The last time I heard the words "Building Control" was 15 years ago, in Edinburgh. I don't think the idea has meandered this far north yet!

Apparently, Snorri Mansions didn't have running water or mains electricity until 1973. There was no TV anywhere up here until the mid-60s!

I used to come here on holiday in the early 60s: I went to bed with an oil-lamp because there was no electric light!

Go round the Orkney employers, you may well find that most of them think Victoria is still on the throne! Their offices may have computers, but their heads are still in the stone age. The prevailing attitude is that all men drive tractors, and all women push prams. This, we think, is "traditional" (at least, that's the excuse).

Snorri
(born Edinburgh)

Wow you brought back lovely memories then Snorri....Oil lamps, that's what we had in my Gran's Farmhouse....thanks you for that memory

Snorri you do make me laugh but I have to say, I think it is the same throughout all houses in Orkney, I've got relatives up there and if they're not repairing some of the nightmare DIY bodges, they're the ones who are creating them in the first place. LOL

Heidi

I forgot to mention THIS fine example of an O.B.J. - the walls of our kitchen/diner and front room are all pine-panelled, and they look great, which is enhanced by the neatness of the carpet-laying.

Except, of course, that it's not. Not carpet-laying, that is. The previous owner's brother built the walls on top of the carpet.

What an eejit.

Snorri

Let's face it though Snorri, they did only introduce round-abouts to Orkney about a decade or so ago and my Gran-in-law sent me a copy of the Orcadian to prove there were diagrams in it showing people how to use them properly.

Heidi

All I can say Snorri is that here in the wild east they tend to do this in every house

What really gets me is that when you eventually find some tradesman to do a job we have to plead with them to do it sometime in the next decade, we have to buy the materials, we have to lend them the tools needed, and we have to put up with them leaving their empty beer bottles everywhere

Can't have been very good diagrams, hun, because they still don't know how to use them properly! They take the simple route - straight over the top!

Snorri

Sounds just like home, to me!

Snorri

A few years back, our flat roof started to leak, where it joins the main building, so we got a local guy to come and look. He seemed OK, and the price was right, so we hired him. 364 days later, he turned up to start. It's leaking again, now........

Snorri

Just think how boring it would be living in a normal house