h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

[Bagpuss]

*Puts v/_\3 on*

<BB<

Any more house buying tips? Just back from a second viewing of a house we like.

don't tip houses, they don't like it

If the roof hasn't had recent (within the last year or so or, if it's been bought just to be turned around and resold, since the last owner) documented roof work or a recent roof inspection, insist on a roof inspection. Collapsing ceilings aren't fun--even if the former owner *does* foot the bill for repair and no one had been in the room at the time.

Home report says roof looks okay. We need to decide if we want a more detailed survey done though.

All is well with me.
I would never buy another leasehold flat...just sayin'.

Nobody in the US would buy a house without having a property inspector go through it first. Or seeing the report if the inspector visited on behalf of the seller.

Tod, good to see you back.

Lil, I can think of certain regions in the US that would be more likely to buy a house without looking at reports of any kind. Those regions just happen to have a high number of tea party types.

Would those houses have been towed to their site? Or sit on cinder blocks?

Mini, you need a survey. Take it from me. £300 may seem like a lot of money but it could save £1000s.

I'm currently spending the first night ever away from both Mr Vip and since he was born. Very odd. I probably wouldn't have minded so much if several other course attendees hadn't brought along their children (I have no problem with that, just that I keep on wondering where has run off too and then realise he's at home with daddy).

Still. It should be a useful course though, and I'm looking forward to putting it all into practice! It's a baby wearing course, so at the very least I can help out at my local sling library!

It's interesting, my uni is generally believed to be quite good at dealing with student parents (as valued by them), but we don't (or at least I haven't seen any) have students with their kids with them in lectures and such - I believe we just have a nursary on/adjacent to campus

I guess it might be different for coureses on how to put babies in slings?

I used to be continually surprised at how little I had to *do* with no toddlers around - no cutting food on other people's plates, no running after escapees, no fetching of a million things when they suddenly can't move an inch, no constant wiping of spills (I spill very well on my own thankyouverymuch) and no constant questions.

I was a bit surprised initially, and then I thought about it. Aside from practicalities (if you are still breastfeeding, for example, or can't get childcare in the evenings or weekends), it's actually nice to have a few children about the place. It reminds you of why you are there and who you are looking after. I am glad there's only four though, ten would be chaotic (and would be bored, poor thing!).

Phew! On the way home. Day 3 was definitely better than days 1 & 2, bit I'm still going to be writing a polite but slightly critical email about a) telling people before the course that they need to know certain things before coming on the course and b) the need to make the group focus rather than letting them go off on tangents and waste large amounts of time that could be better spent. I'm a bit disappointed. *sigh*

That's a shame.

I'm going to be slighlty smug and all 'I've got a wonderful life now'. Yesterday Ben and I went to a party in Edinburgh held by a semi-famous writer and academic in the science promotion world. They live in the house where Walter Scot wrote Waverley. I also met an IgNobel prize winner and a member of the Fortean Society, who was dressed as a gorilla.

*is a bit disappointed after having come home from the annual herring market in Turku (Finland) on a fairly new ship that, despite its name 'Baltic Princess', was built exactly like all other Sweden-Finland-Sweden-Finland etc ferries; big and bulky, with tax-free shop and buffee restaurant in exactly the same spot, and even the same kind of interior decorations, including the carpet*

http://www.sjofartstidningen.se/assets/2013/02/baltic_princess_130215_ph_sjostrom_web-1220x915.jpg

Considering how extensive the archipelagos of Stockholm, Åland (where all the ferries have to stop in order to be able to sell tax-free goods) and Turku are, the journey takes longer than you'd think - around 10 hours (because they have to go really slow so as not to wash away any of the smaller islands with the waves they cause). Add 1 hour of time difference *and switching from summer to winter time, and you get a very confused Ti.

Several years ago a ferry was breaking through the ice (all these ferries have ice breaking capacities) but misjudged just how thick it was and turned much slower than expected, ending up stranded on one of the smaller islands. One of the major Swedish coffe companies included it in their 'unexpected visit' advertising campaigns:

http://media.notabene.se/2012/01/Ov%C3%A4ntat-bes%C3%B6k.jpg

Nobody was hurt, not even the ferry, everything just got a bit delayed.