Magazine style - all inclusive

[DirtMechanic]

Incredible drone footage shows a perfectly intact house surrounded by total devastation following the deadly Alabama tornado that killed 23 people

• Drone video shows a Georgia home that miraculously survived being flattened by a deadly tornado
• The footage of the Ellersie, Georgia, home was captured by photographer Matt Gillespie over the weekend
• Home is seen surrounded by uprooted trees and other homes that suffered severe damage or were leveled
• The home narrowly missed being destroyed the by the tornado that killed 23 people in Alabama and Georgia
• Twister was classified as an F4, reaching wind speeds of up to 170mph and is deadliest to hit US since 2013

View attachment 50726

@DirtMechanic Are you OK?

We also have an earthquake here: Brexit is no more! The UK is plunged into uncertainty by all these I-know-best incompetents who are ripping the whole country apart!

Yeah, the suffering was far south of us, but thank you for asking after us. What you @re seeing is the frontier emergence of a new type home. They are so expensive that the locals cannot afford them. They can survive the winds by design. I hope they saved their neighbors.

 

[alp]

Oh, dear! Snapped the drill bit and water filling the hole and toe got hurt! Perki, what a rotten day! We were lucky yesterday as there wasn't how as much wind as the day before. The day before was horrific - metal tube snapped at the base and half of the fence leant towards the nasty's garden which has been eerily deserted. Imagine, a massive shed with insulation material nearly 150mm for roof and the size of more than 10m x 10 m totally deserted! Son said that they never emptied the sceptic tank (imagine sceptic tank in East London!) and now the sceptic tank has been switched off.

Well, things can only get better. If the plants look good, I might buy or swap something with you, Perki! Also, rest assured, you can sell to your customers! Win, win!

@DirtMechanic So glad that you and our beloved Becky are SAFE! Perhaps, the whole state can promote safe building practice.

Yesterday, I was on the look out for organic eggs to hatch chicks with. Tesco sold them at £1.85 and Aldi for £1.45. Saw some blue eggs and was wondering if I would get blue chickens, like those shown by Johnny's thread. Then a lady said beware of the half price label as when we went out, the till might have a different idea and she taught me that it's because of the food the chickens were fed up. I was a bit worried - could it be INK?

Any way, at the till, it said £1.45, so we told the cashier who asked us to get the older date boxes with the half price label on. So we took 2 boxes home.

 

[alp]

Another windy day, but very dry.

Been to my posh nursery yesterday. Oh, dear! The reduced corner had a shocking £9 on a very miserable looking agapanthus. £9! I felt like crying. No longer my hunting ground.


A horrible white camellia with deformed, er no, confused, flower has a 2nd flower

This is the 99p from Home Bargain. Ah, better not complain. Not bad for 99p!

Leucojum Asetivum Summer Snowflakes are smiling

This one is called Narcissus Rip Van Winkle

My favorite camellia Williamsii x Debbie has woken up and the sassy and zesty colour is just uplifting.

The colour is lost in translation or rendering. It was a highly vibrant colour.

Watched Escape to the country Cornwall and saw a majestic Echium in the background. Boy, how I want one! Taller than a bungalow.

So hatching chicken eggs is not that simple! Now we need to buy a hatcher to start our sustainability project! LOL! Boy, I really am a bull in a china shop.

 

[alp]

Raining now and it's grey and dark and cold.

Young couple came to view the house last night. They talked about changing so much of my house that it's just unbelievable. They will come for a 2nd time. Not that I am excited.

Now, let me talk about the exciting bit. I have sown more Miracle Gro Salad leaves, Petunias, Bright and spicy salad, some colourful carrots, Today, more spinach, basil. Need to plant more parsley. Watched GW again and can't believe the tropical flowers the man grew in Kent - Hedychium, cannas, fuchsias, and Achmea, especially this one

Simply fantastic. My Achmeas have never flowered and I must say there is no moisture in East London.

Watched Something's killing me and I was sitting on the edge of my settee. Very young children, even twins, suffer from childhood dementia and the progress of the disease halted by an active ingredient in Fabreze! I cry with those parents who have cases like this. So heartbreaking!

 

[alp]

Don't we all know?

The proof we STILL live in a man's world: Phones too big for our palms, chilly offices, cars designed for male drivers - a fascinating new book reveals the little ways life really is stacked against women

• Caroline Criado Perez explores how society overlooks women in a new book
• Many smartphones are designed so the average man can use it with one-hand
• In health research, female bodies are often excluded from clinical trials
• Only 10.8 per cent of pages in political science textbooks reference women
• Researchers claim female business owners receive less investment than men
• Caroline says the gender data gap is not generally malicious but can be deadly

Source

Caroline, why don't you just start with men can stand up and wee whilst we have to sit down and the queues in the toilets are always longer for women who suffer from something called menstruation?

***************************

The end of the gas boiler: Fossil-fuel heating systems will be BANNED in all British new-builds from 2025 adding £5,000 to average house price

• Philip Hammond announced gas boilers will be banned from new build homes
• The change will kick in from 2025 as part of measures to limit climate change
• Chancellor's announcement is seen as part of a Tory appeal to young voters

The new green energy options
- All future homes will be future proofed with low carbon heating. The most likely replacement for gas are air source heat pumps.
- The pumps are often combined with extra insulation, but the total is £5,000 more expensive than a gas boiler.
- There will also be measures to help small businesses cut emissions.
- A study will be conducted into carbon offsets for air travellers, such as tree planting schemes.

I have actually seen this kind of hot air pump in action in Chelmsford and apparently, they have another bill for this kind of heating.

 

[alp]

Don't you just want to be angry with the ordinary Venezuelans?

Drinking water taps give out oil!

Video

China steps in to help President Maduro get the lights back on after looters ran riot during 'madness' of Venezuela's worst ever blackout

• Shocking pictures show empty shops and warehouses which have been left with little stock and merchandise
• Across the country looters smashed shop windows and made off with goods across 300 businesses
• There had been a nationwide power outage in the country last week causing chaos due to the lack of electricity

 

[DirtMechanic]

When we got rid of our heat pump our electric bill went down. Gas heat and air conditioner works better for us, but a gas price spike could spoil the party. Heat pumps are not very good below freezing and they blow cool only somewhat warmed air.

 

[alp]

When we got rid of our heat pump our electric bill went down. Gas heat and air conditioner works better for us, but a gas price spike could spoil the party. Heat pumps are not very good below freezing and they blow cool only somewhat warmed air.

I only heard about heat pump last month. Funny that some households use gas central heating, and some hot air pump. Nothing compares with air conditioning when you live in a state with high temperature and humidity. It's just not nice - I remember I constantly felt being coated in my body oil when I was back home. Quite unbearable!

Australia is now very, very hot. An estate agent operative from Australia told me that he liked the temperature here! I can't blame him. I'd love to go to Australia to see the fauna and flora, but to be coated in dirty sweaty oil is not my cup of tea.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I only heard about heat pump last month. Funny that some households use gas central heating, and some hot air pump. Nothing compares with air conditioning when you live in a state with high temperature and humidity. It's just not nice - I remember I constantly felt being coated in my body oil when I was back home. Quite unbearable!

Australia is now very, very hot. An estate agent operative from Australia told me that he liked the temperature here! I can't blame him. I'd love to go to Australia to see the fauna and flora, but to be coated in dirty sweaty oil is not my cup of tea.

Its funny that in Alaska the cold winter was hard on older folks because I am starting to think the heat and humidity of Alabama is as well.

 

[alp]

Its funny that in Alaska the cold winter was hard on older folks because I am starting to think the heat and humidity of Alabama is as well.

Go to Alaska for the summer, DM with your resident artist! Life must be joyous in Alaska summer! Seen some docus on Alaska and a lot of horrible Ice Colder Killers and including a horrible man who gunned down coin dealers just to amass his collection. Evil does lurch amongst us and it's all senseless.

Extremes are never good in life! Don't you think?

I am supposed to watch The Papers! Oh, dear! The incompetents and divas in this country are ruining everything and they can't do a thing right. So much for the vocal liberals .. Not that I want a dictator or a Trump, but people should strive for the country's greater good!

 

[alp]

Wanted to make a good impression for viewings, went out to weed. Corr! The winds were something. At several points, I thought I might be hit by debris whipped up by the wind. Impossibly disturbing. Came in and repotted all my cuttings. Shame I was one week too late. Some salvia cuttings were dead. But can't complain. Quite a few survived. Had 5 trays of Spinach seed Madeira ending 2016. Oh, dear! My housekeeping is lousy. Now my work top (3m long) is covered by trays and I have 4 candles burning to warm up the lean to. Take some cuttings with my Petunia Surfinia bought reduced last year. I think there were two buds forming, but they just had to go. I just trimmed and potted up 6 pots of cuttings. I was lucky to have a tiny workshop and i chucked some plants there. My begonia tuber is showing some new lumps on the surface. Very pleased.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Candles. I have never thought about candles. Who needs a heat mat?

 

[alp]

I know it sounds dangerous and I actually have a kerosene heater, but as Perki said, it stinks like hell, so I use candles. 4 of them still on the lean to with 3 LED lights. The temperature in the Lean to is now a glorious 18c.

I have a heat mat but it's too hot for the plants and I also have 3 propagators, but I haven't turned one on lately as it is usually warmer here in this corner of the world.

It's grey and windy again. Apparently, Saturday ie, tomorrow is going to be another day of hell.

Rockets are now 1 inch tall. Can't wait to eat them.

Yes, it's warmer to day. Have a nice and safe day, everyone!

 

[alp]

Much warmer today and didn't do much. Bought a 25p Lobelia from Wilko and have to say, it's 25p well spent. A lot more seeds than the verbena I bought from Lidl. Wish I had bought some colourful chards from Wyevale clearance. Also bought a bearded Iris Blue Bird. The first time that the rhizome is not dry, shrivelled or half dead. It actually showed green bits on 3 areas! Potted up both Lobelias and rhizomes.

I nearly wanted to immortalise my camellia digitally as E G Waterhouse until it hit me that I could be wrong.

Summer Snowflake - What a dichotomy!

 

[alp]

A dry but grey morning. Going to go out to Wyevale to see what hellebores they have got. Might still be too early. Last night Gardeners' World was very good, especially the over-wrought garden in Leeds. Love the annual climber test too. Just imagine - a tiny seed turns into a huge climber with flower in the same year and bear seeds! Nature is truly amazing.

Going to be cold tonight and tomorrow night. After that, I will put my nectarines out again. It's like a nightmare. The winds were so gusty and some potted plants fell sideway.

Sad to hear mosque mass murder being stream on social media. So worried every time son goes to the town centre and station. Nobody is safe.