Tips on How to Stay Cool on a Hot Day

Air conditioning - how to stay cool on hot days

This summer is sure to go down in the annals of history. It could hardly have got any wetter – or any hotter – depending on which part of the country you hail from or what part of the country you were currently in. The temperatures were so far apart that while in one part of the country it rained so hard and so frequently that residents had trouble remembering when they had borne witness to a more dismal summer, in other parts of the country the weather was hot and oppressive and even those sun-worshippers who normally can never get enough of bright blue skies and soaring temperatures were having to find that too much of a good thing doesn’t necessarily make it better.

So what can you do to stop yourself from despairing the next time the temperatures where you live or work look as though they’re going to hit another all-time high and you still have your whole, perfectly normal day ahead of you? Read More

Denmark: One more example for heavy floods and the chaos that goes along with it

Flood in Copenhagen

For those who are affected it is nothing short of a living nightmare. And for all those who thanks to the power of the media watch on as tragedy after tragedy unfolds and normal people – people like you and me – wade through streets that have turned into raging rivers and homeowners and shopkeepers stand waist-deep in murky water, staring into the camera numb with shock and despair, it is a scenario that fills our hearts with angst and sympathy – and a feeling of foreboding, because this could happen to almost anyone, almost anywhere. And yes it could happen to us.

When on July 2, 2011 the heavens over Copenhagen opened and six inches (15cm) of rain fell over the country’s capital in only a single hour, this was the latest in a chain of natural catastrophes caused by weather phenomena that have rocked our world to its foundations in the course of the past several years. Read More

Did somebody say summer?

Waiting for Summer

Looking out of the window you wouldn’t believe it was summer. Big, billowy storm clouds the size of battleships hanging ominously overhead, a grey band of rain bringing even more gloom and despondency stretching out on the horizon. You can tune in to whichever radio station or channel you like or go to any website. The weather forecast is always the same: abysmal. Some areas are once again predicted to get a month’s rainfall in only one day. And the next low pressure system is not far behind.

For those of us unfortunate enough to have been affected by these sudden torrential downpours that transform a trickle into a raging torrent and rivulets into rivers, this year will certainly be one to remember. Having previously read or heard about the flooding abroad, in far off places, places where we would not have thought it could have been possible on such a scale it is now our turn to worry whether we are the next, whether it is our town or village that will be hit by the sheer unstoppable masses of water that swell into streets and houses and engulf everything that stands in their way. Read More

How to work out which air conditioner is right for you!

Air Conditioning: calculating the cooling powerAir conditioners used to be a luxury. They were the domain of the well-to-dos, the better-offs, people who could easily afford such an outlay and for whom the price of having deliciously cool rooms in which the air remained refreshingly crisp despite the soaring, sizzling summer temperatures outside was also a matter of prestige and could therefore not be high enough.

But that was yesteryear. Many people have discovered for themselves that air conditioners are no longer a luxury as far as the price tag is concerned. And they have also come to realise that in many cases they are an absolute necessity. That’s because they not only monitor and control the indoor climate and ensure that it is kept at levels that have an obvious and positive effect on your health, they also enhance your feeling of well-being and protect both your prized possessions and your property. Read More

Wind, wind go away come again another day.

Windstorm at the beachA friend of mine recently returned from a well-earned holiday which she spent in Portugal. And from what I was able to gather she had a lovely time, lapping up the sun and lying on the beach, wrapped in a beach towel, watching bronzed young men eager to impress onlookers with a display of their effortlessly acquired beach volleyball skills. Did I say wrapped in a beach towel?

Well, according to her account of what she experienced on holiday, it wasn’t the little mites, bless them, kicking up sand and jumping around excitedly as they built sandcastles and dug their warrens of trenches, or the athletic posers feigning a game of beach volleyball that bothered her most while she tried to unwind and enjoy her trip down to the beach – it was the wind.

Because although my friend was well aware of the fact that the holiday resorts along stretches of the Atlantic coast are recognised as not always being the calmest of places, she had not counted on ending up lying on a beach cocooned in a large Terry towel if she were to have any chance of braving the gusty squalls and strong winds that were whipping up the sand, whirling sunshades around and tearing at the billowing windbreakers.

So how come nobody has come up with the idea of not only checking out water temperatures and the air temperatures at holiday resorts but also wind speeds – preferably before somebody ends up stuck on a beach in the middle of a medium-sized sandstorm? Read More

Summertime and the living is easy…

Measuring devices for gardeningWe all look forward to the summer. To the long, warm evenings sitting outside street side cafes or stretching out on patios; to bright, sunny, carefree days lounging in the sun or relaxing in the shade; to the vibrant, captivating colours and the sweet scents and evocative smells that are the mark of every much-loved and well-tendered garden.

And being a nation renowned for its green fingers – unlike the Germans who according to a saying they have pride themselves on their green thumbs – we enjoy spending endless hours shaping and styling shrubs and hedgerows, trimming bushes and manicuring lawns and generally spending just about every spare minute we have pottering around in our own little refuge.

There’s always something to do in a well-kept garden. Especially, of course, at this time of the year. In fact sometimes the days just can’t be long enough depending on the size of the garden that you are lucky enough to call your own. If you are already into self-sufficiency – or simply love the taste of home-grown produce – and are fortunate to have your own vegetable patch, then now is generally the time to harvest some of the early plants like carrots, cabbages, cauliflower, courgettes and kale and time to sow or replant others like Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, chicory and – peas.

You may want to give your lawn a treat and sprinkle it with fertiliser – also home-grown if you prefer. The grass clippings that many people are only too glad to get rid of when they have mowed their lawn are full of nutrients which put back the goodness into the soil. But as is the case with most gardening tips, and indeed many other areas in life, moderation is the key.

And what about every gardener’s pride and joy? Flowers. Glorious, full-bloomed, delicate, luscious, beautifully cultivated flowers. Flowers in every possible shade, colour, size and form.

What do they need to flourish? How do you know what the best possible place for your prized flowers and plants is? Read More

HEPA Filter? What’s a HEPA filter?

HEPA-Filter

And who needs one?

Well, to begin with, there’s more – much more – to a HEPA filter than first meets the eye. But first things first. What is a HEPA filter? And what does HEPA stand for?
HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. When used to describe the quality of a filter, or a dust mask for example, the term HEPA also stands for High Efficiency Particulate Arrestor.

To us HEPA is not just an acronym, it’s a promise. A promise which we take very seriously. Read More

Stop That Smell. Fast.

Air purification with an Air cleanerImagine a strong smell. No, not just one of your average bad smells – a truly revolting one. But careful – don’t dwell on it for too long – because sometimes even only the fleeting recollection of being locked in conversation with someone serenely unaware that they were suffering from bad breath, a waft of boiled cabbage, the whiff of a clogged drain, the intense smell of sweat from a sauna or a pair of discarded socks can prove to be too much to stomach for some. In fact some smells are so overpowering that there seems to be little that one can do short of covering one’s face and mouth and making a run for it.

A further smell that recurs repeatedly on the top of the lists of people who have been asked which smell they would rank as being among the most offensive in a closed environment is stale cigarette smoke. And being a passionate non-smoker myself I must admit that the pungent smell of stale tobacco that hangs heavily in the air, clinging to curtains and working its way into the wallpaper in households where heavy smokers exercise their right to light up without being taken to task by the powers that be really is a test in self control. I have found that by not breathing through my nose and by keeping my breathing shallow I can only just resist the urge to add to the overpowering smell with a few overpowering smells of my own.

But hope is at hand. Read More

The Countdown Has Started: Early Bird Discount For 8 New Measuring Devices

Early Bird Discount for new Measuring DevicesAnd we’re off! Yes, the countdown has started! During the course of the following four weeks you can save as much as 1% on each of the eight measuring devices depicted above for every day from the day you place your order until the cut-off day on August 13, 2011.

That’s right! 1% for every day! This adds up to a total massive saving of almost 30% on each item! And here’s how it works: all you have to do is order any one – or all! – of the eight models in the Trotec MultiMeasure Basic series in our online shop and you will be entitled to our Early Bird Discount which knocks a full 1% off the normal price of each individual measuring device for each day between the day you order the device of your dreams and August 13. After all – it’s the early bird that catches the worm!

But hurry, hurry, hurry – the clock is ticking! Time is running out! The longer you wait, the smaller your saving! And just to show you what you might be missing out on here’s a quick overview of the eight spanking new measuring devices:

The measuring device – or devices – which you have ordered will then wing their way to you when the countdown ends on Saturday, 13.08.2011.

But don’t dilly dally! There’s no time to lose! Order now and pay less! Special offer ends soon…