Events

Tips for Arranging Your Wedding

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wedding

Being engaged is a fun, romantic and exciting time, especially when you st art to arrange the wedding. But not everyone is good at wedding organisation or, especially if they have never done it before. There is a lot to manage, including arranging wedding gifts and everything else to go along with it and it may become overwhelming at times, so here are some tips to help you.

  • When choosing dates for the wedding, consult your calendar to ensure you don’t choose a date that is a public holiday, or when there is a large charity event on in your local area. These things will mean hotels and venues get booked up well ahead of time – and some of your potential guests may not make the wedding if they are involved.
  • If you are planning a marquee reception, don’t choose the hottest or coldest months for the wedding. You and your guests need to feel comfortable, not sweaty or shivering.
  • If you are on a strict budget, you can save by cutting the guest list. Most of the reception costs go on wining and dining guests. You can also invite single friends without adding in a partner whom you may not have met. But make sure they can sit with someone they know.
  • Before you sign the contract with the venue is the best time to ask for more time. They will be eager to get the contract signed so may agree. Once it is a done deal, this is not so likely. You also need to ask if there are any restrictions in place.

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DIY

How to Clean Your Pool with Minimum Effort

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clean-your-pool

Many people love their swimming pools and enjoy the lifestyle they have created by installing it. Swimming is a healthy exercise, but what is in the water is not necessarily good for your health. Pool cleaners don’t have to be chemicals that can be bad for your health. For instance, robotic pool cleaners quietly get on with the job and don’t put any kind of chemical into the water. You can clean your pool with minimum effort using automatic pool cleaners.

It’s bad enough that most pools contain chlorine to combat the bacteria that grows there.Chlorine  has been used for many years in pools, yet it is a suspected carcinogen and it has been proven by studies done in Belgium that many children exposed to the chlorine in swimming pools developed asthma, rashes and other allergies.

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DIY

How to Choose Carpet Cleaners for the Home or Work Premises

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carpet-cleaners

When your carpet starts to look a bit grubby you know it is time to call in someone like brilliance cleaning. However, it will pay you to choose them carefully, just as you would take care in choosing a builder for your home. You want the cleaners who do the best job, but there are several other criteria to be aware of when making your choice.

  • Not all professional carpet cleaners use non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaning products. Why is this important? It is an easy way to do your bit to save the environment, but in fact, it also saves your health. Many chemicals emit toxic fumes or cause allergies when your skin contacts the carpet.

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DIY

Renovating Your Kitchen

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Tired of your shabby old kitchen and thinking about renovating it? Kitchens are the centre of the home and these days is expected to look just as amazing as the rest of your home while still being totally functional. You may think that a quick DIY renovation will improve it, but when you come to think about it, what will new cupboard doors and a granite counter add? It will still be the same kitchen and all the things that annoyed you about it will still be there.

Advantages of getting a professional kitchen renovation

The best way to get an amazing kitchen is to have professional kitchen designers come in and suggest real changes that will upgrade your kitchen and make it more functional as well as changing how it looks. To simplify the job, choose kitchen designers that will not only do the design, but provide the materials and install it all for you. That way you won’t have to chase three different companies.

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Food

Wine with Your Pizza

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Why wait for a special celebration or meal to enjoy a glass of wine? You can have wine with fast food such as pizza and the kind you choose will depend on what topping your pizza has. For instance, because it has a savoury flavour, Chianti is ideal to drink with pizza that has a salty meat such as prosciutto or even a peppery green topping – or combination of both.

A rule of thumb

If you are not sure which wines to pair with what foods, a good rule of thumb is to choose a delicate flavoured wine with the kind of meal that is delicately flavoured, otherwise the wine will overpower the meal. If you have a meal with a robust flavour, then you can choose a strongly flavoured wine to go with it, knowing that the two will hold their own and one will not overpower the other.

However, while similar flavours attract, there is also an attraction with opposing flavours. But it is best to keep the food flavours simple when you want to serve wine with your meal. Otherwise, a complex tasting meal will overshadow even the finest tasting wine. In this case, use a cheaper wine and save the best for a meal it will truly complement.

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Travel

Things to do in Bali

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In spite of some negative press in years past, Bali remains one of the most popular tourist destinations for many people, not just Australians looking for a great holiday either backpacking or relaxation in a beautiful Bali villa. However, the cheap air fares and accommodation guarantee that it will remain a popular holiday spot for many Aussie tourists. Once you decide to check out Bali you will find so many things to do and see there that you may have to extend your holiday.

The island of Bali itself has many attractions and the culture is a unique one that gives rise to sites of interest such as the many temples. When these are explored you will find them unlike most other temples due to the distinct ecosystem, with monkeys from the nearby jungle in residence at some.

However, the wildlife parks must have a large spot on your holiday agenda because they, too are distinctive. Even though there are many such places in other countries, they are not quite like the Balinese parks. For instance, you can ride on the elephants or camels at the Bali Safari and Marine Park, one of the islands largest parks. There is also an elephant talent show with these elephants being retired working elephants that are extremely tame.

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Travel

Tips to Make Travelling Overseas Safer

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Travelling-Overseas

Travelling overseas is a favorite way to have a holiday for many people, young and old alike. Especially people from Australia love Bali and Asian destination for their holidays. However, when you go overseas there can be hidden dangers that can cause illness or injury, or somehow spoil your holiday. Here are some must-dos before you travel to make your overseas holiday safer.

  • Take out travel insurance. While it seems like just another way to spend money, it can also save a lot if you should get ill or be injured. You can also insure for loss of clothing and equipment such as phone or tablet, and additional accommodation, should something go wrong with your plans.
  • Plan your trip carefully. Make sure your travel agent chooses accommodation that is in the ‘good’ part of any city and works with overseas agencies for tours or tour guides that can be trusted. Besides, comfortable accommodation will make your stay more pleasant.
  • Choose the planes that are considered to have the best safety record. The extra cost is worth it.
  • Drink only bottled water and make sure you have enough. Make sure you stay hydrated, It is easy to get dehydrated and not realise it, when you are travelling.

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DIY

3 Ways to Make Moving into Your New Home Easier

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Moving into Your New Home Easier

People often think that moving out of their home to another location is the biggest hassle ever, what with all the packing and arrangements that have to be made. But when they go through the move they realise that moving into a new home is almost as bad as moving out of the old one.

One of the reasons for this is that there is no time limit. When moving out you set a day and have to work towards getting everything done by then. But once you have moved in you tend to relax and put off unpacking – and that means you live in a mess for weeks, not knowing where vital belongings got to and tripping over half-unpacked boxes. Here are 3 ways to make moving in easier

The best way to label moving boxes

Label the boxes with numbers or letters, then write the exact contents of each into a writing pad or exercise book. Or you can just write something like, “Contents of laundry cupboard” or whatever. It is best not to describe in detail what is in each box on the carton itself. For a start, it’s hard to see when the cartons are stored together, and it becomes easier for potential burglars to pick out which ones to steal.

Keeping essentials together by room

Another way to make unpacking easier is to write the room on each box and get your professional home removalists to take the boxes into the rooms they belong to. That way, everything you need will at least be in the right room and your back will not ache so much when you don’t have to drag boxes around. (more…)

Property

Bali Villa Accommodation Options

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Bali-Villa

Tourists frequently stay in one of the many luxurious hotels in Bali when they holiday in this lovely island. However, there are other accommodation options that can be just as pleasant and offer something a little different. In fact, if you are holidaying with a family or a group of friends, a villa will offer much more space to relax in than a hotel room.

Villas include a private pool and from 1-9 bedrooms, perfect for travelling solo or with all your friends. There is housekeeping staff, a chef and a chauffeur driven car that can be booked for trips. Villa accommodation in Bali is popular for honeymoons or holidays where more privacy is preferred. Each villa contains everything you need for gracious living and many of them are situated just a step or two away from restaurants, shops and nightlife venues, giving you the best of both worlds.

For more privacy, you can also get villas that are right on the beach or situated in a forest high on the cliff top. All villas are fully staffed and some of them offer free massage, fruit platters and many other benefits for those looking for a little more luxury than a normal holiday would provide. They are ideal for a very special honeymoon treat or a romantic holiday where you want to be pampered.

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