Top Tips for...

Stopping a draft from your front door

Got a bad draft coming in through your front door but dont have the cash to get it fixed/ ber rated etc etc? Or maybe the draft is only bad in winter so you want a temporary solution? Also you may have old stone walls that are a pain to try to nail stuff into?

Then here is our quick and easy fix.

Firstly measure the width between the two walls - ie your hall width and bear in mind how high you want the rail to go- above the door so it can open easily.

Get yourself down to a hardware store and buy a expandable shower rail with two suction pads on each end.

We used: "Euro Showers expandable shower rail for € 22.62 in Bolgers Hardware store ( gorey wexford 053 9421318)

Get yourself some shower rings- preferably clip-close ones but regular round rings are fine- will just mean you also need curtain hooks whereas the clip-close ones are all-in-one so to speak. ( approx cost 4.95)

Get yourself a curtain- nice long one- 90cm or so...again we got a pair in Heatons for only 25 quid.

Once you have measured the width you need the curtain rail to be,  add an inch or so on ( as the spring mechanism will allow for the extra and thus keep it all snugly wedged) and cut the 2nd have to size. ( always go a bit bigger until your certain it fits as you can take more off but cannot add more on! )

then slip the rings over the rail ( with the curtain attached if close-clip rings) and erect the rail between the 2 hall walls.

if using regular loops and curtain hooks then attach your curtain.

voila! this takes about a half hour all in all, is eay to open and close door , can be easily taken down - no nails etc and reduces the draft immensely- our hall is now 4 degrees warmer at least!

Cook better Chicken and Turkey:

This is a great tip that I got over the Christmas for our turkey!

Before you pop your turkey in the oven, whizz up a mix of rosemary and olive oil and then pour over the turkey!

simple but adds so much extra flavour.

We also used one of those deep roasting trays with a grill type level so the turkey juices ran below into the tin, after which we added some goose fat and the potatoes and veg. yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy!