Andersen

I'm looking at moving home so have been bookmarking a few interesting sites - I didn't realise how many islands are for sale these days A dedicated island website with telephone numbers (or are they prices?) https://www.privateislandsonline.com/ A whole section on Rightmove https://www.rightmove.co.uk/news/islands-for-sale/ A Welsh island under £100k (and some alternatives) https://www.rightmove.co.uk/news/articles/dream-properties/welsh-island-for-sale/ Ex-Churches website often has island places ( one on Isle of Lewis has just sold for about £20k) http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/about_us/property_and_church_buildings/properties_for_sale Unusual waterside properties (and more!) https://www.unusualhomes.co.uk/index.php?action=searchresults&pclass[]=12 Lastly some useful reference for anyone thinking of setting up a community of like minded individuals https://www.diggersanddreamers.org.uk/ I was hoping to find somewhere away from it all on my own, ideally near the coast and / or pub, but am flexible (nearly double-jointed ). I'm already building up my essential kit and bought a set of kayak paddles today - just need to buy a kayak now !

My last house was at the end of a cul-de-sac (10 houses + 16 flats ) built in the late 60's when few houses had a car so the 10 spaces was plenty. Now most neighbours have at least 1 car, one I know well has 2 (+ 1 long term visitor during the holidays). Anyone trying to get an emergency vehicle or bin wagon to the end of the street has my sympathy !

I posted an identical comment earlier today - I'm hearing "despair" a lot more these days from a variety of folk

Who said "There's no such thing as bad publicity?" Another article from MEN slamming the company : 'Where is her vagina?'... Boohoo ridiculed by women over very disturbing bodysuit https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/where-vagina-boohoo-ridiculed-women-15781667

Just to be awkward, I'll say the wheels are more likely to be for driving something (old factories had machinery driven by big belts connected to steam engines) Stationary stream engines (like this one made by SEMBLOWER) look similar

If in doubt, think about your "work-life balance", if you're not enjoying what you do - change something A chap I was working with got forced to change careers more than 10 years ago, he was so happy to leave the politics and backstabbing at his old job he opened a pub called "Rat Race Ale House" - now one of the top attractions in Harlepool ( granted there's not a lot of competition there ) https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g191274-d7899728-Reviews-Rat_Race_Ale_House-Hartlepool_County_Durham_England.html

Sad but so very true (with the exception of a couple of companies I've worked at)

Search for the "Aspartsame" - originated as a insecticide in USA - was denied USA approval to use in foods for many years - has been the most widely used artificial sweetner in the UK (I believe), and is still controversial - not yet proved safe or a health risk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy and https://usrtk.org/sweeteners/aspartame_health_risks/ Sainsburys used to sell a nice non-sweetened cloudy lemonade, they changed the recipie a few years ago to include aspartame - staff in the shop assured me it was the same stuff just the label on the bottle had changed. They lied ! I've not had any since.

Predictions for next weeks headlines? "Dramatic increase in sales of one-size-fits-all leggings !" (photos *not* needed )

KISS pinciple - this wins ! Simple, effective, and morally "feels" right. Moving to a contributions based system would be another solution, and would soon change the trend where generations of some families are breeding like rabbits purely to get more taxpayer provided funding while not working.

So he's spent more than 2 years pushing project fear, and he's going to spend less than 2 months promoting Bexit as a springboard to a brighter future? Why does this not inspire confidence in his motives or his competence?

The more I find out, the more I despair "In the last two years, the number of councils investing in property has doubled. In the past financial year alone, councils spent a total of £1.8 billion on investment properties, a six-fold increase from 2013-14." Not a source I'm familiar with but this looks legit (even though I'd like to think it's a wind-up article) https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2018-12-04/councils-borrow-billions-to-buy-real-estate

^ There's nothing wrong with cougars, the world would be a happier place if there were more of them You learn something new every day - thanks for the education

I was getting ready to cook a meat risotto last week when a vegitarian turned up unexpectedly. A quick trip to the corner shop for some mushrooms and it became a vegi risotto - I wasn't impressed when she picked a few bits out and left them on the plate (why eat most of the peppers & mushroom but reject a couple of bits of each?) Arranging to be somewhere for a meal - especially homecooked - and turning up late with phoning (or failing to turn up at all) is just bad plain bad manners, there may be a good reason but they are very rare in my experience.

Not sure about freehold costs. Last year I enquired about leasehold for a flat with 48 years remaining, was quoted over £3k to renew/extend it to a 125 year lease (downside was ground rent would increase from the existing annual £12 peppercorn rent to £150 with built in increase every 10 years.). Costs are rising as sellers often have no choice but to pay the price asked. Good point - it's not unusual to see unmortagable properties for sale there at reduced prices, give it a few more years and there expect many more for sale with short leases / expensive renewal costs attached. Cramlington - potentially a disaster zone in a couple of decades?