manchesterbuildingsurveyors.co.uk – Wayne Rooney has commissioned the services of award winning architects, Pulmann Associates, to design him a brand new garden shed, replacing the previously paltry shack with a ‘mega-shed’ three times the size. This whilst at the other end of Manchester – dirty rat wrecks home!
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In an amusing turn of events this week, an engineering contractor working on flood defences at Chalkwell in Southend, Essex, left for a break and returned only to find his digger had been submerged by the rising tide.
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Surveyors have recently discovered that Big Ben, perhaps London’s most famous landmark, is leaning so much that its tilt can be seen by the naked eye.
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A survey just last week discovered that finding a £10 note in an old pair of jeans, getting into bed with freshly washed sheets and going on holiday are among life’s greatest pleasures.
The poll, carried out by Three Barrels Brandy, took the opinion of 3,000 adults and aimed to discover what man kinds greatest pleasures are.
Sunshine was found to be a substantial cause of good moods – with examples such as waking up to a sunny day, sitting in the sun and driving with the car windows down on a sunny day all appearing in the top 20.
Other happy moments include being surprised with flowers or chocolates, getting a nice message or cuddle from a loved one, or getting a thank you card in the post.
Slightly less romanticised examples included ‘snogging’, lads nights out and winning a tenner on the lottery.
Overall, it serves as a nice reminder that simple things are what give people most pleasure.
The National Grid Operational Forum revealed that 5 wind farms in Scotland were paid £890,000 to turn off their generating turbines for one night as the system was not able to absorb the amount of electricity being produced.
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A new hotel near Paris, France, offers residents a unique take on a ‘room with a view’. The establishment provides clients with a dual experience: a night of lavish comfort and a view of the stars through the ceiling of their room, but with the atosphere inherent in the so called ‘City of Love’, perhaps transparent walls and absent curtains aren’t a great idea…
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In yet another mystifying revelation over local council expenditure, five councils in the North East spent £2,500 calling the speaking clock last year. This was wastage the equivalent of spending five full days calling the automated service – which provides the listener with the precise time – leading union leaders to reportedly describe the act as ‘baffling’.
Perhaps even more ‘baffling’ is the fact that the very same service can be found online….for free.
Tom Brennan, North East regional secretary of the GMB, said: “I can’t for the life of me see why councils should be using services like the talking clock.
“If you turn on the BBC, or the radio, you get the exact time for free.
“There are cases where it appears councils are spending unnecessary money and we would welcome any savings which don’t impact the public but help protect jobs. That is the most important thing at the moment.”
The figure is just a small part of the £50,000 the five councils are reported to have spent last year calling premium line telephone numbers. Newcastle City Council, for example, spent £13,163 calling Directory Enquiries alone.
In a period when councils must ‘tighten their belts’ and prepare to cut jobs and budgets, such unnecessary expenditure continues to confound many.
Like the beginning of a bad joke, a council worker in Bognor Regis turned up to change the light bulb of a ten foot lamppost complete with a cherry picker, hard hat and high visibility jacket, proceeded to cordon the lamppost off with plastic fencing and reputedly took 25 minutes to finish the job.
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A German DIY enthusiast trapped himself in his cellar for two days after ending on the wrong side of a wall he was building.
The man, 64, was sealing off the cellar at his home in Gumperda, near Leipzig, to save on heating bills.
Police suspect he was too proud of his creation to knock it down, so he used a jackhammer to tunnel his way to freedom through his neighbour’s home. Unfortunately, he had been feuding with the neighbours for months and as he emerged he was met by police who are considering charging him with disturbing the peace.
Source:Â The Daily Telegraph 26th November, 2010
Street furniture design company Clear Channel Adshel was recently involved in a roadside mix up, leaving a Gloucester man stunned as he returned home only to find his private driveway blocked by a shining new bus shelter.
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