Western Union Ad

There are some very funny ads out there that really make me laugh. This Western Union one came out last Christmas.

Selective Attention Test

Scientists have gathered some remarkable evidence which shows that it is possible to see something without observing it, in research that sheds new light on traffic accidents that occur when a driver "looked but failed to see", and other examples of mayhem and mishap in everyday life. The astonishing lack of attention we pay to our surroundings has been highlighted by research conducted by Dr Daniel Simons of the University of Illinois and Dr Daniel Levin of Vanderbilt University. And here is one of their Selective Attention Test: If you cannot see it click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo&feature=player_embedded

Back of House is Removed

Okay. Where did we leave off? Yes, the back extension demolition has begun. The plan is to knock out the entire wall between the two rooms to make one large kitchen and dining room (and music room). The back of the existing extension will be rebuilt in old yellow London stock brick to match the above (which is actually to building standards. You aren't allowed to build in new brick although some dodgy builders do.) Now the entire wall is removed between the two rooms minus the supporting post in the middle. The roof on the rebuilt extension will then slant up instead of being a flat roof. In it will be 3 velux windows (sky lights). The back door will be replaced with French doors and the window with a unit of 3 sash windows. The drawings above were what I sent to the window makers. The big dilemma is whether to make the windows out of plastic (easy to maintain and cheaper) or wood (beautiful, original looking and expensive, but can warp and need repainting). All the windows desperately need replacing in the house. They are of the 60's slat variety that when fully closed a breeze can still be felt. We were so frozen this last winter that we decided they were also a priority. We have opted for plastic windows but with an original sash design in the back of the house. It will be cheaper, but the fact that the sun faces the back of the house means that peeling paint and warped wooden doors is more inevitable. In the front, the design on the street is very ornate and it is shadier, we may get nice wooden ones in keeping with the look. Now the roof and back wall is gone. All this is done in a day by two New Zealand guys. The company that we have hired to do the extension is excellent (Scott McCabe and Associated). They come with a 14 year reputation for being meticulous about building regulations and building a structure safely and well (with a 10 year guarantee). You really do want reputable builders when your house is attached to two others on either side. For instance, this steel which runs across the back of the house was put in when the existing extension was build 20 years ago. If that back wall slips so do the neighbour's walls and their plaster cracks inside. The most nightmarish situation would be to have it fall and probably several houses on either side will also be effected if not condemned. Replacing this will be a box steel which is a square frame that will run across the top, down both side walls and under the floors. This will hold up the back of the house and allow the added weight of a future loft. The footings are exposed for the inspector to come and see (red bricks). The builders tell us they look pretty good and fingers crossed that they will pass inspection. The "brickie" as they call the brick layers here, has his supplies all stacked up. The breeze block bricks (large grey) build the inner wall, then a space for insulation and air, and then the old London stock (far right). The red bricks are structural and I am not sure where they are going. The old wall was just cut in half with a diamond cutter. Now we know why the last owner covered the whole thing in pebble dash. It was only breeze block underneath, not a nice brick to have exposed. So here we are. What next? Our brickie, Andy, is hard at work now. He is taking out the remainder of the wall down to the footings so that what is built up is all nice new brick. It was Andy's birthday the day I took this picture of him. Maybe that is a birthday cigarette hanging out of his mouth! Ha ha! He is a very nice guy. A better view of what he is chipping away.

Lower Back Extension Begins

Okay, so now that the top of the house looks stunning, the bottom needs some work. This is going to be a much bigger job. Currently inside the downstairs is divided into the dining room... ...and a very dated kitchen that came with no appliances. What little we had in a kitchen was moved into our front hallway as a makeshift kitchen. Nigel said we should only make simple meals while we are living this way. I agreed. What I didn't realise was that "simple meals" meant something very different to both of us. To me it meant any fancy meal that was a one-pot-meal since we were now going to have to wash up in the bathroom. (Okay, Nigel was going to have to wash up.) Nigel's idea of a simple meal is pasta and sauce. What? Every night?! That's two pots! And now the work begins. The electricians and plumbers came in to cut off the supplies to this section of the house. The wall is already being knocked down between the kitchen and dining room as you can see to the left of where Nigel is standing. More tomorrow...

Pebble Dash Removal

This is the upper half of the back of our house as it was a few weeks ago. The pebbledash is covering everything. Not many builders want to attempt to remove it with the soft yellow brick underneath. At this point the specialists Nigel has found have scraped off the pebbledash, have begun to sand down the surfaces, have replaced broken or damaged bricks, and have scraped out the pointing between the bricks. A closer view. You can also see they have two patches where they given us an option of two types of pointing finish. The one on the left is a ribbon pointing which sticks out farther than the brick and considered very fancy. The one on the right is a flush finish and cheaper. We'll take the one on the right, please! The pointing has to be replaced about every 10 years. And now you can see the finished wall. It is beautiful. Next we will have the windows replaced tomorrow and the rendering put back around the windows, and painted white. What a difference! You can see the bricks are still rough about 4 bricks below the larger window. The new extension's roof will slant up to that point. Now our house looks like the spanking nice house compared to the neighbours!

Other Art in Poznan, Poland

There was another major exhibition on at the same time while I was in Poznan. It was held in the old slaughterhouse that stretched through several buildings over a huge lot. When I entered the building above with the cattle stalls the art pieces suddenly addressed their surroundings. This was one of my favourite pieces. In one of the cattle pens a small green pasture with a picket fence was erected. Instead of cattle you had "happy meat". The building itself was a work of art in other places. There were first aid people everywhere. In a room with white tile walls hung contemporary paintings. The open stage was also another major attraction. These two brothers were first up and were absolutely rocking on their accordions. Just a sample!

Exhibition: Poznan, Poland

This last weekend I was in Poznan, Poland, for a group art exhibition that hangs for the next month. The exhibition submissions asked artists to respond to the theme of "the pursuit of happiness". I arrive in Poznan by plane and take a bus and tram to get to the city centre. It takes me a moment to figure out which tram to get when I don't read Polish and trams are heading off in 4 different directions. After asking several people I finally make it to the old city square where the gallery is. The square is amazing and wraps around several cultural buildings in the very centre of it. One of these buildings is the Arsenal Gallery, pictured above, the largest contemporary gallery in Poznan. The opening is the night I arrive and the crowds start to gather outside for the formal speeches to open the month long exhibition. The guy on the treadmill is part of one of the pieces. This is my piece above. It is a large map of the world which is colour coded to match the key on the blue wall. It is a "map of happiness" according to studies of different countries and ranks countries from most happy to least happy. Upstairs in the gallery holds more work. Including sculpture and film. This one is a crowd favourite. A large interactive chocolate fountain (think "happiness")! Another one has 6 pumps and takes half an hour to inflate to view the art work. This is a great one. A strip tease in reverse. All you can see is are the clothes. The more that is taken off the less one sees! I spend the day after the opening wandering the streets of Poznan. I find a very crowded street and follow all the people. It turns out they were heading for a shopping district. The large cathedral on the right is the most detailed and opulent cathedral I have ever seen from the inside. The Calvary made a turn down the street I am on.