I'll put my wellies on to go to the car

West Sussex the British Sahara.

From September Kids are going to be going psst (looks over left shoulder opens coat to reveal) I got pepsi. I got Fanta too if you fancy a bit of the hard stuff.

I heard a headmaster on Radio 4 yesterday saying he already seen kids setting up stall in the playground selling "contraband"

It just makes you want to

Off to Bath today where the water just oozes from the ground

Have a great day D just remember to take a brolly



Dave

David, there is no on who likes a good rant more than I do! Paticularly if its about Public Services or large companies! But I am in a concilliatory, positive mode of thought brought on my having job interviews and having been advised by job agency people not to run down one's current employer!

I think we all use far more water than we used to. Apparently, we all bathe/shower far more than we did years ago (thank goodness). We turn on the tap and out comes clean drinkable water. But we dont just drink it (in fact many of us now buy bottles of water for that), we water gardens, flush toilets (probably bigger capacity cisterns than Thomas Crapper intended), feed automatic Washing Machines and Dishwashers, showers...

Much of the rest of the world would be astonished at the notion of using clean drinking water for anything other than drinking. In the past, it was not economically viable or necessary to have 2 water supplies, one potable and one not. But now the with all the increasing "other" uses for water, it may be an idea.

Water companies charge us for the water we use, but also charge for taking away an equivalent amount of waste water (from all those "Other" uses), and a little extra for surface rain water. Our waste water and/or collected surface rainwater is more than enough to water the largest of gardens. If I collect water in a garden water butt, and avoid using a hosepipe, why not give me a water rebate? Why not have an auto divert system that puts waste water (not from Thomas' devices!) into a garden soakaway when the ground is measured as dry, and the excess down the normal drain when it is adequately irrigated?

I DO have a water butt, and it collects rainwater via the downpipe at the rear of the house, with added water from an upstairs bathroom shower. I get 150 litres of soapy, scummy water every 2-3 days.

As you may have gathered, I like to be green, so I also got myself a composter. When that was full of grass clippings, I got another composter. When that was full of grass clippings, I got another composter. Yes, I now have 3 composters, all full, and I have to cut the lawn again today....

If anyone wants gallons of smelly spare water or compost then let me know! All of the publicity around doing such environmentally freindly things does not tell you what to do with the results if you are NOT a gardener.

Back to the water industry. Is there a problem with demand exceeding supply, or is it an example of a poorly managed vital utility privatised far too quickly, with immediate profits therefore going before its meeting its critical ulility responsibilities? It might be useful to compare to other supply industries, say electricity supply. This has increasing demand and has been broken up and re organised in a similar way. It does not benefit from the vast abundance of its main natural resource like the water indistry. BUT WHEN WERE YOU LAST TOLD NOT TO PLUG IN YOUR FAVOURITE APPLIANCE? EH? Come on, water industry, stop whining and get your act together.

And another thing - people, including children, should eat whatever they dang well want to! Give people the facts and let them get on with it. Children learn to make choices for themselves, it is part of the human experience that starts from the first time junior throws his/her dinner across the room. I hate Turkey Twizzlers, fish fingers, pot noodles etc - but each to his own. Lead by example, not compulsion.

Nanny state, PAH!


Oops...stoppit!


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This post has been edited for inappropriate language - nelsoc

Gray water systems are all the rage. As is sustainable this, and sustainable that. The problem is water companies won't pay for maintenance or give you a rebate. And for gray water systems to become a normal way of life, they need to be built into new houses. And they aren't. I don't think I've seen a single design for a house including water recycling facilities.

I don't think a double water system would be practical. You'd have to dig up every single road, and the cost would be insane. And for what? We've already got water on tap. At this point, I should point out that the sewer system is double - separate foul and surface water sewers. The latest craze is to try and put the surface water back into the ground as close to where the rain fell as practically possible. But again, the local authorities refuse to adopt such systems.

The water system we do have isn't in great shape. It leaks vast quantities of water straight back into the ground. There's going to be a huge outcry when Thames have to apply for a drought order... and it seems certain they will have to.

I will have to go away for the day more often

Seems I have tapped the source of another meandering thread (Sea what I did there )

A constant stream of posts today. Just going with the flow

Well that's all from me folks I'm all washed up



Night all

Dave