A woman has gone viral on social media after revealing a genius hack she discovered for protecting oak dining tables and people are absolutely loving it.
Real oak furniture is known for needing a little more care and attention than other forms of wood when it comes to maintenance as it doesn’t like extremes of heat and cold, it won’t thrive in air conditioned rooms or conservatories, can fade easily when exposed to direct sunlight, and dry out with heat from radiators.
Which is why this hack is bound to save a lot of people a lot of hassle, and many are eager to try it out.
The DIY fanatic took to the ever-popular Facebook group DIY On A Budget Official – which currently has over two million active members across the globe – yesterday to share a photo of her dining table and reveal her tip with others looking to keep real wood furniture in the best condition possible.
She wrote: “When I got my new oak table, I didn’t want to put one of those mats on or a table cloth, but at the same time I couldn’t trust my husband not to put hot stuff on without a heat mat, or my daughter not to draw on it, but I still wanted wood on show…
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“So off I went go my local carpet shop with a wood sample and measurements, got me some floor vinyl, perfect,
“Your welcome.”
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And it certainly went down a treat.
In just a few short hours after sharing, the post went on to amass over 11.7K interactions and thousands of comments from other group members impressed at how simple and cost-effective it is to replicate, and thanking the woman for the tip for sharing the clever hack.
In response to some of the questions asked, as well as addressing criticisms over the vinyl potentially covering up the table’s character and charm, she followed up to explain: “The table is extendible [and] as it’s oak, it colours with age so I was told I need to extend it regularly so the middle colours the same,
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“But as I cover it, it should match the middle without having to keep opening it up,
“Also, I like to keep a table runner on it [and] if I did this without the vinyl on, the table would discolour with a stripe down the middle,
“Again, the vinyl stops this problem.
“I appreciate scratches and marks create character, but as I bought all my oak furniture as forever furniture and intend on keeping it till I die, I want to look after it”.
You can find more tips via the DIY On A Budget Official group here.
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The cheapest Christmas Markets in the world for mulled wine have been revealed
Daisy Jackson
The most affordable Christmas Markets for drinking mulled wine have been revealed – and Manchester is nowhere in sight.
With Christmas markets across Europe preparing to welcome millions of visitors, festive fans looking to enjoy a warming cup of glühwein without breaking the bank might want to take note of the latest findings.
Festive experts at Christmas Tree World have analysed mulled wine prices at Christmas markets around the world to discover where visitors can enjoy the seasonal favourite for less.
Topping the rankings is Brussels’ Winter Wonders, where mulled wine is available for as little as £2.14 – about a third of the price of a mulled wine at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Cologne Cathedral Christmas Markets and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik share second place, with starting prices of just £2.56.
Other European favourites also feature prominently in the rankings. Budapest’s Christmas Market at the Basilica takes fourth place, with mulled wine costing £3.19, while Prague’s Old Town Square Christmas Market comes in sixth at £3.55.
Germany makes another strong appearance, with Dresden’s Striezelmarkt and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt (which handily just launched new direct flights from Manchester) both offering mulled wine for £3.85.
Meanwhile, Vienna’s Christmas World rounds off the European entries in ninth place, with prices starting at £4.28.
For those planning a festive adventure further afield, Tokyo’s Christmas Market also makes the top five, with mulled wine costing £3.22.
However, not every destination offers such a bargain. Across the Atlantic, New York City’s Winter Village takes the title of the most expensive market in the study, with mulled wine costing a rather less festive £11.74. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket isn’t far behind, charging £8.80.
Manchester Christmas Markets start on Friday 6 November – we’ll see how our prices stack up then.
Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Emily Sergeant -
29th December 2020 
