Insignificant Things That Make You Happy.

[Taipan]

Had a potential legal disaster. But just seen our lawyer and she said we are 100% legal and she has exactly the same situation.

Not gonna say how much is could have affected us, but it would have changed our lives, a lot.

Best lawyer on the island only charged €40

A reprieve from a potentially life changing legal situation for only €40?!?!

[Yorick]

Had a potential legal disaster. But just seen our lawyer and she said we are 100% legal and she has exactly the same situation.

Not gonna say how much is could have affected us, but it would have changed our lives, a lot.

Best lawyer on the island only charged €40

A reprieve from a potentially life changing legal situation for only €40?!?!

We have a basement apartment which is 75% below ground, to allow windows.
Because it's below the mains drainage, there is a holding tank for the sewage which is then pumped up to the ground level sewer.

We were told that this is illegal which would stop us using it as an apartment and would bugger up any future sale

Locally all underground sewage systems are called pozo negros, which translates as black hole.

The lawyer told us that the true pozo negros are just an underground cess pit where the waste stays there and just seeps into the ground. They ARE illegal.

What we have is fully contained and pumped up to the sewer. This is legal.
Our lawyer said she has the same system in her basement and she's happy with it.

So, we're legal.

[gremlin]

Could have left you in the shit.


When we bought a previous house, we had all the paperwork left with it, including the extension. Some years after moving in Thames Water discovered that our downstairs loo, part of the extension, was polluting the local stream. We dug out the paperwork, found the relevant document showing that Bromley Council had inspected the waste water and signed it off as being approved.

Had to dig up the garage floor and driveway to reconnect the waste pipe to the foul sewer, as opposed to the excess water drain, evidence this to Thames Water and then contacted a solicitor to find out how I could claim the cost back from the council. Short answer: you can't. They have indemnity.

Shortly afterwards had a letter from Bromley Council informing me that the repairs had been inspected and had been approved, even though nobody from the council had even glanced down the trench and checked it.

And guess what? It was signed by the same bloke who'd signed off the original extension many years before.

And who says a council job is a job for life, notwithstanding the complete fuckwittery of the person in the chair, eh?

[Taipan]

Had a potential legal disaster. But just seen our lawyer and she said we are 100% legal and she has exactly the same situation.

Not gonna say how much is could have affected us, but it would have changed our lives, a lot.

Best lawyer on the island only charged €40

A reprieve from a potentially life changing legal situation for only €40?!?!

We have a basement apartment which is 75% below ground, to allow windows.
Because it's below the mains drainage, there is a holding tank for the sewage which is then pumped up to the ground level sewer.

We were told that this is illegal which would stop us using it as an apartment and would bugger up any future sale

Locally all underground sewage systems are called pozo negros, which translates as black hole.

The lawyer told us that the true pozo negros are just an underground cess pit where the waste stays there and just seeps into the ground. They ARE illegal.

What we have is fully contained and pumped up to the sewer. This is legal.
Our lawyer said she has the same system in her basement and she's happy with it.

So, we're legal.

Does sound like a deferred problem though. I'll tell you what i'll do, I'll give you €100k for it so you can make a new start somewhere else!

[Yorick]

A reprieve from a potentially life changing legal situation for only €40?!?!

We have a basement apartment which is 75% below ground, to allow windows.
Because it's below the mains drainage, there is a holding tank for the sewage which is then pumped up to the ground level sewer.

We were told that this is illegal which would stop us using it as an apartment and would bugger up any future sale

Locally all underground sewage systems are called pozo negros, which translates as black hole.

The lawyer told us that the true pozo negros are just an underground cess pit where the waste stays there and just seeps into the ground. They ARE illegal.

What we have is fully contained and pumped up to the sewer. This is legal.
Our lawyer said she has the same system in her basement and she's happy with it.

So, we're legal.

Does sound like a deferred problem though. I'll tell you what i'll do, I'll give you €100k for it so you can make a new start somewhere else!

No deferred problem. It's 100% legal. They wouldn't have built such a big house with an illegal problem which would have affected any future resale.

[Taipan]

We have a basement apartment which is 75% below ground, to allow windows.
Because it's below the mains drainage, there is a holding tank for the sewage which is then pumped up to the ground level sewer.

We were told that this is illegal which would stop us using it as an apartment and would bugger up any future sale

Locally all underground sewage systems are called pozo negros, which translates as black hole.

The lawyer told us that the true pozo negros are just an underground cess pit where the waste stays there and just seeps into the ground. They ARE illegal.

What we have is fully contained and pumped up to the sewer. This is legal.
Our lawyer said she has the same system in her basement and she's happy with it.

So, we're legal.

Does sound like a deferred problem though. I'll tell you what i'll do, I'll give you €100k for it so you can make a new start somewhere else!

No deferred problem. It's 100% legal. They wouldn't have built such a big house with an illegal problem which would have affected any future resale.

Just yanking yer chain mate. €110k...

[Yorick]

Does sound like a deferred problem though. I'll tell you what i'll do, I'll give you €100k for it so you can make a new start somewhere else!

No deferred problem. It's 100% legal. They wouldn't have built such a big house with an illegal problem which would have affected any future resale.

Just yanking yer chain mate. €110k...

You'll be needing a bit more than that

We're sat on a goldmine after all the work we've done here

[David]

All very well, but do you havd the right documentation for gold extraction?

[gremlin]

Just yanking yer chain mate. €110k...

Don't yank it too hard, else it floods the lower floor.

And no paper down the toilet either.

[Taipan]

No deferred problem. It's 100% legal. They wouldn't have built such a big house with an illegal problem which would have affected any future resale.

Just yanking yer chain mate. €110k...

You'll be needing a bit more than that

We're sat on a goldmine after all the work we've done here

Aye Lad, where there's muck, there's brass!

[Yorick]

Just yanking yer chain mate. €110k...

You'll be needing a bit more than that

We're sat on a goldmine after all the work we've done here

Aye Lad, where there's muck, there's brass!

[Yambo]

My bottlebrush is flowering and attracting lots of bees.

[cheb]

That a bird called a Fulvous Whistling Tree Duck exists. I'm uncertain whether it is the tree or the duck that whistles. Or what fulvous whistling might be.

[Horse]

That a bird called a Fulvous Whistling Tree Duck exists. I'm uncertain whether it is the tree or the duck that whistles. Or what fulvous whistling might be.

Fulvous is reddish yellow; tawny.

I googled it

But I didn't know it was possible to whistle in colour.

[cheb]

We only had black and white whistling when I was a boy.

And another thing: That my younger spawn has carried on the obtuse dead pan humour.

I was driving spawn and partner in Exeter, spawn's partner was giving directions and said 'It's right at the end of the round.' Spawn's reply was 'What's right at the end of the road?'

[Docca]

Loads to choose from I guess ( not posted for a while) :

My eldest passing his driving test and being able to shuttle his siblings about

My daughter getting into an outstanding college to do her A levels

My youngest (11) passing his grade 6 Trumpet

The twins both being mental and wanting to live life to the full

The wife still being awesome and putting up with me

My annual salary topping £150k end of last year

Always getting a free coffee from my favourite TrainStation cafe lady

Having an article published earlier this year

Being invited to be a guest lecturer at the local uni (must be desperate!)

Blagging a cooking lesson at Dishoom whilst out on the razz

Seeing my best mate survive and recover from a stroke

Appeared in my first am dram performance a couple of weeks back. Loved it.

Thinking I’d struggle to get over the loss of our cat- but my daughter bought me a new kitten a d that’s awesome. He’s mental


I guess the one thing that really gets me though and fills me with happiness every day is my garden. I’m very, extremely amateur but seeing life grow (from seeds/cuttings) and actually nurturing something in nature. Wow. Absolutely love it.

[Yorick]

The inter-island ferries are normally very basic. But this new one has a poolside bar

I'll be having a couple of cheeky ones soon, followed by long afternoon nap

[Taipan]

My new boss is a woman and I just found out my newly appointed manager is also a woman. Pretty pleased about that.

[Rockburner]

Getting new visitors in the field....








Not seen a Marsh Harrier over here before now.

(yes the photos aren't great).

[Taipan]

Putting the shed based down onto the stones that my son-in-law put in for me after digging the base out. He uses a laser level and not a spirit level in sight. I put the base down and had to check it and it was bang on! 4




injured emoticons