English and Irish pubs are unpretentious places where people can converge, eat a hot meal, and drink tankards of ale or beer. As a pub habitue, you’d want your own personalized pub signs to keep a memento of your visits to famous pubs. No worries, though. There are pubs around where you can carouse with friends and lovers, and enjoy the same olde English atmosphere.
The English Pub
London is famed for its quaint pubs and among the stars are The St. James Tavern, Lamb and Flag, Goat Tavern, and Williams Arms. These are the must-see places for tourists because these have a happy blend of the old and the new. But there are pubs like the Fox and Hounds across England that have retained the Victorian charm with old iron grills, stone fireplaces, and the famous draughts of beer, ale, and cider.
In 1393, pub signs had to be placed outside the home or building, or else those selling beer would be penalized and their beer confiscated. But today, pub signs are advertising come-ons. The pub signs are just as interesting. It’s not strange if you covet them for your personalized pub signs and design your dream bar at home.
You’ll also love the warm stone fireplaces, the vintage bars and the robust pub grub served piping hot, or the bar snacks of pork scratchings (deep-fried pork skins) and peanuts, pickled eggs, and crisps. The pubs are the places to be when you want to be with friends, play dart, dominoes, and skittles, or listen to the music from the ageless piano.
Recreating the English Pub at Home
Can you recreate the English pub right in your own home? Yes! With imagination and resourcefulness, you can bring and English pub to life right in your living room or cellar. It may cost you, but you will be doing away with pricey drinks and the cab fare going home in the wee hours of the morning.
Making your own English pub can be fun and challenging. Before you merrily trot to the hardware, here’s what you should do:
* Decide the place for the bar. It would be best to settle the bar nearest to your fireplace. It’s not only about the look and feel, but a bar near the fireplace can warm your bones during those freezing days and nights while you’re sipping your fiery spirits or beer.
* Measure the dimensions of the designated space to determine seating capacity. Instead of bar stools, get comfortable wooden chairs and a table so you and your friends can sit comfortably.
* Scrounge flea markets for discarded wooden tables and chairs you can refurbish.
* Have a Victorian period look to the grills to place on the walls (for effect).
* Buy all the old candle holders that remind you of old castles.
* Have your coat of arms designed which you can place on the wall in full view of guests to make the ambience more authentic.
For your “opening” night, invite friends over to Shepherd’s pie, sausages, fried mushrooms, and bangers. These are hearty stuff and nice to wash down with Dunkelweiss, hot cider, or Coors that can warm the cockles of your heart.
The Gang’s Here
Welcome your friends to the ambience of an old English pub. The warm glow of the Victorian inspired lamps, a roaring fireplace to ward off the evening chill, and bottomless ale and beer are the things that could delight your friends. A game of darts with soft music in the background will be just perfect for a lazy evening. Recreating your own English pub will give much delight and satisfaction for years to come.
By: Bradlley Mckoy
Winterizing a Vacation Home
June 15th, 2010 by admin No comments »
Unlike winterizing your main home, winterizing a vacation or summer home effectively means closing down the home for the winter. However, winterizing a vacation home or summer home really only involves a few basic tasks that can be completed in about a day by a homeowner.
Shut off the Water System and Drain the Pipes
Since most vacation or summer homes that are winterized will not be heated, the most important task to perform is to turn off the water system and drain the supply lines.
The water system can typically be turned off by simply throwing the pump switch to the off position on the circuit panel. Some wells also have a mechanism several feet down that can be turned off to enable any water in the underground pipe to drain back into the well. If your well has this mechanism, a tool should have been provided by the water pump installer that allows you to do this. It is effectively a rod about 4 feet long with a T handle at the top. Basically the rod is inserted into the well head and turns a valve to drain the water from the underground supply line back into the well. Most wells do not require this however, as the well supply line is located several feet under ground. Thus it is safe from any frost concerns.
Next, water should be drained from the supply lines. First turn the faucets on, and leave them in the on position.
Since water will and should remain in the toilet and sink traps, an anti-freeze solution must be added to them to prevent freezing and pipe cracking. Also, the toilet tank should be drained of any water as well to prevent the tank from cracking.
Turn off the Heating Supply
Turn the heating system to the off position. Turning down the temperature setting on the thermostat is not good enough. The switch at the furnace or the circuit panel should be turned to the off position to ensure the furnace does not inadvertently go on during the winter months.
Remove all Food that could Spoil or Freeze
The refrigerator should be turned off, unplugged, and emptied of all contents. Likewise, anything in the kitchen cabinets that could freeze or spoil should be removed.
Unplug all Appliances
To prevent the possibility of damage due to thunderstorms it is best to unplug all appliances in the vacation home.
Prevent Rodent Infestation
Various rodents will attempt to get into your vacation home during the winter months. It is best to leave a few boxes of Decon around the home to prevent them from taking up permanent residence.
Store Boats and Remove Pipe Docks
All boats need to be removed from the water. Similar to the home, all of the boats should be winterized as well.
Once the boats have been removed, the entire dock should be removed from the water and stored high up on shore. The pipes should not be left in the water, as they will be damaged by the ice. The damage frequently happens in the spring when “Ice Out” is occurring and large blocks, similar to ice bergs, shift and move along the shore line.
Rake Leaves and Debris Away from the Home
It is important to rake the yard, with particular attention made to removing leaves and other debris from around the foundation. Left to sit during the winter months, this material would otherwise become a collection area for ice and water, and become a haven for small four legged friends.
Properly Store away all outside Lawn and Yard Furniture and Tools
Clean all outside lawn and yard furniture and store it inside the home or shed or garage. Likewise winterize the lawnmower and properly store it away for the season.
Finally lock up the home, enjoy the winter and think of warm weather in the spring.
By: Mark Donovan
A Cleaner and Healthier Home with an Water Softener
June 14th, 2010 by admin No comments »
After living in a desert for the last eleven years, I have had several problems with keeping my dishes clean, my laundry bright, and my appliances working without lime scale buildup. These problems aren’t because I don’t know how to clean, but are caused by the hard water in Arizona.
Hard water contains hard minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These hard minerals cause problems on appliances and in other cleaning processes, such as laundry and dishes.
I thought that hard water was just something that I had to live with, a downside to living in a desert. However, my neighbor told me that soft water can solve all my problems and save me money.
After installing a water softener, I found many of my problems alleviated. Soft water helped my home with a long list of problems.
First, my dishes were sparkling. Soft water made my dishes spotted and streaky. They looked dirty even though they were straight out of the dishwasher.
Next, my clothes were brighter. The hard water caused my clothes to wear faster. The soft water helped my clothes look brighter and prevented mineral build-up in my washing machine.
Plus, it saves soap. Soap suds up better in soft water so my dishes, laundry, and shower soap lasts longer now and gets everything cleaner.
Best of all, the mineral buildup and stains on my appliances are practically eliminated after installing a water softener.
By: Charlene Dawson