- 10 minutes ago
Better Homes and Gardens 1996 Season 32 Episode 29
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00:00Hello, I hope your weekend's off to a great start.
00:02It's wonderful to have your company for the next hour of tips, tricks and ideas
00:06for around your place on Better Homes and Gardens.
00:09So if you're looking for a helping hand or hoof, we've got that as well.
00:14Tonight, the doctor will see you now.
00:17Sometimes the very best medicine is in the form of four long legs and a fluffy face.
00:24Open plan living can make a room seem smaller.
00:27Adam's got a project that could divide opinions.
00:31We can try and close it in a bit, make it a bit more cosy,
00:33and we can give you more stories at the same time.
00:37Plus, a truly multicultural feast for the eyes and palate.
00:43Today, the Irishman is taking you to Spain with a spicy lamb stew.
00:48Ole!
00:51This craft project is so good, we can practically smell your excitement.
00:57Make your own reusable home fragrance for a fraction of the price.
01:03And from blank canvas to a masterpiece of modern art.
01:08This brand new house build is packed full of clever contemporary garden design ideas.
01:18All right, believe it or not, winter is around the corner.
01:22But you'll know when it comes, cos it comes pretty quick and it gets cold.
01:26But I've got a recipe to warm you and your home.
01:29A beautiful lamb ragu.
01:31Pump up the volume, this is your song.
01:33Stick with me, baby, you know this way you belong.
01:35I'm using a lamb shoulder.
01:37Now, you would not use a lamb leg, cos it doesn't have that intercostal fat.
01:41You need that little bit of fat in there,
01:43so when you braise it, you get that sticky, sweet, oozing lamb.
01:47If you use a leg, it's going to be dry.
01:51So have a look at that.
01:52We've got our beautiful little muscles.
01:54So what I do is, I just follow it along with the knife.
01:59So you're sort of keeping it in nice, easy joints.
02:07So you want chunks big enough, cos as it braises, it sort of shrinks a little bit.
02:22I think this is one of those dishes when you cook
02:25and you leave it sit in the fridge for a few days, it actually gets better.
02:29The lamb's flavour just gets that little bit stronger.
02:31All right, I've got my pan on.
02:34Splash of olive oil.
02:35You don't need too much oil, cos you're going to get a little bit of oil out of the fat
02:39of the lamb.
02:39You want your pan nice and hot, cos you want that sear, you want that caramelisation,
02:43you want the brown and the lamb, cos that's what's going to give you that flavour in the stock.
02:48So, into our pan.
03:02So I've got a little bit of chorizo, spicy sausage.
03:06Put any sausage you want in.
03:09You just want nice little chunks.
03:13And what happens is, the beautiful orange colour of the chorizo is going to leach into that fat.
03:19It's going to give a little spicy back note on that lamb stew.
03:22So, see that brown on the meat?
03:24So that's where the sugar in the meat is caramelising.
03:27And that's what gives you your beautiful gravy.
03:32All right, I'm going to add my chorizo.
03:37Now you get your basics in, your onion and your garlic.
03:41Onion quite chunky.
03:46Into our pan.
03:51All right, our garlic.
03:52Chop it in half.
03:55Pick the skin out later on.
04:03All right, what you can see is, all the meat sticking to the bottom of the pan.
04:09That's where you're going to get your flavour.
04:13So, about 200ml of white wine.
04:18So, what you've got is all those little bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the pan, and
04:22that's the flavour.
04:23It turns brown.
04:24All that meat releases off and it turns into a beautiful lamb stock.
04:28Bring your wine to the boil.
04:31Then we're going to cover it with chicken stock.
04:38I'm going to add another few vegetables to this, give it a bit of colour.
04:42Some capsicum, some red and yellow.
04:52The great thing about this dish is, you can make it days before.
04:55It's sitting in the fridge, it's ready to go.
04:57As I said, it actually tastes better the next day.
05:00Give it a few days just to mingle.
05:05In we go with the capsicum.
05:09I'm going to add a little bit of spice to mine.
05:11So, I'm going to add two bird's eye chillies, just chopped.
05:17You've already got chorizo in there, you might as well run with it.
05:21Chilli in.
05:25Going down the whole Spanish route.
05:27I'm going to add some green olives that have been pitted, so they'll flavour.
05:34Going to add a little tablespoon of smoked paprika.
05:38Might as well be in Spain.
05:42Give that a stir in.
05:45All right, lamb, olives, what goes really well with that is tarragon.
05:50So, what I'm going to do is pick some tarragon and the actual stalks, I'm going to throw them into
05:55my
05:56stew and keep the actual nice leaves for later on.
05:59I'm just going to get my tarragon, a little mound of salt, a little bit of lemon zest.
06:09And then, I'm just going to chop the tarragon and the lemon into the salt.
06:14It's a great way of using herbs and preserving herbs.
06:23Stunning.
06:24Stew's going to take about an hour at this size, just to braise and break down until it falls apart.
06:31About ten minutes before I'm going to serve, I'm going to add my potatoes.
06:35Then, about five minutes before I serve, I'm going to add my zucchini.
06:39So everything's cooked at the same time, otherwise you're going to have mushy potatoes and zucchini.
06:43So cook out your lamb, then add your vegetables.
06:46So just in half, then in quarters, and then a nice little dice.
06:56Probably the same size because you want everything looking the same.
07:01Look at that.
07:03It's sort of reduced a little bit, the meat is nice and soft, the fat is melting.
07:08Let's have a look at this.
07:12You can basically just press it with a knife.
07:16Perfectly cooked, soft.
07:19Oh yeah.
07:27All right, give me a look.
07:32Potatoes just cooked, beautiful zucchini.
07:36So obviously, this is not going to take long to cook.
07:38So it goes in last.
07:39You're basically just warming it up.
07:41Give it a little stir.
07:42Look at that.
07:43So I'm really just bringing that back up to the boil.
07:46By the time I do that, the zucchini's going to cook,
07:48and it'll sit on the table and cook in the pot.
07:51Right, a little bit of basil.
07:58A little bit of rosemary.
08:14So you want a little bit of the lamb.
08:17You want that beautiful stock.
08:18You want to get the olives in there as well.
08:24So that is that.
08:27Now I'm just going to season it with a little bit of our tarragon lemon salt we made.
08:33All right, that is my Spanish style lamb ragu.
08:39So, don't believe me.
08:41Winter is coming, so be ready.
08:44And this is definitely how to be ready.
08:56You don't really run into an alpaca at the shops every day, do you?
09:01Well, you could, if it was Hefner.
09:04The bathroom, the bedroom, or the wardrobe, any space will smell amazing with one of these.
09:22Sometimes the very best medicine is in the form of four long legs and a fluffy face.
09:29I want you to meet Hefner.
09:30Hefner, of course, is an alpaca.
09:33And he wins hearts wherever he goes.
09:35Don't you, pal?
09:39I'll walk to the middle legs.
09:42Hello, how are you?
09:43Hello.
09:44How are you?
09:44This is Hefner.
09:45You want to give him a pat?
09:46How does that feel?
09:48So soft.
09:48Very soft.
09:49Very fluffy.
09:50Yeah.
09:54So we're here in Bowerham, which is a lovely sort of area.
09:57Would you come here very often, mate?
09:59Yeah, I've been to Dirty Jane's now a few times.
10:02And if we're ever sort of calling past with Hefner, we will call in and just say g'day to the
10:06staff
10:06as we travel through.
10:11Wow, this is some shop, mate, isn't it?
10:13Yeah, it's a great shop.
10:14There's so much here to see.
10:18Just totally unflappable.
10:21The most amazing animal.
10:22Aren't you, mate?
10:24Eh?
10:24Are you?
10:28Look at this.
10:29I can't walk past that, mate.
10:30I cannot walk past that.
10:34Look at that, the perfect match.
10:36There we are.
10:44Hi, Hefner.
10:45You get many visits.
10:46Well, he's a regular.
10:48He's now a regular, aren't you, Hefner?
10:50Yes.
10:51What's his favourite thing when he comes into a shop like this?
10:53What does he do?
10:54People.
10:55Oh, people.
10:55People.
10:56He just loves people.
10:57He's just so lovely with everybody.
11:00The kids are amazing.
11:02They just think he is the most special big dog they've ever seen.
11:13So, Rob, how did you get into alpacas in the first place?
11:17We bought a couple of weathers to start with, and then we started with a few females and started
11:23doing the shows.
11:24Yeah, but he's such a quiet animal, you thought what?
11:27Well, I think it all started with the kids bringing him inside the house, because that's
11:30how quiet he was, and they sort of moved on and started using him for the parade of classes
11:35at the Easter show and did really well with that.
11:38And that was really the start, the start of what we're doing today.
11:49Talk to me on a yearly basis.
11:52What does he do?
11:53Where does he go?
11:55Look, we do many weddings, and if we're traveling somewhere and getting a paid job,
11:59I usually try and give back to the community while we're in the area.
12:02We do a fundraiser for mental health every year, traveling to Queensland.
12:06We did the Great Ocean Road with him.
12:08We've done Beyond Blue, Lifeline, Trade Mutt, Dolly's Dream was an important one for us,
12:13and that's the one we did when we went over to Tasmania.
12:16In fact, if such a great Aussie ambassador, he's even met the king.
12:21I think it all boils down to his temperament.
12:23He just does it with such ease, like nothing bothers him.
12:26We've got an amazing man with an amazing animal, but we've got lots more to do, haven't we?
12:32Places to go?
12:33We have.
12:33People to see?
12:34We have.
12:34Lead the way.
12:41Well, I thought you might need a hand, but he's done it a thousand times before.
12:45Yeah, no, he knows what to do.
12:47Has he been here before?
12:48He hasn't, so this is our first time at Warragul at Bundanoon, and I'm excited about going and
12:54seeing all the residents here today.
12:56Does he need a toilet break?
12:58Well, he usually let me know he needs to go to the toilet, and he will toilet in the trailer.
13:02Oh, okay.
13:02He has disgraced himself once in 10 years.
13:04Once in 10 years, isn't it bad?
13:06No, exactly, so...
13:06That's pretty darn good.
13:08Fingers crossed he'll be okay today.
13:10Well, I think they're expecting us, mate, aren't they?
13:12Yeah, I think so.
13:12We'll go in and see who's in here.
13:17Hello, how are you?
13:19Hi, Dr Harry.
13:22Afternoon, everyone.
13:23How are you?
13:25I want to introduce you to two very interesting people.
13:30This bloke on two legs over here, that's Robert.
13:33This one over here on four legs, and it's in the white, and it's not a poodle.
13:38It's an alpaca.
13:39It's dressed like a poodle.
13:41You're right about that.
13:42But this is Hefter.
13:44You want to meet him?
13:46Yes, definitely.
13:46Rob's going to give him a walk around so you can all say g'day.
13:49Have you got any questions?
13:50Don't forget to ask Robert if you've got any questions.
13:53Do they spit?
13:53They do, yeah, but he won't.
13:55He's very good.
13:57Beautiful.
13:59Hello, gorgeous creature.
14:01How does it feel?
14:03It's absolutely beautiful.
14:06So do you know where alpacas come from?
14:08South America.
14:09So they come from Chile mainly.
14:11They live in the Andes where it's quite high and quite cold.
14:14Alpacas have a lovely fine coat, so they're kept for their fleece.
14:18They're very hardy because they live in the mountains where it's cold and very rocky,
14:22and there's not a lot to eat.
14:24Right.
14:25And they are related to the camel.
14:30Same feet as a camel.
14:33Dr. Harry, it's been a pleasure to see you and meet you because I've been admire you all my life.
14:44Well, he's better looking than me.
14:48He's a great, if you like, ambassador, and that has a special key to get into people's hearts.
14:56You're right.
15:00What do you see as the rewards for coming and bringing Heff along to somewhere like this?
15:06I think just something different.
15:07And, you know, a lot of people don't get out a lot.
15:10And, you know, to bring something like him in here, I think, you know, is a benefit for them.
15:14And you can see by the look on their face that it's a good thing to do.
15:18You know, I think most animals, usually dogs that are therapy animals that go in and out of hospitals and
15:23different things. And as a therapy animal, like, he's just amazing.
15:28What a great experience it's been today.
15:30To go around the town, to shops, and end up here at a nursing home with a four-legged pseudo
15:39-poodle called Heffner.
15:42He's actually an alpaca.
15:44Yes.
15:45And one of the steadiest animals I've ever seen.
15:47And hats off to you, Rob, for all the work you've done.
15:50Thank you. Thank you, mate. Heff, thank you for being such a terrific animal.
15:56Put your hands together.
16:00Aroma stones are fun, fresh, and smell fantastic.
16:04No old school deck or pergola here.
16:07This outdoor elegant space redefines the Aussie backyard.
16:16With a house full of animals, a couple of kids who play sport, and a man-child of a husband,
16:22things at home can sometimes start to smell a little, well, funky.
16:26Even so, I wouldn't change it for the world.
16:29And as they say, there is a solution to every problem.
16:32And while these diffusers work really well, I have another idea that is affordable, fun to make,
16:38and looks just as good as it smells.
16:46What I've got in mind are homemade aroma stones, which basically use the same principle as the diffuser,
16:51infused with natural essential oils as the fragrance.
16:55And to make them, I'm going to use air-dry clay.
16:57This is fantastic because you can pick it up everywhere and it's inexpensive.
17:01So you can make lots of these for around your home or even use them as gifts for friends and
17:05family.
17:06The thing I love about clay as well is that you can imprint whatever pattern or design onto the top
17:11you want.
17:12First thing you need to do is just take some in your hands and start to knead it to soften
17:19it down.
17:29You want to lay some baking paper down first so that the clay doesn't stick.
17:33And then take some craft sticks or thin dowel and place them on top of the paper.
17:40You'll also need a rolling pin.
17:42And then you can place your clay down and start to roll it out.
17:47And these will help it to be an even thickness.
17:56You can preform this shape or you can use something like a cookie cutter to get a more precise shape.
18:03I'm going to use this circle.
18:11Now, the beauty of air-dry clay is that you can imprint whatever pattern you like onto the top.
18:16You can use something fancy like one of these rollers or you can use things that you have
18:20around your house like this button.
18:23I really love the pattern and shape of this so I'm going to use that on my circle.
18:36I'm going to place a hole in the top using this chopstick.
18:40And then at the bottom I'm going to do a smaller hole because I want to place a decorative tassel.
18:45Now, these aren't going to be perfect.
18:47You'll see a few little finger marks and things, but that is kind of the nice thing about them.
18:52And to allow them to dry, the best thing to do is place them onto a cooling rack.
18:56That way the air will get underneath them as well.
18:59Depending on the weather, the air-dry clay will take about three days to completely dry and cure.
19:04So if you're looking for something that might be a little bit faster,
19:07maybe if you're working with impatient kids, then Plaster of Paris is an excellent choice.
19:12But because it is so fast drying, you can't imprint pattern onto it like you can with the air-dry
19:16clay.
19:17What you can do though is use these cool silicone molds.
19:20They come in all kinds of shapes and sizes these days from love hearts to flowers.
19:26And to avoid making a big mess that I have to clean up at the end,
19:29I'm using a Ziploc bag to mix the Plaster of Paris with water.
19:33It's two parts Plaster of Paris to one part water.
19:36And I'm also going to add in some tea leaves, which will give it some texture and color.
19:41Put my hand on the ground, it's trying to warm it.
19:46The earth shakes everywhere and it's quiet the house.
19:51All my love is trying to warm it, all things that you've got into living down.
20:11So as you can see, I have turned the Ziploc bag into a piping bag, which makes life a
20:18whole lot easier to get the plaster out and into the molds.
20:26To spread the plaster out, you just want to give the mold a bit of a tap and this will
20:32also get rid of any air bubbles.
20:42Because the front of these hearts is fairly smooth and angular, I'm actually creating
20:48some texture on the back which will hold the scent.
20:51And then you can set it aside for about an hour or so until it's dry.
20:57These are super easy to get out once they're dry and they're ready for the fragrance.
21:02And with all of these, I'm not going to seal any of them because we want them to be porous
21:06to hold onto that scent.
21:08When you put it on at first, you might notice a slight color change, but don't worry, that
21:13will absorb in and disappear.
21:17And like a battery, after a little while, you might need to recharge these and just give
21:21them a few more drops.
21:34One of the great things about using essential oils is that you can use the benefits of aromatherapy
21:39around your home.
21:41So you might want to put some lavender oil on one of these next to your bed or peppermint
21:46oil on your desk or maybe in a wardrobe to keep things smelling fresh.
21:51You could use eucalyptus, which also deters pests.
21:57As a finishing touch, I've added some kitchen twine as a tassel and to hang these and they're
22:03going to look gorgeous anywhere around the home.
22:13Not only will these stones add a wonderful fragrance to your home or car, but if you pop
22:18some inside a linen bag or a box with some essential oil, you'll have a fabulous homemade
22:24gift for friends and family.
22:26These ones, however, are coming straight home with me for some much needed aromatherapy.
22:43Straight from the front curb, you can tell that this brand new house build is packed full
22:47of clever contemporary garden design ideas.
22:50The thing I like most is the family that live here have not scrimped on style or originality,
22:55and they've still got all the essentials for great outdoor living.
23:04Take the driveway, for example.
23:06No one wants to look at a sea of concrete, do they?
23:08What's the option here?
23:09Well, they've done individual slabs, each one a long rectangle with a lovely curved edge,
23:14and breaking it up, grass that continues towards the front door.
23:18There's also a lovely sandstone post box behind me which really tends to anchor the front design.
23:23The flooring, well that changes to a terracotta tile in a herringbone design which just draws
23:28you towards the front door.
23:39Nothing quite anchors a landscape design like a lovely mature tree, and this olive certainly
23:45offsets the weight and bulk of this mid-century modern inspired home.
23:49This tree was actually craned in, and all the foliage you can see has come in a two-year
23:54period, but it makes a huge difference to the overall design.
23:57The rest of the planting, that's a little more cost effective with bang for buck plants
24:01like salvia, placetranthus, and this floating butterfly bush.
24:06And it's the pops of color against the mainly white house which really lift this garden design.
24:17And as you get towards the front door, you're greeted with a standalone jade.
24:20The thing I love most, antique limestone pot that it's growing from, and to finish the
24:24look off, a terracotta light to tie back into the paving.
24:28I can't wait to meet the homeowner and the designer.
24:39Alicia, Michael, this place is absolutely sensational.
24:42I feel like I'm transported to a Mediterranean villa.
24:44Thank you Charlie, welcome to our home.
24:47That's thanks to the creative genius of Michael and his team.
24:51So what was here when you arrived?
24:53When we first purchased the house, it was a little cottage at the front, and then this
24:57was literally a field really, just lawn, very low fences, you could see into everybody's
25:03yards.
25:04And then when we engaged Michael, the original house had been demolished, so it was literally
25:09a concrete slab.
25:10A complete blank canvas.
25:12Yes.
25:12So what was the brief?
25:14Soften it.
25:15Yes, absolutely.
25:16Soften the field.
25:17Give them a family garden to go with the house.
25:19I think it is that timelessness is what we're sort of looking for when we first started the
25:22garden too.
25:22So it's a new build, so we're trying to add some character, trying to add the patina,
25:26trying to add those natural materials to a very built landscape.
25:29And so this is an ornamental grape above us?
25:31It is, yes.
25:31And it's just starting to color up now, which is really nice.
25:34And it just allows the dappled light through, which is lovely.
25:36Yeah.
25:36And how old is this vine?
25:38Two years old.
25:39Wow.
25:40Is it?
25:41Only two years old.
25:42It's absolutely sensational.
25:43And over here you've got this lovely green wall that spans across the pool.
25:47I guess that would stop the reflection as well?
25:49Absolutely.
25:50It cuts down on a lot of that glare there.
25:52Privacy walls were really important to us.
25:54So when you've got a garden like this with a lot of hard landscaping, how do you pick
25:59the materials?
25:59I chose the materials just to try and add texture.
26:02So texture I thought was really important to softening the house.
26:05And even the French lay pattern was Michael's idea to help break up the space and the tumbled
26:10edges on the limestone.
26:12It's all of those small little touches that really make a huge difference at scale.
26:16The craftsmanship's absolutely sensational.
26:18It is, isn't it?
26:19So it's away from box building and landscaping.
26:21He's just done such a great job.
26:22He's brought the whole design to life.
26:24This garden is absolutely stunning.
26:25High impact.
26:26But it's also a family garden, isn't it?
26:28It is.
26:28How have you achieved that?
26:30Michael has been very clever with zoning.
26:33We also wanted nothing that was too precious because we've got young children.
26:36We wanted them to be able to ride their bikes, but also be able to garden and have that feeling
26:40of connectedness to nature.
26:43Well, I know there's a lot more to explore in this garden.
26:45So do you mind if I go and have a look?
26:46Absolutely.
26:47Be our guest.
26:54Yes.
26:54What garden doesn't have a barbecue and a fire pit?
26:58Well, in this one, they've redesigned it as a smoker and an amazing fireplace.
27:02And the fireplace ties back in to this lovely granny fat.
27:06The whole garden feels nice and open planned, but it also feels connected.
27:10And the way they've done that is creating zones.
27:12So this little area here has a slight change in flooring as it moves to gravel.
27:17Now, as for the planting, you might think that it's completely unachievable.
27:20But let me tell you, it's really quite simple.
27:23It's just a very tight plant palette.
27:25So we've got the standard things that every back garden has.
27:28We've got fruit trees.
27:28We've got olives.
27:29We've got pomegranates and we've got figs.
27:32Then there's some aromatics as well.
27:33We've got rosemary spilling over and this lovely bog sage under here.
27:37And then the drama comes from the salvia lucantha in full purple bloom.
27:41It's all tied together with a little bit of silver.
27:43We've got chew cream and some lavender.
27:45It's as simple as that.
27:46And you can do it at home.
27:53Now, I know what you're thinking.
27:54Where's the clothesline?
27:55Where's the shed?
27:56Where's the utility area?
27:57Well, if you can see a garden all at once, you don't really want to explore it.
28:01There's no journey.
28:02And that's where this garden really levels up.
28:05Because when you get out behind the annex, you're greeted with this sensational veggie patch.
28:10The back of the annex is absolutely covered in passion fruit.
28:13It looks amazing.
28:15And they're going to get lots and lots of fruits off this.
28:17On the other side, we've got a bay hedge, which makes it usable.
28:20And there's citrus as well.
28:21As you look towards the back, there's even the utilities.
28:23There's things like the pool equipment and the hills hoist.
28:26All hidden behind a wall of star jasmine.
28:29When you look at this veggie patch, there's lots of herbs.
28:32There's blueberries.
28:33There's citrus.
28:33There's plenty for Alicia and the kids to get out here, really enjoy connecting with gardening
28:38and learning where their food comes from.
28:40The thing I like most about these veggie patches, though, is they've used a lovely milled timber,
28:44which they've allowed to silver off.
28:46So, although it feels very different out here, the finish and the materials tie in perfectly
28:51with the rest of the garden.
28:59And at the back of the garden, you've got a rustic shed that could hide all the kids'
29:04bikes and all the junk you could ever imagine.
29:07You're led here by stepping stones, which tie back into the driveway at the front.
29:10These ones are surrounded by mint and strawberries.
29:14You know, when I come to a garden like this, I think to myself, would I be happy with it
29:18if
29:18it was my garden?
29:19You know, arriving at the front, I definitely have a smile on my face every time I got home.
29:23I can imagine myself using each and every individual zone and enjoying watching my family
29:28use it as well.
29:30Michael Cook has absolutely nailed the brief here.
29:32He's created something that is timeless, ultra-modern, but also functional.
29:37This garden ticks every single box.
29:46Coming up, when it comes to open plan living, it's case closed.
29:51I'm creating broken plan living.
29:54And Graham's sharing a project that's been decades in the making.
29:59Isn't it beautiful?
30:00You just need a bit of patience.
30:14There's some cute little houses on this street.
30:17It's a little bit tight on parking, but lucky I'm not here to fix that.
30:20I'm here to help out Nick.
30:22Hey, mate.
30:23Hey, Adam.
30:24How are you?
30:24Yeah, very well, thanks.
30:30Yeah, so this is the issue right here.
30:33Beautiful.
30:33I see what the problem is.
30:35It's a little bit open, yeah?
30:36Yeah, it is.
30:37It is.
30:37Sometimes I can't tell whether I'm in the kitchen or the living room or the dining room,
30:42and that can be a bit annoying sometimes.
30:43I definitely think we can improve on this.
30:46So if we can try and close it in a bit, make it a bit more cosy,
30:49and we can give you more storage at the same time.
30:51Sounds great.
30:52All right, mate.
30:52Well, I think I'll start off by taking some measurements, so leave it with me.
30:55Cool.
30:56And I'll work it out.
30:57Thanks.
31:10As an alternative to open plan, I'm creating broken plan living.
31:14So instead of putting up a wall, I'm going to be creating a hardwood divider,
31:19and this will change the whole way the room feels.
31:23So basically it's going to be a frame within a frame,
31:26and it will be the separation from one room to the other.
31:32With my plan complete, I've got my cutting list worked out,
31:36and for the hardwood timber, I've chosen this beautiful black button decking boards.
31:40It's going to look fantastic.
31:41First thing I need to do is start cutting everything to size.
31:56All right, so that is all my pieces cut.
31:58Now these two big ones here, they're going to be the sides.
32:02So now what I'm going to do is mark out where all the horizontal shelves are going to be going,
32:07and then I'm going to pre-drill the holes.
32:22That's my two sides marked out.
32:23Now one of these sides is going to be going up against the wall,
32:26and the other side where you're going to walk past it because I'm allowing to have an opening,
32:30and I don't want to see any fixings.
32:32So what I'm going to do before I pre-drill my holes is get a 10mm spade bit and drill
32:37a 10mm deep hole,
32:39and that will allow me to put a dowel in later on and cover the screw head.
32:52That's the holes for my dowels complete.
32:54Now I'm going to pre-drill my holes, and a good tip here is to sit the two pieces on
32:57top of each other
32:58and go through both of them.
33:10That's all my pieces pre-cut and drilled.
33:12Now I'm going to be building these units in two.
33:15So there'll be a larger unit, and then a smaller one,
33:17which is the header of where we walk through.
33:20Now to screw it together, I'm going to be screwing all the horizontal pieces,
33:24which are the shelves and the dividers together first,
33:27and then I'll be adding in the sides.
33:43All right, you can see all these little compartments that we have made.
33:46Now I just need to add the sides on.
33:48But you know, the best thing about a design like this
33:50is it doesn't just have to be used to divide up a kitchen and a living area.
33:54You can use it anywhere in your home.
33:57It comes in very handy.
34:09All right, now with all the fixings in, we're ready to cover some of these drill holes
34:15because I don't want to see any fixings.
34:17Let's go.
34:38With all the dowels complete, I've just gone over and given it a quick send.
34:41And now to finish it off, I'm just using some clear coat oil.
34:45I'll be putting it on with the paintbrush.
34:50And then rubbing it back with this scourer.
34:59And then going over and taking any excess off with a cloth.
35:10All right, with everything dry, we are now ready to put this in place.
35:14And I tell you what, it is looking fantastic.
35:16It's even going to look better once we have screwed it off.
35:19So I've got the packing piece on the wall.
35:21You'll notice I've got a little bracket down here on the floor.
35:24And that's to hold this bottom edge.
35:26And then I'll simply screw through this into our packing piece.
35:44And with the mainframe in place, I'll be putting this header piece in exactly the same way.
35:49Fixing it to our mainframe on this side and then to the wall on the other.
36:18What do you think, man?
36:20Wow, it looks fantastic.
36:25It's a little bit different, isn't it?
36:26It's very different, yeah.
36:27So you've obviously got a place to put all your books.
36:31But it defines the areas now, doesn't it?
36:33Yeah, it defines the living room from the dining room really nicely.
36:36And still lets the light through.
36:38So it's kind of the best of both worlds.
36:39And we've even got a little working from home office over in the corner.
36:43Yes, I can see that.
36:43I'm looking forward to working from there rather than the bedroom.
36:47Yes, definitely.
36:49But I'll tell you what, I'm not going to lie, I'm a bit back-breaking work here.
36:52So if you've got a beverage to give me, I can sit down and relax.
36:55I think I can find you something.
36:55Enjoy the hard work that's going into it.
36:57Alright, well let's go.
37:13Have you ever dreamt of changing your life up or even owning your own home in one of the most
37:17sought after locations in Australia?
37:19Well this could be exactly what you've been looking for.
37:23This is the latest Marta Prize home.
37:26And the best part, you could win it all for just $2.
37:29This is an incredible $6.7 million prize package and includes this five bedroom home with multiple indoor and outdoor
37:37living areas,
37:38a home cinema, teppanyaki hut and a 25 metre swimming pool.
37:43Plus there's even a guest retreat.
37:45Just imagine, multi-generational living.
37:48And there's also two cars and $200,000 of gold bullion included to kickstart your new life.
37:56There's so much to love about this home and this location is just pure magic.
38:01And you know the best part, when you buy tickets you not only give yourself a chance to win all
38:06of this,
38:07but you're also bringing hope and healing to patients through supporting vital medical research and patient care.
38:14So grab your tickets today from MartaLotteries.com.au.
38:18Support an amazing cause and you never know, it could be you living here in this Montville masterpiece.
38:25And if you buy your tickets tonight, you'll go into the bonus draw where you can win a Lexus ES
38:30worth $70,000.
38:32So what are you waiting for?
38:34Buy your tickets right now.
38:35It won't just change your life, but it will help many, many more.
38:40If you like to garden as much as I do, check us out on 7 Plus,
38:44where you can find all your favourite stories, plus tonnes of gardening how-tos, exclusive content and more.
38:54So much better.
39:04Camellias have been pretty good this year.
39:06We've got quite a few and I hope you've been enjoying the display.
39:09They started back in March.
39:11They'll go right through until September, October.
39:14Red crystal is a reticulata.
39:16What a spectacular colour.
39:18Then, of course, there was Bob Cherry's creation, Illumination.
39:22Isn't it just the most incredible pink?
39:24It is an illuminated pink.
39:26Now, Bob's been one of the great plant breeders of Camellias, but also, of course,
39:31he's following in the footsteps of Professor Waterhouse, who created an enormous number of Camellias.
39:38One of his creations was back in 1952, a variety called Dainty Maiden.
39:44Dainty Maiden was actually growing in our garden.
39:46We didn't know what it was and no Camellia experts knew what it was either.
39:51It took us years to discover.
39:53It was a flopping over, weeping variety of Camellia.
39:57So, nobody wanted a pendulous Camellia.
40:01It fell out of favour and didn't end up in the nurseries.
40:04When we discovered how beautiful the flower was, I thought maybe if you could grow it and graft it on
40:11a very tall,
40:13two-metre Camellia Sasanqua understock, it might just have potential.
40:19So, I've been doing that for the last 10, 11, 12 years.
40:23And here it is now finally coming into flower.
40:26It's flowering in the garden, the original plant, and I finally got it to flower here.
40:31Well, I think I'm really pretty excited about it.
40:35Finally, we can look up into the flower and see that beautiful Dainty Maiden Rotomine Pink Flower.
40:42Isn't it beautiful? You just need a bit of patience.
40:56Riding a pushbike to work is a great way to stay fit and arrive at work feeling energised.
41:01But putting headphones in your ears is probably not the safest thing when you've got traffic around.
41:07That's where these guys come in. These are called bone conducting headphones.
41:12And what they actually do is sit around your ears and send the sound directly to the bones inside your
41:19skull.
41:20It means that you can still hear your podcast, your music or your maps directions,
41:25but you can also not be blocked out from the traffic noise around you.
41:34These right here are the Open Run Pro 2 by Shox.
41:39And they are designed from the ground up for exercise.
41:43Really, really good for riding your bike to work or if you're on a run.
41:47The sound quality is actually really remarkable to be honest.
41:51There's enough clarity there to be able to trust on them for directions on where you're going or even take
41:57a phone call.
41:58They've got about 12 hours worth of battery life.
42:01And if we need to charge them, simple USB-C cable just on the back just here.
42:06When it comes to controlling them, you've got a few buttons on the right hand side, a volume up, volume
42:12down.
42:12And if you can, if you press and hold, that will also skip the tracks.
42:16And then on the left hand side, there's a little action button that's to answer and hang up calls.
42:22So if you're looking for a new set of headphones to be able to commute to work or even just
42:28for exercise,
42:29I can definitely recommend you give these things a shot.
42:34Well, that's it for another show.
42:36I say time flies when you're having fun.
42:38Thanks for your company this week.
42:39I'll see you next time with more Better Homes and Gardens.
42:41Bye-bye.
43:11If you've been dreaming of an escape to the country...
43:14We are in the beautiful Southern Highlands to check out a lovingly restored heritage home.
43:19And a beautiful, amazing country garden that really celebrates the very best of Aussie life.
43:27Charlie and Adam are sharing their step-by-step guide to a safer landing.
43:31What started as a dodgy backyard set has got us rethinking his courtyard in a completely different way.
43:39And 13 stories high, nowhere to run and no-one to ask for help.
43:44We've got the behind-the-scenes story of Elby, the dog one slip away from disaster.
43:49This is the little dog that became an overnight sensation, eh?
43:53For all the wrong reasons.
43:56That's next time on Better Homes and Gardens.
43:58Day is the little dog home.
43:58It is a little gnome.
43:58After Homes and Gardens.
43:58After Homes and Gardens.
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