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Whether you are going away, moving house, or have just become a bit complacent, there are many simple things that you can do to make your home safer. Here, security experts advise on the best ways to avoid being burgled. Be more secure than your neighbour “Thieves are generally opportunists,” says Anthony Neary, managing director … Read more

“Delivery, delivery, delivery” is the politics of online shopping (Keir Starmer may have just served up the worst political slogan of all time, 2 September). You order something you desperately want, take a leap of faith in the courier, the tracking information is baffling, the wrong parcel is delivered, your parcel is thrown over the hedge … Read more

What’s the problem?We moved house two years ago, and some rooms in our new home have very little natural light. The plants we brought with us aren’t thriving. What houseplants can cope with low light levels? The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. … Read more

The north-east of England is Great Britain’s allotment heartland, with Redcar and Cleveland and County Durham the two councils with the highest rate of allotment provision per person, an analysis has found. It also revealed that Scotland on average has just a quarter of the space per person that is available in England. Allotment provision … Read more

What a Surrey woman described to me as autumn “chintz” are daily more noticeable on the trees; the ends of the long-fingered leaves of the horse-chestnuts are curling and brown, the sycamores show sickly patches here and there, the oaks are growing richer in colour, and crisp beech leaves are falling. The Virginia creeper is … Read more

One of the questions I’m often asked when I speak at events usually comes from someone – perhaps half of a couple – who seems wide-eyed with optimism and overwhelm. “We’ve just moved into a new house and it has this garden,” they’ll begin. They don’t know what to do with it; where should they start? Invariably, I tell them to … Read more

Any five-year-old can grow runner beans (Letters, 24 August)? Not this year. After more than 40 years of growing vegetables, the drought has defeated me. Repeated sowings and constant watering eventually yielded a few sickly runners that struggled up the canes. A handful of beans have presented themselves. Next year, I think I’ll look for … Read more

I love finding things on the street or in secondhand stores and bringing them into my home to upcycle. But that doesn’t mean I’m OK with bringing dirt, germs and dust from elsewhere into my space. When you’re upcycling or rehoming furniture, cleaning it properly is the first step. But cleaning thrifted pieces can be … Read more