pumpkinstrokemarrow

But an interesting factoid for any DIY person who might be thinking of laying some kerb stones. I noticed today that when the granite kerb stones were laid around here a long time ago, well before you had the sort of stone saws you have now, the form was to bed the stone in concrete with about half an inch between them, making room for a mortar joint. Most of these joints seems to have fallen out now. But if you are laying sawn granite stones - which seems to be the sort of kerb stone in vogue at the moment- or if you are using common or garden concrete ones, you bed them in concrete in the same way, but but them up to each other with no mortar joint between them. Large wooden mallet - something I think used to be called a beetle - needed to tap one stone onto its predecessor. That apart, I would have thought that sawn granite was a lot dearer than concrete and not any prettier. So why are they doing it? Should I complain about the waste to our local council? Do I complain to Epsom and Ewell Borough Council, Surrey County Council, the Highways Authority or the Department of Transport Consumer Council - assuming that both department and council have survived the vicissitudes of the reorganisations of the last few years.

Along the way I found out that the Cheam baker had been mass producing small carrots, presumably with sugar. Maybe an inch and a half long. BH tells me that this is normal for carrot cake, but I have never seen a carrotted carrot cake. Usually just to much goo and icing on an otherwise useful cake which stands in the cafe well. Must look out.

Got back to browse the DT. Irritated by an advertisement which told me I could have a great heap of Beatrix Potter worth £200 for £20. Being in a pedantic mood, I thought that this was rubbish. If they were worth £200, no-one is going to sell them to me for £20. Even with the minor catch that I have to sign up with the Folio people to the extent of two books further. Why do advertisers have to bombard us with this rubbish? Have they no manners?

Years ago I was less pedantic and actually signed up with these people. I think the special offer was a whole lot of Oxford History of England for next to nothing. Good buy despite their being some kind of low grade reprint, maybe involving photography. The catch was that one was hard pressed to find two other books from the catalogue that one wanted. Plus, to my mind, the Folio peoples' own books are a very mixed bag and some of them poor, as pieces of book production that is. Pretentious but poor.