Miscellany

One phone-free hour a day: a small gap for returning to real life

Miscellany - Life around us - A phone-free hour is not a war against technology. It is a small experiment to see how your hands, your attention and your conversations change when the device is out of reach. The value comes from ..

10/10/2026
4,673

Small rituals that keep a family close inside a busy schedule

Miscellany - Life around us - A family is not kept close only by big trips. A fixed mealtime, a short call or tending a plant together can become an anchor in a busy week. A ritual is not the same as a rigid obligation A family ..

09/10/2026
4,835

Morning light and your sleep rhythm: building a steadier wake-up schedule

Miscellany - Health & beauty - Light is one of the main signals the body clock uses to tell day from night. Exposure to daylight, particularly in the earlier part of the day, combined with a reasonably steady wake-up time, can su ..

06/10/2026
4,917

Repair instead of replacing in a hurry: a small habit for a sturdier home and less waste

Miscellany - Life around us - A button that has come off, a loose chair leg or a cupboard handle that rattles is not necessarily the end of the object. Repair extends the life of what you own and teaches you your home, but a goo ..

01/10/2026
4,821

A happy family is not a family that never argues

Miscellany - Life around us - Disagreement turns up in every family made of real people. What marks out a healthy relationship is not the number of arguments but the way people keep each other safe, stay on the issue, and come b ..

30/09/2026
4,943

Do not only ask your child what they scored — ask whether they were happy today

Miscellany - Life around us - Marks give part of the picture about learning, but they do not describe a child's whole day. The question “were you happy today?” opens a door onto friendships, fears, curiosity and the things a chi ..

27/09/2026
5,117

Siblings scattered in different places: how do you keep the bond from fading?

Miscellany - Life around us - As children, siblings share a room and a meal. As adults, work, marriage and distance mean closeness is no longer automatic. From then on the bond has to be tended with deliberate habits. Do not get ..

23/09/2026
4,955

A gentle walk after a meal: how to start in a way that stays safe and comfortable

Miscellany - Health & beauty - A gentle walk after a meal is a simple way to break up sitting time and fit movement into the day. The benefit does not come from walking fast on a full stomach, but from a pace that suits you, repe ..

23/09/2026
4,868

From a greeting to a liveable neighbourhood: connecting with neighbours while keeping your privacy

Miscellany - Life around us - Relationships with neighbours rarely begin with something big. A regular greeting, a heads-up before building work, or taking in a parcel can build a thin but important layer of trust. Closeness tha ..

21/09/2026
5,051

The stories from grandparents that families should record while they still can

Miscellany - Life around us - One day the old photograph will still be there, but no one will remember who is standing in it. Recording what grandparents have to say is not a grand project; it is a way of keeping names, voices a ..

20/09/2026
4,985

Cleaning your keyboard and screen without damaging the device

Miscellany - Handy tips - Switching off the power, using very little moisture and the right materials keeps liquid out of the device. This article focuses on steps you can apply straight away, while pointing out what to chec ..

14/09/2026
4,866

Cutting household dust with a top-down cleaning schedule

Miscellany - Handy tips - Cleaning from high to low and stopping dust at the door saves you doing the same job twice. This article focuses on steps you can apply straight away, while pointing out what to check so you do not ..

14/09/2026
4,661

Keeping a bedroom cooler through a hot spell

Miscellany - Handy tips - Blocking the heat during the day and ventilating at the right moment makes the room far more comfortable. This article focuses on steps you can apply straight away, while pointing out what to check ..

14/09/2026
4,784

Cleaning white shoes according to the material

Miscellany - Handy tips - Canvas, leather and synthetics each need a different approach, and a patch test always comes first. This article focuses on steps you can apply straight away, while pointing out what to check so you ..

14/09/2026
5,101

Treating collar stains before the shirt goes in the machine

Miscellany - Handy tips - Treating it early and testing for colourfastness lifts the mark with less strain on the fibres. This article focuses on steps you can apply straight away, while pointing out what to check so you do ..

14/09/2026
4,781

Reusing glass jars properly around the house

Miscellany - Handy tips - A clean, crack-free jar is fine for dry goods, but not every jar is made for heat or for canning. This article focuses on steps you can apply straight away, while pointing out what to check so you d ..

14/09/2026
5,055

Building a shopping list from your menu so you buy just enough

Miscellany - Handy tips - Taking stock first and grouping the list by aisle makes the trip quick, cuts duplicates and helps you use everything up. This article focuses on steps you can apply straight away, while pointing out ..

14/09/2026
4,833

Sorting the family medicine cabinet: checking dates and storing safely

Miscellany - Handy tips - A clearly labelled cabinet, kept cool and dry and out of children's reach, cuts down on mix-ups. This article focuses on steps you can apply straight away, while pointing out what to check so you do ..

14/09/2026
4,896

A fire escape plan for a small apartment

Miscellany - Handy tips - Everyone in the home should know two ways out where they exist, the meeting point, and the rule about never going back for belongings. This article focuses on steps you can apply straight away, whil ..

14/09/2026
4,764