Category Archives: Living

Extreme Locations: ‘How Living At The South Pole, Antarctica Works’ (Video)

The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where Earth’s axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of Earth and lies on the opposite side of Earth from the North Pole.

Antarctica, the southernmost continent and site of the South Pole, is a virtually uninhabited, ice-covered landmass. Most cruises to the continent visit the Antarctic Peninsula, which stretches toward South America. It’s known for the Lemaire Channel and Paradise Harbor, striking, iceberg-flanked passageways, and Port Lockroy, a former British research station turned museum. The peninsula’s isolated terrain also shelters rich wildlife, including many penguins.

Scents & Flavors: ‘Mint – Extracting Its Essence In Washington State’ (Video)

Washington State is the country’s largest producer of mint, the oil of which can be worth thousands of dollars more per barrel than crude oil. Correspondent Conor Knighton visits family farmers, and the processing company Labbeemint, whose extracts of peppermint, spearmint and other varieties are used in everything from candy and gum to toothpaste and mouthwash.

English Country Homes: ’16th Century Chocolate Box’ In Bedfordshire

This lovely house — Grade II-listed — was built four centuries ago, when (no doubt) all around was rolling fields and endless Bedfordshire skies. Today, it’s a couple of hundred yards up a country lane, that comes straight off the main A505 heading from Hitchin to Luton, with a large cemetery just along the road.

So not quite a countryside idyll, then, but at least you know the neighbours will be dead quiet.

Balancing the house and the location is always part of the fun with any property, of course. And if you’re after a place truly in the country, then a thatched cottage such as this one at the other end of the county — a delightful two-bedroom beauty at £435,000 — is really in the middle of nowhere.

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English Country Homes: ‘Morley Manor’, Hamlet Of Shermanbury, West Sussex

According to its Historic England listing, the present Grade II-listed manor house dates from the 17th century or earlier, although the original manor of Morley was one of three Shermanbury manors listed in the Domesday survey.

Restored, enlarged and partly rebuilt over the years, Morley Manor stands in 14¼ acres of pristine gardens, grounds and post-and-railed paddocks, with southerly views to the South Downs.

It offers more than 6,900sq ft of sumptuously refurbished living space, including a large reception hall and four reception rooms.

The equestrian facility includes a stable courtyard with 11 stables, a heated rug room, a horse wash-down bay with hot and cold water, a heated tack room (what bliss!), a separate oak tack room and two first-floor apartments.

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Housing: Flood Insurance Is Spurring Buyers To Live In Dangerous Areas (CNBC)

2020 is officially the busiest hurricane season on record and flooding is one of a storm’s most devastating consequences. FEMA estimates one inch of flood water can cause up to $25,000 in damage. The U.S. began offering nationalize flood insurance in 1968 but the program, called the NFIP, is now over $20 billion in debt. Private companies are starting to offer flood insurance as well. However, flood insurance is more complicated than it may appear. Watch the video to better understand how flood insurance works, and doesn’t work, in the U.S.

Life In A Cabin: Daily Work Routine In Kyushu, Japan

Taro, windows, replanting, and bamboo Fire Blower.

JUST WORKING SILENTLY. This place is part of my homestead. and this cabin is second home and also serves as a disaster shelter. There’s electricity. Water is brought in from a nearby spring (and is drinkable). LAMP (female dog) and YONA (female cat) are usually in the main house. Orange Tabby’s GWIN (male cat) is elusive. He came out of nowhere on the eve of one typhoon (summer 2020).

Location: Kyushu, Japan.

Kyushu, the southwesternmost of Japan’s main islands, has a mostly subtropical climate. It’s known for its active volcanoes, beaches and natural hot springs such as those at Beppu. Its city of Fukuoka is home to museums, mega-malls and Kushida-jinja, an 8th-century Shinto shrine. The city of Nagasaki’s 1945 devastation by an atomic bomb is commemorated at the Nagasaki Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum.

Future Housing: ‘iOhouse – The Space’ Is A Fully Off-Grid, Prefab Smart Home

iOhouse has built a luxurious fully off-grid living space for people who value privacy, design and nature, called the Space. 

All the utilities you need are integrated and completely autonomous, including water, electricity, heating and Wi-Fi. A smart device is all that is required to monitor and manage your living experience.

The SPACE offers you the most advanced conveniences of modern life with the smallest ecological footprint. Our model has been constructed only with the best premium materials and we genuinely believe this is the future of modern living.

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Preview Video: ‘Monocle Magazine’- November 2020

As a landmark US election approaches, Jane Fonda, Theaster Gates and Chris Wallace offer their thoughts on where the country should go next. Change elsewhere comes in the form of city farms, the latest design finds and an art fair redux. Plus: we survey North Rhine-Westphalia, a region on the up.

Lifestyle: ‘The Monocle Book Of Gentle Living’

The Monocle Book of Gentle Living is a handbook to help you think about how to reconnect, make good things happen, to do something you care about and discover nice places and extraordinary people along the way.

Sometimes the fixes are simple and personal: to run, dive into a lake, sleep more or set aside some time with the people who make us happy. Maybe it’s about eating food from producers who are proud of its provenance or building spaces into cities that respect older residents and value younger ones. Our editors have brought all this together in one simple book – so how about taking a few moments away from the crush to flick through the pages? Gently does it, now.

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Best New Tiny Homes: ‘The Natura’ – Tiny Housing Co.

The Natura features wood paneling on the exterior, a thick corkboard layer on the front to add a defining feature that doubles as a breathable, fire-retardant area by the bedroom.

Inside, we’ve paired the natural aesthetics of the exterior, with luxury fixtures and fittings – tonnes of light floods the rooms to ensure you feel like you’re practically outside. Our architects have applied a whole host of space-saving features, from tucked away hidden storage under the stairs, between walls and under the bed.

The Key Features

  • 1-bed tiny home
  • 7m long X 2.4m wide x 3.95m high (23.25m2 total floorspace)
  • 1 loft bedroom fitted with a multi-functional kingsize bed (storage under the bed)
  • Thick insulation in the walls, floor and roof, to increase the U-value of your home to near-passive house standards using, EPS, XPS boards and corkboard.
  • Fully-fitted kitchen with A++ energy-efficient appliances ( 2-hob induction cooker, fridge freezer, electric oven, extractor fan, under-sink water filter).
  • Fully-fitted bathroom with large shower, toilet, cabinets and vanity.
  • 1000w solar panels pre-installed with inverter and li-ion 24v or 48v battery bank.
  • Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) – This helps to remove excess humidity, filters the air and removes stale air whilst keeping your home warm.
  • Optional extras: 3000w solar panels, wood-burning stove connected to underfloor heating.

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