Yes I see it now…not on the board

Alanl, I don’t see any RCD protection on the board ?

100 amp main switch is standard. The other circuits can add up to more than 100A because an allowance is made in the regs. for electric diversity i.e the fact that not everything is loaded up and turned on at the same time. You will almost certainly need a new dedicated supply for the new hob although this depends on the power of the new hob. Your board has no RCD protection and no space for any additional circuits. Time for an upgrade with a new board with latest RCBO breakers. This is definitely a job for an electrician to advise you on. I’m qualified and have 18th edition regs. certificate.

The obvious next question is did the East West Germany border come down straight afterwards as effectively it was redundant ?

I’m glad it’s not just me then ! I’ve just spoken to two old mates and both of them thought the Berlin wall and the East West Germany border were the same thing. In fact they thought I was completely wrong until Google settled it.

It only accidently fell by a few hours. The official opening of the border was supposed to be the following day when border control offices opened.

The Iron Curtain was real enough as a physical border. The fact that it was about 100 miles West of Berlin is what surprised me !

In my defence I went to a rubbish school in the 80’s and modern history was not taught at all. Both of my teenage kids new this from school history lessons. I’m still surprised I didn’t pick this up along the way though !

Use trade quality vinyl Matt emulsion as the colour pigment is far stronger than regular DIY quality Matt emulsion. Trade paint will cover in less coats.

Your taste is very similar to mine. The best DJ compilation/set ever recorded is Steven Mcreery, Limbo live at the Tunnel. It is on cd from 1998 so maybe not on iTunes. You still need it though !

It’s all about putting yourself out there in as many ways as possible. You can’t predict which particular ‘thing’ will blow up. For example I’ve spent large amounts of money advertising in an upmarket creative magazine and got virtually nothing out of it. On the other hand my Mrs. advertised my business on a local Mumsnet type group which I thought was utterly pointless and I was right…..for six months. Then I got a call out of the blue from it which turned into a job, which then snowballed into loads of word of mouth work. Still my biggest revenue stream.

Newsagents windows to ‘following’ someone else on Instagram, you just can’t say which one will be more productive. Carry business cards and be ready for a bit of low key self promotion. You never know.

We’ve had one of those heated drying racks for donkeys years and it’s fantastic. Ours is kept on top of a washing maching in a small utility room. Clothes come straight out the washer and onto the rack.  We have an extractor fan to get rid of the damp air but have never needed to turn it on as the room has no condensation to speak of. I highly recommend them.

Excellent stuff !

I’d quite like to give this a go but how do you attach your drawings to a post ?

Even the cowboyist of cowboy tradesmen don’t turn up to a room stripped out for a new kitchen and decide where the oven, sink and electrical points are going to go. There will have been some guidance from somebody at some point. This scenario has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.

No worries. I’m sure the paint is fine, just a bit new. Don’t go looking for trouble with masking tape or finger nails is my advice !

The one place where adhesion is a real problem is painting acrylic over gloss woodwork. Apply one coat of zinnser bin as an undercoat to avoid adhesion issues.

I wouldnt worry too much. Ditch the old masking tape and invest in low tack frog tape. Even better, don’t use masking tape at all watch some you tube video’s on how to cut in freehand.

Any paint that you’ve damaged already can easily be touched up with a one inch brush.

I definitely wouldn’t be considering sanding the walls ,sounds like your mist coat is fine just some minor issues with new paint. Probably not fully hardened yet.

Is the Leyland trade paint contractors emulsion or vinyl Matt ? You don’t want vinyl Matt for a mist coat.

Did you water down the bare plaster paint ? Your plaster must have been dry after two weeks of warm weather. We painted a newly plastered room on a Monday when it had been plastered the previous Friday.

Is the topcoat not sticking to the mist coat or is the mist coat pulling off as well ?

Are you using old fashioned brown masking tape or low tack frog tape ? The brown tape will pull off fresh paint quite easily.

One coat of cheap,non vinyl, white matt emulsion. Water it down until it loses it’s porridge consistency and becomes thin but not too watery.

One coat of this and two coats of you actual paint, job done. That’s how I do it anyway and it’s my job.

Grantyboy, you’re professional then ?

The sheltered housing is four small blocks of flats for independent living. Mostly old folk, some people with physical disabilities and a family from Hong Kong that I think are refugees. It’s a good little set up, nicely kept, lawned gardens for the residents etc. and generally everyone gets on fine. For years I would have said it’s good example of how to make social housing work.

Blokeuptheroad, no there was no previous interaction with them at all before the keying incidents. After two face to face confrontations it’s most definitely personal now.

The police are aware and we have a reference number for the case. I’m going to the station now to give them the names and address of offending couple.

Had a big run in with them yesterday. We obviously don’t park there anymore and now park the cars down a small side road which we can see from the front of our house. My son and his friend picked them up on the CCTV camera and sure enough they turned off down the side road. The boys, 19 years old and both over 6 foot, went flying out the door after them. Worried that they would get themselves in trouble I followed shortly after. What actually happened was the boys were standing there watching while the other pair , very drunk, shouted and swore at them accusing them of harassing them. She had keys in hand. I’ve had enough of this now and it quickly turned into a shouting match. I had to walk away as it crossed my mind (for a split second) to punch her lights out. The whole thing is starting to consume me.

TJ, the footpath is fine however given his mobility issues I’m sure the road is the easier option with no drop kerbs or slopes to navigate. It’s a very quiet road and most people, including myself, walk on the road with no issue.

No worries Stumpyjon. As you suggested all cars are now parked elsewhere. I have now become a curtain twitcher concerned for the other cars parked on the same stretch. Hopefully being caught and confronted yesterday will put an end to it but witnessing her reaction I’m not so sure.

Ok, I’m detecting an undercurrent of victim blaming here. Let me try to clear up some specifics.

It’s a cul de sac. The sheltered housing is at the end. All the other houses are down one side of the road, of which we are one. The side of the road without housing is kerbed with a grassy strip of approximately one meter and then the pathway the other side. This is where cars park alongside the kerb and the incident occurred. At the moment there are three cars parked there, each of them likely candidates for a good keying.

My dad was visiting for an hour yesterday and got keyed . She’s indiscriminate. She can’t see what car is with what house from where she lives.

Her motivation, if I were to use twisted logic and have guess, is possibly that she and her husband on crutches walk up and down the road multiple times a day instead of using the path next to it. They would have to walk around the car on their journey.  It’s a kerbside spot that loads of people use. Not obstructive in any way and no wheels on the kerb as it’s banked grass. My guess is lots of cars have been done.

She is without doubt a nutter with issues.

I knocked down a kitchen wall to make it open plan with the diner. Called in a mate who has a steel construction business to have a look and mentioned to him that I was going to get building control involved as well as a structural engineer. He said ” you need a concrete pad at either end, an 8″ steel and don’t bother with b/c and s/e”. Went in perfect and still standing !
Mind you it’s not a crumbling victorian place and I realise not everyone has access to an experienced crew of steel erectors to fit and shim it in a couple of hours.

Silly voices, the single biggest signifier of quality parenting.

Keith Fit was always a favourite.
My made up one was a character called Owl who spoke slowly like an owl does and would leave huge pauses in his sentences at totally random places. The kids would go wild with anticipation waiting for the sentence to resume. The pauses got longer as the story went on. It did have the adverse effect of hyping the kids up at bedtime but that’s what it’s all about really.

If you asked me a couple of years ago I would have said the 88/89 acid house arrival followed by the 90’s dance music creativity was absolutely the best period in music.
However I’ve recently got right back into the house/dance music thing and to be honest some of the latest stuff, if you know where to look, is incredible. Playing some of my old favourites now they seem quite dated. I still love them but I think a lot of the appeal is pure nostalgia.
For any dance music fans try Jump into the Fire (tokyo fan club remix) by Come Closer.
On a loud system obviously!

Submarined is correct in what he says about colour matched equivalents of posh paints. Farrow and Ball type paints have a flatter, chalkier finish which is more authentic on period properties. Coupled with the fact that colour matching is only accurate up to a point and you can be left slightly underwhelmed with the final look of inauthentic paint.

I’m a decorator and agree absolutely with the other decorator who posted a reply. Fresh plaster is very porus ‘sucky’. It has to have a thin watered down mist coat from which it will suck in the water leaving a misty looking white coat which has sealed the plaster. You’re then good to go with regular emulsion. Always use cheap contractors emulsion for a mist not expensive vinyl matt emulsion, this is counter productive. The water is key.
Multiple mist coats is nonsense (a second rarely needed).
Dusty walls are bad.
Going straight on with paint will mean the paint will dry and sit on top of the plaster rather than adhering to it. Sometimes I redecorate a room and as the new paint is rolled on the previous paint just peels off revealing immaculate plaster below. This wasn’t mist coated.
Not sure what these tubs of plaster paint are that they sell. As another poster said , most likely ready watered down contractors emulsion with an appealing label !

Yes, displacement activity.
I thought it would be more familiar when I heard it but perhaps its unfamiliarity was the reason I couldn’t remember it.
Thanks 👍

With the “25 taliban” comment no accident will be required I fear.

At 54 my looks, confidence and presentation have peaked. I get attention from the opposite sex regularly.
In my teens and early twenties I suffered from chronic low self esteem, body image and was invisible to the opposite sex. I was constantly depressed.
I often reflect back on my younger years and wish that some of what I have now could have been gifted to my younger self. Strange.

Great advice , thanks. The onions going in early, are they big chunks, small or tiny ?
Also carrots, parsnips and what other veggies are suitable ? Would butternut squash work ?

The boiler pump was indeed boxed in behind a kitchen cabinet which I had to remove. All you have to do is free off the impeller with a screwdriver and they spring into life again. Who knew ?
Celebrating with a cheese and ham toasty.

I must have rewired well over 100 houses in my time and wouldn’t dream of doing it room by room.
Essentially you should view this as replacing circuits rather than cables in one area of the house.
Good luck.

We did oxy acetaline welding at school age 12….it was called metalwork. I left in 1985.