A water repellent seal can be used on bricks exposed to the elements. This sealant can help them withstand heavy rainfalls.

The most common bricks are made from clay and heated at a thousand degrees centigrade.

Bricks are energy efficient because they hold sunlight throughout the day and release that energy after the sun goes down.

Bricks have frogs. The indentation in the surface of a brick is called a frog, and debate rages over whether the bricks should be laid frog-up or frog-down.

The minerals used to create a brick determine its colour. Red bricks are red because of the iron in them, and higher temperature firings produce darker coloured bricks.

There is minimal waste in the brick production process as only an insignificant amount of minerals and moisture vanish during the heating process.

There are face bricks, common bricks, paving bricks, fire bricks and refractory bricks – each designed for a specific purpose.

In 2007, a new type of brick was invented using fly ash, a by-product of coal power plants.

Brick can withstand extreme temperature changes and is considered one of the most durable building products.

The Romans created mobile kilns which allowed them to introduce kiln fired bricks to the whole of the Roman Empire.

The brick Gothic period started in the 12^th century when bricks were reintroduced to Northern Germany from Northern Italy. Later, during the Renaissance period, bricks fell out of favour and were generally covered by plaster.

Handmade bricks are still commonly used in the United Kingdom.

OK cycling up a mountain, that’s a synch. Well?  Three times, and how high, ahh that’s a bit more interesting.

It is said that Mont Ventoux is the hardest of all the legendary Tour de France climbs. The mountain achieved worldwide infamy when it sadly claimed the life of the great English cyclist Tom Simpson, and such reputation hasn’t wavered. Despite this, unperturbed Laura Watson from Melton Mowbray thought this was the challenge for her. Wait, there’s a twist! She did it three times in 24 hours, yes that right, 3 times in a row! BOING interviews the amazing Laura to find out more about her challenge and adventure.

What was the inspiration behind your trip?

My Mum. I started cycling in January 2016, quickly discovering that I loved hill climbing. Mum was undergoing treatment for a very aggressive cancer and I decided I wanted to do something that pushed me and raise money for the Berkshire Cancer Centre. She had such strength and is my inspiration to everything I do. I had originally planned to go in May 2017, but sadly at that time Mum lost her battle, and consequently I rescheduled for September.

What sort of preparation did you do? Physically? Mentally?

I would say I am absolutely the hobby rider, I use my bike to see different countries and have fun with friends. In June, myself and friends cycled from Rome to the top of Mount Etna, Sicily in just 6 days. This was 650 miles and 35,000ft climbing, which was good training. After that I only managed 5 short rides before heading out to Ventoux 10 weeks later. I do lead a very active life, and keep myself fit, but I am also gifted with very long legs, so with my conformation I have a head start on a bike.

I have a very tough mental approach to challenges. If I tell myself I am doing something, I know I will do it no matter what. Being a fiercely competitive person helps too. Friends of mine cycled Ventoux in May and reported back it was tough. This helped me because I had to beat them and do it three times. [Of course]

When you look back on your cycling trip what was the biggest highlight?

And what was the unexpected low?

The biggest high is undoubtedly arriving at the top on the third ascent and knowing I had done it. I was tired but that didn’t seem to matter, it was a real euphoric feeling. I know mum would have been cheering me on. I raised £2000 for the Berkshire Cancer Centre so it was a great relief to complete the mission people had so kindly sponsored.

The unexpected low would have to be how cold I was on the first descent. Although I had lots of layers they weren’t the right type, and seemed to trap cold sweat in from the initial climb. I don’t think I have been that cold before, and it took a bit of running and jumping at the bottom to get going again .

Something I hadn’t considered was being scared of the dark. When I started at 5.30am it was pitch black. Whilst feeling alone on this giant mountain I then managed to convince myself that I was going to be eaten by a bear or wolf whilst pedaling in the dark. Eventually I managed to reason with myself that I was being stupid, although it did make a few kilometers go quite quickly.

Wow, it’s amazing how the mind can play tricks on you!

There are multiple routes up Mont Ventoux, which one did you take and why?

The order went: Malaucène, Bédoin and Sault

Malaucène and Bédoin are considered relatively similar in difficulty, so I got those out the way first. Sault is the ‘easy’ one, I tried telling my legs that, but they didn’t agree. The total distance: 140km.Total ascent 15,000ft climbing. Cycling time: 9.30hr.

This is such an achievement; do you have any plans to do any more cycle events in the future?

I have loads of plans on the bike. I love seeing a country on the back of my bike, so I hope over the next few years to tour more of the world.

I feel for some reason I have a little unfinished business with Ventoux, and a huge part of me thinks I should head back out next year and do 6 ascents in 24hours. My brain thinks that, my legs haven’t quite come around to the idea yet! My brain normally wins, so watch this space.

We use the #BOINGupyourlife (BOING up your life), how do you interpret that?

‘BOINGupyourlife. I would interpret that with a saying I live by: “Do what you like and like what you do” and whatever it is just add a little BOING in your step!’

Album Review: Thick as a Brick – Jethro Tull

Thick as a Brick is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Jethro Tull, released in March 1972. The album contains a continuous piece of music, split over two sides of an LP record, and was deliberately designed to parody the concept album genre. The original packaging, designed like a newspaper, claims the album to be a musical adaptation of an epic poem by the fictional 8-year-old genius Gerald Bostock, though the lyrics were written by the band’s frontman, Ian Anderson.

The album was recorded in late 1971, featuring music composed by Anderson and arranged with the contribution of all band members. The live show promoting the album included the playing of the full suite, with various comic interludes. Thick as a Brick is considered by critics to be the first release by Jethro Tull entirely consisting of progressive rock music. It received mixed reviews upon its release but was a commercial success and topped various charts in 1972. Today it is regarded as a classic of progressive rock and has received several accolades. Anderson produced a follow-up to the album in 2012, focusing on the adult life of the fictional Gerald Bostock.

– View the video. Enjoy.

The Mossman team are a fit bunch and when James Mossman’s son Max said he was going out on a Pedalo, well, everyone had a good laugh.

But when it was to cross the Atlantic by pedal power, that was a different thing all together. Raising over £200,000 for the mental health charity, The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust.

Well done chaps and here’s to the next adventure! 

As you know, James Mossman are always at the forefront to introduce new and innovative ideas, particularly when championing new materials for bricks. Now they are literally cleaning up, with soap bricks.

Bars of soap, or as we call them “bricks of soap “are back – and in a big way. Once thought to be old-fashioned and shunned in favour of shower mousses and liquid soaps, we’ve now fallen in love with them all over again. Data from Kantar Worldpanel show that in the year to September 2018, Britons spent £68.3 million on barred soaps. That’s up 2.9 per cent on the previous 12 months. Waitrose said it has seen a 7.1 per cent rise in sales of traditional bars of soap, while rivals Asda is also reporting a small rise over the past year.

Part of it is down to environmental concerns. A bar of soap requires minimal packaging and Kantar’s researchers found that almost half of bar soap users say that they avoid products that are harmful to the environment – they want to cut down on plastic waste and avoid excessive packaging.

So, if you would like to join the clean revolution, and would like a James Mossman soap brick, then just let us know.

Our brick soaps were made for us by the brilliant Brick Sixty.

I have just returned from an amazing ten days cycling around Rwanda with a stop off in Uganda to see the Mountain Gorillas.

I was so impressed that a small Central African republic could be so clean, tidy and devoid of litter. This has inspired me to try to do my part to influence people to radically reduce their reliance on plastics. On entering Rwanda, there is a sign in the airport baggage collection area announcing that Rwanda prohibits the use of plastic bags. Once outside the airport it was impossible not to be impressed by the cleanliness of the country; a country almost devoid of litter.

I commented to a local on this cleanliness. They were delighted saying that firstly there were no plastic bags, there were few if any single use plastic bottles and in addition to that on the last Saturday of every month, unless you were employed in a vital service, everyone spent the morning cleaning their local community. UMUGANDA.

The respect these people have for their country, their local environment is enviable.

On my return to the UK I have ordered 500 insulated steel bottles for hot or cold use to be given to our customers and contacts.

Every plastic bottle saved must be a help to the environment.

I hope you enjoy and use your bottle.

James Mossman

Herts Allstars junior ‘Intensity’ team and senior ‘Re1gn’ teams have successfully secured two team places at The Summit World Cheerleading Championships in America.  The team will be competing throughout the country from Liverpool to Bournemouth before The Summit World Championship in America where the squads will be competing against teams from USA, China, Australia, Japan and the rest of the world.

Last year their junior team ‘Intensity’ were 13^that ‘Summit’ the elite Cheerleading World Championships in America which saw 65 squads from all around the world battling out for the supreme title.

Cheerleading is often thought of as girls with pompoms supporting their respective sporting teams, however the reality is far from it.  Cheerleading has been provisionally recognised as an Olympic Sport and will be showcased in the next games.

These elite girls’ squads, who are aged between 10 and 17, are busy preparing for the coming season where teamwork, trust and support will be three fundamental requirements.  The teams will be demonstrate core strength from ‘stunting’ where acrobatic moves are performed by the flyers at the top of the pyramids whilst being supported by their bases lifting them up and supporting their flips and lifts, together with powering every muscle to show off their tumbling skills such as synchronised somersaults.

The club are delighted that James Mossman have agreed to be a sponsor for the teams to help the girls try to realise their dreams.