Better Homes And Gardens S2025 E03
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00:00So, with a blink of an eye, we're back in the swing of things,
00:00:03the endless juggle between work and school.
00:00:06And with that comes the everyday dreaded question of what's for dinner?
00:00:10Now, I've just finished my shopping.
00:00:12I feel like I have spent a fortune.
00:00:14I had to hope that I have everything that I need,
00:00:16which is sometimes a little bit of a gamble.
00:00:19Now, if you're struggling with this at your home,
00:00:21stay tuned because I'm going to be catching up
00:00:23with a young Aussie mum who has gone viral
00:00:26with her tips for saving time, money and your sanity on this front.
00:00:30We've got that and plenty more coming your way.
00:00:36If you're under pressure to entertain the gang,
00:00:38don't fall to pieces.
00:00:40These ribs will do it for you.
00:00:42-♪ Like a man... ♪
00:00:44Ooh, there's a kick to that one.
00:00:47Adam's been watching the bears enjoy the local Canadian salmon.
00:00:51Now it's his turn.
00:00:53What are we cooking today?
00:00:54We're cooking spring salmon.
00:00:56Could the world's next great garden
00:00:59be living just behind your own house?
00:01:01You too can have your own show garden at home.
00:01:05Everyone's been talking about putrisha, the putrid plant,
00:01:10but what about her stinky sister?
00:01:13Let me introduce you to this amazing, very special lady.
00:01:17Plus, Dr Harry meets some VIPs.
00:01:21That's very important puppies.
00:01:23You see, later in life, when they become mature,
00:01:26they have the job of bringing light into a world of darkness.
00:01:30-♪ Hey! So much better... ♪
00:01:35I am cooking the ultimate family favourite,
00:01:39well, my ultimate family favourite,
00:01:40which is the beautiful, stunning, well-known and cheap pork ribs.
00:01:47And I'm going to put it in one of the nicest, spiciest marinades,
00:01:51and I'm going to spice it with the beautiful, and in season, pineapple.
00:01:58So, number one, we need to peel it, top and tail.
00:02:06So, all we do is just follow the skin all the way around.
00:02:12Don't worry about the little spots,
00:02:14because we're going to blend it, we're going to cook it, so it's fine.
00:02:17I'm going to use half for the marinade and half for the garnish.
00:02:25Pour the marinade in chunks.
00:02:31I will prep my garnish,
00:02:32and anything I don't use from the garnish goes into the marinade.
00:02:36So, one strip per person.
00:02:39So, have a look at that, that's the size we're looking at.
00:02:42So, that's your garnish.
00:02:45Set this aside for later on.
00:02:48Now, we're just going to add it to the blender.
00:02:51So, I've got 300ml of ginger beer.
00:02:53So, the ginger beer goes in.
00:02:57If you don't like ginger beer, use apple juice.
00:03:0110ml of Worcestershire sauce.
00:03:04Next up, I'm using my favourite ingredient, 100ml of vinegar.
00:03:09So, now we've got our liquid in, we're going to add our spices.
00:03:12Fresh ginger, just chop it into little shards.
00:03:18Into the blender.
00:03:21Next up, chillies.
00:03:24I like it hot.
00:03:25Seeds and all.
00:03:28Two chillies.
00:03:30That's going to blow your head.
00:03:34Next, I've got my green herbs.
00:03:35I've got my coriander.
00:03:37I've got my mint.
00:03:39So, very easy.
00:03:41Chop.
00:03:43Stalks.
00:03:45Coriander stalks are full of flavour.
00:03:47So, next up, I'm going to add a little level of flavour
00:03:52that not everyone has had, Szechuan pepper.
00:03:54So, it's a pepper, so it's used as, like, salt and pepper,
00:03:58but it's got sort of a numbing taste to it.
00:04:00It's very interesting and you only use it sparingly.
00:04:03A teaspoon of Szechuan pepper.
00:04:06If you don't like it, leave it out.
00:04:08But try it.
00:04:10So, brown sugar, when we're in the oven,
00:04:12helps caramelise the pork, makes that little bit sticky.
00:04:15So, about one tablespoon of brown sugar.
00:04:19Let's go.
00:04:28It's a star of the show, pork ribs.
00:04:30I love pork ribs.
00:04:31My kids love them.
00:04:32It's one of those things you eat on the bone
00:04:34and you just suck all that sauce off.
00:04:36It's got so much flavour.
00:04:38It's got so much flavour packed into it
00:04:40and it's these little nuggets of gold in between the ribs.
00:04:43It doesn't take that long to cook,
00:04:45about an hour, an hour and ten minutes.
00:04:47So, I layer my ribs into the tray.
00:04:49I'm going to add a little bit of cinnamon.
00:04:51Break them up.
00:04:53They will help marinate in the oven.
00:04:56And now what you do is fill it.
00:05:01I'm going to add another layer of chilli.
00:05:03You don't have to do this, but it looks great.
00:05:09So, I've got my oven on 200 degrees.
00:05:12I'm going to give it a nice blast.
00:05:14You get a nice coating.
00:05:15I'm going to keep basting.
00:05:23Alright, pork's in the oven.
00:05:26Now time for the garnish.
00:05:28So, my little pineapple strips.
00:05:33Salt.
00:05:34Don't go crazy about salt.
00:05:36Don't go crazy about four or five tablespoons.
00:05:40Chilli flakes, about a teaspoon.
00:05:44Next, my old friend, the lime.
00:05:46So, I'm going to use the juice at the end
00:05:48when the pork comes out of the oven,
00:05:50but the zest I'm going to use in the salt.
00:05:58The oil in the lime is now going to flavour the salt
00:06:01and all you've got to do is massage it through.
00:06:04So, brings you back to Asia.
00:06:07So, now you've got a lime salt.
00:06:09You can use this on any meat, any fish.
00:06:14So, what you do is just roll it one side.
00:06:19So, have a look at that.
00:06:21So, all that salt is going to leach into the pineapple.
00:06:25What a great little accompaniment.
00:06:35Beautiful.
00:06:37That's our garnish ready to go.
00:06:39Now we grab our ribs.
00:06:43Look at that.
00:06:46So, look at this.
00:06:47The marinade of the pineapple sort of condenses.
00:06:50It gets really sweet and sticky.
00:06:52You've got the spice of the chilli
00:06:53and it's caramelised around the side.
00:06:55You just want to eat it now, but wait,
00:06:57because I've got the fresh herbs to go on top.
00:07:00Just roughly, roughly chop.
00:07:06Because the mince is going to add
00:07:07that little bit of freshness to it as well.
00:07:15It's just falling apart.
00:07:17So,
00:07:20this is one of those dishes
00:07:21where everyone just goes,
00:07:22oh, I can't wait to eat this.
00:07:24I can't wait to eat this.
00:07:25I can't wait to eat this.
00:07:26I can't wait to eat this.
00:07:27I can't wait to eat this.
00:07:28This is one of those dishes
00:07:29where everyone just gets in with their hands
00:07:31and gets messy.
00:07:39Just pour that sauce over the top.
00:07:46Look at that.
00:07:49Coriander.
00:07:53Mint.
00:07:55I am going to add a little bit more chilli for colour.
00:08:01A little bit of fresh lime.
00:08:06Just give it that little burst of fresh at the end.
00:08:11So, that is my,
00:08:12your new family favourite,
00:08:14pineapple and ginger glazed pork ribs.
00:08:20Oh, there's a kick to that one.
00:08:22We need a little bit of refreshment, I think.
00:08:24I can help you out.
00:08:29I'll do it again.
00:08:30You're welcome.
00:08:31Oh, that's good.
00:08:32Really good.
00:08:42Oh, what's for dinner?
00:08:44Turn it into, what's for dinner?
00:08:46You'll never have to deal
00:08:47with that dreaded question ever again.
00:08:49It's week two of a trip of a lifetime
00:08:51and we have plenty of adventures to come.
00:09:19The phase once in a lifetime gets thrown around a lot
00:09:22but I'm literally in the middle of a once in a lifetime experience.
00:09:26Meters from bears, feasting on salmon in the wild.
00:09:29Amazing.
00:09:30It's a truly remarkable experience
00:09:32at Great Bear Lodge in Canada's British Columbia.
00:09:35G'day, Tom.
00:09:36How you doing?
00:09:37Very good.
00:09:38Now, you've been our guide for this trip.
00:09:40I've got all the gear on with no idea.
00:09:42I've got all the gear on with no idea.
00:09:44I've got all the gear on with no idea.
00:09:46I've got all the gear on with no idea.
00:09:48What are we doing today?
00:09:49We're going to head out into the estuary and lower river
00:09:52and see what we can find.
00:09:53Sounds exciting.
00:09:54Should I jump on board?
00:09:55Please do.
00:09:56Let's go.
00:10:12It's pretty impressive, isn't it?
00:10:14When you're in this boat,
00:10:15you're surrounded by these mountains, Tom.
00:10:18Yeah, it's a spectacular wilderness.
00:10:26So how does it work with the bears around here, Tom?
00:10:30Where are they coming out?
00:10:31All directions, are we thinking, or what are we looking for?
00:10:34All directions.
00:10:36They do swim across the river.
00:10:38That's a sure sign that the bear is comfortable with you.
00:10:41Initially, the bears would not swim anywhere near us.
00:10:44They would run way down the river and then swim across.
00:10:47Now they just will kind of look at you,
00:10:50and basically they're saying,
00:10:51I'm coming across, watch the current.
00:10:54And they just hop in and swim right by.
00:10:56If you find a mother bear with a cub,
00:10:58if she spotted us trying to take that cub away?
00:11:01Not necessarily.
00:11:02It all depends on the individual bear.
00:11:04A lot of the mothers with cubs use us for security.
00:11:08If there's other bears, sometimes they will come to us,
00:11:11like up at the viewing stand.
00:11:12Sometimes bears, they just swim over and park beside us
00:11:15because they're like, oh, it's getting too busy out here.
00:11:17I'm coming over by you guys.
00:11:19Wow.
00:11:20It's a really interesting phenomenon,
00:11:22and it's quite widespread.
00:11:25It's just so fascinating, that whole cycle,
00:11:28with that salmon, isn't it?
00:11:29Oh, absolutely.
00:11:31Just, yeah, entrenched in them.
00:11:33Yeah, tremendous drive.
00:11:35I mean, they are crazy tough animals.
00:11:37It's like a balanced ecosystem, yeah?
00:11:39It is.
00:11:40The ocean environment is far richer
00:11:42than the freshwater environment.
00:11:44Okay.
00:11:45So that's why salmon evolved to go out there.
00:11:47And as a result, they bring in all this protein,
00:11:51this nitrogen, and the bears do an excellent job
00:11:55of literally taking the fish out of the river
00:11:58and depositing them into the forest.
00:12:00Yeah.
00:12:01And those fish just rot.
00:12:02And of course, through feces and the body of the bear,
00:12:07you know, eventually it dies
00:12:08and gets absorbed into the environment.
00:12:10Yep.
00:12:11And it is all riding on the backs of those salmon.
00:12:14That is the circle of life, literally.
00:12:16It is. It's absolutely amazing.
00:12:17Yeah.
00:12:23You'd never get bored of this.
00:12:25It's literally heaven on earth.
00:12:27It's just beautiful.
00:12:29Now, while it might be tempting to think like a bear
00:12:32and scoop up a wild salmon and cook it up for lunch,
00:12:35as we know, these ones are coming to the end of their life,
00:12:38so they're not going to be very tasty.
00:12:40But lucky for us,
00:12:41Eddie, the chef at Great Bear Lodge,
00:12:43well, he's got us covered.
00:12:44How are you, mate?
00:12:45Hi, Adam.
00:12:46Welcome to Great Bear Lodge.
00:12:47Thank you very much.
00:12:48Now, you're a French chef.
00:12:49How long have you been working here for?
00:12:51This is my fifth season.
00:12:52Oh, wow.
00:12:53So you've been working here for a long time.
00:12:55Yeah.
00:12:56How long have you been working here for?
00:12:57This is my fifth season.
00:12:58But what are we cooking today?
00:13:00We're cooking spring salmon.
00:13:02So we have a simple marinade that has olive oil,
00:13:09balsamic vinegar.
00:13:15Now, what does every Canadian dish need?
00:13:17Maple syrup.
00:13:18Yes, I love that.
00:13:20We're moving on to mustard seeds.
00:13:24We've got salt.
00:13:29Garlic.
00:13:31Is this a favorite amongst guests?
00:13:33Yeah, it is.
00:13:34It's definitely a showpiece dinner for our guests.
00:13:38Chipotle pepper.
00:13:43And black pepper.
00:13:45You want to do it?
00:13:46No, I'll do the honors.
00:13:51All right, so that's done.
00:13:53Eddie, what's next, mate?
00:13:54Yeah, let's marinate the fish.
00:13:55Beautiful.
00:13:56Oh, how good do they look?
00:13:58Oh, goodness gracious, mate.
00:14:00So I just tip it all over?
00:14:01Yeah, just pour it all over.
00:14:05How long do I have to leave them marinating for?
00:14:07You can leave it for a couple of hours.
00:14:09Oh, wow.
00:14:10That's a long time.
00:14:11Yeah.
00:14:12How long do I have to leave them marinating for?
00:14:13You can leave it for a couple of hours up to a whole day.
00:14:17Oh, wow.
00:14:18Okay, and just let that flavor really sink in.
00:14:20Exactly.
00:14:21All right, but for us, we obviously don't have that time,
00:14:23so what are we going to do next?
00:14:24We're going to put the salmon on a plank
00:14:26and then put the plank on the barbecue.
00:14:28Plank?
00:14:29What are you talking about, plank?
00:14:30What have you got there, mate?
00:14:31We've got this nice plank of alderwood.
00:14:35Now, I'm not much of a cook,
00:14:37but now you're talking my language, mate.
00:14:39I love working with wood.
00:14:41Yeah, so what's the benefit of using this?
00:14:44It's going to allow the fish to cook nice and slow.
00:14:46Yeah.
00:14:47And it's going to infuse it with a bit of smoke from the wood.
00:14:58All right, and how are we cooking it?
00:15:00We're going to cook it for 20 to 30 minutes.
00:15:02Yeah.
00:15:03At 400 degrees.
00:15:04400 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:15:05Yes.
00:15:06So that's 200 degrees at home.
00:15:11Yeah.
00:15:24Oh, Eddie, that smells so good.
00:15:27It looks amazing.
00:15:28And it was so simple, yeah?
00:15:30Yeah, very simple.
00:15:31Fantastic.
00:15:32Now, unfortunately, our time here at the Great Bear Lodge
00:15:35has come to an end,
00:15:36so I've got to say, Marg and Tom,
00:15:38thank you so much for sharing this experience with me
00:15:40and all our viewers at home.
00:15:42It's been absolutely spectacular.
00:15:44It was our pleasure.
00:15:45It really was.
00:15:52Now, on our way home,
00:15:53I'm going to be stopping off at a little town called Port Hardy,
00:15:56which has a rich First Nations history,
00:15:59and learning all about that.
00:16:00But that's coming up a little later on.
00:16:02For now, what do you reckon, Indy?
00:16:04Time to eat?
00:16:05Let's get into it, guys.
00:16:10I've always loved you more than I could say no.
00:16:16What would you say to someone
00:16:17who's interested in becoming a puppy raiser?
00:16:20Do it.
00:16:23Well, it's not often that one single plant
00:16:26can generate a massive crowd like this.
00:16:30In the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine,
00:16:33we're showing you how to eat the rainbow
00:16:35by embracing colourful ingredients and dishes
00:16:38like this delicious tomato tart and yummy gelato.
00:16:41Plus, we're sharing easy dinners for one,
00:16:43like this fennel, squid and chilli couscous.
00:16:46And in 2025, Better Homes and Gardens magazine
00:16:49is searching for Australia's most passionate and dedicated tradies.
00:16:53It's all inside the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine,
00:16:56which is out now.
00:17:04Everybody loves puppies, don't they, eh?
00:17:07And they love everybody.
00:17:08And they love fun and games too.
00:17:10But these puppies have got a lot more to do
00:17:13because they're going to bring light
00:17:16into the world of darkness for so many people.
00:17:27Maddy, I want to ask you a few questions,
00:17:29so we'll put down that little pup.
00:17:32So we've got puppies here that are about seven weeks old.
00:17:35That's right, yeah.
00:17:36Where were they born?
00:17:37They were all born in volunteer homes.
00:17:39So Guide Dogs NSW runs a home-welcoming program
00:17:43where volunteers take our lovely mums
00:17:46and give them a nice, comfortable place
00:17:48to give birth to our beautiful babies.
00:17:50When do they come back to here?
00:17:52So they come back here when they're about five or six weeks old.
00:17:55Now, that's very young.
00:17:57It is very young, but mum does still accompany them
00:17:59and they come back to have their health checks
00:18:01and their vaccinations, which are happening at six weeks.
00:18:04What else do you do with the puppies
00:18:06from this sort of five-, six-week period on for the next fortnight?
00:18:10We want to make sure that they are getting to exposed positively
00:18:13to as many things as possible.
00:18:15We have different surfaces so that our pups can get used
00:18:17to walking on different things because guide dogs can go anywhere.
00:18:20Good, good.
00:18:21And we have different height things so that, you know,
00:18:23you're on the train and you go up the concourse
00:18:25and they're more than confident to lead you across
00:18:27to the other platform.
00:18:28We have tunnels so that that replicates our narrow spaces
00:18:31so they can weave in and out of crowds.
00:18:33Yeah.
00:18:34We have something we call the car wash,
00:18:36which replicates them having just gentle things on their back,
00:18:39which then ends up being the handle of a harness.
00:18:42We even have a ball pit for them, which might seem like a lot of fun,
00:18:45but is another kind of underfooting,
00:18:47where they're using all those muscles to keep themselves upright
00:18:50and learn all those gross motor skills.
00:18:53Yes, you're at the real love, real, real love.
00:18:56Hoping that you feel love, feel, feel love.
00:19:00Yes, you're at the real love, real, real love.
00:19:04Hoping the love, real love.
00:19:08Well, you know, pups are like kids.
00:19:10They get dirty, so they need a bath.
00:19:13And this is one way to try and desensitise them to water
00:19:17and to handling and a good opportunity to do what else?
00:19:19Give them a nice health check and also get a cuddle.
00:19:22Nice work, kid.
00:19:26Good job, buddy.
00:19:29Wrap him up nice and snug.
00:19:32And then I do have a little biki for him for being very brave,
00:19:36hopping in the water.
00:19:38So we feel over his whole body,
00:19:40make sure there's no lumps or bumps or scratches
00:19:42and that he is looking gorgeous.
00:19:45Good job, buddy.
00:19:49When the puppies are about eight weeks of age,
00:19:51they leave the security of the kennel area.
00:19:53They move out into the world at large
00:19:55and they join a family of puppy raisers.
00:19:58And there they complete the next stage of their training.
00:20:02Good morning, Dr Harry.
00:20:03Rhett, good to see you.
00:20:04Let's talk dogs.
00:20:05Yes.
00:20:06What is your official title?
00:20:07So I'm a puppy development advisor for Guide Dogs.
00:20:10Yes.
00:20:11So basically that means looking after our puppy raising families.
00:20:14So that first six months, their mind is like a little sponge.
00:20:18So they're just soaking up so much.
00:20:20And we spend a lot of time with the puppy raising families
00:20:23to get the dogs interested in learning.
00:20:25But we really focus heavily on the socialisation.
00:20:27Yes.
00:20:28So making sure the dog is adaptable
00:20:30and if it comes across a challenge that it finds difficult,
00:20:33that it can manage it.
00:20:34OK.
00:20:35So what we're saying is don't confine the dog to the backyard.
00:20:38Yes.
00:20:39But rather take the dog out into the world at large.
00:20:41Yeah.
00:20:42Not just sticking to your local neighbourhood walks
00:20:44but going to more like a CBD type situation,
00:20:46maybe even sitting down at a cafe
00:20:48and teaching the puppy how to behave in that sort of setting as well.
00:20:58Hello.
00:20:59Meredith, thank you for having us.
00:21:00My pleasure.
00:21:01My pleasure.
00:21:02These are my boys.
00:21:03Two.
00:21:04Two.
00:21:05I only expected to see one.
00:21:06No, I always try to have a bit of an overlap, to be honest.
00:21:10But you're obviously a dog lover.
00:21:11I mean, I walked down your driveway and I met the old Rhodesian.
00:21:15Has she been an advantage in taking on all these young puppies?
00:21:20Absolutely.
00:21:21Absolutely.
00:21:22She teaches them a whole lot of manners.
00:21:24So I take it this isn't the first time you've raised puppies.
00:21:27How many have you had?
00:21:28This is number six and seven.
00:21:31If there are people who would like to be like Meredith
00:21:33and take on board the whole idea of puppy raising,
00:21:36what do they need to do?
00:21:38So check out the Guide Dog Australia website
00:21:41for the prompt for puppy raising.
00:21:43And ultimately we're looking for people with lots of spare time,
00:21:46a loving, safe environment as well for the pup to be raised in.
00:21:57You started off how long ago?
00:22:00About seven years now.
00:22:02Did you have kids here at the time?
00:22:04Yes.
00:22:05So I have older kids.
00:22:07They are now very experienced puppy raisers as well.
00:22:10So they know all of the commands,
00:22:13all of the behaviours that's expected
00:22:15and everybody in the family has to be consistent.
00:22:18I mean, I'm looking at these dogs here.
00:22:20They're not running around like idiots.
00:22:23They're just normal Labradors.
00:22:25And these are the sort of dogs that will go on and make good guide dogs
00:22:29because they're very stable dogs.
00:22:31They do have their moments
00:22:32and I think that's important for people to know
00:22:35that these are normal dogs.
00:22:37They play with toys.
00:22:38They meet other dogs.
00:22:39They run around.
00:22:40They're not constantly switched on in service mode.
00:22:45What would you say to someone
00:22:46who's interested in becoming a puppy raiser?
00:22:49Do it and do it again.
00:22:51Once you start, it is really hard to stop.
00:22:55Everyone that leaves me does take a bit of my heart with them.
00:23:00But the alternative is that I wouldn't have had these seven years
00:23:05with these amazing, gorgeous boys like this
00:23:09that are so lovely and really enrich my life.
00:23:13Families like Meredith's give the pups a fantastic start in life.
00:23:18But the next step of the journey is intensive training.
00:23:21And we'll head back to Guide Dog HQ for that a little later.
00:23:30Hello! How are you?
00:23:33Coming up, this home cook is giving parents their weeknights back.
00:23:37I cannot wait to hear the nuts and bolts of how this actually works.
00:23:41Good job, buddy.
00:23:43The hardest part of raising a guide dog.
00:23:45Have you ever fallen in love with one of them?
00:23:47Oh, always, yeah.
00:23:51And this Canadian craftsmanship is sure to amaze you.
00:23:56The quality of this work is remarkable, Kelvin.
00:24:03So much better
00:24:08Three out of five Aussies find making the decision
00:24:11of what to eat for dinner extremely stressful.
00:24:14Not surprising when you think about cost of living,
00:24:17if you're time poor, and don't even throw in a picky eater or two.
00:24:21It's why I'm so excited to meet the creator
00:24:23of one of my favourite social media accounts, Simple Home Edit.
00:24:27In a very short space of time,
00:24:29she's gone from frazzled mum to home organisation queen.
00:24:33And with three million followers on social media,
00:24:36she's clearly doing something right.
00:24:49Hello!
00:24:51How are you?
00:24:52Good, how are you?
00:24:53It's so nice to meet you.
00:24:55Who are these two?
00:24:56This is Rose and Oscar somewhere.
00:24:58Hello!
00:24:59What are you doing?
00:25:00Oh, they're the chaos.
00:25:01They keep us busy.
00:25:02Come on, let's go inside.
00:25:04What's the age gap between the dogs?
00:25:05So it's 12 years between them.
00:25:07Oh, wow.
00:25:08So obviously little Rose is the puppy?
00:25:10She is, yes.
00:25:11That's the in-your-face little sister.
00:25:13I love it.
00:25:14How is your house this immaculate with two dogs and two children?
00:25:18Stop.
00:25:19And your gorgeous husband?
00:25:20Stop.
00:25:21Look, I have been cleaning a lot prior to you arriving.
00:25:23I'm not going to lie, it's been happening.
00:25:25We do have that effect on people.
00:25:27So look, for anyone that is actually not familiar with your amazing
00:25:29social media account, just give us a bit of a synopsis
00:25:32of Simple Home Edit.
00:25:33Okay, so Simple Home Edit stemmed from me being a very tired
00:25:36and overwhelmed mum.
00:25:37It started ten years ago now and it was basically changing
00:25:40the way that I plan, shop and cook for my family in order
00:25:44to remove the stress from our daily week, in order to remove
00:25:47some pressure, to be less tired, to have a clean and tidy home.
00:25:51A couple of systems to really kind of help with that.
00:25:55Well, I've got to say, your house looks magnificent.
00:25:57You look like an absolute vision of health, so I cannot wait
00:26:00to hear the nuts and bolts of how this actually works.
00:26:02Thanks, Jo.
00:26:03I'm really excited to share it with you.
00:26:05Brilliant.
00:26:06Excellent.
00:26:07Let's go.
00:26:08So you've got your little whiteboard here.
00:26:10I do.
00:26:11This is our family meal plan.
00:26:12So we come up with this together as a family every single week
00:26:15and you can see here I've got Monday to Sunday,
00:26:17all of our meals listed so we know what we're having for dinner.
00:26:19Oh, so there's actually a debater as to what you have on each night.
00:26:22Oh, absolutely.
00:26:23Right.
00:26:24So it's more like kids' sport on an afternoon or something like that.
00:26:26Absolutely.
00:26:27I'm so glad that you asked because it's all about taking
00:26:29into account your schedule.
00:26:31So as an example, Mondays are a really busy day for us,
00:26:34so we've got a freezer meal allocated for that day.
00:26:36I want to see.
00:26:37I want to see.
00:26:38Let me show you.
00:26:39I've got one in here.
00:26:40So this is our fridge.
00:26:41Oh, that is a work of a heart.
00:26:44So what we've got up here, and I think a lot of people think
00:26:47that this takes a lot of time and it really doesn't,
00:26:50it's a couple of hours, you know, when you do have free time,
00:26:52turn the music on and off you go.
00:26:54I've got our snacks up here.
00:26:56I've got all of our protein for the week,
00:26:58and then I've got some vegetables here that I've prepped ahead of time,
00:27:01ready to go when I need it.
00:27:03See, to me that's just like looking at restaurant prep.
00:27:05We go into a lot of great restaurants and they'll make it so quick.
00:27:09It's because everything's done like this.
00:27:11Absolutely.
00:27:12That's the way that you save time and also remove the stress
00:27:15from busy weeknights.
00:27:16Oh, my God, this is fantastic.
00:27:19I don't know if I'd ever be brave enough to open my fridge to a TV camera.
00:27:24Here we are.
00:27:25But I'm impressed.
00:27:26So that's obviously your planning.
00:27:28Yes.
00:27:29What about the shop side?
00:27:30The shopping.
00:27:31Let me take you through to the pantry.
00:27:32Beautiful.
00:27:33Lead the way.
00:27:34Let's go.
00:27:35Never thought I'd be so excited to hear those words.
00:27:37This is unbelievable.
00:27:39Alright, what's the secret to a pantry like this?
00:27:41Because this is like my dream fantasy pantry.
00:27:43Okay, so I'm not a professional organiser by any stretch of the imagination.
00:27:46Could be.
00:27:47No, but this is what I've got here.
00:27:49So these have got all of our dry staples in them.
00:27:51And then I keep all of the refills in here in this tub.
00:27:54And I feel like that's where a lot of people become unstuck.
00:27:57It's like where do I put all of the extras?
00:27:59If it's full and you've got a little bit left over.
00:28:02Absolutely.
00:28:03You can go ahead and fill it back up.
00:28:04And then, of course, having all of your staples in categories.
00:28:07So when it does come time to shop, you know what you have
00:28:10and you avoid the impulse purchases.
00:28:12There's nothing worse than going.
00:28:14I need sesame oil to get home.
00:28:16I've got four of them now.
00:28:17Exactly, that's right.
00:28:18We want to avoid that and we're also avoiding waste.
00:28:21Does this make it more efficient when you're actually doing your meal prep as well?
00:28:24Of course, yeah.
00:28:25You know, if you want to be able to prepare a meal in 90 minutes
00:28:28or several meals in 90 minutes, you need to know what you have
00:28:31and it needs to be accessible and easy to reach.
00:28:33I've seen on your account where you've talked about how much money you've saved.
00:28:37So have you ever actually put a figure on it
00:28:39from what you used to be like compared to now?
00:28:41I have.
00:28:42When I first started meal planning, it was over 10 years ago now,
00:28:45we had a big juicy mortgage and we went from spending, you know,
00:28:49in excess of $400 per week as a family to $150 per week.
00:28:54Yes, with meal planning.
00:28:56So it was a significant saving.
00:28:58That is extraordinary.
00:28:59Yeah.
00:29:00Show me more.
00:29:01Yes, let's go.
00:29:02Okay, so we've done planned, shop.
00:29:04Now we need to talk about cook.
00:29:06Absolutely.
00:29:07Where are your efficiencies with cooking?
00:29:08Okay, so for me, it's all about having what I need accessible.
00:29:11So I've got here some olive oil and vinegar, salt, pepper
00:29:14because I use that all the time.
00:29:16And then I've also got my spices here accessible.
00:29:19That is sexy.
00:29:20We all love a good spice drop.
00:29:21Yes, we do.
00:29:23And when it comes to cooking, it's all about less.
00:29:26So having those really practical multi-purpose pieces that you can use.
00:29:31This is fantastic.
00:29:32It's perfect to go from the oven to the stovetop to the tabletop
00:29:36and I can use it for almost anything.
00:29:38Okay, so I know that you have described yourself
00:29:40as a once upon a time frazzled mother.
00:29:42How long from when you had the idea of what you were doing
00:29:44to actually sharing it with other people?
00:29:47About five years in, there was a lot of interest
00:29:49not only in simplifying our homes but also in the recipes.
00:29:54And then from there, it just grew.
00:29:56So in five years, you've got over three million followers on social media.
00:30:00So what was it like then when you actually had that first approach
00:30:03where somebody said, you know what, this is going so well.
00:30:06Have you ever thought about writing a book?
00:30:08I couldn't believe it.
00:30:10And there was lots of imposter syndrome that kind of happened.
00:30:13I was like, really me? You're picking me?
00:30:15But it's been such an incredible experience
00:30:18to be able to share these recipes that are obviously changing people's kitchens
00:30:22and simplifying things.
00:30:23So they're talking about food, looking at your beautiful book over there.
00:30:26I'm not lying, I'm salivating.
00:30:28I'm getting a bit hungry, that's right.
00:30:30And you know what's on the menu tonight, right?
00:30:32It is, of course, Bang Bang Tacos.
00:30:35It's all right.
00:30:36Friday night dinner coming up a little later in the show.
00:30:41It's late January in the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney,
00:30:45and there is definitely something in the air.
00:30:48It's a media frenzy.
00:30:50And the general public and plant lovers and the curious
00:30:53are queuing for hours to see a very rare plant
00:30:58come into very even rarer flowering.
00:31:01Let me introduce you to this amazing, very special lady.
00:31:06And here she is, Putrisha.
00:31:08Isn't she beautiful?
00:31:09And she goes under many names.
00:31:11Her native Indonesian name from Sumatra is Bangga Bankai.
00:31:15Her Latin name is even more impressive and more for Phallus Titanium,
00:31:21the Titan Arum.
00:31:23Yes, she's a member of the Arum family.
00:31:25Pretty amazing.
00:31:26But of course, they're calling her Putrisha or the Phallus Titanium.
00:31:31Pretty amazing.
00:31:32But of course, they're calling her Putrisha or the Corpse Flower,
00:31:36which is pretty reliable because Putrisha is pretty putrid.
00:31:41Last night, she was just a stinker.
00:31:48Putrisha is beautiful, stunning.
00:31:51Yeah, she's way bigger than I thought she was going to be.
00:31:54I've been lucky enough to be a volunteer here 10 years this year,
00:31:58but this is extraordinary.
00:32:00People of all ages, people who don't like gardening.
00:32:03How cool is that?
00:32:04The Titan Arum originally comes from the rainforest of Sumatra,
00:32:09and they say there is only a couple of hundred left in its natural habitat.
00:32:14But they've been spread all around the world in botanic gardens
00:32:17where they can be really protected.
00:32:19When it comes into flower, it doesn't last for very long, only 24 hours,
00:32:25and then it completely collapses.
00:32:27But when it's at its peak, the smell,
00:32:29they say it's something akin to a dead possum in the roof.
00:32:33It smells like something stinky, like rotting meat, rotting flesh.
00:32:37I didn't quite get the teenage socks,
00:32:39but I got sort of an underlying rotting smell.
00:32:44Like maybe when I walk past a fish market, like the raw fish.
00:32:48We woke up this morning and we were like, we've got to see her.
00:32:51We have to get here as soon as possible.
00:32:54We've been chanting, stinky girl, stinky girl all morning.
00:33:03Lees, how are you?
00:33:04I'm good, thanks. How are you?
00:33:05Yeah, it's good. Pretty exciting, isn't it?
00:33:07Yeah, it's so exciting.
00:33:08How do you cope when you're up close and working for a long time?
00:33:12Yeah, so last night I was pollinating her.
00:33:15My nose was right inside of her.
00:33:19It wasn't very pleasant, but you've got to do what you've got to do.
00:33:22Right, now you were bringing in pollen onto the structure up here.
00:33:27So the flowers are actually in here where I've cut this little hole,
00:33:31if you can see that.
00:33:33Wow, look at that.
00:33:34So these are the female flowers here,
00:33:36and I wiped some pollen onto them all the way around.
00:33:40In its natural habitat, pollination is the job of flies and beetles
00:33:45who are attracted by the famous rotting odour of the corpse flower.
00:33:49Now you guys have become, with the live stream around the world,
00:33:52superstars. You'll be up to Hollywood next.
00:33:54But what have you actually been monitoring?
00:33:56We've been checking her temperature.
00:33:58We were feeling her to make sure she was heating up,
00:34:02because that is a process that she goes through.
00:34:05Just checking that she's well watered, that her humidifier's working,
00:34:10that she doesn't need any fertiliser.
00:34:20Back to the kitchen.
00:34:23Patricia, the corpse flower,
00:34:27is not normally on public display.
00:34:29That's a really rare opportunity for us all.
00:34:32It's normally spending all of her time in this beautiful old glass house here,
00:34:37where the temperature and the humidity are critically controlled
00:34:42to try and duplicate those conditions of the Indonesian rainforest,
00:34:46with her distant cousins as well.
00:34:48And you'll recognise a lot of them because they're popular indoor plants,
00:34:52like this caladium. Isn't it beautiful?
00:34:55And there are lots of different colours of these.
00:34:57And then of course, these little fellows.
00:34:59Now you'll recognise this as a tiny little anthurium or flamingo flower.
00:35:05Now from that little fellow, you can go to these ones.
00:35:08That's also an anthurium.
00:35:10And even a bigger one along here.
00:35:12Look at this. This is massive.
00:35:19But these, of course, are the big relatives.
00:35:21These are the close relatives.
00:35:23Don't recognise them? No.
00:35:24They're really weird because these are just the leaves.
00:35:27Now the leaves of the corpse flower come and then die down, grow again.
00:35:33And that's an enormous amount of energy needed to produce this stem.
00:35:38And it keeps doing that for years and years and years
00:35:41to increase the size of the corm in the ground,
00:35:44so that one day it might just flower.
00:35:47So all of these here are wonderful specimens
00:35:51of the corpse flower in transition.
00:36:01Brett.
00:36:02It's Graeme.
00:36:03There's not another one.
00:36:04No, this is the leaf stage,
00:36:06the new shoot of the leaf coming up from the corm,
00:36:09which is underground.
00:36:10Right.
00:36:11And it's producing the new leaflet,
00:36:13which will, as we can see,
00:36:14this sort of forest of amorphophallus behind it,
00:36:17of corpse flowers behind.
00:36:19These are all amorphophallus.
00:36:21Yes.
00:36:22Now the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney has been doing a lot of research
00:36:25and, of course, associated with other gardens around Australia.
00:36:29But where's the research heading with the corpse flower?
00:36:33So you're looking at using leaf cuttings
00:36:36and propagating from that.
00:36:38Quite successful technique now.
00:36:40So we can start to build up numbers quite effectively
00:36:43and then start to cross-pollinate them
00:36:45and make sure that the diversity is maintained and conserved.
00:36:49Have you ever experienced anything like this?
00:36:52Not like this.
00:36:53We've got tens of thousands of people coming in here
00:36:55and they see a single plant.
00:36:57Exactly.
00:36:58When people are given a chance,
00:37:00they really want to connect with the natural world, with plants.
00:37:03So this is a lovely story from that perspective.
00:37:06A beautiful story.
00:37:11I can build a house, but can I build a totem pole?
00:37:15We're about to find out.
00:37:17But guide dogs are something special.
00:37:20They're that little bit more than just a best friend.
00:37:26If gardening is your passion, check us out on 7 Plus
00:37:29where you can find all your favourite stories,
00:37:31plus explore hundreds of beautiful gardens
00:37:34from all around the world and lots more.
00:37:40So much better
00:37:43Earlier on, I spent a lot of time with this beautiful dog
00:37:47by the name of Valentine.
00:37:49He's about 30 or 40 months old
00:37:51and of course his mum Meredith has raised him from a puppy.
00:37:55He's about to go back to Guide Dog HQ
00:37:59and really finish off that intensive part of your training.
00:38:03And he's off to go now.
00:38:05He's in a heck of a hurry to get there.
00:38:06So let's join all his mates over at HQ
00:38:08and see exactly what's going on.
00:38:16So the pups have had the best part of 12 months or more
00:38:20with their puppy trainers.
00:38:21And now they're here at the centre.
00:38:23What happens, Lisa?
00:38:24What happens next?
00:38:25So the puppy raisers drop our dogs off to us for assessment.
00:38:29So we have a three-week assessment.
00:38:31During that three-week assessment,
00:38:33we are looking at the dogs,
00:38:36how they go in all different environments.
00:38:38Now when do you split them into their various groups?
00:38:41After that initial three-week period,
00:38:43you've got your guide dogs,
00:38:44you've got your breeding potential,
00:38:46you've got your therapy dogs
00:38:47and you've got your pet dogs.
00:38:48Yep.
00:38:49So after that three weeks,
00:38:50we sit down and we look at how the dogs all are
00:38:53and we split them up between the trainers.
00:38:55How long does the whole program last?
00:38:57So it's 20 weeks to train a guide dog.
00:38:59So at week 10 and week 16, we do a blindfold review.
00:39:03So us trainers will go under blindfold
00:39:05and the dog will take us on a route
00:39:07where the dog has to go into the plaza,
00:39:09find an escalator, go on the escalator, find a lift.
00:39:12And that's a really exciting time
00:39:14where the dog keeps us safe
00:39:16as well as we have a spotter behind us.
00:39:18We currently have over 250 dogs out there working,
00:39:22working guide dogs,
00:39:23and we have over 80 therapy dogs out there as well
00:39:27because we have an amazing therapy program.
00:39:29Sometimes we get to go out
00:39:30and see the client and dog working together
00:39:32and that gets your heart.
00:39:43Carla, how old is this dog?
00:39:45He is about 14 months.
00:39:47And his name is?
00:39:48Jem.
00:39:49Lisa, have you been involved in this too?
00:39:50Yes, I have.
00:39:51Yeah, we've just done his week 10 blindfold.
00:39:53So he's halfway through training.
00:39:55So what's the idea of having him on the box?
00:39:58Yeah, so the idea behind the box
00:40:00is we want them really nice and straight
00:40:03and working on their stability in that perfect positioning
00:40:06where they're going to be when they're working.
00:40:08What happens next?
00:40:10So I'm going to ask him to sit.
00:40:13Yes.
00:40:14Good boy.
00:40:15And I'm going to reward him with a treat.
00:40:17And the treats are what?
00:40:19Just some dry kibble,
00:40:20which is what they get for their daily food.
00:40:22Okay.
00:40:23So it's really not a special treat as I would use.
00:40:26Oh, it's special for them.
00:40:27Oh, you're tough here, you are, aren't you?
00:40:29Next I'm going to ask him to down.
00:40:31Down.
00:40:33Good boy.
00:40:34Stay.
00:40:37Jem, upstand.
00:40:38Good boy.
00:40:40Another treat.
00:40:41Next we're going to walk over to the bench seat
00:40:43on my right-hand side
00:40:45and we're going to ask Jem to find the seat.
00:40:48Let's go.
00:40:49Jem, come on.
00:40:50So the seat's just over here.
00:40:52Good boy.
00:40:53Which hand is the handler used to hold the harness?
00:40:55The left or the right?
00:40:56They're going to be using the left hand
00:40:58and the dog is going to be slightly in front of the handler
00:41:00so that they can stop at any hazards
00:41:02or road crossings or obstacles.
00:41:04Good boy.
00:41:05Steady.
00:41:07So holding both the lead and the harness.
00:41:09That's what she's doing right now
00:41:10because we're about halfway through training
00:41:12so Kyla's still showing Jem where the seat is
00:41:15but he's just done a really nice chin rest
00:41:17which is what we want
00:41:19or any kind of target to that seat
00:41:22in a nice straight position is our end goal.
00:41:24So being at right angles to the seat?
00:41:26Yep.
00:41:27Forward.
00:41:28This is a kerb stop at the side of the road
00:41:31and then Jem's going to guide Kyla across the road
00:41:33and hit the up kerb safely.
00:41:35So we're aiming for the centre here.
00:41:37Good boy.
00:41:38So you can watch Jem's feet where they hit.
00:41:40Good boy.
00:41:41Yes.
00:41:42He's keeping Kyla right in the middle.
00:41:44Okay, well done.
00:41:45Go.
00:41:50So what's happening?
00:41:51So we have some artificial obstacles set up here
00:41:54so Jem's moving Kyla around the obstacles
00:41:57so she has a nice clearance on her right shoulder
00:42:00so she's not bumping into it
00:42:01and returning her to the middle of the path
00:42:04and then straighten her back up again.
00:42:06It's a really good way we can teach them here on site
00:42:08with artificial obstacles
00:42:09and then when we go out in the shopping centres
00:42:11then we start using dynamic obstacles.
00:42:14This is a dog with a lot of brains
00:42:16and he's 14 or 15 months old.
00:42:18What's he going to be like when he gets to two and a half?
00:42:21He'll be a genius.
00:42:22And he'll need to be
00:42:23because he'll literally have someone's life in his paws.
00:42:27When the two-year-old training journey is over
00:42:30with an investment of over $50,000 per dog
00:42:33they are placed with an owner free of charge
00:42:36for the rest of their working life.
00:42:38A dog is man's best friend
00:42:41but guide dogs are something special.
00:42:44They're that little bit more than just a best friend.
00:42:48They're everything to the person that has them.
00:42:51Absolutely everything.
00:42:52They're their world.
00:42:54And Guide Dogs Australia
00:42:56right around this great continent of ours
00:42:58has done so much wonderful work
00:43:00to help people who are sight impaired.
00:43:02You ready to go home?
00:43:04Yep, let's go home.
00:43:10Wow, so Calvin it's not just totems that you make.
00:43:13You obviously have all these beautiful pieces here.
00:43:17How to pick the right plants for the right conditions
00:43:20while this garden is an absolute masterclass in just that.
00:43:25In the March issue of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine
00:43:28we're showing you how to add bold and bright colours to your home
00:43:31with our complete colour guide.
00:43:33Plus we're sharing some clever ideas
00:43:35for adding affordable wall art for your home
00:43:38as well as our top tricks and tips
00:43:40for upcycling your old furniture.
00:43:42And in 2025, Better Homes and Gardens magazine
00:43:45is searching for Australia's most passionate
00:43:47and dedicated tradies.
00:43:49It's all inside the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine
00:43:52on sale now.
00:44:20There's something special about the wilderness of British Columbia
00:44:24and we have been so lucky to experience it.
00:44:27But like many places around the world, including Australia
00:44:30we can get a better understanding of the regions
00:44:33through the eyes of the First Nations people
00:44:35whose ancestors have lived here for generations.
00:44:50I'm in Port Hardy on my way home to Australia
00:44:53and what a trip it has been.
00:44:55But it's not over yet.
00:44:56I'm about to meet up with Kelvin Hunt.
00:44:58He's a local Indigenous man
00:45:00keeping the tradition of his forebears alive
00:45:02through his craftsmanship.
00:45:03And something tells me this is going to be very special.
00:45:06Look at the size of that.
00:45:10Kelvin, how are you?
00:45:12Hello, hey.
00:45:13Thank you for having me.
00:45:14It is an absolute honour to be here
00:45:16and what a remarkable place this is.
00:45:19Welcome to the land of the Kwagyoth.
00:45:21We're the Kwagyoth Nation.
00:45:22We're the head tribe of the Kwakwaka'wakw.
00:45:24And Kwa means smoke.
00:45:26Smoke.
00:45:27So we're the smoke of the world.
00:45:28And how does totem building come into that?
00:45:31That's been a part, obviously, for thousands of years.
00:45:35There are so many different types of poles.
00:45:37There's a pole for your house, your big house.
00:45:39Like our big house here has the four poles that are holding up
00:45:45the infrastructure,
00:45:47represent all the four main families of this village.
00:45:50And then each individual will have their own family crest.
00:45:54So when you're coming to the beach,
00:45:55if you've seen totem poles with like an eagle on top or a raven,
00:46:00that would be their main crest of their family.
00:46:02And then the secondary crest would always be,
00:46:04you know, the next figures down.
00:46:06These are your treasures.
00:46:08Tell me about this gorgeous piece of timber that we have here.
00:46:12This is a Western Red Cedar.
00:46:14It comes from this end of Vancouver Island.
00:46:16We refer to it as our tree of life.
00:46:18Yeah.
00:46:19You know, it was used for our totem poles, our canoes, building our houses.
00:46:23Wow.
00:46:24It's just an amazing, amazing tree.
00:46:26Yeah.
00:46:27And this is a pole that I'm going to carve for Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
00:46:32It's absolutely beautiful.
00:46:34Yeah, it's our tree of life.
00:46:36And it's just, yeah, it's really nice when you're carving nice material.
00:46:39Yeah.
00:46:42Wow.
00:46:53Wow.
00:46:54So, Calvin, it's not just totems that you make.
00:46:56You obviously have all these beautiful pieces here.
00:46:59Also, can you tell us a little bit about this?
00:47:01What I like to do is do stuff for ceremonial use.
00:47:06This is made for, it's referred to as a Hislugwila,
00:47:09which means ten moons.
00:47:11So, after a baby's born, you would cut the baby's hair,
00:47:14take the burning embers from the fire, singe the hair, and the smoke.
00:47:19Then you would have a feather, and you would go around the mother,
00:47:24and the baby would be holding, and you'd smudge with the smoke.
00:47:27Smudge, yeah.
00:47:28You know, it's for protection.
00:47:30How beautiful is that?
00:47:31And then, you know, that's the first part of it, cutting the hair.
00:47:35And then you would have red ochre would be put in this feast dish.
00:47:40This represents a sea monster, something that comes from our grandmother.
00:47:43Wow, look at that.
00:47:44From the Kuskimo. That's made out of alder.
00:47:46Look at that.
00:47:47So, you'd put the ochre in here, and that would be rubbed all over the baby,
00:47:51and that's another form of protection.
00:47:53And then this is a water bucket.
00:47:55Get their water from a special river in their village.
00:47:58Then you would pour it into here, and this would be used for washing the baby.
00:48:02After that stage in your life, the next stage in your life is coming of age,
00:48:07which is called a cancela.
00:48:09And for a young girl, we would make a box.
00:48:14She could store her treasures in there or whatever.
00:48:16And then for a boy, you know, this is going to be a paddle here
00:48:20that's going to go to my grandson.
00:48:22And then a drum.
00:48:24This is deer hide.
00:48:25Sometimes they're elk.
00:48:26Yep.
00:48:27But I really like how deer sounds.
00:48:29It's just got a nice voice.
00:48:31You know, it's got a really nice.
00:48:33What a gorgeous tone.
00:48:34Yeah.
00:48:36That's remarkable.
00:48:37Absolutely remarkable.
00:48:39And I've got to say, like, the beauty of the story behind them
00:48:43in that tradition is absolutely gorgeous.
00:48:45But the quality of this work is remarkable, Kelvin.
00:48:48I mean, I'm looking at these boxes, and this is one layer
00:48:52that has actually been wrapped around on this small box and the big box.
00:48:56So can you talk to me about the technique?
00:48:58There's a special cut that you make, and then you have to steam these, of course.
00:49:02Yeah.
00:49:03And then they're bent and the bottoms put on.
00:49:05They're waterproof.
00:49:07These were used for cooking, these kind of boxes.
00:49:10Well, I tell you what, I'm absolutely blown away by what I've seen, Kelvin.
00:49:14You're a very talented man, and it is beautiful, beautiful artwork.
00:49:18So, yeah, thank you for having us come by today
00:49:22and sharing all your knowledge with us.
00:49:25It's been remarkable.
00:49:26Well, thank you, yeah.
00:49:27Thanks for coming by.
00:49:33And what an amazing adventure I've had in British Columbia,
00:49:37and getting to learn and understand the land through Kelvin's culture
00:49:41has just made this artwork even more spectacular.
00:49:44But for now, I need to call time on this amazing adventure.
00:49:55There is so much more to see.
00:49:57You should definitely give it a go, and I promise you won't be disappointed.
00:50:02Can you create a designer-look garden on an ordinary suburban block?
00:50:08Well, these homeowners have done just that, and the results are stunning.
00:50:12And Juliet's showing you how to look at your lamps in a whole new light.
00:50:17And that is it.
00:50:19It looks so cool and it's so easy.
00:50:24Whether it's a show garden designed by the best in the business
00:50:27or a home renovation out in the suburbs,
00:50:29the secret to success and longevity is getting the right plant in the right spot.
00:50:34Not so easy to prove, you say.
00:50:35Well, these homeowners have done just that, and the results are stunning.
00:50:54Well, this garden is absolutely sensational.
00:50:57But before I get on to talking about the plants, and there is a few of those,
00:51:00I think we need to talk about the structures, the house.
00:51:03I love the way it hasn't been knocked down and rebuilt.
00:51:06They've renovated the original cottage, and it ties in really nicely with this wall.
00:51:10And the breeze blocks, I think that's the best use of breeze blocks I've ever seen,
00:51:14to be honest with you.
00:51:15Then there's this deck that takes you to the front door.
00:51:17Lovely silver timber, nice and clean.
00:51:20Then there's this deck that takes you to the front door.
00:51:21Lovely silver timber, nice and low-lying.
00:51:24And it just shows off this fantastic plant palette.
00:51:35Now, the majority of these plants are either cacti or succulents,
00:51:38and there can be a risk that a garden looks static.
00:51:41But there is so much interest here, and that is because they have layered the plants so wonderfully.
00:51:45Coming up from the driveway, there's almost a hedge of euphorbia cowboy.
00:51:49There's a dracaena draco and a frangipani as the main features.
00:51:52But this understory is just so interesting to look at.
00:51:55We've got goldstripe agave americana.
00:51:58There's sansevieria moonlight as an underplant.
00:52:00There's this fantastic kalanchoe silver spoons, which I've just taken a leaf off.
00:52:04I might take that home and propagate that one.
00:52:06And then down here in the lower story, we've even got zoysia tenufolia.
00:52:09There's so much to sit back and take a look at.
00:52:12Now, I absolutely love an internal courtyard, and this one is a cracker.
00:52:16It's spaced around this fantastic plunge pool.
00:52:18Now, I love the color of the water, and that's thanks to the natural stone tiles.
00:52:22The planting is really lovely as well.
00:52:24It focuses around a traveler's palm, Ravenella madagascariensis.
00:52:42This garden is absolutely sensational.
00:52:44You did this yourself, didn't you?
00:52:46Yes, yeah, I did.
00:52:47But you've got a high-impact front garden.
00:52:49You've got this great little internal courtyard and then a really practical space here.
00:52:53So you've got lots of different gardens in one.
00:52:55Is that something you were trying to achieve from the outset?
00:52:58Well, initially, the front yard being really sandy,
00:53:03like the whole lot of South Moorooba is a sand dune, really.
00:53:07We dug a lot of the sand out, put in good soil.
00:53:10I love the thought of just a really organic garden,
00:53:16everything just growing together.
00:53:18Oh, you've achieved that.
00:53:19So I wasn't sure.
00:53:20A frangipani, dragon tree, cactus, there's coastal.
00:53:23There's actually a big mix, but it seems to work.
00:53:26The centre area, the pool area, was just an old, unused courtyard.
00:53:31It wasn't really pre-planned.
00:53:33Villa vibe, tropical in the centre.
00:53:36And then this is sort of more your typical Aussie backyard,
00:53:40have a barbeque, kick a ball around.
00:53:42The thing I love the most is you've got this sensational,
00:53:45really high-impact front garden.
00:53:47As soon as you open the front door, you can see right down through the back,
00:53:50and that's a lovely way to bring the garden into the house.
00:53:52It's a really interesting property with lots of little interesting areas.
00:53:56I think it's a great place to live.
00:53:58Oh, I think you've nailed it.
00:53:59Oh, thank you. Thanks, Charlie.
00:54:09Here in the back garden, the space feels much larger than it actually is,
00:54:12and that's because the eye is thrown well past the boundary.
00:54:15The boundaries are painted in a dark colour, so they recede.
00:54:18And then you've got spaces that look through to district views
00:54:21with screening from these magnolia teddy bears.
00:54:23You've got a lot of natural light coming through the garden,
00:54:26with screening from these magnolia teddy bears of neighbouring houses.
00:54:29On the other side, there's a big dracaena in the neighbour's garden,
00:54:33and they've planted one on this side as well,
00:54:35so they feel like they've become one, and that throws the eye out even further.
00:54:39This garden has actually got quite a few mature trees,
00:54:42which is great because it brings character and lots of wildlife,
00:54:45which is also supported by things like this water bowl.
00:54:48The problem you can get with big trees, though, is they cause a lot of shade,
00:54:51and therefore it's hard to grow grass.
00:54:53But again, the right plant in the right spot
00:54:55shows that by using a broadleaf buffalo, you can have both.
00:55:08Megan's garden is a great example of the golden rule in landscaping.
00:55:12If you get the right plant in the right spot,
00:55:14not only will it look great, but you'll save money
00:55:16because you're not going to be replacing dead plants all the time.
00:55:19You too can have your own show garden at home.
00:55:24There is something so fun about a pom-pom,
00:55:27and I'm going to use them to embellish this plain old lampshade.
00:55:31Looking for a midweek meal that's fast, fresh and absolutely delicious?
00:55:35And it tastes better than takeaway? I'll show you how.
00:55:40In the March issue of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine,
00:55:42we are celebrating the plant colour of the year, teal,
00:55:45and we're showing you how to incorporate it into your garden.
00:55:48Plus, we explore Gather Flower Farm in New York.
00:55:51Plus, we explore Gather Flower Farm in the Yarra Valley,
00:55:54which is home to a huge range of vibrant blooms
00:55:56like dahlias, roses, proteas and peonies.
00:55:59And in 2025, Better Homes and Gardens magazine
00:56:02is searching for Australia's most passionate and dedicated traders.
00:56:06That's all in the March issue of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
00:56:09Out now.
00:56:17A great trick interior designers use is lighting,
00:56:19and you can use it too.
00:56:21Lamps or accent lighting like this allow you to add layers
00:56:24and accentuate features like this screen,
00:56:26or create cosy nooks and zones.
00:56:29So I'm going to show you some easy ways to revamp your lampshade
00:56:32so your home can shine.
00:56:37For the first idea, I'm going to take this plain white lampshade
00:56:40and give it some colour and pattern.
00:56:42The way I'm going to do that is with this vinyl,
00:56:44which has an adhesive backing, so it couldn't be easier.
00:56:47You can use whatever colours suit your home decor.
00:56:50I'm using these really pretty colours here to create a leaf pattern
00:56:54because botanicals never really go out in interior design.
00:56:57So the first thing I'm going to do is just...
00:57:00I've created this little leaf template here,
00:57:02and you just want to place that down and trace around it,
00:57:04and that way you can easily repeat the pattern.
00:57:12Now, one issue is just cut it out.
00:57:17So I'm just going to cut it out.
00:57:27Before you know it, you are going to have lots of these
00:57:29pretty colourful petals,
00:57:31but of course you need something to put those on.
00:57:33So the design I've come up with is to use this lovely mushroom colour
00:57:37as the stems for the petals or the leaves to sit on,
00:57:41and they are going to sit all the way around this lampshade.
00:57:45I've got these evenly spaced lines for those stems to go on,
00:57:49and I've cut them out into strips.
00:57:51All you need to do is just remove the backing and stick them down.
00:57:54How gorgeous is that? And it was so simple.
00:58:16It will make the perfect bedside table lampshade.
00:58:19I can't wait to see my next colourful idea.
00:58:25How fun are these?
00:58:27And pom-poms are right back in at the moment.
00:58:30We're seeing them on cushions and bedspreads,
00:58:33and I thought, why not embellish a traditional rice paper lantern like this?
00:58:37Because admittedly, they're quite plain,
00:58:39but once I'm finished, this is going to make a real style statement.
00:58:42So the first thing you need to do is start making some pom-poms.
00:58:46It's quite therapeutic. It's quite fun.
00:58:48You can use, again, whatever colours you like.
00:58:50You just need some yarn.
00:58:52And in all my time pom-pom making, this has to be the best helper.
00:58:56You just get it from the craft store. You can get it in different sizes.
00:58:59And all you need to do is take your yarn and start wrapping it around this guy.
00:59:23OK, my pom-poms are all ready to go,
00:59:25so I've marked out where I want to place them on the lantern,
00:59:28and I'm using four main colours.
00:59:30I'm just going to attach them using some hot glue.
00:59:53How cute is that?
00:59:55Perfect for a kid's or teenager's room.
00:59:57But if you're not into colour,
00:59:59you could do a white-on-white version, just like this one.
01:00:02It's really textural, and you don't even have to make the pom-poms.
01:00:06I bought these.
01:00:13For a more natural look, I'm using this bamboo basket.
01:00:16I'm just going to cut it out.
01:00:19For a more natural look, I'm using this bamboo bath mat.
01:00:22Yes, it is a bamboo bath mat,
01:00:24but it's going to look great when I put it on this lampshade.
01:00:27I'm just going to use hot glue.
01:00:29I'm using two of them to wrap around the shade,
01:00:32and it'll give you that eco-chic look that everyone loves at the moment.
01:00:49That is it.
01:00:51It looks so cool, and it's so easy.
01:00:55I'm going to pop this one on a floor lamp in the lounge room,
01:00:58and it'll become a real statement piece.
01:01:06When you think about lighting, you probably think about lighting inside,
01:01:09but outdoors it's equally as important.
01:01:11So I'm going to pop this one on a floor lamp in the lounge room,
01:01:14and it'll become a real statement piece.
01:01:18So how's this for a great idea?
01:01:20Super simple as well.
01:01:21I've got a vase.
01:01:22I'm going to put some sand in the bottom of it
01:01:24and use a solar light to give us some ambient lighting out on this deck.
01:01:29Then for the shade, I've just got some craft sticks here.
01:01:32I'm going to use some natural wax on it,
01:01:34and that will protect it from the elements while it's outside.
01:01:37This is going to be very cute.
01:01:49Now, to assemble it, which is basically two steps.
01:01:55And that's it.
01:01:56Gorgeous, right?
01:02:05No matter if you're after something natural and neutral
01:02:08or something a little more fun and colourful,
01:02:11all of these ideas were super cheap and easy to create.
01:02:14And it just goes to show how much personality a lamp adds to a room.
01:02:18So let your life shine.
01:02:32So I've been having the most wonderful time with Nicole McGuire
01:02:35from Simple Home Edit.
01:02:36She's got three million followers, resulting in this cookbook,
01:02:40which I want to show you because it is so beautiful.
01:02:43I want to show you because it is outstanding.
01:02:45Sold out in next to no time.
01:02:47The Simple Dinner Edit.
01:02:49A second book coming.
01:02:50So it would be remiss of us not to cook a fabulous meal with this.
01:02:54Look at that.
01:02:55We just happen to have it opened up to the page.
01:02:57Bang, bang, prawn tacos on the menu.
01:03:00All right.
01:03:01Talk us through this beautiful meal.
01:03:02When a taco's not on the menu at our place...
01:03:04Tacos are rippers.
01:03:05I know.
01:03:06The best ever.
01:03:07Our kids absolutely love it.
01:03:08So what I've got here are some beautiful fresh ingredients.
01:03:12So what we're going to start by doing is making our bang, bang sauce.
01:03:15Uh-huh.
01:03:16OK, so we've got our mayonnaise here.
01:03:18We're adding the sweet chilli to that.
01:03:21So we're going to add some lime juice to that as well.
01:03:32And now we're going to move on to the prawns.
01:03:34I've always got a bag of freezer-stashed prawns.
01:03:37They take a couple of minutes to defrost.
01:03:39And again, there is no waste by using those.
01:03:41Brilliant.
01:03:42Excellent.
01:03:43So to those, we are going to add some buttermilk.
01:03:52OK, so we're going to add our sweet paprika to this.
01:03:55Oh, yum.
01:03:56Yes, delish.
01:03:58And then we've got some onion powder, or garlic powder.
01:04:01Well, they look exactly the same, don't they?
01:04:03They do.
01:04:06And onion powder.
01:04:10And, of course, some salt here as well.
01:04:16In that goes.
01:04:17Perfect.
01:04:21All right, so we're going to drop in a couple of these gorgeous little prawns
01:04:24into our cornflour.
01:04:25OK.
01:04:33And there are our little prawns ready to be...
01:04:38..put into our little pan.
01:04:39That's right.
01:04:40And cooked up for a super quick and easy but delicious dinner.
01:05:01OK, here we are.
01:05:02Perfection.
01:05:03I'm excited.
01:05:04You're excited.
01:05:06So we've got our wraps here that we have toasted,
01:05:09so let's get those ready to go.
01:05:29My tummy's rumbling.
01:05:30It's making me hungry.
01:05:32I cannot get over how quick and easy this is.
01:05:35Isn't it fantastic?
01:05:36It's so nice to have meals like this that you can rely on on busy weeknights.
01:05:40And look at it.
01:05:41It looks absolutely glorious on a plate.
01:05:43So just the sauce to go.
01:05:44Yep, and then we're done.
01:05:46Oh, this is a ripper.
01:05:55I have to say, Nick, you are an organisational queen.
01:05:59You are so impressive.
01:06:00All the tips and the tricks that you've shown us today
01:06:03and your beautiful food is the icing on the cake.
01:06:05It has been pure joy.
01:06:07Thank you, Jo, for coming and for being here.
01:06:09I'm truly, truly honoured.
01:06:11Brilliant.
01:06:12Now, I think this might be messy,
01:06:13so I have a feeling we should probably say goodbye
01:06:15and we'll see you next week before we actually do a taste test.
01:06:18I think so.
01:06:19We'll see you next Friday.
01:06:20Have a great week.
01:06:21All right.
01:06:22Let's do it.
01:06:23Where are we going?
01:06:24Let's have a little taste.
01:06:28Mmm.
01:06:59Two dishes, four kinds of mushrooms,
01:07:02and all in under 30 minutes.
01:07:04Clarissa's sorting out dinner
01:07:06and testing your maths skills at the same time.
01:07:09I have a fifth one.
01:07:11I can't count.
01:07:18I'll help you elevate your entertaining game
01:07:20with this DIY Dreams Trolley.
01:07:28This masterpiece could have your name on it.
01:07:30A beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork
01:07:32using a tried and true printing technique.
01:07:36Colin's making swordfish,
01:07:38but this sauce tastes good on everything.
01:07:41I'm going to do a beautiful, seasonal salsa verde.
01:07:45Look at that.
01:07:47And Dr Harry's got his hands full
01:07:49helping a chicken who's feeling foul.
01:07:52This is a right raw chicken by the name of Lizzie,
01:07:55but the chook is crook.
01:07:57Join us next time on Better Homes and Gardens.