Last week was very exciting as we launched my latest book, Home Sweet Home, at a gala party at the Parkes RSL club with over 150 people in attendance to support and cheer us on. This book is very special to me for two main reasons. Firstly after working with clients over the last few years I felt there was a real need for a handbook filled with simple to follow, step by step advice that would give you all the answers to the questions constantly asked of you while undertaking a renovating or decorating project. So hopefully with this handbook the next project you embark on won’t be nearly as scary or stressful.

And secondly, the book allowed me to collaborate with some amazing national brands, fantastic retail stores and a bevy of skilled tradesman and contractors from around the Parkes and Forbes region that are represented in the pages of the black book directory at the end of the book. Not only do you have the answers to many renovation questions, but you also have all the contact details of the people who can literally bring your building and renovating dreams to life. I think this is what is going to make this publication very helpful.

Home Sweet Home has pages for notes as you go through each step of your project. I would love to think that it would become your best friend throughout your next project. It is available at newsagencies around the region, from my own store in Parkes Furniture One and online at www.karencreith.com.au with free shipping available.

I hope you grab your copy today and enjoy reading it!
Love Karen x

With summer just around the corner it is now time to start thinking about keeping your house cool for summer and looking to give your house a small facelift internally. Keeping cool is just so important over the many hot dry months of summer that we have in our local area, and there is no better way than to have one of the coolest, quietest and most energy efficient evaporative air conditioners installed and ready to go. Breezair, which can be installed for
you by Shead and Nicholson in Forbes can cool your whole house for the cost of running a single light globe. It is important to remember that evaporative cooling is the best choice for longevity, energy efficiency and comfort. It is also up to 90% cheaper to run than reverse cycle cooling, and has very low maintenance costs. Call now to ensure
that you stay cool this summer.

When looking for ways to smarten up the interior of your house, why not drop down to the newly located Painted Daisies, which is now at 1 Templar Street, next door to Little Extras Lifestyle – easy and convenient for the girls to go on a real shopping spree. The new shop, whilst slightly smaller brings light and warmth in an intimate atmosphere.

Owner, Janet Callaghan, is looking forward to bringing exciting and beautiful homewares to Forbes. With her assistant, Julie, she will make you feel welcome as you browse the wonderful array of items, including many different types of candles, home furnishings, bed linens, vases and urns, beds, small items of furniture and some stunning lamps. With Christmas coming up soon, now is the time to layby and there are many items to choose from – books are a speciality, as well as a large range of leather bags, wallets, and travel bags. Go in for a browse and explore what
they have to offer.

As the warmer months approach it is time to get into the garden. A few early preparations now will benefit in the long run. Over winter, lawns can be a bit neglected so spring is the perfect time to get them looking great again. It is recommended to rake through your lawn to get rid of any dead growth or debris. This will allow you to see any bare patches that can be fixed. To fill in these spots rake well, sprinkle with grass seeds that have already been mixed up with soil in a bucket, and water well until seed germinates.

Pruning is an important part of looking after your plants so get those secateurs out and start cutting. Prune away any dead or damaged branches to allow for new growth to come through. It is important to prune roses and fruit trees before they start to bud to ensure you still have your spring flowers and crops.

Planting in spring is a great chance to have a vegetable patch to have pickings for the warmer months. Seeds that are ideal to plant this time of the year are: peas, spinach, lettuce, leeks, tomatoes, carrots, zucchinis and beetroot. A herb patch would also be a great addition to your garden to provide you with those fresh ingredients to toss through any meal. Seeds to plant in your herb patch for this time of the year would be basil, coriander, dill, mint and parsley as they all thrive as we approach summer. Fruits to plant now would be
strawberries and raspberries to allow you to have a good crop in time for Christmas.

Flowers to consider planting for those summer colours would be Alyssums, Begonias, Californian Poppy, Celosias, Gerberas and Perennials. With frosts still looming be sure to cover any new plants with a bucket or box to help protect them.

Weeding is always a tedious task but it is important to get on top of so that they don’t take over your garden. With all of the rain we have had over the winter months weeds should be relatively easy to pull out now. Once weeding is done lay down mulch as this will help with water conservation, reducing weeds, maintaining soil temperature and adds organic matter to the soil.

Mulch should be laid at approximately 3-4 inches and plastic sheeting can be added to the beds to help minimise the emergence of weeds. When adding mulch around fruit trees be sure to keep the mulch a few inches from the trunk to prevent rotting.

Gardening not only reconnects you with the earth but has loads of health benefits too, so be sure to get out into the garden this spring.

By Taneil Thornberry