Nice people thread part 3- Nice as pie

Generali

michaels wrote: »

And suggestions re the ceilings? They are art-deco (cinema style) patterned artex, can't say it is what I would chose but they are almost 'art' so it seems a shame to skim them?

You have to be careful with Artex. Any over 25 years old almost certainly contains asbestos.

JonnyBravo

vivatifosi wrote: »

I really like that Jonny. I particularly like having kitchen in middle with dining space either side with lots of light to both and lounge across the hall. It's still central, yet cut off enough that smells don't travel and I like having a formal and informal dining space, especially one. Also like the fact that you put a double bay in. I bet it looks gorgeous.

Have to admit we rarely use the breakfast bar. Mostly used by the mrs to sit and chat whilst I'm cooking.
The kitchen and the breakfast area are as one really. We decided to pull the pillars right back into the wall with steel to support.
We also removed all the fireplaces in the old side of the house to make those rooms bigger. We put in extraction to outside for any smells (miles better than any filter).
We love the bays. Set it off a treat.
Thanks viva.

vivatifosi

I've now heard from my cousin in Qld and starting to get a better idea of the economic impact on the family: both short and long term.

Where she lives is a bit outside of the town, so they have to harvest own rainwater etc as well as self-generating some solar. Her plot was flooded, but thankfully not the house. Will need a big clean-up nevertheless.

In terms of economic effect: local farmers have lost animals so will need new livestock. Shops have no food to sell, even though trucks are getting through the main supply routes are still cut - even if the floods have receded the roads were partially washed away. River still high and flooding at high tide. No postal service for over a week, so anyone who runs a business can't get invoices out. Tourists have gone away and won't be back until infrastructure is there for them to get in. Her daughter has been away working in a mining town. Had to be evac'd by plane and the service industry in the town is less evident because there is no mining to be done until mines are pumped out. Other daughter had just moved away from her rented house by the river to be closer to where she works, old house was flooded out. All very glad to be alive though.

misskool

viva- best wishes to your cousin and her family. Good luck in the next phase of their lives. It's the reconstruction bit that much's more difficult than the original natural disaster part

Jonny: I like what you've done with it a lot. Almost my dream house if you didn't lose so much garden space. Although the only thing I would have done is put a connecting door so bed 2 and bed 1 share the same bathroom and bed 3 and bed 4 share the other one. I'd much rather have one big enormous bathroom than 2-3 poky ones. And turn the shower for bed 3 into a storage/utility closet. I love being able to have a vacuum for every floor instead of carting one across the whole house.


I like having space outside a lot. My parents didn't like gardening so they concreted everything over to save on the effort and now I love being near mud to make up for years of not having any.

JonnyBravo

misskool wrote: »

Jonny: I like what you've done with it a lot. Almost my dream house if you didn't lose so much garden space.

Thanks misskool.
Didn't lose masses of garden space. It was mostly an old asbestos garage and store. Ultimately you have to put an extension on something!

misskool wrote: »

Although the only thing I would have done is put a connecting door so bed 2 and bed 1 share the same bathroom and bed 3 and bed 4 share the other one. I'd much rather have one big enormous bathroom than 2-3 poky ones. And turn the shower for bed 3 into a storage/utility closet. I love being able to have a vacuum for every floor instead of carting one across the whole house.

I wonder if you'll feel the same about sharing your ensuite with a teenage daughter when you've experienced the time spent in there by them??
I'm betting not.

misskool wrote: »

I like having space outside a lot. My parents didn't like gardening so they concreted everything over to save on the effort and now I love being near mud to make up for years of not having any.

My parents are keen gardeners and my garden is only a fraction of theirs but it's big enough while we both have full time jobs. It's not quite our forever house and the one we move to in later years will have more. House wise we'd be happy to lose space upstairs next time (kids will have gone by then) but we'll still want just as much room downstairs. Hmmm.

lostinrates

re fish:

I've missed all these programmes, which is a great shame. BUT, I though the measures put in place for cod a few years ago HAD been monitored and found resoundingly successful, and infect cod numbers up ahead of target? I have no idea where I read this...but more likely to be a broadsheet than the fish marketing board.

vivatifosi

Do you read the Indie lir?

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/living-proof-that-conservation-works-1973928.html

Recovering, but still not as high as they should be. It's a bit confusing from what I can see, as Iceland (not part of EU) has its own fishery rules and their stocks are ok, but off our shores less so. I did see a little card yesterday that shows what's safe to buy and what's not but it says "x species from here, but not from there". How do you find out, we're just ordinary shoppers?

Also, while looking this up, I heard about the "Sustainable Fish City" initiative, which is underway in London and also sounds interesting:
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/16/will-london-serve-only-sustainable-fish-with-its-chips/

This article looks at falling fish stocks and how many more fish were landed at the start of the last century:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64345420100504
This one says at the end that while the CFP can't be blamed for the reduction in fish (which is due to overfishing) it can be blamed for the lack of recovery.

vivatifosi

misskool wrote: »

viva- best wishes to your cousin and her family. Good luck in the next phase of their lives. It's the reconstruction bit that much's more difficult than the original natural disaster part

Thanks missk. My family have it better than most, firstly because their homes, while maybe the grounds have been affected, haven't had mud running through their houses. Second they work in jobs that will still be there, doing things like elderly care and nursing. Only one works in the private service sector, she may find it harder. It's a thriving and beautiful place, so I hope people don't move away.

Ages ago, they trained their dog to spot snakes in the garden and bark. It happens a lot because they back onto untended land. At the moment, with more snakes in the area, I would imagine they were very happy with that. Though when they described the water as too fast flowing for the snakes to readily stop, that sounds scary. As much as I'm an animal lover, I'm not going to be too sad if some snakes get washed down the creek and out to sea, much sadder about the local livestock though.

silvercar

PN, when you are on here (redundant statement that) can you remove my pics in post #2161 please.

lostinrates

vivatifosi wrote: »

Do you read the Indie lir?

TBH, haven't bought a paper since moving I don't think. I used to read all the sunday braod sheets.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/living-proof-that-conservation-works-1973928.html

Recovering, but still not as high as they should be. It's a bit confusing from what I can see, as Iceland (not part of EU) has its own fishery rules and their stocks are ok, but off our shores less so. I did see a little card yesterday that shows what's safe to buy and what's not but it says "x species from here, but not from there". How do you find out, we're just ordinary shoppers?

Also, while looking this up, I heard about the "Sustainable Fish City" initiative, which is underway in London and also sounds interesting:
http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/16/will-london-serve-only-sustainable-fish-with-its-chips/

This article looks at falling fish stocks and how many more fish were landed at the start of the last century:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE64345420100504
This one says at the end that while the CFP can't be blamed for the reduction in fish (which is due to overfishing) it can be blamed for the lack of recovery.

This alllooks interesting, will read later/tomorrow.

I have to admit fish is something I find difficult to buy and cook. I like orange roughy...which I don't think is available much here, but if it is probably is from the other side of the world. I like cod a lot, hence being thrilled it was going to be ok. I like the taste of most fish, but have to admit I dislike dealing with bones at the table, and so prefer to deal with stuff I can skin and fillet or get the fishmonger to skin and fillet. we love shellfish and seafood....and but I have to admit I'm a bit himpish about cooking it more often/with more variety at home. Salmon fillets are a yummy but predictable fall back here or any white flakey fish with a good purchase offer that looks fresh, which I do in fairly tried and tested ways. There are often things I'd like to try but they are expensive to make mistakes with!