February's Wealden Times is out now!

After the snowy wastes of January, it's good to welcome in February. I can already feel the mornings and evenings getting lighter and it really lifts the mood.

If you're worried about what all this cold weather is doing to your heating bills (not to mention your carbon footprint) our competition this month will be just up your street. The Green Home Company, based in Coxheath near Maidstone, is offering the chance to win a Power Predictor assessment. The Power Predictor is a small device which can be fitted onto your roof to measure the amount of energy your home can capture from the sun. Using solar power can create significant savings to both fuel bills and the environment.

While we're on the subject of saving money, food writer Mary Gwynn sings the praises of cheaper cuts of meat which can be cooked slowly to release their wonderful flavours in a variety of different ways.

Our first house this month is a seaside home ? it sits at the top of the beach in the seaside town of Sandgate. Being inside the house feels a little like being aboard a stately 1930s liner. A clever curved glass extension to the rear, adds a Poirot-esque feel to what is essentially a very pretty weatherboard Georgian house. The second house this month is very much a country house, a family home that has weathered and grown over the last 20 years to suit the changing needs of the couple who live there. As their family have grown up and flown the nest, the various rooms have taken on different guises.

And finally, we have two special features this month ? a 24-page renovation and new build supplement and the fashion team have extended their pages to look at weddings. Enjoy their selection of gorgeous outfits for the bride and her guests.

Your Wealden Times!