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Paul Karanja, the presiding pastor at Kiambaa Church located in South Eldoret, Uasin Gishu county has narrated how they were forced to change its name after the 2007/2008 post-election violence.

Speaking to BBC on Wednesday, August 3, Karanja disclosed that the church became deserted, forcing the administration to rebrand to Kenya Assemblies of God Faith Church.

According to the preacher, the church was initially known as Kenya Assemblies of God Pentecostal. The leaders had to drop Pentecostal and replace it with Faith.

Explaining the reason for changing its name, Karanja maintained that it was meant to erase the bad memories of the 2007 poll skirmishes.

Pastor Paul Karanja speaking to BBC on the rebuilding of Kiambaa Church on Wednesday, August 3, 2022.

BBC

Karanja further detailed that well-wishers built the iron sheet church to promote peace and foster cohesion within the region.

"When I came here in 2012. Everything was extremely complicated. People did not want to be associated with it. Then the Holy Spirit instructed me to change the name to give it a new breath," Karanja explained.

Karanja appealed to political leaders and asked them to tone down as the country heads to the August 9 general election. The pastor reiterated that he has spent over ten years promoting peace and lost glory of the Kiambaa area.

"In the past years, people have been concerned and thinking negatively. But we believe this time round; God will not allow bad things to happen." Karanja explained.

"I'm grateful because people are flocking into the church for prayers as we have built a friendly environment," he added.

One of the congregants, also a survivor of the 2007 ordeal, stated that the bad memories had cleared after the establishment of the church and its subsequent rebranding.

"Old the memories have faded away with the changing of Kiambaa Church name. Right now, we are praying that our God will forgive the perpetrators.

We also hope our leaders will continue preaching peace as we approach elections. We need one another, and our political differences should not make us enemies," she explained.

In March, the Kiambaa Church administration published a poster announcing plans to reconstruct the worship centre.

Church leaders stated that they had faced resistance from a section of political leaders who were opposed to rebuilding the altar, adding that they were determined to bring back to life the church, which was raided and burnt down with worshippers inside on January 1, 2008.

"With God's grace, the rebuilding of the Church began last month and construction is currently underway.

"The committee in charge of the project is asking well-wishers to support the construction by making contributions to KAG Kiambaa project," the church stated.

File photo of Kenya Assemblies of God Faith Church in Kiambaa, Eldoret South

File

violence

Originally posted here:
Kiambaa Church Pastor Narrates How They Were Forced to Change Its Name - Kenyans.co.ke

ONE of Ireland's biggest dioceses has introduced a radical new structure of 'faith-centred communities' in a bid to cope with the challenges of the increased demands facing rapidly ageing clerics and the reduced numbers of young people attending Church ceremonies.

ishop of Cork and Ross, Dr Fintan Gavin, unveiled a new structure which will divide the sprawling diocese into 16 'families of parishes' and aim to increase and enhance the involvement of lay personnel in Church operations in a bid to ease the workload on elderly clerics.

The Diocese of Cork and Ross - one of the largest geographic dioceses in the Irish Church - will celebrate the ordination of one new priest in September.

However, 12 clerics - many aged over 70 years - are scheduled to step-aside from their former responsibilities.

Its 69 parishes will now operate under a streamlined structure of 16 designed areas.

Dr Gavin published a special pastoral letter outlining the radical plan - and the blueprint is now expected to be adopted by other Irish dioceses which are facing similar challenges at parish level.

"It is important to be aware that this picture is not unique to our diocese, but is replicated throughout Ireland, Europe and indeed in most parts of the Western World," he said.

"It is part of a much larger societal change which we cant control.

In fact, the challenges we face are similar to the challenges being faced by big institutions throughout the western world.

"We need to acknowledge these huge changes and the sense of loss we feel for times past. We need to allow ourselves to grieve, acknowledging this loss and the pain associated with it."

The bishop warned that radical new approaches were required to guide the Church into the future.

New structures will come into operation from September across Cork - with 12 'families of parishes' in the first phase.

A key aim will be encouraging young people back into active Church involvement, increasing lay personnel duties and efficiently managing the workload of clerics, many of whom are now elderly.

"People have often said to me: 'You have a very difficult job ahead of you, Bishop.' A system that served well in the past is crumbling," he said.

"In the past, the local community was also the faith community where going to Mass was the place where you met everyone, young and old.

Many parents and grandparents now express sadness that their own children no longer practise their faith or seem interested in Church matters."

Under the new structure, the diocese will have 16 'families of parishes' - and each will be administered by a team of priests.

Each priest will be resident in a particular parish but ministering across the whole family of parishes.

"Bringing parishes together as families of parishes presents an opportunity for much greater lay participation and shared leadership of parishes," he said.

A key aim is to maximise efficiency and ease the workload on ageing clerics.

"Initially, the team will consist of priests but I hope that lay leadership and more involvement will grow in time. It will involve parishes working much more closely together and sharing their gifts, talents and resources including their priests."

Dr Gavin said the new structure was developed following his arrival as bishop in June 2019 and involved multiple visits to individual parishes.

"I got a sense of a very strong faith tradition, built up over many years, of which parish communities were rightly proud," he said.

"Many things are working well in parishes: choirs, altar servers, funeral teams and so much more. Unfortunately, those visits to parishes had to be paused because of the pandemic and could only start again when it was possible to do so safely."

But he said it was clear the Church faced challenges at diocesan level to get greater numbers of young people involved.

"Many lamented the fact that large numbers of our young people are not present in our churches on Sundays. At the recent CONNECT event for young adults, the loudest message of these young adults was how isolated and alone they feel at times at Sunday Mass because most of the people there are much older. The link between our parish schools and our parish faith community is weaker than in the past."

Dr Gavin said that while it was wonderful to see so many young people involved in First Communion and Confirmation ceremonies, it was "disheartening" to see how few then continued to actually participate in the faith.

A further challenge was the rapidly ageing profile of clerics within the Diocese of Cork & Ross as well as other Irish dioceses.

"There is an awareness that our priests are getting older and fewer young men are choosing to become priests, Dr Gavin said.

"This was expressed in the November priests gatherings when we reflected on what was described as the 'predictable future.' Some spoke of the imminent retirement of more priests in an already tight situation which for priests might mean more work, ageing, poor health and a fear of burn-out, a fear of being further stretched."

While Cork & Ross will get one new young priest in September, 12 priests are scheduled to retire.

"While a small number will continue to help out as assistant priests, most have understandably decided they would prefer to retire fully from their appointments, he said.

"In addition, a number of religious provincials are recalling priests to their orders this summer and will not be in a position to replace them.

"Every crisis also brings an opportunity for new possibilities. When we allow ourselves to dream, we can recover hope and the sense of opportunity."

"Priests spoke of a Church where all people are welcomed, cherished, valued, especially the poor, where the role of women is appreciated and valued, and where all are involved in decision making.

"Change is inevitable. Our parish faith communities cannot stand still. Neither can we go back. But how we respond to change can vary a lot.

"This is a radical new start, a new beginning.

"It is not going to be easy and there will be challenges and teething problems but, if we listen to the Holy Spirit working through us, I believe that we can build this Church together."

More here:
Radical overhaul of major diocese announced in plan to help parishes cope with dwindling number of priests - Independent.ie

Father Jonathan Resmini kisses the casket at the reburial of Father Polycarpos Krithinakis at Evergreen Cemetery in Charlotte.

Published inThe Charlotte Ledger on August 2, 2022

Father Polycarpos Krithinakis has been laid to rest. Again.

His connection to Charlotte goes back nearly a century to when he was the first full-time priest assigned to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The story we are about to tell is how his journey brought him back to Charlotte Evergreen Cemetery specifically one July morning all these years later.

Father P, as we will respectfully refer to him for simplicitys sake, was born in 1882 on the Greek island of Crete. In 1915, at age 33, less than a month after being ordained, he sailed to America aboard the SS Patri. It was known as an immigrant ship for obvious reasons.

He devoted his short life to serving as a priest in the Greek Orthodox Church. Records from a century ago are hard to come by. Heres what we found. During his 23 years in our country, Father P led 10 parishes in seven states. His stops included Syracuse, N.Y.; Akron, Ohio; Canton, Ohio; Charlotte, Akron again, Detroit and finally Minot, N.D.

Charlotte and Minot are the two stops pivotal to this story.

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Charlotte was founded in 1923. Father P was the first full-time priest assigned to the parish, serving from 1926 to 28. The hope was that his arrival might spark construction of the congregations first building. Parishioners first met in the Chamber of Commerce office uptown. But for reasons lost to time, he wasnt in Charlotte long enough to make it happen. In 1928, he was assigned for a second time to the Akron parish, then to another in Detroit.

In 1937, he was transferred to the Greek Orthodox parish in Minot. The city, home to fewer than 20,000 people at the time, was attracting Greek immigrants to help build and maintain the Great Northern Railway that ran from Minneapolis to Seattle. The parish needed a leader. Alas, Father P had to resign due to poor health. Fifteen months after arriving in Minot, he died on Aug. 10, 1938. He was 56.

Father P was buried at Rosehill Memorial Park in Minot. Perhaps owing to English being parishioners second language, the headstone identifies him as a GREEK PREIST.

Vivian Maragos Zimmerman has spent her entire life in Minot, worshiping at the Greek Orthodox parish. Her father emigrated to America from his Greek village in the 1920s. Laying railroad track, he worked his way west. For reasons lost to time, he got as far as Minot and stopped. She was too young to have known Father P. But she has vivid childhood memories of her mother taking her to Rosehill to visit the graves of relatives. There they would take a few moments to pause at Father Ps gravesite.

My mom always had a sense of sadness when she stood by his monument, Vivian recalled. She said he was a kind and good man, sensitive to the people, but he seemed depressed.

She has long wondered if his depression came from being assigned to what was then a small city in the north central part of a cold and desolate state. Might this have contributed to his early death? In this day and age, Vivian said, it would be characterized as he wasnt eating and just kind of faded away.

Dead and buried, you would assume the story ends there.

Not so fast.

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023. It has grown to become a flourishing faith community with 1,100 families, its East Boulevard campus a Charlotte landmark. For those who still cant place it, Holy Trinity is home to the Yiasou Greek Festival that welcomes thousands for food and all things Greek. This years festival is Sept. 8-11.

To create excitement for the centennial, Holy Trinity is organizing monthly events to mark the occasion. Enter Father P.

What better way to celebrate an anniversary then by bringing our first priest home to us, where he can be taken care of and not forgotten, said Father Jonathan Resmini, Holy Trinitys spiritual leader.

The idea was inspired. Now to execute it.

Holy Trinity got permission from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to disinter Father P and rebury him in Charlotte. Disinterment is the process by which a body is legally exhumed from its final resting place. Here there is a large Greek Orthodox community to watch over Father P. There in Minot, there isnt much left of the parish. While the city today is home to nearly 50,000 people, the original Greek Orthodox parish closed down. A new parish has 30 members. Its not many, but at least enough to operate a food truck selling gyros at the North Dakota State Fair held each July in Minot.

Virginia was at the cemetery on July 11 for the disinterment, though she chose to leave before she could see what was left of Father P.

Working for four hours in the summer heat, not knowing what they would find, cemetery workers dug down to the wooden casket, eight feet rather than the typical six. The dirt was moist. First they used a backhoe, then shovels so as not to damage whatever remains remained. Eighty-four years after Father P was buried, they arrived at their destination. They found his skeleton intact, including skull, jaw and legs. There was more: They retrieved the rubber sole of one shoe and pieces of his cloth vestment, green with gold border.

I was filled with amazement and awe, said funeral director Andrew Bahanovich of Charlotte, who led the effort with Minot funeral director Ben Slind. Being Orthodox and the son of a priest, it was very personal to me, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Andrew works with Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, which handles many Greek funerals in Charlotte.

The remains were brought up on a wooden board that apparently formed part of the bottom of the casket. It was placed in a metal container lined with plastic and flown to Charlotte on Delta Air Lines.

Father P arrived on July 22. Four days later, 40 Holy Trinity parishioners offered an official welcome home at a brief service in the sanctuary. Father Remini told the gathering that while time passes, we remain connected by the relationships we forged long ago. That includes the priest who was there at the start of Holy Trinitys journey.

The motorcade to Evergreen Cemetery off Central Avenue took 30 minutes. Father P was laid to rest in a simple casket made of poplar.

Vivian, who visited Father Ps grave as a little girl, wishes she could have come to Charlotte for his second burial. At the moment Father P was being laid to rest for presumably the final time, she was baking spinach and cheese triangles to sell out of the parish food truck at the State Fair.

Having been at his gravesite so many times, Vivian said, I would have liked to have been there for the last chapter.

Ken Garfield is a freelance writer/editor who specializes in obituaries. Reach him at[emailprotected].

See the article here:
On its 100th anniversary, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral Moves the Bones of Its First Priest to Charlotte - From the Archdiocese - Greek...

Enjoy New Jersey dining and drinking this August with special events, festivals and more. And if youre heading to the shore, check out New Jersey Monthlys best places to eat by the beach.

August is National Rum Month, and the Shannon Rose is embracing the spirit at both of its Garden State locations. From August 1-31, guests can enjoy tiki cocktails, rum fishbowls and special tropical cuisine. Open daily at 11 am.1200 NJ-17, Ramsey; 201-962-760298 Kingsland Road, Clifton; 973-284-0200

APEM Creamery/Sorbetteria is catering to Sopranos fans this month. Photo courtesy of APEM Creamery/Sorbetteria

APEM Creamery is tipping its hat to The Sopranos with flavors such as Richie Apriles Leather Jacket (salted chocolate caramel), The Guy Was an Interior Decorator (pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt), Ginny Sacks Secret Stash (chocolate with candy), Johnnycakes (lemon buttermilk cornbread with blueberries), Gabagool (strawberry coconut) and more. The creamery opens at 12:30 pm, Thursday-Sunday.870 Broad Street, Bloomfield; 973-666-0438

This hard seltzer event is making its first appearance at the Shore. Guests can sample more than 100 different hard seltzer brands,including Mikes Hard, White Claw, Vizzy and more. Tickets are $29 for general admission and $49 for VIP, which includes early access, a full can of hard seltzer, a special cocktail and a commemorative tasting cup. Sessions are from 1:30-4 pm and 5:30-8 pm.2 Stadium Way, Lakewood; 732-901-7000

Celebrate the Garden States favorite produceplus beer!at this fifth annual festival. The event offers farm-to-table corn and tomato dishes prepared by local restaurants and farmers. The beer garden features 10 Jersey craft breweries. Live music, crafts for kids and artisan vendors are part of the festival, too.Stangl Road, Flemington

On National Rum Day, Kona Grill is serving its Rum Drink, made with coconut rum, pineapple, orange and a splash of grenadine. Enjoy your beverage indoors or out on Konas patio.511 US-1, Woodbridge Township; 732-750-4400

The 19th annual market in West Windsor is held every Saturday from 9 am-1 pm. Shoppers can find fresh pastas, chocolates, meat, poultry, beer, jams, Jersey Fresh produce and more. Food trucks serve crepes, fresh juices, sandwiches and vegan options. The market is held at the southbound side of the Princeton Junction train station at the Vaughn commuter lot.877 Alexander Road, West Windsor; 609-913-7581

Continued here:
The Best Food Events in New Jersey This August - New Jersey Monthly

Washington also may have misunderstood how best to engage with Taiwan. Showing support could backfire rather than inhibiting China, it could embolden it.

They think that by signalling US commitment, that somehow enhances deterrence, said Oriana Skylar Mastro, an expert on the Chinese military at Stanford University. But China [already] assumes the US will intervene; what China is worried about is actual US capability to defend Taiwan.

The other side of the coin, however, is who else could stand up to China if not the US. Beijings threats made it difficult, if not impossible, for Ms Pelosi to cancel and risk looking weak.

The jury is out even for Taiwans 23 million residents some favour independence; others seek closer ties to the mainland. So hotly contested is the issue that politicians win or lose elections based on how they campaign on cross-strait relations.

Most, though, favour a fuzzy status quo lack of clarity allows them to go about their daily lives and ignore the elephant in the room.

Seriously, weve been threatened for 70 years already, said Ian Ciou, a professor of industrial design.

Go here to read the rest:
China's military drills could be a prelude to something much worse in Taiwan - The Telegraph

Queen Elizabeth II records her annual Christmas broadcast in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle

It was already no doubt a strange Christmas for the Queen in 2021, her first in over 70 years without her strength and stay, the late Duke of Edinburgh, by her side. Add to that the threat of an intruder stalking the grounds of her home with a crossbow, and it becomes a very surreal and dramatic occasion indeed.

20-year-old Southampton resident Jaswant Singh Chail broke into the grounds of Windsor Castle, where Her Majesty was spending the festive season, with the intent to injure. As such, he was charged yesterday under section 2 of the Treason Act 1842, as well as with threats to kill under section 16 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and possession of an offensive weapon under section 1 of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953. Currently remanded in custody, he will next appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 17 August.

While he was unable to access any of the buildings before getting caught, it was undoubtedly a troubling time for the royal and her family, including the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who would have been having their Christmas morning breakfast at the time of the break-in, which occurred at 8.30am.

It is not the first time that the Queen has had to deal with an intruder. On 9 July 1982, a painter and decorator named Michael Fagan broke in to Buckingham Palace, entering the monarch's bedroom at approximately 7.15am and waking her up, with security arriving shortly afterwards. It wasn't the first time he'd managed it: a week earlier he claimed to have shimmied up a drainpipe to gain entry, eating cheese and crackers on the roof and walking around like a tourist undisturbed. He even claimed to have helped himself to a half-drunk bottle of wine, and spotted gifts for the newborn Prince William in the post room. The shocking event was dramatised for an episode of The Crown in season 3.

Go here to see the original:
An intruder who broke into Windsor Castle when the Queen was in residence has been charged with treason - Tatler

Hulus comedic caper Only Murders in the Building follows a trio of amateur sleuths residing in the fictional Arconia, a classic New York apartment building, where they are surrounded by suspects. Each unit provides the opportunity to reveal backstories and crucial character details.

Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), a semi-retired actor, bought his 14th-floor unit in the 90s while on a successful crime series. Production designer Curt Beech notes this set was given a newer kitchen and some renovated spaces. It made him look much smarter with his money. We gave him art that shows hes a shrewd collector [with] a good eye.

Martin Shorts Oliver Putnam, a down-on-his-luck Broadway director, resides in a unit thats all about theatricality; young artist Mabel Mora, portrayed by Selena Gomez, is a work in progress, as she is renovating her aunts unit while living there.

The sets also provide character development for their suspects. The residence of Howard (Michael Cyril Creighton) is meant to look like it has been taken over by [his] cat and is only about [his] cat, says Beech, citing a huge feline portrait in the living room. What we were going for in his apartment is that it was his mothers place. Hes added a few things here and there for the cat primarily. Sting, playing himself, lives in a penthouse whose rock-star details include boxes for a road tour and vintage guitar cases. We have the XOXO neon [sign] in red, which is a nod to [The Polices] Roxanne: You dont have to put on the red light,' says Beech.

For the home of Tim Kono, who dies in the pilot, Beech says, it had to have a bit of mystery to it. We purposely did not give him as much character in his apartment. The important Hardy Boys books on the shelves, though, had to be visible.

This story first appeared in a July stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

Read more here:
How Production Design of Only Murders in the Building Told Stories About the Shows Characters - Hollywood Reporter

I remember the moment I fell in love with gardening: it was the first time I saw a small flower with snakeskin-like petals.

I was 18 and juggling two jobs as a painter and decorator during the day, and pulling pints at The Crown in the evening. Late one night, I witnessed a car accident a black Vauxhall Calibra, driven by a drunk driver, crashed into a pillar at the entry to a Mr Phillip Bindings house in Winscombe, a small village in the south-west of England. I knocked on the door the following day and, although I didnt catch the number plate, I described the unusual car to Mr Binding. He appreciated my assistance, and asked if I knew of anyone who could help him in his garden on weekends.

I was trying to save money to travel to Australia, so I jumped at the chance to earn a little more. My first job was collecting a bucket of sheep poo and mixing it with natural yoghurt, leaving this wonderful concoction out in the sun and then painting it on the newly repaired front pillar to help age the stonework. What a start in landscaping!

One day, I failed miserably while trying to cut perfectly manicured stripes in Mr Bindings grass with the lawnmower. But rather than shouting at me for destroying his lawn, he took me over to a sloping area of the lawn that he called the rise. Then he knelt down and showed me the most incredible flower I had ever seen. It was a snakes head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris), popping up through the grass. The texture of the inky purple bloom looked just like a snakes skin. My awe at this amazing thing growing from the ground sparked something in me it was the moment I knew that I wanted to become a gardener.

I was born in Hong Kong in the 1980s. At that time, the bustling city was dirty and polluted. My love for landscapes actually began in Hong Kong. I spent the first 12 years of my life in the small fishing village of Sai Kung, in a relatively rural area, and this is probably why I think of Hong Kong as a green space rather than an enormous city.

When Hong Kong was handed back to China, we moved back to the United Kingdom and the rolling hills of Somerset. I enjoyed riding around the English countryside on horseback. This certainly influenced my love of the outdoors and my appreciation for nature.

My mother, who is a keen gardener, tried on multiple occasions to get me interested in the gardening life. Once she offered to pay me five pence per piece to move rocks around her garden for a project she was doing. She also tried to get my siblings and me to help in the vegetable patch, mainly to show us the paddock-to-plate ethos this backfired when we were served oversized and incredibly tough vegetable-stuffed marrow. Im happy to say that my move into gardening has propelled me into the favourite-child position in our family, and now one of my most cherished things to do is spend time out in my garden with my mum when she comes over to visit.

With a love of the outdoors, minimal gardening skills but a rapidly growing passion for horticulture, I packed my suitcase and made Australia home for my gap year. I did all the things backpackers do drank too much, laid around getting sunburnt and did rubbish jobs for a bit of extra cash. I was having a beer with a mate one night when he mentioned his brother needed some help doing garden maintenance the next day, and was I interested? Of course I said yes, expecting that I would be mowing lawns, deadheading roses or pruning shrubs. However, a rude shock awaited me I spent the whole day with a leaf blower in my hand, moving leaves from one end of the Coca-Cola factory car park in Parramatta to the other. Im not sure if there is another nation that has a bigger infatuation with leaf blowers than Australia!

Towards the end of my gap year, I realised that Australia was the place for me and working outdoors was something I loved doing. I knew that I didnt want to hold a leaf blower my whole life, but I was keen to find out how I could work in horticulture.

I spent a year in England, working out how to get back to Australia. During this time, I built a garden for my mother. It included a raised patio with recycled paving slabs, bricks and anything else I could find, plus a feature flower garden and a natural pond. The pond took ages, as I found it difficult to get an even water level. It was fun working alongside my mum, and throughout the project the bud of interest in gardening was swelling (pardon the pun!). Not long after, I ended up back in Australia on a student visa.

I studied full-time at Ryde TAFE and achieved a diploma of horticulture and landscape design. The course was excellent, but, in all honesty, theres nothing like hands-on learning out in the field. This is where I really learned about how plants grow, what they need and how just one element such as too much sun, slightly waterlogged soil, prevailing wind or sandy soil can make a huge difference to plant growth. You cant be a good landscape designer if youre not a gardener first.

Once I finished TAFE, I started to focus on my own business, Inspired Exteriors, full-time. I had plenty of work and was designing and building a wide range of gardens. I didnt have a personal style at the time, but I loved creating different themes and styles of garden to suit each individual client. The early years really were about observing and learning, and I found that I enjoyed this and could quickly apply the lessons I had learned.

I was a member of the Australian Institute of Landscape Designers and Managers, and out of the blue I received an email that went out to all of its members asking if we wanted to audition for a role as a presenter for a television show. So I got my housemate to film me at one of my projects, and sent in the video. To cut a long story short, the show was Selling Houses Australia and I got the job! With no previous television experience, I was actually terrible at the start. However, we did go on to film the show for 13 years, so I must have got better at it.

Working on television is an amazing experience, and it has given me so much: the ability to inspire others to try gardening, as well as a way to travel the country and meet all types of people. But hands-down the best thing television has done for me is to introduce me to my wife.

After two seasons of Selling Houses Australia, I was asked to host a new show called The Party Garden. While the premise of the show was great renovate a garden and then have a big party in the new space the reality was a bit of a disaster. However, interior designer Juliet Love was chosen as my co-host. I had seen pictures of Juliet and I thought she was perfection. Her first impression of me wasnt great, though when I tried to make a joke about my car and the relative size of my manhood, it fell flat but we are married now with two children, so something must have worked in my favour!

Our show had one season, but Selling Houses Australia continued on. By this time I had become a qualified tradesman and supervisor, and through my business I was designing and building lots of gardens. I was happy, as I could work in two different fields. Television is a quick in-and-out gig, working towards high-impact, often budget-conscious elements of a garden; on the flip side, creating a garden from nothing for my private clients allows me to spend time getting to know them, find out what they want from a garden and implement it in a manner that completely changes the way they live. Both are rewarding in different ways.

The annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London has long been a pinnacle of garden design and innovation, and its every gardeners dream to exhibit there. In 2013, my brothers wedding happened to coincide with the event, so I hatched a plan to film a magazine-style show for the Lifestyle Channel, which gave me access to all the gardens (usually off-limits to everyone apart from judges and esteemed guests!). Walking through these amazing gardens that had been created in just three weeks and seeing how even the smallest detail can have an impact on the whole atmosphere of a space had a profound effect on me. From that moment on, I designed gardens in a completely different way.

I was back the following year to film a documentary about Australian garden designer Phillip Johnson and his team going for gold at the show. The garden was epic: a huge billabong with cascading waterfalls, a grotto and a floating studio, and it deservedly won best in show.

During this visit, I met larger-than-life landscaper Mick Conway, who was helping out on the Australian build. We became friends and went on to build three gardens together at Chelsea. The first was for a hero of mine, Alan Titchmarsh, who was a pioneer of gardening on television in the United Kingdom. Helping on his build felt like a real honour. I worked closely with designer Kate Gould, and it was great to be digging, planting and pruning each plant to perfection. The thing about Chelsea is that you are surrounded by people who are the best at what they do, and they are more than happy to share their knowledge. I love that about horticulture there is a real sense of camaraderie.

The following year, 2015, was my first attempt at a garden of my own at Chelsea. It was thrilling to be responsible for such a large show garden on the main avenue of the showgrounds. In all honesty, I thought I would only ever get one shot at making a garden in this magical place, so I decided to create one that really meant something to me. I designed a garden called The time in-between which was dedicated to my father, who passed away when I was 17. This was my chance to tell him about what happened in my life after he died it was a space to reconnect.

The garden was split into three sections. The first was a path wide enough to fit the whole family side-by-side, meandering through flowering plants I grow in my own garden at home. In the central part, a water feature slowly filled, stalled and then rapidly emptied, which replicated the emotions felt when someone close to you passes away. The final section at the rear of the garden was a sunken courtyard surrounded by solid sandstone pillars, each one representing an important person in my life. In the centre of the courtyard was a firepit that represented my wife and the fire within me, and the planting here became more foliage-based to direct the energy inwards and allow us to sit and really connect.

It was a hugely personal journey for me, from coming up with the garden concept and pitching it to companies for sponsorship, to organising the team to install it. The process was incredibly intense and stressful. Luckily, we made a TV show about it so I can now enjoy the memory of the garden, and my children will be able to watch the show when they get older.

We were awarded the second-highest medal: Silver Gilt. It was an amazing achievement! The thing I love about Chelsea is the feedback from the judges who hand out the medals. You are judged very strictly against the brief you have submitted with your application; not only do you have to meet that brief, but you also have to be horticulturally correct. For example, if you plant something in the shadow of a tree but it requires more sun, you get marked down. I was marked down for the ground cover between my stepping stones, as the judges said it needed to be a bigger clump so it wouldnt dry out. It really is a mix of science and art.

A second chance

When I was invited back to submit a design for the show the following year, my wife couldnt believe that I was even going to consider it after what the last one had taken out of me. But I wasnt going to let the experience slip away, so back to the drawing board I went. I wanted to do something completely different. My first garden was a loose, flowing, emotive space, so this time it would be formal and tight.

I decided to design a space for a busy couple to retreat to after work, with a sunken lawn surrounded by layers of hedging and large box-head trees, plus a small courtyard with a feature garden bed connected to a pavilion with a floating roof. To tie the various areas together, a copper water rill ran around the courtyard, down the steps and around the lower sunken lawn. The project had its ups and downs, and I was let down by the company that supplied the copper for the water rill. Every garden at the show is built with precision, so when the copper arrived and the measurements were off, the joints were wonky and ugly black silicone had been used to fill the gaps, I was in despair. We spent days trying to fix the issues, and ultimately we ran out of time to go over the garden in detail and tweak the tiniest elements. Despite this, we were awarded another Silver Gilt medal and I can say that I am the only Australian-based landscape designer to exhibit at Chelsea two years in a row.

Opening new doors

Soon after this, I was asked to design and implement a project in Hong Kong, which led to me being introduced to the owners of the Shangri-La Hotel group. They were impressed with my efforts and asked me to help with the redesign of the lobby of their flagship hotel in Singapore.

The famous Shangri-La Singapore has a huge six metre by nine metre wall above the lobby bar, and the Japanese interior designer envisioned a new rock wall alive with planting. Thats where I came in. The design process was fun, and I oversaw the build. Our stonemason, Callum Gray, and my team created a stunning piece of which we are very proud.

The Chelsea connection has sent me all over the globe, and I was even invited to design a garden at the worlds largest garden expo in Beijing. With just 24 hours notice, I drafted and submitted a design, and then watched from Australia as an excellent team of builders pulled it together.

The schedule I had to keep to ensure that all of these garden projects were delivered on time and to a high standard, as well as flying all over the country to film Selling Houses Australia, was taking its toll. I missed my family and they missed me, and my boys were starting to ask why I had to leave so often. So when I got a call from Russell Palmer, the executive producer of TV show Better Homes and Gardens, I was interested. The pitch to become the new landscaper on the hit show got me excited I would be telling stories and inspiring people to get into gardening, just like Phillip Binding and Alan Titchmarsh had done for me. It also meant that I could be at home a lot more. Although I knew that I would miss the team at Selling Houses Australia, going out on a high and moving towards a better quality of life for my family won hands-down.

So here I am now, writing this book in the hope that it will inspire you to give gardening a go. Go outside and take in your garden. Close your eyes and think about what your dream garden would look like, how it would make you feel and how it might change your life. Hopefully, youll pick up a few tips and tricks in this book to make that dream a reality.

Garden of Your Dreams by Charlie Albone, $39.99, is out August 2, via Murdoch Books

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Charlie Albone shares his love of gardening and tips for creating your dream green space in new book - The West Australian

Baton Rouge, LA - (NewMediaWire) - August 3, 2022 - Paul Davis Restoration of Baton Rouge offers water damage restoration to residential clients. The company works carefully and efficiently to mitigate the destruction, whether the property was damaged by flash floods, sewage backup, or water runoff. Some restoration services include drying the house, water extraction and removal, sanitation, cleaning, restoration of personal belongings, and assisting the client with claim insurance. As a certified restoration company, they use specialized equipment and scientific process.

The company has customized water damage restoration repairs for commercial and residential clients. Besides using modern and specialized equipment to mitigate water damages, they find and repair the source of the flooding water. The team also offers reconstruction services, cleaning and restoring the business possessions such as linens, and dry wet surfaces, especially the furniture. To give the client time to plan on reopening the business, the restoration company cooperates with the insurance providers.

In addition to cleaning items (as part of the water damage repair package), the company offers content restoration as a stand-alone service. The team helps the client identify possessions to be restored and carefully pack them to the company's processing center. Also, they use advanced content cleaning technology such as ultrasonic cleaning equipment, industrial-grade wash, and freeze-drying systems.

Paul Davis Restoration of Baton Rouge provides cost-effective mold damage restoration inspections, analysis, and repairs. To save the property from further damages, they replace the flooring and walls, apply caulk on contaminated areas, clean the ducts, fix sinks, and clean contaminated clothes (if any). The company is also armed with the most proficient methods of repairing the damaged areas and eliminating the mold, protecting the client from a reoccurring mold problem.

In addition to offering remedies to clients affected by mold, storm, and water damages, the company provides disaster planning. Some offerings include a free consultation, insurance carrier consultation, and emergency power backup. Thanks to the services, commercial clients are shielded from the inconveniences caused by disasters such as property damages and disruption of operations.

The company also offers wind and storm damage restoration services. Its team assists clients (commercial and residential) in assessing the situation, repairing, and cleaning up using advanced equipment. Additionally, skilled storm and wind damage technicians respond faster to help clients pick up pieces and rebuild their lives. Other related services include emergency response, large loss mitigation (for commercial clients), air duct and dryer vent cleaning, and restoring electronics and soft content.

Paul Davis Restoration of Baton Rouge also specializes in bathroom remodeling. Whether the client wants basic repairs and improvements, more space, or modernizes their bathroom through technology (like heated floors, jetted tubs, and rain showers), the company has professionals dedicated to delivering quality results. They also offer remodeling services to homeowners interested in selling their properties.

The contractor is also experienced and skilled in kitchen remodeling, whether the client wants to add cabinets, lighting, sinks, counters, new appliances, or a new coat of paints on walls. Besides giving the kitchen a facelift, the company ensures each added item improves the kitchen's functionality, regardless of its size. Also, a remodeling technician walks with the client, from the initial planning and scheduling stages to fittings.

In addition to bathroom and kitchen remodeling, the company offers other services, such as updating a small room or remodeling the whole property. Besides giving the client a free consultation, the experienced and highly qualified professionals use advanced tools to actualize the client's dreams, irrespective of the project's complexities.

Clients interested in emergency water restoration, mold damage renovation, or other remodeling services can contact the company at 225-396-5436. Paul Davis Restoration of Baton Rouge is located at 11950 Industriplex Blvd, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70809, US. Visit the website to learn more about their Baton Rouge office.

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Paul Davis Restoration of Baton Rouge

Gary Johnson

225-396-5436

11950 Industriplex Blvd

Baton Rouge

Louisiana

70809

USA

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Paul Davis Restoration of Baton Rouge is Offering Water Damage Restoration in Baton Rouge, LA - Yahoo Finance

Siding is an important part of any home or business. Having strong siding helps protect property from the elements and likely makes up the largest part of the structural exterior. It should be both functional and aesthetic.

If your siding is dirty, broken or worn out, it can significantly hurt a homes appeal and affect its structural soundness, according to staff at JTR Roofing a call.

JTR can inspect your siding to determine if you need a replacement. If replacement siding is needed, they can install it.

Before calling JTR, you can identify signs that its time for new siding. Common reasons for new siding include cracks, rotting or warping. If there is fungus, mold or mildew, it is time to replace the siding.

JTR offers professional service for siding replacement. The staff can determine what type of siding is the best option for you.

JTR offers three types of siding; vinyl, engineered wood and metal.

Vinyl siding is the most popular option for replacement. It is rot-, pest-, and warp-resistant and requires very little maintenance in order to provide enduring exterior protection. When properly installed and maintained, it can generally last 20-30 years.

Engineered wood is the most durable on the market. Easy to install, it is resistant to water, pests and mildew. On average, you can expect 20-30 years of life out of engineered wood siding.

Metal siding is the most common for commercial use. The low-maintenance siding is resistant to water, insects and fire, and it can last up to 50 years.

Each siding has its benefits and drawbacks. The staff at JTR will help you decide which option is the best for your needs and budget.

JTR Roofing is part of the Star Observers Preferred Business Sponsor program.

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JTR Roofing can find functional, aesthetic options | Preferred Business Program | riverfallsjournal.com - River Falls Journal