Here we will take a good look at composting and help you get an idea of what it actually is, and how to get started in your own house.

What is composting?

Firstly, let’s take a look at what we mean by composting. This is the process of turning organic matter such as garden waste, foodstuffs, and even manure into fertiliser which can then be used to help plants grow stronger and healthier. 

It is a way of recycling your leftovers and other materials so that instead of being chucked away, they can be used and made useful once more. Over a third of all the matter that ends up in landfills is organic and could have been composted. This would save valuable space, reduce the number of pollutants that escape, and all around make a huge difference to the environment.

A great deal of focus is spent on recycling products like glass bottles and plastic, but opting to start composting can in one stroke deplete your waste by over 30%, so you can see why it is such an impactful decision to make, and one that you will be glad you made. 

Whether you compost at home or send your food waste to a larger composting site nearby, it is time to stop simply chucking away your leftovers in the bin, and join the millions of others who are trying to make a difference. 

How does composting work?

When composting, you are looking to create the ideal conditions for the microbes in the soil or that you have added to break down the waste into its more basic parts. This then creates a rich and ideal fertiliser to be used to grow food or plants in their turn.

The right conditions can seem a little tricky to create. If you are going for classic traditional composting in your garden, you will need to find the right location. Somewhere flat with good drainage is key, so it doesn’t end up simply sitting in stagnant water, and some places may not have much space to have a large compost heap a fair distance from your door.

Another way of composting is to elect to get an electric composter instead. Electric food composters make it easy to create these conditions. Indeed, you only need to add the microbes the first time after which it is self-sustaining, and will turn your waste matter into compost in just a short amount of time.

You will need the right amount of heat and moisture, but not too much, to get the microbes working to the best of their ability, and oxygen is needed as well. Once they have what they need, they will get to work producing lots of lovely high-quality compost for your garden.

How do I start composting?

The first thing you need to do is decide on the kind of composting you wish, or have the ability, to do. If you have a huge garden with plenty of space, a compost bin or heap may be just the ticket. You should try to have it off to the side, mostly shaded, and try and be considerate of your neighbours. 

On the other hand, if you are lacking somewhat space, an electric composter may be the best choice all around. They are much more compact, have a seal to prevent any smells so they can be kept anywhere, and are so quick to turn waste into fertiliser.

Once you have chosen your method, and have bought your electric composter or set up your heap outside, you will get to work on those perfect conditions mentioned above. For a compost heap, you can pile in your organic waste to get started, and it will need a vigorous turning regularly to keep the process going.

For an electric composter, you will merely add the amount of waste that you are allowed, the microbes, and watch it turn to fertiliser overnight. You can then take out the finished product and start again.

What is the easiest method of composting?

When it comes to composting the easiest method may depend on what it is that you are hoping to achieve. If you are looking to stick all of your waste in a pile somewhere out of sight, then a composting heap is arguably one of the best choices. 

You can create this cold pile, and then more or less leave it to get to work over a period of around a year. It is a slow method but involves far less activity from you than hot composting or many of the other methods.

If you are looking for something a bit quicker, cleaner, and self-contained, then electric composting is the easiest and top method for you. Instead of having to aerate your compost pile, carefully balance the conditions, or wait for months for your fertiliser to be ready, the electric composter can do everything for you in just a few hours.

All you have to do is make sure you put in the right things, avoid the wrong ones, and sit back and relax. You won’t have to worry about a pile of smelly rubbish in your garden which can attract pests, and instead will get all of the rich high-quality fertiliser you want in no time at all. 

The takeaway 

There are a great many ways to compost, and many of them are straightforward and easy most particularly the electric composter. Composting is one of the best actions you can take both to reduce your own waste and help the environment, and you can also make cheap and easy fertiliser to keep your garden looking as green as your actions are.

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Here we will take a good look at some of the best spells that you can learn at Hogwarts, check out the strongest, and the coolest, and then see which Harry’s favourite clearly is. 

How many spells are in Harry Potter?

There are more than 150 spells in the Harry Potter books, movies and their universe, with everything from Aberto, a charm to open doors, through to Wingardium Leviosa, to make objects fly through the air (which can be very useful when knocking out trolls)!

A great deal of these spells’ outcomes can be intuited from their names even if you don’t immediately recall exactly what each of the scores of spells does for yourself. Incendio produces fire, while Immobulus, as it sounds, immobilises the target. 

Others are still guessable, though may require slightly more thought. Geminio duplicates an object, and is named after the twins Gemini. Avis conjures birds, and was, as we may well remember, a speciality of Hermione’s. If you think of the word aviary where birds are kept you can see it is the same root word.

Between protective charms, useful everyday magic and dark and dangerous spells, there is so much that J.K Rowling created to keep us wishing for a wand and a spell book ourselves. The next best thing though is to check out some of the amazing Harry Potter merchandise available. If you are yearning to feel part of the wizarding world, click here and have a look for yourself.

What is the coolest Harry Potter spell?

What you might consider the coolest spell could well depend on your personal preferences. We could go straight for the obvious joke and say Glacius, which freezes the target with icy air. You could similarly say Immobulus is the coolest as it is a freezing charm that stops people or creatures in their tracks. 

Professor McGonagall would probably say that the coolest spell is Piertotum Locomotor, the spell she used during the battle of Hogwarts that brought all of the statues and suits of armour in the school to life. She always wanted to use that spell and did so to great effect.

One of the coolest options has to be the Animagus spell that once taken in conjunction with a potion allows the user to change into an animal at will. Who wouldn’t want to be able to turn into a bird and fly, or into a thousand other animals? It certainly came in handy for Sirius over and over again, and for Peter Pettigrew too even if he was a Death Eater.

What’s Harry Potter’s strongest spell?

Stating which the strongest spell would again depend on the kind of outcome you are hoping to achieve. In some ways, Harry demonstrated again and again that it was the smaller and less ‘dangerous’ spells that were the strongest, knocking Snape to the ground with the strength of his shield charm and being able to protect those around him.

There are certainly some incredibly powerful spells in the books and movies, including the unforgivable curses: Avada Kedavra, Crucio, and Imperio. The former is the infamous killing curse that was used to end the lives of so many including Harry’s parents. There is no way to protect against it, no cure, the only one to survive it was Harry himself.

The Cruciatus curse causes unimaginable pain while the Imperius curse allows you to take control of another person and their actions, turning them into your puppet. There is great power in these curses, but in using them you are giving up everything that is good in yourself, and for many, the price is just too high.

There are a number of strong spells that aren’t quite so dark, including Confringo which creates an explosion, and Legilimens which allows you to read the target’s mind. It is through his great skill at Occlumency, among his other more dark powers, that Voldemort is able to control his followers so easily. It is also through this that Severus Snape is able to hide his spying for so long.

The final strong spell worth mentioning is the Patronus Charm, Expecto Patronum. This, out of all that Harry learns, is the most impressive according to the adults around him. It is advanced magic that allows him to repel the Dementors that try and paralyse him with fear, and even take his soul. 

With a few spells like this in your arsenal, you wouldn’t have to worry about dark creatures, wizards or protecting your friends and family, so all these and more are worth including in any list of the strongest spells around.

What is Harry’s favourite spell?

For anyone who was truly paying attention from the duelling club in Harry’s second year right the way through to his final battle with Voldemort, there can only be one real contender for Harry’s favourite spell.

He uses it in the graveyard in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to escape a returning Voldemort, it gives him away when he refuses to stun an Imperiused Stan Shunpike during the chase from number 4 Private Drive, and it’s the first thing he teaches his students when they begin the DA, Dumbledore’s Army, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Harry’s favourite spell is undoubtedly the disarming spell, Expelliarmus, which he uses over and over again to save the day. He shows us all that you don’t need to kill, or to use a dark spell to overcome dark wizards. You just need to never stop fighting.

Conclusion 

The scores of spells so cleverly created in the Harry Potter books and movies encompass everything from fixing your glasses, to causing you to burp slugs or grow your teeth at an alarming rate. There are some that are slightly silly, and others that are extremely dark and dangerous.

Harry’s favourite spell is not the one that can inflict the most damage but the one that managed to save him from danger time and time again. All of these wonderful spells are just one of the many reasons why generations of children and adults alike will continue to love Harry Potter.

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Birthdays

It’s the ideal gift and the best part about it, it’s perfect for every occasion! If you’ve got a birthday party for your little one coming up and you want some special, personalised candies to put out for the kids to enjoy? Custom candy!

Halloween

Or perhaps it’s Halloween and you’d like to share something a little bit different from the standard candies that people are used to? Custom candy!

Valentine’s Day

Then of course, you can go down the valentine’s route. Rather than buying a heart shaped box of chocolates off the shelf in your local supermarket, you can get something a little more unique to her tastes. For example, what are her favourite flavours? Are there any specific candies that she mentioned loving as a child? A custom candy kitchen will have a wide variety of sweets with many customisation options, so what better a way to offer something truly special?

Weddings

OK, so perhaps offering candy as a wedding present isn’t really the done thing, but what about wedding favours? Often, people will put little boxes with sweets on the table as a “wedding favour”—a little token of appreciation for sharing the special day with them. This custom candy option will give you a unique opportunity to express your gratitude with personalised candies. Perfect!

Gender Reveal Parties

Is there a proverbial bun in the oven and you’re waiting to tell your friends and family whether it’s a boy or a girl? Then what better a way of revealing the gender than with some delicious custom candies? It’s fun, and there are plenty of clever ways that you can customise your sweets to get the message across.

Christmas

Custom candy makes an ideal stocking filler as Christmas approaches. So, why not buy a load of delicious Christmas themed sweets to put in your family’s stockings to enjoy in the morning? It’s a little gesture but one that goes a long way.

If you’re interested in exploring custom sweets as a means of gift-giving this year, no matter what the occasion, then keep an eye out for a decent candy shop online. Somewhere that offers a wide variety of choice and customisation options. That way, you can truly make the gift as special as possible!

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1 – Keeping gear in your car out of sight

It’s handy keeping certain things in the car, though what isn’t ideal is having to bring them into the house every evening. Security is always an issue with cars and we’re constantly reminded not to leave our possessions on display. Let’s say for example, you want to keep some tools in the car in case of a break-down, or perhaps some jumper cables. These are the sorts of items that would-be thieves are going to want to break into your vehicle for. So, for security reasons, having quality drawer systems for your 4×4 installed is a huge bonus, as nobody will ever know that they’re there, or what’s inside!

2 – Shopping made easy!

Sometimes we pop to the shops for a few bits, and not a weekly grocery collection. Perhaps it’s a few bottles of wine and some ingredients for dinner. In any case, it’s no good packing them into the boot if they’re going to roll around and potentially smash and spill everywhere. You feel them with each bump in the road, cringing at every turn. Well, if you have drawer systems installed, you can store your shopping so much easier, whilst keeping them safe and secure from harm. That way, you’ll be able to drive home comfortably without a care!

3 – You’ll have more space…ish

Technically speaking, you’re not creating more space by having drawers installed, as you are indeed using up space. However, the fact that you’ll able to pack your car smarter, means that there will be (hypothetically speaking), more room in the car, as you can fit more items in. This is particularly awesome when it comes to going away on a camping trip with the family! Smarter packing means nobody is going to get a suitcase to the back of the head en-route to your destination.

4 – They pair nicely with other 4×4 accessories

Let’s say for example, that you and your family are avid campers. Having the drawer system installed is going to significantly improve the camping experience. But it gets better! Imagine having a fridge installed in your car as well! So, you’ve got that extra storage space for all of your gear, and you can also bring your own food as well! Perfect. In addition to that, you might even want to substitute the space lost from the fridge by investing in some roof racks where you can store extra bags! Perfect.

5 – You can do it all online!

That’s right, you won’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home. You can simply order them online and voila! No need to stress. Simply visit MSA 4×4 Accessories for some examples of their equipment and you’ll be able to get a good idea as to how it all works!

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Well, a good place to start is by consulting a tree lopping expert. Not so that they can go ahead and cut your trees down of course, but so that they can guide you on how to tend to them properly. You see, arborism isn’t just about cutting down trees, but promoting strong future growth.

1 – Understand the trees on your property

It always helps to know what trees you have on your property. Naturally, different species of trees vary in terms of what their needs are and which ailments they may be prone to. Knowing all of this information will enable you to care for your trees accordingly. Again, if you’re not quite sure, you can always consult a local tree lopping expert, or the internet.

2 – Trim your trees

The first place that they’d probably start is by advising you to trim your trees. Pruning is an essential part of a tree’s general maintenance. It involves cutting away the dead and dying branches and allowing the tree to grow strong and tall. Trimming back the leaves is also a great way of ensuring that the tree itself is getting as much sunlight as possible!

3 – Don’t overdo the pruning

There is such a thing as over-pruning a tree. You can’t do it too much or too often otherwise you can send the tree into a state of shock. Again, this is something that you can seek advice about from the professionals. If you’re not comfortable doing it yourself, then you can hire an experienced individual to do it for you. By cutting away too much of a tree in one go, it can be traumatic, causing it to wither and die. Be mindful!

Conclusion

You can make your garden beautiful by trimming your trees and you will also be promoting great health as well. This is all part of the process! It’s a win-win for everyone involved. You get to keep your environment looking clean and healthy, and your trees will have a shot at a long and healthy life as well. Just keep a close eye on them and look for signs of sickness before they get a chance to spread!

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Everyone you love, under one roof

A common joke in my family is that the only times we really get to see each other is at weddings or (god forbid) funerals. It’s difficult to see everyone all of the time, especially if you have a big family. And this is precisely why it is so important to get the wedding feast nailed down and perfected. What could be more valuable, than having everyone that you love and care about, sat under one roof, breaking bread?

It represents family, which is arguably the most important thing in the world. After all, marriage is about extending that family and building something of your own with the person that you love most in the world.

It happens after the speeches

For me, the best part of a wedding is when the speeches take place. The father of the bride gets to be all awkward, telling poor jokes and generally trying his best to trump the best man speech to follow. Then the best man get’s up and reduces everyone to tears of laughter. Not to mention the bride and the groom telling their stories and reducing everyone to tears of joy. It’s a wonderful moment, made better by the fact that once everyone is done talking: the mighty feast takes place!

There’s wine on the table, people are catching up, some loved ones are meeting for the first time and everyone is happy. For that moment in time, everyone’s daily troubles fall away, and everyone can just be happy, together. That is precisely why the wedding east is one of the most important aspects of your special day. So, be sure to get it right!

Hire the best wedding catering services, and you’ll have the best feast. It really is as simple as that. If you want everyone to enjoy their well-deserved feast after a long day, then that is what you need to do. And don’t forget, after the feast, there’s plenty of drinking and dancing to be done, so it’s vital that you fill everybody up with some delicious grub.

The process is simple really: all you need to do is hire a reputable company like Dining Abode, and they can take care of absolutely everything for you, right down to the catering staff. You have guests with certain dietary requirements? No worries! If you hire the professionals, they will put on an excellent spread with a huge variety of options for your guests to choose from. Perfect! 

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Always go through the professionals

OK, so we’ve got a few ideas to share with you, but first it’s important to note that using a professional incentive events management company is almost certainly the best way to go if you want to go further afield and really pull it out of the bag. Certainly, these ideas will inspire you and can offer some affordable / free incentives; however, an established company will have all of the best contacts and will indeed put on an excellent show for you and your employees! Now, let’s give you some inspiration to get you started.

Yoga

This one doesn’t have to cost you a penny. In fact, you don’t even need to leave the office. However, you could try incorporating this into part of your weekly routine in your workplace. Offer your employees the opportunity to take a little bit of time away from their desk for a spot of relaxation, stretching, and exercise. This is a nice touch because it will make your employees feel more valued, it will significantly reduce work related stress, and well…it’s a good excuse for them to get out of working for a little bit. That said, when they return to their desk, they’ll feel energised and ready for a challenge.

“Come dine with me” manager style

You, your managers, and team leaders should host a breakfast / brunch event in the office, where you prepare food for your employees. This is not only a whole lot of fun, but it will feel good for your employees to be waited on hand and foot by their superiors for once. It’s a bit of harmless fun that can be an excellent laugh, and an effective morale booster.

Laser tag, paintballing or bowling

Get your employees together for some fun team-building activities. This will not only encourage some healthy competition amongst your staff, but they’ll all have an awesome amount of fun as well. You can even split the teams up so that different departments mix and those who don’t spend a lot of time together have a unique opportunity to bond and build bridges.

A healthy sports competition

Take a half day, put your sneakers on and get down to your local part for a game of frisbee, football, or rounders! Put on a healthy sports competition and it will give your employees a great opportunity to stretch their legs, get the blood pumping and again, encourage some friendly competition. But don’t let it get too serious; that way, everyone can take part and enjoy themselves.

Escape rooms & murder mystery dinners

It’s a lot of fun to get a group of employees together for some roleplay, problem solving and all-around banter. Escape rooms and murder mystery dinners are incredibly popular and effective forms of incentives.

Conclusion

Again, some of these can be down on your own, although others will be best arranged through an established events management company like Funktionality. If you’re going to go all out, then do so with the professionals who have all of the best contacts in the industry. This will take the strain off for you, whilst ultimately securing you the best bulk deals!

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Create an outdoor space

The whole point of caravan camping is to enjoy the great outdoors, with a little bit of home. Naturally, you want a comfortable space to enjoy your evenings. However, you still need to embrace a little bit of nature. So, how does a caravan camping mat come into it? Well, first of all, it can be laid down just outside the caravan, to create a nice outdoors space. This can be complimented with an awning, attached to the side of the caravan. So, you can shelter yourself from the sun if you want a little respite, whilst still feeling the cool breeze on your face.

This outdoor space can be used in the evenings, with a few cold beers and some food, sat around a table and some chairs. It’s even a great place to take your shoes and thongs off, so as not to drag sand and dirt into caravan. It’s an easy solution to keep the place clean and free of irritants.

Sleep under the stars

Of course, this is very weather dependent and isn’t always an option. However, having a nice big caravan mat to lie down on, with your sleeping mats and bags, can be perfect for creating a lovely space to sleep out under the stars on. You don’t have to do it every night of course, not when you have perfectly good beds inside the caravan. However, there’s nothing quite as special, as falling asleep under a blanket of a thousand diamonds, silently shining over you. Bliss!

Easier to spot

It might sound silly, but if you’re staying in a large caravan park with hundreds of other identical units, then it’s always handy having something that can easily differentiate yours from other peoples, especially if you’re wondering home a little tipsy on a Saturday night! As such, a caravan camping mat with an outdoor area set up will be easy to spot straight away. Simple.

Let the grass breathe

Another benefit of using a caravan camping mat is that they’re designed to let the grass breathe underneath. So, these mats can be left down for long periods of time without killing the grass underneath. The porous nature of the mats keeps a steady flow of oxygen going through, so you don’t have to feel bad about laying your mat down and leaving a nasty dead patch in your wake!

They’re affordable

I suppose the biggest benefit of all is the fact that a caravan camping mat costs next to nothing, especially given how much use you’ll get out of it. Simply head over to affordable camping mats, and you’ll find a grand selection at the most competitive prices. The perfect addition to your caravan camping spot. You’ll never look back! 

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So, get off Skyscanner and start looking out the window: your perfect holiday is waiting for you in your own back garden. Of course, camping in the garden isn’t quite as fun. However, in your home country, there are bound to be plenty of gorgeous campsites for you to enjoy!

Have you considered buying a caravan?

I know that we’re on the subject of saving money, however buying a caravan is a great way of enjoying a cheap holiday, whilst making a return on your investment the rest of the year. You can easily hire your caravan out to other holiday makers while you’re working, and then whenever you fancy a little break, you can bugger off to the caravan as and when you like. It’s easy!

And, there are plenty of ways to kit your caravan out as well. For example, you can buy recycled mats for your caravan. This is a great opportunity to create a little outdoors area, with seats and a table, and an awning to keep you shaded from the sun or out of the rain. That, and they’re recycled, so you’re doing the green thing as well! A much better alternative than spending thousands on flights!

It’s good for your health

Another great aspect to camping, besides saving yourself a lot of money, is the fact that it’s great for your health! In fact, camping, is incredibly good at reducing stress and curing depression. So, if you’ve been having a particularly tough time at work and you’re feeling the pressures of everyday life getting on top of you, then get out into the great outdoors. Reconnect with nature, enjoy the sunshine, breathe in the fresh air and relax!

But of course, it’s not just about relaxation! Camping allows you to get plenty of physical exercise which is great for you too. Get the blood pumping around your body as you enjoy a nice refreshing swim in the rivers and lakes. Sit around the campfire and sing after a long day of hiking and collecting wood. There are simply so many different things for you to see and do! You’ll never be bored, and you’ll feel amazing for it too.

Eat hearty

The best thing about camping? The food! Whilst most caravans come with an oven and hob, you can still build a lovely little fire and have a feast that way. Campfire food is some of the most delicious that you’ll ever have the pleasure of eating. That, and there are so many exciting camping recipes for you and the family to try!

Sleep under the stars

How often do you get the chance to sleep under the stars? Not often I’d wager! However, when camping you have the perfect opportunity to do so. Buy yourself some affordable camping mats and you’ll have absolutely everything that you need to enjoy a cosmic display of awesomeness!

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1 – A tent and a sleeping bag

So, unless you want to sleep on the dirt in the freezing cold, you’re likely going to need to invest in a decent sized tent and a sleeping bag. Oh, and not to mention some camping mats as well, so that you’re not too uncomfortable throughout the night.

2 – Cooking materials

When it comes to food, you’re going to need to bring a pot, a pan, some dishes, utensils, and of course, your fire-starting materials. Some people might want to start their own fires, but to be fair: waterproof matches or a butane lighter will be the easiest option).

3 – Energy rich ingredients

No camping trip isn’t going to be successful without the right food to keep you going! Bring items like pasta, beans, beef, peanut butter, chicken, snacks & nuts, and oatmeal. These are easy to prepare given the cooking materials on your list. If you want to take it even further, here are some camping recipes that you can try out!

4 – A knife and a length of rope

You can’t go camping without a knife and a length of rope! First of all, a utility knife will have everything that you need from a wood saw to a bottle opener, but you’ll never know when you’re going to need a length or rope. It’s better to have it and not need it! Especially if the kids are acting up. 

5 – More than enough water

Pack what you think is enough water, and then pack some more! You’re going to want enough to stay hydrated, whilst having plenty left over for cleaning your dishes after eating. In addition to that, you may need some for bathing as well, unless you’re staying on camping grounds with showers installed.

6 – All of the clothing

Camping is that one trip where you can actually get away with packing more clothes than you’ll need. In some cases, you may want to wear several layers, particularly during the night as the fire starts to wane and it’s almost time for bed!

7 – A decent sized cooler

You’re going to need to keep your food fresh and there’s no better way of doing that than with a decent sized cooler. Of course, you’ll need to make sure that it seals tightly, as you wouldn’t want to attract any unwanted visitors snooping around for food!

8 – Soap and hand sanitiser

Without running water on top, you’ll want some hand sanitiser to keep your hands clean, especially after handling raw meat. In addition to that, some soap to jump into the lake with for a decent wash of a morning is going to be important as well.

Conclusion

These are the basics of course. You can add various items depending on where you’re going and how long you’re staying. For example, some fold-out seats might be nice, or a few solar powered lamps. In any case, the above should be everything that you need. You can grab most of what you need from online stores. Otherwise, you’ll be able to beg, steal and borrow the rest from friends and family!

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