ToughButterCup

I did stay awake during Maths lessons. They were torture. Sleep impossible. I am glad he has had enough of people like me. Now I know the feeling is mutual.

In terms of the application process, I am not sure. But I think this will reassure you. Bottom line: just do it. Ian

Na gut Mensch! Viel Spass bei eibmarkt. The tragedy of your discovery is that it reminds me very many Germans regularly read and speak English , whereas their UK friends don't. As my mates in Berlin used to say : "Deutsche Sprache, schwere Sprache." That is, of course, nonsense. English is a Germanic language, and so -in theory at least- easier than many to learn. I tried learning Welsh once: nearly lost the will to live.

Ah jus' leruuuv dem stairs mayun. Whay here in Murca we jus' use da lif' man.

Lots of progress. Details to follow when I am rained off....

Try telling that to neighbours who don't want their chocolate box disturbed. They don't need to engage with 'difference'. All they need to do is 'feel' 'Ah know wut ahhhh laaak lad, 'n 'at's reet shaeet' Our current houses were built in the 1600s and then messed about by the Victorians (as so often happened). This is the 2000s, Designed to fade with time to look like many of the local barns (called 'shippons' oop 'ere)

Pushing on an open door with me, hence: The Best Invalid Objection You have Heard I wouldn't mind so much if the Chair of our PC would bother to do just a teeny weeny bit of background reading, such as this from the government's own website That page gives a simple, clearly expressed list of objections which cannot be considered. '... I cannot believe that you are only going to have two bedrooms in a house with parking for five cars...' said one senior Councillor in public at our local PC meeting. No wonder nobody with any authority takes Parish Council feedback seriously.

A brief cautionary tale; We live in a chocolate box cottage in chocolate box hamlet in a chocolate box village in a chocolate box part of Lancashire. And we wanted a chocolate box house in our cottage garden. Outline PP, no problem. And then we discovered passivhaus. And a good architect. Over a year later, we no longer wanted a chocolate box design, we wanted green apples. The local reaction was a lot of chewing and spitting. But the planners loved it: waxed lyrical. Here's the point You can talk to people about why you want your house designed like it is until you're blue in the face. They don't listen.

You are very welcome. There's a lot of good reading on this site. The principal focus is building in the UK, so you'll need to be aware of that focus when thinking about issues like Building Control (Building Codes for you?). Read to your heart's content and then ask.

May I council care - real care - about this issue for the following reasons My most recent experience Where it all began In short, my experience tells me; There's sloppy thinking among planners There's sloppy practice among planners And both of the above operating concurrently Differing professional opinions among ecologists Pursued to the 'n th' degree, the consequences of handling this issue badly are significant (Wild Life and Countryside Act) and (European Protected Species Licence) Worst of all is the joint effect of both GCNs and Planning overload in the LPAs on scheduling You might like to contact me via PM with a view to a chat on Skype , mobile or even 'telephone'. 25 meters is exactly how far our newts are from our property, but beyond a financial and timing hiccup, we work with them; not against them. It can be done

My piles are getting a lot of attention. Some say they should be put in with a vibrator. Hmm, that sounds like fun..... So I went and had a look : and wondered if Jimmy Page had a role in piling. Or maybe the designer was on something when he thought of this rig. Talking to the driver (also a Lead Zep fan) he said that it was the best rig he's ever driven. Ya gotta give it to the Germans, there's something annoyingly reliable about them. Now, where's that razor? Must shave my top lip.

Very grateful for all the replies. Ian

No. Oh Gaud, nuff said Ed. Ian

Hmmm. What I need and what I'll want when I have used one for a while.... Length: 2m + Width: 360mm Depth: 400 ish

What does it need to do? It needs to process a few hundred bits of Larch cladding, and I suppose I'll be throwing some oak at it too. And then it needs to be sold. Harsh I know, but that's life. Budget £1000 ish. Recommendations? (Don't tell @MrsRA but I suspect that I just may want to keep it though. I can at least try)

Well, Hugh, not long now before all you'll need to do on a Sunday is mow the lawn. Whatever will you do with all that spare time eh? Well done. Any thoughts on serial house building?

Ditto. There are loads of videos to help you

Whaaaaaaaaaaat? Whaz wrong wiv ya? 'S chimney innit? Well, it is in West Lancashire. Loads of em round 'eer.

Given my guy's approach to the production process .... at the time, I joked that I suspected him of getting cheap fiber from the local charity clothing shops. Or his wife's 'smalls' drawer. Nothing so prosaic; I am glad of the explanation. But I'll check for M&S labels sticking up out of the mix.

Thanks @le-cerveau for this post. It's high-quality, thoughtful, data-rich posts like these that makes all our lives just that bit easier. And our scatological moments a little less unpleasant. I really appreciate the effort made.

Folks, the guy who is coming to lay the concrete said to me yesterday that he'd put some '...fiber...' in it to save me putting reinforcement in it myself. At the time I paid no attention. What does he mean by 'fiber' ? [ @SteamyTea above]

That's really interesting. I wonder what effect that level of permanency would have on the kitchen furniture sector?

Locally, (Lancaster) the rate is around £70 per hour, with a minimum fee of £200. So, exactly in line with @Cpd

Mmmmm. Try 'hardcore' and do that NO DON'T Imagine the challenge in my job a few years ago teaching undergraduate students how to use logical operators while searching the Internet. Almost all female. Nightmare. I used to dread teaching that session.

Thanks Jack. Ian