Marmora Man

Mrs & Mrs Marmoraman are moving westward - leaving the joys of London and East Dulwich for a more relaxed life in Cornwall. We will miss this place - and, before I go, I'll detail what it is we'll miss in some detail (with thanks to so many people) but for now I'm seeking advice. Still looking for the right place in Cornwall but we have spotted a Grade II Listed building "in need of some decorative repair" - aka "falling down". Falling upon the wisdom of this forum I wonder - can anyone tell me if I would be allowed to add an extra room (conservatory / summer room etc) on to to such a listed building?

My understanding is that if it's wood built without foundations it's OK as it is, technically, a temporary structure. A brick built structure with foundations such as you are proposing is subject to more regulation as it is seen as a permanent structure.

What is the % of vegetarians in the population? 3% - maybe 5%? If you are a business do you cater for the 97% / 95% or for the specialist 3% - 5%. Easy option is to go after the mass market. Those that chase the niche market must either hike prices to cover the low volumes or site themselves in an area where the niche interest is more mainstream or, more usually, both. Not many people buy bespoke tailoring but Saville Row is full of bespoke tailors, not many people buy handbags at ?1,000 a pop, but Regent St and Harrods have a number of high price handbag outlets. What you don't get is H&M or M&S catering for these markets - it's easier and simpler for them to go for the mass market. Same with vegetarian food - why go to the trouble of devising dishes, specialist preparation techniques and time consuming processes to satisfy a very small proportion of the market - when by offering bloody good steak and chips you can reach, and satisfy, 97% of your potential customers.

first mate Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I am told by a number of extremely stressed > friends within the 'system' at Director level, > that the damage (and damage is the word) is > irrevocable. If your friends are at Director level surely they can make things / change happen / prevent the wrong kind of change happening? After all that's the role of senior management? The majority of GPs I interact with are in favour of the recent changes and the fact that they have the financial clout to make choices. They do not, as was the case last year for a Primary Care Trust I know, have to contract with a large and bureaucratic NHS Trust with poor cardiac surgery outcomes in order to bolster its flagging finances - they can, instead, send their patient(s) to the hospital / unit / specialist that they deem best for the patient. When I was in the NHS I was frustrated at the slow pace of change, the lacklustre approach to quality and the, relatively, poor quality of junior management - tho there were pockets of incredibly bright, strong and effective management also. However, in the face of problems I did manage to make my little bit of the NHS a little bit better - more cost effective, more customer focussed, more responsive. I left to manage a medium sized private hospital where I was responsible for everything and now a decade or so later I'm managing the equivalent of a medium sized DGH and again responsible for the clinical and commercial effectiveness of the service and where patients are, absolutely, at the centre of what we do.

Vegetarians are just fussy eaters. Why should a chef in a busy restaurant make a fuss about them? You could argue that it's good customer service to do so - but it is also a distraction from the main purpose of the restaurant if it is a mainstream place offering the usual option of fish, flesh and fowl. Vegetarians crying foul about lack of choice in local restaurants have it wrong - they are presented with exactly the same choice I am - they just choose to ignore the Lamb Fillet, Beef Steak, Pork Belly, Chicken Kiev, Duck Breast, Monkfish, Skate, Turbot, King Prawns (I could go on but I'm drooling) in favour of the one or two dishes that do not contain fish, flesh or fowl.

SJ - we've engaged on this topic many times before. A large monopoly such as the NHS should be able to bear down on its suppliers such as pharmacy & prothesis - where it buys upwards of 85% of all such sales in UK, yet it doesn't. Similarly, smaller more fleet of foot units such as the Foundation Trusts are supposed to be free of bureaucracy and thus able to compete effectively at lower cost - but this doesn't happen either. The NHS, along with the military and the police force are about the only organisations in UK that do not, usually, recruit from outside their own circle. This can lead to a frightening lack of challenge and a high degree of complacency. I speak as one with experience of two, of those three, institutions. The primary care system has slowly becomes more ossified - working restricted hours and throwing what would, in the past, have been routine minor enquiries, illnesses and injuries into the A?&E departments. The problem is compounded in crowded urban cities with a high influx of newcomers (students, visitors, immigrants) that haven't, yet, registered with a GP and who have no recourse but their local hospital. Allied to this is a more modern tendency to expect "the state" to sort out an individual's problem. Back in the day a sprain, cold, bout of flu or other minor ailment was probably managed with the help of grandma's remedies, a bit of stoicism and maybe an aspirin or, in extremis, a call to the local GP who might pop in on completion of district rounds. Nowadays it seems to require a plethora of specialists to assure the individual that there is no deep underlying disease causing the small inconvenience.

In my circle of close friends I only know of very few vegetarians - and two of them converted back to meat eating after spending nearly 5 years in Argentina. A "problem" with vegetarian food is that many chefs find it difficult to be truly innovative or inspiring without a central lump of fleshy protein around which to base the dish. Perhaps this is wrong but as a keen cook my spirits always sag when I have to provide a veggie option. I'm happy with veggie starters (asparagus & poached egg for example or a beetroot tart tatine) but otherwise see vegetables as complimentary to a piece of flesh, fish or fowl.

There are usually huge paellas being cooked in Borough Market - a visit to ask more details might help?

spc said: Number of times a fire appliance mobilised within Borough of Southwark in 2011/12=7071, 26% higher than the London borough average of 5602. Number of fires within the London Borough of Southwark in 2011/12=1215. 48% higher than the London borough average of 819. Number of dwelling fires within Borough of Southwark 2011/12=319,56% higher than the London borough average of 204. This seems to indicate a real need for a Southwark Fire Prevention strategy - why is the area that Southwark Fire Brigades are responsible for more likely to be called out to incidents. Other places have obviously achieved significant reductions as the overall average is falling. I think it was Liverpool that pioneered the idea that preventing fires was both a more responsible strategy that ensures far greater safety for far more people and, as a an additional benefit, in the longer term reduces the need for as many fire appliances and fire staff. I recall that three years ago on these pages, spc and his / her colleagues fighting against, not "CUTS", but changes to shift patterns that would have allowed more time devoted to fire prevention work.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22544588

Mick Mac Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Surely whisky has to come into it somewhere along > the line MM. > > I'll be off to Ireland playing golf. There is more > than one way to have time away from the missus :) Whisky always features - currently enjoying a superb 21 year old Caol Ila.

There's the Angel at Hindon - http://www.angel-inn-at-hindon.co.uk and the Lamb at Hindon http://www.boisdale.co.uk/lamb-at-hindon/ I have enjoyed stop overs at both.

To M3. East Dulwich A205 Clapham Common. A3 thru Wandsworth. Go on / right from Wandsworth to Putney and on via Twickenham to M3. It's a doddle.

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Lord's - Test Vz New Zealand Ah Ha - forgotten that.

Next weekend (18/19 May) I find myself alone in London as Mrs MM visits old friends in the country. What to do? My preference would be a good film or stage performance followed by a good meal. Ideally I'd like to challenge usual routines, so not West End theatre or mainstream cinema blockbusters and equally am looking for somewhere less obvious to eat out at. Suggestions received gratefully!

The BoJo airport in the Thames is something a confident, expansionist and forward thinking country that's interested in its global reach would go for. Endless whinging about the downsides of creating a third runway at Heathrow along with the inevitable delay of a public enquiry is exactly the wrong way to go.

M3, A303 and A3 does it for me. Slower sometimes but a less industrial journey. Take a break at Hindon, two good pubs - The Lamb and the other one. A stop at Stonehenge once a decade also worthwhile. Slow down, relax and make the journey part of the holiday not a boring but necessary chore.

This seems an appropriate response to the "celeb" scandal issue

Have you thought of Center Parcs? I know my niece had a "sort of" hen party at one. Apparently fabulous spa for the evening, a variety of places to eat, good fun in pools and other activities plus, if you feel like it, you can just chill out in their cottages with wine and easy cook food from the shops. Having arrived the only way around is by bike.

On Marmora the trees have been pollarded - as they have been ever three years since I moved here. They have always responded well to the pollarding by springing into green leaf later in the year and full green leaf the following year. Without this action Marmora would have been impassable many years ago.

If ensuring the unpleasant ex wife & her family don't get the money is the important issue, then contesting the will but declaring that your brother would have preferred it to go to charity / good works or similar might add weight to your position. Otherwise very sorry to hear your sad story - I wish you well in your quest. Is it worth contacting the NZ embassy for advice on whether you need a specialist NZ lawyer?

Louisa Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > What this place definitely does not need is any > more shops attracting trendy 20/30 something yummy > yuppy wannabe pretentious types who failed to get > a job good enough to pay for a cosy mid-terrace > period property in Clapham. So no more cosy yummy > mummy cafes with room for a bugaboo or 6. Lets get > in some decent shops for everyone to use. My vote > goes to pret a manger. > > Louisa. Doesn't Pret count as a poncy hipster faux street food outlet that looks down upon good ole working class fare such as bacon butties on sliced white with marge offering, instead, lemon mayo & crayfish on wholewheat bread?

Sue Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Cassius Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > For a real 'pub' pub there is always the Hole > in > > the Wall - bit rough and ready but can be a lot > of > > fun.......... and very close to the station. > > xxxxxxx > > Rough and ready is an understatement, but it does > have good ale :) I can remember in the 70s meeting musicians from the Royal Festival Hall popping into the Hole in the Wall for a quick half time pint between symphonies - t'was really rough then but their DJs added some class, even if the speed with which they downed their beer didn't

numbers Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > EatsDulwich Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > numbers - yes they did (do?) sell Little Bird > Gin > > at Franklins. It was launched as Sparrow Gin > and > > then changed its name a while later. Quite > > citrusy with orange & grapefruit. > > ah yes that was it, sparrow gin. thank you so > much! Now available at The Bishop.

Not a pub but I can recommend Meson Don Felipe - http://www.mesondonfelipe.com/