The man from the Clapham Omnibus

I have always been interested in the outdoors and love the countryside . I also get bored easily without having an aim or purpose to my activities - be it to get to a specific point or to get photographs for instance . I have also been keen on shooting and guns from when I was a child - this was considered quite normal then ! I believe that the countryside is important and should be preserved and if possible improved for the benefit of both wildlife and future generations . I know that hunters in Britain have been at the forefront of protecting and enhancing the outside environment to maintain a good habitat for wildlife to flourish in - unlike some farming practices which are about profit from the land .However thankfully many farmers are hunters too or see a profit in conserving wildlife and the land for hunting to the benefit of all. As a London born city boy I have no personal experience of hunting so I decided that now I am in Washington State USA I would learn more so I booked o...

I got started finally . First I located and marked my property corners . These are special metal pins placed by a surveyor and legally define your corners ! Once you find one the others are best found by taking the dimensions from the lot plan and measuring them out physically ! I also contacted the Utilities Underground Location Center as is required by law Second I marked the setbacks on the boundarys showing where the building will sit . Then a big problem - the building 's position is right where the trees were ! Therefore thirdly I had to get out my chainsaw and strimmer - or weed whacker as they call them here and clear the site ! Three days of hard work later - god willing - I had the area clear and had marked the building position and the area for excavation for the full basement I had planned . It was good to see the deer taking an interest - Pictures here . I got J.T. Madsen who is a big man with an even bigger digger who clearly enjoys his work . Despite the hard...

I am all for sustainability but I am a tad annoyed by having my building permit delayed because I did not give calculations for the size of the rain garden I am having to build on my property . For those of you who are unfamiliar with rain gardens they are a sort of above ground soak-away and garden feature . They are meant to ensure that under all but the most extreme rainfall conditions that the rain that falls on the roof and other impermeable built structures is directed into the soil where it would have gone if the home had not been there . I am aware that in cities such as London where properties are very close together there is a problem with too much water flowing into old Victorian drains due to so many gardens being made impervious largely for car parking . This does not seem to be an apparent problem in Coupeville ! However I am new in town and a foreigner to boot so what do I know . I just intend to be a model citizen so am happy to go along with the requirements that are ...

The Hinchliffe family had a problem with security on boarding the second leg of our trip to Seattle . Calgary security thought it was possible we were terrorists trying to take on board a quantity of liquid explosives cunningly disguised as Channel No 5 ! - or did they ? I wrote them this letter - I await their answer with little hope of justice ! 15 Aug 2010. Without Prejudice Dear sir , I am writing to you as I am in the process of making an insurance claim relating to two bottles of Chanel no5 that were taken from me by your officers . My family and I were travelling from London Heathrow to Seattle Washington with Air Canada . After clearing security at Heathrow my daughter Emma ( 20 ) purchased two small ( less than 200 ml ) bottles of Chanel No5 at a duty free shop in the airport and gave them to me for safety . Nine hours later we landed at Calgary on flight AC 851 . The local time was 13:15 on Sunday the Eighth of August . We swiftly cleared Canadian immigration and cust...

I helped David Kelleher with his " Traps " or what we call crab pots in England . Here is what I learned - a photo guide to " crabbing ".A good location is important - local knowledge is a great help . Wear the right clothes for the conditions . Crabbing is messy and it can be cold out on the water . Take your time and enjoy your surroundings ! Bring along plenty of good bait - in this case salmon waste purchased from a local fish market . Go out to your traps and carefully pull them in hand over hand being carefull to keep the rope tidy and your standing area uncluttered . . In this case the traps were on about 100' of line at about 60' depth max . Bring the trap into the boat in one smooth movement taking care with your balance and footing . Next sort out the "leagal" crabs from the rest carefully returning the others . In Washington you are only allowed to take 5 crabs per person per day during the crabbing season though one " crabber ...

I have been travelling and living in the USA on and off for more than 5 years and I am still constantly finding things that are similar but different . The first thing is that the USA is a union of separate states who all have their own way of doing things . I am principally in Washington State which is on the far West Coast at about the same latitude as France . Part one - Driving and Cars ! Americans drive on the Right side of the road . They use stop signs not give way signs - and you must stop . These may be on one two occasionally three or more often all four roads at a junction . In England there are give way signs on the more minor roads and main roads have priority . You can drive straight on if the road is clear without stopping . In the USA this is called a " California Stop and is illegal . Roundabouts are rare - universally hated and called " turnabouts . Driving tests are much cheaper and generally easier and you can take the " theory test " which ...

I think I am a pretty fair landlord . I want my tenants to be happy and to feel at home when they rent from me . It has always been my belief that if you treat people right they will treat you well also . The golden rule - do as you would be done by even ! In the main this generally works out but not always . Some people take generosity as a sign of weakness and push for more . Others take it as their due and give nothing back to the world . I for one would rather be generous and therefore feel good about the world and myself . I would rather be taken for a mug occasionally than be cynical and treat everyone with disrespect ! I try to do any repairs swiftly and fully or pay for someone else to do them . If a tenant repairs something down to me I generally take that into account and reduce the rent accordingly . If someone wants to spend money on one of my properties to make it better I generally come to some sort of agreement where either we share the cost or one pays and the other doe...