Seemingly trivial things that cheer you up

orraloon

Failing to find one's tubeless sealant injector, but fashioning a workable alternative using the top of one of those BiC type pens and a kiddies' Calpol syringe. Job done.

Longshot

mrfpb said:

Schadenfreude.

When I was at school, I always thought the kids who could go on Italian skiing trips at half term were spoilt brats. Schools out for quite a few of them now!

I was just commenting in the office that the first thing I'd do this week if I was returning from a ski trip is phone work and cough down the phone at them before letting them know that Mr Hancock says I have to stay at home for 14 days.

elbowloh

orraloon said:

Failing to find one's tubeless sealant injector, but fashioning a workable alternative using the top of one of those BiC type pens and a kiddies' Calpol syringe. Job done.

Ok. You never heard McGyver blow his own trumpet like that.

Also reminded of the A-Team. What the baddies always failed at, was that when they had them captured or cornered, it was always in a workshop with a full range of spares and welding equipment.

rjsterry

TheBigBean said:

Longshot said:

TheBigBean said:

pblakeney said:

When some genius finally sees the bleeding obvious.
“ Environment Agency chief: Avoid building new homes on flood plains.”

I don't understand why they don't build on stilts in this country. Plenty of examples in other countries.

Simply put it increases cost. I've suggested on more than occasion that the ground floor level should be purely undercroft parking in areas of risk but it's always been knocked back on viability grounds.

Keep suggesting it and at some point someone might bite.

I had wondered if laziness was a factor i.e. people unwilling to always have to walk up to a higher floor

This. From the developer's point of view its a whole extra storey with no additional habitable space.

awavey

Longshot said:

TheBigBean said:

pblakeney said:

When some genius finally sees the bleeding obvious.
“ Environment Agency chief: Avoid building new homes on flood plains.”

I don't understand why they don't build on stilts in this country. Plenty of examples in other countries.

Simply put it increases cost. I've suggested on more than occasion that the ground floor level should be purely undercroft parking in areas of risk but it's always been knocked back on viability grounds.

it used to be in the planning laws I thought, as alot of buildings in East Anglian towns/cities, that were hit badly in the north sea floods always had buildings that were near rivers built up a level with parking underneath. Certainly even if theyve relaxed that bit I thought you werent allowed to build habitable buildings at ground level in a known flood zone. but maybe theres a difference between sea floods and rain floods.

briantrumpet

TheBigBean said:

Longshot said:

TheBigBean said:

pblakeney said:

When some genius finally sees the bleeding obvious.
“ Environment Agency chief: Avoid building new homes on flood plains.”

I don't understand why they don't build on stilts in this country. Plenty of examples in other countries.

Simply put it increases cost. I've suggested on more than occasion that the ground floor level should be purely undercroft parking in areas of risk but it's always been knocked back on viability grounds.

Keep suggesting it and at some point someone might bite.

I had wondered if laziness was a factor i.e. people unwilling to always have to walk up to a higher floor

It's been one of the standard practices in France for a long time, even when not on the flood plain.... either animals or wine (in the 'cave') at street level, living quarters above.

pinno

There's a halfway house (no pun intended): When I was in Sweden, I stayed in a few houses that had 'basements'. They weren't really basements as we would know it, they were half in the ground making the 'ground' floor a few feet up.
That way surplus water can fill the basements

slowbike

rjsterry said:

TheBigBean said:

Longshot said:

TheBigBean said:

pblakeney said:

When some genius finally sees the bleeding obvious.
“ Environment Agency chief: Avoid building new homes on flood plains.”

I don't understand why they don't build on stilts in this country. Plenty of examples in other countries.

Simply put it increases cost. I've suggested on more than occasion that the ground floor level should be purely undercroft parking in areas of risk but it's always been knocked back on viability grounds.

Keep suggesting it and at some point someone might bite.

I had wondered if laziness was a factor i.e. people unwilling to always have to walk up to a higher floor

This. From the developer's point of view its a whole extra storey with no additional habitable space.

From the developers point of view - it's another bit of profit they're not going to make so they'll have to change their car every 3 years instead of 2....

pblakeney

pinno said:

There's a halfway house (no pun intended): When I was in Sweden, I stayed in a few houses that had 'basements'. They weren't really basements as we would know it, they were half in the ground making the 'ground' floor a few feet up.
That way surplus water can fill the basements

They exported the idea to North America a century or two ago as well. Also anywhere that has high snow falls. Makes opening doors easier. 😉

pinno

pblakeney said:

Makes opening doors easier. 😉

Aah. You're cleverer than you look.

pblakeney

pinno said:

pblakeney said:

Makes opening doors easier. 😉

Aah. You're cleverer than you look.

'tis a low baseline. 😉

Pross

pblakeney said:

When some genius finally sees the bleeding obvious.
“ Environment Agency chief: Avoid building new homes on flood plains.”

It's a blatant political gesture possibly to deflect from the fact that he's responsible for the Agency that is supposed to manage our rivers and flood defences. I believe he went on himself to say that where building in flood plain is necessary then we need to build for flood resilience.

As the EA is a Statutory Consultee so he must know that residential development in Flood Zone 3 (the highest risk areas with a greater than 1:100 annual probability of flooding from rivers, 1:200 of coastal flooding) is already only allowable if it can be demonstrated by a Sequential Test that there are no more suitable sites in the area and if you look at the Flood Maps for Planning you'll see that large swathes of our major cities are in Flood Zone 3 and are also the areas where additional housing is most needed. Many of the remaining Brownfield sites people like to say we should be building on are in flood plain.

Look at images of flooding and how often do you see an estate built in the last 20 years that's flooded. Planning policy on flood risk and drainage has become incredibly onerous (rightly so) in the last decade of so. For all but the smallest developments in Flood Zone 1 you now need to produce a Flood Risk Assessment demonstrating not only that your site isn't going to flood but also that it isn't going to increase flood risk elsewhere so modern developments have to provide measures to reduce flow from Greenfield sites to the level of the mean annual flood event but based on 1:100 year levels of rainfall with an additional allowance of up to 40% climate change.

He's basically deflecting from the causes of flooding which fall under his remit (climate change, catchment management and flood defence).

pinno

Pross said:

pblakeney said:

When some genius finally sees the bleeding obvious.
“ Environment Agency chief: Avoid building new homes on flood plains.”

It's a blatant political gesture possibly to deflect from the fact that he's responsible for the Agency that is supposed to manage our rivers and flood defences. I believe he went on himself to say that where building in flood plain is necessary then we need to build for flood resilience.

As the EA is a Statutory Consultee so he must know that residential development in Flood Zone 3 (the highest risk areas with a greater than 1:100 annual probability of flooding from rivers, 1:200 of coastal flooding) is already only allowable if it can be demonstrated by a Sequential Test that there are no more suitable sites in the area and if you look at the Flood Maps for Planning you'll see that large swathes of our major cities are in Flood Zone 3 and are also the areas where additional housing is most needed. Many of the remaining Brownfield sites people like to say we should be building on are in flood plain.

Look at images of flooding and how often do you see an estate built in the last 20 years that's flooded. Planning policy on flood risk and drainage has become incredibly onerous (rightly so) in the last decade of so. For all but the smallest developments in Flood Zone 1 you now need to produce a Flood Risk Assessment demonstrating not only that your site isn't going to flood but also that it isn't going to increase flood risk elsewhere so modern developments have to provide measures to reduce flow from Greenfield sites to the level of the mean annual flood event but based on 1:100 year levels of rainfall with an additional allowance of up to 40% climate change.

He's basically deflecting from the causes of flooding which fall under his remit (climate change, catchment management and flood defence).

As they say up here: "that's us telt".

pblakeney

Still sage advice. 😉

briantrumpet

pblakeney said:

Still sage advice. 😉

No, this is sage advice. https://www.thekitchn.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-growing-sage-221035

pblakeney

Might be handy when travel is shut down. 😉

bompington

#justtryingtogettowork

pinno

Shurley Sage is only needed at Christmas.
I mean, we have a roast dinner, ooo, maybe twice a year.

ballysmate

Roast dinner every Sunday and sometimes during the week.

orraloon

Is gammon a roast? 😉

ballysmate

orraloon said:

Is gammon a roast? 😉

Can be.
I assume you would be having chips with whatever you eat.
Especially the Remains the next day.

pinno

Owls hooting.

...and in the same vein: Owls hooting back at me. I'm quite good at hooting like an Owl.
I used to go outside with my Springer and hoot and the Owls would hoot back. The dog looked at me, head cocked with a mixture respect and amazement.

ballysmate

Did you howl at the moon?
Barking!

pinno

It's the only way to be.

awavey

orraloon said:

Is gammon a roast? 😉

in Ireland (Republic) it is yes

rjsterry

pinno said:

Owls hooting.

...and in the same vein: Owls hooting back at me. I'm quite good at hooting like an Owl.
I used to go outside with my Springer and hoot and the Owls would hoot back. The dog looked at me, head cocked with a mixture respect and amazement.

What about barn owls? They shriek rather than hoot.

Stevo_666

ballysmate said:

orraloon said:

Is gammon a roast? 😉

Can be.
I assume you would be having chips with whatever you eat.
Especially the Remains the next day.

And washed down with bitter?

mfin

Anyone that walks around in a stance that looks like they are carrying two invisible carpets in an attempt to look hard.

pinno

rjsterry said:

pinno said:

Owls hooting.

...and in the same vein: Owls hooting back at me. I'm quite good at hooting like an Owl.
I used to go outside with my Springer and hoot and the Owls would hoot back. The dog looked at me, head cocked with a mixture respect and amazement.

What about barn owls? They shriek rather than hoot.

No, I can't shriek like a barn owl. Though on some nights, one sits on the rose trellis in anticipation of mice in amongst the wood pile popping out. They are beautiful. Slim pickings with all this cloud cover at the moment.

rjsterry

pinno said:

rjsterry said:

pinno said:

Owls hooting.

...and in the same vein: Owls hooting back at me. I'm quite good at hooting like an Owl.
I used to go outside with my Springer and hoot and the Owls would hoot back. The dog looked at me, head cocked with a mixture respect and amazement.

What about barn owls? They shriek rather than hoot.

No, I can't shriek like a barn owl. Though on some nights, one sits on the rose trellis in anticipation of mice in amongst the wood pile popping out. They are beautiful. Slim pickings with all this cloud cover at the moment.

☹️