I have a big water drain with a big concrete slab over the top in my backyard. It is an eye sore. Anyone else ever have this problem? I would love to see some pictures of how I could fix it. Thank you!

Most of my plants are impulse buys! Lovely brick wall. Do you get much sun there? If you do, try a Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum) it has a wonderful fragrance in summer and it is evergreen. Not too vigourous either. It will need something to scramble up like a piece of trellis or wires. Will do well in a largish pot. I think plants that have a long flowering period would be good too like hardy Geraniums, Crocosmia. The grass Miscanthus zebrina does well in a pot. It’s not evergreen but the wheat coloured winter stems are lovely, just cut back in March. Do you like roses? They do well in pots but they must be deep ones to accommodate the roots. Some species grow well in shade so worth checking out the RHS website for ones that do. STAR JASMINE ROSE MISCANTHUS ZEBRINA CROCOSMIA (ORANGE) WITH BLUE HARDY GERANIUM ROZANNE

I'm guessing you are in California? Increase your borders and bring in more plans, think more lush tropical style with bold colours and dramatic leaves. Re paint your wall to the steps, be brave with colour and maybe a new path leading around the house. And some screening for your AC unit with climbing plants.

It’s a nice kitchen so I don’t think it will take too much effort to update it. The worktop dates it so something lighter in a white or marble look laminate would look nice. My sister had her worktop vinyl wrapped and it looks really good but it’s quite a labour intensive option and it cost £300 for her pretty tiny L shaped kitchen. I’m not sure if the budget will stretch for LVT but certainly worth getting quotes in. I’ve recently had sheet vinyl laid in my bathroom and it looks great and a very affordable option. I wouldn’t worry about the blind until the rest is done. You don’t say what sort of blind you’re looking for - roller, slats, Roman blind?