For me, the topic of interest is offshore at the Coiba National Park, for the huge water mammoths I dream of seeing are not manmade. I long to be one of the forty overnight guests allowed in this park, and the chance to share a crystal clear dive with the whale sharks. Different things put life into perspective for different types of people. So while the filthy rich traders celebrate the canal expansion in the brand new fleet of ritzy hotels in the colonial capital, I yearn to toast to some of natures greatest achievements. Mark my words, this is the year I swim with the largest of the extant fish species, and no headline could be more impressive for me.

You can mark items using a chemical or microdot based marker, etching tool or ultra-violet pen. The mark should show your postcode and either the number of your house or flat, or the first two letters of its name. You should only use UV marking when the other methods would reduce the value of the object, because a UV mark can fade over time. Ceramic marking pens have been developed to mark china, glass or any glazed surface.

Thieves may also be interested in equipment stored in sheds and garages, such as lawnmowers and power tools. Cycles are also a popular target for thieves so it’s a good idea to have your frame security marked to increase the chances of it being recovered. Some local police stations will offer this as a free service, or you can ask at your nearest bike shop.

Not all items are suitable for security marking though, such as valuable antiques or works of art.  In these cases, make sure you have good photographs taken against a plain background and have valuations done in case they are stolen. Also remember to add valuable items individually to your insurance.

Keeping a note of serial numbers of items like TVs, computers and cameras is advisable and you can also register items on the national police database at www.registermythings.co.uk.

Home insurance is advisable for those with possessions they wish to protect. Look at ways to help reduce the chance of theft to your belongings, and increase the likelihood of them being returned if the worst were to happen – and make sure you check your policy provides the right level of cover for your needs.

I imagine, having grown up in a family of do it yourselfers, this seems odd to me. Actually is sound flat out weird if I am completely honest. On top of that, I feel a twinge of sadness for those friends that I know who never repair, or improve a single thing in their home themselves, but instead always seek out someone else to pay to do the work. Why sad you ask? I suppose it boils down to that sense of accomplishment I experience with each project I complete, whether it be a large or small one.

There is something rewarding, and comforting to some extent to know that you are capable of being the captain of your ship, so to say. Now, I am be no means saying that nothing in my own house was installed, refurbished, or handled by someone else. I am not trying to toot my own horn by writing this. When I need help, I ask for it, and when I think I can do something myself it is my preference to do just that. I imagine many would argue if you have the funds to pay another to do the work, why not. And that is what I am getting at, with the exception of those people who literally do not have the time to do the job, handing over decisions involving your personal preferences just sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. If I had the money to sit back and do no DIY ventures, I wouldn’t.

I guess what I am trying to say is, by allocating certain tasks I think it is a bit like saying you don’t believe you are going to do it perfectly. But in contrast, some of those decisions being placed in the control of a person who only knows you in a business relationship are open to failure too. At the very least I would expect the best person to decide that the Silentnight mattress is what you want is in fact you and only you. Just food for thought.

Most will not have an entire room to dedicate to their own interests or pursuits. They will instead be dealing with combo spaces, what some regard the most difficult of all designs. But relax, it need not be a nightmare.

Take the following into consideration: If you will not be receiving visitors in the space, then it can face a wall. Just a spacious desk placed against a wall might be enough. However, if you will meet with clients or employers, the desk should face the door and be placed in between you and those you are conferencing with.

So already you know space is being sucked up, but also need to be able to use this as a dual area. Here is my next bit of advice, if you are sharing square footage with a guestroom then avoid a full sized bed at all costs. There is nothing professional about holding meetings in a room with a four-poster bed, talk about elephant in the room. Or, heavens forbid you have no choice but to have clients sit on the bed. How is anyone supposed to take you and your work seriously when it feels more like a rendezvous in a hotel room than an office? Get a sofa bed and then you will have appropriate and respectable additional seating.

However, there is one guide maker that still holds my full attention in the printed format, Louis Vuitton. You may or may not have know that the designer company makes travel books at all, much less that they launched the very first one over ten years ago.

These books are beautiful, as would be expected, and each is inscribed with a vintage inspired luggage label in the Vuitton style. Pricey? Why yes. Worth it? Why of course -every penny, just like everything else they make dahling.

The end result is a living space that is welcoming and stylish, in other words a place we would like to replicate in our own houses. I can remember visiting friend’s homes, before I mastered how to create this special atmosphere myself, and thinking how impossible it seemed to have everything look so precise, yet not overworked. The contents of every room, from the garbage bins to the curtain rails meshed. It seemed as though magic had been worked, or someone with a lot of time on their hands had dedicated themselves to producing the setting.

Then I got wise, I asked questions, I investigated and mainly I took mental images of these enchanting domiciles and broke them down after having left the dwelling. Now I am going to let you in on how it is done, I am taking on the role of little birdy. A common element exists in the interior design of the homes we covet for their overall appearance, and when balanced properly amongst belongings in a room, it will be the secret that works magic for you too.

Simply choose what your common thread of choice is going to be, for example stainless steel, and then stick with that material throughout your habitat. It doesn’t matter if your residence is a one bedroom apartment, or a nine bedroom mansion this is the glue that holds the space together. I bet you did not realize the power that accessories hold, but now you do. Hence, you are armed with the knowledge, and can go forth and fashion your own equally admired home décor. If you have selected bamboo for the bathroom, repeat it in proper doses. Get a bamboo laundry bin, bamboo blinds, and a bamboo plant ornament. Note this is repeated, but not overdone. Stop yourself from going overboard by also getting a bamboo Kleenex holder, bamboo tooth brush holder, and a list of other bamboo articles. It is meant to be a thread of similar items, not an entire quilt covering every square inch.

To further clarify, here is your golden rule. Choose thirty percent of the home accessories in the same material. This is just the right amount to establish continuity, and not to be too alike. There is a balance to be seen here, and with this rule to rely upon, you will strike it.

Dickens was England’s most prolific writer, and though his works date back to the Victorian era those stories manage to transcend time and place. He not only continues to captivate readers, but provides unlimited inspiration for modern day writers, and is the source of many present day artistic endeavours in film, television and print.

You can find out if anything is taking place in a city near you, or learn about exciting activities being held in locales you may be enticed to visit on the Dickens 2012 website. I highly recommend you check it out even if you do not have intentions of setting out to attend any of the events as it is quite impressive.

Should you be fortunate enough to have a whole room to work with hone in on three very important attributes 1. Lighting 2. Seating, 3. Wall colour.  Traditional home libraries have often been cloaked in dark colours that simulate a cocoon feeling, and who doesn’t want to feel cozy when spending time amongst the works of greatest writers of the last centuries. You absolutely must have comfortable, yet refined looking seating, because many an hour is meant to be spent inside these walls. Finally, control over the lighting in this space is of the utmost importance, as it is the key to bringing the entire subject matter at hand together. Depending on when and what you are reading you will want to set the scene, and altering the light is a very proficient way of doing just that.

So when I say get ready, I mean get ready for an answer to our winter wardrobe prayers. A clothing line, featuring loungewear, started back in 2009 has garnered much deserved attention since its inception. The name of the holy grail of hoodies is Kings of Cole. The mantra of the brand – to create a level of casual comfort teamed with understated sophistication.

Ok so far it sounds good, but not necessarily exceptional. Well these sweats are fab because the fabric is irresistibly soft, the cut flattering to the figure, and a distinguishing character is the rose gold coloured hardware. Celebrity trainers, both male and female, have been acquiring pieces from the collections right and left. We all know that they need to be instyle, but free from restrained movement, and that sounds like what we have been searching for all this time.

For example, who is actually entitled to the armrest that sits between you and another passenger on a flight? The thought of that uncomfortable, silent dance makes me want to close my eyes and shake the image out of my head, for it is all too familiar. Apparently, the solution is said to leave it for the person who is located between two people. But, this still leave me begging the question of what happens if it is only two seats across.

Then there is that nagging issue of when is it appropriate to recline your airplane seat. Etiquette states that you wait until beverages, or meals have been served and collected, to leave the proper configuration for the person behind you. And should the person in front of you not abide by this, well it says to request the flight attendant intervene. But, I must say the flight attendants might hesitate, or outright refuse in this day and age considering the number of belligerent encounters they too face.

This leads me to the last topic, the smelly seat mate. I was shocked to learn that airlines have a right to refuse passage to a customer who is foul-smelling. Well as long as it is not in relation to an illness or disability. I think I better advise my Brussels sprout loving brother of this rule.