ToughButterCup

Thats the one big lesson for self building

Ughhh @steamy, genuinely sorry for you this weather: my son's pub kitchen is hot even in freezing weather. Not funny.

Working on the shady side of the outside of the house after about 9am. We both like the heat, SWMBO quite happily in her greenhouse (!) - I couldn't stand that. Sleeping is OK - blinds down all day and veranda doors open all night. Workwear Running shorts : nowhere to put my phone - so my watch has separation anxiety every few minutes No built-in knee pads : we now need three kneeling pads - but I can never find one No pockets : drill bits and screws line up along my lips - not long before I swallow one I expect Sandals : no toe protection - suddenly very fussy about dropping stuff Angle grinder: sparks look like fun normally, until the hot metal chipping stream fizzes down your leg and some of them get trapped against your skin under the sandal strap SWMBO feels sorry for me - jugs of iced water

Sometimes - with care - a heat gun (hot air, not a flame thrower) will loosen things up a bit

Ummm, how many of us have been looked after in hospitals by British citizens, how many of our parents are looked after by immigrant Care Workers? Without them ... ?

Culture cannot be lost. Ever. It simply is. The key issue is who is examining it and why. The motive underlying the examination is important. British Culture is not static. It is not fixed. It is - and always has been - an ever changing mixture of things. In culinary terms, its a Full Rolling Boil. And it always will be a mixture. The good people of Honiton took lace makers from Flanders into their community ( bobbin lace) in about 1500 ( Hence "He's spinning a yarn" today) . Or have your knuckles rapped as a child when the school teacher saw a child dropping a lace making bobbin. The rapping was done with a bit of wood. 500 years later the closest we get to their influence is a bit of fine lace and a couple of pithy sayings. And how many of us have not been really glad to see a Polish plumber ? Or a Philippino nurse ? Or a Ghanan Care Assistant? The UK has been immeasurably enriched by immigrants: over time they've contributed to our culture - not all of them, but the vast majority have come here and been a net contribution to the GDP and the Tax regime here. We can't lose it (British Culture) because - it - changes minute by minute, day by day. Culture is the very essence of Change being Normal.

As I understand it these regulations refer to SACs and SPAs [Conservation Areas] and Protected Species. In other words, the regulations are NOT applicable in the vast majority of the UK. The Regulations have a reasonable and reasoned purpose. They are not imposed across the board to Planning Applications. So in the Due Diligence phase of applying for Planning Permission, we all have the option not to apply in those areas. Or wait. Or do what they do in West Lancs : Deliberately, knowingly kill Protected Species in the area a year before applying for PP Pay the fines for being caught doing so Form little protective cabals of Local Councillors who can be persuaded to [... ignore ... delay ... facilitate... contest ...] Fell any number of trees that could be 'in-the-way' and pay the fines for being caught doing so Or just BloodyDoIt anyway and cope with the consequences. Where's my evidence? Read the local papers . Last year, Radio 4 had a particularly interesting program about a local Planning Agency. We too had an 18 month delay while ecology sorted itself out. Once I had got over my annoyance, those 18 months provided valuable planning time.

You?

Who is ' you' ? You? The organisation deciding how much to pay? A Buildhubber ? Your friends? Motivation matters.

The calculation of units is irrelevant : a calculator will sort that issue out. The word 'deemed' is the key thing. More important is the person (or organisation) that does the deeming : unless you control that entity. If there's any doubt about the process and the range of possible answers - then the cautious answer is yes it is more than likely to be inadequate.

But being on site is also a delicate balancing act. Being seen as a supportive presence can be tricky.

Here's a link to more videos about the topic than you can shake a stick at.

Statistical illiteracy writ large. Still, it got us to read the article. Instead, read How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff . Its been in print since the 1950s. Penguin Books is the publisher

That's nuffin @Russell griffiths - A hamster ate my underpants

I - now - avoid Stanley as a brand because of its close association with America : the brand originated there (although manufacturing is now worldwide). If I can, I avoid anything American.