The Ins & Outs - Garden Jobs For March & Massive Clocks

Episode Date: March 4, 2025

It's a new month so you need to know what you should be doing in the garden in March, Polly has all the info you need!Jojo talks us through the benefits of built in bunk beds and how colour science can impact your children.Polly reveals her closet domination of Colin and Jojo explains why she doesn't like massive clocks.This week we're sponsored by the brilliant Allgreen, masters of stone. Allgreen provide bespoke Stone, Pavers & Aggregates to garden designers, architects and private clients across the Uk. Go check them out at https://www.allgreen.uk/InstagramPodcast - @the_insandouts_Jojo - @houseninedesignPolly - @pollyanna_wilkinsonProducer Andy - @andy_rowe_WebsitesJojo - https://www.housenine.co.uk/Polly - https://www.pollyannawilkinson.com/Pod Rowe Productions - https://www.podrowe.net/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From fleet management to flexible truck rentals to technology solutions. At Enterprise Mobility, we help businesses find the right mobility solutions so they can find new opportunities. Because if your business is on the road, we want to make sure it's of the Inns and Outs with myself Jojo Barr and the ever so lovely Pollyanna Wilkinson. This week we are sponsored by my brilliant friends at All Green, the masters of stone. Now All Green are one of the studio's absolute favourite stone suppliers. They do the most beautiful range, they're based in Somerset and they carry all the stones

that I love from stunning limestones like the Zara Beige through to York stones, they do amazing, beautiful boulders, which we love to use in our gardens as well. And also gravels too. So really everything that you need to hardscape your garden, All Green has it. So go and check them out at allgreen.uk. And I'm very happy to say that quite a lot of All Green is actually in my garden as well as our client's garden. So things like the Harleyford Blend gravel, that's what I have in the studio garden, which I know a lot of all green is actually in my garden as well as our clients garden so things like the Harleyford blend gravel that's what I have in the studio garden which I know a lot of you love so go and check them out.

This week Polly tells us what to do in the garden in March. I go into built-in bunk beds and how colour science can impact your child. Polly reveals her closet domination of Colin and why I don't like a massive clock. So let's jump on in. Good morning to you. Good morning my love, how are you? I'm really well, how are you pal? Catch me up. Not a huge amount to catch up on, pal, over here, I'm afraid. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I've spent the last three days in a hospital room,

so not much to report from my side of things since last week. But let's talk about more lovely things on your side. I'm sure no one wants to hear my doom and gloom. Well, no, how's your pop? How's he doing? Not too great, I'll be honest. He's taking it as best as he can, but he's went back into,

was rushed back into hospital last weekend with another bout of sepsis. And sepsis means 10 days in hospital bed on an antibiotic drip and looking being very, very unwell. So that's only after one round of chemo. So I don't know how well it's going for him on the chemo side. So it's all pretty horrible. Pancreatic cancer is the nastiest of all cancers, so I can't really try and sugarcoat it as much as I'd love to. He's taking an absolute beating. He's pretty

flawed and I feel really like just devastatingly heartbroken for him because it's quite a lifestealer this one. So, but look, we've got to try and find glimmers of hope. We're trying to get him back, get him well enough to get him back home. And then we'll look at the next, what to do next. But yeah, it's tough for anyone. Like I said before, it's tough for anyone going through it because I don't think anyone that hasn't been through it will ever truly understand what it's like to have a sick parent, especially not one that you're very, very close to. So, but here I am, I'm here. I tell you what the hardest thing is at the moment is that I feel like I'm being stretched in three directions. Like if I had three legs, they would be like flat on the floor between work and kids. Rocky's at home today sick, so I've had to be on the road.

So she's not well, she's been running a raging temperature. And then just work as well. My team have been absolutely amazing. But yeah, it's been, I'm fully stretched at the moment in three directions. But you sort of feel like you have to go to the place that is the most sort of pressing. I can never get this time back with my dad and so many people have written to me to say that's the best advice they can give. It's just spend as much time with him as you possibly can.

So are you also, you know, we love the self care. What are you doing for you? Absolutely nothing. If anything doom scrolling, like ways to beat pancreatic cancer whilst lying in bed at midnight, that's always quite healthy. Nourishing.

Really nourishing for the soul that one actually, yeah. Obviously reading books on like radical remission but try and tell, you know, try and tell your old dad, that generation, that they should be sort of drinking beetroot juice and, you know, popping blueberries and just the... I think he will politely invite you to fuck off, no? Well also, pancreatic cancer is like it totally takes your heart. You do not eat and you can't eat and everything you do eat. You've got to guzzle enzyme tablets and he's now type 3 C diabetics.

He's not going to you rely on insulin. It's all a complete mess and it's horrible and it's you know, you'd never wish upon your worst enemy, let alone someone you love. So but I think it's in our and it's innate, it's innately built into us to want to survive or at least to fight for the people that we love the most to, you know, and therefore we keep going to his hospital bed, my sister and I with like more sort of what try this food, try this drink, do this and he's like, Can you please just fuck off and stop trying to make me eat things because

I just can't, you know, He's quite stubborn, my old dad, but he really is. Well, speaking of which, did you, which is sort of, I don't mean to take away from what you're going through, but have you seen Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix? I'm actually, I drink Apple Cider Vinegar in the morning. Tell me, please don't tell me it's bad. What is it?

Have you seen the show? No. No, mate, it's not a beverage. Well, it is, But it's, it's a show about this woman who pretended to have brain cancer and heal it with healthy eating. Oh, she was an Australian. And she pretended and she was pretending. Yeah, Bell Gibson. So she was an influencer and she lied and said she had brain cancer. And then she was like, I've cured myself

with by eating healthy foods. And she set up this thing called the whole pantry. And like, she was huge. She was in with Apple and she had a cookbook, all this stuff. And it was just a big fat lie. And she was like basically telling people that they could cure themselves by eating organic food.

And I mean, that is sick. Possibly there is a thread of truth to the benefits of good eating. There is a thread of truth to that. Of course. But yeah, no, it just made me, when you were talking about beetroot juice, it made me think of it. You should watch it or maybe don't. I think maybe the difference is that when you're going through it and you're younger and you've got young children or you've got a family, you know, a young family, you've got more reason to throw, I'd throw the kitchen sink at it. You'd throw the absolute kitchen sink at it.

You do absolutely everything you could. But I think when you're a bit older, older generation, you think, oh, I've had my time, I've had my life, you know, I'd like to stay around longer. But you know, you've got to think now quality of life versus length of life, I think is kind of more important. So where he's like, I just don't want to eat anything else that you're presenting. I'm like, look, gummies. Oh my God, I found this new super

shake. Dad, I made you bone broth. And he's like, just leave me alone. Stop making me. So no, it is. We've got to get him home because the sun is out and spring is it feels like spring is very, very nearly here. And that just brings it doesn't it? I mean, just for the soul, food for the soul. It's the best kind of food is this natural, you know. Light in the mornings. Okay, but I am interested in what you were going to do to look after yourself though. So I think innies and outies, we would all like to hear

what Jojo's going to promise to do for herself. And then let's hold you accountable to it. It's so hard, Paul. I can't, it's so, I can't, I just can't put myself first. I can't in this situation. I just can't. You can, you can go for a walk. You can, you can take a, you can go for a 15 minute walk.

Brad and I were supposed to be going away for a little retreat this weekend, but it's looking like it might not happen or half happen. Yeah, walking, I take a walking in nature. That might be it. Do something little. It doesn't have to be massive. Yes, little. Walks. I have to say walks is going to be good. Getting out in nature. I'll do that for you all. Okay? I'll get out in nature.

Okay. Well, we should hold you to a candle. Look, I'm drinking a green tea. Does that count? Is that healthy? Something. Something. Don't you worry, guys. I'm going to be back and I'm going to be popping back with far more fun stuff to talk about. But right now, I'm going to ask, I'm going to be popping back with far more fun stuff to talk about. But right now I'm going to ask, I'm going to turn the spotlight on you mate and ask you, how's it going with the book? How did the big launch go? Obviously you hit the Sunday Times bestseller list. Has it been well,

has it been well received? Have you been loving the experience of being an author? Tell me. Yeah, it's going really well. Um, crushing news. I got bumped off the bestseller list this week by adult colouring books. Oh, okay. I mean, I do love adult colouring.

Batsman is very good. Oh, is it you I have to thank for this? It's me. I do love it. It's so annoying because I don't qualify... Because of the nature of the book, because it's a guide, so to speak, it's instructional, it doesn't fall within the general list, it falls within this manual list which we talked about last time. And the manuals are like cookbooks, gardening

books, how-tos, but for some weird reason, adult colouring books that are sold on TikTok by this woman, and they're not for adults they're like cute cartoons they're like they say they're for adults they're not I want to know who's buying these books because they are extraordinary she is cleaning up with her adult colouring books it's because they are it's mindfulness that's why no I'm here for mindfulness but if I'm going to show you what Alabama she just won't leave me alone show you. I mean it wouldn't be an episode without the cat interrupting. I love how you talk to your cat. So that's that's the book news and we've been doing the book tour which has been enormous fun. I've met so many innies and outies. Oh how

lovely. Everywhere we go I feel like someone being like I love the book tour, which has been enormous fun. I've met so many innies and outies. Oh, how lovely. Everywhere we go, I feel like someone being like, I love the book, I love the podcast. I love the podcast. So nice. So joyful. And there's some banging and stuff going on in the garden. I can hear banging and noise.

What's all that, Paul? Well, I mean, it wouldn't be the podcast if I wasn't having some sort of work done, would it? I am looking at three of my amazing team, the Landcraft team, who are building my garden at the moment. So currently I've got three burly men digging up a base for a patio. Ooh, how lovely.

So is this like the time to get out in the garden and start doing things like no digs and all this fun planting stuff? It's now the time, the sun is out, it's starting to feel very springy. There is life in the air. The attention turns back to the garden. Yes it is. So where are we? We're March. This is when things start ramping up. So I feel like I've let everyone off the hook for long enough and you've not had to do that much. And now March is when it all starts. March is when it all starts. And the big one Jojo is the hydrangea pruning. Yes.

It is almost time. And I say almost time because everyone gets very excited about pruning hydrangea, but I need everyone to wait until middle to late of March. So don't take this as your good night. Are we through the frost? Yeah. Is it because of frost? No, nothing to do with frost. Yeah, exactly. So you want,? No, nothing to do with frost. Yeah, exactly. So you want, you basically, with everything to do with gardening,

watch the weather, not the month. So just have a little look-see wherever you live on your weather app, and we want those nighttime temperatures to be consistently above like three, four degrees. Okay. Yeah, so if you're looking and you're like two week run, you've got some minuses in there run, you've got some minuses

in there or you've got some series, just leave them alone. And even if they've got loads of buds on, because everyone freaks out and goes, but Polly, they've got buds on it. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. They're fine. You'll get more buds. Just cut all the buds off, cut everything off. Well, it just, yeah. It doesn't matter. You're fine. So the big old job for March, mid to late March, will be pruning your hydrangeas. And then you can also prune Cornus, Budleia, Cotinus, Smokebush.

And then other than that, there's not loads you need to do, other than I give you all permission now to cut back your stuff. So all the things I've been saying, keep up for like seed and winter interest, cut it all back now. You know, we all have to do it eventually. And yes, I know we've been keeping it up for the wildlife and the interest, but now's the time. So if you've got ornamental grasses or perennials or things you've kept down, it all comes. And the other

little fun thing that you can do is you can start your dahlias off now. So if you haven't ordered your dahlias, I suggest you do. And if you get them, you can start them off undercover. So you're not putting, you're not planting them out. We don't plant dahlias out until the last frosts in like late April, early May. So, but you can start them off now. So that's, there's, there's some jobs for you for March and you can sow seeds now, go for it.

Light levels are going up. So it's nice to be out there in the sunshine. I tell you what, there is a, outside the hospital, St. George's Hospital, there is, bearing in mind it's just been sort of quite graying, rainy, and then suddenly the sun came out when I was parking up my car on Monday,

and I walked past this smell, the most amazing smell, and it was a laburnum tree. All the yellow flowers had come out on this laburnum, and you could smell it from, I mean, you could smell it from up the road. It was absolutely amazing. My dad is a massive tree lover, and he actually said that the road, it was absolutely amazing. My dad is a massive tree lover and he actually said that the flowers though are very dangerous to children.

Apparently it's really, really sick. But it is the most beautiful tree and it smells delicious, doesn't it? It does and also you've got the mimosa out at the moment which I love. The little frothy yellow, I imagine you use them in your photo shoots, don't you? We do use a lot of mimosa in our photo shoots, don't you? Bit of a mimosa. We do use a lot of mimosa in our photo shoots. Although which is the one that then starts to smell a bit funny if you leave it too long? There's one that smells like urine.

Well. Lamonia. Oh, lamomium does smell like wee. It smells like wee. So when we're doing these photo shoots and we're piling up the sinks with all these flowers and blooms, we just couldn't work out what this smell was. Quick Google search told us that it was this limonium. No it can smell quite bitter can't it?

And then speaking of smells, you know last week we were talking about how I've put some trees in the garden, I've put the smelly cement tree in the garden. I don't know why but I thought it'd be a good idea when I was pruning it to bring some of the branches inside because they look beautiful, they're all in blossom. But my God, my kitchen stank. So they went back out again. I mean, you do live in a house with now three boys, so.

Well, yeah, so. That's a great excuse. That's a great excuse when you come to the boy's bedroom. Wasn't me, mum. It was the tree. It wasn't me. My boy, no, they're too young for that thank you. Yeah let's know. When does that age start I don't know young boys. I don't know

hopefully in a very long time. Okay well you've got that fun to look forward to. Well on that note let's do some questions that's in my mind. One thing I do actually I'm curious about is what age you start buying your kids, like, so what size beds do your kids have? They've got double beds. They've got double beds? We went through a bunk bed moment. Did he ever fall out?

Did you ever hear a thud in the night? Well no, because they didn't share a room, so the bunk bed was more for if friends came for sleepovers, which they never did so in hindsight not a goodbye and he slept on the bottom so no he never fell out of it. No I like I do like the bunks where you sort of got desks and things underneath they're really good space savers so it's like a half like a little heart it's not too high and then underneath they've got all their you know bits and bobs and toys and things. Do you put them in kids rooms? We get so many requests for built-in bunks in with our clients.

It's a huge thing. Anywhere we can, please can we get some built-in bunks? Because obviously we've done it in quite a few of our projects and you can have some real fun with them. And they are beautiful. It's a serious bit of joinery, but they do look really, really fun. But I guess if you're going to have... Can I challenge that though, mate?

Because I'm really curious. Because you know a bit like how I say don't design your garden around your kids because your kids grow through things quite quickly. Is there not something to be said for like I mean how you're not going to put a teenager in a built in bunk are you or are you? No but I think I'm always of the mind I think if you're if you're a family that have lots of you know you've got kids with sleep and they're going to be having lots of sleepovers and you have lots of family members that also have young kids, then I think it's a really nice thing to do. So we'll do it for especially sort of second homes or holiday homes because it's, you know,

friends are going to invite other friends who are going to have younger children and it's going to kind of stand the test of time. I think it's going to kind of stand the test of time. Then I think they're absolutely brilliant. I think I'm always really realistic about kids' bedrooms because you design a kid's bedroom in the first instance and every time we work with clients on kids' bedrooms, it's really fun because mom always sort of tends to have the say on what she wants it to look like.

So what we'll do is we'll narrow it down. So if the kids are sort of over the age, usually about seven, six or seven, they want a little bit of a say in what it's going to look like. So what we'll do is we'll narrow it down to so if the kids are sort of over the age usually of about seven, six or seven, they want a little bit of a say in what it's going to look like. But in the first instance, mum gets it to a place where she likes it. And then there might be a couple of, well, you can choose between this wallpaper and this wallpaper, both of which I like. And you can choose between this paper and this paint, which I also like. So it's kind of like it's, it's just letting them make a decision, which I think is really important. I say all the time, I think it's so important.

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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Bet MGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. When the child's bedroom becomes their bedroom, and obviously you've made all the effort and you've put it in and the joiner is lovely and it's painted a beautiful color, it then is the child's bedroom and I'm of the mind that that child's bedroom should be what they want to do with it. So if you go up to, yes I'm an interior designer, you go up to my kids bedrooms, it's covered in stickers and the kids have got, you know, photos of all their friends stuck all over the wall and posters of Bluey or whoever, all over. They're only small for a very

small period of time and I think you cannot and should not control what kids want to put on their walls at such a young age. And I know we can be like, Oh God, it's this and you know, but one day we'll be pulling those posters down and wishing that they were still there. And I just think you've got to let them be kids and it's their little sanctuary. It's their room. So as much as you want to, yeah, obviously if you do it in the first place, take a nice photo before it gets up to you know, trashed, but it's, it's, it's their room. It's their little place to create and you know, grow their little personalities. It's important.

I'm so glad you said this because sometimes I see images on social media of these perfect bedrooms for these like six-year-old child, which has essentially got a very elegant adult hotel room style bedroom. I always think, yeah, they look beautiful. Don't get me wrong. I look at them and I think that wallpaper stunning. I would sleep in there happily. But I also think I'm personally of the mind that I think children should sleep in spaces. Color is extremely important to me. As you know, color psychology is a very big part of what I do. And I think you need to put colors in kids' bedrooms that they're in there a lot. They're sleeping in there.

You don't want to put dark colors. You don't put browns and dark blues and colors that are actually quite oppressive. You want to introduce you know light and warmth and fun because that's changes they get older let them but think about how that color is going to affect your child's mood. It's really important especially if they are you know potentially ADHD, autistic, anything like that. Yeah you've mentioned this before. It's so important don't just think they want the colour blue so I'll stick it up there look at the psychology of that colour because it's really important and especially if it doesn't get much light. Well I want to dive into this then because I'm going to use this opportunity as a question time.

So here is my dilemma as you've, I have double beds because if my parents come to stay or friends come to stay, they will sleep in one of the boys rooms and they are of that sort of transitional age, nine and ten, where and I did a really rushed job of painting both the boys rooms because they were they really just when I moved, they needed a quick job. So I put in some sort of very basic carpet, painted it. But I've got this dilemma of my son who, if I gave him the choice of paint colors and things, it would be like orange. It's an orange room.

Or, you know, some very bright color. And it would be like stickers all over the wall, massive like wall stickers of Arsenal. It's not Arsenal United, it's just called Arsenal, isn't it? Yeah, Arsenal. Arsenal, thanks, sorry. Yes, Arsenal, the choice of whatever. Do you know my raffic, Dad, I always used to go,

you can wash your face and you can wash your hands and you can wash your arse and all. Arsenal! Oh my God, I'm gonna do that with raffic later. It's good, isn't it? Yeah. Sorry, there you go, Arsenal fans, I'm sure you all that with rafi later. It's good. Isn't it? Yeah. There you go. But I also want it to be, and maybe I should just deal with it. I want it to also be quite a nice place where if friends come to stay, I'm not going in here. You are in the sweat den. That

is my nine year old or 11 year old or whatever age they are at the times room. I mean, sleeping in a teenage boy's room. maybe that's not gonna happen. Yeah, maybe as they go, that's what I was saying when they get a bit older. Change the bloody sheet. So I'm in the thing of, I want it to be quite a classic room and then we put some stickers on the wall or something so that it's sort of a multi-age room.

And also I don't wanna do it twice. I don't wanna paint it orange and then three years later be like, and now it's blue, you know, as kids grow kids grow but actually should I just relinquish that and be like do you know what you know if he wants an orange room you can have one and I'm but I'm slightly of the mind that yeah I mean pull back on the orange don't go too wild but orange is a great color for things like concentration so it's not the worst color but it is also slightly uncomfortable color to be in but it's a happy color orange is a happy color it's not the worst thing it is is quite intense. I mean, there's orange and there's orange.

And also do you paint the walls like cream and then you go with orange accents? Well, I would exactly. So things like this is where I love to bring in sort of low height paneling. So half height paneling and then do the half height paneling and a lovely orange. And then above you go with something much more like an off white or something. Oh, you love a high budget option. Well, you know, paneling doesn't need to be high budget, get Colin to do it. It does everything else. He's on his knees with the woodwork as it is. Yeah exactly I mean you know it's just like getting working around the house, a new project. But I think if you're using your kids bedroom

as a potential guest bedroom your priority is your child, not your guest. Your guest will be fine for one night sleeping in a room that is not to their taste. I think it's more important that the room is his room and it's his personality. And I just remember the importance of, I remember when I was little and my mum let me paint my room yellow and blue, like bright yellow with blue accents and it was vile, I mean like horrible, but I just the fact that my parents allowed me that freedom to do that in a little square of our own home was really important. It's you're allowing your children independence and a place to think I have my, this is my stamp in here. It's your space.

Yeah, so I think it's really important. And to be fair, my mum let me paint, an interior designer as well, she let me paint the room orange and I had an orange fluffy headboard. So like I'm being a big fat hypocrite. You are being a big fat hypocrite. So you know what it is?

It's the fact, it's that sense of pride, which you've talked about. It's like I want my guests to be like, and here's your lovely room. As opposed to something about like having your kid's room as your spare room, which makes me be like, yeah, sorry about that. I can throw the pride down to the side and throw it to the side with the kids a little because you've got plenty of time to have a beautiful guest bedroom in the future that your kids will end up coming and sleeping in with their wives and their own children.

So we've got all that to look forward to. Right Jojo. Just perspective. Thank you. Sometimes. There's a whole lot of that happening right now. No, this is good stuff. Sometimes we talk a lot about good design and stuff,

but sometimes you just need to let life happen, don't you? Yeah, I am a real practical. I'm a practical and functional designer. So I believe in beautiful things and I want your homes to look aesthetically pleasing, but there's spaces that you can do that and then there's spaces that you should just throw, you know, throw that away.

And it's your home at the end of the day. And I say all the time, guys, we are interior designers, we are designers. What you see in our photos that we post, I mean, I posted a photo of a playroom the other day. Of course it doesn't look like that anymore. But you know, the idea of it is to show you what it can look like, the colours and we created that. I'm not expecting it to stay looking like that. God of course I'm not. I've never, when I

would post a kid's bedroom, expected it to stay like that. And it shouldn't stay like that. And you know, you go into anyone's living room and of course they'll have introduced all their own things and you know, there'll be stains on the sofa in no time, you know, but that's, that is life. You've got to let, you know there'll be stains on the sofa in no time you know but that's that is life you gotta let you know it's life. You're in my head like a little gremlin now like Colin, Colin's obviously brought his stuff with him when he's moved in yeah and he put a few things on the shelves I was like absolutely not nope that's that doesn't belong there and I was like no you're being a horrible human being and deserves to put his stuff up but also no

yeah Jojo would not allow that on this shelf. You can have this one drawer you will not put your things there oh my goodness he just been like has he just got one tiny little half of a wardrobe somewhere. No no I've handed over half of the half of the cupboards to him which reluctantly by the sounds of it. Extremely reluctantly. Oh my gosh. And then, do you know what's been really fun is the art because I'm like, do we love this? About various pictures he's brought. I'm like, look, if you love it, we'll put it up. But if you don't, can we not? And he's just so sweet. He takes it all with such good humour. Speaking of art, should

we just talk about your lovely pictures that I had framed for you? Oh my God, they're so beautiful. I'll share a picture. The power of a good frame. People complain that, oh, framing's so expensive, but Polly, thank you. I bought four, one euro. I can't remember what the Swedish currency is,

but I bought four. Krona. Krona. Thank you so much. For Krona. I speak a little Swedish. Oh, you and your Swedish. Hey, how are you? Very good. IKEA.

Malm. Maybe that's why I painted my room yellow and blue back in the day. I was just loving Swedes. Right. Sorry, I was just loving the Swedes. Right. Sorry, I digress. Okay. As I was saying, we, when we went, when I went to Gothenburg for, for work last year, it was a sort of lovely, Gothenburg, there's a lovely vintage shop and in there with these old botanical books that they clearly just sort of ripped the pages out of.

And they were selling the pages of these lovely drawings of plants individually for like a krona and so I bought four and I just thought I love these and it's a nice memory and I love to buy little bits like that when we're away and then frame them or sort of meaningful stuff and I was like I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these and then you landed on them and were like we're going to frame these and you've done the most beautiful job because I never would have thought what you've done which is take the colour from the picture and then put a tiny little edge around it and then put it in a nice big white mount and then have the beautiful walnutty brown frame. They're stunning! I will take a picture and put them on the stories. Thank you for doing that. You're a wizard and a

genius. A quick plug, at House 9 we have our own art shop. We've got the little art store at House 9, so you can go and buy your own artwork at House 9. And we can also even curate walls for you, create gallery walls for you if you need our help. Right, should we do some questions? That was a lovely long catch up. Yes, yes, yes. Okay, I'm going to go out to the garden first. I've got a question here from Jasmine. Emergency in capital letters. In the dead of winter, I pre-ordered dahlias. Apparently they were coming next week, but it's still so cold and my pots are full of tulips. How do I make sure they stay alive in naff plastic pots? Ah, well, you wouldn't be planting them out

into pots now anyway. So dahlias, most of the big suppliers are delivering them about now. They'll start arriving in the post even if you ordered them a few months ago. Well done for doing so, got ahead of the big suppliers are delivering them about now. They'll start arriving in the post, even if you ordered them a few months ago. Well done for doing so, got ahead of the game. So two choices, you can either just put them somewhere frost free for the time being.

So try not to leave them in your house because your house is probably quite warm. You want it to be kind of between four and 10 degrees. So like a garage or a shed is pretty good. So you can either just leave them alone and address this in like a month, or you can start now, and this is what I'm gonna do this weekend,

just get a tray of compost and whack the tubers on it and sort of slightly cover the tubers in compost, not loads, they don't need to be completely immersed. Little sprinkle of water, just a little sprinkle of rue, and that's telling the dahlias it's time to wake up. So, and they could sit there for like a month doing that. little sprinkle-a-roo and that's telling the dahlias it's time to wake up. So and they could sit there for like a month doing that and then you're gonna plant them into your individual pots and your naff plastic pots you've talked about

but there's fine just regular pots and you're still gonna keep them under cover and you're not gonna put them out until the frosts have finished so that's well I lay April so you've got like eight weeks to wait to of, so either you can hold off and you can plant them directly out without starting them if you want to in late April, early May, depending on where you live, or you can start them now. So don't panic. There is no emergency.

You have time. Good, brilliant. Thanks, Paul. I have a question from Ginny. She was asking where to find nice kitchen clocks and I am going to add to Ginny's question. What are your thoughts on clocks in rooms? Not in general. Really? It's really clocks. I've never seen clocks in any of your pictures. Do you know, I've got a clock on the wall in my kitchen

and I look at it every single day. My mum bought it for me and it's really crappy, little funny, you know, one with crayons that go around just for the kids to kind of, I've got to learn the time. But I actually realize how nice it is having a clock in a kitchen. And I think ever since I've had that on the wall, I think I can't imagine not having a clock somewhere. But then I guess these days people have people have technology, don't they?

So they either look at their phones or they have a what's that brilliant Alexa that's attached to the speaker with this? You know, you've got your it's like an iPad that moves around. That's usually a great big clock. So old fashioned clocks. Love it., that's usually a great big clock. So old fashioned clocks, I mean, I love a grandfather clock. Oh, me too. I love them. I don't think you see enough of them these days and they make a lovely

noise, don't they? But I do think, I'm torn because I think I see them sometimes and I think they're quite, they're quite a prominent feature somehow, a clock, and they are a constant reminder of what the time is. And I don't know whether seeing a clock, does it put you in the moment or does it make you think you've got to be somewhere? Does it put you out of the moment? I think it makes you more punctual. Does definitely make you more punctual.

Maybe we should put a few more in your house, Jojo. Maybe we should do that. If I'm going to put a clock on the wall, I think there's the, what are they called? Newgate, Newgate clocks, those famous iconic, I don't know what era they are. They are traditional, but they're actually not. They're more, I think of anything, they're slightly more mid-century sort of that vibe, sort of that era. I prefer the more traditional clocks like the Jones, I think they're called Jones clocks, slightly more traditional. I'm thinking more like a Times New Roman with the Roman numerals rather than the numbers. Oh! I think I prefer Roman numerals on a clock. This is very, we've really delved into this.

No, but I love it. I already get in there with the clocks. Maybe it's because of the clock. Let's just keep saying the word clock as well because it's ceasing or mute. It doesn't mean anything anymore. No, just clock, clock, clock. It's a bit like when you write something down,

the more you see it written, the weirder it gets. Have you ever done that before? You're like, it doesn't look right. Like the word your, and you're like, your, your. And it's like, that's not right. Is that spelled right? Your? Weird. Anyway, so I think, I think there's something about Roman numerals. I think some of these just look like they sort of, I don't know, maybe there's more, more digits. They look like they blend better.

It's less of a one, two, three. And what about a finish? Do we like a black rim? Do I? One, two, three. And what about a finish? Do we like a black rim? It's a, I, do I? What? I love a walnut. It's still a bit. Quite like a walnut rim. Yeah, I love a walnut rim.

It very much depends, it very much depends on your interior and your style, but I personally prefer something a little bit more traditional, a wooden frame, Roman numerals, that's my clock vibe. And where are you putting it? Are you putting it above a door? Above it, somewhere like above the door, yeah.

And I also, okay, here's a, I do have a pet hate. I hate giant clocks. I hate those clocks that are so big that they're like, people put them in, you know, like the size of a satellite dish. Yeah, just look, they just look utterly bizarre and totally not cool, I'm sorry, massive clocks. I'm probably gonna be absolutely hated

by a number of people out there that like, I love my clock. So you hate massive clocks? I, I, I, I love big. From fleet management to flexible truck rentals to technology solutions. At Enterprise Mobility, we help businesses find the right mobility solutions

so they can find new opportunities. Because if your business is on the road, we wanna make sure it's on the road to success. Enterprise Mobility, moving you moves the world. So quickly. Clocks, I cannot lie. I don't like great big clocks. Okay? There, I said it. Right, let's go to the garden. Okay. Oh, we have fun.

We do have fun. Oh dear, that's made me laugh. Okay, Paul, this one's from Mary. Mary says, we have heavily tumbled limestone in our kitchen, which leads out onto the patio terrace. Please, can you recommend a limestone for the south-facing sunny terrace? Yes, I can. I'll recommend the one I'm putting into my garden. Oh, wow. Now that's an inside outside tip.

I know. So this is this is by All Green. This is by our sponsors. And it's called Zara Beige, which is actually spelled Z-A-H-R-A. And the reason I like it is it's because it's one of the deeper toned, more fossil-y limestones. So there's, as we've talked about before, you can get a really pale limestones which I try and avoid. I spend my life trying to find the ones which have a greater depth of color so they're not going to be really bright in the sunlight. So and then you've said that it's tumbled so what you can do and you can, if you phone all green they'll do

this for you, that you don't have to have the finish that's available on the website. So if you, and this is true of all stone suppliers, you don't have to have the crisp format. It can be hand finished so they can fettle the edges so that they're softer or you can have different sizes as well. So there's a degree of customization with your stone. So if you want something, so for example the stone in my kitchen has got sort of slightly Tumbled edges ever so slightly. It's not hardcore tumbled. And so we're going to hand Bash fettle the edges of the ones going outside. So they're softer

So I would recommend you look at Zara beige by all green I'm actually just looking at it now and it's really there's a really nice picture of it in the sunshine It's a really beautiful colour. We love it, it's one of our faves. And also just having little fossils is just something so lovely about that. It just makes it feel so natural. I think that's what gives it soul. So I would really recommend that.

Beautiful. Thanks, Paul. Okay, I have got a question from Jazz. Are log burners in or out? Oh, this is a really good question. When you say in, do you mean in trendy or in regulation wise? Because log burners now are not, they're not banned in the UK, but they must meet much stricter environmental standards than before.

And this regulation came into effect in 2022, so not long ago, and that require all new wood burning stoves to meet eco-design standards. So I'm not going to go into it too much but I would say the reason being is it's to reduce, the intention is to reduce harmful emissions understandably, so you know cleaner more efficient models are available. So go and do your research first but and therefore they're not banned because I think people are slightly worrying at one point that they might be banned and that they would never be allowed to burn you know anything in them so but I think I

love a log burner but I definitely think there's a place for it and I think you've got to remember with log burners and I think so many people put them in and they don't actually realize quite how much heat they kick out a log burner is an extremely efficient source of heat and therefore if you've got a room that's got un-fueating or radiators and it's a very small room make sure you don't go and buy a whopping log burner because you'll boil because you'll boil but again if you are going to get a log burner and it's a lovely big room then fantastic. I personally think log burners they've got to be the right scale for the room and I do also think they've got to fit nicely within it. I don't like when it's just a painted

mantle and then there's just a log burner in it with no sort of surround. I think there's something about log burner that feels to me like it's quite, they're quite sort of country. Yes. In a London setting, if you're not going to really be using it, I'd almost prefer to have a lovely sort of open grate and go with something a bit more like ethanol, but it depends if you need the heat. So get a log burner. Bioethanol doesn't give off a lot of heat at all does it?

No it doesn't, but they can look lovely. There's really nice looking sort of these logs and things now that are fantastic. But I think log burners are fantastic if you really do need the heat. Otherwise, I think they just look a bit... No, not right. Brilliant country settings. I think in, I don't... Yeah, in. I'm going to go in.

I'm relieved, Jojo, because I've literally just installed one. Yeah, no, definitely. So I was like, where's this going? They're in just being considered about what it looks like and the style and you can get lovely, you can get, there are so many other options available now that actually really pretty and you can even go like cream, you know, it doesn't have to be black.

Oh, I like a cream one, yes. Yeah, but more simple. Okay, good tip. Okay. Well, I've had enough. We've done quite a lot, we've done a lot there, yes. Yeah, a bit more simple. Okay, good tip. Okay. Well, I've had enough. We've done quite a lot. We've done a lot there, haven't we? We've done a lot. So come on then, what's in, what's out?

Well, what's in is spring. Can we say spring? Is spring in? Spring in. I don't allow it. March is spring. It's feeling for me like we're on the turn. We're on the turn now and it just feels like it just feels the Sun has got is kicking out some heat

And I'm enjoying it. It's lovely. I love it. It's joyful. Isn't it? I weirdly I'm now waking up before my alarm Because of the Sun. Yeah, it's lovely. Isn't that like one of life's biggest pleasures? It is. It really, but isn't that just also nature's way of being like, it's safe to come out now. Yeah. You know? Yeah, it is. The bears are coming out from the cave.

What is in for me is the blue jumper I am wearing right now. I am completely obsessed with it. You know my passion for knitwear. I do. And I have found my new favorite jumper. It's by Hush. It's called the Neenah. It's like a wool jumper,

but it's sort of slightly fisherman. It's navy blue wool, fisherman vibes with like nice seams on the shoulders. And I'm just, classic piece. I'm so happy with it. That jumper's about to sell out. So there you go, Hush. Get it quick.

And not an ad, just a fan but I'm just you know I am a passionate advocate of good knitwear and yeah you can't be good knitwear. I found a great jumper. Yeah and also because we're in this sort of transitional we're in a very transitional fashion phase right now aren't we? We are. You're sort of like, oh God, do I put things away? Do I get them out? Do I put a winter coat on? Is it gonna be a raincoat? No, the winter coats are still out, aren't they?

It's still nippy out there. Winter coats, winter coats out. And then what's out for you, please? I've got, it's not an out. I'll do what it is, it's sort of out. But you know when you, it's actually not even an in or out really, I'll just put it out there. You know when you come across an artist, like a musician, and you hear a song and it puts shivers throughout

your entire body and you think that is the most beautiful music I've ever heard. I found this guy called Mon Rovia and I'd never heard of him before, but OMG his voice just gets me, I'm actually going to share it. It's Monrovia. Monrovia. The song is called Crooked the Road. It is the most beautiful. I mean, I could just quickly play it, but I won't.

Should we put that on the stories? I won't play it here. I'll pop it on the stories. But it's so beautiful. I think you've all got to go and listen to him and just enjoy. My out is school angst. Oh. Because at the time this goes out,

I will have found out what secondary school my little one has got. And I've got to tell you, all the mamas going through this, my heart is with you, because it is so stressy, and you forget how stressy it is until you're back in it. And then it's worrying about the future of your kids is sort of the most, and I'm sure they will thrive wherever they are,

but it's worrying about where they're gonna go and the unknown is just so horrible. So it's just going through that at the moment. So that's a huge thing, Paul. So I hope he gets into the school you want. Fingers crossed. I'm gonna do a very, very, very quick out. And that is a shout out to one of my closest friends, Tara,

whose baby came out last night. Yay! And his name's Bertie, and he's scrumptious little bundle of joy. And I love Tara so much. She helps us at House 9, but she's also become one of my closest friends in the whole wide world. And I love you, and well done. You're an amazing, amazing mommy.

Welcome, tiny human to the world. Yes, just in time for spring. Which leaves me to say, don't forget, don't forget, if there's one thing you remember to do this week it's to like, subscribe and write a review. I have noticed there are more reviews, mummy always notices. Well done everyone for making mummy proud. From fleet management to flexible truck rentals to technology solutions. At Enterprise Mobility, we help businesses find the right mobility solutions so they can

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