Edinburgher's Profile

House elves (JK Rowling, Harry Potter books). I NEED a house elf. Imagine coming home to a clean tidy house,dinner ready, laundry done etc. AND they can do magic- what's not to like? If I can't have a house elf, how about a miniature pet elephant. I was thinking about 12-15 inches tall. How lovely would it be just sitting on the sofa and feeling a little tug at your leg, then lifting it up onto your lap, its little trunk curling round. Or coming home, and seeing the little chap running down the hall towards you, trumpeting away, with its tiny trunk in the air. Or down at the beach, playing in the sea. Oops, sorry, imagination overload.

My apartment is small- 286 sq feet, and I have managed several parties with about 40 people each time. I found it easiest to move everything to round the edges of the room, not even think about food, and bought a big pile of unbreakable beakers for the first one that have continued to be used for subsequent bashes. Generally, I make the bedroom the chillout zone, with ambient music, and the living room/kitchen more up beat and funkier. The fridge gets completely emptied, and everything goes on the window sill outside to stay cool. Most importantly, any breakable things that I would hate to lose go under the bed. My maximum number for dinner is 8, however.

Julia B, I totally agree with you, and I am now thinking about about a fire proof box for my own important items. I was lucky enough to inherit a bed and a few other items of furniture from my late grandmother, which I would hate to lose, but putting some photos and some books from other deceased members of my family would save a lot of potential heartache. Thank you for giving me the idea, it was the motivation I needed.

This article made me laugh- a lot. As a student nurse I was taught that the opening of a pillowcase should face away from the door or entrance to a room. This, I was told, came from Florence Nightingale, who decided that this was the best way to stop sand or dust getting into the pillowcases was to have them all facing this way. This, by the way, was in addition to having the bottom sheet so tight that the ward Sister could bounce a coin on it......

Well this topic has brought the worms out of the wood work! What works for me, in my 286 sq ft apartment, is to have guests use my bedroom whilst I sleep in the living room. It sounds very altruistic, but actually means that their stuff stays in the bedroom and I don't feel as though I am being overwhelmed (it is a small place, after all), and if I am working whilst they are staying, I don't feel as though I am disturbing them when I get up. The people I usually have staying are family and close friends, but I also lend my place out to friends of friends if I am away in August- in Edinburgh, August is astronomically expensive because of the Festival- and each time I have done that, I have returned to an immaculately clean place, and some delightful and imaginative gifts. I LOVE being able to say to people that they can use my place to enjoy the city without bankrupting themselves to do so.

I totally agree with Lisa (Montreal)- pink would be fantastic, and very sexy.

I love the curved wall. In Edinburgh, curved walls are fairly common, especially in Georgian flats, and are seen as VERY desirable. In estate agent parlance, they are bow-ended rooms. It looks as though the wall acts as a barrier between the two rooms, but you still have access, so you get some privacy but can still use the two rooms together. Enjoy it! There are very few things in the world that can't be improved with a curve.

Just imagine you are visiting a new friend's house for the first time- and you see the skin furniture, and perhaps the rocking chair with legs. Run away! Run like the wind! Do not look back. Delete them from your address book. Pray they do not have your address. Eat chocolate and phone your Mum for comfort. Thank your lucky stars you are still alive.

How about a camomile lawn? I am not sure if camomile will grow where you live, but if it does, then it will survive the occasional car driving over it, and smell lovely when one does!

I have had some success using hot soapy water and a pair of cotton gloves. As I have eczema, I wear a pair of vinyl gloves underneath the cotton ones, and then simply run my fingers along the slats. Good for a deep clean. The rest of the time I simply damp dust with a microfibre cloth with the blinds closed, and if I am feeling energetic, turning the slats to both positions, to get both sides. I managed to bribe a friends 8 year old into doing it for me one time, it was a 'game'. Ha ha.