Rollypolly

I had my artificial grass laid in 2018. I was finding it difficult to keep the garden looking tidy due to illness so this was the best option. Expensive but worth it. This year I've noticed it's got moss growing on it. Can anyone recommend how to get rid of the moss?

8 hours ago, Anna B said:

I'm a waspi. What annoys me is that they brought in 'equality' in terms of the 65yrs pension age equal to men, yet waspi women didn't enjoy equality for most of their working lives. 

 

They grew up with little in the way of encouragement for career aspirations. Many jobs were closed to them, and those that were available had to be manouvered around child bearing and domestic responsibilities. so often part time. Some men didn't even allow their wives to work, or did so very begrudgingly. Women's responsibilities were firmly centred on the home and family which took priority over paid work or career. By the time these things had changed it was too late, women had missed the boat.

 

It's hard to imagine now, but women often didn't have bank accounts, couldn't take on hire purchase agreements, or have mortgages. They often needed their husbands written agreement. They were barred from certain pension schemes, and it was fully expected that men should support their wives including in retirement. They were disadvantagged in every way. 

 

Suddenly they are expected to embrace equality in retirement by working longer and still receiving less. I worked until I was nearly 63 (denied 3 years of pension= approx £24,000,) but also missed out on the increased pension rate by 3 months, so will spend the rest of my days on the lower rate. That equates to £40,000 if I draw my pension until the age of 80, and double that if I make it to 100 ! 

 

Anna, I agree wholeheartedly with what you're saying. As a woman who worked in engineering I struggled all through my career to keep up with the men even though I was far better qualified than a lot of them. I had to work harder but still struggled for recognition and promotion. I also worked until I was 63 and brought up a family. However I was aware that the state pension age had changed and accepted it as the way forward. Not saying I was right to do so but i can't see how else it could have been done if women's retirement age was to be brought in line with men's. As you say though it's hard to imagine that not so long ago women were treated so badly. When I hear young women complaining about lack of child care and how hard done to they are I feel like saying you should have lived in the sixties/seventies!

3 hours ago, bassett one said:

a few years ago in a tv interview with labour and conservitives the labour policy for the election or one of them was to pay the WASPI any money owed  ,boris said he would not ,so that means labour should honour that promise ,but the leaders changed and boris said it was not in there policy ,so i dont know exactly but i think pay them.

See, that's what I don't understand. Is it repayment for the number of years pension that they're missing ? If so doesn't the same apply to people now who'll be affected by the raise in retirement age? And I still can't understand how they could not have known about the change. Or am I missing something?

Oops! I've put this in the wrong place and I don't know how to move it 🥴

I really don't understand what the WASPI thing is all about. As a woman born between 1950 & 1955 I assume I fall into that category. What I don't understand is why a lot of women are saying they were unaware of the pension age change. I knew about it years ago as did my family and friends who are affected by it. I can't remember whether I was informed about it personally or not but I do remember it had a lot of publicity at the time. All seems very strange to me 😏

Poor Micky, what a welcome to SF. 🥴

10 minutes ago, Mkapaka said:

I’d just show them my receipt and then walk out and completely forget about it.

Aldi usually ask if you want your receipt. Unless I've got something that may need to be returned I always say no as I think it saves on paper. If their policy is now to search bags they should give receipts as a matter of course. I certainly will make sure I get one now. 

No, swallownest. I know I shouldn't take it personally but that's what it feels like.  🤬

Just been to Aldi and the checkout assistant asked to look in my bags. When I asked why she said because a lot of money was walking out of the doors. Now I didn't argue with her because I know she was only doing as she had been told. However I noticed the person behind me didn't have to open his bag. I came away feeling quite aggrieved, I hadn't done anything to make anyone think I'd stolen something. I can understand that theft must be a big problem but really, is the answer to treat the customer like a  thief. If this subject has already been raised I apologise, but I just feel so angry.

Yes you may be right but what possible reason was there for the caller to ask if I could hear him when it was a perfectly clear line. I ended the call and he didn't call me back which seems suspicious. But my point is that whether it's an urban myth or not it's always best to assume the worse. 

18 minutes ago, Baron99 said:

It must be a day for it.  I was called by a local Sheffield number 0114 258 3629.  Answered it & was told by an obvious automated voice that my visa card, (didn't say which one), had been used for possible unauthorised purchases to Amazon, (I've never bought anything from them) & another company called International Gift Card, (never heard of them). 

 

I was told to press 1 to speak to one of their advisers.  No indication which company I would be talking too, they never said.  I never spoke & the call was ended after about 30 seconds. 

 

I've looked up 0114 258 3629 on the Internet.  It gives a site name of Flowers Love & a list of consequtive phone numbers all starting with the 0114 Sheffield code with just the final digit changed. 

 

An obvious scam. 

It's worrying that these calls seem to be escalating. My friend had a text last week saying 'mum it's me, WhatsApp me asap'. She hasn't got any children so knew it was a scam. There will be some vulnerable people who'll fall for it so I think dismissing them as 'urban myths' is a bit foolhardy. It's best to err on the side of caution imo.

I answered because it was a local number and I thought it may have been something to do with my present situation. I don't know if they can make use of your voice which is why I said it seemed far fetched. I only know a man said 'can you hear me ok?' which I thought was odd 

I read a few weeks ago that there's a scam where someone says 'can you hear me?' when you answer. If you say yes they are using this as voice recognition to make purchases. I thought it sounded a bit far fetched until this morning when my phone rang. I answered it and a man said ' Hi, can you hear me ok?' I put the phone down!

It's just reality TV pretending to be something intellectual imo.

Arnold & Graham in the Moor Market have got a good reputation. Might be worth a try.

2 hours ago, vmam said:

I asked my wife to get two watches fitted with new batteries, this was while she was at Crystal Peaks this morning, she went to the stall close to the escalator, she gave the two watches to the saleswoman, one an Seconda which cost around £30, for a battery my wife was quoted £26 and the other one , a Rotary, this cost me £100 and the saleswomen quoted for a new battery £35, my wife did say that both quotes were to expensive, the assistant then said for the price " we clean the watch and it's guaranteed" for what it was guaranteed for who knows, my wife declined both prices and went into the market at the Peaks and got both watches fitted with new batteries for £4 each.

Same happened to me some years ago. I took my watch to Hinds at CP's and they quoted me over £100 to replace the battery and as it was quite an expensive watch it would have to be sent off to London. I declined the offer and took it to a man in the market (he's no longer there). It took him a few minutes to change the battery and he charged me a couple of quid.  The battery lasted for a long time before he replaced it for me again. When I told the assistant at Hinds she said that they're highly trained and the man in the market wasn't! I never went there again.

At this precise moment in time.

Or in other words -

Now.

Going forward annoys me 🤬

1 hour ago, ECCOnoob said:

Why should they be banned from television? The world of celebrity and what classes someone is a "star" isn't subject to some hard and fast rules.

 

Just because some traditionalists think that you can only be a star, if you are actor or had decades of screen time on television, that is not the reality. Times have moved on. Now people are seeking entertainment in a multitude of different ways.

 

People talk about the long lost television glory days and variety shows. But let's not forget, we are going back to a time when most people only had three channels.  Now they have an  abundance of media at their disposal.  There might be a few timeless outliers -  but let's be frank, there was plenty of dross just as much back then. You have to serious ask yourself, if given today's choice of channels and media,  you'd still eagerly sit down and watch something like 321, Keith Harris and Orville, Noels House Party, Bobby Davro, or Touch the Truck.

 

Back in those days there were plenty of weather girls, game show hostesses and page 3 models going on to front to television programmes and reaching 'stardom'.  There were just as many has beens clinging onto their fading famedom whoring themselves around the chat show markets, plugging their latest book or play or line of jewellery.  I don't treat it as a new phenomena. 

 

There are YouTubers who are making big budget crewed productions of challenges  or travel adventures or beauty demos or comedy skits or documentaries or educational segments.   There are instagrammers and tik-tockers who have millions of followers and whose postings each attract levels of viewership mirroring if not beating some of the mainstream television networks. 

 

With the obvious exception of budget and the power of the advertisers, is there really that much difference between a well-known presenter stood on a slick studio set reeling off some facts from a script against a YouTuber stood in front of the green screen in their bedroom self recording themselves reeling off some facts from a script.  On paper one is praised , applauded and given gongs by fellows in their industry and another will be written off as some wannabe famous amateur hobbyist filming themselves for for their own ego.  However, if it transpires that the latter is getting the same or more viewership and appeal as the slick TV presenter, seems fair to treat them to the same spoils of stardom as any other celebrity.

 

Fair point.

A few of them are talented and have gone on to have successful careers. They're in the minority though. Most of them either just disappear or get on the endless round of mindless reality programmes. I can't say who I'd miss because I don't know many of them. 

Also they all seem to look and sound the same to me.

44 minutes ago, HeHasRisen said:

Eh?  If you are on about members of Parliament then that's rather different to Bob who works down the mill putting his notice in. 

I never knew Bob worked down the mill.

2 hours ago, cressida said:

I get my son to sort the duvet cover out,   I've bought a fleecy set for Xmas,  so I'm definitely not going to attempt that.   Anthea Turner had a trick,  she used to turn the duvet inside out or something.

I tried that. Turn the cover inside out, put the top and corners of the duvet in line with the cover them pull the cover down. In theory it works. In practice it doesn't !

If it's your wallet, the bigger the better. 

We lived at Parson Cross. In those days it was a lovely place to live. Very safe and close to greno woods. We used to go out to play in the morning and not come home until tea time. No one worried as everyone kept an eye on each other. Can't remember anyone being burgled or anything like that. There wasn't much traffic around so we were free to cross roads without the fear of getting run over. It was a council estate but the vast majority of people cared for their homes and gardens. I think after the war people were just grateful to be given nice affordable houses to live in so they respected their properties. There was still a lot of poverty around though and people struggled to make ends meet but I think we were a lot happier living on a council estate than people are these days. Just my opinion, I may be wrong. 

I don't see anything wrong with men or women crying in public. However it's now gone too far. People cry at the drop off a hat these days. Same as swearing. Nothing wrong with it when you're really annoyed but it's become part of everyday language.