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Why park home living is a great option for over-55s

When you reach the age of 55, you have some decisions to make. For most of us, the children have left home and we find ourselves rattling around in houses that are no longer well-suited to the way we live our lives.

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Too young to consider sheltered housing options yet too old to be considering an apartment in the centre of town, you may be wondering how you can manage to find a home that’s compact, energy-efficient, homely and welcoming in a peaceful setting. It sounds like an impossible dream, doesn’t it?

The truth is that it’s perfectly achievable thanks to the growing interest in park homes.

What is a park home?

They may look like mobile homes at first glance, but step inside one, and you’ll quickly see the difference.

Park homes nowadays are built to the same high standard as other types of housing, so you can expect a high-quality finish, built-in appliances, main drainage and electricity, excellent insulation and efficient heating systems.

Because park homes have been developed for an older demographic, you can be sure of meeting like-minded neighbours, all of whom care for their little patch of Eden, cherishing the peace and quiet, along with easy access to local towns and rural villages.

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It’s no surprise that Age UK praises park homes for being easy to manage, cheap to run and with a community atmosphere for those who fear loneliness.

They’re easy to source. Just search online for park homes for sale, and you’ll find plenty of sites, such as http://www.parkhomelife.com, which set out your options and provide information and photographs so that you can see for yourself the sort of building standards that apply these days.

Safety and security

Older people worry about how they will cope with ageing. Safety and security are a particular concern, but the setup of most park homes is very reassuring. You’re surrounded by other like-minded people in a closed community, where everyone keeps an eye out for each other. You can go on holiday or visit friends knowing that your precious home is safe.

This doesn’t mean you can’t have visitors of your own. Many park homes have two or more bedrooms, giving you all the benefits of your previous home but with much lower running costs.

 

10 ways to create an effective website

Make sure that your website stands out from the competition with the help of the following 10 suggestions:

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1 Make it mobile friendly

According to Business News Daily, a mobile-friendly website is absolutely crucial to success nowadays.

2 Intuitive navigation

Don’t make web visitors hunt for the information or products that they’re looking for. Well-thought out menus and a highly visible search box are important elements of an effective website.

3 Uncluttered design

Cluttering up a web page with text and images won’t convince prospective buyers to make a purchase. Less is more in web design, so let your core message sing out, with plenty of white space to keep visitors focussed.

4 Speed is everything

Fast-loading web pages are crucial, as pages taking longer than a couple of seconds to display will result in high bounce rates. A good web designer will ensure pages load quickly as a matter of course, so call in the experts if your site isn’t lightning fast already. If you’re looking for a website design company Gloucester makes a good starting point, with https://www.net9design.com offering a range of services designed to make websites more attractive to keen and motivated buyers.

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5 Show your face

Web visitors like to know the faces behind the brands, so a well-crafted ‘About Us’ page, complete with photographs, goes a long way towards encouraging goodwill.

6 Keep it simple

Just because loads of apps, plug-ins and add-ons are available, it doesn’t mean that you have to include them all. In particular, avoid visitor counters, as they always look amateurish and create a poor first impression of your business.

7 Include CTAs

Prominent Calls To Action should feature on every page of your website, encouraging visitors to make a purchase, download a white paper, or subscribe to a newsletter. Seize every available opportunity to close the deal.

8 Avoid errors

Typos, spelling mistakes and incorrect or outdated information all conspire to give visitors the impression that your business isn’t professional. Proofread everything, and double-check prices, facts and figures.

9 Make it easy to find

A good choice of domain name, combined with effective SEO, will raise your website’s profile.

10 Keep it legitimate

Black hat SEO techniques may achieve excellent results initially, but eventually your site will be marked down, so choose white hat techniques from the outset.

How snow affects flat roofs

Snow is often an attractive addition to the winter months, giving a white blanket on top of everything. However, there are some areas where snow can cause a nuisance or even a danger. We think of roads being more dangerous when there is snow on the ground but did you also think about roofs being affected by snow? Read on for information on how snow can affect flat roofs.

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Why is it a problem?

Flat roofs are different from regular pitched roofs because gravity does not help the snow to roll down and fall off the side of the building. Although flat roofs always contain a small pitch of a minimum of one in 80, snow can still build up.

Because the snow has nowhere to go when it lands on a flat roof, it could cause the roof to collapse. Usually, the snow is removed or it melts before it gets to this stage, however, a lot of damage can still be done from snow on flat roofs.

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Melting and freezing

When snow melts, it can leave a pool of water which could cause serious issues. Water has the potential to leak into a roof if it is not well sealed, while water can also damage the roofing materials over time. Standing water can cause blisters in the roof material and lead to more leaks.

When the temperature gets colder, the water pools could also freeze and cause ice to form on the roof. The constant melting and freezing of water on a flat roof will degrade the roofing material. Drains and gutters could also become blocked with the build-up of snow and ice.

How to deal with the snow build-up

The best thing to do is to call the experts. If you are looking for experienced roofers Gloucester has many specialists to choose from, while other cities also have expert roofers to call. You could Contact Hempsted Roofing or choose another expert roofing specialist to ensure your roof is properly fixed and fitted.

If you do want to try clearing the roof yourself, always start from the edge and use lightweight equipment so you don’t damage the roof. Only remove small amounts of snow at a time and don’t try to melt it. You should also use a strong ladder for greater steadiness when working at heights.

 

Fascinating Facts About Turkey

Turkey is one of the most visited countries in the world and whether you’ve been many times or you’re a Turkey newbie, here are some fascinating facts about the country you might not know:

  1. Chicken in my dessert?

A traditional Ottoman delicacy is tavuk göğsü, otherwise known as chicken breast pudding. You might never imagine chicken being served up as part of the dessert menu, but this is an unusual mix of milk, sugar and boiled chicken lightly dusted with cinnamon. It’s surprisingly good too!

  1. A huge amount of cultural heritage

For one country, there is a massive amount of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Thirteen in fact! With another 62 waiting to be decided on. From biblical cities to WWI battlefields, it’s no surprise that Turkey tops the charts for most popular tourist destination year after year. For somewhere to stay on your next visit, consider Kas Villas from https://kas4villarentals.com

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  1. Santa Claus is from Turkey

You might think Santa would hail from the North Pole, but the person who the legend is based upon was born in Patara, Turkey. Saint Nicholas is not the only saint connected with Turkey either. It is believed that the Virgin Mary’s final resting place could be near Ephesus, Saint Paul was from Tarsus and Noah might have arrived at Mount Ararat in his ark.

  1. Tulips from Turkey

It is not known for certain where the first tulip originated but we do know that the flower became popular thanks to the Ottomans. It was they who introduced the flower to Europe. A Flemish ambassador to the court of Suleiman in the 16th century took the bulbs back to Holland and the rest is history. Whilst Holland is renowned for the flowers, it was Turkey who introduced them. Turkey also gave Europe cherries and coffee.

  1. One of Europe’s edgiest art scenes

The Istanbul Biennial show has been going for many years and draws hundreds of thousands of international visitors every year. It is so successful that it’s ranked as one of the top modern art shows anywhere in the world. The show spreads out on either side of the Bosphorus at many different venues.

  1. You can cross continents underground

Istanbul is impressive not only for the fact that it is Europe’s biggest city but it’s also the only place that is located in two continents. Over half of the city is actually in Asia. There is now an underground rail link under the Bosphorus Strait so you cross continents on an underground metro line.

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  1. New discoveries every 10 days

Turkey is an incredibly biodiverse nation with 80,000 animal species and 100,000 plant varieties. It is the ideal destination for bird-watchers and green-fingered botanists with a new plant species being discovered every 10 days!

  1. Turkey at the centre of the world

Yes, Turkey really is the centre of the world! From Turkey you can take a flight to just about anywhere on earth from Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport. It also boasts the Best Airline in Europe – Turkish Airlines – who have won the award for four years in a row.

 

 

 

Keeping your shower sparkly and clean

Whilst many of us will point to the pleasures of a good bath a nice shower can be just as restful and peaceful. The only thing that you need to worry about in a shower is the mess that one can cause if there are not decent panels in place to keep the water in. Plus keeping the shower clean is a bit of a chore but with a few things that we’re going to talk about here so you can maintain the shower in a tip top condition. It’s easy to keep 8mm shower glass panels clean and they do make a much better protection and solution than a curtain which will pick up mould and mildew after a while resulting in you constantly having to change it. Why not have a look at https://marvinandpinch.co.uk/products/8mm-clear-toughened-shower-screen-wetroom-panel-glass  to see what’s available. How then do you keep a screen clean?

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As you use a shower the water will naturally be thrown everywhere and whilst this is great at protection your floor and fixtures the water will build up and create water spots. It is essential therefore to have in the first instances a scraper to remove the excess after the shower is finished. This is similar to a window cleaning scraper and it will easily remove the water giving you’re a fighting chance of stopping anymore build up. One of the main problems with the water in certain areas of the country is it is described as “hard”. What this means is that where it is taken from the water as harmless deposits such as calcium carbonite. This shows it has a high mineral content after the rain water, which is soft passes through the natural rock of the area. If you live in a hard water area, and they are generally located in the South of England and the East then you problems with stain are more acute. How do we remove this from the Shower?

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It’s a case of using a bit of elbow grease and a cloth but you can use natural ingredients before you go and buy the more expensive options. A classic combination is that of Salt, vinegar white wine is best and baking soda. First of all you coat the area to clean with the vinegar. You need to leave this for a few minutes and while that is going on you should be mixing the salt, regular table is fine, and the baking soda together to make a nice paste. Once this is done you then apply the paste to the glass with a wet, but not too wet sponge. Rub this into the glass using the elbow grease and then rinse with cold water. It will come up a treat. After that, apply furniture polish, yes really, of the lemon oil variety to slow the build up from happening again.

The personality types in your team

There are many different personality profile tools that can be used to find out how both you and your team members all work best. Some of them give you some ideas on how to work well with others of differing personality types and some even break down your personality based on the types of the tasks that you may be performing and how pressured you feel.

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Belbin is one such team personality profile tool. It can be useful to know the personality types in your team so you can enhance the group dynamics in a positive way and make the most of any Scrum Master Training Dublin from https://www.althris.com/ that you may be thinking of undertaking.

Belbin depicts nine different behaviours that occur in teams and a highly effective fully functioning team needs to have access to all nine of these. All of the roles have their own individual weaknesses and strengths, but each is equal to the others. There is no one dominant role, each one slots into place like a well-planned jigsaw. In order to work out what behaviours you display it is necessary to complete a Belbin self-perception inventory.

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The nine behaviours are:

  • Resource Investigator – these individuals are naturally inquisitive and use these skills to bring fresh ideas to projects and tasks.
  • Teamworker – versatile individuals that play a role in the team gelling together. They take on whatever work needs doing in order for the team to complete their given task.
  • Co-ordinator – these people are delegators who plan out all of the elements of a project and ensure that they are completed by the best qualified individual.
  • Plant – highly creative individuals who think outside the box and often come up with unique ways to solve problems and issues.
  • Monitor Evaluator – they remain impartial and dispassionate and look at everything with a logical eye making them the perfect people to help in times of conflict or confusion.
  • Specialist – these individuals are highly knowledgeable and skilled in their respective fields.
  • Shaper – highly driven individuals who help to keep the team focused and on track to achieve their given goal. These people are key in keeping the motivation of the team high.
  • Implementer – these are practical and reliable individuals that will ensure that any plans are carried out and that any ideas are concrete and able to be implemented.
  • Completer Finisher – these individuals are usually used at the end of a task to ensure that all the loose ends are tied up and to scrutinise any work of errors.

BBC Dramas not to be missed this autumn

Now the summer is behind us, we can look forward to a great autumn schedule on the TV. There are some prime dramas currently showing on the BBC or set to arrive very soon, which gives us the perfect reason to put the heating on and settle down on the sofa after a hard day at work. Here are just a few examples of the amazing drama to grip us on these autumn nights:

Wanderlust

This drama is written by an award-winning playwright, Nick Payne and questions whether people are meant to stay in monogamous relationships for their whole adult lives. It is both funny and incredibly insightful. The story follows Joy, a therapist trying to keep the spark alive in her marriage after an accident. The bog scoop is that Joy is played by Hollywood actress, Toni Collette.

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Bodyguard

This action-packed, adrenalin-pumping drama was produced by Jed Mercurio and stars Richard Madden of Game of Thrones fame. The drama follows the story of a politician’s bodyguard, his past, his stressful present and uncertain future. He deals with post-traumatic stress and a frightening plot where the enemy could be any number of people, including MI5, the Metropolitan police, the government, terrorists or organised crime.

The Cry

Jenna Coleman stars in this heart-wrenching tale of lies, deceit and raw emotion and it’s a big departure from her previous roles. She plays a young woman struggling to cope as a new mother whose baby disappears on a trip to Australia.  The drama series was filmed in both Australia and Glasgow. Tragedy strikes, and the family is torn apart, but who is to blame and where is the baby? It’s a harrowing descent into the mental breakdown of a young woman and is a must-watch drama this autumn. Don’t miss any of this autumn’s great dramas due to problems with your signal. For Bristol TV Aerials, contact  http://aerial-installations-bristol.co.uk/installation-and-repair-services/tv-aerial-installation-bristol

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Killing Eve

This has already been a massive hit in the U.S and comes to UK screens this autumn. The story is based on a novel called Codename Villanelle by Luke Jennings and details the journey of an MI5 agent obsessed with hunting down a psychopathic female assassin. The assassin, Villanelle has carried out multiple murders across the globe and begins to obsess over the agent trying to catch her in what becomes a tense tale of cat and mouse.

Water Damage? How to Prevent Your Carpet from Going Mouldy

Leaks from flooding and damaged plumbing can often be the cause of costly repairs and a lot of upheaval in the home.

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Even a small amount of water damage can cause mould to grow quickly and contribute towards illness and allergies.

The treatment process can vary depending on the individual conditions. With numerous blogs and tips available online, it can be difficult to decide which course of action to take.

Some Useful Examples

1. Remove water as quickly as possible. It seems obvious, but prolonged exposure can cause lasting damage if not dealt with promptly. A wet/dry vacuum can be very effective.

2. Use fans to speed the drying process. It can take several days to completely dry an area. The fans can also aid in circulating fresh air. It’s important to remember that thorough drying out is essential.

3. Use a dehumidifier. These machines are designed to remove excess moisture from the air. It also helps to maintain a cooler air temperature, which limits the growth of mould and mildew. Using such tools can help speed up the drying times.

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4. Steam-cleaning – carpets and flooring can be left with an odour following water damage. Although things such as underlay may need replacing, the steam-clean will sanitize and remove lingering odours.

5. Sanitisation – this is essential to ensure no spores or bacteria remain. Floors, walls and skirting boards should all be treated. Soapy water and diluted bleach should be sufficient, along with a good deal of elbow grease.

6. Check your furniture – water damage can easily be overlooked when hidden under carpeting or rugs. Make sure you check every area well for signs.

These tips and suggestions were sourced online via a recently updated article. This and further information can be found on the website https://www.angieslist.com/articles/6-steps-prevent-carpet-mold-after-water-damage.htm/.

There are many specialised companies that are able to diagnose and treat mould and water damage.

One such company you may consider is a Cheltenham Carpet Cleaning Company. With 25 years of experience in domestic and commercial settings, a full range of services is offered. Further details can be found at their website at gnccontractservices.com.

Additional Information

Further reading is useful when selecting a company. Case studies and customer testimonials where available can give you a good indication of what to expect.

Protecting your car from the elements

A car is amongst one of the most expensive items that you will ever buy and in today’s world has become a necessity for getting to and from work, dropping children off to school and getting to and from the shops. But the outside environment can have an impact both on the running and aesthetics of your car. In particular sunlight, rain and snow. This where a Bespoke Oak Carport like the ones you can see at http://www.bespoaktimberframes.co.uk can help add a protective layer over your car. You can’t eliminate all the effects of the weather on your car, but you can make the most of the options available to you to reduce this risk and deal with any potential issues as soon as the occur.

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Sunlight and heat

If you leave any painted or coloured item out in direct sunlight for long enough, you will find that the colour starts to fade. Paint can also start to flake and peel away. This is not too much of a worry on cars unless you have an area of paint that has been damaged then the sunlight can penetrate through the bottom layers, then flaking may occur. Storing your car in a shaded area will help to reduce the instances of damage by sunlight as will regularly washing and waxing your car as you will remove any areas of dirt and grime that might start to affect the integrity of your car paint and exterior. The interior of car can begin to heat up when placed in direct sunlight and there is nothing worse than sitting in a car that has a seat that has been heated by the sun, a metal buckle on the seatbelt that could burn and a steering wheel that is too hot to handle safely.

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Rain and snow

Snow and rain can cause similar problems for your car’s exterior including damage to your paint and in severe cases if snow falls off a nearby roof onto your car it can cause dents and dips in your car body. Equally the salt and grit that is distributed on our roads to help make them safer during icy and snowy weather can have a impact on our cars. The salt can start to corrode away the paintwork and other areas of your car. This is why it is important to wash down your car and in particular your wheel areas even in the cold weather.

Thinking of my 21st birthday

Sitting at the kitchen table the morning after my 21st birthday party I thought back to the incredible party that my parents had thrown me. Not only had they managed to keep the whole thing a secret but they had invited all of my friends, new and old and all of my family members. It was the best surprise ever. My parents had hired out a beautiful hall and had organised a DJ, catering for food and had also contacted a company to hire out a Rodeo Bull. It was impressive, all I can day is the Rodeo Bull Manufacturer really knew what they were doing. I wonder if it was from http://www.gsrodeobulls.com/ ? Anyway back to the party. The food was great. They had organised for all of my favourites to be served. There were mini Lasagne’s, pizza, tiny little cones of fish goujons and chips, some wonderful pasta salads and tiny little hotdogs. I was so surprised when I walked into the hall to see it all decorated with massive ‘Happy 21st Birthday’ signs on the wall.

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The whole thing got me thinking about surprise parties and how my parents had really catered everything specific for me. So, whilst I sipped my coffee the morning after I decided to do a little bit of internet research and stumbled upon some other ideas for a 21st birthday bash.

Theme parties – these sorts of theme parties seem to be all the rage at the moment with people having ‘Game of Thrones’ parties and ‘Great Gatsby’ inspired parties. You can get all kinds of decorations for whatever theme you choose and perhaps even ask your guests to come in fancy dress!

Think about the drinks – cocktail parties are also another lovely way to spend your 21st birthday. You could arrange for the birthday girl or boy to attend a cocktail masterclass with some of their closest friends or perhaps hire a mobile bar to come along to their party complete with a signature cocktail in their name.

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Adventure – if you have an adrenalin seeking 21-year-old year you could look into an action-packed party, perhaps take them away again with a select few to a skydiving centre or even a wing walking experience.

Entertainment – as I said my parents mixed up the entertainment a little with a DJ providing music for the party and a dance floor ready for me and my friends to show off our best moves, and they also arranged for a mobile rodeo bull to give everyone a little bit of a giggle.