fun this weekend

Take a look at what you could be getting up to with the little ones with our family and kids round up

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/vintage-fun-fair-rides-teddy-11961842

Do you live in Berkshire's happiest area?

New research from the Office for National Statistics shows Wokingham is the only area in Berkshire to see a drop in happiness

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/where-is-berkshires-happiest-place-11966929

How to stop worrying and love your easy home-made compost

Is there really such a thing as easy home-made compost?

Don’t you have to get the proportions right? And what about the long and complicated list of things you can and cannot put on the compost heap?

Lawn clippings, potato peelings and weeds are all the subject of compost arguments.

All garden clippings, uncooked fruit and veg, plus eggshells and coffee grounds can go on the compost.

A friend of mine accused her mother of caring more about her compost than she did about her grand-children. Her mother conceded that she was probably right.

The no-fuss approach to easy home-made compost

Simply treat your compost as a green dustbin. Put in all garden clippings and uncooked fruit and veg. Tea bags, coffee grounds and eggshells are fine, too. Garden expert and florist Charlotte Molesworth puts ‘everything’ into the compost, including old clothes. She doesn’t worry about proportions of green to woody material, and nor do I.

Don’t worry about potato peelings or woody material. If a potato does sprout, you can rip it out. Woody material will take longer to rot down, but it will get there. We do save proper branches for the fire.

An attractive ‘bee-hive’ compost bin at the Abbey Physic Garden in Faversham.

If you can clearly see that lawn clippings are taking over, you can tear up newspaper and add it. I get shredded documents from the accountancy firm next door. Reading occasional half-words is fascinating – I read the word ‘vice’ once, which was very exciting.

There may be something wrong with your life if you find yourself reading your compost…could that be ‘naked funds’?

The only no-nos

Don’t put cooked food, meat, fish or dairy into your compost bin unless it’s sealed (like a Hotbin).

And there is a chance that weeds may grow again if you compost them when they’re still alive. Let them die before composting them, or send them to the public tip to be on the safe side.

Only put wood ash on the compost if you know there is no coal in it. Coal has dodgy chemicals.

Other things you don’t need to worry about

I worried about covering my compost bins, but if I do, the dog can use them as a springboard to get over the wall. There is a 20ft drop on the other side. So I don’t cover my compost. It doesn’t seem to have done it any harm.

I don’t think Charlotte Molesworth’s compost pile was covered when I saw it. And when I go garden visiting, I’ve noticed that there are big piles of uncovered compost in the corners of grand gardens.

Charlotte Molesworth has created one of the loveliest gardens in Kent. She throws ‘everything’ onto the compost pile.

This may be about how fast it takes compost to rot down, but the Really Lazy Composter won’t care how long the compost takes.

I don’t think leaving it uncovered has made it smell, either. Nor has it gone slimy.

I have also stopped worrying about the principle of having three bins. The idea is that you have one bin to fill with garden clippings, one that is maturing and one with usable compost. You rotate the bins.

We do have three bins, but I fill them with whatever I can cram in. They each have a flap at the bottom, so I can get the actual compost out of the bottom when it’s ready.

The easiest way to turn compost

A friend showed me how to turn compost with minimum effort. A few years later, I told him how useful his tip had been. He replied that he should probably have devoted more time to his marriage and less to compost. What is it with compost and gardeners?

The tip is to thrust your garden fork as deeply as possible into the compost pile. Move the handle around in ever-increasing circles. I lean all my weight against it to turn it, but there’s no pressure on my back.

Watch fascinated as the hole gets wider and the compost heap shrinks. Repeat in another part of the compost heap.

It would be good to do this weekly, but that is a counsel of perfection. This post is not about perfect compost. It’s about good enough compost.

And another good cheat

Compost accelerator really does accelerate compost. It’s not the sort of thing I would normally bother with, as the Really Lazy Composter rarely wants to fiddle with measuring things out into watering cans.

However, Bio8 sent me some Envii compost accelerator tablets to review. I trialled it, using Envii in one compost bin and no accelerator in the other.

The compost in the Envii bin broke down noticeably faster. Both bins were mainly lawn clippings and shredded paper. I used the third bin for everything else, as I thought it was important to compare like with like.

Compost made mainly of lawn clippings and paper, accelerated by Envii, after about four months.

It’s such a relief that the trial has now ended. I can go back to stuffing everything in anywhere. I will continue to use compost accelerator because it clearly makes the larger, woodier pieces rot down more quickly.

The compost not treated with Envii after four months. It was much less rotted.

So compost really does make life simpler

If you can detach yourself from all the worries around compost, it really does make your life easier.

You don’t have to go to the tip with garden clippings so often. And if you run out of commercial potting compost, you can usually dig some home-made stuff out of the bottom of the bin.

In theory, you should sieve it. But that is another counsel of perfection. I have managed to pot on plants using my own home-made compost. They seem to have grown perfectly well.

Once a year, we do try to clear all the un-rotted material off the top of the bins. We then spread the rotted home-made compost on the vegetable beds.

That is quite a job. But it is only once a year.

Home-made compost saves you money

Larger gardens which have lots of clippings make lots of compost. Smaller gardens make much less compost and have to buy it in.

Even if you compost everything you possibly can, I think it’s unlikely that you can make enough compost yourself to keep your soil happy.

So making your own compost doesn’t mean you won’t have to buy any. It does mean you will need to buy less. I’ve worked out that making our own compost saves us about £100 a year.

The Envii compost accelerator costs £9.95, which treated one large bin for the year, so if I treat three bins, that will reduce the savings to around £70 a year.

PS I was originally going to do a post about using green tomatoes. I looked up lots of recipes for Fried Green Tomatoes. They were delicious, although not particularly easy.

I spent all morning photographing green tomatoes. But they gave me terrible indigestion. I wanted to use at least one picture anyway. And please don’t mention Green Tomato Chutney anyone.

Green tomatoes are very highly acidic. I didn’t feel it would be right to encourage anyone else to try them although I know that in Birmingham, Alabama, there are cafes that cook 140lbs of green tomatoes a day.

The rest of my green tomatoes are going on the compost heap! At least I don’t feel I am wasting them. That’s another good thing about compost.

Do join us every Sunday morning. Just inscribe your email address into the box on the top right and we will pop into your inbox as dawn comes up. Thank you!

The post How to stop worrying and love your easy home-made compost appeared first on The Middle-Sized Garden.

from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/how-to-stop-worrying-and-love-your-easy-home-made-compost/

New Berkshire health trust boss looks ahead to 'exciting and challenging' times

Former nurse Steve McManus will take charge of the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust in January

from getreading - Reading & Berkshire News http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/new-berkshire-health-trust-boss-11955560

Would you dare to stay in one of Berkshire's most haunted houses?

If investigating isn't enough for you, why not stay over in one of Berkshire's most haunted locations. Sleep isn't guaranteed...

from getreading - What's On News http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/halloween-would-you-dare-stay-10333787

Eight of the most beautiful autumn walks within an hour's drive of Reading

We've come up with a list of some of the best locations for autumn walks in Berkshire, plus take a look at our gorgeous gallery of colourful shots

from getreading - Family & Kids http://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids-news/best-autumn-walks-around-reading-10394887