Useful stuff I learnt from TV

When bodysurfing, you need to match the speed of the wave.

Waves typically move at 3m per sec. Olympic swimmers swim (over a longer distance) 2m per sec, and you and me swim at 1m per sec.

tip for catching waves: push off the sea bed with your legs or use flippers.


I'm also multi tasking - designing a fireplace using the Building Code of Australia, and looking after Rose (she's asleep, it's not hard)

Kitchen cogitations

I have a nifty drawing, but first some links to get you in the mood.

A kitchen should have a hearth raised above floor level, like the one in this castle kitchen


Note also the "chimney". It's a section of wall with an opening for the fireplace. The smoke goes behind it.

There's a section showing how the smoke hood might work on this page, scroll down to the heading "Firehood"


I think the fire window is pretty good, I saw one at the 1820's farm I visited in Tasmania two years ago.

Where does the smoke go after it goes out of the smoke hood. what happens at roof level?

There are some great pictures of a tudor kitchen interior here

Here's the outside of the building at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum


Where's the chimney? I think the smoke comes out of the triangular dark patch at the top of the gable end wall.