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A post box can finally mean an end to soggy mail. If you have a dog maybe your fed up of returning home to chewed mail?

Letter boxes can easily be fitted onto the outside of your home and allow the postman to easily delivery mail ensuring it stays dry, safe and secure until you return home.

Post Boxes come in a variety of shapes, sizes, styles and colours allowing you to select a post box which fits in with your property and colour scheme.

The most popular post box has a simple slot in the front and sloped roof. This style can be seen on the front of properties across the country. The most popular colour is black and to ensure the post boxes will survive the harsh British weather they come powder coated for added protection.

Letterboxes also make ideal gifts, maybe your looking to purchase a gift for someone who has bought their first home? Or as newlywed couple.

UK Water Features has a new range of post boxes made from powder coated steel and cast aluminium in a range of styles and colours. All our post boxes come complete with two keys and all the fittings needed to easily attach to a house wall.

Christmas Day is now less than 2 days away. If you've left shopping to the last minute or stumbled upon a must have gift we can still deliver in time for the big day.

Unlike many online retailers who have stopped taking orders for Christmas we can still deliver on Christmas Eve. All we ask is that you call our sales line before placing an order if you need delivery tomorrow so that we can check stock levels. (A surcharge for Saturday delivery applies). Our sales line is open today from 9am - 5pm (01226 388889).

Wishing all our customers both old and new a very Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.  

UK Water Features offers a huge range of Christmas Lights and Displays ideal for creating a unique display this Christmas.

Depending on where you happen to live, winter is either on its way or already there. And with the onset of the winter season, comes the dreaded winter weather which almost always means snow. So this mean that unless you have a motorized type of snow throwing machine, you will be using snow shovels and rock salt to aid with clearing paths for the home.

With this in mind, you may want to make sure you have a good shovel in your shed and if you don’t getting one might be a good idea. The choices are really pretty standard in the end, there are the Plastic end shovels and the Metal end shovels. The real differences here actually have to do with the design of the shovel itself. The shape is either one of two ways, either a straight line from the handle to the end of the shovel, and the type of shovel that has a bend in it so that it saves wear and tear on the user's back.

Of course the materials used to manufacture the shovel will affect the price, but I would spend a little bit more on the shovel with the angle to it to save on the wear and tear of your back.

As far as Rocksalt is concerned, there are many different brands available on the market today that have varying price ranges, but they all basically perform the same basic task, and that's to keep your walkways and driveways cleared before and after a snowfall. This is done when the rocksalt is applied to the driveway and walkways, as the salt causes the snow to break up in reaction to the salt thus making it much easier to be moved.

Applying an small amount of rocksalt to your walkway and driveway before any heavy snow has accumulated will make the clearing of the snowfall a much easier task, rather than waiting for the snow to stop and then trying to remove it all at once.

Having your supplies in before the snow arrives will ensure you are fully prepared and ready for the winter blizzards.

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Here are a few tips to keep you safe and dry in the winter months. Dress in layers and wear good snow boots and gloves. Basic tools to start with; snow shovels, salt, sand, tall stake markers, and for some, a good snow blower. While shovelling is good exercise, for some it is too much of a physical challenge. Snow blowers do an excellent job on small and large areas. Some people like to use tall wooden stakes, as markers for walk areas, garden paths and drive ways. You will know where your garden begins and save on damage from blades or ice agents.

Remember when shovelling or using a snow blower, leave room for the car doors to open. Throwing the snow into the street may or may not, be a good idea depending on where you live, and how far apart your neighbours are. Remember to clear the snow from the street that is in front of a walk way or driveway. When city ploughs come through, pushing snow to the sides of the road, you could end up with more shovelling to get out of your driveway. Once the snow has stopped falling and your driveways and walking areas are clear, cover them with rock salt or calcium chloride (easier on concrete) and or sand for a little traction.

Click here for our winter products

Every year the kids get out for half term and I am at a loss for what to do with them. It is too cold for them to spend all day playing outside like they do in the summer, so I am forced to try and come up with fun and creative indoor activities for them to do during the holiday break. This year I planned ahead and came up with some Christmas crafts for them to do and make them feel included in the decorating. The first thing we did was make Christmas tree ornaments. I went to the local craft store and picked up some clay, paint and glitter. Then I printed off a bunch of Christmas pictures from online for inspiration. We put on some Christmas music and let the kids go to town. They made angels, snow flakes, Christmas trees and gingerbread men. When they had their fill we baked them in the oven to harden them and then I let the kids decorate them using the paint and glitter. I attached ribbon to the top of them through a small hole I poked before they were baked and let the kids hang them on the tree. We also strung popcorn together for the tree and made beautiful paper snowflakes to hang all over the house.

For traditional Christmas decorations, please see our affordable Christmas range.

Every year Christmas seems to sneak up on me. I think I have everything under control that I am on top of the shopping and decorating and travel plans and then I check my calendar and realise it is not in fact still November but December and I am very, very behind. This year I am getting a jump start on the decorating and making some of my own decorations. Here are a few of the simple and easy decorations that I have made and you should be able to make too with just a couple of hours and some simple items.

One of the things I like to make every year is a stocking countdown calendar. I take a clothes line and 25 fun coloured kids socks and iron in the dates counting down to Christmas. I then hang them over the fire place and fill each one with a small treat. As the days count down the kids get to take a stocking off and get a sweat treat!

Another easy idea is Christmas magnets. You can cut out your favourite Christmas decorations, angels, trees or snowflakes out of heavy duty cardboard and glue them to magnets to make your fridge festive. This is the perfect way to display all those Christmas cards you will be receiving!

Once you have bought your tree and got it home we are sure you want to keep it looking fresh for as long as possible.

All of our trees are cut as late as possible so you can be assured that our trees are as fresh as they can be. With one of our Christmas trees and our Christmas tree care tips, you can be sure you will have a perfect tree for Christmas.

• After buying your tree, it should be kept outside in a cool place, preferably standing in water until it is required indoors.

• Before the tree is brought indoors, try to cut about 2 cm off the trunk of the tree. This will help the tree drink more water and stay fresher.

• For ultimate freshness, stand the tree in one of our water holding Christmas tree stands available from our online Christmas shop. The lightweight, clean design has a large water reservoir to keep the tree fresher for longer.

• Once inside, stand the tree away from direct heat.

• Keep the water topped up everyday; you will be amazed how much a Christmas tree will drink!

Follow these Christmas tree care tips and your tree will look fantastic until well after Christmas.

All our trees are grown from sustainable crop and sourced from UK Christmas Tree Farms.

Fresh Christmas Trees really benefit the environment by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

After Christmas we suggest that you recycle your tree which can be chipped and used in a variety of different projects. Local councils tend to offer this service free of charge.

Real Christmas Trees are 100% bio degradable unlike Artificial Trees which are more than likely manufactured overseas creating a substantial carbon footprint.

Real Trees are a safe natural product.

Rock salt is a great way to thaw ice. It is very beneficial to use on roads in the wintertime. Many roads become very hard to travel in the wintertime making it hard for people to get to where they need to go. Rock salt helps to make roads easier to travel so that people can make it to work during wintertime.

Roads and paths become very slick in the wintertime and rock salt is beneficial in making it so that people will not fall down and get hurt. This helps to save on potential danger especially for at risk people, such as the elderly. Using rock salt is wise for business owners as well as it can help to make the entrance to the office premises both accessible and danger free for its employees.

Rock salt can also be used in areas where ice might build up in the garden. Sometimes ice builds up next to the house and sprinkling rock salt on it will melt the top layer of the ice so that it can be chipped away and removed.

Rock salt has many uses and will melt ice in the wintertime. Buy bulk rock salt bags at UK Water Features

Again a blog post from an avid christmas fan!

I am one of those people that really gets into the Christmas spirit. I love the Christmas lights, the baking, the tree trimming and especially the house decorating! This year I have decided to take it to the next level and have come up with the top decorating ideas for your Christmas displays.

I already have some pretty extensive decorating going on so I had to be really creative in coming up with new ideas to add to my collection. The first thing that I thought of was my nativity scene and how lovely it would be to feature several nativity scenes from different cultures. I also realised that although I have wreathes in my windows, my curtains were unadorned so I added simple bows done in red to spruce them up a little bit.

I also wanted to make sure I did not forget about the outdoors so I added some lights to my outdoor water fountains and added some giant plastic candy canes to my garden. I also decided to do an outdoor tree in addition to the one inside so I purchased a plastic tree complete with LED christmas lights and will set it up in my garden. I will use red and white lights on it.

This is a guide from one of our employees about their first christmas in a new home...

This is the first year that I will have a garden to decorate for Christmas and I am going all out. I am going to do the traditional outdoor Christmas lights strung along the porch and in the trees but I have been researching some other creative ways to decorate outside. I have an outdoor fountain that has a little cement boy on it so I will start by putting a Santa hat on him!

I think it will look hilarious and adorable. I will also get a traditional nativity scene including several animals and a manger. That will be the focal point of my outdoor decorations. I will set this up under the biggest tree in my garden because I have found these beautiful outdoor Moravian Christmas stars. They came in several colours but I’ll chose white and red for mine. They really illuminate the nativity and make it look almost holy. I also purchased one of those light up topiary animals that you see everywhere. The one I will get does not move but there are several varieties that are electric and will make the reindeer's head bob up and down to make it look like he is eating. My outdoor decorations are really coming together and I think this is the year I will be finished on time.

Christmas lights are popular throughout the holiday season because it gives life to our decorations.

Tips that should be helpful are knowing what kind of lights you are using and the size of the area to decorate. If you are decorating outside be sure to get the lights that are for outdoor use. Shorter strands are helpful when replacing a strand that has broken. Measure the area to make sure you have enough strands to completely fill the area intended.

When decorating inside, make sure that you use lights that are for indoor use. If you have a real tree make sure that it is watered daily. Add lights to the focal points of the inside of your home, this will make great conversation for your guests. One thing to keep in mind and that is to not overload your lights or extension cords. If there are to many lights plugged into the same outlet, this could be hazardous.

If you are interested in lights that change with the music, there are control units that can be purchased or information on the web for the do it yourself.

If you have a light that is not working, just hold the lights up and look through each one. If there is a bad bulb you will see it. This way you are still able to use that whole strand of lights.

Christmas tree lights add warmth, intimacy, intensity, drama, and beauty to any decor, holiday, or artistic display. They are analogous to icing on a cake; the cake itself may be delicious, but the frosting, when it is artistically applied, completes the confectionary delight

Actually, a plain and uninspired display can be easily changed with the addition of a few, or in some cases, hundreds of tiny, sparkling, and glowing Christmas tree lights. For example, a simple oak mantle, adorned by a few family portraits, will be attractive. However, adding strategically placed Christmas tree lights will illuminate and highlight the photographs. Christmas tree lights unequivocally capture the observer’s attention and interest. They become critical and essential in the transformation of the display into a riveting focal point.

Because of their size and low wattage, Christmas tree lights are perfect and ideal accents for indoor displays. Another example, found in many homes is a simple ficas tree; alone it simply is another ornamental decoration: no one notices it. By creatively utilising ingenuity, a little imagination, and weaving a few strings of tiny, clear, Christmas tree lights around the trunk, or within the leaves and branches, will transform the tree into a romantically enchanting display that everyone will notice, especially at night.

Many creative and artistically talented decorators and fashion conscious homeowners have discovered that Christmas tree lights are not only ideal for the holidays; they are a valuable tool that can be utilised throughout the year to create excitement, energy, and illusion throughout the home. For example, they can be used on a mirrored wall to give an illusion of space and depth, or to illuminate a poorly lighted area for security purposes. Manufacturers offer these little pieces of starlight in a myriad of colours, shapes, sizes, and price ranges to suit every taste and budget.

An outdoor display of Christmas lights can be bold with large light bulbs or discreet with tiny light bulbs. Some people still use their medium size light bulbs to some advantage. What is particularly attractive is a single colour display of either clear or blue coloured bulbs. Red bulbs are rather garish and few people go in for a single red colour bulb display for Christmas. Hiring a professional Christmas garden light decorator is much easier lately, than in previous years. One can avoid the sometimes hazardous task of stringing outdoor lights for Christmas by using one of these home decorating services.

If you hire a home decorator to string your Christmas light displays, he will probably have suggestions for you. If you plan on stringing your outdoor Christmas lights yourself, the usual pattern of outlining your home's roof and extending the decorative bulbs to your front bushes, maybe including a focal tree in your decoration is still attractive and relatively simple to do. What you should do is to make sure that your lights are coupled properly since you will want to use a single outdoor electrical outlet to plug them in when you are done stringing your outdoor lights. And always use designated outdoor electrical bulbs when planning your outdoor lights for Christmas.

Adding a special touch like a Santa Claus with sled and rein deer is a very Christmas scene that does not require much labour and will look good during the whole Christmas season.

Halloween has had many influences, and is truly an ancient holiday. It was originally a Celtic Holiday, but even the Roman's had celebrations to the God Pomona about the same time. The Celts favourite God was the Sun God. It was the Sun God who gave them the warmth to be able to grow their crops. The Celts would celebrate the end of the reign of the Sun God on November 1st. This would usher in the season of cold and darkness.

On October 31st after the crops were harvested. The Celts would extinguish the fires in their homes and go to the dark Oak forest. The Celtic priest also known as a Druid would begin a festival, and the Celts would dance and offer food and animal sacrifices to the Gods. At the end of the festival the Druid priest would give the villagers an ember. The Celts would take the ember home and begin a fire. This fire would ward off the evil spirits. This festival began known as Samhain. Later after the Romans conquered Britain it was mixed in with the festival to the God Pomona, and later with the Catholic holiday Hallowmas, and all SaintsDay.

In the 19th century the holiday became more of a secular event, and the traditional ideas of Halloween came about. Today we celebrate Halloween with costumes, sweets and decorations. One interesting and unusual decoration is the Chinese sky lantern. These come in many colours and designs, are readily available online and in brick and mortar stores and will help to keep your Halloween festive. Why not decorate your home with a chinese flying halloween lantern?

The harsh winter conditions experienced throughout the United Kingdom at the start of this year were both unexpected and rare. However, as anyone who has an established garden should know, it is important to take steps to ensure that both you and your garden are well prepared for any winter conditions that may await within the next few months.

It is important to remove weeds or any other unwanted growths before the winter months arrive. Make sure to prepare the soil of your garden so that it can easily withstand harsh conditions. Fertilize your garden, and plant spring bulbs if desired. Also, make sure that any perennial plants are accounted for. Ideally, they should be kept separate in your garden

When deciding to prime your garden for the upcoming winter months, it is important to be mindful of your personal safety at all times. Start preparing your garden well in advance of any harsh temperatures. If you start early, you should be able to take steps to optimise your garden well before the temperatures drop.

If you have adequately prepared your garden for winter, it should be well equipped to deal with harsh conditions. Why not buy rock salt and use it to help you with thick ice or snow on your garden paths as you should never risk your safety to inquire about the condition of your garden. Wait until outdoor conditions seem safe, and any snow and ice has melted away.

So you got through last year’s holiday season and now with the coming holiday, what are you going to do this year to out do what you already did last year? As you are aware, it has to get bigger and better each year. So what do you do to make the best outdoor christmas lights display in your home?

We have a few tips that will help you have an awesome display in little to no time at all. First don't think that more lights always means better. This is not always true. You do not want to present so many lights that the feeling of pretty gets lost in the sea of endless lights.

First check out your lights and make sure that they are all working correctly. If you need to, replace bulbs or buy some new lights. Once you have your lights in order you can start to decorate.

Next you can start to hang your lights around the house. You can outline your house with lights and this is a great start. It will make your house bright and it looks very pretty when done correctly. With this you have many options. Will you use multi coloured lights or just one? You can also use a mixture of both. Mix into this flashing lights or steady light, the choice is yours.

There are many benefits of using LED lights over traditional Christmas lights. LED lights are much more environmentally friendly than traditional Christmas lights. They are long lasting, and use a fraction of the energy that traditional Christmas bulbs do. Many individuals are now switching to the LED bulbs, for this reason.

There are many styles and varieties of LED lights available. An individual need not be concerned about finding a colour or style that will work for them. LED Christmas light are available anywhere Christmas lights are sold. They are relatively inexpensive to purchase and will last much longer than traditional Christmas lights as they have no filaments.

They do not get hot like traditional Christmas lights so they release less heat into the atmosphere, and conserve on your electric bill at the same time. There is no need to replace these bulbs. They will last for years. Individuals also don't have the difficulty with the whole string of lights being out because of one light. These lights frequently offer a lifetime guarantee which stacks up very favourably with traditional Christmas lights. LED lights are a responsible choice and one that makes a great deal of sense in today's world. Buying these lights is beneficial not only for the homeowner, but also the power company and the Earth at large. So, this Christmas consider the responsible choice of LED lights.

LED Christmas Lights come in all colours and for all occasions. Traditionally, Christmas lights are used to adorn indoor and outdoor Christmas trees, porches, fences, and outline homes in a gingerbread house fashion. Deciduous trees and shrubs will look stunning outlined in white lights. Several hundred stands of LED lights will create a gingerbread type village that will draw onlookers from afar.

Bright C7 and C9 LED lights are great for wrapping postboxes and steps. Softer LED lights are the perfect touch around an indoor nativity scene. LED red mini lights look great woven into an ordinary fir wreath, giving it the warm glow and aura of berries. Use green lights to trim doorways and stairs.

LED lights can be used year round, to enhance any special occasion. White lights are increasing in popularity, being used to create ambiance in homes, restaurants, and along the villages. Brides are using coloured LED lights to decorate reception areas. Homemakers enjoy using LED lights along fireplace mantles and in potted plants.

Regardless of the use, LED lights offer users both beauty and safety. LED lights are weather-proof and are made without the fragile filaments, making them more durable. LED’s are also designed to stay cool to the touch, therefore creating a much lower risk of being a fire hazard than traditional lights.

The exact origin of fireworks is not exactly clear. Some experts believe that fireworks originated 2,000 years ago while others believe that they originated in the 9th century during the Song Dynasty in China. What is commonly agreed upon though is that the Chinese were the first to discover gun powders which lead to the creation of fireworks. Of course, the question remains, who discovered the firework? There is a legend that says a field cook discovered the invention on accident by mixing charcoal, sulphur and saltpeter and compressing them in a bamboo tube. While that is a cute rendition of how an iconic symbol was started, it is far from the truth!

The credit of discovering the firework was given to a Chinese monk named Li Tian. The belief is so popular that the Chinese people celebrate the invention of the firework every April 18th and present offerings to Li Tian. During the European Renaissance period Italians began to become creative with fireworks. They created canisters that were packed with the explosive composition and shot into the air as high as possible. Also important to note is that the Chinese created a similar product. Later, more intricate products were created. The Italians were noted for creating artistic landscape which they named "temples" consisting of firework wheels, fountains and torches.

Buy fireworks at UK Water Features

Most people like the look of Christmas decorations around their homes. The best way to create the right look is to make your plans before actually getting started. You may even want to plan your Christmas light displays inside and outside the home earlier this year.

Getting a head start on your Christmas displays will help you to be able to create the look you want. Let's face it, when you are able to create a display that you can be proud of you can actually impress your neighbours.

You may wish to decorate your living room with a tree and nativity while the outside is decorated with a sleigh and reindeer. The top of the house can display a reindeer or a Santa figure with a sack on his back making his way to the chimney for the kids on the block.

Of course if you are competitive, you may want to outdo the biggest display in the neighbourhood and that is quite all right. Just get started early or you may find yourself working into the night on some of the coldest days of the year.

Remember to make your plans early for both the inside and outside of your home so that you can get the most out of the holiday season. Santa Clause will be watching and making his list.

There is just nothing like trying to get Christmas decorations up at the last minute and find that you can't find what you wanted, so why not prepare for Christmas by buying your festive lights earlier. The ideal time to purchase Christmas lighting of course would be right at the end of the season or even as soon Christmas is over. We can't always do that but we can get started early for best selection.

Christmas is just not Christmas anymore without the christmas lights that we expect to see everywhere we go during the season. I know that I like to go around the neighbourhood and town to see the lights that everyone else have up on their homes but I also like to have a pretty tree inside my home.

If I want to have the best looking tree we have ever seen I need to make sure to purchase the lights before they are all gone and that means shopping early. I know what it is like to put off buying the decorations for another time or waiting for the price to go down. I usually don't get the lights I was hoping to find and wind up wishing I had gone ahead and bought when I saw them the first time. Christmas should not be a time for disappointment.