Rocking around the Christmas traditions

The 1st of December is nearly upon us. The advent calendars are ready and waiting and the festive countdown is all but underway.

For children, the excitement of Christmas is already unbearable, and the 25th December can't come quick enough. Counting down one day at a time feels like the longest journey ever, a little like setting off on a family holiday.

The reality is that for anyone else, those 25 days are just not long enough. The build up to Christmas can, and does, begin before December but there is something symbolic about the 1st day of advent. The festivities suddenly become socially acceptable, and people actually consider dusting down the Christmas jumpers.

In less than a month, there's seemingly so much to fit in and an abundance of festivities to tick off. The list of Christmas traditions is ever-growing and the opportunities for festive fun just keep on giving.

Advent calendars are a long-standing must, having gained popularity in Germany in the late 1800s. Early advent calendars simply presented a beautiful Christmas picture behind each of the 24 doors. Today, they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes with children (and adults alike!) enjoying anything from chocolates and sweets to toiletries and your favourite tipple.

And then there's the Christmas cards and the point at which the advent countdown becomes a race against time. It's a lovely festive gesture but a Christmas card list can soon get out of hand; writing the cards always takes longer than expected. Christmas card etiquette certainly divides the crowd too; there's the ones who send their greetings in November and those who miss the Christmas post deadline every year!

A certainty in most households though is the tree, without which, is Christmas really Christmas? The evergreen trend has been going strong since 1841 when Prince Albert put a Christmas tree up at Windsor Castle, marking the beginning of a wonderful tradition. The decorating of the tree is a happy time, each and every one capturing its own charm and setting the scene for Christmas morning.

But before the big man arrives, a visit to see him and talk about your wish list is a memory-making essential. Nothing beats the magic of a Santa's Grotto and for children, the anticipation of being on the 'naughty or nice' list is more than exciting. Christmas really is nearly here by now and attention can be turned to the festive menu.

Will it be a traditional turkey roast with all the trimmings? Trimming such as pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce and stuffing to name just a few. Until the 1950s, turkey at Christmas was deemed a luxury and to this day, it remains a wonderful festive treat. So too does figgy pudding; a Christmas staple laced with lush fruit and lots of alcohol. Traditionally made a week before advent on what is known as 'stir-up Sunday', a Christmas pudding is nothing short of a festive icon.

So, we've made it to planning the Christmas lunch, now to live Christmas Eve; perhaps one of the most magical nights of the year. A pantomime, Christmas Eve boxes, treats for Santa, stockings at the end of the bed and a little festive tipple. And surely, it's early to bed, because if you're not fast asleep, he won't come!

Mighty oaks from little acorns grow

There’s no doubt that trees are taken for granted by the very people who enjoy them every day.

Trees are just there, right?   

In the back garden, the local park, along the road side and, of course, in the many forests we use for cycling, walking and picnics, trees are just there. They are a part of our landscape and we watch as they change through the seasons, perfectly filling a gap at every point. The stunning colours through autumn, the stark silhouettes of winter, the lush green leaves in spring and the beautiful blossoms of summer. 

You can’t beat a game of hide and seek in a dense forest, or a tree house to create the best childhood memories. And then there’s the great job they do of converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, providing a habitat for insects and wildlife, turning sunlight into energy and of course growing and nurturing delicious fruit. 

In the main, they are a fairly low maintenance and self-sufficient addition to the landscape, particularly in relation to the huge benefit they provide. 

So, back in 1975, trees were handed some well-deserved recognition with the launch of National Tree Week. Established by The Tree Council, one of the UK’s leading charities for trees, the initiative saw a national replanting of trees after the outbreak of Dutch Elm disease. 

And now, 43 years later, National Tree Week is the UK's largest annual tree celebration, marking the start of the winter tree planting season which runs from November to March each year. 

More than just an event in the calendar, National Tree Week has already inspired more than a quarter of a million people. It’s all about encouraging communities, schools and interest groups to have a positive impact on their local treescape.

It’s a great opportunity to encourage everyone of all ages to get their hands dirty and plant some much-needed trees; we’ve been celebrating their importance for hundreds of years, but the job is far from done. 

Often known as the lungs of the earth, trees play an important role in the world we live in, yet deforestation is clearing forests at a phenomenal rate. Although they still account for 30 per cent of the world’s land area, masses half the size of England disappear each year. In fact, the world’s rainforests could vanish in a hundred years if this current rate of deforestation continues. 

And it’s happening on our doorsteps too. Despite the belief that a tree is never far away, most European countries have a greater abundance of wooded areas in comparison to us. 

At Larkfleet Homes we plant many new trees every year in and around our new housing developments and, wherever possible, we retain existing trees. We also aim to protect the wildlife around our development sites.

National Tree Week is a great, long-established initiative to keep our trees going, and it’s so easy for you to get involved. Schools and community groups can join the Tree Council as a member organisation and get lots of ideas and inspiration for successful tree planting activities.   

You can also pull a group together yourself and get your hands mucky for the benefit of your local area. Maybe there’s some vacant land, a local project or even a school that could benefit from the planting of more trees. And even better if you involve the children too; it’s a valuable pastime for helping them to understand the benefits that trees provide to us all. 

And don’t forget to tell everyone about your activities too. Spread the word and encourage friends and family to join in and help your local community; there’s a free poster on the Tree Council website and then there’s the power of social media. 

So, if you’re inspired and keen to get started, simply check out the Tree Council website to see if there are any events near you to join in.

On show at Collingham Brook

We’ve just opened a new show home at our Collingham Brook development in the highly sought-after Nottinghamshire village of Collingham.

The five-bedroom house is of the design that we call Thirsk – a detached home with a double garage. You can buy one for just £429,995.

The show home has been decorated and furnished to give you an idea of what your own house at Collingham Brook could look like - even if you choose to buy one of the other nine different property types on offer.

And our ‘show home promise’ is that we use only full-size furniture and ‘no tricks’. We’re told that other developers sometimes use things like shortened beds and remove internal doors to give an impression of more space.

Collingham itself offers an array of amenities including three churches, three pubs, a post office, medical centre, pharmacy, dentist, takeaways, butcher and convenience stores, library and a primary school. There are regular train and bus services to Lincoln and Newark – and from there you can get a main line train to London, making Collingham Brook convenient for commuting or for leisure days out in the capital.

The university cities of Nottingham and Lincoln are within easy reach by car or on the frequent local bus services.

With the rolling landscapes, parks and woods of Robin Hood country in the west, and the traditional seaside experience of the east of England coast just a day trip away, Collingham is an ideal centre for active families.

All the homes at Collingham Brook are built using eco-friendly timber frames and they are all fitted with solar panels that will cut your power bills by allowing you to generate your own electricity. In addition, they are all covered by a ten-year insurance-backed warranty to give you total peace of mind about your new house purchase.

Why not come to take a look around the village and our new show home?

Eating out with Larkfleet

It’s a great tradition that when we have something to celebrate, we go out for a meal. Not so great for the diet, maybe, but heck, it’s a celebration.

So, whether you’ve just reserved a Larkfleet home, completed a purchase, or moved in – here’s a list of places to eat near each of our developments.

We confess we’ve not eaten in all of these ourselves (maybe doing that should be our New Year Resolution?) so it’s just a list without recommendations. But we’ve had fun putting it together from some internet research and a little local knowledge. Each of the entries is a link through to the eating house named in the list. We hope you find it useful.

The Croft at Baston

• The White Horse, Baston
• The Hare & Hounds, Greatford
• The Six Bells, Witham on the Hill

Collingham Brook

• Piccolino, Collingham
• Muskham Ferry, North Muskham 
• The Rose Orchard at The King’s Head, Collingham

Farriers Reach

• San Giorgio,Oakham
• The Wheatsheaf, Oakham
• 10 Dining Street, Oakham

Whittlesey Green

• Vesuvio, Whittlesey
• Sonargaon Tandoori,Whittlesey
• Cookhouse,Whittlesey

Gretton Valley

• Royal Tandoori, Corby
• A Tasca, Corby
• Olive, Corby

And around our sites down in the south west of England you could try ..

Hawthorne Gardens

• Celandines, Ilminster
• Barrington Boar, Barrington
• Langford Fivehead, Taunton

Cornwood Chase

• Nandon, Ivybridge
• Rochelle’s River Café, Ivybridge
• First & Last Bistro, Ivybridge

Larkfleet Rise

• The Hankridge Arms, Taunton
• The New Mill, Taunton
• Monkton Inn, South Monkton

Churchinford Hills

• The Lamb & Flag Inn, Blagdon
• The Pig at Combe, Gittisham
• Bare Grills Smokehouse, Taunton

Black Friday deals – save up to £20,000 on your new Larkfleet home

Is this a ‘first’? Over the past few years we’ve seen Black Friday deals cutting the costs of a whole host of goods – but we cannot remember seeing it being applied to houses.

This year, though, Larkfleet is picking up the Black Friday theme and giving discounts of up to £20,000 on selected homes if you reserve before 30 November and then complete the purchase before the end of the year.

From Ivybridge in Devon to Collingham in Nottinghamshire, there are some great deals on offer.

• £5,000 off selected two and three-bedroom homes
• £10,000 off selected four-bedroom homes
• £20,000 off selected five-bedroom homes
• £15,000 off selected bungalows

So, a two-bedroom Holland style bungalow at The Croft in Baston which was £260,995 now costs just £245,995 until the end of the month and the detached five-bedroom Musselburgh house at Collingham Brook which was £344,995 is now available at the Black Friday price of £324,995.

All the details, including a full list of the homes covered by the Black Friday deal, are here.

But just what is Black Friday anyway?

It started in the USA and has now spread across the world. It is the Friday after the US Thanksgiving holiday which is always on the fourth Thursday in November. Most employees get Thanksgiving as a day off (it’s like an English bank holiday – including the fact that in many places, it usually rains!). Many people also take the Friday off as well, giving them a four-day weekend.

To tempt buyers into the shops, retailers started offering special deals on the Friday. And then it spread to the rest of the weekend. And then to all the following week. So Black Friday is now a week-long (or longer) retail bonanza.

And where does the name come from? Apparently, it comes from the idea that this is the day that shops ‘move into the black’, meaning they have enough money to cover their costs while reducing prices.

Whatever the name and meaning, though, Black Friday is good news for shoppers – and now for house-hunters, too!

Best books for children

If you’re thinking of buying a book as a Christmas gift for a child, here are some suggestions for ones that you might put under the tree.

• The Books Trust has put together a list of the best 100 children’s books of the past 100 years. There are some titles in the list that we remember from when we were young (not quite 100 years ago!) and some that, to be honest, we’ve not heard of. How many do you recognise? And how many have you read?
• The Daily Telegraph has put together a list here of what it thinks are the best 100 children’s books “of all time”. The list goes back to 1807 with Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb. These retellings of the plays are “literary classics in their own right”, the newspaper says. We wouldn’t argue!
• If you want to come more up-to-date, here is a list of what are said to be 100 of the best children’s books of 2018.
• American charity Common Sense – dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by “providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century”– suggests a list of 50 books all kids should read before they are 12. 
• Amazon has a list of 100 children’s books to read in a lifetime and the benefit of this list, of course, is that you are just a click away from ordering each of the books!

We hope you will have fun browsing and that your young friends will have fun reading whatever you decide to buy.

But why restrict this to Christmas? A book may be for Christmas, but reading is for life. Opening up the world of books to young minds is one of the greatest gifts you can give.

And, if you make use of your local library, it need not be an endless expense.

Get your boiler serviced – save money, save lives

Getting your boiler serviced might not just save you a load of money – it might also save your life.

According to the government, more than 4,000 people go to hospital accident & emergency departments each year because of carbon monoxide poisoning and 50 people die. Most of these tragedies are as a result of faulty central heating boilers.

If you are a landlord, you have to get the boiler in any rental property checked each year. But if you are a homeowner, there is no legal requirement to do anything about making sure your boiler won’t kill you. We think it might be a good idea, though!

If you’ve bought a new Larkfleet home, your brand-new boiler will be covered by a warranty and we’ll have given you all the paperwork for this. But the warranty is only valid if you get the boiler serviced regularly.

Knowing how important it is, we recommend that you make sure whoever looks after your boiler is registered with Gas Safe . Only technicians on the Gas Safe register are legally allowed to work on gas boilers.

As well as keeping you safe, getting your boiler serviced regularly should save you money. A proper inspection and service by a qualified technician will make sure your boiler is running as efficiently as possible and isn’t squandering energy. This will not only cut your bills it will also cut your ‘carbon footprint’ and make some small contribution to tackling global warming. And every little helps!

Regular servicing should also extend the life of the boiler, meaning it will be longer before you eventually need to replace it. That could save you a load of money too!

Once each year should be your target for servicing. As we head into winter, now is the time to do it.

A boiler breakdown over Christmas may put a real hold on your celebrations – have you ever tried to get an emergency plumber over the Christmas holidays? Even if you can find one willing to break into his or her festive holiday to come to help you, you can expect to pay a hefty fee. And, if the boiler needs a spare part that the plumber doesn’t have in the van, you could be without heating until the stores open again after the Christmas break.

House prices moving up again

House prices rose by 0.4 per cent in October – the first monthly increase since February – according to property website Your Move. The average price of a home in England and Wales is now £304,433, up from £301,367 last October.

Your Move says that prices in most regions continued to show growth, with the exception of the south east and north east which showed modest falls.

Overall, though, if you look at the figures for a full year rather than just for October, the annual rate of house price inflation is continuing to fall and is now down to 1.1 per cent. That’s the slowest rate of growth for six years.

But the picture varies across the country. The East Midlands (where we have many of our developments) bucked the national trend, with annual growth of 2.8 per cent.

In London, annual price growth slowed substantially in the past month, falling to just 1.8 per cent, yet there was still an increase of £10,889 in the past 12 months with the average price of a home in London now £620,571.

Meanwhile, figures from estate agent Hamptons suggest that there has been a ‘real’ fall in rents over the past ten years. Over the past decade rents have risen by 22 per cent, but the consumer prices index (CPI) which measures the average cost of goods and services (or the cost of living) has risen 24 per cent.

As with house prices, though, the figures do vary by region. Hamptons says that in the East of England (where we also have many developments) ‘real’ rents have risen by 7.5 per cent over the past 10 years.

And if you look at the short-term trends, Hamptons says that the average cost of a new let in Great Britain rose to £977 per month in October as rental growth accelerated to 2.0 per cent - the highest level since February 2018.

Every region recorded a rise in rents, with the East of England seeing the biggest increase at the equivalent of 3.9 per cent per year.

This all means that you are still better off buying rather than renting. A recent study found that it is cheaper to buy than rent in every region of the country. Average savings are at least £2,000 per year.

You can check out all our new homes here and see what you can afford to pay on a mortgage here.

What to do in the garden in November

We’re not yet quite in the winter season, when even the keenest gardeners can sit back and relax. This is still the tail-end of autumn so there are a few tasks you can get out of the way before frosts set in.

The leaves are still falling, but don’t wait until every last one has left the tree. Continue to clear fallen leaves off the lawn to keep it healthy. If you leave them too long they will kill the grass underneath.

And talking of leaves, if you’ve not done it already, put nets over your pond (if you have one) to prevent leaves falling in. If you need to clear pond weed, lay it next to the pond for a day or two to allow wildlife to escape back to the water.

If you haven't already aerated your lawn, there's still time to do it before winter. Either use a lawn aerator or simply insert a garden fork at regular intervals and lean it back slightly to let air in.

And now’s the time to give the lawn its final cut of the year. Set the blades on your mower to their maximum height and give the grass a trim that will last the next few months until it starts to really grow again in spring.

Now is also the time to edge your lawn, to create a neat and tidy appearance that will make future maintenance easier.

November is the ideal month for planting daffodils, tulips and other spring-flowering bulbs. If you are planning to make roses a garden feature next year (and for years to come) November is also good for planting bare-root bushes. Existing roses could usefully be pruned to prevent ‘wind rock’ during the winter, when gales blowing through the branches can loosen roots.

Tender plants need protecting from frost, gales and freezing rains – and now is the time to do it. Move plants into a greenhouse if you have one or consider wrapping plants or pots. Also think about putting pot stands beneath pots and tubs to prevent winter water-logging.

And finally – remember that winter can be a tough time for birds. Now is the time to get into the habit of regularly putting out food and water. Apart from the pleasure of seeing birds in the garden this winter, you will be helping yourself. Birds are gardeners’ friends and will keep pest numbers down all year round.

There is lots more advice on this month’s gardening tasks on the Royal Horticultural Society website at https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/november.

Time to get away?

Summer holidays seem like a long time ago – especially if you decided to get away before the schools took their break – and Christmas is still a few weeks off. Many people are thinking that this is a good time to take a long weekend to recharge their batteries now that the clocks have gone back and it's definitely ‘autumnal’ outside.

But where to go?

We’ve taken a look at some of the recommendations being made by people who know about these things. Here’s what we’ve found.

The Daily Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/articles/best-european-city-breaks-and-hotels/ lists not just cities in European countries such as France, Italy and Spain, but also recommends hotels in each of them. Rival newspaper The Guardian has a different list of cities and hotels at https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/european-city-breaks-for-autumn-preferred-hotels while Conde Nast at https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/european-city-breaks-for-autumn-preferred-hotels provides yet more options.

Trip Advisor https://www.travelsupermarket.com/en-gb/blog/inspiration/top-10-autumn-city-breaks/ gives its view on the top ten city destinations that includes not just Europe but also the Americas.

If you don’t want to travel so far, the UK still has much to offer – even at this time of year. The Guardian presents its list of ten ideas at https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/sep/23/top-10-autumn-weekend-breaks-small-uk-british-town-city. The Evening Standard’s top 25 selection is at https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/25-of-the-best-autumn-breaks-in-the-uk-a3357496.html.

Or you could just stay at home! Turn your phone off, unplug the TV and curl up with some of those books you’ve been meaning to read for ages – like the ones you took on your summer holiday but never actually found time to look at.

Or maybe (dare we mention it?) take a weekend out to do some Christmas shopping before the stores get too crammed with folk like us who leave everything to pretty much the last minute.

Whatever you do, wherever you go – have fun!

Our photo shows beautiful Barcelona - a city mentioned on several of the top destination lists above.

You can’t have hygge without candles!

The Danes allegedly burn more candles per person than any other nation – and that’s all to do with hygge.

If hygge (pronounced 'hue-ugh') has passed you by, let’s explain that it is the Danish idea of being comfortable and cosy. It has been something of an international lifestyle and fashion trend over the past two or three years. It’s all good (we reckon) but maybe slightly over-hyped (which is definitely not hygge!).

And whenever you hear about hygge, you soon end up hearing about candles. In the winter, the Danes burn them all day long to create a cosy, welcoming lighting for the room (we’re talking about home here, not the office – but there’s a thought…). In summer they come in handy for light once the long days come to an end. Apparently you just can't have hygge without candles!

And have you noticed how often there is a candlelit garden, teamed with twinkling lights and an open fire in romantic comedies? This could be a ploy by Hollywood to tap into our desire to have more 'hygge'.

Candles provide a more natural light than electricity. In Danish they are called levende lys which means “living light”. After a day under the strip lights of the office, shop or factory, levende lys provides a definite change of style.

But hygge is more than candles, of course. You can make your home more hygge with smart, minimal and intentional design. "Less is more" is the unofficial hygge motto. So, if you’re thinking about how to make your home more hygge, ask yourself, "Does this piece of furniture or item make me feel more relaxed or cosy?" If not, consider moving it or giving it away!

And your lifestyle can be more hygge if you ‘chill out’. Stop rushing about. Relax.

When you get home tonight, light some candles, wrap yourself up in a blanket and drink a warming cup of hot chocolate. Happy hygge!

Have fun, stay safe on Bonfire Night

Bonfire Night this year is actually on Monday next week (5 November) but many people will be having parties or attending events over the coming weekend.

If you are planning to have an event at home, here are some sobering statistics:

• According to the NHS, there were 4,436 incidents with fireworks last year that required an ambulance or a trip to A&E.
• According to the UK Fire Service, over the past five years more than 350 pre-school children, some only a year old, were treated in hospital for fireworks injuries.
• According to the government, around half of all firework injuries happen to children under the age of 16.
• According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, far fewer people are injured at public displays than at family or private parties.

And talking of 'sobering' statistics – best advice is that the person in charge of the bonfire and fireworks should not be drinking alcohol. If you have someone who is the ‘designated driver’ for taking people home, hand him or her the matches!

But don’t be put off by the statistics. It is possible to have a safe and fun bonfire party at home. Just follow these simple tips:

• Ensure that you actually have enough room in your garden to safely light fireworks. Not having enough room can increase the chance of injury to those attending and damage to your property.
• If you don’t have a suitable tree or post, avoid Catherine wheel or other types of fireworks that could damage your fence if that is where you were thinking of pinning them.
• Clearing up the garden can reduce the risk of something going wrong. Remove any furniture that isn’t required, clear away dry leaves and move anything that you or your guests may trip over in the dark.
• Let off fireworks as far away as possible from trees and bushes.
• Only purchase fireworks from a reputable shop. They should have CE and BS 7114 written on the box to prove they conform to British Standards. And talking of the box – make sure you keep your fireworks in a box with a lid on. A stray spark could be a disaster! Take the fireworks from the box one at a time rather than setting several up in advance.
• Keep buckets of water and/or a hose that is hooked up to a water source nearby. Hopefully you won’t need them, but prevention is better than cure.
• Pick where your spectators are going to stand and then measure out a ‘clearance distance’ of at least five metres – more if you are having some large fireworks. Most fireworks are sold with information about how big a space you need, so make sure you check this when you're buying them. Once you have worked out where people are going to stand, make sure they stay there. Set up a rope barrier if you can. 
• The bonfire, if you are having one, also needs a clear space around it. Make sure that kids running around cannot trip and fall into the flames.
• Keep an eye on the children – little ones don’t appreciate the danger and may duck under the rope to take a closer look at the fireworks or fire.

But don't forget sparklers for the youngsters; these can create really magical moments. Make sure they wear gloves, though, and don’t run around with sparklers in their hands.

Not everyone enjoys fireworks – and pets can be distressed by noise – so talk to your neighbours to let them know what you’re planning. Think about inviting them to come along (they cannot really complain about the noise if they were there!).

It all sounds like a lot of hassle and ‘health and safety gone mad’, perhaps. But it is actually just common sense and, if you follow these tips, you can have a great, safe, party.

Enjoy!