Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

treliac

fc123 wrote: »

What's that all about?..why on earth would anyone want to go into a field and cut the mane on a horse? What does 'run into the ground' mean?

Theory has it, that where there is a destructive element, it can be particularly vehement towards a thing of beauty.

lemonjelly

Davesnave wrote: »

Rustling is happening here, and not at 2am, but in broad daylight. A month ago, 39 sheep disappeared in the middle of the day and no one saw anything. Assuming it wasn't aliens, those were pretty daring thieves.

Also, according to Neighbourhood Watch Woman, big vans like mine are having entire exhaust systems removed at night. That would scare one of my cats, which often sleeps in the big plastic tray under the engine. I have put the alarm on for the first time ever. The cat will probably set it off at 3am.

However, the real mystery that's been bugging us for a while has been solved: Who is chucking plastic bottles on our grass?

The answer....we'll come to that. Firstly, you have to know that there are 15 barn conversions 200m away, and our wall is where they line up their recycling. Fine, but North Devon CC, who collect, have very strict rules about what they will and won't take, and some of the barn people are not very bright, or have rented etc etc. Anyway, every Monday some bottles are off-spec, rejected and the bin is replaced with these still inside. This would be fine, but people returning to collect their bin, finding it far from empty, then dump its contents into another person's bin. This goes on until there is only one left. Last to collect then dumps the bottles on our grass.:(

This week I have them though. I was out there with my camera while the exhaust smoke of the bin lorry was still on the air. No8 is new and got it wrong, so her bin had four bottles in it, while No5 had two. Checking during the day showed that at some point this afternoon No8 put their bottles into No5's bin and that by 18:30 No5 had placed all six bottles on our grass. Nice people.:mad:

I haven't decided what we'll do about this yet, but it is hard enough keeping about 300m of road clean and maintaining the hedges, without people who actually live here adding to the stuff that comes out of cars. There's quite a lot we could do, since we have a right of access into the barn complex's yard, but at the moment it's easier to bide our time while the planning applications are rolling.....;)

Reading further down from this post - sounds like you could have a nimby or 2 on the horizon...

I can only think of 2 options regarding the bottles. Shoot the neighbours , or recycle them yourself in the correct bins. Completely understand the holding off with the planning issue going on though - that said, option 1 might be the better one for that too!:)

In the midlands, at the height of the crunch last year, there were a lot of stories about peoples veg patches & allotments experiencing rustling - all the veg was being nicked by peeps as they could afford/wouldn't pay for food!

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

You mean this?

http://www.reapscotland.org.uk/reports/greenhouse%20v1.pdf

It's rubbish. The pop bottles are not UV stabilised, so disintegrate within 2 years, and the man/woman hours required for constructing the whole thing make it very questionable as an activity for anyone, let alone kids.

Pop bottles are good for science/design technology though. We used to make good solar, rubber and electric-powered boats with them, until the school swimming pool ceased to be.:(

wow, it looks quite cool though, doesn't it! I think thtmust have been exactly what they were doing.:)

nearlynew

Anyone want to by some sheep?

Davesnave

lemonjelly wrote: »

Reading further down from this post - sounds like you could have a nimby or 2 on the horizon...

I can only think of 2 options regarding the bottles. Shoot the neighbours , or recycle them yourself in the correct bins. Completely understand the holding off with the planning issue going on though - that said, option 1 might be the better one for that too!:)

Nimbys everywhere, due to the green eyed monster, but most of these guys are so far away, they're irrelevant when we get on to our house building work. Next door is different, which is why I'll take account of them in window placement and use a local architect used to our council's ways (nudge, nudge;);))

We do take the non-conformist bottles to a recycle place by one of our shopping towns. We are on the borders of two authorities with different policies, so a mile down the road it would all be accepted. Daft really.

lostinrates wrote: »

wow, it looks quite cool though, doesn't it! I think thtmust have been exactly what they were doing.:)

Yes, it looks atractive as an idea, but as a school/education project it fails, because there is no evaluation whatever; an integral part of DT.:( Wouldn't mind at all if they were just a bunch of tree-hugging nerds.

harryhound

Did anyone watch the first episode of this series. I think it fills the gap left by property !!!!!!.
Instead of spend1,500 to stage your house then flip it to make an extra 15,000,
this is stuck in your box with no ladder to climb ? - go spend you depreciating currency aon giving you home the antique wow factor; it is half the price of new repro and with a bit of nous you might own appreciating assets. (In pound terms).

I've never understood the nesting/flaunting/"I love it" interest in interior design

If you can remember the ageing bloke who invented "cats eyes" then that is me - minimum, functional, adequate is my motto and I don't have a TV in every room.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3634816/Percy-Shaw-Man-with-his-eye-on-the-road.html
(So that is where all those Xmas light in the road come from!)

However I need to understand this new economic reality.
I remember us setting up home in the early 1970's - very similar situation involving DIY reupholstery and buy-a-wreck DIY extensions.
The recession was created by externally imposed rises in oil prices lead by "Shake your Money". (handled by Ted Heath (Tory!) allowing the money supply to balloon; then trying to control the resulting inflation, gave us the 3 day week - you have been warned).

In the first programme, I had serious reservations about chandeliers that need unobtainable candle bulbs - but perhaps you know of a source of LED alternatives?

I think I agree with the Investments tips: Ercol "real" wood furniture and Czech (as against Mirano) glass from the 50's & 60's.

Anyone out there on top of the decorating zeitgeist ?

misskool

I'm completely and utterly depressed. I went out to start weeding only to realise I have an entire patch of garden filled with groundsel, lesser celandine, dandelions, ivy and cow parsley.

And my sodding tomatoes have decided they want to start flowering.

tomterm8

misskool wrote: »

I'm completely and utterly depressed. I went out to start weeding only to realise I have an entire patch of garden filled with groundsel, lesser celandine, dandelions, ivy and cow parsley.

And my sodding tomatoes have decided they want to start flowering.

You have tomatoes? That's organised. We've just put in raspberries, but we haven't sown any vegetable yet... we are well behind, and need to spend at least a week weeding.

carolt

Our rhubarb is gorgeous!

OH forced some and brought it home - I was in Waitrose today and a smaller bunch cost just a shade under 4 quid! :eek:

Given how much OH has spent on the allotment - shed, innumerable tools, seeds, plants etc - it's nice to know that at least some of what we reap is worth something.

Better than year 1, when about all we got was potatoes.

vivatifosi

Davesnave wrote: »

You mean this?

http://www.reapscotland.org.uk/reports/greenhouse%20v1.pdf

It's rubbish. The pop bottles are not UV stabilised, so disintegrate within 2 years, and the man/woman hours required for constructing the whole thing make it very questionable as an activity for anyone, let alone kids.

Pop bottles are good for science/design technology though. We used to make good solar, rubber and electric-powered boats with them, until the school swimming pool ceased to be.:(

We met a man once who built his own island out of waste (conch shells though not bottles). It's in St Vincent and the Grenadines, off Union Island. Janty is the man's name and he built Happy Island and put a beach bar on it. It's such a lovely story. Who among us wouldn't like to build our own island in paradise?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HappyIsland.jpg