Nice People Thread Number 10 -the official residence of Nice People

zagubov

mystic_trev wrote: »

Any loss of life is sad, but I just had to laugh at this!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10629543/Iraqi-suicide-bombing-instructor-accidentally-kills-himself-and-pupils.html

It actually reminded me of this Onion article:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/suicide-bomber-killed-en-route-by-car-bomb,2/

Spirit_2

zagubov wrote: »

It actually reminded me of this Onion article:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/suicide-bomber-killed-en-route-by-car-bomb,2/

Zag - how do you remember and find these article. You are a mine of interesting stuff.

neverdespairgirl

silvercar wrote: »

Please look at picture 6 and offer opinion. Would you paint the beams white?

We are redecorating (now that the heating pipes have been channeled etc). The dining room is a about 12 x 16 and has 4 wood beams across it. They may be structural so we are stuck with them. Walls are staying magnolia and there is a dado rail and bay window, so the beams are in keeping with the room, but the furniture is quite modern in light oak. Currently the beams are dark brown, I am tempted to paint them white - but once done there is no return.

I actually really dislike that room - the over-dark walls look bad with the white ceiling, and that furniture looks horribly uncomfortable.

I have a fairly strong feeling that painting beams is bad for them, but I could be wrong. I'd stick with wood.

lemonjelly

hey up peeps!
so I went to liverpool on wednesday. Stood waiting in the train station from about half three waiting for the train they kept repeating was "delayed". Started getting bothered round about half six. Then the chap I was stood next too got a text off his mate working at crewe station regarding the roof/fire/cables that I'm sure you all know.

So I got stranded in liverpool. Then the police cordon off almost the ntire city centre.
Eventually found somewhere to stay. Was uber relieved I'd taken a new book to read on the train! At least I had something to occupy me.
Managed to get back next day, eventually. Train to chester first, then crewe, then finally home.
Egads.
What did I miss?

lostinrates

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

I actually really dislike that room - the over-dark walls look bad with the white ceiling, and that furniture looks horribly uncomfortable.

I have a fairly strong feeling that painting beams is bad for them, but I could be wrong. I'd stick with wood.

There is the argument that beams need to breathe. There is the contrary argument that beams are less likely to be exposed to moisture from air etc if painted.


I've had both natural and painted beams......I'd have what I wanted on the basis of experience of both.


Its our natural beams here in the low ceilinged room that will need replacing. Peoe blame it on the painting, but I think its because so Many were painted its hard to tell.

neverdespairgirl

Spirit wrote: »

DD's ex's family home (how is that for a tenuous connection) was an ancient farmhouse (mentioned in domesday) with huge ingle nook fireplace, thick walls and tiny windows in parts....and yet from the front Georgian and you would never have guessed.

I suspect NDGs parents house has had a bit of modernisation over the centuries.

The last serious modernisation before my parents bought it a decade ago was in the 1560s, I think.

Originally, it was a hall house - open to the rafters, with a hole for smoke to get out from the fire pit. You can still see smoke staining on the posts holding the roof up.

In about the 1560s, the house was clad with brick on the outside (to make it look modern, and not a wood-and-plaster old-fashioned place), a giant chimney was added, in brick, in the middle to serve 2 rooms on each floor, and an intermediate floor put in, so it wasn't a hall any more, but had a downstairs and an upstairs.

In the mid 17th century, another room on each floor was added at one end.

WHen my parents bought it, it was pretty similar to the way it had been since the 1560s - no running water (a pump in the scullery), no electricity apart from in one room downstairs, no mains sewage or loos - there was an outdoor loo with its own tiny cesspit. So my parents dragged the house kicking and screaming through several centuries all at once, in a few years. The same family had owned the house since the mid-19th century, and the surviving 3 spinster sisters who lived there until they were in the 90s didn't fancy changing anything that had been good enough for their great-grandparents.

My Dad reckons the reason Kent has so many impressive medieval houses is that since the Middle Ages it's mostly been a backwater - enough money and population to maintain the buildings, but not enough to rip them down and rebuild them.

neverdespairgirl

I had a long and boring day today - went to Feltham, found I was floating, and had to hang around the whole bloody day, until being adjourned at 4.15pm for "lack of court time" and told to come back on 26th March.

Waiting aimlessly like that is far more tiring than working for a living.

I'm also contemplating my diary for next week with some dismay - Birmingham on Monday (just checked train prices, HOW MUCH?!), Feltham on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

lostinrates

DH is now trying to come home, I think its stupid. He cannot get a train to here and I said point blank I cannot get out in the car to where he's getting a train to so I'm not sure what's happening.

GDB2222

silvercar wrote: »

I agree. Especially when they say its for safety in case there is a lose wire - I'm getting a professional to do these switches, so there shouldn't be any lose wires.

The funniest conversation.

Electrician (E): this two way wire isn't right, they should have used a 4 wire cable and cut the earth one off.

me: So they needed 3 wires and used a 3 wire cable?

E: yes, but that is wrong as they've used the earth as a live

me: So they have used a 3 wire cable for something that needs 3 wires?

E: yes, but the correct way is to use a 4 wire cable and cut off the one you don't need

me: Leaving 3 wires to use?

E: yes, but one of the wires is now the wrong colour

me: and that makes a difference because....

me: so do you want to replace the cable

E: no it would be too messy, I just wanted you to know.

Not all the conductors are the same thickness. The earth wire is normally much thinner than the other conductors. This was a lighting circuit you were talking about, so it is not so much of a risk, but your electrician was absolutely right to query it.

GDB2222

Spirit wrote: »

GDB - so sorry it is like this. What happens in three weeks?

Ahem 2 weeks and 2 days.

She'll be sent off to Dothebiddies Hall, I guess.