Berit & Chris's weblog

Off to a flying start...

So, with Christmas over, we once again turned to the house, and have finally had the Lectros Osmotic damp proof course installed and, this weekend, Chris successfully tidied up the wall/ arch between the dining room and the kitchen. Once the building inspector has approved the double doorway into the living room, we can start work on the walls, doorways and finally floors - living with bare concrete floors is not an experience, we can recommend to anyone!

On the wedding front, things are moving as well. Not only have we got a date for the end of September, but we have also booked the beautiful church of St Willow in Lanteglos for the ceremony and Merryfield for the reception. But the task is immense, and the details so many - that project management course at work might just come in handy!

Explosive Dresser

After negotiating a favourable price for the dresser, we brought it home on the roof of the mini only to discover some interesting print on the back of it (see picture). Apparently, the dresser was constructed almost entirely out of old explosives boxes from the Glaswegian Nobel’s Explosives Company.

Only after researching this on the net, did it become clear to us that Alfred Nobel, Swedish founder of the Nobel Peace Price and inventor of dynamite, founded this company in 1873. Nobel himself had visited Scotland some years prior searching for sites appropriate for the manufacture of explosives. In the end, he set up his company at Andeer sandhills, south of Stevenson. In his will, Nobel assigned a considerable fortune to fund the Nobel prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature and Peace. The income from the Nobel Foundation was to be distributed to those who has most helped mankind. The Nobel prizes were first awarded in 1901. Therefore, should we ever be short of cash, we'll flog the dresser in Sweden! Please follow these links, for more info on Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) and industrial accidents (some of which relate to the Nobel's Explosives Company) in 19th century Scotland.

The great escape!

Having completed a number of small jobs, such as installing a shower and out-door lighting, Chris yesterday began the more demanding job of fitting loft insulation. We were surprised to find a staggering lack of insulation throughout the house, and, with temperatures dropping below freezing, have become aware of just how much heat seems to be escaping through the roof. Being Danish, this was a particularly terrifying discovery, as Scandinavians are notoriously obsessed with insulation, triple-glazing and renewable energy sources. So much so, that the average Scandinavian cow shed has better insulation and lower energy requirements that the average UK house (according to one report from the British Fenestration Rating Council)

"New British houses retain the heat less effectively than Scandinavian houses built before the Second World War" More...

"In a typical British home, around one-third of the heat produced by a central heating system is rapidly lost through the roof, ceiling and walls. This does not have to happen: simple insulation measures can eliminate this loss almost completely. Insulation and draught stripping can help to keep more heat in your house without the need to spend more money on fuel. UK homes can cost up to four times as much to heat as Scandinavian homes" More...