chris p bacon

Are you battening insulation to the inside of the walls? 45mm cavity between uprights doesn't allow for much insulation. The current spec I am working to has been calculated to 170mm (in a timber frame) for bedrooms that require 18C, living rooms and bathrooms are calculated for heat loss at 20-21C. If you only have 45mm to play with I'd wrap up warm. I have a Dunster house depot at Bedford 7 miles away, they are average quality and expensive for what they are. I would still ask a local chippie to quote you for what you want, you should get it cheaper or a better spec.

Redwings systematically stripping our holly tree of berries in the front garden, and great tits investigating nestboxes in the back. Numbers are up to normal in the garden and on the feeders, Methinks "Nookie time" approaches.

Saw this in Lerwick, Shetland Islands a couple of years ago.

New changer installed in the car yesterday so just loaded Ok Computer and the Wall Live for starters

A German guy approaches a lady of the night. 'I vish to buy sex viz you.' 'OK,' says the girl, 'I charge £150 an hour.' '..ist goot, but I must varn you, I am a little kinky.' 'No problem,' she replies cautiously, 'For £150 I can do little kinky.' So off they go to the girl's flat, where the German produces four large bedsprings and a duck caller. 'I vant zat you tie ze springs to each of your hans und knees.' The girl finds this most odd, but complies, fastening the springs as he had said, to her hands and knees. 'Now you vill get on your hans und knees.' She duly does this, balancing precariously on the springs. 'You vill please to blow zis kwacker as I ###### to you in zur doggy way.' She finds it odd, but figures it's harmless (and the guy is paying.) She finds the sex is fantastic, as she is bounced all over the room by the energetic German, all the time honking on the duck caller. The climax is the most sensational that she has ever experienced and it is several minutes before she has enough breath to say, 'That was totally amazing, what do you call that style of lovemaking?' 'Ah,' says the German . . 'zat is ze.... Four-sprung Duck technique'

So do graded grains make "finescale" flour

Bedfordshire, about 1/2 a mile from the HQ of the RSPB, numbers are a bit lower in the garden but the weather is mild and there is abundant food about at the moment, where I am working backs onto open fields and there is no shortage there. In fact this morning I had to use the digger and within a few minutes a robin was using the digger bucket as a perch while I scraped the topsoil off, very convenient for him!

Just a couple of 500 pounders could of made so many improvements to Chavenage........sorry Stevenage..

I recognise that plan. It's looking really good Brian, no doubt better than the road bridges I have been building !

For Electrical work you are able to do this, there a many companies around who will for a reasonable fee inspect an installation and test it to comply with Building regs, they just have to see any wiring before it is covered. Suprisingly there are many people that pull cable from a reel and let it twist and knot when pulling it through joists and not realise how many problems they are storing up for the future, as well as putting sockets in a kitchen next to a sink. When the houses are wired out now, they cost no more than before and I get a certificate for building regs that states that the installation has been tested and inspected, I think anything that improves our pretty dire housing stock in this country is a good thing, maybe it's not perfect but then what is?

Brian that looks absolutely fantastic, I'm so glad it's you doing it and not me! As you are doing the bridge I had better get on with ballasting..........or maybe not.

I steer clear of a "trickle of gas" at home, it tends to have "unusual" properties

I suppose the simple analogy is when you choose from 2 identical cars one has a service history one does not, which do you buy. I happen to think that gas certification is a good thing, I have seen too many bodged jobs and c*ck ups by people who think they are saving a few pennies, some parts of building regs are not perfect (part M) but standards have to start somewhere.

The use of "a bunch of" to describe more than one. 24/7, I just hate that being used.

Don't believe everthing you see on tv been on a few and a jolly good time was had by all, although I have to say that we went on one with a large compliment of fellow Brits and never again, drunken chav behaviour.......and that was the old ones!

Find a plumber/gas fitter you are happy with and explain that you are capable of fitting it but require the gas to be done by him, you may find that he is more than happy for you to drill the flue, hang the boiler and pipe the heating to it leaving him to connect and check the gas, that way you he can still sign it off and you can save some cash, it is just the gas that needs certifying not the whole installation. I actually calculate the heat required, fit the rads and pipe them as well as piping to the tank and boiler positions, the plumber justs fits the boiler and connects the hot water tank which is generally a Megaflo type pressurised vessel nowadays which also require signing off. The house I am building at the present is using oil, now there is a god awful thing to work with! instead of a nice little pipe incoming from the boundary I have to find room for a tank the size of a car and a boiler that stands outside. He is happy as he still gets a decent amount of work and doesn't have to do all the mundane bits, and I get a smaller bill.

Or simply find someone with the correct certification you are happy with, let him do the job and sign it off. I have yet to meet a tradesman who will write a certificate for work he has not done and that someone else was paid to do, but would not register to have his work inspected. I now only build new houses and can say that when you come to sell you will need certification for works carried out, so those that have a boiler fitted and can produce the paperwork there is not a problem, but for those that for whatever reason do it themselves or by black market, when the house is surveyed and it is picked up that it is a new boiler and they cannot provide paperwork it says to the purchaser that the owner wasn't bothered about doing things correctly. In the same way that an "ordinary" sparky cannot work on high voltage. You are allowed to carry out some works within your house yourself, but not in "wet" rooms and for some appliances (?) as ever check with building regs.

just imagine a gun shot it puts a different spin on it. As kids we would make up lyrics for the adverts. Trebor mints are a minty bit strongerrrrrrrrr, stick em up yer bum and they last a bit longerrrrrrrrrrr....................

Nice bit of bike control, but ultimately those cones were quite......generous .....in their spacing, obviously to suit the Harley.

This is a common thing you are taught (even in college) the paper is there so that when the underside of the window is pointed it stops you filling the cavity by endlessly ramming cement in, it also takes the moisture out of the pointing so that you can joint underneath. This is quite normal as a window should be packed up to fit neatly beneath a window. Any window guarantee isn't worth the paper it is written on, there are only 2 things that can really go wrong with a window, the ironmongery can fail after a number of years and the units can fail and condensate, neither will be covered if a reasonable timescale has elapsed.

Depending on how far the shed is away from consumer unit you could keep it above ground in conduit, as long as it is clearly seen and secure this may be an alternative to a long deep trench. I own a mini digger and the narrowest bucket you will get is 9", and a 2' deep trench produces a lot of material. If you do go that route I would put a water pipe in as well so you have a supply close by, you could connect it at a much later date, as long as you have warning tape 200mm above the cable I wouldn't bother with sand backfill unless you have sharp flint.

Yes but after David cheated on Victoria in the past, she wasn't sure if this one was his ...........

I read an article in a photographic magazine earlier today about uploading images to Twitterpic, (not something I am interested in) by doing so you allow them to distribute the images although copyright remains with the owner. how's that for confusion! Another thing I've noticed is org's like the BBC asking for pictures to be sent in for news items, they usually credit the owner but do not make payment.

I remember Father in those pristine white boiler suits, attached pic does not have an open switchboard but I did wonder if the ventilation cover ever took someones head off, I'm sure this is a T2 possibly Red Bank or Smoky Hill. I also remember walking around Nagasaki Shipyard in the mid 70's without a problem and without hi vis (but with hard hat & boots) but you had safe walking routes, I was 14/15 years old . As well as B Gull, everything being built in Nagasaki at that time (B Ranger, reliance, resource, resolution etc)went to Brunei Bay as well for lay up, I think some were there for about 6-7 years.

What about posting something in the future about a lift share? I can't make Stafford today anyway but in the future it wouldn't be impossible to put a route together for pick ups and car share, lets face it fuels not going to get cheaper. Just a thought.