Pat and Don

Love your last line saying!

We are sealing our plaster board prior to tiling by painting it with PVA - although the board is faced onto wooden battened interior non-stone walls. ( We also found PVA was MUCH cheaper in the UK than here.)  

We plant a section of the garden with sunflowers and then save the seedheads to ration out head by head throughout winter too. Flowers and food too!

Hornets have recently made their home in the lower part of an oak tree trunk only about 3 metres from our patio. Question 1: Will the nest weaken the tree as it already has a lean to it and is close to the electric power line? The trunk must be about 1 metre in diameter. Question 2: I am allergic to bee stings; am I therefore going to be allergic to hornets stings as well? Help please! Thank you.

We have ( had ?) some beautiful arum lillies last year from April to July but a lot of leaves have fallen on them during winter and I have just removed the leaves to find that any shoots coming through now are just slime. Do I have a chance with them this year? Is there anything I could do to help them. I was told to protect the crowns over winter but with what? Any suggestions or advice welcome please. 

We need to build a 5 sq m hearth in old materials. Does anyone know of a reclamation centre or source for stone slabs, old tiles or tomettes in the 12, 81, 82 or 46 areas please? 

We live in Aveyron, at about 550 metres, and have not seen these yet. Are we too high or just not lucky yet? I'll  look at your website too! 

Had something very similar last week. One "bite" after a day or so became more "bites" with the same blistering and itchy pain. Went to the pharmacist, who referred me to a doctor, and it was an allergy to holly in the garden and would have spread more. I've never had an allergy to holly before either?  

Seen in late April - early May from a small hole in the ground behind a plant pot. Anyone identify please?