The Engineer

First it was creosote, now I've found I can't buy proper carbolic soap (aka coal tar). Europe poking its nose in again methinks, something to do with carcinogens. I've been soaked with the former and used many bars of the latter and I'm not dead yet. Oh and no more sodium chlorate in case it's mixed with sugar to make you know what. What else are we not allowed to buy for our own good?

I see that the District Judge in Janner's case, DJ Emma Arbuthnot, is the same one that dealt with David Brudenell-Bruce, 8th Earl of Cardigan, in Salisbury magistrates' court, July 2012 (she was described as a 'special District Judge brought in from London'). She declared the multi-millionaire Lord Cardigan to be unfit to plead and adjourned the case so that he could visit a hospital. He was described as psychologically unwell by a court assessment officer though he didn't need to be Sectioned. He was only up for £66 worth of criminal damage and theft of some pheasant equipment so not in L

So, as I expected it is being dealt with by a District Judge. She says it'll be sorted today, even if she has to have him arrested (i.e. issue a warrant).

How about allowing each child to have up to three weeks off per year during term time. They would then have to make up the time by attending instead during the next 'normal school holiday' at Easter, summer, Christmas or one of the half-term break (i.e. not too long after their absence). Teachers' holidays would be reduced to four weeks in summer plus a week at Easter and a week at Christmas (six weeks is not unreasonable these days and many jobs have holiday dates fixed by the employer). Example: Two weeks taken in March - attend instead one week at Easter and one week in May half-term.

Should be OK to proceed to trial: Most people with dementia remember the distant past more clearly than recent events. This is because memories tend to decline in reverse order to when they were experienced. People will often have difficulty remembering what happened a few minutes or hours ago, but can recall, in detail, life when they were much younger. Source: http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=123

One of my uncles worked as a delivery lad for the Coop in Nottingham, driving a horse and cart. This was probably mid-1930s as he was born 1917. He got the sack after posting a rabbit through a letter box. Sadly he became a casualty of war in 1940 aged 22 after his sub was sunk. He was engaged to be married so had volunteered for submarine duty as the pay was higher.

The defendant has to appear in person. Charges are read, plea is taken. If plea is 'not guilty', decision as to where to hold a trial ensue (i.e. Magistrates' Court or Crown Court). Allegations of serious offences [like these] will almost certainly have to be tried at Crown Court. A date is set and the magistrates [or District Judge] decide whether to allow the defendant bail as opposed to remanding in custody. Hard to say which way they'd go with this case but bail is the default option unless there is good cause to lock someone up (remember he's innocent until proven otherwise). All in

What a surprise; Lord Janner fails to attend court as directed. The authorities are in danger of losing public confidence in the process if they continue to give him preferential treatment. Standard process for anyone failing to attend court is to issue a warrant. Police then find and arrest the defendant and put him in a cell until he can be presented to the magistrates (same day or next working day). It's not even a 'biggie' - the appearance in the magistrates' court would take a couple of minutes because such matters would just be sent to the Crown Court and he would quite likely be rel

The smell of the lavatory - was it the ubiquitous whitewash, especially when damp? In one house we had off Highbury Vale, Bulwell (mid-1960s onwards), our outbuildings were a wash-house and a lav. The wash-house had a chimney stack and presumably would have had a 'copper' in the corner (it wasn't a coal-house; we had a coal-hole and cellar for that). During our occupation, both outbuildings were incorporated into the main dwelling and became a utility room (I think we still called it the wash-house, especially as it housed a washer and a dryer) and, predictably, an indoor lav. We continued

Number plates where they shift the letters, create spaces and put black screws in odd places and I still don't get what they're trying to make it say; then they get it done in italics. All quite illegal but did anyone ever get done for it? Tinted windows - just get a van if you've got something to hide. All reality TV, especially the ones that are far removed from reality and blatantly scripted. Child-proof lids. I have to use a really sharp knife to cut off the two plastic bits so this 'safety feature' becomes a hazard. Continuous Payment Authority by default (especially on insurance pr

From the BBC's 'Doomsday Reloaded' project: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-556000-360000/page/2 1986 CHILDRENS HOME SKEGNESS Roseberry House was opened in 1928. Children from Nottinghamshire come here for a holiday in which they do a topic on the seaside. As well as being a holiday for the children it is also a study centre. The children are in three age groups called the beachcombers, the coastguards and the surfers. The children come here because they are from unhappy homes or from broken families and they come for a break by the sea. Roseberry House can hold 56 chil

I was indeed a beneficiary of this memorable Council service. I expect the response will be one of: (1) Records were lost/destroyed during relocation/flood/fire/plague. (2) The cost to retrieve the data exceeds that permissible under the FOI rules. (3) Your request includes Personal Data and as such is an exception under FOI rules. (4) We can only disclose summary data (number of attendees per year). (5) Don't hold your breath. (OK, probably not the last one) ............a few minutes later................. Automated response: Nottingham City Council acknowledge the receipt of your e

Do you suppose the City Council has kept records of who attended Roseberry House each summer? I've made the following request: A list of names of children attending Roseberry House Skegness during its operation by Nottingham City Council as summer holiday accommodation. Period unknown but spanning at least 1950s and 1960s. Information limited to list of names for each year. Request is for research into social history of Nottingham. I know there are FOI exceptions in regard of anything that comes under the Data Protection Act. Could a list of names/dates adversely affect those on the

It's happened to me twice today. It's when someone liked a post I made in a topic that was subsequently restricted by a moderator. When I access the Notifications (top right, just left of my username), the message I get when clicking the hyperlink "post you made" is: For my post in "where did my topic go": Sorry, you don't have permission for that! You do not have enough posts to view topics in this forum. For my post in "Political correctness": Sorry, we couldn't find that! You do not have permission to view this topic. The latter seems to sit well with a hidden topic but the former

I hear the trial is to be extended such that only cars with odd numbers on their plate will be prosecuted for road traffic offences and that if your National Insurance number is even, they won't be chasing you for tax anomalies, so it's not all bad.

Used to have bindweed wrapping round my Japanese knotweed. Killed them both and now the nettles are thriving.

So Clarkson, Hammond and May will front a new motoring programme for Amazon Prime customers. Thank goodness for that - I won't be able to catch them accidentally when flicking through channels.

Getting a bit fed up of Cameron's current cliché. It used to be 'hard working families' but his current favourite is 'We (the government) are doing everything we can'. It gets trotted out whenever an issue of significance arises and today it applies to the migrant crisis in Calais. There are many things that could be done but in the main they would be expensive, unpopular or contravene an EU ruling (or all of these). So, instead of saying "we're doing everything", he should just say what they are actually doing and let us be the judge (and I suspect we'd be minded of another cliché 'too l

I find glyphosate to be very effective - it worked on knotweed which is notoriously difficult to eradicate. As I recall, products such as Roundup, Pathclear and Resolva all have glyphosate as the active ingredient but compare the strengths to gauge value for money. 'Ready to use' products will be quite dilute and probably the most expensive gram for gram. I started off with Wilkos glyphosate 90g per litre strength (one litre for under a tenner but I don't think they do it anymore), diluting it at the rate of 45ml in a litre of water (hand sprayer). Did the trick but knotweed needs several

crankypig, For a leak to rot bricks is a bit extreme and would take many years. Might it be just water running down the wall that's seeping through to the kitchen wall? (i.e. if water source removed, brickwork can simply dry out and not need further attention). Without inspection it's difficult to give a reasoned opinion but just for example, I know of a case of water dripping from the ceiling of a flat roofed extension when it rained. The roof felt joints were substandard but only let water through when a failed joint in the cast iron gutter above was pouring gallons of rainwater onto the

First job after school was trainee lab technician at Spray and Burgess, Leonard Street, Bulwell (dyers and finishers - factory since demolished). Customers would send in rolls of fabric and their idea of what colours they wanted it to be, a bit like a paint chart. In the lab we had to figure out the 'recipe' of dyes and fixatives, etc. and dye samples for their approval. To get a sample meant accessing the rolls in the warehouse and snipping a bit off. The rolls were stacked high. Two other lads decided to initiate me by making me reach a roll on the top shelf (maybe 20-25 ft up). I was

On my first visit to Belfast some years back, I remarked: "This is the first time I've been to Ireland." The response from my host was: "You haven't been to Ireland yet." It was a business trip and I was also warned not to wear an orange hi-viz jacket - they would provide a yellow one.

The £13-5-0 looks like Being Costs & Dsbuts (Disbursements) re pchse, so basically the solicitors expenses on the house purchase.

All the money thrown in for at least the next year will go to the charity "When you wish upon a Star". The overarching wish is surely for the children with life-threatening illnesses who are supported by the charity to be brought a little bit of happiness to ease their pain and suffering. www.whenyouwishuponastar.org.uk/

A piece I wrote for Experience Nottinghamshire http://news.experiencenottinghamshire.com/the-emett-clock-returns-to-the-intu-victoria-centre/