kevinjohnsonmbe

Brilliant - you call it cross ‘contamination’ I call it cross ‘pollination.’ 😂

I’m gonna call BS on the conclusions / summary now. “...Their increased use in both ‘‘green’’ and traditional buildings could have a tremen- dous positive impact on the ornamental industry by increasing customer demand and volume of sales...” It shouldhave said - the preceding article is sponsored by houseplantsdirectdotcom 😂

What Indoor Plants Clean the Air Best? None of Them. - The Atlantic WWW.THEATLANTIC.COM The science is clear: Indoor vegetation doesn’t significantly remove pollutants from the air. Apparently - "....For several years, research really did suggest that houseplants might cleanse the air of certain pollutants. But now most scientists say that’s not right...." But, but, but, but..... If we accept that scientists might 'change their mind' on something so seemingly innocuous as the relative benefits (or otherwise) of a house plant, that would mean the 495 pages of interminable disagreement on the C19 thread might actually not have been a complete busted flush? I genuinely 'wanted' to believe houseplants cleaned the air we breath.... Turns out, it was all just a misrepresentation of the existing data to exploit consumer frailty and the willingness of the masses to just 'believe' - which, in and of itself, must either be an affront to science or an indicator that science is being corrupted to influence human behaviour.

I see where you were going with that now..... 🤣

Which houseplants should you buy to purify air? None of them. WWW.NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM Bringing plants indoors can provide a number of benefits, but cleaner air isn't one of them, say experts. Who to believe.... The tinter web (and the BBC) is telling me different answers to the same question 🤯 Do houseplants really improve air quality? | Gardening advice | The Guardian WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM Received wisdom is all very well, but sometimes the science proves otherwise, says James Wong "...If you want fresh air, open a window. If you want to witness the joy of nature and feel a daily sense of wonder, get some houseplants..." I can relate that...... Not sure the same logic applies inside the M25 though? I'll just get some more plants because I like them

Not a bad mantra for life really.... (unless the subject is C19 (and houseplants - apparently) 😂)

Any particular types of plants? Presumably some are better at absorbing pollutants whilst others are better at producing oxygen etc etc. I’ll have a bit of time tomorrow looking into it.

Just a general interest in the composition of what we are sucking in and any ways it might be improved. Don't go getting all technical (well do) I'm not a scientist! 😂

I was only ½ watching / listening while cooking the roast. I did look at ‘air quality’ plants when the conservatory was done. Going to refresh my memory and perhaps source some more. It’s a day room so not overly concerned about overnight. Going to look up those air quality monitors too. Just out of interest.

Well I know they’ve got some catching up to do but they ain’t got the kids in on night shift yet....

There’s NASA research to support the theory K. Prob best not get too close to school - you know, restraining order an all that....

Great feature on RHS Chelsea Flower show prog on BBC about air quality improvements in school with plants. Pretty basic stuff really but always good to have a reminder at times. What with air quality being such an on topic subject at the moment might have buy a few more...

Awesome!

Fine looking dog 👍🏻 We’re down to 1 at the moment 😫

Modern Vans, 4/7.5t more like driving a car these days - mind you, if the Fiat 500 driver I met in the lane last night and who couldn’t reverse for toffee is anything to go by..... 🙀

Perhaps it’s time for a ‘refresh?’ Vehicle tech has advanced massively over the years, has the test kept pace with vehicle capability changes? Does it need to? Don’t know, just wondering.

You forgot the most important factor in your careful and conscientious driving J..... The cost of the tow vehicle, the towed load and the trailer all came out of YOUR pocket and the financial cost of any loss / damage was also coming out of your pocket. Owner operator is a huge factor in care and diligence - although there are still rare occasions where incidents happen.

Leaving the EU is a small bit part of a much larger problem that was, in large part created as a consequence of being in the EU and which existed way before Brexit was even a word. Remoaner horse plop 🐎💩

For brevity..... er, no, doesn’t seem that way 😂

I didn't go into too much detail Jules - uncharacteristically brief 😂 Of course, in black and white, a straight forward trump card but the situation is rarely that binary - even if the outcome is, in theory, predetermined. A prominent row of TPO'd Lime with excessive basal epicormic which forms a significant part of the hedge (can't remember what the hedging species is) and where the hedge was originally planted right up next to the raised bank boundary with the footway such that cutting back would be so severe as to likely kill the hedge and denude the pleasant aesthetic appeal of the CA. Incidentally, since the attached pic, the hedge has been trimmed back to the usual historic pruning point but does still overhang the footway (but not excessively.) Maybe it was the TPO application for reduction on the Lime(s) that triggered the s154 - but I doubt the LA is that 'joined up.' I suspect it might have been the addition of telecoms street furniture on the pavement restricting the width and the covid requirement for more 'space' which has brought about the s154. Just seems a little excessive and inconsistent that this particular hedge - amongst so many other nearby private and institutionally (including LA) owned incursions into the highway - has been selected and that, rather than following the better practice of liaison with the 'offending' owner, the LA moved straight to s154. It's not my job BTW, I just did the TPO app back in May and was recently chatting to a pal that does the work here and it just happens to be an old boss of mine that owns the tree(s) / hedge. Had the LA followed the better practice of liaison prior to service they might have been able to reach a mutually agreeable compromise which (a) didn't destroy the hedge and (b) acknowledged the potential for the TPO approved work to coincide with the hedge work thus reducing the street works disruption on a main city route to 1 occasion rather than 2. Just for context, the attached pic (May 21) shows the hedge pre-annual trim when I did the TPO app, it was a bit excessive then but has since been trimmed. Certainly not the worst offender I've ever seen and rather surprised that it has progressed direct to s154. Today's main effort (pic 2) is the supporting detail for the planning app to widen / resurface the entrance to a listed building in a CA... What fun!

A symptom of such overt regulation that layers start to impose upon and contravene other layers.... Currently have a s154 (14 days notice) in a conservation area 😂 Riddle me that 😂

Just send the attached pic to the council! Wall or tree? The wall is a clear and present danger to public safety. https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/dangerous-looe-wall-forces-emergency-5628641

Does that mean you disagree with the rest? (I'll take a small area of agreement over nothing mind....😂)

I’ll keep it intentionally brief and at high level because there are a million rabbit holes that could be opened up. 👍🏻 What is happening is a vain and misdirected effort to treat the symptom rather than the cause (in large part although there are some justifiable exceptions.) Care of extended family, as a default start position, should be with the family - not the state. People should take responsibility for their own situations rather than having the state fund them. Taking that as a default start point, funding the exceptions to that POV should perhaps be state subsidised. Wealth disparity is at an all time high and it is not appropriate to draw taxation from the lower tiers to fund state deliverables with such a degree of wealth disparity. There needs to be a whole scale shake up of taxation.

Your suggestion, albeit not ideal, is better than what has been done. What he’s done is a short term sticky plaster on a gaping wound which ‘might’ just stem the bleeding till the next election when it (might) be someone else’s problem.... And so it has been going on for decades with no true insightful leadership and clear thinking from politicians focussed on the 4 year popularity cycle. Personally, I’m sick to the back teeth of (seemingly) every man jack wanting another 1% for this or that and justifying it with “...it’s ‘only’ 1,2,3 %...” Theres 2% on council tax for social care, there’s 3.4.5% for the old bill, there’s extra now on NI, add ‘em all up and see what all these random 1 & 2%s amount to in total. They'll end up strangling the golden goose! You simply cannot rely upon ever increasing taxation on an ever decreasing work force (automation, robotics etc.) Ive got the right hump with this!