Tried and tested: Gardening equipment

Mark Jennings tried and tested some helpful gardening equipment that make life a whole lot quicker and easier.

As a stay at home dad of two young children, I have to spend a lot of time concentrating on general household chores with little time when the wife's off work to spend in our size-able garden with over-complicated garden machinery and equipment.

It finally looks like summer's here and quite frankly apart from mowing the lawn once a fortnight, little work is done to compliment our adored, but slightly neglected garden. I wanted to try out accessible products that are not only popularly priced, but easy to use being appropriate for today's busy young family.

Gtech ST05 Li-Ion Cordless Grass Trimmer - £69.95

The Gtech 'ST05' grass trimmer is not only very good looking (yes I need to get out more) but very lightweight, only 1.5kg and the small but powerful 14.4v battery Li-Ion battery with 30 minute running time is incorporated neatly into the handle. Being cordless it's ideal for larger gardens like ours, so no need for the inconvenience of extension cables and having had string trimmer heads in the past that constantly snap and tangle instead of uncoiling, the plastic blade option is much less hassle that leave you with nice, neat edges.

But one of the things I liked most about this proficient trimmer is the adjust-ability, not only can you swivel the head through 180 degrees, adjust the handle for comfort, but there's a telescopic shaft that extends and shortens for those hard to reach places or just for comfort making it a genuinely versatile trimmer.

See more at: www.gtechonline.co.uk            

Kärcher 'WD3.500P' Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner - £149.99

When it comes to uncomplicated simplicity, you can't go wrong with Kärcher's 'WD3.500P' Wet & Dry Vacuum Cleaner. Let's face it, when you want to vac out the car for example, you don't really want to do it with the house vac. This powerful 1400w heavy duty cleaner not only sucks up ample debris, unblocks sinks and water spills but has a blower function that can be used from clearing leaves to blowing up inflatables.

It really does pack a punch with an airflow rate of 68 litres a second and I had no problem clearing up some wood chippings from my front garden in no time at all. Also included is a handy power tool adaptor that means you can plug the 2 metre suction hose onto the back of a jigsaw for instance, plug into the machine and it switches on and off with the vac - ingenious!

See more at: www.karcher.co.uk            

WOLF-Garten 'CSA700' Li-Ion Power Chainsaw - £179.99

Another 'handy' item for the garden is the compact cordless 18v Power Chainsaw from WOLF-Garten which is really good for sawing through wood with a diameter of around 70mm is ideal for people like me who've never used a chainsaw before. After you've charged the battery, it takes only a few minutes to set-up and once you've added the chainsaw oil (available separately) and read the safety instructions you're off.

From full charge the Lithium-Ion battery should last you around 40 minutes running time which you can do over 100 dry cuts at 70mm. It's nice and light and at just over 2.5kg you won't get stiff or tired and safety being a must you have piece of mind with the 2 hand safety switch and assured grip. Once perfecting my technique, the quality Oregon cutting chain made light work of of the pile of quite sappy conifer branches that I'm drying out and saving to use in the future.

See more at: www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk

The Handy 2400w Impact Shredder - £99.99
The Handy 2600w Garden Blow Vac - £41.99           

After chainsawing your conifers or other trees, you're left with the problem of easily getting rid of all the unwanted smaller branches, but 'The Handy' 2400 impact shredder will shred all your garden waste up to surprising 40mm in diameter! You may think of shredders being incredibly noisy and dangerous, but with a little common sense are perfectly safe and I expected it to be a lot noisier. Minimal setup is required and it's very easy to move around the garden and use. Just feed the branches into the top of the machine hopper and the powerful 2400w motor with it's sharp steel cutting blade makes it easy work. The blade has two cutting edges, so when it finally becomes blunt can reverse it to use again. You can then either use the waste for composting or it makes for easier compact transportation up to the local tip.

When upon it's time to clean up all the mess 'The Handy' 2600 garden blow vac is perfect for the job. Not only can you either suck up garden waste into the 35L collection bag (can compact leaves 10 times smaller to their original capacity), but also precisely blows any debris away to the corners of your garden perimeter. This blower/vac is very simple to use and the single speed 2600w motor is extremely powerful. With a shoulder strap it makes it effortless to walk around in comfort and with 6 metres there's plenty of cable to access a wide area of your garden. For the casual gardener like myself, this really is a useful product and great value for money!

See more at: www.notcutts.co.uk

Packed lunches may be off the menu: A healthier education is needed

As the stay at home dad in our family, I have the wonderful job of staggering down the stairs at 7.30am every morning to make our daughter Amber's packed lunch.

Not only does the bar have to be set high by her expectations for something awe-inspiring every single day, I also have to make sure she's getting the right amount for a balanced healthy diet.

With the news today that schools have been 'urged' to ban packed lunches by a government-commissioned school food review, I can't help feeling like we, the responsible parents are being treated like school children ourselves!

My daughter has a cooked meal every evening, anything from a Sunday roast style dinner to spaghetti on toast, but I make sure it's a balance of food she likes and something I know is healthier than just chips and nuggets every evening.

Yes, I agree I'm not perfect, but at least I'm in control. Does having a cooked meal at school mean she'll be having two cooked meals a day, or do I have to give her sandwiches for tea?

Another reason why I'm slightly at unease with this idea is apart from not knowing what my child is eating everyday, how will I know if she's eating what we're paying for?

The teachers can't possibly observe every child to make sure they're eating their greens, not that a school child would choose vegetables if they had the chance.

And on a matter of cost, there's mention of actually lowering the prices to boost take-up. Healthy food is far too expensive to implement this and I can see cost just going up and up OR the standard of food going down and down!

Beyond doubt contracts for school dinners will go to companies that can provide the cheapest competitive prices, but at what real cost in the long run?

Surely as a responsible adult, we the parents need to be accountable for the health of our beloved children. It's just another case of the feckless spoiling it for everyone else.

If they choose to put fatty crisps, sugary fizzy drinks and chocolate bars into their kid's lunch box, that's their nonchalant decision and we should educate those parents.

Why should I have the control of what I think is best for my children taken away by the uncaring parent and totally out of touch government?

A 6th Sense from Whirlpool

"..hands that do dishes can feel soft as your face..erm, not for me they don't!"

When you've got a busy, young family and have to wash up about 10 times a day your hands are far from soft. And when our dishwasher of 10+ years decided enough was enough and went pop, I was left with piles and piles of dishes everyday from tea stained cups to baked on Weetabix, a dishwasher is just one of those items you can't do without!

When you've got a busy, young family and have to wash up about 10 times a day your hands are far from soft. And when our dishwasher of 10+ years decided enough was enough and went pop, I was left with piles and piles of dishes everyday from tea stained cups to baked on Weetabix, a dishwasher is just one of those items you can't do without!

Upon choosing a new machine, we wanted to try out a reliable, energy efficient model and when you think of quality kitchen appliances, Whirlpool are among the best in the world. The ADP 8693 is a part of the Whirlpool Green Generation that's not only energy efficient, but water efficient too using just 11 litres of water in a typical wash giving it an A++ rating.

This large capacity appliance holds up to 13 place settings and I was surprised when I overloaded it with my Sunday dinner remains how crisp and clean the results were. You can adjust both racks so you can arrange your crockery to suit your needs, I particularly liked the adjustable flaps in the top rack for my wine glasses that were always too tall and kept falling over or breaking in my previous washer.

Whirlpool prides itself on their exclusive 6th SENSE PowerClean technology which senses and then adapts to measure how dirty the water is, saving you up to 50% on energy and time.

Having our last dishwasher for such a long time, I was very stuck in my ways - probably out of repetition, so I was slightly apprehensive on re-educating myself on something I used automatically. I was instantly put at ease by the uncomplicated control panel and features and was glad of the LED wash time display with digital countdown indicator for that all important advice on the 8 different wash programs.

For an extra thorough clean for really baked on food (eg: a shepherds pie), there's the option for Whirpool's unique PowerClean jet system which uses 28 water jets at the back of the lower rack to blast away any stubborn dried-on food without using any extra water.

As well as being intelligent and super efficient, this Whirlpool is very hygienic for your family too, it's antibacterial hygiene wash and rinse kills 99.9% of all bacteria and even has a self cleaning wash filter for continuous optimum performance. I found this a very quiet (about 42dB, so ideal for open plan living) and a low energy machine that doesn't compromise on cleaning and drying even on the rapid 30 minute wash and I couldn't believe the intensive wash, my glasses came out looking brand new and have never been so clean!

Priced at £449. For full product specifications and information, please visit: www.whirlpool.co.uk

Kids love cycling: Get on your bike this summer

Need help choosing the right kids’ bikes? Save £££'s online and instore from Halfords. Stay at Home dad, Mark Jennings reviews 2 children's bikes.

Jacob and Amber on their bikes

As it seems that finally the British weather is starting to warm up, there's no greater way to get the kids fit having fun in the garden by updating their old cycles with the latest great models and fantastic offers at Halfords. Our 9 year old daughter, Amber, is growing up fast and our 2 year old son, Jacob, is getting more and more boisterous and mobile. So when I checked on the bike situation in the shed, Amber's was far too small and rusty, plus this would be our sons 1st proper bike. When it comes to piece-of-mind, you can always trust Halfords to deliver quality, safe products.

The cycle recommended for our maturing pre-teen was the cool looking Apollo 'Krypt' Girls Mountain Bike. Our daughter's into 'Green Day' and 'Blink-182' at the moment so she loves the Gothic-Style decals which perfectly harmonize with the metallic silver/purple paintwork. With a good spec for a childs bike the 'Krypt' boasts front suspension for a smoother ride, 18-speed 'Shimano' gears, front disc breaks for complete but careful breaking all housed on a solid steel frame with 24" wheels!

Amber on her Apollo Krypt Girls Mountain Bike from Halfords

Our daughter found this very easy to ride and with a change of gear for the grass, was whizzing around the garden in no time at all and this well made bike gave her total confidence immediately. Now when she comes home from school after her homework she asks if she can go out and play on her bike instead of her games console, so that makes us very happy!

www.halfords.com

Our little boy's choice of bike was the adorable Apollo 'Firechief'. What budding trainee wouldn't be thrilled to get straight into the action on his wicked bright red Fire and Rescue wheels complete with siren, megaphone and emergency toolbox!

With safety in mind, there’s full chain and mudguards so busy fingers don't get dirty or trapped, front and rear brakes for extra confidence and detachable stabilisers for eventually when your little one has enough firmness to try two wheels only! Our son was fearlessly straight onto this bike encouraged by the brightness and interest in the extra gadgets. It's recommended for ages 3-5 so when his little legs get a bit stronger I'm sure he'll be off in no time at all!

Jacob on his Apollo Firechief Boys Bike from Halfords

Apollo Firechief Boys Bike - 12" WAS £159.99 NOW £69.99 SAVE £90.00 www.halfords.com

Helmets have become a necessity especially when it comes to the safety of our children and Halfords have got a range to suit every age and style. For our daughters bike the MET Crackerjack 'Pink Hearts' Bike Helmet goes well and is very in tune with her age group. Well fitting, It features an anti-pinch buckle, a safe-t-twist retention system for easy adjustment and an LED rear flashing light! And for our sons bike the Apollo 'Firechief & Police Patrol' Bike Helmet, with it's action and emergency scene decals makes it the perfect match. It has a dial-a-fit system so is easy to adjust without stress, adjustable straps under the chin and plenty of ventilation holes to keep them cool. He loved it so much he screamed his head of when i was time to take it off! Both helmets of course conform to EN1078 safety regulations.

MET Crackerjack Bike Helmet - Pink Hearts (52-57cm) WAS £34.99 NOW £27.99 SAVE £7 www.halfords.com

Apollo Firechief & Police Patrol Bike Helmet (48-52cm) WAS £17.99 NOW £14.39 SAVE £3.60 www.halfords.com

Halfords also offer a FREE 'Bike Build & Safety Inspection' on all new bikes which you can see all about this in this short video, so you really don't need to worry about all those nuts & bolts, seat heights and tricky gear adjustments.

Prices are web exclusive - Save While You Shop on All Bikes. Spend £100 save £10, Spend £200 save £20, Spend £400 save £40, Spend £600 save £60. Discount Applied in Basket. The offer ends Tuesday June 11 2013.

SEGA Super Sonic Raceway experience at Brooklands

Where better than to view the latest SEGA products for 'Sonic the Hedgehog' the iconic blue anthropomorphic hedgehog that has the ability to run at supersonic speeds than Mercedes-Benz World at the historic Brooklands racing circuit.

Our Children, Amber 9 and Jacob 2½ were treated to a one-off afternoon of fun activities including face painting, testing out the latest Sonic game and even speeding around in electric Go-Karts!

Amber with Sonic painted on her face

After meeting the SEGA team, Amber and her friend went to get their faces painted whilst Jacob played cars with the 'Sonic & Knuckles Meccano Chemical Plant Racing Playset'. It gave me a chance to look at the wide range of 'Sonic the Hedgehog products now available in the 2013 product catalogue. There's everything from plush toys to bedding, t-shirts to personalised cakes and even a Sonic bike - Sonic's come a long way since I remember playing the original game on my Mega Drive in the early 1990's!

Now looking the part with her Sonic facepaint, Amber climbed in her Medium Speedster for a few hot laps of the Brooklands Hall. They were timed laps so everyone under 1.5m had a go, but I think she must have had at least 15 goes! At a more leisurely pace, Jacob didn't hesitate to try out the 'Little Learners Drivers Zone' that's available to the public for 3-5yr olds. He absolutely loved testing his road skills on a specially built indoor road course behind the wheel of a miniature SL-Roadster!

After a spot of lunch and some flag making, our daughter and friend tested the latest Sonic racing game 'Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed' - an improved sequel to the last game where players can alternate between car, boat and plane modes and where you can earn boost by drifting around corners or performing tricks whilst in the air. With new weapons and challenges as well as old favourites, this is must for any Sonic or Racing fan.

Our Super Sonic afternoon came to a close with a Medal Ceremony for all the children where the received a certificate, medal and goodie bag to remind them of their racing experience and Sissel Henno head of brand marketing at SEGA Europe thanked us for coming! ...no problem, anytime!

We wrapped up the afternoon by looking around the excellent 'Mercedes-Benz World' exhibition (which is free to the general public) something for the bigger kids as well as the little ones. Apart from the Formula One, historic and modern sports cars to look at they offer several driving experiences to suit any ages over 1.5 meters tall.

For more details please visit:  www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk   

Boardman makes 'light work' out of cycling...

Being a keen cyclist (when I get the time and weather permitting) I always look forward to getting out for a cycle ride in the countryside, but I didn't realise how out-dated my old mountain bike was, until I went on a 30 mile bike ride with my brother. Yes it had lots of gears, disc brakes and full suspension, but it weighed an absolute ton! I was using twice as much effort to pedal than he was, yes, you could say I'd be burning calories faster, but it totally took out the enjoyment of the ride. When looking for a replacement cycle, one of my main priorities was that it not only had to be lightweight, but also strong as I'm quite a big guy. The Boardman Mountain Bike range fits this bill perfectly...

Boardman Bikes are a British bicycle manufacturer, founded in 2007 by the Olympic Triple World Champion and World Record Holder cyclist Chris Boardman. He's described the Boardman Mountain Bike range as - "At the heart of each Boardman hard tail MTB is a high quality UK designed and tested XC specific frame, built with custom butted and carefully profiled tubing. Combine this with a top spec component package from the world's leading brands and you have a versatile bike, as much at home on the race track as it is on your local trails." Chris Boardman MBE.

An excellent example from this mens hard tail MTB range is the 'cboardman COMP' with it's honest value for the more earnest cross country trail rider. Weighing in at 12.5kg total, the lightweight 19" alloy frame is constructed of triple butted aluminium tubing and has an exceptional high strength to weight ratio. The custom tube profiles are designed expressly for the forces and performance measure of off-roading.


I was instantly impressed by the fluidity from the ride of the hi-spec 'Suntour Epicom' 120mm air-forks which made for an effortless and comfortable ride across rough terrain. These forks have the option of adjustable rebound damping and lockout which returns the fork slowly to it's natural ride height and slows the springs down to help them absorb impacts more.



This combined with the two 'Avid Elixir Juicy 3' hydraulic disc brakes make for an assured, reliable ride in all weather conditions.
The SRAM X5 gear levers are ergonomic and precise, shifting the 27 gears cleanly and definitively, giving you confidence whilst putting the power down through the 26" wheels. The 'cboardman COMP' is a good looking quality bike and you won't be disappointed with the spec.

The MTB range is only available to order from Halfords or direct from Boardman stores. All Boardman bikes are fully built by Boardman mechanics and can be delivered free to your home ready to ride (with a free 6 week safety check), they only require a twist and tightening of the handle-bar and the fitting of one pedal.

The future sound of Hi-Fi?

With an abundance of the population leaning towards the popularity of smart phones and inevitably music lover's collections turning digital, whether you adore or loath them, it looks like 'Audio Docking Systems' are here to stay.

The RDP-XA700 from the SONY 'X Series' is one such example of the growing trend towards the total music experience via your iPod, iPhone, even your iPad. Don't let the minimalistic design fool you though, this solid 3.3kg system oozes quality from the brushed steel control panel to the smooth opening action from the docking station tray.

Initial set-up is as simplistic as it looks, the basic functions are as easy as plug in and play. You will need to download a free App called 'D-Sappli' from iTunes which is a dedicated App that allows you to change the output from your iPhone speaker to the docking unit itself. Once you placed your device in the dock and selected the music you want to play, you press the small rectangle box near your volume on your device and you can choose to listen through the player. You can also play through 'AirPlay' which i'll talk about later.

The RDP-XA700 has an impressive crystal clear sound through the 'magnetic fluid' speaker units, with the 'dual passive radiators' producing a powerful 60w deep bass sound. With this level of applification, you don't need two cumbersome speakers bolted to your wall, it's all here in this compact, elegant system. We all know how long our iPods and iPhone batteries last, but this isn't a problem as they charge whilst playing at the same time and you can control your content wirelessly with the handy little remote control. Will it replace my beloved SONY seperates and vinyl currently gathering dust in my loft? Probably not, BUT this is a welcome addition to the modern family home and definitely one of the best sounding and stylish currently on the market.

The SONY RDP-XA700iP (£399) is available with free postage direct from www.sony.co.uk

AirPlay Magic!

Airplay is a communications software developed by Apple that allows wireless streaming between devices.

You can connect the system wirelessly to your LAN router using 'D-Sappli' or 'NS Setup' to stream your library content from iTunes via a Mac or PC. This took a little more time to set up as it depends on whether you have a WPS link button on your router to link to the unit, if all else fails you can hard wire them via a network cable.

Also for review is the SONY SA-NS410 wireless network speaker, which allows you to play music anywhere in your home near a mains power supply. This has obvious advantages when it comes to fixed wall speakers, plus various family members owning different devices can listen to their own music collections (you can also sync speakers to play the same music on additional speakers). This modern, sleek looking speaker also packs a punch with it's four outward facing tweeters with integrated woofer, delivering 360° of powerful, clear sound. It's very easy to set-up and again you will need to download a free App called 'NS Setup' from iTunes to play your chosen device wirelessly through this great speaker. 

SONY have a product called 'Music Unlimited' where you can use various devices via the SONY Entertainment Network website through laptops, PC's or even through your Bravia TV that can gain access to millions of music tracks or hundreds of radio stations which can be then played through the speaker. But the thing that I most enjoyed about the SA-NS410 is via 'AirPlay' which streams your music from your iPhone directly to the speaker. It's ingenious, I'd never heard of this technology before but always wished it had existed, now it does and my wireless music dream is complete!

Both the SONY RDP-XA700iP (£399) and the SONY SA-NS410 (£199) are available with free postage direct from www.sony.co.uk

Kärcher puts on the pressure...

When you think of big brand names for certain products, you think of Sony for Walkman, Dyson for bag-less vacuums and Kindle for e-book readers. But even I have to admit Kärcher wasn't yet in my limited vocabulary when it came to choosing pressure washers. Don't get me wrong, I'd always new those bright yellow machines existed, but I always forgot that name!

Alfred Kärcher invented the high-pressure cleaner in 1950, with the introduction of the 1st portable devices in the early 1980's. Kärcher originally set up his business in 1935 and in 1939 the company moved to Winnenden, Germany, where the family still has its headquarters to this day!

The job in hand was to clean a very large stone patio, pathway, steps and parking area, so it really would put the 'Kärcher K5.800' that was recommended for us through it's paces. With our area recently being made a drought free zone, I had piece of mind that this model features an Eco switch which reduces energy and water by 20% and with the wettest drought on record, you even have the option to source water from you garden water butt!

Minimal set-up is required out of the box, a simple click of the wheels and handle. The only screwing required is the dosage regulator (the unit comes with detergent if you so wish to use) and once you've attached the pressure hose and spray gun you're ready to plug in, attach the water supply and off you go.

You have a choice of 3 high pressure nozzle attachments depending on your cleaning needs. The 'Vario-power spray lance' which adjusts from low to to high pressure jet with just a twist at the end is ideal for all types of cleaning. The 'Dirt-blaster lance' is a rotary nozzle lance for seriously embedded dirt which uses a more precise and powerful blast (up to 50%). And finally the 'T300 T-Racer lance', which is an extended 'broom like' lance that works like a hovercraft, with 2 rotary fan jet nozzles and encloses the water so you don't get wet! This is recommended for patios and areas you don't want splash-back, but I personally preferred the 'Dirt-blaster lance' for the majority of the work.

Immediately on start-up, I was slightly taken back how powerful the 'K5.800' was compared to the cheaper DIY shop branded pressure washers that I've had before, maximum pressure from this unit is powerful 140 bar. The 14.5kg unit weight doesn't feel particularly heavy as it's on wheels an you don't really have to move it much as the high-pressure hose is a very generous 9 metres in length. As I mentioned you have the option for detergent with the simple 'Plug & Clean' system.

Depending on your task there's 6 detergents available that can be placed easily into the visible chamber for cleaning use on either wood or washing & waxing your car. I didn't need to use the detergent this time as the 'Dirt-blaster lance' effortlessly cut through the black embedded dirt with ease and in one afternoon I was left with a gleaming white path!

When thinking of those bright yellow pressure washers you see in the shops, think Kärcher, the 'Rolls Royce' of cleaning systems. For all types of cleaning jobs big and small, take a look at the fantastic range of Kärcher pressure washers on-line at www.karcher.co.uk and available from all good DIY stockists.　

Rear Seat Entertainment at Halfords

Keeping your young ones entertained in the car can be pretty impossible sometimes, especially on long car journeys.

Once you've got completely sick of playing eye spy and your eldest has flattened the battery on your smart phone it's time for a different tactic.

The Next Base SDV49AC twin in-car DVD players avaliable from Halfords are ideal for such occasions because you can either both watch the same film, or, as in our case with children of different ages, two different films.

With headphone sockets on both, we elected our eldest to wear hers, whilst our toddler sat glued to the screen, listening to Waybaloo until he fell asleep!

The SDV49AC 9" screens are are LED backlight high resolution panels with 800 x 480 RGB true colour pixels, which gives you brilliant picture quality even at wide viewing angle.

The thing that I loved about this slim player is that it supports a number of disc and formats including DVD, DVD+R/RW, DVD-R/RW, CD-R/RW, CD Audio, XviD, MPEG4, MP3, DivX, JPEG, JPG, which means you don't have to just ruin your best Disney DVD's.

You can not only play your home recorded DVD's, it has a USB and SD slot for playing your movies taken straight from your PC. You can also listen to your favourite stereo MP3 music and even 'rip' CD's to MP3 format, instead of having to go through the rigmarole of starting up your PC.

Set up is very easy depending on your car. After charging both units with the supplied mains adapters your ready to put them in the car. The head restraint mounting kit comes with both units and only takes 5 minutes to fit.

The rechargable battery last for over 2hrs, but If your going on a long journey, I recommend fitting the 12v power lead (supplied) into the cigarette lighter to keep it fully charged. As I said earlier, the players can either work independently or with an AV cable (supplied) taken from 'master' player to the other so the same film can be watched. Both units also come with headphones and remote controls to keep those little ones happy.

The SDV49AC is a good quality, easy to use player and excellent value for money, especially if you buy online at Halfords.com

Price: £199.99.

Please visit: www.halfords.com

Let Gardencare take the strain out of gardening..

If you're an amateur gardener like myself, the new Gardencare range is just perfect for you.

'Gardencare Self Propelled Lawn Mower 22" LM56SP'

 
With products such as Lawn mowers, hedgecutters, chainsaws, blower vacs and many more, you're assured to find what you need at affordable prices.
The Gardencare range was created by Henton and Chattell, the UK's largest garden machinery distributor. Founded in 1931 with over 80 years experience you can be guaranteed quality products and excellent customer service.

The lawn mower I reviewed, the 'Gardencare Self Propelled Lawn Mower 22" LM56SP', was the biggest in the range as I'd be mowing a lawn of over 1500m2 a slightly daunting task you might think?
Out of the box, there is minimal setting up required, just a swift adjustment of the handle made easier with the quick fix nuts, then filling with 4-stroke oil and petrol and you're ready to go.

You have 3 options for the way the grass is dispersed. You can either attatch the large 75ltr grass bag, use the side discharge flap or just the normal cut and mulch as I did. Being 'self propelled', before starting the engine, you can choose the speed at which you want to walk behind your mower with a simple throttle control lever guaranteeing nice straight lines.

The machine is propelled  by a powerful 190cc Briggs & Stratton engine (B&S have manufactured small engines for over 100 years) and with an easy pull on the recoil starter I was instantly amazed how effortless it was to use for a big steel mower. Where we've had such inclement weather this year, parts of the lawn have grown sporadically, it certainly made light work of cutting where past mowers have just given up and stalled! With a 22" (56cm) cutting width it doesn't take long to skim around the garden and with 5 preset cutting heights ranging from 27-75mm and large rear wheels making it suitable for all lengths of grass.

I can't fault this high spec, good looking machine. With both speed and ease, it gives you more time to enjoy your garden and I've even found it's actually a pleasure to use rather than a chore!

'Gardencare LR262 Long Reach Hedge Cutters'

If you need to access those out of reach hedges, may i recommend the 'Gardencare LR262 Long Reach Hedge Cutters'. More and more nowadays with our busy lifestyles we forget about the simple things like how tall are hedges are getting and before you know it, you can't reach the top safely without a ladder!

This smart looking trimmer is very flexible to suit your needs. The 26cc engine powers the 16"(41cm) sharp double sided blade through the fully adjustable handle shaft with a max reach of 2.2m. Although weighing 8kg (comes with a support strap), the engine acts as a counter balance to the rotating cutter blade so you can cut in comfort when cutting taller hedges at any angle through 90 degrees for that expert looking finish.

Again, out of the box there is a minimum of setting up required. Simply attatch the trimmer gearbox to the drive shaft with a locating screw and a clamping bolt then adjust the angle of the blades to the desired angle, and then tighten the bolt firmly back in place. For the fuel you will need to mix petrol with 2-stroke oil in a 40:1 mix ratio, but this isn't a problem as it comes with it's own mixing bottle which is cleary marked with the mixing levels.

After doing all the safety checks stated in the owners manual, starting the engine isn't as complicated as I first thought. Once you've added the fuel and pushed the air purge bulb to add petrol to the fuel lines, you follow a simple procedure to start the engine (when you've done this once, you'll remember again for next time).
This is a well balanced trimmer and easy to use. With it's rubber hand grips and grouped controls for ease of use and comfort. The Gardencare LR262 Long Reach Hedge Cutters are a fully featured and exceptionally priced trimmer with excellent value for money they are certainly a cut above the rest!

Visit www.gardencaregb.com for your online Gardencare digital brochure to view the latest products and the new standard in garden machinery.

Get Kinected!

If like me you have an XBOX 360® and a young child who wants to play on it all the time, you may worry that they're spending too long playing on the console (especially considering the kind of weather we're having just lately) rather than playing something more active, then worry no more. Nothing can replace jumping and running around outside in the garden, but with the Kinect™, it's the next best thing.With the Kinect's drop in price from £130, when it was launched in 2010, now down to £99 on amazon.co.uk, it's the ideal opportunity with over 18 million units sold since it's release (and also holds the Guinness World Record for being the "fastest selling consumer electronics device") to see what all the fuss is about!

Upon opening the box, it's so easy to set-up with an easy 'Quick Set Up Guide' even my technophobe mum couldn't fail. One of the myths is that you need the size of a football pitch for your play area - you only need 6ft for single player or another 2ft for a maximum of two players. Once you've plugged in, mounted the sensor and cleared a space it's time to insert the disc that came with the sensor. This will take you through an on-screen guide necessary to calibrate the sensor with your distance and playing area using your hand as the cursor. It also recognises your voice and face so it can pick you out in the room and determine who you are!

Now it's time to play! Our Kinect came with the 'Kinect Adventures' game, but may differ depending on your package. Using yourself as the controller, you journey through exotic locations, jumping, kicking and dodging through fun obsacle courses. If you think you felt silly playing this game, you can be reminded as it captures your picture in the 'Photo Moments'. It will definitely get your 'heart pounding' as it advertises and you'll most certainly break into a sweat, which has got to be good for you right?The only slight drawbacks that I can find with the Kinect™ are whereas the Wii and Playstation Move have four player modes, the Kinect™ only has two (but lets face it, how often do you play with three others) and that it's aimed more towards children rather than hardcore gamers. But if it keeps my child happy and fit on rainy days and cold nights, I can't argue with that. Additionally the Wii console is getting very dated and with the Playstation Move you having to hold a big lollipop, the Kinect™ is quite simply unique and the best!

www.xbox.com 

Pump 'n' Pitch with Vango Tents

It's been nearly 30 years since I had my first tent and was allowed to camp in my back garden. I remember emptying all the tightly packed bits and laying all the separate poles out eagerly ready for construction. Over the years, tents have become overly complicated, with their incomprehensible instructions and bendy fibre-glass poles! Not anymore so it seems with the Vango AirBeam® range of tents, which offers an advanced 'no poles' structure. I was slightly sceptical that it was so quick and easy to erect a tent in under 5 minutes, but now you can.

Mark and Amber at The Hop Farm festival 2012

I tested the 2 man tent, the 'Vango AirBeam® Velocity 200' and what better place than the Hop Farm Festival at Paddock Wood, Kent. The bag that it comes in seems on the larger size for a 2 man tent (as it also houses the excellent quality hand pump), but only weighs 7.5kg and can comfortably worn over your shoulder or as I found across your back.

Amber with the super speedy Vango AirBeam tent

Once you've pegged the four corners of the all-in-one tent (groundsheet already attached) you attach the pump to the base of each AirBeam® and inflate with only a few effortless pumps. The beauty of this apart from the speed is that if it's raining you can quickly jump in straight away before you have to complete the construction. After you've pegged the rest of the tent and guy ropes, you attach the inner tent with easy colour coded clips which takes seconds and hey presto, you're done, it's as easy as that!

In complete honesty it probably took me about 10 minutes to erect, only because is was the first time, but would easily take less than 5 minutes now that I know what I'm doing. The only draw back to this is you've got to wait around for everyone else to put their tents up! One of the first things I noticed once the tent was up was the rigidity compared to all of the other tents around me, it was a windy day and it hardly moved. There's double entry doors for ease of access and extra ventilation on warm days that lead into a very ample porch space (enough room to even sleep 2 children) - the actual sleeping area being a large 210x140cm.

For more information and pricing of these remarkable tents, please visit vango.co.uk

Check out this cool video...