Malcolm Fisher's glorious garden in Manly Vale. Photo: Robin Powell

People make gardens for all kinds of reasons.

For Malcolm Fisher, a garden is an opportunity to connect with the natural landscape. And not just any natural landscape, but the pre-development landscape of his home. His garden is on its way back to what Captain Arthur Phillip trekked through when he explored the area around what is now Manly Creek in 1788.

For Fisher, a resident of Manly Vale for 20 years, exotic species and clever new native hybrids bred for bigger flowers and easier gardening are anathema at best, weeds at worst.

Yet, Fisher allows the introduced species camping in his garden to be overtaken by the bush, rather than ripped out. His is a patient approach to wilding the backyard. His only intervention is to plant seedlings of local species and to occasionally battle the onion grass. So gazanias still bloom over the front wall, and the lemon tree that was once the only living thing in the long narrow backyard is still there, though now dwarfed by banksia and hemmed in by humming pines.

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Fisher's path back to the bush started with a campaign to stop the sell-off and development of part of the catchment above Manly Dam. The campaign failed but the Save Manly Dam Catchment Committee stayed together and took on the project of saving Mermaid Pool. The rock pool at a bend in the road leading to Manly Dam Reserve was named in the 1930s for the naked girls who used to swim in it. The idyll was smashed when suburbia arrived and the pool became a dumping ground for building rubble, general rubbish and garden waste.

It was here Fisher honed his bush regeneration skills, his awareness of the incredible diversity of Sydney sandstone and Cumberland plain flora, and his rage against introduced weeds.

The beautiful pool and its rock face surrounds were choked with garden plants gone feral. Lantana, the tradescantia that is variously called wandering Jew or creeping Christian, morning glory, ivy, monstera, agapanthus and others had monstered the bush, and the pool was full of water weeds and rubbish. Now the pool is coming back to life (though the mermaids are yet to make an appearance).

In his own garden, too, Fisher faces a long wait before the incredible diversity of the local bush re-establishes. But there are plenty of treats in the meantime: the scarlet lips of kennedia, spikes of fragrant rock orchids, giant clumps of swamp lily, weird local hakeas, hanging hands of hop bush and lots of wildlife. He welcomes signs of bandicoot action, the arrival of ring-tailed and brush-tailed possums, blue-tongued lizards, water dragons and geckoes. There are frogs in the pond and native bees busy in the lomandra. This is less a garden than an un-garden, and the very long time locals are loving it.

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Siren song of backyard wilderness in Manly Vale

Interior Designer Melanie Gaboriault talks wall murals
Melanie Gaboriault has been an aficionado of design since she was a child. She was the only kid who saw the charm and character in an old home, or appreciate...

By: Murals Your Way

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Interior Designer Melanie Gaboriault talks wall murals - Video

MICHELLE BURGESS believes that if you look and if you listen, a house will tell you what to do.

This is the story of what the interior designer/artist did to hers.

There are pictures of family and things I found. Antiques and bits from relatives. Art from those she likes and admires. Burgess is not above Ikea nor beneath fine textiles. The latest item to settle in is a love seat that belonged to a friend. Every time I had a dinner party I borrowed it from her. Last year at Thanksgiving she brought it and said, Here, this is yours.

It all comes back to family and friends at the place she calls Taylor Cottage, cheery cherry red and tucked into the woods of Bainbridge Island.

About 15 years ago, Burgess and her husband, Henry Shepherd, were searching for a house on the island. Shepherd was raised here. (Also, beaches are minutes away in three directions.) Friends told them about the cottage, but it was out of their league. They bid on a house in Port Madison. But it didnt feel right. They took the offer back. A year later the cottage was still for sale.

Burgess knew it was the one, her first and, so far, only house. The little place is both an intimate and interesting choice for a woman who is often called upon to transform and personalize far grander homes for others.

I didnt anticipate that wed still be here or that the building would still be this size, she says.

Burgess guesses her home is 1,600 square feet. She is being generous. Its kitchen to living room, left through the pocket doors to the master bedroom (also Burgess office). Daughter Paloma sleeps in the other bedroom off the short hallway. The attic has been conscripted into a bedroom for daughter Ava and office for Shepherd (up a ships ladder in the kitchen). One bathroom.

Out back, what was once the garage is now the Party Palace, one room that holds a table for 12, a chandelier in the rafters, waiting to be called upon to cast a welcoming glow.

Thats it.

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Small house is a great house for interior designers family

My Square Meter By Tessa Prieto-Valdes |Philippine Daily Inquirer

AMINA Aranazs Ethan Allen New Eclecticism Campaign office setup

Fashion and interior design move in the same color patterns and design trends. From classic furnishings to contemporary home fashion, both art fields integrate creativity and self-expression.

Ethan Allen, an authority in fine home furnishings and accessories, has recently incorporated these two powerful design fields into beautiful showroom displays at its shop at The Residences at Greenbelt, Makati City.

Exclusively distributed by Focus Global Inc., Ethan Allen (visit http://www.ethanallen.com.ph) has more than 80 years of furniture expertise and has always been known for its classic designs with modern perspective. Coming into the next phase of interior design, Ethan Allen ushered The New Eclecticisma style approach that caters to the design-conscious passion and creativity.

CHAT Fores Ethan Allen New Eclecticism Campaign living room setup

3 powerhouse designers

This design concept emphasizes self-expression and individualism. Ethan Allen translates this into reality through an in-store collaboration with three powerhouse designers.

According to Ethan Allen Philippines senior brand manager Melissa Valdez, The New Eclecticism makes the product lines more accessible and versatile, encouraging design senses to create original and personal styles.

The displays feature exciting and very unique combinations of materials, prints, patterns and finishes that may not necessarily match but marvelously work together into well-composed living spaces. The brand presents the bold and unexpected with a spectrum of colors, palpable textures and accents coming beautifully together to create the perfect combination of the modern home.

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2 powerful design fields incorporated into beautiful showroom displays

Electricity "The Spark Of Life" Your home electrical system provides, energy to heat or cool your home, cook meals, drive power tools and perform many other useful functions. Residential lighting provides comfort and security, on the darkest of nights. Used safely and wisely, electricity will continue to enrich our lives...

Welcome to Sparkie's Home Wiring 101. A easy to follow, electrical wiring resource, for the everyday "Do It Yourself'er" and weekend project dominator alike. Covering basic electrical concepts, practices and DIY projects. And by breaking projects down, into step by step tutorials, you too can wire that switch.....and MORE!

Electrical Basics ~ How Does A Switch Work? The "switch", we use them daily, to turn on and off lights or dispose of last night's dinner. A simple, yet powerful device, capable of controlling any situation, with just the flip of a switch....

Electrical Basics ~ Residential Wiring Diagrams... Keeping in mind that the "source" is both, the startingpointand the return point of an electrical circuit, you can use that knowledge to map any wiring situation. Below, we'll go through the more common wiring scenarios that a homeowner may run into...

Electrical Basics ~The GFCI : Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter The Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter or GFCI, senses any leakage or loss of current, on a electrical circuit, that may be flowing through a person. When the GFCI detects a loss, it ...

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Home Wiring 101~ Electrical Basics For Homeowners ~

Most homes built before 1950 or so were wired using a system called "knob-and-tube." K&T wiring is a two-wire system (there is no ground wire); the wires run through porcelain tubes for protection wherethey pass through wood framing pieces, and are supported by porcelain knobs along their length to prevent heat build-up.

K&T wiring is common in older Northeast Ohio communities. You can usually spot the knobs and tubes in a basement ceiling or unfinished attic. Left alone, K&T wiring is extremely safe, according to most electricians. Problems can occur when the system is altered by such things as:

What if you own a home with knob-and-tube wiring? Certainly, you don't have to rewire your home immediately. But, be aware that you may encounter problems down the line if you want to change insurance carriers, or when you sell your home. It's not a bad idea to have your system checked by a licensed electrician to ensure that everything is safe, and to evaluate whether replacingyour K&T wiring with a more modern system might be worth the cost.

There is a lot of good informationavailable online. Check out articles by theInternational Association of Certified Home Inspectors andold house web.

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Knob & tube wiring can make getting insurance difficult: The Weekly Fix

ADT West Lafayette OH | Call 1-866-581-7283 to Order ADT Home Security West Lafayette OH Deals
Call 1-866-581-7283 Today For a Free ADT Home Security System When You Sign Up For Alarm Monitoring From ADT in West Lafayette, OH, Ohio: the #1 Home Securit...

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ADT West Lafayette OH | Call 1-866-581-7283 to Order ADT Home Security West Lafayette OH Deals - Video

ADT Brundidge AL | Call 1-877-310-5363 to Order ADT Home Security Services Brundidge AL Deals
Call 1-877-310-5363 Today For a Free ADT Home Security System When You Sign Up For Alarm Monitoring From ADT in Brundidge, AL, Alabama and surrounding areas:...

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Pro-Posal being used on site
Pro-Posal being used on site to close a residential window cleaning job THEN upsell a gutter cleaning!

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Pro-Posal being used on site - Video

Image: Amanda Mustard/Mashable

By Jenni Ryall2014-10-03 13:02:25 UTC

HONG KONG Scenes heated up on Friday in Mong Kok, an area in the Hong Kong district of Kowloon West, as large groups of locals and anti-Occupy Central supporters tried to take back the streets.

On Nathan Road, the main road in Kowloon, a small group of protesters huddled under a blue and white canopy in the middle of the intense scenes. Anti-Occupy supporters acted aggressively and charged towards the peaceful protesters; brawls broke out in the first incidents of crowd violence seen in the past week of the Occupy movement.

Men claiming to be locals said they were sick of the Occupy movement disrupting Kowloon and not allowing them to get to work.

Below, footage from a local news site shows what looks to be tents and portable gazebos being dismantled in Mong Kok.

Some student protesters, who could not stand the violence, were eventually escorted out by police as the crowds cheered. Others sat in tears, while many remained defiant.

At 7 p.m. local time on Friday, a large group of Occupy supporters pushed to the center to offer backup, bringing with them supplies of bread rolls and water. Police put a cordon between the two groups of pro-democracy supporters to segregate the crowd.

People looked into the huge, uncontrolled demonstrations from atop the train station entries, poles and traffic lights. By later in the evening, the aggressors had been pushed out by protesters, and the mood had turned back to a more peaceful demonstration, with protesters offering police umbrellas for cover and applauding them for their work.

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Hong Kong Protests Turn Violent as Anti-Occupy Mobs Swarm the Scene