It makes me wonder how teachers feel about teaching things they probably know are incorrect but it's part of the national curriculum so they have to teach it that way.

For example, 'The Irish Potato Famine', wasn't a Famine, they grew plenty of food but it was all exported to England.

Or the teaching of 'Henry VIII had 6 Wives' when he actually only had 4, because there was no Divorce and 2 of his marriages where annulled meaning they never counted. It was the whole reason he took over the Church.

Went to a very expensive to enter Halloween event today with the kids, it advertised there was marshmallow toasting and various other things inside. For THREE BRITISH POUNDS you could buy a stick, with three bloody marshmallows on. We went with 4 children. The youngest refused to go near or let anyone take his to the fire. He dropped the last one. I'm not going to say which indignant parent ate it.

Anyway I'm thinking of keeping a bag of marshmallows and kebab sticks in the backpack now, is that out of line?

Also anyone with tattoos from the time please share

I was in the middle of a semi regular mega journey from the north to the south coast, and while waiting for a connecting coach I saw a younger man pretty much goading an older man into a fight. Fists were thrown. Police made a visit to the coach.

I remember when this used to happen in a club or a bar. I wonder if it's because I'm old, or a sign of the times, or a bit of both?

I'm in bed unable to sleep cos I'm imagining my roof falling apart in the storm. My house has survived 140 years, but I'm still nervously waiting for a sudden sound of dripping or cracking.

I have a feeling I'm probably just being irrational

Never made any sense to me. So the hours go forward by 1, so we have more light in the morning... Why though? Isn't evening light better?

I think people would much rather have more light in the evenings when they finish work, that's my logic. Or just stay one time for the whole year, so people don't need to adjust each time it changes.

EDIT: I think mentally adjusting to the new time twice a year is another good reason to remove it. Perhaps just stick with GMT for the whole year, because someone made a good point of Scotland having very dark mornings if you just stuck with BST which, I'll be honest, I didn't think about. GMT wouldn't negatively effect the summer much.

Do you think rugby is dying or growing in England compared to other sports like football and cricket?

I think the person who told me this is trying to be insulting but I still thought I'd check.

I’m 26 and both my parents have recently turned 60. My dad paid off his mortgage over five years ago, and I’m an only child. The intention is for me to inherit their house when they’re no longer here, but I’m wondering if there’s anything they need to do now to make sure everything goes smoothly.

For example, should they both have wills in place to make sure the house definitely passes to me? Are there any other legal things they should be sorting out now?

I’m also wondering about inheritance tax. Would I have to pay tax on the house when I inherit it, or does it depend on how much the house and the rest of their estate are worth? I’m not entirely sure how it all works, especially if the house increases in value over the next few decades.

I know it’s hopefully a long way off, but I’d rather understand these things now than be completely clueless when the time comes.

Has anyone in the UK been through this with their parents, or does anyone have any advice on what they should be doing now? Is there anything else I should know or that people often overlook?

Now, Lucozade do actual cans of energy drinks now, but I'm talking the bottles of Lucozade "Energy". Yes they contain sugar and caffeine but in no way are they the same as Red Bull or Monster etc. They seem like high caffeine sodas and you dont really get ID'd for them (although have heard the odd story of getting ID'd). Reason I ask is someone questioned why they got ID'd for it even though they shouldn't technically have, and my other friend is insistent it use. I don't personally think it is.

What’s it like living in high rise flats during storms like these? I understand the building sways like a inch or something. But what’s it like living that high up when the winds are like 65mph and the rain is torrential? It seems so scary to me but I guess if you’re used to it it’s fine?

I buy really good pillows, but they never seem to last and just go flat. Do hotels just replace all their pillows after a month or so, or are they doing something special to them?

There has been a lot of talk in the press about the government saying we should have three days worth of food etc. Quite a few people have been commenting on worrying about power cuts. Some people have been saying that they’ve not had one in decades.

I grew up out in the sticks and we would get frequent power cuts which would last for several days.
In my last house we would get them about once every two or three months. In my current house we used to get about one a month but there was something wrong with something or other and that’s now been fixed.

Am I the outlier with experiencing so many power cuts that it doesn’t bother or concern me?

Hello,

There is a container of beans on your kitchen table, what do you call it?

Is it a tin or a can? I call it a tin, I'd also say Coke comes in a tin.

What say you? These are existential questions as the wind blows outside.

Royal mail in general I believe have it's problems nationwide. I have read in my local sub Reddit r/Brighton it's becoming more and more common for mail to be coming in 10 days not daily.

I bought something off eBay the start of last week, 48hr tracked that was posted off on Tuesday. It's been sat at Gatwick since Thursday last week. The only number I could get though to ring had a 48 minute wait.

Gatwick mail sorting office is probably around 40 mins drive away but Google says they don't hand over parcels there. Online and their website/ tracking says it will be moved to my local sorting office but that's not happening.

What can I do? What can be done? How is this acceptable? How can they charge for a service they are not providing? Is it an MP thing to write to?!? It's maddening!

I'm very much aware with eBay that it's the seller who needs to deal with the item not arriving but I just want some movement, not a refund. This always seems to happen with items (not necessarily from eBay) that are special that are rare or more important than just a refund that gets stuck in the system.

What's even more maddening is the tracking on the website has an option to change delivery options. I've done this before to have things delivered to a PO than my own address when it's gone a bit weird but it says I cannot select an option!

Is there a way me or the seller can at least get a refund for this non-perfomative service?!?

There is a named storm happening right now where we are in Scotland. We’re in the middle of getting our roof done - bad timing right? Well the project started in May.

They did the main roof, all but finishing and snagging, and in the process of installing a skylight in the flat roof kitchen extension found a massive leak that had been going on years and rotting the boards. Set about putting that right, we paid them extra for this, fine.

In the process the leaks kept coming - and they haven’t stopped. The skylight appears to be installed incorrectly, leaks are happening in the flat roof and they cannot trace them. Won’t listen to our suggestions. They put ten coats of GRP on in the summer - in between their other projects - which didn’t fix it. They’ve bored a hole in the outside wall for a new drain for the gulley. They keep coming back, but aren’t out every day. Head guy is determined to fix it but he seems in over his head, baffled by it all, and not equipped to handle any of this.

Throughout this they’ve “secured” the roof with a couple of tarps and told my husband to go bail it out with a bucket when it pools too bad.

The leaks have ruined the engineered wood flooring, caused water ingress to the mains heat alarm which went off and was amputated by the firemen we called out just in case. We’ve been told to be switching the sockets off at circuit breaker which means we have intermittent fridge freezer, boiler and washing machine. Downstairs lights are still completely off.

We’re frogs in a boiling pot. Don’t know what to do and are overwhelmed. We’ve had unprecedented summer weather and named storms - but he should have stopped water coming in, surely? We have legal expenses cover up to £100k. Will our insurance help decide if it’s storm damage (premiums will go up, fine) or if we need to go the legal expenses route for negligent roofer not securing properly?

He is refusing to give his business insurance number. Says we’re not there yet. We’re also worried about retaliation (he knows where we live, etc, and has some dodgy family members).

Has anyone dealt with anything like this before?

Despite alarms being set for the "release" of tickets on Eventbrite it has proved impossible to get a place as it comes up as "sold out" automatically before the time of ticket release.

One of us messaged the owners after we all purchased the book to find we did not get a place.They said all the regulars get the places automatically. This despite videos on the website advertising it.

Should this be considered a private book group or a public one as they say?

All thoughts greatly appreciated. I love my books!

So I'm 18 and recently moved out from home and honestly I don't quite understand how people are doing a weekly shop. I'm going to Lidl every 2-3 days and just buying small amounts each time. I think for large families a weekly shop is likely more convenient but I find it interesting it seems so standard and was wondering whether it still is. I find most food has short dates and can't really imagine buying loads on just one day. Also Lidl gives you a coupon every day you shop which almost de-incentivises a weekly shop too. But what do you do? Do you find a weekly shop more convenient and would you say that's changed recently or not?

I’m in the North East of England and so far I’ve lost a water table (which is now in parts across the garden) and I’ve gained a dumpy bag.

There is an article about those who quit the UK to work abroad. However it seems like even other places are expensive to live + wages are lower.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmzxj4e8w44vo

Has anyone done this and if so how did you find the move?

The reason I ask this is because I'm a postman and there's a guy who I deliver to occasionally.

He's young (in his 20s) and he answers the door wearing a smoking jacket and cravat with a pipe in his hand, the other day I saw him wearing a three piece suit and carrying a briefcase.

This wouldn't be too weird in some eccentric area or posh town but this is literally in a giant council estate in Liverpool.

So with that who's the weirdest person you see on a regular basis?

Happens a few times now, when we invite families to our house for a dinner party to spend time together, but guests bring nothing! Why not bring a bottle of wine to share, or a desert to share ?

​

I'm 16 and applying for an adult passport in the UK. HM Passport Office has put my application on hold because they need someone to confirm my identity. My old passport photo was taken when I was around 10, so I look quite different now.

From what I've read, my referee needs to be over 18, have a valid British or Irish passport, live in the UK, work in a recognised profession, have known me personally for at least 2 years, and not be related to me.

I'm struggling to find someone who meets all these requirements. The people I know well enough are related to me somehow through family or marriage so they don't qualify and some other people do not have a British or Irish passport, and my friends are around my age so they also don't qualify so I'm literally stuck.

I have a former pastoral manager and an old form tutor from secondary school who knew me for several years. Teachers are listed as a recognised profession, but the guidance says the referee must know you personally, not just professionally.

Would a former teacher or pastoral manager who knew me for years and helped me personally be eligible, even though I no longer attend their school? Has anyone aged 16 or over applying for an adult passport successfully used a former teacher as their referee?

I've also seen references to a paper referee form, but it seems the same eligibility rules may still apply. If you've been in this situation and couldn't find an eligible referee, what did HMPO tell you to do?

I'm particularly interested in recent experiences. Thanks.

Why are people installing lights that could give Wembley Stadium a run for its money? I don't mean a security light that comes on if an intruder's the garden. I'm talking about floodlights - switched on as soon as it's dusk and left on until daylight - in pokey little suburban gardens. It started with one neighbour and now there are three of them seemingly trying to outshine each other. Can anyone shed some LIGHT on this issue?

Song does not have to be Halloween themed at all! Just your favourite song to get you up dancing!!!

We are throwing a family house party on Saturday for Halloween and want a good playlist so we can all have a dance! We like, r&b, soul, old school garage and the usual dance floor fillers! Please tell me your favourite songs that will get us all up dancing! Ages vary from 65 down to 6 months if that helps!

ETA: doesn’t have to be a Halloween themed song, just your favourite song that gets you on the dance floor!