Subject	Tips
Safety	Garden chemicals can burn the skin, wear a mask, goggles, gloves and overalls. Don't use chemicals in windy conditions, wait for a dry, still day. Use ear defenders when using noisy equipment. Always wear sturdy shoes or boots when gardening. A ladder will sink on soft ground and slip on hard ground, get someone to hold the ladder at the base. The safest angle to use a ladder at it 75o (approximately 1 foot out for every four rungs of the ladder). When using power tools, wear close fitting cloths (or overalls), goggles and sturdy footwear. A residual circuit breaker should be used when using electrical tools. This will immediately cut the power if the cable is cut or the tool develops a fault.
Seeds	If you have small expensive seed, such as pansy. It's a good idea to mix the packet of seeds with silver sand (or wallpaper paste) before sowing into a seed tray / pot, as this will provide a much better distribution of plants and make it easier to "prick out" seedlings. This also gives the added benefits of that you can see where you have sown.
Animals	Check bonfires for animals (hedgehogs, frogs, toads, mice etc.) before lighting. Cat's can be scared from your garden by filling lemonade bottles with water and placing where the cats enter the garden. Cat's are inquisitive, they will look at the bottles, see their enlarged reflection and think that they are on a larger cats territory. Heron's, like other wild birds, are protected. Do not harm these beautiful birds.
Ponds	Place a decoy heron in or around the pond, heron's are territorial and will be discouraged from landing, if they see a bird already feeding. Move the decoy regularly, heron's will realise that it is a decoy if it doesn't move. Fishing line supported 18" above the surface of the pond, will discourage heron from feeding from your pond. Heron's land and walk into the water, they do not like anything touching their legs.