HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Stanley]

I hope the council are as savvy as we are and are looking at the trash screens on the culverts, especially Clough!



Ian did this pic in 2015.



This is what can happen, almost overtopped!

[Stanley]

Now is the time to appreciate the fact that we all have running cold water in our homes. We normally take this for granted, after all we have plenty of rain don't we! Or do we.... Some Eastern counties actually get less rain than desert countries like Algeria and we should recognise this and start being careful about using water even though in our area we have had no drought warnings yet. Remember, you never miss the water 'til the well runs dry!

[Wendyf]

One of borehole drillers who came to see us the other day is currently working on one for a big hotel in Blackpool, he was saying that many places like schools, businesses and hotels are getting their own supplies because the cost of using mains water has become astronomical.

[Stanley]

That doesn't surprise me Wendy. I know of at least three bores in Barlick that have been capped......
Ask yourself a question, why was Wellhouse Farm on Church Street so named? Same applies to The change of name at Wellhouse Mill as it was being built. The name is no accident.

[Tizer]

As climate change progresses and more boreholes are drilled we'll probably see litigation beginning over one company stealing another company's water, rather like it used to happen in the past with rivers and streams.

[Marilyn]

You might strike oil instead, Wendy.
So long as you don't strike an old sewer pit!

[Stanley]

Nothing nicer than putting on a clean shirt straight off the washing line on a hot day! We don't often get that opportunity in Barlick......

[Marilyn]

I'm still managing to get the washing about 90% dry on the line, and giving it 10 mins in the dryer when I bring it in. It feels more cold than damp...

[Tizer]

In the 1980s we moved into a 1950s-built house in a suburban street. When we tried to dig part of the front lawn to plant a shrub we hit something hard. It turned out to be the top of a cess pit built of brick and having an arched roof with a door in it. It surprised us to find one in the front garden of a typical 1950s suburban house!

[Stanley]

Perhaps from an earlier house Tiz. Better than a capped mine shaft!

[Stanley]

I was thinking about yesterday's post and today's tip is if you live in an old house or one that has been built on the site of an earlier house, never discount the presence of old wells and cellars. For instance, some of the older properties on Park Road have wells under the kitchens, Harold Duxbury told me this a long time ago and he had worked on them.

[Stanley]

At the moment, use as little water as possible. There is no shortage as yet but remember it is a finite resource. Some of us can remember the taps going dry! A dirty car is a badge of honour at the moment! They run just as well.....

[Stanley]

With the continuing dry weather remember the tip I gave you about maintaining the seals on the 'U' bends of rainwater drains which are usually connected to the foul sewer drains. A bucket of water will do the trick and I always put a bit of Jeyes fluid disinfectant in as well. Some locations are worse than others for sewer gas but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Once you have had trouble with sewer gas you never forget it!

[Stanley]

If like me you have a bad back and it gives you a warning, take notice! I lifted a heavy weight awkwardly yesterday and am paying the price! I shall survive but could well do without it.

[Stanley]

Today's tip is bleeding obvious..... In hot weather drink more water! So many people don't follow this rule and a major cause of problems especially with older people is that they don't drink enough, their blood becomes slightly thicker and this increases the load on the heart. Dead simple! So remember the tap is your friend!

[Stanley]

I am not a fan of spray fly killer but have to admit that during this hot weather I have resorted to using it. I hate flies! What's puzzling me is the fact that I bought a fresh can the other day because the old one was empty, When I put the new one under the sink I noticed a familiar looking aerosol. You've guessed it, I already had a new one. Now how did that happen? So today's tip is make sure you haven't got a reserve in stock before buying a new one.

[Stanley]

There is a lot of satisfaction to be gained by living within your means and watching your bank balance grow slowly month by month especially when you are on a low income. There is a lot more satisfaction in giving any surplus to a loved one when they really need it.

[chinatyke]

[plaques]

This little episode all started with the Tour De France. I like the sport and the views are fantastic. Once a year I have to learn all over again how to switch the Tele on and how to work the recorder. As usual the batteries in the remote were dead. Not one for letting expense get in the way of my pleasure off I went to the £ (pound) shop for my batteries. To my amazement not only was a full card £1 but you got four free.

P7090013A.jpg

At the checkout I asked the young lady that since I only wanted four batteries could I just take the free ones? “It doesn’t work like that” was the reply. Then gave me a sympathetic smile usually reserved for those requiring another shot of medication before they are led back to their dormitories, well what could I say? At least I’d got my batteries.


Back home I found that there was half a suggestion that you could eat them. On the back of the card was written ‘Best before 31-07-2019’ I’d always thought that eating batteries was forboden .

P7090014A.jpg

Not only do they not make you any brighter but they could actually put your lights out altogether. ‘Best Before’ is a food Standards Agency warning to eat it before the bacteria does. Electrical goods such as batteries should carry an expiration date. Alkaline batteries self degrade through discharge at around 3-5 % a year, so after they have dropped about 21% they have Expired.

The tips here are ‘Nothing is actually free’ and don’t eat batteries.

[Stanley]

Very wise advice P!

[Stanley]

Never ignore what I call the 'While I think' syndrome. You are doing something and an unrelated thought strikes you about something that needs doing "while I think". I don't know about you but unless I act immediately I forget! It's almost as though thinking about it crosses it off your mental list.

[Stanley]

If you live on clay, keep an eye open for drying out of the subsoil in this dry weather. It can lead to the clay shrinking and foundations moving. I remember in the 1970s there was a lot of damage in London because of drying out of the clay. Not a lot you can do about it but be aware.

[Tizer]

We've lived in houses on clay soils for a long time now and you just have to not let it worry you. We're used to doors sticking in their frames sometimes and not other times. Fine cracks that open and close in the walls etc. We've never had any serious problems with it and nor have our friends and neighbours.

A problem that occurs in the area we now live in is that many of the houses were built in the 1970s and the developers' plumbers put copper CH piping in the concrete ground floors without proper protection. Some home-owners are now getting leakage of water from the corroded pipes showing up through their carpets or floor tiles. The prospect doesn't worry us - if it started we'd call in our favourite plumber and have him fit new piping to the ground floor rads via the upstairs and ducting down the walls, then block off the old piping in the concrete. It would cost us but it'd be money well spent for looking after the house and peace of mind that we'd never have the problem again.

Unfortunately the people we know about who have got this problem immediately want the buildings insurance policy to pay out and that's the beginning of stress, lots of wasted time and phone calls, having your floors dug up, many visits from `experts' etc. The process drags on for a year or more with various people doing tests, writing reports, back and forth. The home-owner has to deal with several companies as well as the insurer and can never get the same person on the phone twice. Lack of coordination between the parties, left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. People turning up to do the wrong job or the same as the previous man did. It's a nightmare. All the because the home-owner called the insurer. We'd pay our plumber and have it done and dusted in weeks. But other people say `I'm paying insurance company premiums and they should have to pay! (We do, of course, have buildings insurance in case the house burns down but the premium is low because we've never had to call on it - these people calling their insurance company will have the final insult of having to pay a higher premium after they've gone through all that trouble.)

[Stanley]

Agreed Tiz. But if the subsidence is sudden and serious as it was with my mate Roger in London there is no alternative but to underpin and repair. But that was exceptional, cracks 4" wide in structural walls......

[Big Kev]

We do, of course, have buildings insurance in case the house burns down but the premium is low because we've never had to call on it - these people calling their insurance company will have the final insult of having to pay a higher premium after they've gone through all that trouble.

Can I ask who you are insured with? I've never claimed on my buildings insurance but I have to shop around every year to get the best deal...