Ruth (and the other twelve of you),

Sorry for going way off course and base. I promise to have coffee first and
Bullamanka second on Saturday mornings from now on! I guess I completely
missed the nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

But to digress, which I am good at, one place in my work where using the
"New and Improved" portland cement for repair work causes serious problems
is foundation repair (I know that's pretty dammed obvious, but bear with
me). Not the really obvious pointing of sandstone with portland no-no, which
by the way I have seen LOTS of our tax dollars wasted on, but in repairing
the bedding joints where timber sills rest on stone foundations. Timber
sills can last a century or more, much more, if they are the right wood and
are bedded on lime/ sand mortar. Unfortunately when the bedding is replaced
with stronger (and quicker) portland mix, they begin to rot post haste.

Maybe we need some of those cool warning labels on the sacks like  "Don't
use for bedding timber", "Don't mix with cereal (unless you are a cereal
killer)", "Don't open bag if you've never even HEARD of lime"....

Rude (as ever)

ps; I'm confused about the black & white lime thing. Where does black lime
come from?

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
uncoffee-ed, or to change your settings, go to:
<http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/bullamanka-pinheads.html>