When my bathroom sprung a leak recently I was a little panicked because the water, which was flowing upwards through the floor tiles, was doing so very quickly and seemed to be under some pressure. Five minutes of watching this peculiar sight left me convinced that an under-floor geyser was about to erupt and I had visions of myself being blasted into the air before crash-landing on the breakfast table of the apartment below. Water anyone?

Of course it didn't happen, but I did have to call a plumber, which also left me jumpy. My experiences with any kind of emergency repair service have been mixed. Mostly badly mixed, with "Bob the Builder" being replaced by "Bob the Bodger" and his friend Big Bill, so I only tend to call them in extreme circumstances. This gravity-defying water act definitely seemed extreme, as have been the repairs- two drilled walls, one master bathroom out of action, and a punctured hot water tank. I have vowed to learn something about plumbing and other useful things.

Plumbing 101
This DIY (Do-it-Yourself) site started by two women, neither called Jane, aims to "educate and equip women with the tools to have confidence in home improvement and themselves". It sounds a bit lofty, and I am not sure they can be that serious, because one of their featured projects is building a storage cabinet in the shape of a piece of cheese. But the plumbing bits seem good and if you want to know how to change a showerhead look no further. Safekids has great tips too - on everything.
www.bejane.com/Projects/By+Topic/Plumbing
www.safekids.co.uk/ChildproofingCategory.html

Biking Hints
Bikes, scooters and skate maintenance are all covered in video format here. The clips are straightforward and not too long so they are useful for older kids too. The problem I have with all of these informative gems is that the only time I want to know about a bicycle tyre puncture is when I have one. Which tends to be when I don't have an Internet link handy… because I'm cycling! If you are better organized than me, you will heed the advice here in advance. By the way 'the jug', has videos on everything but many are not worth a click at all.
www.videojug.com/tag/cycling

DIY Death Wish
I know some people seem to have a death wish when it comes to DIY and insist on trying to fix something even if it may result in a trip to the ER. A dear friend of mine is that type and has singed his hair twice. His daughter sleeps on a bed propped up by bricks (it broke about a year ago while she was Tiger-bouncing). He can't fix it and refuses to let anyone else try. An IKEA bed was suggested as an alternative by an in-law, but his wife put an embargo on IKEA a long time ago. Flat pack furniture and him just don't get along. But I know he is not alone in that respect, the simple assembly instructions have made many a grown up cry. I'm not sure how helpful the IKEA Hacker blog is, but it's quite curious.
http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com

Handy Mom
I know a very talented design mom. My son loves birthday parties at her house because they always involve fantasy themes and a cake that tastes as marvelous as it looks. Her most recent foray was into the world of 'Knights and Ladies' and I am still reeling from the unbelievable cardboard castle she 'cobbled' together from boxes saved from her last relocation. Legoland, watch out! Anyway she is also very handy with a paintbrush and has done some great murals in simple but striking designs. She gets inspiration for her projects from the sites listed below. I can't recommend any end result but do recommend trying out any mural ideas on a shed or garden wall first... just in case. You don't want to have to call the decorators in.
www.naturesvignettes.com/catalog/new2004.html
http://familyfun.go.com/decorating-ideas/decorating/feature/famf0502_proj_glomural
www.joshuawiner.com/residency.html
http://www.mrmcgroovys.com

Cute and Cuddly
I know it’s Spring, but knitted baby things are so adorable that I couldn’t resist putting in these links to wonderful woolly bits and pieces. London’s Victoria and Albert Museum website has a great section on knitting where podcasts are intermingled with historical patterns and knitting memoirs. Oh, there is a soft toy link too, because I reckon I will never master plumbing, but I'm not bad with a needle and thread.
www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/features/knitting
http://happyasianwomenknitting.com/?m=200605 (and then follow the links for other baby stuff).
www.dailyknitter.com/patternsdetail.php?type=SP
www.squidoo.com/knitowl
http://knitowl.blogspot.com