Australian Outdoor Living

Don’t getegg on your face this Easter - we’ve come up with some great ideas for your backyard egg hunt!

 

For many kids, your garden is a wonderland of fun and it can only get bigger and better with Easter on our doorstep. To start with, the Easter bunny has to arrive so you need to leave evidence! Put a couple of carrot chunks near the door for the kids to see when they set about their adventure. This will create excitement that the Easter Bunny really has left them treats!

 

Another good one is to leave cotton wool in obvious places, to top it off, you can say, “Look the Easter Bunny has left his fur everywhere, just like Kitty!” It all adds to the illusion!

 

What had me stumped when I was younger, was the EB’s tracks! They were there, so he MUST have been and MUST exist! My parents, really were tricksters and had all bases covered by leaving foot prints in talcum powder/flour across the kitchen floor, away from the carrot’s I’d left and out the back door.  (carpet freshener is perfect to use on the carpet – and kills two birds with one stone!)

 

Heck if you’re kiddies are young enough, you can even get away with footprints made out of paper or cardboard!

 

 

If you have more than one child, you’ll know better than anyone else that the hunt can quickly escalate to World War 3 when the one sibling has more than the other. To solve this problem, colour code their eggs! Use the coloured foil to make it clear which colour each child has to collect – too easy and conveniently, there will be the same amount of each colour thanks to some clued up parents.

 

For older kids, you could use riddles to help them find where the eggs are – get their brains ticking before they dive into a mountain of chocolate for the entire weekend!

 

“Perhaps near the blue lagoon

Is where the treasure lies,

Use your intelligence and your eyes

To find your hollow moon”

Answer: Silver wrapped egg hidden near the pool!

 

One for the adults: how about using hollow plastic eggs and filling them with vouchers/coupons for local restaurants and shops? You can watch your waistline and your back pocket all at the same time. Nominate a prize egg that contains a $50 gift voucher for the hunter that finds it. Of course, to be fair, you’ll have to nominate one person to hide the eggs. Keep them happy by laying out a spread of hot cross buns, mini Easter eggs and a nice cool drink and let the celebrations unwrap.

 

Easter is such an exciting time for the young ones and young ones at heart! Have fun and get creative because unfortunately soon enough they’ll become teenagers, catch on, and most probably sleep through Easter, rather than waking you up at 5AM!

 

Have an eggcellent Easter everyone! This is the one time of year you can feel good about having the most chocolate in the household – make the most of it!

You can increase the value of real estate by making cost effective improvements...

 

 

Throughout the last few weeks we’ve been discussing pool safety as it has affected communities everywhere due to recent avoidable tragedies. So just what should a pool owner do?

 

Australian Outdoor Living’s family leisure pools have a 100mm safety ledge to give your little whipper snappers somewhere they can reach for safety when the going gets tough in the pool. In addition that this, all our pools have a non-slip finish preventing those little heads from being banged and even keeps the adults in line!

 

 

Here’s a snapshot of all the safety regulations:

 

» All swimming pools must have a continuous safety barrier maintained by the pool owner that restricts access by young children to the pool;

 

» If you are a property owner and are selling a property with a pool built before July 1993, you must make sure that the safety barrier meets today's standard for new pools;

» Fencing must be constructed so that the outside fence is an effective barrier to children, it is permanent, young children can't crawl under or climb over using props, it is at least 1.2 metres high and;

» Any boundary fences used as part of the child-safety barrier are at least 1.8 metres high on either side with a 900mm non-climbable zone, which may be located at the top inside of the boundary fence if it is t least 1.8 metres high on the inside;

» Gates must swing outward from the pool area, be self-closing from any position and fitted with a latching device out of reach of small children at least 1.5 metres above ground level.

 

 

It’s important to note these safety features and while having a pool is fun, the warmer weather is still hanging around and it’s easy to get distracted and leave the kids with their mates (they get embarrassed so easily these days!).

 

For more information on how to keep the pool a safe place, visit kidsafe.com.au

 

A spa is no longer just a portable hot water container with jets! What doesn't a spa come with these days?

 

 

I was flicking through the latest Vortex Spas booklet this morning and could not believe what I was seeing! Since when do spas have sound systems, TV's, inbuilt massagers & Bluetooth of all things?

 

Portable spas have come such a long way! They used to just be an outdoor bath - which don't get me wrong, was pretty cool too - to have a bath outside in the middle of your garden and to be able to enjoy it with friends... but with all the gadgets and quirky little additions now, they are more like an underwater night club OR an underwater relaxation haven! (Which I understand are very different, but spas these days can do it all!)

 

Firstly there is the very inviting Neck Therapy Collar, I definitely feel like I need to have a glass of overly expensive champagne in my hand as I say that! Apparently, this has specially designed jets that eliminate stress and tension held in the neck and shoulder area. So, it’s like having your own personal masseuse available at the flick of a button minus the awkward conversation and corny “relaxation music”!

 

Next there is what they call the Aquavibe Entertainment System. This is an optional addition to a spa, but after reading what it’s about, I can’t understand how you could say no to it! This is a surround sound system and you’re submerged right in the middle of it all! There is an inbuilt weather proof iPod/USB dock or you can pair your Bluetooth gadget (phone, computer, iPad or tablet) to the spa and stream your music to devices within a huge 10 metres! So there are no messy cords or wires and no need to worry about water and electricity! ...And they really have thought of everything – the iPod dock charges your device whilst playing the music! Plus there is no need to brave the chilly wind to get out and replay the CD, skip tracks or control volume with the waterproof Integrated In-Spa Control.

 

A step ahead of the sound, is the option for the Aquaview TV Monitor. This means you can enjoy TV, movies and sports from your spa too! The monitor itself has been through a very tough “audition process” having been blasted with a high pressure hose from all angles at 100 litres per minute! So it is safe to say, no matter how much splish-splash goes on, your monitor will make it out alive! With the Wireless AV Connection you can stream to your TV, Foxtel, DVD or downloaded movies. Or you can plug your USB into the built in dock and play MP4 movies.

 

Lastly, for now, is the lighting display. From what I have read today, sounds like the spa turns into a nightclub with all the flashing lights! This makes sense, being that spas are mostly used at night, and dark water is never inviting! There are over 20 colour variations and 5 pre-set programs – all controllable from the spa itself. You can even set the light display to suit your mood by choosing the program, speed and brightness! AND backlit drink holders light up your beverage, so you can always find it... if it leaves your hand!

 

Told you - above ground spas can do it all these days! If only I didn’t have to leave for bathroom breaks, then I would never have to leave! 

A swimming pool is a substantial investment. AOL warns buyers to "do their homework" before entering any contracts with pool builders & suppliers...

 

South Australians may have seen recent media reports about a local pool installer that has unexpectedly closed its doors, leaving a number of customers in the dark and wondering about the fate of their pool or spa on order.

 

Unfortunately these types of incidents often reflect badly on other industry operators, but like all other industries we have good and bad examples and some operators who are unable to deliver on contracts for a variety of reasons.

 

Whatever the reason, it is unfair for a customer to be left out of pocket because of circumstances that are beyond their control and we understand that buying a pool is a major investment decision not lightly reached so when something goes wrong it can have a devastating effect.

 

Australian Outdoor Living (AOL) has an outstanding track record when it comes to helping out customers of other companies that have been left with a hole in the ground or out of pocket for a deposit on their dream pool. We take pride in being an Adelaide-based business that understands the value of community and we have previously stepped up and helped people in circumstances where their worst mistake has been trusting the wrong pool supplier in the belief that they will have their contract honoured.

 

It’s important to remember that this latest issue doesn’t reflect the local market, or all of the operators within it. At Australian Outdoor Living, our pool and spa sales have been at record levels this year and despite the onset of winter months, plenty of South Australians are now getting plans and approvals in place so they have a pool to enjoy for the coming summer.

 

If you’re in the market for a pool, our advice is to do your research and go with a company with an excellent reputation, and if you are a customer or know someone who has been affected by the sudden closing of one of our competitors then give us a call and we can see what we can do to try and turn a nightmare into a dream backyard addition.