Dunno what it's like in the UK now but all new homes built over here have very high insulation regulations and there are subsidies for home improvements that lead to reduced energy consumption in older homes.
I have a gas hob on both cookers because, when we moved to Belgium, the area we were first in had lots of "brown outs" so the all electric oven and ceramic hob didn't work. Somehow a 2 burner camping Gaz stove didn't cut it. When we bought our own home out in the sticks there was a power cut every time there was a storm so we bought an oven with a gas hob and used bottled gas as there was no mains connection. This improved when they upgraded the local substation against lightening strikes.
Now I'm used to gas, we did the same with this new kitchen cos, even tho we now generate our own leccy with PVs and a heat exchange pump, if there's a general power cut we have no leccy...........and that means no CH either. Log burners do fine for keeping us warm tho.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
well, I'm glad to see this useless shower in Westminster care sooooooooooo much about the environment, next month they're scrapping feed in tariffs to householders who sent electricity back to the grid via their solar panels. Householders buy the panels, the electricity is generated and the Tories think it's best for them to donate their unused electricity back to the grid so the Electricity suppliers can then sell it, all profit for them , and none for the householder whose money generated the power in the first place.
It's the same in Belgium Hosta but there were subsidies for the installation. I think those stopped because they ran out of funds after "too many" people took advantage.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Anti-inflammatories aren't banned in the UK (at least not yet). I've been on Naproxen for the last month or so with a dodgy shoulder (calcific tendinitis - v. painful but resolves itself eventually). GP has put them on repeat prescription for me but I'm going to cut the dose down over the next couple of weeks and see how it goes. Low-ish dose ibuprofen can still be bought in supermarkets etc for pennies (only a couple of small packs at a time though).
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I was prescribed ibuprofen but taken off them when another GP, when I had another appointment, realised I hadn't also been prescribed another med which is taken at the same time to prevent damage to the stomach and gut lining! Now I'm only taking paracetomol but the benefit I get from that is lasting shorter and shorter times.
I'm going to have to go back to discuss getting something stronger - if I can get an appointment at all.
It is my understanding that most over the counter pain killers are only truly effective for a very short time 3-4 days at most. After that you may as well take smarties! There has been a couple of series on TV where a GP has been weaning people off long term pain killers and using various alternatives from Yoga to sports massage to help alleviate pains. I accept this will not work in all cases but this GP found one guy that was taking so much he should have been dead or was certainly at great risk of severe liver damage. Using Massage, something akin to the Alexander technique to correct his posture and some mindfulness therapy he was able to wean him off the most of the drugs within a few months and he was working towards being drug free within a year.
The trouble is, that kind of treatment requires a GP to spend more than 3 minutes talking to the patient and the resources to prescribe and deliver yoga/massage/cold water swimming/acupuncture and all the other treatments possible. I don't think they get the training or have the resources.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Posts
I have a gas hob on both cookers because, when we moved to Belgium, the area we were first in had lots of "brown outs" so the all electric oven and ceramic hob didn't work. Somehow a 2 burner camping Gaz stove didn't cut it. When we bought our own home out in the sticks there was a power cut every time there was a storm so we bought an oven with a gas hob and used bottled gas as there was no mains connection. This improved when they upgraded the local substation against lightening strikes.
Now I'm used to gas, we did the same with this new kitchen cos, even tho we now generate our own leccy with PVs and a heat exchange pump, if there's a general power cut we have no leccy...........and that means no CH either. Log burners do fine for keeping us warm tho.
Householders buy the panels, the electricity is generated and the Tories think it's best for them to donate their unused electricity back to the grid so the Electricity suppliers can then sell it, all profit for them , and none for the householder whose money generated the power in the first place.