The Ruins in Black and White

I still have some photos about the ruins around the mud volcano (Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia) that I’ve mentioned in my last week post. You can see the color version here.
The Weekend in Black and White

How to Protect Your Home against Fire

There are things you can do to protect your home against fire. If you live in a rural area or are surrounded by bushland, as well as protecting yourself against a house fire, you should also protect yourself against a bushfire. As well as having smoke alarms in your house you need to keep your property tidy and clear of scrub to reduce the risk of being a fire hazard. You should also know what the community alarm systems there are in place that will warn you of an approaching bushfire.

Smoke alarms

You should have smoke alarms installed in your house. Most new homes are automatically fitted with smoke alarms but if you have an older home you will need to get good quality alarms. You will need several positioned throughout your home and they are best attached just outside bedroom doors so that everyone can hear them during the night if there is a fire. It is the smoke that is the biggest problem with a fire as it can asphyxiate people even before the flames are a problem. Make sure that you check the smoke alarms regularly and that you change the batteries over twice a year, once at the beginning of daylight savings when you are also changing your clocks, and again when you put your clock back at the end of daylight savings.

Clean up around the house

You need to clean up around your house. Remove flammable materials from around your home, like cans of petrol, chemicals and paint. You should also clear any long grass and scrub away from your home and cut back overhanging branches. Eucalyptus trees should be cleared away from the house as the oil within the leaves makes them highly flammable. The branches also have a habit of falling down unexpected. You should rake up any dead leaves and also clear leaves out of your guttering. You should block any gaps in your roof or under the house where there can be air pockets which would help fuel a fire.

Water

If you are in the position where you have to fight a fire you need to have adequate water to put it out. If you live in a rural area or in bushland the best thing to do is to have a proper fire hose and a generator, which is petrol driven. You most likely have tank water living on a rural block, and you should set aside a full tank of water, especially during the fire season. Otherwise having access to a dam is a good idea.

Fire extinguisher

In case of a small fire in your kitchen or other part of the house you should have a fire extinguisher handy. You can also buy fire blankets which you throw over a fire to put it out. Know which extinguisher is for what sort of fire as chemical fires and electrical fires are different to those which you can throw water on.

Plan

To protect your home and your family from both a house and bushfire you need to have a plan. Know at what stage you are going to leave if there is a bushfire or how you are going to defend your property. If there is a house fire make sure that everyone knows where they should exit the house and where you will be meeting up.
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8 Benefits of Having a Clean Floor

Believe it or not, there are benefits of having a clean floor, other than just having a tidy home or office. Have a clean carpet looks better, but it is also more hygienic, which means that you can sit on it and be happy knowing that you are not sitting amongst a hive of bacteria. This is especially important if you have small children or infants who spend their time sitting and lying on the floor. It is also just as important to have a commercial cleaning company come in and clean your floors in your work place. Not only do you need a clean environment to work in for health and safety, but it would not give a very good impression to clients or other visitors if your floor was filthy.

Improve the look of your home or office

You can make a vast improvement to the look of your home or office by getting out the vacuum and cleaning the carpets. It really is a matter of starting from the ground up when you do your cleaning. Bits of fluff, lint and other fibres on your carpet can stand out, as do patches of ground in dirt. A quick vacuum will have your room looking like new.

Children on the floor
If you have young children you are going to want to keep your carpet and floor clean as they spend the majority of their time on the floor. It gives you the option to be able to leave babies and infants on the floor to have the all important 'tummy time', and they can play on the floor with you being happy knowing that the floor is clean.

Use your floor space

Have you heard that saying 'clean enough to eat off?' Well having a clean floor can be a bit like this saying, although you wouldn't want to literally eat off your floor. It is nice to be able to sit on the floor and eat, and if you have very young children who often drop biscuits and other snacks on the floor, and then come back and eat them later, it is good if your floor is able to be used. It can be a fun family tradition to start, having a picnic on the floor in front of the television, while having something like fish and chips, or some other take away for tea, as a special treat.

Improve safety
Keep your floor clean and tidy so that your home and work place is safe. Pick up toys and anything on the floor so that nobody trips and hurts themselves. Also clean up any spills so that nobody slips over.

Better for your health
For those who suffer from allergies it can be particularly important to have a clean carpet. Dust is one of the major triggers of allergies, and those who suffer from asthma can also be affected by dust. Cleaning your carpet regularly is really important, so you should try to vacuum at least once a week.

Ready to entertain
By keeping your floors tidy and cleaned you will be ready at a moment’s notice to entertain if friends suddenly drop around.

Improves your feeling of well being
If your home is messy it can affect your mood, not to mention how you can start to feel over time if your home is unclean. When your living space is clean and tidy it immediately puts you in a much better mood.

Make your carpet last
By keeping your carpet clean you are helping to look after it, which will improve the life of your carpet. Having a clean floor is not just for show as it makes your room more liveable and means you can use your floor space.

Away From Home on the Holidays – 8 Ways to Increase Bookings at Your Rental This Christmas

1: Research your market. This sounds obvious but you’d be surprised how many people don’t. One of the best ways to do that is by plugging yourself into the social media sphere. You can invest in tracking software that lets you key in specific phrases or attributes and go hunting for chatter about them – which in turn leads you to the people who would be best fitted to your market profile. If you use an agent to rent your property, they should be able to research the market for you at no extra cost.

2: Review the listings your property has on the internet. Are they up to date? Could you improve the photos, or tweak the text? Now more than ever, only the best listings make it through to sales. Customers need to know as much as possible about your rental property before they decide to stay there. Make sure you have clearly outlined all amenities and upload plenty of great looking shots of a cosy interior!

3: Get on Facebook. Create a Facebook page for your rental property, and develop a fan base. When you send rental information to confirmed bookings, make sure you ask them to join up with you on Facebook. The more people who come along for the ride the more exposure your property will receive.

4: Don’t overlook the possibilities of video. Post video footage for your property to bring it to life – and make sure you upload it to YouTube as well as on your own pages. The more exposure you get in the video sites the more people will potentially see your property “in action”. Take the time to develop a proper promotional video, using seasonal music and incorporating the essential information about your rental.

5: What’s the selling point that sets your rental apart from everyone else’s? If you are looking specifically to drive custom over the festive period, then make your selling points festive ones. For example, you could decorate the place yourself and point out in your promotional material that the property is all set up for a fabulous family festive break. If you want to go all out you could even include a gimmick like welcome stockings.

6: Keep on top of your enquiries. It’s basic practice, I know, but plenty of rentals fall foul of not doing it. You’re busy, of course – but if you don’t seem enthusiastic about getting new custom, those potential visitors will go somewhere else. Invest in software that responds automatically to initial enquiries and your potential customer will feel that they are valued.

7: Get ready for Boxing Day! The festive period doesn’t finish after Christmas, and Boxing Day is traditionally one of the busiest days of the year for rental enquiries. Thousands of potential customers have exhausted the entertainment possibilities of their own home and are desperately seeking somewhere else to go for a post-festive break. If you are not ready to field their enquiries with dispatch, you could miss out on the good stuff.

8: Find out what your customers want for their holiday. The most successful rentals anticipate their customer’s requirements and give them to them. Again there is plenty of software available to help you do this more efficiently – even virtual guest book software, which collates comments for you so you can build an easy picture of visitor trends – both in terms of the kinds of visitors that like your rental, and in terms of any positive or negative trending about the overall experience of staying in your property.

The above article is written and composed be Britney Danila who is associated with many travel and living communities as their freelance and staff writer. She writes articles in her free time which are related to Golf Holidays, exotic vacation plans etc.

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Things You Should Stock Up On Before Bringing Home Your Newborn

Soon after the initial excitement of realising you have a baby on the way, it will be time to get down to business and get ready for the arrival. Preparing to welcome home your newborn can take months in getting your home ready and to make sure you have all the supplies you will need. During the first few months with the baby you will be so busy and tired that you won’t want to make too many forays out of your home to the shops, and you will appreciate all the forward planning and organising you did ahead of time. Here are a few things you will want to have plenty of when it comes time to bring baby home.

Baby Clothes

Now is not the time for buying expensive and stylish clothes for your baby. In the first year, your baby will grow so fast that he or she could grow out of a special item of clothing in a matter of weeks. A great idea is to stock up on baby clothes that are inexpensive and practical, and to make sure you have a variety of sizes on hand as your baby grows. You can get really great brands of baby clothes - such as Bonds - online which is a really easy and inexpensive way to get onesies, socks, hats and bibs in bulk. You will want a huge stockpile of clothes and blankets not only to keep up with your baby’s growth, but also because they will get dirty faster than you can get them clean!

For Breastfeeding

When your baby is not sleeping or resting, he or she will be eating. As a new mum, you will be constantly involved in the breastfeeding process, and so it is important to be prepared for not only your baby but for your comfort as well. Make sure you have a stockpile of breastfeeding tops, lotions to keep your skin from cracking and plenty of blankets for the inevitable spit-up.

Food

During the months of your pregnancy, you and your partner will need to spend some time in the food aisle. Most baby food is in jars, and so it will keep in your pantry until your baby is ready to start eating solid food. Once this happens, you will be thanking your past self for being so prepared and you can spend more quality time with you baby instead of at the grocery store. While you’re at it, stockpile some food for you and your partner, as well!

All Things Diaper Related

Unless this isn’t your first baby, you will be amazed by just how many diapers your baby will go through in a week. Having a generous supply of diapers is absolutely necessary if you want to survive the first few weeks of parenthood. In addition, you will want to have plenty of baby wipes and diaper rash ointment at the ready to make sure you don’t run out of something critical at an inopportune moment.

Hygiene and Medical

There are lots of extras when it comes to your baby’s hygiene and medical needs. You will want a decent supply of baby shampoo, toothpaste, lotions and baby oil and a stash of gentle detergent and fabric softener will help keep your laundry system running efficiently. Having a store of infant Tylenol gripe water in your baby first aid kit is a great idea as well for those times you will need it.

How to Make an Office Clutter-free?

Clutter and stress are synonymous to each other. The more the clutter, the more stressed you will feel all the time. We are making our life complex by adding to the already existing clutter, whether it is in the home or in office. We can simplify our life just by making a few simple choices and maybe bringing a couple of changes. Organizing things and tasks simplifies our life at work and at home.

Clutter leads to visual interference and mental chaos. It can distract you from work and make you feel lethargic at times. Clutter is considered as the major hindrance to productivity. Here are a few ways to cut clutter in the office. These tips will surely help you in making your office paperless.

Going paperless One of the easiest ways to cut the clutter in the office is to go paperless. In today's echo-friendly world when everything is going green, going paperless will add to the overall endeavor of protecting trees. You can install a scanner to transform your documents into electronic files. This will save the space for other productive purposes.

Rent a storage space nearby
Storage units can help free up spaces in office and lessen clutter. You can make a list if things and documents that you need very rarely or once in a year or two. Rent a storage space near your office for storing these less needed things. Things like unused furniture, computers, ladders, saws, drills and other power tools can be stored in the London Storage.

Daily maintenance
Purge any old/unneeded files, paperwork as soon as you find them useless. Clean your office desk and look for things that you will be needing very frequently. Take two cardboard boxes and keep the less used files in one box and the often used files in the other. Throw the junk mails and envelopes in the dustbin lying under your desk unnoticed and empty for months. Keep the minimum of essential items.

A well managed and clutter-free work space is way more productive to a cluttered work space. Try to note things down on a note pad instead of trying to remember everything. Books can be sorted on a book shelf, arranging them by author name or genre. The less clutter you are surrounded with, the more productive you will become at work. You need not incur expenditure to transform your office into a clutter free zone. It is just a matter of being organized in whatever you do.