New Gimmer

Marigold said:
the main problem is our tendency to over-use chemicals in our homes to try to kill them all off. This not only lowers our resistance to those which may be harmful, but puts us at risk of poisoning from ingesting the chemical cleaners, or inhaling them from sprays.
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Totally agree Marigold. My nose starts streaming whenever we use bleach in the house. Mix bleach and vinegar or heaven forbid any heavier acid like limescale remover and you get chlorine gas which was the first chemical weapon used in WW1 by the Germans. The people who lived here before us were having their septic tank emptied every three months as they were chucking so much bleach and detergent down the toilet and sinks that it was killing all the bacteria that munch through the waste, we are managing about eight months at the moment on average.

You all settled in now then Chris?
 
One problem arises when you have someone with a compromised immune system, as when they're taking immuno suppressant drugs following a transplant. When we were running a B&B we had to be so careful about hygiene and had use anti-bacterial spray which I hate. I did read one article which said all you needed to do was scrub surfaces with hot water with soda crystals in it - but they gave no guidance about how to mop up all the water!

Apparently the worst thing you can do for a septic tank (apart from bleach and milk) is to keep changing the products you use. If you stick to the same thing the bacteria "get used" to them (build up a tolerance?) so buying whatever washing powder is on offer is not a good idea. We used to have an anaerobic tank and it hadn't been emptied since installation about 20 years before. We only replaced it with a modern system because if too much water went through it it got a bit whiffy. We trebled the number of people on site so water throughput went up from one occasional bath to about 8 -10 showers a week, plus the increased clothes washing.
 
When we moved into this house in 1971, it had a concrete septic tank, installed in the 1930s when the house was built. We learned that, in those days, builders would place empty bottles at strategic points round the sides of the tank and put a thin skin of concrete over them. Once the building inspector had passed the job, they took a crowbar to the sides and broke open the bottles. Consequently our tank very seldom needed emptying as all the liquid drained away most satisfactorily into the chalky soil at the top of the hill where we live. The garden was very productive... When eventually we had to have it pumped out, the men were in ecstasies about the 'lovely crust' which was revealed once the manhole cover was removed. They agreed 'you don't see many lovely crusts like that nowadays, you know." Our next door neighbour was a bit like Margo in the Good Life, and she happened to be having a polite tea party on the lawn whilst all this was going on, on a lovely HOT summer day. She and her guests fled indoors when the stink reached over the hedge, and we didn't know whether to be embarrassed or to just crease up, it was so funny. We're still friends, though, 46 years later. However, I'm afraid the garden hasn't really been the same since we had mains drainage installed.
 
Yes we had the "Lovely crust" comment! The outflow went into the nearby brook which worried us when we started putting more water through it. The water coming out of the new system is apparently pure enough to drink!
 
Think I'll leave our septic tank alone, crust & all, & drink Kent's finest tap water if it's all the same to you :-)02
 
I remember that I offered the men a cup of tea when they'd finished, and suggested they might like to wash their hands before they drank it. They politely declined, saying 'it don't bother us, missus.'
 
A friend of ours had a very absent minded husband and he took the lid off the septic tank completely forgetting to inform her, she was in the shed at the time, walked out of the shed, arms full of potting trays straight into the septic tank ! Luckily it was fairly full so she got out ok, got back into shed removed her clothes, wrapped herself into a yacht sail and went round to kitchen and berated her husband, who walked back round to tank and said "well you could have put the lid back on, someone could have a nasty accident"
It's the only time we have known Pam be speechless.
The yacht sail was never the same in spite of repeated washing
 
bigyetiman said:
A friend of ours had a very absent minded husband and he took the lid off the septic tank completely forgetting to inform her, she was in the shed at the time, walked out of the shed, arms full of potting trays straight into the septic tank ! Luckily it was fairly full so she got out ok, got back into shed removed her clothes, wrapped herself into a yacht sail and went round to kitchen and berated her husband, who walked back round to tank and said "well you could have put the lid back on, someone could have a nasty accident"
It's the only time we have known Pam be speechless.
The yacht sail was never the same in spite of repeated washing
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:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Lived with a septic tank for seven years. Never had it emptied and there is no hint of a smell. Mind you it is big enough to house a family so maybe that's why.
Never had a dishwasher either. Seems a bit OTT to me but I guess a large family might need one.
But I would find life hard without a TV and a decent stereo system. Neighbours sometimes walk in and ask if I'm running a disco. Though it does nothing for my intellectual credentials I absolutely love Jazz Funk. Only need to hear a moody sax to be in another world!
 
I am sure your livestock enjoy the music to. I don't think it reflects badly on your intellect as I am sure you have listened to a broad range of music. Some music just has to be played loud doesn't it, to do it justice
 
Mmmmm, like King Crimson. Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture and all music played on a pipe organ. If ornaments aren't bouncing it isn't loud enough! :D
 
Absolutely, especially Widor's organ Toccata. Polovotsian dances from Prince Igor, come to mind.
 
Especially the Widor!!!

San the Polovtsian Dances recently -60 voice amateur choir and 110 young (18+) orchestral players on an international youth exchange.
20 year old brass players with brass lungs to match and several fantastic percussionists. First rehearsal with the orchestra, I was standing in front of the bass drum - I knew it was coming but even so leapt six inches in the air. The whole thing was the most fantastic experience but not sure if my voice will ever be the same
 
Sounds fantastic Margaid.
We can do Iron Maiden at full volume for you Marigold. The more cultured side of the household will give you Puccini arias or ballet music
I remember my dad playing "Boogie Woogie" really loudly when I was young. Benny Goodman I believe, and he used to sing "she wears red feathers and a huli huli skirt" to me and I can still remember every word of it. Mack the knife as well, which was quite a dark song to sing to a child but my brother and I would giggle away as he sang it.
 
Enjoying Leonard Cohen's very final album at the moment. That's good loud if your bass speakers don't rip :)
 
rick said:
Enjoying Leonard Cohen's very final album at the moment. That's good loud if your bass speakers don't rip :)
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Yes, I enjoyed that too, Rick, though one of my visitors referred to it as 'music to slit your wrists to'.
At the moment I'm waiting for a new CD player to arrive from Amazon as my last one died recently. So currently listening on one of those Bose jobs which is not the same.
On holiday last week I was staying at a pub and one night after closing we sat up playing all our favourite tracks through the pub speakers via computer. Was introduced to loads of musicians I'd never heard of and so when I got home ordered a load of stuff. The Kyoto Jazz Massive, Candy Dulfer - both new to me!
 
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