You are browsing the archives of Lindsey.

Photo: o5com / Flickr

When purchasing ‘green’ home decor, it is important to check that ‘eco’ terms are not being used solely for marketing purposes. This is because some manufacturers misuse these terms at the environment’s expense so as to increase sales. By ensuring a product has been made in a sustainable way, one can make an ecologically sound buying decision. Here we discuss three terms that are pertinent to the question of green decor and design: recycling, upcycling and reclaimation. (more…)

Photo: mrsdohpaz / Flickr

Vegetarians are able to enjoy healthy sushi as much as meat eaters with these fish-free sushi rolls. Vegetarian sushi rolls allow you to get creative with colour in the kitchen, while omitting fish, a characteristic of sushi rolls. They can be made from a combination of grated baby marrow with wasabi and sesame seeds, grated carrot and alfalfa sprouts, cream cheese and mixed peppers, cucumber with avocado pear and mayonnaise, tofu and rocket, omelette and water cress or whatever other filling you wish to experiment with. This recipe will serve six. (more…)

Photo: practicalowl / Flickr

Veneers are extremely thin sheets of wood that can be used to cover or decorate a wooden base. Just as wood is unique and not always uniform, so is veneer. These paper thin veneers are often described according to their source. They can be called crown, burr, burl, butt, ray, birds-eye, curly or striped, for instance. Inlays, on the other hand, serve to decorate table tops and wooden doors. Although they were historically created by highly-skilled carpenters, they can be bought ready made today. (more…)

Photo: Adam Franco/ Flickr

A new book called 30 Lessons for Living by Karl Pillemer offers advice on how to live now in order to finish without any regrets. Pillemer is a professor of human development and a gerontologist. He compiled the book from interviews with older people who shared what they did right and wrong during their lives. The interviews were part of the Cornell Legacy Project. Jane Brody summarises their life lessons in an article that addresses career, marriage, parenting, happiness, regrets and ageing. (more…)

Photo: kk+ / Flickr

Entrepreneurs are a rare breed. As a result, the British Government encourages their development, especially in these tough economic times. Besides offering services to help overcome the resultant challenges, financial measures have been introduced to assist new companies in the United Kingdom during the recession. The government provides training programmes to enhance business skills and supports innovation, research and development. (more…)

Photo: avlxyz / Flickr

What an interesting dish to include her cookbook: coffee steak! Whoever would have thought? But then, Tessa Kiros knows a thing or two about food. Born in London, she grew up in South Africa. She set off to travel the world when she was 18 years old to learn about different cultures, traditions and foods. She has since cooked at The Groucho Club and all over the world. Her coffee steak recipe is inspired by a meal she had at a cervejaria in Lisbon. (more…)

Photo: Fenella Wells / Flickr

It’s always a difficult job choosing perfume for somebody else, especially when one considers the cost involved. But now scientists can explain why it is that we have so much trouble finding a fragrance that is perfectly matched to a significant other. New research shows that people are drawn to scents that complement their own natural body smells. It turns out that it is almost impossible to decide on the correct product for another but then, it works perfectly well if one chooses perfume for oneself. (more…)

Photo: jo-h / Flickr

Mary McConnell’s article, ‘No place to grow old: Britain ranks among Europe’s worst countries for ageism’, states that a third of British citizens view people over the age of 70 as a ‘burden on health services.’ In turn, two out of five citizens feel that they have been shown ‘a lack of respect because of their age.’ Our attitudes to age seem somewhat skewed: British youth think the fountain of youth is over at 35 years compared to the Greeks’ 52 years of age. (more…)

Photo: oveylaurenn / Flickr

If you often find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, don’t feel alone. Many people are in the same boat and most are probably as anxious as you. This is especially the case when one feels unable to get back to sleep again. A sleepless night could be caused by low blood sugar, stress, anxiety or too much alcohol. Besides putting your worries to bed before you go to bed, you could consider these options. (more…)

Photo: Girl Interrupted Eating / Flickr

This beetroot tart recipe is a colourful affair. It is made with a good quality puff pastry base, which gets cut into circles. To this is added beetroot, onions, chopped chives, baby salad leaves, wild rocket and goat’s cheese feta. Honey, balsamic vinegar, thyme and sea salt are also required. You will need vinegar and olive oil for the dressing. The moulds (to cut out the pastry) should be about 6 cm in diameter. You could make one large tart instead. (more…)