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Dear Debbie: I am quite taken by the metallic look and would like to paint my walls with golden-brown metallic paint, but would it be too much? Frank When applied with care, metallic paint will produce a stunning result.

The first seed and garden catalogues will soon be arriving, and dreams for a new gardening season will begin. At the same time, it’s pleasant to look back at highlights of the past summer. Each year brings its own special treasures.

Dear Helen: I have a long perennial bed that needs a roster of new summer-blooming plants. I’d like flowers mainly in the pink to purple range, with perhaps some yellow. Please recommend some plants. H.E.

Dear Tony: Our strata recently changed management companies and in the changeover, we discovered we are owed more than $12,000 in fines from 15 strata lots.

Dear Debbie: We want to update the carpet in our bedroom. What would look good with a metal bed frame? Shauna Wall-to-wall carpeting is back in fashion with textured designs that suit contemporary style.

It’s easy to feel absurdly virtuous when a particularly arduous and daunting early autumn project has actually been accomplished. In my garden, the lawns are too often neglected. I regard their care as monumentally uninteresting.

Dear Reena:What’s the best way to clean dust from computers and TV screens? Carol Wipe the screen with a very soft dusting brush or cloth. Then gently wipe the screen with a fabric softener sheet to repel dust.

Dear Helen: As a gardening beginner, I need some basic bulb information. I’ve bought a few tulips, daffodils and crocuses and am wondering what sort of site and soil they need. Some tips on planting would be helpful. L.B. Dear L.B.

Early autumn strolls through favourite garden centres can be very rewarding. Pansies displayed on long tables are a banquet of concentrated colour and sweet fragrance.

When photographers Rosemarie and Pat Keough finish shooting assignments in Patagonia, Antarctica or Siberia, they head home to an equally exotic location: their mountaintop hideaway on Salt Spring Island.