Page 125 - Latest Articles - castlefixing.co.uk

Person arranging a bonsai tree and a smoking incense rock on a ceramic tray in a sunlit room.

Penjing, not Bonsai: How China’s miniature landscapes are winning hearts and becoming home décor.

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

Many people who encounter Penjing for the first time instinctively think of Bonsai. A closer look makes it clear that...

Person repotting a green houseplant by a sunny window with gardening tools on a wooden table.

“I noticed soil smell before plant health” and it never failed me

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

The first time that odd, heavy odour rose from my plant pots, I was only half paying attention, thumb-scrolling on...

Person placing freshly baked pizza with basil, tomato, and cheese on a wooden board near an open oven.

The easiest way to bake homemade pizza with a crispy base at home.

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

The smell arrived first: thick and cosy, faintly sweet from the dough, with a tiny edge of singed flour hanging...

Young man choosing colourful shirts from a wardrobe in a brightly lit room with a mirror and fan nearby.

Psychology points to the three colors most frequently chosen by people struggling with low self-esteem, and what they may reveal

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

The woman facing the mirror pauses a beat too long. She lifts a red jumper, then slips it back into...

Doctor in white coat applying cream to patient’s hand at a desk with medical bottles and stethoscope.

Dermatologists betray big brands by secretly crowning an old school cream as the new gold standard

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

At 7.42 a.m. in a cramped dermatology clinic in Brooklyn, the waiting room looks as though a beauty counter has...

Woman planting pink flowers in a garden bed with gardening tools nearby on a sunny day.

Bergenia: the evergreen perennial that helps keep weeds down

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

With one particular perennial, you can save yourself a large share of the back-breaking work. Wherever soil is left exposed...

Hand pressing power button on blender mixing a light yellow liquid in a modern kitchen.

The clever trick of cleaning blender jars with warm water and a drop of soap

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

The blender jug is slumped in the sink, murky and judgemental, with a beige smoothie crust and oats glued to...

Scientist in a lab coat examining a petri dish with Stonehenge in the background visible through the window.

Stone Age Farmers’ Secret: How an early plague shook Europe

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

Archaeologists have argued for generations over a dramatic rupture in the Neolithic period. A new genetic study from Scandinavia now...

Hands holding a jar of tomato sauce with a spoon over a wooden kitchen counter by a window with basil.

Você conhece o truque da colher para abrir um pote teimoso?

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

A plain glass jar can turn into the dinner-time villain, locking its lid at the exact moment your appetite kicks...

Man holds a map overlooking a winding canyon river, with a compass and notebook on the ground beside him.

The Colorado River’s largest tributary flows ‘uphill’ for over 100 miles — and geologists may finally have an explanation for it

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

For many years, geologists have wrestled with an apparent contradiction in the American West: the Colorado River’s largest tributary seems...

Family of three sitting on cushions around a low wooden table enjoying a meal in a bright modern room.

Goodbye to the dining table first seen abroad : the new trend from abroad that replaces it for good in homes

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

No grand timber dining table, no set of six matching chairs, no centrepiece patiently waiting for a Sunday roast that...

Hands planting pink and purple flowers in a rectangular terracotta pot on a sunlit balcony.

Dianthus ‘Bumbleberry Pie’: a low-maintenance perennial carnation for summer

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

Many hobby gardeners are after exactly this: a low-maintenance plant that looks good all summer, takes up very little space,...

Young woman in casual clothes sitting at a table with skincare products, a notepad, and a phone showing a video call.

Dermatologists say this cheap old-school moisturizer beats luxury creams and influencers are furious

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

Not the shiny “clinical” jars locked behind glass. Not the serum priced like a weekend break. Just a plain, slightly...

Woman applying facial cream, sitting by bathroom sink with skincare products and a round mirror nearby.

K-Beauty tip: £11 treatment gives dull skin a radiant glow.

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

Online, beauty fans are raving about a Korean anti-ageing treatment said to deliver a fresher glow, plumper-looking skin and fewer...

Person sitting on bed sprinkling baking soda from a glass bowl onto wooden floor in bedroom.

Why placing a bowl of baking soda under your bed can have surprising benefits for your home and sleep

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

I laughed the first time someone told me, “Just put a bowl of baking soda under your bed.” It sounded...

Person choosing paint colours from a colour swatch fan on a wooden table with a colour chart notebook.

Why do you keep reaching for the same colour?

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

The question feels straightforward enough: why does that one shade keep calling you back? You buy the same hoodie in...

Person holding freshly laundered, steaming clothes by a washing machine in a bright laundry room.

The temperature mistake many people make when washing bed sheets

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

Fresh, warm, properly clean - or so she assumed. A fortnight later she was absent‑mindedly clawing at tiny red bumps...

Young man holding colour swatches near hanging pastel-coloured shirts in a bright room.

Find The Colour That Best Describes Your True Personality

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

Most of us settle on a favourite shade almost by habit. Yet colour psychology suggests those preferences can point to...

Teacher marking papers with a red pen in a classroom while students study in the background.

When AI writes better than the student: the homework tool shaking up classrooms

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

The bell had only just finished ringing when the whispers began to travel around the room. Not about a test,...

Woman in apron cooking with air fryer and slow cooker on kitchen counter with fresh vegetables and phone nearby

Goodbye air fryer as a new kitchen gadget promises nine cooking methods and leaves home cooks fiercely divided

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

A streamlined new worktop appliance is starting to challenge the air fryer’s crown, with brands claiming it can stand in...

Hand opening a foil lid of a yogurt pot on a wooden countertop with bowls of berries and nuts nearby.

Nutrition expert raves: This Lidl product for £1.40 is really worth buying.

Harriet L. Whitcombe • May 05, 2026

In day-to-day life, two goals often collide: keeping the food shop as cheap as possible while still eating reasonably well....