#Interior Plants in UK

[leafculture]

Best Collection of Interior Plants in UK Explore our exquisite collection of interior plants in the UK! Whether you’re an experienced plant enthusiast or a budding green thumb, we’ve curated a selection that’s sure to transform your home. Shop now and bring your home to life!

#Interior Plants in UK #Interior Plants #home Interior Plants #plants #indoor plants #garden plants #home plants

[twigoftetbury]

Excellent collection of interior design, paintings of flowers, topiary plants etc. Visit us for large terracotta planters, large wicker baskets, parchment lampshades, topiary trees for sale, topiary plants UK.

#large wicker baskets #large terracotta planters #parchment lampshades #topiary trees for sale #topiary plants #paintings of flowers #flower paintings #interior design blog #Twig of Tetbury #Tetbury #UK

[hometoursandotherstuff]

I’m fascinated by the floral decor in Wedding Florist, Becky’s, (and husband Rob’s), house in the village of Mayfield, UK. Isn’t the living room elegant? Of her Edwardian home she says, “I have secretly managed to decorate every room in the house with flowers.”  

The bootroom (mudroom) is Becky’s favorite in the house. She did all the carpentry in there herself, putting up tongue and groove paneling and shelving to accommodate her collection of earthenware jars and floristry tools.

Becky and Rob found the 1950s enamelled-metal sink and cupboard unit on eBay. They had it sandblasted to take it back to the steel and then polished it themselves.

Essentials are stored in a dresser with glass doors, found on eBay, and reclaimed wood was used to make the shelves.

Over the dining table is a wrought iron light that the couple had fabricated. Becky decorates it according to the holidays and seasons. 

Becky papered the original hall of the house with the pages of a book of botanical prints that she found in a charity shop for £2.50  

On the upstairs landing is a glass-fronted bookcase from Becky’s grandparents’ house.

The botanical theme continues into the main bedroom, where Becky papered the chimney in a pattern called “Bamboo Garden.”

Of course, plants thrive in the bathroom. 

This child’s bedroom is rich in Becky’s floral theme – in fact there’s hardly a surface she hasn’t “flowered up.”

The other child’s room is done in bright bold colors.

The garden is a space that can be enjoyed by the whole family. Becky has cleverly ‘zoned’ it into different areas, with two levels of lawn, flower beds, a play area and vegetable garden.

http://priceless-magazines.com/interiors/wild-at-heart-3/

#dream house #florist's home #country home UK #floral decor #interior design #long post

[rainwashedsoul]

https://www.countryliving.com/uk/homes-interiors/gardens/g263/chelsea-flower-show-2017-new-plants/

[spyskrapbook]

Serpentine Pavilion 2023, London, UK _ Architect: Lina Ghotmeh _ Photos by: Spyros Kaprinis [24.06.2023].

“Inspired by Ghotmeh’s Mediterranean heritage and lively discussions around the table over current affairs, politics, personal lives, and dreams, the Pavilion is titled À table – a French call to sit together at the table to share a meal and enter into dialogue. As such, the interior of the Pavilion features a circular table along the perimeter, inviting us to convene and celebrate exchanges that enable new relationships to form. 

Considering food as an expression of care and offering a moment of conviviality around a table, Ghotmeh welcomes us to share the ideas, concerns, joys, dissatisfactions, responsibilities, traditions, cultural memories, and histories that bring us together. Ghotmeh defines her approach to architecture as an ‘Archaeology of the Future’. Built predominantly from bio-sourced and low-carbon materials, the Serpentine Pavilion 2023 continues her focus on sustainability and designing spaces that are conceived in dialogue with the history and natural environment that surrounds them. 

The form of the Pavilion responds to the shape of the park’s tree canopies. Internal wooden beams that encircle the perimeter of the structure emerge as thin tree trunks and the fretwork panels that sit between the beams feature plant-like cut out patterns, aiding ventilation and allowing natural light to come in. The Pavilion’s pleated roof is inspired by the structure of a palm leaf, while the lightwell in the middle furthers the space’s integration with its setting. The modest, low roof takes inspiration from togunas: structures found in Mali, West Africa, that are traditionally used for community gatherings to discuss current issues, and also offer shade and relief from heat. 

The low-lying roofs of these structures encourage people to remain seated peacefully and take pause throughout discussions. In this design, Ghotmeh also honours the history of the Serpentine South building, which was originally a teahouse. Designed by James Grey West, the building opened in 1934 and was converted into an art gallery in 1970. In the summer months until the early 1960s, the café’s seating area also expanded to the lawn, which the Pavilion now occupies. Inspired by this history, Ghotmeh incorporated the Pavilion’s café menu into her design process, offering Mediterranean-inspired dishes made with local and seasonal ingredients.”

https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/whats-on/serpentine-pavilion-2023-by-lina-ghotmeh/

#Serpentine Pavilion 2023 #Lina Ghotmeh #Mediterranean heritage #À table #Spyros Kaprinis #London #UK #2023

[whenua-and-moana]

Banaba

How the West Made an Island Unhabitable (and Consumed its People's Bones)

Banaba, aka Ocean Island, is a small island in Micronesia. It's legally part of Kiribati [kih-ree-bas] but geographically, culturally, and politically very distinct. At three hundred kilometres from its nearest neighbour, Banaba is one of the most isolated places on earth.

It is also among one of the most ecologically devastated.

In the 1900's, a UK / Aotearoa / Australian owned mining company dug up and shipped away huge amounts of Banaba's phosphate-rich soil for use as fertilizer. They grew rich and created Aotearoa's massive agricultural industry from literal stolen land.

More than just the physical earth was taken. Phosphate mining stripped the layers where Banabans had buried their dead for thousands of years. The dust of their bones fed the lands of the West, creating rich green fields that Banabans would never see the profits of.

When I say 'huge amounts' of earth; 90% of the island's surface was stripped away.

[Left image: an aerial view of Banaba showing a roughly oval island with no vegetation in the centre. The outside is ringed by a thin strip of forest. Right image: a photo of the edge of a mining area. In the background is a forest, but then the ground drops off sharply into irregular rocky terrain.]

The ancient sacred caves were destroyed. The island's only source of fresh water was irreversibly polluted and left it unusable to this day. The interior of Banaba became one great hollow of uneven rock, so full of dips and pillars that it is now almost completely impassable on foot. It was left a barren land.

Banaba is not the only Pacific island devastated by phosphate mining; most notably, its neighbour Nauru had 80% of its surface stripped away. But nowhere has been exploited to quite the same extent as Banaba.

There were further indignities and horrors inflicted on the Banaban people, including indescribable atrocities carried out by Japanese occupiers during WWII, and tbe Britain-led forceful relocation of Banabans to Rabi Island in Fiji. Many still live there today. Others have migrated away.

[Image: Banaban girls performing a traditional dance on Rabi Island.]

The traumatic experiences of Banabans, the mass murders and the separation from their ancestral land have all caused significant cultural loss. This includes the loss of the Banaban language.

Approximately three hundred Banabans have returned to their home island, surviving due to supplies shipped in every few months. The only freshwater source remains unusable and severe droughts strike Banaba every three to four years. Although a desalination plant exists there, the vulnerability of the island became all too clear in 2021 when the plant broke down in the middle of a drought. It took three months for repair equipment to arrive. During that time the residents had no fresh water. Their only food was fish because all of their crops had died. They survived by sucking the liquid from fish eyeballs.

And an Australian mining company wants to do it all again.

Part of the reason that people returned to Banaba, despite the difficulties of life there, was to protect it from further mining. But in August last year, the Australian mining company Centrex announced a plan to restart phosphate mining on Banaba. The plan has been paused due to protests from the Banaban people, but it could be restarted again at any time.

We cannot leave it here. If you want to do one small thing to help, you can sign this petition from Banaban community leaders to stop the proposed new phosphate mine. But more than that, Banabans have been campaigning for Australia and Aotearoa to fund ecological restoration projects, especially for the sacred caves that were once the island's source of fresh water. As Katerina Teiawa says:

"We need to move away from this same continuous narrative of ‘the poor Banaban people, who have no water, help them’ and move towards an approach that is actually finding a solution.

This whole thing is a series of crises. We can’t just keep telling the story of devastation and vulnerability over and over again. Where does the crisis end, if not with justice?"

#banaba #micronesia #pacific islands #colonisation #indigenous rights #my posts

[redundant2]

Mystery Solved! Pippa Middleton and James Matthews have purchased Sir Terence Conran's previous estate in Berkshire: Barton Court.

Reports about the Princess of Wales' sister Pippa's new estate in Berkshire have been quite vague, but today I finally found the planning permits.

The Matthews paid £15 million for Barton Court, located in Kintbury, Hungerford, Berkshire.

"Barton Court was built in 1772 for Admiral Lord Dundas: a typical, red-brick, early Georgian house of five bays with a projecting central open-pedimented entrance front, enhanced by round-headed windows in the upper storeys."

The top yellow star in the right part of the above map is the estate where Michael and Carol Middleton live in Bucklebury, and the solid red dot on the left is the location of James and Pippa Matthews' new estate. Close enough for a short car drive to visit, but far enough apart to allow each family some private time.

The planning permit request is for "Relocation of an outdoor swimming pool and construction of a tennis court within the walled garden, and conversion of a potting shed to associated changing room and plant room."

Below is the celebrated walled garden that will be replaced with tennis courts and possibly a very large swimming pool:

Sir Terence Conran was a famous British designer who passed away in September 2020. He founded the Habitat and Conran shops. He was also renowned for designing restaurants, office buildings and stores. Conran ran several restaurants and wrote more than 50 books about design.

House and Garden UK did a nice feature on the property with many color photos taken by Princess Margaret's ex-husband, if you're curious about the interior of Pippa's new home.

From the article: "In earlier days a stone-flagged hallway ran from the door to the stairway between the enclosing walls of adjacent rooms. These rooms have now been gutted to provide a combined hall and living room of vast area: over a hundred feet in length." Looks like the original tile is still in place.

Apparently, some of the family of Sir Terence Conran was very upset that his estate was sold, as it was said to have been his dream for the estate to remain in the family.

"Both the house and the estate, according to one visitor, were to be 'overseen by the Conran family'. But no longer: I can reveal that the house has been sold for £15 million, despite Conran's vision, which included selling fruit and vegetables from greenhouses and a massive walled garden.

Members of the family appear to be in the dark about quite why the sale has gone ahead. One tells me that it is the executors of Conran's will who are selling the property, not his widow, Lady Conran.

The interior designer Vicki Davis married Sir Terence in 2000 at Chelsea Town Hall. His children — Sebastian and Jasper by his second wife, Superwoman author Shirley Conran, and Tom, Sophie and Ned by his third, cookery writer Caroline Herbert — only learned of it later.

That was no accident: Conran's children, it was playfully said, needed an appointment to see him.

The executors of his will decline to comment. But I can disclose that Vicki has already left the house and a new family has moved in."

Little did we know in June 2022 that it was Pippa Middleton and her family who bought the estate!

But here is another article interviewing Conran's widow, Vicki. She felt the house was too much for one person to maintain, and that none of his many children would want the upkeep. Conran apparently did not die of Covid either. It's a good article, detailing his vast collections and giving you a better idea of what he was like. After living there 50 years, Conran's widow was given 8 weeks to pack up everything and move out by the new owners...

Here is the planning application map showing the property outline:

Interestingly, the large buildings to the left of Barton Court are actually a very large custom furniture workshop and retail store. The owner, Sean Sutcliffe, "met Terence Conran and a firm friendship was made over a shared interest in making, wood, design and sustainability. They founded Benchmark together and our workshop and showroom are situated in the grounds of Terence’s country home."

That should prove very interesting for Pippa and family - perhaps those who are royal watchers might plan to do some furniture shopping in the near future! I'm sure, however, that the Matthews family will have plans in place to secure the perimeter of their new estate - or perhaps Mr. Matthews will just buy Benchmark Furniture outright and have its premises moved. Pretty sure he can afford it, since they recently sold their Chelsea mansion for £22.5 million, £5.5 million more than he paid for it.

#pippa matthews #pippa middleton #british royal family #princess of wales #barton court #british stately homes #sir terence conran #berkshire

[ollieofthebeholder]

to find promise of peace (and the solace of rest): a TMA fanfic

Read from the beginning on Tumblr || AO3 || My Website

Chapter 114: May 2018

Martin knew it was going to be a rough day when he woke up to find Tim playing with a prism.

Not that it had been a particularly good week to begin with, or even a particularly good month. The dispassionate aloofness that protected Martin in his dreams had started seriously eroding, and while that was probably a good thing—he’d been really worried about what it meant that he could just watch people, especially people he cared about like Gerry and Naomi, go through the worst days of their lives like it was a television program—it did mean his sleep was a good deal more restless, and he always worried he was going to wake Jon, or hurt him by accident. The progression through the dreams was getting far less orderly, too, and he struggled to figure out what the pattern was, if there was a pattern. If it wasn’t just meant to disorientate him, keep him off balance, and make him just as afraid as the people begging him to help not knowing he was just as helpless as they were.

Besides his petty little personal problems…things were getting bad for everyone else, too. Maybe worse. Melanie and Sasha had turned up Monday morning with the cats and a lingering smell of smoke; they were all fine, and the house had mostly survived, but the interior was a mess and they were going to have to stay in the Archives until her landlord was finished the renovations. Melanie was already betting against him changing the leasehold to say that she couldn’t have pets anymore. Tim had left after work that day and come back with Gerry and Umberto; Martin had assumed he just felt guilty being the only one who got to leave until Gerry and Daisy came up from the tunnels, where they’d been looking for vermin of some kind to satisfy both their hungers, looking shaken and pissed respectively. Gerry had had one of his attacks when Daisy nearly pounced on a particularly juicy-looking spider (her words) and he’d seen the black marks of potential death bloom on her face and chest, and they still weren’t sure what that was all about. That night he’d had a nasty Web-related flashback that they’d spent all of Wednesday searching to see if there was a statement in the Archives that matched.

And every time any of them so much as set a toe outside the Archives, it seemed, there were cobwebs everywhere.

Martin hadn’t heard Gerry’s flashback the night before, since he and Jon had taken to sleeping in the Archivist’s office—Jon refused to let him sleep alone, no matter how bad the nightmares got—but seeing Tim sitting at his desk, shining a tiny pocket torch through a triangular crystal that he was twisting this way and that and watching the colors play across the desk, gave Martin a pretty good idea of what it might have been about. He hadn’t asked, though, not yet anyway. He’d just gone into the break room to make them both some tea.

As he went through the familiar motions, made slightly off by the necessity of avoiding the small brown spider that had apparently taken it into its head to redecorate the shelves for Halloween five months early, he tried to remember the conversation they’d had half a lifetime ago, literally. He’d been on the cusp of fifteen, the lines on his wrists only just beginning to fade into relative invisibility and the rebellion and desire to push back against his mother and Aunt Mary’s treatment and plans for him only just beginning to form, fresh off his first broken heart and ripe for what would turn out to be the best year in chorus he’d ever had. Melanie had just found her niche and started planting the seeds that would eventually lead to Ghost Hunt UK, which she’d once confided she hoped would satisfy the itch of curiosity that fueled the Eye without actually binding her closer to it. And Gerry had been on the verge of adulthood, primed to up stakes and flee to the continent the instant Melanie and Martin were well and truly out of it. They’d all been so…hopeful. It hadn’t been a serious conversation because it wasn’t going to matter much longer, even if they hadn’t started consciously thinking that way yet.

Except, obviously, none of them had made it out. Here he was on the cusp of thirty, and they’d all ended up falling deeper into it—only Melanie was at a point where she even could possibly still walk away, and she was so damn stubborn that she wouldn’t—and Martin vaguely remembered making a comment about how once people who didn’t work for the Institute started calling you Archivist, you were probably in it too deep to be saved. It was darkly funny now, because Martin, who’d never considered himself important for anything to bother with, had somehow become at least the second most powerful servant of the Ceaseless Watcher in existence. And he wasn’t entirely certain he wasn’t more powerful than Elias, although he wasn’t particularly keen to try it.

“Won’t have to, either, as long as the bastard stays put,” he muttered at the spider that was peeking out from between the sugar canister and the powdered milk Hannah and Gail were always arguing over. He didn’t know if it was the same one as before or a new one. “And don’t go getting any ideas. Get out of here while it’s still your choice.”

The spider didn’t move. Martin weighed up the merits of pulling out a bit of the Archivist power versus the possibility that this was just an ordinary spider, then reached for a paper towel to either humanely remove it from the break room or squish it without getting guts all over his fingers. When he looked back up, though, it was gone.

The kettle clicked off with a sound similar enough to the tape recorders that Martin found himself instinctively looking around for where it might be. Then he shook himself back to sense, checked the mugs to ensure they were unoccupied, and busied himself with the tea.

Tim was still playing with the prism, in combination with a crystal ashtray he’d found somewhere. He started in surprise when Martin slid the tea under his nose and looked up. “Martin? What are you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same. It’s two in the morning.” Martin sat down in the chair that had once been his and was now Jon’s. “Nightmares ran their course, and there’s not usually any point in sleeping further once they’re done, I guess. Came out and saw you messing with this.” He nodded at the prism. “Let me guess, Gerry had a flashback to the time we tried to improve on Smirke’s system?”

“Got it in one.” Tim clicked off the torch and set it aside. “I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said—well, what Gerry said you said—about shining light through a prism. I know there’s not a way to put them back together, but…I mean, if you move the torch, all the colors move. There’s no way to move just one. And, I mean, there are only so many colors you can break light into.” He ran his finger over the point of the prism. “You can’t make new colors.”

“You can if you shine light through another prism and combine them. Or look harder at the overlap between the colors.” Martin took a sip of his tea. “I know what you’re thinking, Tim, but…well, the Flesh and the Hunt were just emerging, or at least just emerging in humans, when Smirke started making his classifications. They can splinter off from existing Fears. There’s…Dekker probably isn’t wrong about the Extinction.”

“Do you think Basira is?”

Martin hesitated. “I think Basira has her reasons for trusting Peter Lukas. I just don’t know what they are.”

Tim glanced over his shoulder towards where the trapdoor was, and where he, Gerry, and Daisy tended to bunk down. “Did you tell her what we found out? About how to quit?”

“I told her,” Martin said quietly. “All she said was that if we were planning to go that route, to make sure we submitted a letter of resignation so she could process the severance package. I can’t tell if that was a joke or not. She’s hard to read sometimes.”

What had been obvious, though, was that she was definitely not going to be quitting. Assuming that was even how she had to quit, now that she wasn’t in the Archives, or if she even could; even if the Eye hadn’t been too big on seeing the future, it still wouldn’t give Martin that information. She was absolutely committed to her plan, whatever it was. He still wasn’t sure if she was actually on Peter Lukas’ side or if she was playing some kind of long con on him too, but whatever she was up to, she wouldn’t let anything deviate her from that path.

“Daisy was telling us the other day that she ran into her, too,” Tim said. “Didn’t ask her about quitting, so she said, but…she’s worried she might have lost her way. Basira’s not the kind to give away what she’s planning necessarily, but there were…little things they used to do to reassure one another or communicate when they worked on the force, and she didn’t get any of those. So either she was really paranoid about being overheard, or she’s doing exactly what she says she is—helping Peter Lukas.”

“We don’t…actually know that he’s wrong,” Martin said cautiously. “Or that he’s doing something evil.”

“You don’t believe that.”

“No, I don’t, but Basira might. Or she might believe she’s tempering whatever it is he’s doing. But if she won’t listen—or share—there’s only so much we can do.” Martin sighed. “And if she won’t tell Daisy, she definitely won’t tell the rest of us.”

“She might tell you. She likes you.”

“Liked, past tense. I’m pretty sure she still blames me for what happened to Daisy. And since she wouldn’t have gone over to work with him if Daisy had been here, I think she thinks that’s my fault too.”

Tim snorted and rubbed at his forehead. “You didn’t ask Daisy to sacrifice herself. From what she said, you tried to stop her. It’s why the two of you worked so well together on all that, because you both trusted the other to do what was necessary and keep the rest of them safe. The rest of us, really.”

“I know.” And Martin did know. He’d just expected to be the one doing the sacrificing. “Anyway, I didn’t say it was my fault, I just said Basira blames me. And there’s not really a way to convince her otherwise. She’s…”

“Stubborn? Hard-headed?”

“Tenacious.”

“Same thing.” Tim stifled a sneeze.

“Allergies?” Martin asked sympathetically.

Tim shrugged ruefully. “Stirred up a bit of dust digging out the prism, I guess. I knew I’d seen it around here somewhere, but it had been a while. And it was covered in cobwebs when I did.” He must have seen something in Martin’s expression, because he added, “I’m sure it was innocuous, Mart. I saw it ages ago, and I don’t think anyone has touched it since.”

“You’re probably right, but I’m still suspicious.” Martin nudged the prism lightly. “Although…why would the Web even care? How would it even know?”

“Spiders spinning daydreams in the copses.” The last word opened up into a yawn, which Tim tried to hide behind a hand.

It wasn’t even a good attempt, and Martin didn’t bother pretending he hadn’t seen it. “How much sleep did you actually get last night? Or at all this week?”

“I took a nap yesterday,” Tim said.

“At eleven in the morning. For thirty-seven minutes. And you weren’t so much asleep as sitting with your eyes closed petting the cat.” Martin raised an eyebrow at Tim’s sheepish look, while at the same time mentally tallying it up as a personal win as well as a point in favor of his argument that Tim didn’t call him out on Knowing that, since it was awfully specific and could only have come from the Beholding. “Go lie down, Tim. At least for an hour or two. You need the rest, and Umberto would probably like someone warm to cuddle with.”

“Last I saw he was curled up with Daisy. But okay.” Tim yawned and stood. “Thanks for the tea. Sorry I didn’t drink it.” With that, he lurched over to the trap door. Martin heard a faint mrrp as Umberto, or possibly one of Melanie’s cats, came over to seek the new cuddle buddy, and then all was silent again.

Alone in the dark, Martin stared at the prism. He understood the nature of light better than he had at fifteen, and he understood the Fears a bit better too, or at least he felt like he did. The Ceaseless Watcher was surprisingly reticent on the subject of itself and its fellows.

Or maybe not that surprising. Martin wouldn’t want to give the key to his potential undoing to anyone he didn’t trust not to use it either. Probably the only way to really Know the actual truth was to go through with the Watcher’s Crown, whatever that might have entailed. He was the Archivist, after all; if the ritual didn’t involve him being a…sacrificial lamb or whatever, he would probably be very important in whatever new world was created. There would be no hiding things from him, he thought. No secrets he would not know, no knowledge that could be withheld. All truths, any lies, secrets and strengths and weaknesses, all at his fingertips…

Wait. Those weren’t his thoughts.

Martin winced and drove the heel of his hand into his temple, gritting his teeth as he tried to force the Beholding back into submission. The trouble with getting more powerful, having more safeguards, is that the temptations got bigger and harder to resist, too. He wasn’t the megalomaniac type, he’d never wanted to rule the world or anything, but being in the dark—with a lowercase D, metaphorically speaking—got frustrating at times and it was difficult to resist the urge to just…have that information. The lure of a world where he could, and where he could control the ebb and flow of information, was pretty damn powerful. If Elias was the one trying to set it in motion—or had been, since he didn’t seem able to do much from in prison, even if he had managed to charm himself into a few privileges—then restricting Jon’s, and later Martin’s, access to information, constantly setting them up for situations where having that knowledge would have made all the difference in the world, was probably the most effective method in existence of getting them on his side. If Martin hadn’t had the Archives crew as anchors, it would have been far more difficult not to go to Elias and say look, fine, I know you want to bring the Ceaseless Watcher into this world, tell me what I need to do and I’ll do it.

But he did have the others, and the image of what Jon’s face, or Melanie’s, would look like if he did was enough to make him mentally flip off the Eye and stride off to Peter Lukas’ office to go find himself something for a midnight snack.

Elias’s office, now Peter’s, actually had two parts, the large room in the back Elias had primarily used for storage and the small front room where he’d done his work. Peter used the back room as his primary office, on the rare occasions he was in, and the outer office had been given to Basira. Not that Martin saw either of them very often, but it was easy to see…well, it was easy to tell someone was using it, even if it was completely impersonal, even more than Elias’s office had been. The ledgers and fountain pens were gone, replaced with a squat ivory computer tower and a CRT monitor. The wire cup on the desk was the sort that came in standard office supply kits and contained generic, mass-market pens. The mouse pad was square and blank white with a brand name screen printed on the bottom right corner that was so worn and faded Martin couldn’t read it anymore. There wasn’t even a coat or shawl draped over the back of the chair, and even if it wasn’t that bad up here, Martin knew it was cold in the Lonely. Unless she’d got used to that by now.

There was, however, a spider on the handle to the door to Peter’s office. It moved up the door when Martin looked at it, but he didn’t trust that, and he decided, fuck it, he’d kill this one. He was getting damned tired of the Web and its ilk. Slowly, keeping his eyes on the spider to make sure it didn’t get away before he could, he reached behind him, found the drawer of the desk, slid it open, and reached inside. His fingers found something smooth and solid and heavy-feeling, and as he tried to grip it, something moved.

Click.

The slightly muffled voice that came out of the drawer was Gertrude’s. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course I do.” The voice that responded was wholly unfamiliar to Martin.

“Well, that’s a shame.” If Martin had been inclined to doubt Gerry’s memory and his mother’s statement, the tone of voice in which Gertrude delivered that would have left him in no doubt they were related.

Distracted from the spider, he turned, pulled the tape recorder out of the desk, and stopped playback, then rewound it and sat in Basira’s chair. It wasn’t something she was recording, and obviously if she meant for him to listen to it she’d have left it for him. Maybe she hadn’t listened to it herself yet. But, well, he was here, and she wouldn’t be in until the actual working hours started, and it was better to listen up here where he wouldn’t risk waking Jon anyway. He could rewind it when he was done and put it back and no one would be the wiser.

The recorder popped, indicating it had reached the start of the reel, and Martin pushed PLAY.

This time he listened much more carefully to the opening exchange. He heard himself in Gertrude’s words and tone—talking to Breekon, talking to Mustermann, hell, the way he’d spoken to his own mother on her deathbed—and wondered how much was being the Archivist and how much was being related and how much was just coincidence. The thoughts snapped out of his head, though, when she started talking about Agnes.

It wasn’t a proper statement. Not at first. That didn��t start for a bit, and he knew exactly when it did in the small part of him that held on when the Archivist swept over him, because the actual statement unfolded before him in grainy, sketchy black and white, like an animation pencil test being projected through an infrared camera thirty years out of date. But it was compelling in its own way, and in the way of most of Gertrude’s commentary, it answered a few questions and opened up so many more. The man who had once been the head of the Church of the Lightless Flame and later been Jane Prentiss’ landlord was jaded, bitter…and definitely scared. As defiant as he was at first, Martin could practically smell the fear the more Gertrude spoke, and something in him was almost disappointed that the man was dead and this wouldn’t be joining his dreams.

No. No, he definitely didn’t want to dream about this.

The tape clicked off, and Martin drew in a lungful of air, sitting back in Basira’s chair. His hand tightened around the recorder, and he felt the buzzing, at which point it occurred to him that he’d left the tape playing on the desk in front of him. He looked at his hand and, sure enough, there was a more retro recorder than the model that had been in Basira’s desk, recording away. When had he pulled that out?

“Gertrude didn’t mention what she did to Eugene Vanderstock,” he said slowly. “Neither did Arthur Nolan. And I sure as hell haven’t done any digging into it, since this literally just came to my attention. But the Knowledge…is there, whether I want it or not. I don’t want it. I wish I didn’t know what it felt like to be alive as your whole being is infused with grit, how painful that is, but I do. Good to know that works against the Fourteen, anyway. Or some of its agents. I’m not sure how high up in the Lightless Flame Eugene was, or how powerful. Not as powerful as Gertrude, that’s for damned sure, but…”

He stared vacantly at Basira’s recorder, then leaned forward to rewind it for her before sitting back with a sigh. “Hill Top Road,” he mused. “Everything keeps coming back to that. We’ve had so many little threads go towards it that never end up anywhere, so many stories that weave around it. And now this. I-I know it’s a story we knew, sort of, but at the same time…we didn’t know Agnes’ side of it. We still don’t, I guess. I wonder what she thought, growing up there. I wonder if she thought of it as home, or just a place to live. I wonder what made her decide to protect Ronald Sinclair, if it was the whim of a child who wanted to see what would happen or an attempt to prove she was capable of more than causing pain and destruction or just a desire to stop the Web from winning.” He sighed again. “I wonder if it was actually the Lightless Flame’s doing that kept Gertrude alive that long or if it was the bond with Agnes itself. I won’t let myself wonder if my bond with Jon and Gerry is strong enough to keep me safe like that.”

He shook his head and said again, “Hill Top Road. I can’t help but wonder how much centers around that. It’s not just the statements. The matron of the Sunnydene Children’s Home mentioned Mr. Fielding’s halfway house, Gerry and Melanie and I went to that Halloween party there…there have been so many things centered around it. The Web, the Desolation, the Spiral, the Lone—” He stopped and sat up straighter as the knowledge slammed into his head, for the first time in twenty years.

“No,” he breathed. “Not the Lonely. It wasn’t the Lonely that was after me then. It was the Dark. I just assumed it was the Lonely, but…fuck. No wonder those things at the swap meet were so interested in me.”

He sat in stunned silence for a few moments as the implications of that washed over him. He’d been wrong about that all these years. What else was he wrong about at Hill Top Road?

There was an analog clock on the wall, plain and austere. Martin glanced at it and calculated, then stood decisively. “Right. I think this is a thread I need to pull. I can make the next train to Oxford and probably be back before everyone wakes up properly. It’s time to finish this once and for all. I’m heading to Hill Top Road.”

Click. The recorder shut itself off, which Martin took as approval of his plan.

He wasn’t thoroughly stupid. He went back through the Archives and left a note, just in case someone—likely Gerry—woke up before he got back. For just a moment, he hesitated and stepped into his office. Jon was still curled up in their nest of blankets, breathing lightly, looking peaceful and somehow younger than his age in his sleep. The temptation to crawl back under the covers, curl around him, and sleep a little longer was definitely present. Only the certainty that if he didn’t go now Jon would insist on going with him kept him from doing that.

Instead, he knelt down, pressed a gentle, tender kiss to his boyfriend’s forehead, and quietly let himself out of the Archives.

It was early enough that the sun hadn’t come up yet, and the trip to Paddington station was thoroughly uneventful. There was a bit of chaos stemming from the newly set train schedules, but more people lived in Oxford and commuted to work in London than the other way around, so despite everything Martin ended up having the carriage largely to himself, which gave him plenty of space and time to think over his plan.

He didn’t have one.

The shortest route to Hill Top Road from the train station took him straight through the park. Childish superstition warred with stubborn defiance, and in the end, he decided to risk it. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. It could have been that he was too powerful to interest whatever had been here before, it could be that it had long ago left, but more than likely it was just too close to sunrise to be prime hunting grounds for the Dark, despite the clouds and drizzle. Whatever the case, he made it to the other side unmolested.

The house Judith Bradford’s grandfather had owned was gone, which was something of a shock; it had been the largest and most impressive house on the block, and now there was nothing but a slight depression where the basement had once been. Martin stared at it for a moment, letting memory and knowledge mingle. It had burnt down not long after construction on the replacement for the Fielding house had concluded, probably retaliation from the Lightless Flame for the loss of Agnes Montague, possibly just bad luck. Either way, it wasn’t where he was heading and it wasn’t any of his concern.

Still…as he continued on up the road, getting progressively wetter and wishing like hell he’d brought an umbrella, he couldn’t help but think back to the party. He actually hadn’t had a very good time even before Gerry made them leave; he’d spent about half the time avoiding the food so that he didn’t get called names for being fat and the other half of the time avoiding Lizzie van Pelt and Helen—Helen—what was her last name? They’d both been dressed as Anastasia and spent an awful lot of time trying to flirt with him, and since even back then Martin had been quietly in love with one of the older boys in the group he’d been very uncomfortable with it. He’d never much enjoyed the ones from previous years, either, and he’d really only gone because Melanie wanted him to.

There weren’t any good memories on this street. Not his, not Ronald Sinclair’s, not Ivo Lensik’s, not Father Burroughs’, probably not even Agnes’. He wasn’t going to learn anything that didn’t hurt. Why was he doing this?

Because, he thought. Because he couldn’t leave the mystery alone, because it was important to so many Fears, because there was something he didn’t understand. Because he’d felt so strongly that he shouldn’t dig more into Hill Top Road. Because the Web hadn’t tried a ritual yet either, as far as he knew—unless that was what Raymond Fielding had been up to—and the risk of Jon or Sasha being made a keystone of one was too great for him to let things alone. Because—goddamn it, Helen’s last name was Richardson, the onetime real estate agent who’d been taken by the Spiral had been the same pretentious snob who’d decided he would make an ideal partner and had insulted his sister in the bargain. Nobody deserved what she’d got, he thought, but it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.

Preoccupied with that, he walked up the front path of 105 Hill Top Road and reached for the door.

It wasn’t until he was actually inside the building, neat and well-appointed and sturdy and clean—apart from all the cobwebs—that it occurred to Martin that the door shouldn’t have been open. Nobody lived there—all their research had been very clear on that—and while it didn’t seem to be for sale, there was certainly no reason for it to be unlocked. And yet he’d just…walked in like he owned the place.

A feeling of foreboding crept up his spine. It was not helped by the soft click as the tape recorder he hadn’t realized he’d put back in his pocket clicked on.

Martin pulled it out and spoke into it as quietly as possible. “I’m…in the house. Not the house, of course, the one Raymond Fielding and Agnes Montague lived in burned down years ago, this is a rebuild. But this…this land, this spot, there’s something significant about it. And it invited me in. No…it led me in. I can’t help but recall that in Ronald Sinclair’s statement, he talked about being drawn back in by invisible threads, that he didn’t feel like he was making a choice but he knew it was a thing he was going to do. I’m in much the same boat. I can’t walk away now, but…why not? What’s keeping me here?” He took a deep breath. “I suppose there’s only one way to find out.”

Cautiously, he began moving through the ground floor. Like most fat people, Martin had always been very light on his feet, and like most children who’d grown up in abusive households he had long ago mastered the art of moving quietly without being heard. The building might be ten years old, but it had never been lived in, so the chances of creaky floorboards were slim, and there was every chance he could get through without disturbing…whoever had unlocked the door.

Christ, that was an unsettling thought.

“There’s no obvious basement,” he murmured. “I know that was in the old building, but Anya Villette’s statement suggested there was one in this building, too. I would have thought…” He trailed off, staring at what he’d at first assumed to be a closet. There was…something behind it. Something important.

Slowly, inexorably, both afraid to know what was there and afraid to walk away, Martin reached for the handle of the door. His fingers wrapped around it, and he began, with the same deliberate slowness, to turn it.

A hand clamped over his mouth, and another arm wrapped around his torso, restraining him with surprising strength. He let out a muffled curse and tried to poke his tongue through his lips and lick the hand to get whoever it belonged to to let go, but somehow, his lips wouldn’t part. The hand pressed over them seemed strangely…sticky.

“Sorry about this, Martin,” a voice, low and female and wholly unfamiliar, said directly into his ear. “Can I call you Martin? I’m going to call you Martin. Anyway, I am sorry, but I thought it was high time we had a little…chat. Face to face, as it were.” The person gave a low chuckle. It wasn’t especially sinister, but it nevertheless filled Martin’s entire being with dread. “Step into my parlor.”

#ollie writes fanfic #tma fanfic #the magnus archives #to find promise of peace (and the solace of rest) #martin blackwood #tim stoker #guess who at the end :) #spiders #minor paranoia #manipulation #slight misuse of Beholding powers #mention of fire #kidnapping

[jvfurniture]

Furniture & Home Design Predictions for 2024 in the UK: Embracing the Future of Interiors

As we step into 2024, the landscape of home design and furniture in the UK is poised for exciting transformations. At JV Furniture, we're thrilled to give you an exclusive sneak peek into the trends that will redefine our living spaces this year. Here's what to expect:

1. Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Designs:

The green wave continues to surge, with a heightened focus on sustainability. Expect to see more furniture made from recycled materials and ethically sourced wood, as environmental consciousness takes center stage in home design. JV Furniture proudly offers a range of eco-friendly options, marrying style with sustainability.

2. Multi-functional Spaces:

As remote working becomes more prevalent, furniture that can adapt to various needs is on the rise. Look for convertible desks, foldable tables, and modular sofas – perfect for the modern professional balancing work and leisure at home.

3. Bold Colors and Textures:

Say goodbye to the muted palettes of yesteryears. 2024 is all about making a statement with vibrant colors and rich textures. From deep blues to energetic yellows, our collection will help infuse your space with personality and warmth.

4. Vintage Revival:

There's a growing appreciation for the charm and quality of vintage pieces. Expect a blend of retro and contemporary styles, creating unique, time-transcending spaces. Our vintage-inspired selections offer a modern twist on classic designs.

5. Smart Furniture:

Technology integration isn't just for gadgets anymore. Furniture with built-in charging ports, voice-activated features, and even health-monitoring capabilities are becoming mainstream. Explore our smart furniture range for a glimpse into the future.

6. Biophilic Design:

Bringing the outdoors in remains a key theme. Natural light, plant integration, and organic materials will dominate, creating serene, nature-inspired havens. Our new line includes pieces that perfectly complement this trend.

7. Handcrafted Authenticity:

In contrast to mass-produced items, there’s a growing desire for handcrafted furniture. Artisanal pieces with unique stories to tell will become coveted items in UK homes.

8. Maximalism Over Minimalism:

While minimalism had its moment, maximalism is making a comeback. Expect bold patterns, eclectic mixes, and a 'more is more' approach to decorating.

9. Wellness-Centric Designs:

Furniture that contributes to wellbeing – think ergonomic chairs, standing desks, and relaxation-focused pieces – will be in demand as health continues to be a top priority.

10. Local Influences:

There's a rising trend in celebrating local design talent. British craftsmanship and design nuances will be sought after, reflecting a pride in national artistry.

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At JV Furniture, we're excited to be at the forefront of these trends, offering a range of products that not only align with 2024's predictions but also set new standards in home design. Whether you're redecorating, renovating, or simply looking for that perfect piece to complete your space, we have something for every trend and every taste.

Visit us at jvfurniture.co.uk to explore our latest collections and start bringing the future of home design into your living spaces today!

#HomeDesign2024 #UKFurnitureTrends #EcoFriendlyInteriors #SmartFurniture #VintageRevival #MultifunctionalFurniture #BiophilicDesign #Maximalism #SustainableLiving #BritishCraftsmanship #InteriorDesignTrends #HomeDecorIdeas #WellnessDesign #ColorfulInteriors #ArtisanalFurniture

[mybeingthere]

Corinne Young is a textile artist based in North Lancashire, UK. She creates three-dimensional embroidered heirloom artwork. 

"I have stitched since I was a child, gathering skills as an adult by taking fashion and tailoring classes. My early career was in fashion retail and interior design, with a short stint as a knitting wool shop owner. I then decided at 40 (when my children were older), to study for a degree in textile design. I focused on plants during my degree, as to me they have always been synonymous with textiles. Embroidery, print, botanicals, and interior design featured in my final third year collection. Along the way I studied at the RHS Library and Kew Gardens, for inspiration. I started making embroidered Pot Plants, which have become the most popular of my products.

https://corinneyoungtextiles.co.uk/

[mariacallous]

The Kyiv Independent Ukraine Daily: Monday, November 28

Zelensky: More Russian attacks expected as another difficult week begins. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 27 that Russia appears to be preparing for new attacks and it won’t stop until it runs out of missiles.

Electricity deficit at 20% in Ukraine after latest Russian attack. Days after fifth Russian attack against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, state grid operator Ukrenergo said that electricity producers cover almost 80% of consumption needs.

Utilities almost completely restored in Kyiv after latest Russian mass missile strike. The Kyiv City Military Administration said on Nov. 27 that power, water, heat, and cell phone service are “almost completely restored” in Kyiv. Repair work on the power grid has reached its final stage and most Kyiv residents have electricity at home as of 9:00 a.m., according to the administration’s press service.

Governor: Power supply partially restored in liberated Kherson. Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said that power supplies had been restored for 17% of household consumers in the recently liberated regional capital.

Governor: Russia shell Kherson Oblast 54 times, kills 1. Kherson Oblast Governor Yaroslav Yanushevych reported on Nov. 27 that Russian forces shelled the region 54 times over the past day, killing one person and wounding two, including a child. Yanushevych said Russia “purposefully” targeted civilian infrastructure and civilians.

Energoatom head: Russian forces may be preparing to withdraw from Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Ukraine’s state nuclear energy operator Energoatom head Petro Kotin said the company sees the signs that the Russian troops may be preparing to leave Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

Interior Ministry: Only 3% of Russian attacks hit military targets. The estimate was provided by Deputy Interior Minister Yevhen Yenin. About 32,000 civilian sites and more than 700 critical infrastructure facilities have been hit by Russia so far, according to Yenin. “Like any terrorists, they (Russians) are targeting civilian sites,” he said on TV.

Media: Russian transport aircraft visit China en masse, fuel speculation on military supplies. Russian An-124 transport aircraft have visited China nine times over the past week, with some of them turning off their flight tracking devices, Defense Express, a Ukrainian military news site, reported on Nov. 27, citing videos published online.

UK Defense Ministry: Russia unlikely to achieve operational breakthrough in Donetsk Oblast despite heavy losses. Both Russia and Ukraine have “significant forces” fighting in the south-central part of Donetsk Oblast for the past two weeks but neither side has made much progress, the U.K. Defense Ministry said on Nov. 27.

National Resistance Center: All Russian collaborators have left Nova Kakhovka near Kherson. The collaborators who left were not only those who held positions in the occupation administration but those who participated in joint raids with Russian forces against the local population and intimidated and forced residents into cooperating with Russian demands, the Ukrainian military’s National Resistance Center reported on Nov. 27, citing the local underground resistance.

Minister: Ukraine's grain exports won't reach 3 million tons this month. Ukraine's grain exports will fail to reach 3 million tons in November as Russia intentionally limits ship inspections, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Nov. 27. In October, Ukraine exported 4.2 million tons of grain under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Kubrakov said.

UNHCR: 4.7 million Ukrainian refugees receive temporary protection status in Europe. According to the latest numbers by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 4,751,065 refugees from Ukraine have registered for temporary protection status or similar statuses as of last week. Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic are in the lead. In total, around 7.8 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe.

The human cost of Russia’s war

One person killed from Nov. 26 strike on Dnipro as body pulled from rubble. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Valentyn Reznichenko reported that rescuers pulled out a body from the rubble of warehouses destroyed by the Nov. 26 Russian missile strike on the city. Reznichenko added that 13 people were wounded in total, with three of them still in the hospital.

Governor: Russian shelling kills 2 civilians in Donetsk Oblast. Additionally, one civilian was injured and four houses ruined in the attack.

Official: Russian attacks kill 7 civilians in Ukraine in one day. Additionally, 19 civilians were injured. Russian attacks killed civilians in four Ukrainiain regions on Nov. 26, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, President Volodymyr Zelensky's deputy chief of staff.

Death toll of Russia's Nov. 23 missile strike on Vyshhorod rises to 7. Thirty-five people were injured, including six children, as a result of the attack, Kyiv Oblast Police Chief Andrii Nebytov said.

General Staff: Russia has lost 86,710 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24. Ukraine's General Staff reported on Nov. 27 that Russia had also lost 2,905 tanks, 5,856 armored fighting vehicles, 4,412 vehicles and fuel tanks, 1,897 artillery systems, 395 multiple launch rocket systems, 209 air defense systems, 278 airplanes, 261 helicopters, 1,555 drones, and 16 boats.

How Russian propaganda fuels genocide against Ukrainians

Russia's massive attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure come as no surprise. The Kyiv Independent's Iryna Matviyishyn explains how pro-Kremlin propagandists have encouraged the attacks and incited genocide against Ukrainians.

International response

UK prime minister says UK 'will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.' British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will vow on Nov. 28 in his first major foreign policy speech to maintain or increase the U.K.'s military aid to Ukraine next year, Reuters reports, citing an extract of the speech released by his office.

#Youtube

[zenasflower]

Florists in Liverpool

Flowers make great gifts for special occasions, such as birthdays and anniversaries. They are also perfect for gifting just because you’re thinking of someone. They are available in a variety of colors and styles.

Anyone who has been to Liverpool ONE lately will have seen flowers being left on the streets. The idea was to brighten up the streets and cheer people up on Blue Monday.

Annetta of Woolton

Flowers are the perfect way to show your loved ones how much you care. They are also the perfect gift for anniversaries and birthdays. You can even send them for Valentine’s Day or a funeral. Whether you are looking for a simple flower arrangement or something more complex, there are many florists in Liverpool that can help you.

Locally owned and operated Annetta of Woolton is committed to creating Flowers in Liverpool floral gifts for any occasion. They use high quality, seasonal flowers to create unique bouquets that are guaranteed to please. They offer local delivery and nationwide shipping through their reliable florist network.

Forget-me-nots (Myosotis) are a perennial, shade-loving wildflower with blue or white flowers that bloom in early spring and spread rapidly. They can be planted with ragged robins (Lychnis flos-cuculi) and hemp agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum) in meadow gardens and are valuable nectar plants for butterflies. They are also easy to grow and a good choice for shady areas.

Bob & Robin’s Flowers

Bob and Robin’s Flowers is a full service floral shop located in East Liverpool, OH. They have a large selection of fresh flowers, plants, European dish gardens, high style floral arrangements and silk arrangements. They also offer gift baskets, gourmet and fruit baskets and greeting cards. They are family owned and operated and have been in business for over 28 years. They are proud to serve their local community and they have been the recipient of many awards in the area’s favorite businesses contests.

Bobby Bosco still remembers the first dollar he made upon opening Bob & Robin’s Flowers on Walnut Street in June 1990. He and his wife, Robin, have 45 years of experience as florists. They have adapted to changes in American culture and society, and have worked hard to satisfy customers. They have kept their prices low and rely on repeat business. For example, a high school student who gets a boutonniere for prom may return to get a bouquet for her wedding.

Booker Flowers & Gifts

Booker Flowers & Gifts is an award-winning florist based on Booker Avenue, Allerton in Liverpool. They offer same-day and three-hour flower delivery in the city as well as nationwide deliveries through Interflora. They also deliver wedding flowers. You can order your flowers online or call the shop.

The floral experts at Booker Flowers are known for their stunning creations and friendly service. They can design all kinds of flowers for your big day, from buttonholes and bouquets to bridal headdresses and even car decor. They can also provide you with bespoke packages, depending on your budget and preferences.

They are a member of the Good Florist Guide, which is the gold standard for flower shops in the UK. You can read customer reviews on their website. The team is made up of experienced florists and newer members who are eager to learn. They are committed to supporting their employees, and have a great working environment.

The Florist

The Flowers for celebration is an award-winning bar and restaurant that aims to charm all the senses. The venue is located in a converted Grade-II listed blind school and boasts a botany themed interior with beautiful white floral trees and plants throughout.

The bar serves nibbles including bang bang cauliflower and salt and pepper chicken wings that can be enjoyed on their own or paired with drinks. There is also a roast menu on offer on Sundays. The drinks menu focuses on healthy cocktails and a list of wines, beer and spirits.

The Florist is a great place to celebrate special occasions with your loved ones. You can order a romantic Valentine’s Day gift for your sweetheart or send sympathy funeral flowers to a friend or family member in need. They offer same-day delivery for your convenience and are open seven days a week. They also offer gifts for birthdays, anniversaries and more! Visit the website for more information.

#Flowers in Liverpool

[kernsexton73]

Great Resource When It Comes To Interior Design

Many otherwise ambitious homeowners find interior design to be a subject from which they would prefer to keep their distance. In most cases, the only problem is a lack of knowledge of basic design concepts and styles. By utilizing the ideas in this article, it is possible to acquire an ease and understanding of interior design that will be the envy of everyone you know. Choose your colors carefully when you're looking at repainting a room. You want to choose colors that go well together and compliment each other. You don't want colors that clash and fight for attention. You want your colors to blend together and feel natural. Don't go with too many bright colors, or you risk overwhelming your senses. Use your own photos as artwork. As a cheaper and more personal way to adorn your walls, use photos that you've taken. Either have prints made and frame them or use one of the many photo-to-canvas providers to have your photo made into a gallery canvas. If you are more tech-savvy, you can alter your photos in software to make them look even more like artwork. Use mirrors when decorating your home. Mirrors can be very handy, especially if you live in a small space. A mirror on one or two walls isn't just convenient for fixing your hair on the go. They can also give the illusion of more space. One strategically placed mirror can do wonders for opening up a room. Try adding plants to your room. You'll be surprised at how much more lively, yet calming; a room can become just by adding a simple plant to the room. A single plant, properly placed, can really set the mood and bring a room together. Just don't forget to water it! A great interior design tip is to always be aware of space when you're designing. If you go crazy with a room it might end up getting cluttered. No matter how nice looking and well decorated a room is, if there isn't enough space to move around no one will even bother to go in it. When designing for contemporary and modern spaces, integrate textures into the materials in the room. If the furniture and fixtures are heavy on smooth materials, such as glass, smooth plastics, metal and polished wood, add some textured materials to bring out details that will catch the eyes and create a more interesting space. If you are redesigning your kitchen, think outside the box when it comes to counter tops. Granite is the number one choice, but there are other great options including cork or concrete. These choices also can be less costly, while giving your kitchen a nice, unique look. If you have a small home, buy furniture that can serve multiple purposes. For instance, a storage ottoman can serve as a place to rest your legs as well as a place to stash magazines and knick-knacks. A futon can serve as seating and a bed for guests. Getting furniture that is versatile can keep your home looking uncluttered if you have a small space. If you're working on designing for a small space, adding light can greatly increase the feeling of size in the room. Adding light fixtures and using appropriate drapery can increase the amount of light in the room. Mirrors are also a great way to increase light and increase the apparent size of a small space. Try hanging lighting london uk at an eye-level, instead of higher up on a wall. Artwork hung too high gives the illusion of lower ceilings. Keeping frames at a lower level also makes them more visible, and keeps visitors from having to look up in order to see your beautiful art. A great interior design tip is to start small. A lot of people are afraid of interior design because they feel they have to do it all at once. You can actually start very small, like picking out a lamp or coffee table that you really like. You can them work from there. Tackling interior design projects is something that many find to be an unappealing prospect. Most of those individuals simply need to spend some time learning more about the subject itself. By studying the tips above, even the most reluctant interior design newcomer can gain the skills necessary to decorate like a true professional.

#lighting london uk

[newstfionline]

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Universities Struggle as Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations Grow (NYT) At New York University, the police swept in to arrest protesting students on Monday night, ending a standoff with the school’s administration. At Yale, the police placed protesters’ wrists into zip ties on Monday morning and escorted them onto campus shuttles to receive summonses for trespassing. Columbia kept its classroom doors closed on Monday, moving lectures online and urging students to stay home. Harvard Yard was shut to the public. Nearby, at campuses like Tufts and Emerson, administrators weighed how to handle encampments that looked much like the one that the police dismantled at Columbia last week—which protesters quickly resurrected. And on the West Coast, a new encampment bubbled at the University of California, Berkeley. Less than a week after the arrests of more than 100 protesters at Columbia, administrators at some of the country’s most influential universities were struggling, and largely failing, to calm campuses torn by the conflict in Gaza and Israel.

Haiti health system nears collapse as medicine dwindles, gangs attack hospitals and ports stay shut (AP) On a recent morning at a hospital in the heart of gang territory in Haiti’s capital, a woman began convulsing before her body went limp as a doctor and two nurses raced to save her. But the Doctors Without Borders hospital in the Cite Soleil slum was running low on key medicine to treat convulsions. “The medication she really needs, we barely have,” said Dr. Rachel Lavigne, a physician with the medical aid group. It’s a familiar scene repeated daily at hospitals and clinics across Port-au-Prince, where life-saving medication and equipment is dwindling or altogether absent as brutal gangs tighten their grip on the capital and beyond. They have blocked roads, forced the closure of the main international airport in early March and paralyzed operations at the country’s largest seaport, where containers filled with key supplies remain stuck. “Everything is crashing,” Lavigne said. Haiti’s health system has long been fragile, but it’s now nearing total collapse.

UK passes law to send asylum seekers to Rwanda (BBC) After months of wrangling, the British Parliament has passed a controversial bill, paving the way for asylum seekers to be sent to Rwanda. It’s a flagship immigration policy for the Conservative government of Rishi Sunak, who said it would make clear “if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay". About 52,000 asylum seekers could be sent to the East African country. Yvette Cooper, who oversees interior policies for the Labour opposition, called the plan an "extortionately expensive gimmick". And charities describe it as a "breach of international law". In a statement, Mr Sunak said: "We introduced the Rwanda bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings." On Tuesday morning, after the passing of the bill, my colleagues witnessed about 30 migrants boarding a small boat on a beach in northern France. Five other people, including a child, died as they attempted to cross the Channel.

Russian Attacks Crush Factories and Way of Life in Ukrainian Villages (NYT) Its towering smokestacks once puffed out clouds of steam. In gigantic machine rooms, turbines whirled around the clock. Furnaces burned trainloads of coal. In the Soviet era, the Kurakhove Heating and Power Plant gave rise to the town around it in Ukraine’s east, driving the local economy and sustaining the community with wages and heating for homes. “Our plant is the heart of our city,” said Halyna Liubchenko, a retiree whose husband worked his entire career in nearby coal mines that fed the facility. That heart is barely beating now, partly destroyed by artillery. The plant is among the last still operating in Ukraine’s Donbas region, once the country’s center of heavy industry and now a focal point of Russian ground offensives that are ravaging towns and cities along the front line. War in eastern Ukraine has killed tens of thousands of people, reduced cities to ruins and displaced millions of people. It has also all but destroyed the factories and plants that were for years an important driver of Ukraine’s economy.

Modi Calls Muslims ‘Infiltrators’ Who Would Take India’s Wealth (NYT) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called Muslims “infiltrators” who would take India’s wealth if his opponents gained power—unusually direct and divisive language from a leader who normally lets others do the dirtiest work of polarizing Hindus against Muslims. Mr. Modi, addressing voters in the state of Rajasthan, aimed his emotional appeal at women, addressing “my mothers and sisters” to say that his Congress opponents would take their gold and give it to Muslims. Implications that Muslims have too many babies, that they are coming for Hindus’ wives and daughters, that their nationality as Indian is itself in doubt are often made by representatives of Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P. Mr. Modi’s use of such language himself, as he campaigns for a third term in office, raised alarm that it could inflame right-wing vigilantes who target Muslims.

Asia’s Heat Wave Scorches Hundreds of Millions (NYT) Hundreds of millions of people in South and Southeast Asia were suffering on Monday from a punishing heat wave that has forced schools to close, disrupted agriculture, and raised the risk of heat strokes and other health complications. The weather across the region in April is generally hot, and comes before Asia’s annual summer monsoon, which dumps rain on parched soil. But this April’s temperatures have so far been unusually high. In Bangladesh, where schools and universities are closed this week, temperatures in some areas have soared above 107 degrees Fahrenheit, or 42 degrees Celsius. Those numbers don’t quite capture how extreme humidity makes the heat feel even worse. The heat wave could lead to more cases of certain diseases, including cholera and diarrhea, said Be-Nazir Ahmed, a public health expert in Bangladesh. Mr. Ahmed said that people should ideally try to work earlier in the morning and later at night, when temperatures are lower. But that is easier said than done in a country where many people work outdoors.

Mama’s boys and marital strife are no joke in today’s China (Washington Post) Tales about evil mothers-in-law and marital bust-ups have landed China’s wildly popular ultrashort dramas in trouble with official censors. Beijing is cracking down on the format’s allegedly “inappropriate” plots about marital strife for fear they will hurt the government’s campaign encouraging families to stay together and have more children. Huang Zhongjun, a scholar at Zhejiang Normal University who has studied micro-dramas, says the format has proven harmful to society in part because viewers are fed unrealistic plots that “vilify people and amplify conflicts” within families. Young people, who spend more time with their screens than real people, are becoming “emotionally deficient” and “unwilling to get married or have children,” he added. Censors this month called out mother-in-law dramas for straying from “mainstream values” approved by the Chinese Communist Party. Since China’s population began to shrink in 2022, officials have stepped up controls on “unhealthy” portrayals of love and marriage in popular culture. At the same time, they have dialed up propaganda to encourage young couples to settle down and get busy having children.

Taiwan rattled by more than 200 quakes, but no major damage (Reuters) Taiwan’s quake-hit eastern county of Hualien was rattled by more than 200 aftershocks late on Monday and early on Tuesday, but only minor damage was reported and no casualties and major chipmaker TSMC said it saw no impact on operations. Largely rural and sparsely populated Hualien was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake on April 3 that killed at least 17 people, and there have been more than 1,000 aftershocks since. Buildings across large parts of northern, eastern and western Taiwan, including in the capital, Taipei, swayed throughout the night, with the largest quake measuring a 6.3 magnitude. All were very shallow.

Iran’s Israel strike coincided with crackdown on dissent at home, activists say (Reuters) The same day Iran launched its first ever direct attack on Israel it embarked on a less-noticed confrontation at home, ordering police in several cities to take to the streets to arrest women accused of flouting its strict Islamic dress code. Iranian authorities insist that their so-called Nour (Light) campaign targets businesses and individuals who defy the hijab law, aiming to respond to demands from devout citizens who are angry about the growing number of unveiled women in public. But activists and some politicians say the campaign appears aimed not only at enforcing mandatory hijab-wearing, but also at discouraging any wider dissent at a vulnerable moment for the clerical rulers. Under Iran’s sharia, or Islamic law, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes. Offenders face public rebuke, fines or arrest. The laws have become a political flashpoint since protests over the death of a young woman in the custody of the country’s “morality police” in 2022 spiralled into the worst political turmoil since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Israelis Prepare to Mark Passover, a Festival of Freedom, With Hostages Still in Gaza (NYT) Many Israelis were in a somber mood on Monday as they prepared to usher in Passover, the Jewish festival of freedom, saying they would mark the holiday rather than celebrate it, with more than 130 hostages remaining in Gaza. The number of hostages believed to be alive is unclear, and with negotiations with Hamas captors at an impasse, there is little prospect of their imminent release. The holiday is to start after sundown on Monday with the traditional Seder meal. By tradition, this is a joyful gathering of family and friends who follow a ritual order of blessings over symbolic foods as they retell the biblical story of the bondage and suffering of the ancient Israelites in Egypt and their exodus and liberation.

Report says Israel has not provided evidence of widespread militancy among UNRWA staff (Washington Post) Israel has not provided evidence that significant numbers of workers with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees are tied to militant groups, but the agency must implement more robust vetting of staff members to ensure neutrality and work to reestablish trust with donors, a highly anticipated report said Monday. Former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, who led the group, called the agency “indispensable and irreplaceable” in a news conference Monday. “As we speak, at this critical time, UNRWA has a vital role in the humanitarian response in Gaza,” she added. The findings released Monday will largely come as a relief to the embattled agency—pitched into an existential crisis in January after Israel alleged that a dozen of its 13,000 employees in Gaza participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks and that more than 10 percent had ties to militant groups. Sixteen major donors, including the United States, promptly suspended funding worth about $450 million, nearly half of UNRWA’s budget for the year.

74 is the new 71 (Yahoo) New research suggests that 74 is the new 71. Our perception of when “old age” begins is shifting, with most people believing this phase of life begins later than they used to, according to a new study published in the journal Psychology and Aging. While the study didn’t look at why this shift has occurred, experts say it makes sense—and is probably a good thing; humans on average are living longer than ever, and examples of people living full lives well beyond retirement age abound. Experts on aging—some of whom are in their 70s and 80s themselves—aren’t surprised, and say it’s part of a promising shift away from negative stereotypes about what getting older means. “Now, in most people’s daily lives, they know somebody who is 100,” Ellen Langer, a professor of psychology at Harvard University who researches mindset and aging, tells Yahoo Life. In the past, “you didn’t know anybody who lived to 100.”

#headlines #news

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[kazimhk]

KAZI MAZHARUL HASAN KHADEM

Architect, Associate Member, Institute of Architects Bangladesh.

Email: [email protected] Web: www.kazimhk.com www.linkedin.com/in/kazimhk Tel. [phone] Parham Road Canterbury CT1 1TA Kent UK

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Teaching and Research:

Research Assistant – PPP: Planting Placemaking Project.  Mar 2024 – Current Associated with University for the Creative Arts, UK

Teaching Assistant – North South University, Dhaka Bangladesh. May 2019 – Jan 2020 Demonstration of analytical software at Asst. Prof. Mujtaba Ahsan’ high-rise design studios and Architectural Observation courses.

Architecture Firms:

Architect Designer I – VOLUMEZERO Limited, Dhaka Bangladesh. Dec 2020 – Jul 2023 Design concept development, preparation of architectural drawings and site-supervision. Worked on projects of various typologies such as hotels, commercial high-rise, and residential buildings.

Businesses and Retail Shops:

Online Service Colleague – Asda Stores Limited, Canterbury UK.  December 2023 – Current

Retail Supervisor – Sunny Pharmacy, Akhaura Bangladesh (Shop Owner).  May 2012 – Aug 2023 Family shop, have years of involvement with local business and serving the community.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROJECTS

Associated with Volumezero Limited:

Simpletree GSR, Dhaka – 30 story commercial building at Dhaka Bangladesh.

Urmee Rest House – 5 story hotels at Coxs Bazaar Bangladesh.

Akij Tableware – Interior design work at Dhaka Bangladesh.

Competitions, Teamwork + Individually directed architectural design projects:

Army HQ Parking Building (Team work)

Navy Parking Building (Team work)

Dorm House Bogura

InterContinental reception interior design at Dhaka Airport.

Gazipur Masterplan Proposal (Team work)

Bashundhara Residential House (Team Work)

SOFTWARE SKILLS

CAD/3D: AutoCAD, Rhino, SketchUp, (Revit 1st Year).

Editing: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Pepakura, Laser Cutting.

Visualization: Lumion: Render/Animation and V-ray.

Analysis: ClimateStudio, ClimateConsultant, PathFinder and QGIS.

STUDIES

MSc Urban Design – University for the Creative Arts, Canterbury UK.  Sep 2023 to Current.

Research Works During MSc:

- Integration through urban activities to mitigate social barriers. (Ongoing)

Bachelor of Architecture – North South University, Dhaka Bangladesh.  May 2015 to Apr 2020, Grade 86%. 173 Cr. Hr.

Research Works During B.Arch:

- The emergence of the historical object preservations in Sylhet and the design proposal of a divisional museum to showcase these historical treasures of the region for public information. – Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Architecture, NSU.

- Understanding the relation between productivity and workplace ergonomical challenges facing ready-made garment workers of Dhaka Bangladesh. –  Research Submitted to course ARC 492, Dept. of Architecture, NSU.

- The effects of cultural programs held at universities to undergraduate students: A case study of North South University. – Research submitted to course, ENG 105, Dept. of English, NSU.

Higher Secondary Certificate and Secondary School Certificate, Comilla Education Board.  2012 and 2014. Group: Science, Grade A.

SHORT COURSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

The Language of Design: Form and Meaning, Online, California Institute of the Arts.  March 2023.

Wood Science: Beyond Building, Online, West Virginia University.  February 2023.

Diversity, Inclusion & Equity; Health & Safety Level 1 and 2; Sexual Harassment, Certificates endorsed by Institute of Hospitality / ROPA, UK – 2024.

AWARDS

UCA Creative Development Scholarship, 2023, 4500GBP scholarship from University for the Creative Arts.

NSU FAO Scholarship, 25% from Spring 2017 & 75% from Summer 2018 till completion of the bachelor’s degree.

DPE Govt. Scholarship, 2007, Merit award in class 5, and high school fees waiver for class 6 to 8.

Low-cost vernacular toilet making with Fawaz Rob, 2017, Built two sustainable toilets for the rural people in Dinajpur Bangladesh.

#CV #Contact