Nigel Bridgman-Elliot

I do like how up here you can find bus shelters with comfy chairs in. I'm really not a fan of seating designed so its uncomfortable to sit on ! I like the idea of using old boats for shelters, but they need to have the shelter designed so the wind doesn't catch it, like the old fashioned ones where the boat is on the roof, on a pile of stones, that strikes me as a far more wind resistant design. So far the designs I've seen have been very artistic, and not very practical.

Another solution to getting pets here, though not cheap, unless you can get a dozen or so folk at once to share the cost of the flight: https://www.privatefly.com/private-flights/flying-with-pets.html

> might have stimulated a bit of intelligent debate or discussion. Instead, they've all descended > into the now-familiar cynical/negative/anti council/government/Lerwick/authority rabble I think its pretty common for just about every conversation online to descent into 'now-familar' land, I suggest the trick is just ignore any comments you don't like, and continue the intelligent debate / discussion among the noise, is what I do ! If we had threaded chat here, it would be easier to do that.

I reckon it would be good if we could fire up our own satellites without paying other countries to do it for us. After all, we did pretty well when we had Bluestreak.. Perhaps a time for our own silicon valley.. http://www.spaceuk.org/bstreak/bstreak.htm

> the cost of land with services One solution is instead of spending money connecting to services, is to provide your own. (I'd like to be off grid producing my own electricity for example.) I'd be interested if anyone happens to know the cost of your own sewage systems.

> It is cheaper to buy in an awful lot of places. But they are generally awful places ! And still not neccesarily that cheap..

> where are these houses with land for less than £15,000? You see them around advertised in estate agents, postcodes in shops, once saw one advertised I think in the classified advert section on this site ! If you check sold house prices, you can see some examples where I am: http://https://www.rightmove.co.uk/house-prices/Unst.html > Cameron Cottage, Unst, Shetland, Oaz ZE2 9DW > £10,000 Residential 14 Dec 2017 > Da Kug, Uyeasound, Shetland, Oaz ZE2 9DW > £12,000 Residential 15 Sep 2016 > Keldabrun, Baltasound, Unst, Shetland, Oaz ZE2 9DS > £10,500 Residential 16 Jun 2014

http://https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-563994/What-housing-crisis-Argos-launches-flatpack-log-cabin--just-13-099.html > Those unable to stretch to the "deluxe" underfloor heating and Canmore Oak laminate flooring at £13,099.99 > can pick up a bog-standard Helsinki for £10,999.99.

It helps to anchor sheds down so the wind doesn't lift them up (By anchor I mean several tons of concrete per corner post!), most shed roof designs I've seen are also not very well anchored to the rest of the shed either. I quite like the wrap around steel roof's I've seen up here, very wind resistant. You can easily get several tons of force applied to the side of a shed (I think I reckoned the last one I designed and built could handle 4 tons of pressure, but I only do such things for myself these days, otherwise I don't get enough time to do the things I want to work on.), as such, as strong as you can afford to make it would be my suggestion. What is the gable end of your house made out of ? I'd suggest no windows (Glass is only rated to something like 120mph winds, and windows also get broken by flying debri.), and no sticking out bits of roofline. Nor any gap under the shed that wind could get under and help lift said shed upwards. (I went for solid brick floors in mine.) I might suggest a sliding door of some type, as hinge doors can easily break off if you happen to be opening it during a windy moment. (Last shed design I did I went for a stable door approach, 4ft wide, 8ft tall, so you could more easily move items into and out of the shed, but up here, I'd be more inclined towards sliding doors of some description.) Example of kind of roof I'm talking about is this near Ollaberry, on the right, not the left.

Did we complain as much when they decided that Sutherland was the most optimal UK location to host the UK's first spaceport..

> they don't like to notice the others I saw the others, I thought they was rather prone to catching the wind ! One aspect often not thought of I notice when claiming free money for projects is future maintenance issues, eg. you want something robust that isn't going to bleed you dry later on when you need to keep it functional. I think my favourite is the public toilet looking one referred to by ghostrider, it has a seat, allows you a view with the lower front section, some wind shielding, and has a modern art swirlly look about it to please the creative types.. No roof though.. But then as someone said, do we want to encourage folk to take shelter !

> Making sure people have a say in the type of culture that’s available in their communities. Couldn't that be at odds with: > Promoting different types of culture. What if people want to say that they don't want a particular culture in their community ? Which sort of brings me to: > Creative industries Would that include car companies..? Or would that create a culture of car racing circuits that might not be welcomed on our quiet country roads..

Should be cheap enough to put something up made of say, oh I don't know, something a bit wind resistant, like stone.. We have lots of stone, its about £35 a ton isn't it ? Or folk could just donate a rock or two when they pass. These seem more suitable to me, or perhaps a combination of designs, as you want something with a roof for when its raining cat & dogs.. But not the kind of roof that blows away in high winds.. http://www.drystonedesigns.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/argyll-1.jpg

Talking of fishing, I stumbled across this old TV programme 'TV Eye' earlier from 1981: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHhrJg6y7ZA > Europe - Fishing Industry - EEC - Common Market - 1981

The cheapest log cabin kit you can get I notice is £12,000 from Argos ! I've seen houses with land go for less than £15,000.. Yes, some plots are expensive, but they are in expensive areas. There are quite a lot of different low cost building solutions, I'm quite a fan of earth sheltering myself, and concrete. Related links: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/property/725438/grand-designs-house-UK-Kevin-McCloud-live-cheapest-TV-series > Grand Designs' CHEAPEST UK family home: Couple build house for JUST £27,000 https://offgridworld.com/typhoon-proof-dome-homes-for-less-than-7000/ After all, I live in a concrete home myself. Not dome shaped though..

> Scottish Ministers could impose workplace parking charges of nearly £400 per year to discourage commuting by car. So, how much does it cost us to park our bicycles then..

Has anyone tried growing bamboo here ?

Someone was telling me that the kennels on the ferry are pretty big, so perhaps if someone could check on their sizes/take pictures, you dog might fit. Said someone was also telling me, you can book a floor kennel, rather than having to lift your dog up to the higher up ones. Someone else was also telling me about such kennels being a potential source of kennel cough, so you might want to be sure your dog has had all of its shots/etc. before letting it share such surroundings. Related link: http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-diseases-conditions-a-z/kennel-cough-signs-and-symptoms > Kennel Cough: Signs and Symptoms

Perhaps we could make them out of recycled glass, as don't we have a lot of that sitting around. Maybe they could start making glass Lego like bricks and we could build all manner of things.. Related link: https://electrek.co/2018/07/13/elon-musk-boring-company-bricks-dirt-tunnels/ > Elon Musk’s Boring Company unveils bricks being produced from dirt dug in its tunnels > suggested that the company could sell them for just 10 cents in order to get rid of the dirt. I think they are being sold for $1 a piece last time I heard. Then maybe we could do the same when we start building our tunnels . . .

You could always cycle to drop off glass to be recycled. That's what I'm planning to do, once I can cycle far enough.. I might meet folk doing the same thing ! Brackets are £15 I see.

How difficult is it to get planning permission to build homes here ? I notice that the crofting laws have a say on how big your garden can be (Max 1/4 acre plot, or 1/2 acre if you can prove farming related..), but I also hear that only so much of the land comes under crofting regulations, how do you find out which parts are and which parts aren't easily ? As I'd like to grow my own food/etc. I'd want several acres..

Thinking about this more, it could also do with a manual foot operated treadle like mechanism to open the bin lid, as your hands will be full with rubbish..

I rather like that, I wonder where the cheapest place here to get one of those latches would be ? I think they are around £8 on Ebay. Now we just need something to hold the lid down well at the front, and keep the bottom of the bin in place. It's sounding like it will have to be something more like one of these to solve that issue: http://www.woodstores.co.uk/images/binstore.jpg Though I reckon they have the doors on the wrong side ! As the handles are going to not be at the front otherwise. And probably sliding doors, or the wind will take them off !

> could power all of shetland with some upgrades and an upgrade to the local grid That would get my vote ! It would be cheaper to run than an oil powered station wouldn't it ? (Though, wasn't part of the reason for the new oil power station was so it didn't have to run on expensive oil from Norway, but could use cheaper local stuff ?)

> autoglass come to your door in shetland just the same as anywhere else They didn't for us on Unst ! Reason given was its too windy. (Which is fair in my view.)