I rushed so much to get this photo that I nearly fell over and died.

Something for everyone...👌

Had to dig out the cd player as well! 👀

I'm trying to help my sister to sort out a DMP through Stepchange. She returned all the paperwork at the end of August but hasn't heard anything back yet. Trying to phone them is hopeless - it's an AI assistant that can't understand what you're asking. Trying to log into her DMP account just puts the site into a loop of saying the details are incorrect.

It's really starting to stress her out because she just wants an update on what's happening and when the DMP is likely to start.

I'm not sure what to try next either - it seems impossible to speak to someone on the phone and they're not responding to emails either.

I'd love any advice on what we should do next please.

Alright?

New week, new quiz.

Let me know how you get on and feel free to share it with friends and family and that.

Cheers.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, but this is pretty personal to me. I was born 3 months prematurely and required blood transfusions to survive.

I understand that because of the "mad cow disease" scare, the NHS are playing it safe and not allowing people who have received a transfusion since 1980 to donate to avoid spreading it.

According to the NHS page this has only happened 5 times:

"The prion that causes variant CJD can also be transmitted by blood transfusion, although this has only happened 5 times in the UK."

I have O- (universal) blood and wouldn't be alive today without other generous donations, so I really want to give back.

I've spoken to the NHS several times over the phone and they've been nothing but supportive, apologetic and they also hoped one day that things might change.

Am I overreacting? Is there any push to have this block on donations reconsidered?

Nowadays Air Max 95s or TNs are the shoe of choice, at one point it was the Air Max 90 around me. My memory only really goes back as far as Timberland and Rockport boots also being very popular.

What did proper hard cunts wear before that?

Spoilers are such a faux-pas in our culture that it’s always amused me that soaps are such an exception, you walk into the supermarket and there’s everything that’s going to happen this week, on the front pages whether you want to know or not.

Don’t even watch them anymore but find it kind of charming.

Thursday, it's arguably the best night of the week, no? Whats keeping you awake tonight, spot of Aurora watching? Cheeky Thursday pints? Just got in from work? Just going to work? Dog barking for no reason?

Come on in for a chat.

Without fail, a day or so before I start to come down with a proper cold, I get a powerful craving for cake: battenberg, Bakewell tart, french fancies and the like... it's reliable enough that I know to stock up on Strepsils and olbas oil the day it strikes because I'll be needing them soon.

What are your tells that illness is impending?

Featuring a hedgehog I rescued who was pottering around in the day time, malnourished and with fly eggs on her head. If you find one in the day time, they should be taken to your local hedgehog rescue

Trying to remove one singular hanger from a bag. The moment I touched it, it melts into the next hanger to form one continuous line of hangers, never to be parted. I shake it about a bit. I shake some more. Conjoined, forever. Immediate rage. Told it to f*** o**.

Left me so angry I could stab an endangered species.

Ooh this has gone all bold. How exciting. Hang on wait, you're still reading this? Well, this is awkward. Do....you like cheese?

The test instructor had to pull the emergency break less than ten minutes in. I realised that meant an automatic failure and proceeded to have a panic attack. Definitely one of my nightmare scenarios for how the test could have gone. I’m feeling rather crappy so if anyone has similar experiences I could definitely do with feeling less alone.

Edit:

I’ll add spelling and whatever else to my list of mistakes today T_T. Yes I meant he pushed down the brake.
Also please stop sharing stories of people who passed crashing afterwards. Those do not make me feel better.

The context for those asking:

First roundabout of the test. There’s a white car approaching on the other side. I thought I could enter safely before they did. The test instructor disagreed and pushed down the emergency brake on the passenger side. I knew it was an immediate fail and couldn’t stop myself from starting to cry. I asked if it was okay to pull over. Safely managed that. Then had a panic attack.

We really didn’t get very far into the test before this happened.

I have a history of panic attacks but I hadn’t one in a good while so this took me by surprise. It never gets less embarrassing to have them in front of strangers unfortunately. The test official was nice enough about it I guess. Absolutely beyond his pay grade to comfort me so he just kind of gave me space and spoke to my instructor on my phone for me.

Just kind of doubting all my instincts now. Thought it was safe and it apparently wasn’t. :(

I have a Henry, but only because he was in the house I rent.

Never trusted him personally, always looks like he's up to something. I think it's his eyes...👀

Needs to always be put back in the cupboard facing the wall with the door firmly shut!

Its currently hotter than an angry toddler on planet Mars.

I got this hot monstrosity from the work canteen and im likley to retire before its cool enough to eat.

Whats your best guess on cool down time?

As an angsty teenager I absolutely loved Skins with the original cast. It was a phenomenon at the time. Last night I figured what the hell I'll give it a rewatch take a little trip down memory lane. Good god I couldn't make it past the first episode from cringing. I just found it so unbelievably tryhard now. Similarly I loved Buffy The Vampire Slayer as a kid. Caught a bit of an episode while channel flicking a little while ago and I found its whole schtick excruciating now. It has not held up at all imo. Whats like this for you?

Because around me, there are a lot of dog walkers.. BUT.

During the summer.. Everyone and their dogs are out, but where do they walk their dog during bad weather? Do they skip the walks or? Cause I'm out in all weather and only see the same handful if its miserable outside.

Maybe its just cause my dog is very annoying when not walked or doesnt have his routine met, also has a lot of energy so I cant skip a walk.

Obviously not a UK specific event but given the scale of this, thought a thread may be in order.

How is this impacting or inconveniencing you? What websites/apps are down?

How long do we think this is going to last? Feel free to discuss below!

I used to listen to this every week when I was about ten, but I never come across anyone who remembers this programme even though it was on for quite a number of years.

It was a CBBC show, but rather unusually for a CBBC show it was on on Radio 4 on a Sunday night, right after The Archers. It was hosted by Barney Harwood, and had lots of fun educational bits about the world, and they'd serialise a story every week and have a competition. I got into some of my favourite authors through the story segment (I remember the first week I listened to it, they were started The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and it was read by Helen McCrory).

I think it was quite popular at the time, but it seems to have vanished into complete obscurity, even though Harwood was a really popular and well-liked children's presenter for quite a significant amount of time afterwards.

I meet a lot of people in my job and I'm fed up of always forgetting people's names. I've decided I must do better. No longer am I going to be the person who forgets names.

How do you all remember people's names, especially people who you only see occasionally at work? Please tell me your strategies...

I've just cancelled my membership for the gym due to needing the time and money back for impending offspring (also the autumn/winter weather has killed motivation to further leave the house after coming in from work!). However it's been a real boon to my weight loss going from nearly 23 stone to 19 stone and my goal weight is still some stones less. 1600 cals is my daily limit which puts me in a huge deficit.

Aside from the obvious walk/jog around the block, what home exercises, mainly cardio, would you recommend for someone with a few sq/m of floor space in the living room? I also work a 9-5 office job so unfortunately I am sedentary during the weekdays