Nice people thread part 7 - a thread in its prime

Generali

lostinrates wrote: »

We're not scared of it, we just don't fancy sharing a drink with it.:D

We keep all found spiders, because w get lots of flies. I would rather have spiders than flies.

Apparently, pretty much all spiders are venomous but UK spiders either have fangs that are too short to get through human skin or their venom isn't harmful to us. Funnel web venom isn't particularly harmful to dogs although it causes them some pain.

Mrs Generali's grandma lets geckos into her house for the same reason. Fly screens might help!

I find it surprising that more UK homes don't have fly screens. They're cheap and very effective.

lostinrates

Generali wrote: »

Apparently, pretty much all spiders are venomous but UK spiders either have fangs that are too short to get through human skin or their venom isn't harmful to us. Funnel web venom isn't particularly harmful to dogs although it causes them some pain.

Mrs Generali's grandma lets geckos into her house for the same reason. Fly screens might help!

I find it surprising that more UK homes don't have fly screens. They're cheap and very effective.

My parents have always said the same. My mother wanted to start a business fifteen years ago selling and fitting fly screens but my dad said no.

Here, of course, the aesthetics would be siginficantly wrong, but I guess old fashion nets worked for many to do the same job. I have been considering muslin roman blinds for fly prevention., but think they might look a bit....twee, or naff.

zagubov

Generali wrote: »

Apparently, pretty much all spiders are venomous but UK spiders either have fangs that are too short to get through human skin or their venom isn't harmful to us.
True enough!

I find it surprising that more UK homes don't have fly screens. They're cheap and very effective.

My mum remembers cockroaches everywhere when she was a kid. When I say I never see any mention of this, she says we won't get round to mentioning to our grandchildren how we saw flies on our windows etc.

I enjoy the bit when I teach about DDT. In the series MASH they're all planning to go home to an America that has patios, pools and barbecues and backyards that are more than the junkyards that fill New England, because they spray these areas with insecticides

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

I find it surprising that more UK homes don't have fly screens. They're cheap and very effective.

That - along with my ongoing winge about not having a sleepout:o - is one of my big gripes about houses here. Every time I go to the States I bring some more materials back in my quest to have fly screens at all my windows. I don't know if anyone remembers that Johnny Cash song "One Piece at a Time", but its a bit like that, only it does cost me more than a dime. It's the luggage allowance that stops me bringing in more. I should succeed in my quest in about 5 years at this rate.

The good news is that it is the frames that are difficult to source and which take up the most space. You can get the polyester screening on a roll and put it up at windows with velcro and that's what I've already managed. Doesn't look great, but it is practical and cheap. Even though I've rather stupidly gone to a different continent to get mine, this place sells similar cheaply in the UK:
http://www.flyscreenqueen.co.uk/

sss555s

PasturesNew wrote: »

People try to make people feel bad about not having a pension, but Ed Investor (ex MSE/deceased) told me that if you're not a higher rate tax payer and if you've not got an employer paying in, you might as well forget it as it's dead money.... so, that gave me the green light to not have to try to justify it. I've never earnt enough to even consider putting into a pension.

Same advice as to what my accountant says.


I also got some great advice from Ed Investor in a previous alias and respected her very much. It was very sad to hear of her passing away.

Spirit_2

When we and our neighbours had ponies here there were many more flies about.

We used to have the deeply unattractive sticky fly strips hanging up in the kitchen (especially horrible when speckled with flies) but Mr S kept walking into them - sticky, tangled in his hair. I actually bought an aerosal this year - used it once - I hate such things.

Our neighbours who are very house proud made flyscreens from the top of a pair of ladies tights to fit over those little windows that open at the top centre of large windows (are they called lights?). Doors were hung with beaded curtains.

zagubov

Generali wrote: »

Apparently, pretty much all spiders are venomous but UK spiders either have fangs that are too short to get through human skin or their venom isn't harmful to us. Funnel web venom isn't particularly harmful to dogs although it causes them some pain.

Mrs Generali's grandma lets geckos into her house for the same reason. Fly screens might help!

I find it surprising that more UK homes don't have fly screens. They're cheap and very effective.

One of the best classes I get to teach in Biology involves getting the students to understand why being poisonous/venomous is so rare in complex animals.

6 venomous mammals (3 shrews, 2 solenodons and 1 platypus) and 0 venomous (but 1 toxic) bird.

It's a waste of time in a biosphere full of massive thermoregulators whizzing about at blurring speeds.:T

Spirit wrote: »

When we and our neighbours had ponies here there were many more flies about.

We used to have the deeply unattractive sticky fly strips hanging up in the kitchen (especially horrible when speckled with flies) but Mr S kept walking into them - sticky, tangled in his hair. I actually bought an aerosal this year - used it once - I hate such things.

Our neighbours who are very house proud made flyscreens from the top of a pair of ladies tights to fit over those little windows that open at the top centre of large windows (are they called lights?). Doors were hung with beaded curtains.

I still swear by the glass of water with a drop of detergent method. Works well and is ecologically sound!

CKhalvashi

Generali wrote: »

Pah, that isn't a spider. It's tiny and could barely kill a fly let alone a person.

I want, he/she's so sweet! :eek::eek::eek:

In other news:

David Cameron: "I look forward to working with Barack Obama for the next four years."

Two years, Dave, two years.

SingleSue

PasturesNew wrote: »

Trying to look at broadband. I want enough (unlimited) broadband to be able to use it for TV viewing
-AND-
I want to get that Android phone thingy - no idea how much that is.

SO

The big question that occurred to me was whether I have to have a landline.

It all starts to add up to a bit too much. BB is about £13, a landline would be about £13 and the phone thingy is ... er, dunno, but let's say £30. That's £56/month!

I need to drop one of those really .... and get proper figures.

Have you thought about a mobile phone which has the capability to tether? My son has a 3 pay as you go phone where if he tops up £15 a month, he can get an all you can eat data plan which gives unlimited internet.

It has enough oomph to run tv on the laptop, games systems etc.

His phone is the Samsung Galaxy mini.

Generali

SingleSue wrote: »

Have you thought about a mobile phone which has the capability to tether? My son has a 3 pay as you go phone where if he tops up £15 a month, he can get an all you can eat data plan which gives unlimited internet.

It has enough oomph to run tv on the laptop, games systems etc.

His phone is the Samsung Galaxy mini.

I used a tethered iPhone as a dongle for a laptop for a few months and it worked a treat. The internal wireless modem had stopped working in the laptop so I even used it to connect to WiFi.

I have a feeling that iPhones in the UK can't be tethered unless you jailbreak them. Don't know though as I am neither an expert nor in the UK.