by Fern Shaw | May 19, 2014 | Water
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved trees. Even more fascinating to me is bark. I’m not referring to the sound a doglet makes; I’m referring to the ‘skin’ of a tree. Bark, to me = beautiful.
Specifically, I loved birch trees. We had a large, undeveloped piece of land as part of our property and some sort of water spring that oozed up in one particular area. Around this spring, there was a thicket of birch trees. Having a vivid imagination, I used to explore this thicket and imagine that I was in some secret, magical, silvered faerie forest.
I suppose it was there that I first saw the very real connection between water = life in that it was only in this particular spot that the birches grew.
Imagination aside though, trees sustain us in myriad of practical ways. Essentially, no trees, no life. It rather behoves us, then, to ensure that these masters of nature are protected and nurtured for all future.
If you think about it, trees have, for millennia, sustained us. Clothed us, housed us, and provided fuel, oxygen and food – pretty amazing!
The symbiosis between trees and water is also quite incredible. Although medium to larger trees can drink a lot of water (sometimes upwards of 400 litres per tree, per day), the reward that the trees give back is tenfold of the water it needs to flourish. Trees trap more of the sun’s energy than any other group of organisms on earth – they are in essence big batteries – the largest on earth. Only 0.1% of the sun’s energy is trapped by organisms – trees account for 50% of all energy trapped by organism.
I’ve been holding impromptu meetings at the water cooler at the office (translation: me ambushing people innocently coming to replenish their water), trying to see if I can drum up some support for bringing in Bonsai Trees for everyone (trees produce far more oxygen than we give them credit for). Of course, larger trees would produce far more oxygen, but that idea was vetoed right sharply. I’ve also been told in no uncertain terms by busybody Mrs Fitzsimmons, that should any plant life be bought into the office, I’m not allowed to use the water from the water cooler to water the trees.
Such a killjoy.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 25, 2014 | Water, water cooler, Water Coolers
It shouldn’t come as any surprise that thanks to social media, the gathering place to shoot the breeze, hang out, flirt a little, or just generally compare notes about how your Uncle Seamus’ carrots beat your colleague’s Aunty Bettina’s leeks in the local produce fair is not so much in the real world at the water cooler but rather through social media sites.
In a global survey by Alexa, as of December 2013, these social media sites took top dog position:
Facebook (colour us not surprised); QZone; V Kontakte; Odnoklassniki; Cloob and Drauglem.
Facebook is the dominant social network in in 127 out of 137 countries analysed.
Facebook has now 1,189 billion monthly active users, but it is growing less rapidly than before (it has added just 34 million active users in 6 months). 351 million users in Asia, 276 million in Europe, 199 million in US & Canada, 362 million in remaining countries. This according to Q3 2013 Earnings.
Active users as of January 2014 on various social media are: Facebook – 1.2billion; QZone – 623.3million; Google+ – 300million; Tencent Weibo – 220million; Twitter – 218million; Instagram – 218million and 4Sq at 8million.
Now I’m well immersed in the world of social media (for obvious reasons I hope) but these stats did jog me out of my little neck of the woods comfort zone to be sure – Cloob? Really?
When all is said and done though, I must say that I’m a little nostalgic. I recently received an article posted to me from a friend overseas – my address – ‘Blogista woman lurking at the water cooler, AquAid Water Coolers, Cambridge’- was handwritten. I pounced on it like it was platinum. A couple of days after someone e-mailed me this funny which sort of brought it home.
So, yes, it seems that social media is very likely the new water cooler, but I think I’ll stick with lurking around my local water cooler to catch up on the latest – before I truly become a ghost in the machine.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 25, 2014 | Health and Hydration
It seems as it was just yesterday that we were all in the icy grip of winter and then lo and behold, the crocuses peeked their beautiful heads out of the soil and officially call spring.
So, without being able to take a breath, the seasons rollercoaster past us (is it just me, or does it seem as if time is speeding up?)
Being ever practical (aside from the whacked out kooky side) I thought it’d be a good idea to get ahead of the pack and introduce dispel some myths regarding your garden and water usage.
Myth: The best time to replace the lawn is in the spring, as plants get ready to bloom.
Reality: Sowing seed in the spring sets one up for potential problems, as heat sets in during the summer months and weeds compete for space. The best time to sow seed is in autumn, when the temperatures are more consistent and highly competitive weeds, like crabgrass, have gone dormant.
Myth: You should water new plants every day to prevent them from drying out.
Reality: Overwatering kills as many plants as lack of water. It is better to make sure you are wetting the entire root system of your new plant, and then allow the soil to dry to the point that it is only moist.
Myth: To have a healthy lawn, you need to de-thatch in the spring.
Reality: Thatch is a layer of living and dead plant material, including the crown, roots, and stems of the turf grass plant. The brown on the surface at the beginning of the spring will slowly recede into the background all by itself as new leaves emerge. While de-thatching is a common and sometimes necessary practice, it should be done only when thatch is excessive.
Myth: It’s a good idea to remove clippings after mowing.
Reality: There is a misconception that grass clippings contribute significantly to thatch. Grass clippings are mostly water and decompose rapidly, returning significant amounts of fertilizer to the lawn. Research shows that up to one-third of applied fertiliser can be recycled by simply returning clippings.
Remember to not only be kind to your garden and plants (no mollycoddling now, just in case you love your plants to death) with their watering but also to keep yourself properly watered. Hydrated is the word I know, but we’re referring to watering now aren’t we.
Speak to us at AquAid for all your water requirements (we’ve something for all seasons). We offer a range of water coolers whether it is for water coolers for the little ‘uns at school; the office; the warehouse; building sites and the list goes on.
by Fern Shaw | Apr 22, 2014 | Health and Hydration
Unless you’ve been buried in a snow drift for the past, oh – 100 years – I think you may have noticed the raging debate about global warming.
Having watched this debate and its proponents and opponents with interest over the last 15 years or so, I came to the conclusion recently that if there are 2 people in a room with no external influences whatsoever, where potentially they could actually get on famously, throw in the words ‘global warming’ and watch the feathers fly.
The further conclusion that I draw from this is that people seem to have to have something to argue about – irrespective of whether they are versed on the topic or not. From Donald Trump through to David Cameron, everybody has an opinion it seems.
Before we get ahead of ourselves though, perhaps it’s a good idea to clarify the difference between weather and climate.
This from Jeff Schweitzer at The Huffington Post:
‘Climate describes atmospheric behaviour averaged over long time periods of decades and centuries across large geographic areas. Weather describes actual local atmospheric conditions over short periods of time, from hours to days. Weather is all about the actual state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, moisture, pressure, cloud cover and other instantaneous measurements. Climate is a composite of weather conditions averaged over many years. Think of weather as a single datum point and climate as a large collection of those data. Better yet, think of weather as a one-night stand. Then climate would be raising the kid resulting from that night for the next two decades. One immediately leads to the other, but the two are completely different phenomenon. And that is why we have two distinct fields of study: meteorology and climatology.’
Right, so now that I’ve flung the proverbial cat in amongst the pigeons with that clarification, you lot can thrash it out amongst yourselves. Me, I’m going to make up some placards, go and lurk near the water cooler and pick a fight with the first person that mocks my manifesto.
by Fern Shaw | Mar 26, 2014 | water cooler, Water Coolers
Last week I was sitting in my cubicle minding my own business, when Larry the Lurch came trundling past with a trolley.
The load was covered in one of those scary (but super useful) grey blankets movers tend to use. It slipped a bit and there was a flash of bright colour.
‘What ho?’ says I to Larry.
‘None of your beeswax’, came the reply.
Talk about waving a red herring in front of a carnivorous cat! I was off my stool and after Larry quicker than a flash.
Anyhow, after a minor scuffle, some choice language and a dressing down from the powers, I uncovered the hidden gems.
So, with much fanfare, a dash of facts and much hulabalooing, allow me to introduce AquAid’s latest little water cooler beauties:
The AquAid H-Duo is stylish, affordable, comes in a range of colours to suit any decor and offers unlimited amounts of both boiling and chilled filtered water.
Designed especially for the UK market, the model sits on your work surface and fits neatly under all overhead kitchen and office cupboards. As part of the package AquAid offers the complete service. WE do the installation, WE change the filters and in that rare event anything should go wrong, WE offer a guaranteed next-working day service call out.
What colours does the AquAid H-Duo come in?
The AquAid H-Duo comes in 10 gorgeous colour options. Silver, cream, black, bright red, dark red, yellow, lime green, blue, purple or orange. Simply enlarge any of the stylish AquAid D-duo’s on this page to see an enlarged version of the colour options.
Do I have to fill the AquAid H-Duo with water myself, like my coffee machine?
No, the beauty of the AquAid H-Duo is that it’s simply plumbed into your mains water supply. It automatically refills as you take water from it, so it is always ready to go, for both boiling and chilled water.
How much water will the AquAid H-Duo produce?
The AquAid H-Duo will produce 7 Litres per hour of chilled water. It will also produce 15 Litres of hot water. We recommend the H-Duo for offices with up to 15 staff.
How hot is the water when it is dispensed from the AquAid H-Duo?
With its unique ‘superhot’ button, the H-Duo can dispense water at temperatures as high as 98 ºC. This is the same temperature as a typical kettle dispenses water at.
How big is the AquAid H-Duo?
The AquAid H-Duo measures 32.5cm high, 30cm wide and 35cm deep. The dispensing spout is 23cm high.
How often do AquAid change the filters?
Our engineers will visit you every six months to change the appropriate filters, ensuring you always have clean, filtered water available.
Is the AquAid H-Duo difficult to operate?
The AquAid H-Duo has a state of the art touch screen panel. To dispense water, you simply choose whether you would like hot or cold water.
How do I clean it?
Simply wipe the AquAid H-Duo down with a damp cloth. The drip tray can be removed and cleaned separately.
It is energy efficient?
The AquAid H-Duo has an energy efficient, CFC-free cold water system and a powerful hot water system, yet both cost as little as 10-15p per day to run.
There you have it. Aren’t they grand? If you’d like one, contact AquAid and let us know which one of these little wonders you’d like. We’ll be happy to help.
