Barcelona 2010
To visit Park Guell and see the home and creative brilliance of Antonio Gaudi is a special treat.
Gaudi created Park Guell for the citizens of Barcelona. It has gardens and homes and a view of the city and the Plaza.
The plaza is a meeting place for the people of the city and the brightly coloured mosaic seating around the man made plaza had a secondary purpose.
The dry Mediterranean weather usually meant excess water used on something as soothing as a fountain for the citizens and visitors to the city was a waste of water.
That didn’t phase Gaudi.
The water catchment created by the plaza was a brilliant idea to collect any rainwater that fell and through an underground filter and the storage system the rainwater was then piped to the mouth of a Mosaic dragon lying in a garden with a fish and lily pond at the bottom of the beautiful staircase.
The ergonomic design of the seating around the plaza beautifully decorated in mosaics was incredibly comfortable to sit back and relax, talking with friends and family.
Gaudi’s design allowed any water from those brief showers to fall to the back of the seating and then get channelled off quickly into a gutter on the outside of the seating and then dispersed to the dry garden areas below through a series of “spitters” hand carved in stone.
Absolutely Beautiful
This is a common problem. Just like us, your dog can get very stressed about having work done in his home. Any behaviour associated with this stress can be a safety risk for not only your dog but also the tradies. As far as your dog is concerned, the tradies are strangers who have come into their home and have started changing things! In addition to this stress there is also the risk of your dog escaping from the yard, the loud noises of building can also cause significant fear and stress, not to mention the potential for injury, or being exposed to toxins. Unlike the tradesman, there are no protective masks or clothing for your dog.
The best way to get your pooch into daycare is to make contact, check their specific requirements and availability. It is the norm for your daycare to ask for a copy of your dog’s current vaccination certificate, your contact details and the details of your vet. Your dog should be desexed (assuming they are old enough) and they should be friendly and socialise well with other dogs, a responsibly daycare will also provide stringent supervision on those first few days to make sure everyone is getting along. Then you can rest easy that your dog is playing and having a great time at daycare instead of stressing out and getting underfoot of your tradesmen!
This Information was supplied by the Friendly Team at Paddington Pups, Doggy Day Care Centre, Dog Grooming and Dog Supplies Brisbane.
All plumbers know that apart from looking after our hands, our feet are equally as important. No feet, no action!
I was busy speaking to the smart Real estate property managers of Bondi Beach about the benefits of having a great plumbing team like The Lone Drainer and Pronto, look after their emergency plumbing repairs and the benefits of using Vaporooter sewer root control.
As I walked down Gould street I came across The Running Company Bondi. The owner Chris Chapman had a smile as big as Bondi and it was only minutes before he had me on his walking treadmill, filming my walking/running gait with some simple, but powerful video tools.
Buying shoes from someone who actually knows about running shoes makes a huge difference. Chris’ advice was so professional and made so much sense. Chris had me on his treadmill in each different shoe I tried on, to check how my feet were landing with his video equipment. Buying running shoes from a runner and shoe expert makes a lot of sense and since suffering a bad lower leg injury about 14 years ago I’ve suffered with knee and hip pain whenever I run. So when Chris showed me the running analysis he uses I realized why.
As with advice on emergency plumbing repairs, if you’re wearing the wrong pair of trainers you could be setting yourself up for all sorts of problems in a few weeks, months or years from now. It seems most sales people at the big chain stores just don’t know this stuff, which is why it’s important to get checked now before you get injured. If you suffer from any sort of knee pain or shin splints when you run, or want to prevent future problems I highly recommend you spare an hour of your time and come along to meet Chris at The Running Company Bondi.
The importance of getting the right advice about plumbing repairs or your trainers is self evident. Oh, I made a decision about my new runners pretty quickly.
The drainoscopy camera survey makes it easier for our clients to also make an accurate decision!
In previous blog posts on urinals and toilets, I showed you a field goal in a urinal to reduce spillage as well as the infamous fly in the urinal at Schiphol Airport. So once again, courtesy of Exponential Growth Strategist (http://www.ExponentialPrograms.com) Dr Marc Dussault (http://www.MarcDussault.com) here is another photo, this time of an unknown location in Amsterdam. This is just another example how we can all take life a little less seriously and enjoy ourselves a little more.
The next time you come across an interesting bathroom or other plumbing related installation, please take a picture and forward it to me – this blog is a collaborative effort from people travelling all over the world to bring you a mosaic of photos, articles and facts that are curious, intriguing and fun.
Winter starts tomorrow and if gas is your preferred method of heating then read on… Natural gas is a great resource to have in any home for ovens, cooktops and hot water heating. However leaks in a high pressure gas line can be extremely dangerous especially if they go unnoticed or are allowed to continue unchecked. The massive explosion in Bondi Junction last year is an example of how horrible a gas blast can be.
If you live in a building with multiple gas meters, it is really important to know where your gas meter is and how to turn your gas meter off. Make sure all the gas meters in your building are labelled or numbered clearly, so that in the event of an emergency, you can turn your gas off safely.
Which gas meter is mine?
Here are some pointers to detect gas leaks early so that appropriate measures can be taken to avoid major damage.
If you suspect a gas leak, mix some bubbles, detergent with water, and cover the suspect area. If bubbles expand, you have found the leak.
Don’t ignore a gas leak. Gas can be dangerous! Not to mention your bills will be increased
Disconnect your plug in gas heater in summer.
When reconnecting the heater in winter, the bayonet is difficult to plug in, it is probably dusty. Dust and lubricate the connection, then try again.
Don’t mess around with gas. If you are not sure don’t touch!
Today pleasure was to meet Dr “Elliot”… This man is incredibly organised.
We were called to his home to run our drain cleaning equipment, the world famous “Rattlesnake” high pressure water drain cleaner, through his house drains downstream to the sewer boundary trap at the rear of his property, adjacent to the swimming pool.
He has had blocked drains in the past and declared he didn’t want the inconvenience of a blocked sewer pipe during the upcoming holidays when his extended family would be visiting and his old sewer line would be put under pressure.
The thought of having his beautifully manicured garden dug up or even disturbed, inspired this house proud professional to maintain one of his homes main arteries.
He compared our house visit to check his drains, just like a patient having a health check with their Doctor, especially as we get a little older. Pipes and people!
Dr Elliott knew where all the access points to his sewer were located, how to test his sewer and all the symptoms of a blocked drain. It was a pleasure to work with such a professional
An ounce of prevention will keep your drains running. Oh, and if pain persists………… see your Doctor
It’s Saturday night in the city and we received an emergency call from a long term client, HELP we have a tap over the kitchen sink that is leaking lots of water and flooding our kitchen.
Now on a Saturday night, this sounds like a job for “The Lone Drainer and Pronto“!
We were at the house within 30 minutes!
The kitchen sink mixer tap had exploded, gushing water everywhere, and our clients who were having a peaceful dinner, could not turn the water off!
The 2 valves controlling hot and cold water supply to the kitchen sink flickmixer style tap, and the Water meter at the front of the property could not be turned off.
Both the taps had siezed and the water just kept running out all over the kitchen!
Todays post is courtesy of Joe from Woollahra Sydney
Joe had constant problems with the trees around his Sydney home, and tree roots growing in his sewer pipes, blocking them repeatedly. He would need drain cleaning several times a year to cut the tree roots, as the London Plane trees around his home tightened their vice like grip on his sewer pipes and drains. When this happened, the sewer would overflow in his home and on some occasions the raw sewage would come up in his kitchen sink!
Joe found a way to deal with the tree roots in his sewer pipes, to stop them re-growing and blocking his sewer line.
Now, Joe and his wife Elizabeth, both teachers, travelled to south-east asia to help those less fortunate and during their travels over summer visited Cambodia and in particular the ancient city of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century.
Joe at Angkor Wat Beware of tree roots!
Joe was astonished by the power of these tree roots and how they could almost consume these ancient buildings. He couldn’t wait to share this and other images with us.
Joe says “Don’t let tree roots take over your drains and sewer pipes”!
A friend and colleague, Dr Marc Dussault (http://www.MarcDussault.com), recently visited San Francisco and came across a great little bookstore… Little did he know it was Chronicle Books the publisher of the great little bestsellers “What’s Your Poo Telling You?” and “What’s My Pee Telling Me?”… I guess this is another example of how small the world really is. These books are as funny as they are informative. If you’d like a copy, I’ve pre-purchased some inventory just for you. Give us a call and we’ll get them shipped to you… Pronto!
Marc chatted with the sales rep in the store and even brought up our website to show him who was selling the books in Australia!
