Geoff

I have a large kitchen window that faces directly east. I wanted to put some plants on the sill, but don't know what green, fleshy plants will survive in such a spot. I don't know much about plants - I have Peace Lillies around the rest of the house, but know that they wouldn't appreciate the amount of light that this particular spot gets.

I'm thinking of travelling to southern Africa sometime in the next twelve months. I'd love to go to South Africa, but I keep reading about how unsafe it is - random violence, car-jacking, murder rates off the charts, etc. Is Botswana any safer for tourists?

I'm considering buying a Lancer sportback for my next car, but would prefer to option a full-sized spare tyre, as I believe space-savers are inherently unsafe. Has anyone done this who's bought one? Is there enough space in the spare wheel well for a full size spare? Will the floor of the boot/trunk still sit flat if there's a full sized spare underneath it?

Isn't it made by the BBC, who also make Top Gear? They're the exact same program, but with different presenters. Surely it would make more sense for Top Gear to be the irreverent program that tests all the cars most people could never afford, whilst Fifth Gear should be a more serious program that tests cars that most people would realistically buy.

What's the Canadian equivalent of the British "chav" and Australian "bogan"?

I was observing a Huntsman on my back verandah when it started running toward me. I flicked it off the verandah with a broom. It landed on its back on the concrete path and seemed to be unable to right itself. Is this something Huntsman have trouble with? Also, do they suffer in direct sunlight? While it was on its back, it was in direct sunlight and when I flicked it again to help get it back on its legs, it sat there for some time in the sunlight (I went back inside before I was able to see it move off again) and I presumed it was having difficulty moving because of the heat. Would this be right? Would it be likely that the spider did eventually crawl away, or would a bird have seen it and eaten it? I wouldn't be too upset if it had been eaten (it dropped on my head the other day!), but I wouldn't have wanted it to fry in the sun!

My aunty has been told the major service (105,000 km) on her 1992 Mitsubishi Lancer will take two days to complete and that those two days cannot be split - that is, it has to be in the shop for two consecutive days. The car has never missed a scheduled service and is still running well. This seems an inordinate amount of time to change a timing belt, change a fuel filter and inspect other components. The last major service involving these types of things on my Toyota Camry only took a day. Do you think the mechanic is giving a reasonable estimation for this kind of service on this particular model car, or do you think he is banking on changing a bunch of components that don't really need to be changed? That is, do you think he is taking advantage of my aunty?

I'm from Australia and I'll be travelling to the US in June and doing a self-drive tour around some of the western states. If I bring my iPod, will I wreck it if I use my adaptor bought in Australia to plug it into an American car's cigarette lighter? Also, will I need a "step-up" transformer to charge it in a motel room socket, or will it simply recharge very slowly (provided I have the correct shape socket adapter)?

Everyone knows that "the outback" refers to the thinly populated desert areas that make up the majority of the Australian continent. Well geographically, Canada is very similar: most of the population lives in the south-east and south-west. The further north you go, the further you get from civilisation. There are massive areas of the country, particularly the North-West Territories and Yukon that seem to be much like a cold version of Australia's outback. Is there a collective, colloquial term for these areas?

As a non-American, I don't understand the significance/symbology in the U.S.A. of a ball dropping to bring in the new year. What's behind that?

I've heard the BA Ford Falcon was a lemon for many owners. I'm just wondering whether Ford ironed out the problems by the time they released the BF. Perhaps they created new problems? In any case, I'm thinking about buying a BF Falcon wagon for my next car, as I prefer a decent sized, six cylinder station wagon. I'm used to never having problems with my car (currently driving a '99 V6 Camry wagon that's done 300,000 km and never given ANY trouble) so I'm curious to know what other people's experience is of the BF Falcon. How much do you spend on servicing/repairs each year? Ever had it break down on you?

I've been to Darwin twice in the last year and I love it, but one thing I've never quite been sure of is how to pronounce the name of one of it's major arterials: namely, Bagot Road. Is it pronounced "Bag-got", or "bar-zhoe/bar-joe," as in the surname of various pompous old British and French notable figures?

I have a 1999 V6 Toyota Camry and the battery is starting to die. I know this, because when I went and got new tyres at Kmart a few months ago, they said as much. I thought they were just trying to sell me something I didn't really need, so ignored it. More recently however, I've noticed that the starter is turning the engine much slower than it used to, so presumably the Kmart dude wasn't talking out his poo hole after all.

Is it easy for a novice to remove the old battery and install the new one? I'm good at following instructions, as long as they're not too complex!

I live with a very loyal, obedient and sweet natured Blue Heeler, who I love very much. My concern about her is that whenever there is even the faintest rumble of thunder, she is terror-struck and desperately wants to go inside so that she can hide under the bed (it's actually very cute!). It's not that having her in the house is a problem, as she sleeps inside at night anyway. I just want to ease her fear somehow, as she is clearly extremely distressed. Does anyone have any tips on what I could do to help her get over her fear?

I have a 1999 Camry V6 that has done nearly 280,000 kilometres and it's been brilliant! However, recently I've become slightly concerned about the automatic transmission. It still seems to shift smoothly between gears when driving, but when I shift it from drive to reverse (or vice-versa), there's a slight hesitation and I can feel a bit of a clunk. I know that that is supposedly a sign of a worn transmission, but given that it is still shifting between gears smoothly, how much longer do you think it will last before I have to replace the transmission? Also, how much does it usually cost to replace on this model?