Donna, J, hi and thanks! :D Well, the snow is melting right now and the roads are very slippery at the moment... J, thanks! I've needed to find a way to photograph inside the house during these winter months. My favourite spot would be in one of the upstairs rooms but it's not available at the moment, it's under construction so to speak, for how long no one knows, not even hubby... The plants are simply placed against a white wall, but the light has to be good, otherwise it won't work, at least not for me.

Hi all. I usually just lurk here but had to chime in with my story. I was at Goodwill last week and saw an absolutely beautiful rattan desk that just caught my breath. There were other people looking at it but they drifted away. I stood and looked at it and then made myself move away from it. Did I have a place for it? Would it fit in my car? Would I be able to get it out of the car? On and on the questions came and in the end I left without it. When I got home I checked ebay to see if there was anything like it and immediately the regret came. There are similar (but not as nice) desks selling for 500.00 and up. Still kicking myself-and yes it is gone. The price? 40.00. Satine

I must stress I did not design and build the pond. I made a decision when we moved into the house, 3 years ago, what to do with pond. Either fill-in or make a try of it. The pond is under the min depth, it is only about 45cm! Due to the layer of 100% clay in my area I think who ever dug it decided 45cm was all they could manage. Also the water fall drop height is way to far, hence the lump of slate against the raised section. The pond is 2.5 meter square with a raised section that just contains stones a 2 plants. I don't run the water fall 24/7, just every few days for a few hours. It is surprising that the fish and baby fish survived the past 2 winters, as the ice was a good 1-2 inches thick. Mark

We lose samples all the time with people who've borrowed and never returned. Many times, tile samples are given pretty freely from the tile vendors, but samples of countertops and cabinets chips, those cost quite a bit of money. Those should be returned to the cabinet shop, if possible. I like how The Tile Shop does it. You pay for your sample. Per the SF... if your tile is a 12 x 12 and it's 3.50/sf, you pay 3.50. Bring it back in good condition, you get your money back. Smart. We are not set up that way, though. It isn't so bad for the customers who then buy with us and pay 20,000 for a remodel. But those who are just looking and take stuff with them to never return, that adds up.