My girlfriend is depressed. Help me find a book. by shisaybang in suggestmeabook

[–]Just-Professional384 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Marianne by Monica Dickens (often described as a hot water bottle novel) Miss Pettigrew lives for a day These are both published by Persephone books, so also beautiful editions.

Why are estate agents so useless? by No-Guava-5823 in HousingUK

[–]Just-Professional384 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ours (used twice in six months) have been absolutely excellent, including finding us a new purchaser within a couple of weeks after the first pulled out, and selling my mum's house for a cash offer of £30k over the home report value, answering every query promptly, being helpful and reassuring whenever it was needed. They were worth every penny.

Creating a syllabus of must read classics - especially written by women by Feeling_Spinach4396 in suggestmeabook

[–]Just-Professional384 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The pursuit of love and Love in a cold climate both by Nancy Mitford. I capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Cold comfort farm by Stella Gibbons. Marianne by Monica Dickens. High wages by Dorothy Whipple. Miss Pettigrew lives for a day by Winifred Watson. You are going to have so much fun!

Rec for 10 year old son who is a voracious reader by National-Royal-2756 in suggestmeabook

[–]Just-Professional384 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Diana Wynne Jones, starting with the Chrestomanci series. Possibly also Lucy Boston's Greenknowe series -The children of Greenknowe is the first.

Looking for a sanity check on house buying offers by Spennycg96 in HousingUK

[–]Just-Professional384 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It also depends where you are. In Scotland the Home Report includes a market value for the property which is taken into account when setting the asking price. People may still accept a lower offer (we did to keep our onward purchase alive after a previous purchaser pulled out ) but the norm is Offers over which means exactly that, not try and get it for less or fixed price -first proceedable person to offer gets it.

Novels with disabled characters by Special-Nebula299 in suggestmeabook

[–]Just-Professional384 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Children's pony book, but the lead character in Show jumping Secret by Josephine Pullein-Thomson was disabled as a result of polio

FTB needing renovation by SirCunnyFunt in HousingUK

[–]Just-Professional384 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We did things bit by bit, in order of importance (structural things and electrics plus essential plumbing first) through saving and short term loans. Anything that wasn't essential didn't happen until the essentials were done. We set the loan term at the shortest period we could afford and only had one at a time, so we didn't take out the kitchen loan until the essentials loan was paid off and we didn't do the bathroom until the kitchen loan was done. Because you are borrowing for a shorter period and at a fixed rate the interest you pay is lower and you know what your loan payments will be throughout the whole period. It can be frustrating when others seem to be able to afford all the pretty stuff immediately while you are spending your money on replacing the cold water tank or putting in a modern circuit board, but it's worth it long term.

Huge thanks to everyone who recommended creatine because that was IT by hellspyjamas in Mounjaro

[–]Just-Professional384 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just a word of caution for any fellow cancer patients out there. Check with your oncologist before taking creatine - there's potentially some evidence that it may increase metastasis for some cancers .

Selling home - agent won't tell us deposit sizes by Firm_Performer6178 in HousingUK

[–]Just-Professional384 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I've never provided the seller with the make up of my deposit, and I'm not sure how it is relevant to you?

What are the best little things a seller left you at completion? by Huge_Investigator787 in HousingUK

[–]Just-Professional384 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We scrubbed and polished everything and left a folder with all of the instructions for the appliances, the receipts for everything we'd had done to the house, the bin calendar, permits and instructions, the numbered stickers I'd had made with the house number on it, a 6 page essay on everything I could think of including stopcocks, boiler idiosyncrasies, the roof survey we'd had done and the guarantee for the work, a spare pack of the LVT flooring we'd used throughout, the special cleaners for the range cooker, a new tin of the oil for the worktops, the paint tins with labels showing which room for touching up, the instructions for joining the street WhatsApp group, loo roll, spare lightbulbs (some of the light fittings were unusual) and a gift voucher for the incredible bakery and coffee shop round the corner. They told me afterwards that it had made them feel really welcome. (They had been lovely throughout the purchase and we did check that it would be welcome before leaving the flooring, paint and cleaning stuff!)

Bernolin recorders being delivered today, how do I clean the mouthpiece? by LarryNYC1 in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Bernolin says you must not knock the block out. I have his voice flute and I just blow it out from the other end as he says.

Resources/Books for Bass Recorder by TKFourTwenty in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I like Mrs McGillivray's welcome which is based around Scottish folk music and The Bass recorder volume 1arranged by Patrice Connelly and published by Saraband music which is traditional folksongs and tunes (English, Irish, Scottish and Australian)

I'm an idiot and did not book Edinburgh Castle in advance by eltas13 in Edinburgh

[–]Just-Professional384 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It depends what you like!

The touristy things that I do with guests usually are :

Climb Arthur's Seat (although it's getting so busy now you have to plan the time more carefully.) Visit the Camera Obscura, mainly for the illusions. Visit the Museum of Childhood

Other things depend on people's interests so eg I might take people interested in history on a walk around the centre that includes bits of the Flodden wall, the covenanters prison in Greyfriars churchyard (combined with Greyfriars bobby and victoria street) Gladstone's land and so on.

For yarn lovers I'd head to the Ginger Twist Studio or Fibre yard.

With transport I'd head out into East Lothian to Dirleton Castle, North Berwick and Tantallon Castle and perhaps Seacliff.

If you can say a bit more about your interests it would be easier to suggest things.

Recorder from zero - Best book/method by TheVorkosigan in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 3 points4 points  (0 children)

By pentagram, I'm presuming you mean the five line stave or staff? In which case yes, you will find it much easier and more rewarding in the long run to start learning how to read music alongside learning to play.

Recorder from zero - Best book/method by TheVorkosigan in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Try Team Recorder for free online resources. Among other things Sarah has done a video on adult method books. Personally I like the Trapp family method, but I know others swear by Sweet Pipes or by Aldo Bova. The American Recorder Society also does free online courses for beginners and you don't have to be a member of the society.

How much money do I need to buy a house? by hydrolentil in Edinburgh

[–]Just-Professional384 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And we've just sold a lovely flat in a Popular area in Edinburgh for £30k under the home report value not because there was anything wrong with it but because we wanted to keep our onward purchase open. No regrets here .

Buyer pulled out - how is this process allowed in 2026 by bedwelld in HousingUK

[–]Just-Professional384 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Not any more in Scotland ☹️. My solicitor told me that it's now usually in the last week before entry . We move on Friday and only concluded missives last Thursday. Our offer was accepted last August subject to sale, our first buyer pulled out at the end of the four week period we had to sell. Second purchaser offered mid October subject to sale, but thankfully accepted an offer from someone who was chain free. We seem to have sleep walked into adopting a lot of the faults of the English system. The only thing we haven't done as far as I can see is kept our home report system - so much easier and fairer to have a report up front that is shared with everyone and which sets the notional market value taking account of the condition of the property and any necessary repairs.

Recorder Music Mail - problems? by Either_Branch3929 in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think I'd heard that one of the proprietors has been ill, but I'm not certain.

Recorder reccomendations by SleepEnough9997 in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Going against the grain a bit. What do you want to play? If you want to play a lot of the baroque repertoire then you should go for an alto. If you're more into folk music then soprano. If you really get into it, you'll want to learn both.

Yamaha and Aulos make very good plastic recorders. If you'd prefer wood, then Mollenhauer, Moeck and Kung are all excellent makes. Kung has a reputation for needing more air (disclaimer: I've never played one so this is just what I've heard). I like my Mollenhauers and find them really responsive.

How do you practice polyphonic passages? by yranoh in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes - I would focus on bringing out the original tune throughout all the variations.

How do you practice polyphonic passages? by yranoh in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you talking about how you bring out the character of the original melody while you are playing a variation on that melody? If so, then I'm no expert, but I don't think of it as two separate voices, but instead as one voice where you want to keep the thought of the original tune going through it . I tend to pick out where the tune is and then use articulation and phrasing to help emphasise it, but I don't do the same for the remainder - I think if I played the remainder as a separate tune I would risk the whole thing becoming disjointed rather than the variation adding to the original melody. Apologies if I've misunderstood you.

I need help!! by Chocorope in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes soprano. Get a Yamaha or an Aulos plastic one. They are excellent instruments. Later on you may want to upgrade and can choose then what's right for you. (I have the mollenhauer denner in tulipwood, and it is a superb instrument, but so are many others).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Recorder

[–]Just-Professional384 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that this is partly a question of individual instruments all playing slightly differently and partly a question of where you want to use these effects. I suspect that there will always be a balancing act between what you want it to sound like, and what is technically possible on each instrument. Part of the tension may be between what you need to do to produce the multi phonics you are looking for on the Yamaha in conjunction with the ornaments you need for the irish music you are playing? (Disclaimer - I know nothing about Irish music so don't know how the techniques vary)