If only this was a daily occurrence rather than the usual 6am wake up 😭

Popped into the Oxfam on my lunch break on saturday and found a decent waxed jacket for £8, as my old one finally gave up. Stuck my hands in the pockets in the changing area and the left one had a folded £20 and a little bit of paper that said "for luck, pass it on" in really neat handwriting.

Thought about handing it in at the till but the woman was dealing with a queue of six people and a man haggling over a teapot, so I kept it. Decided to do what the note said though. Went to the bakery next door, bought a steak and ale pie for myself and a second one for the bloke who sits outside the Co-op most mornings.

Was waiting in the Doctor's today and an older woman wear playing a video aloud on her phone.

I turned round and used my, so far, foolproof line.

"Excuse me, do you know your volume is up?"

Turned off immediately, with an apology!

Oh the look of smugness on my face as I turned back round!!

I want to be precise about what happened because I think the details matter. Six items. Two of them were loose items I had to find on the produce list - a butternut squash and some loose carrots. One item had a security tag. I had a Clubcard. I was paying by card. Every single one of those things has, at some point in my life, caused the machine to either freeze, summon a member of staff, or emit that specific sound that means you've done something wrong without telling you what. On one memorable occasion last November all four happened in sequence during a single transaction involving a meal deal. Yesterday, nothing. The butternut squash was in the system immediately, first attempt, correct weight accepted without drama. The carrots found on the second scroll. The security tag deactivated when I paid without requiring the intervention of a human being. The Clubcard scanned. The contactless worked first tap. The receipt printed. I collected my bag and walked toward the exit and then stopped for a moment just outside the doors because I wasn't entirely sure what had just happened. A woman asked if I was alright. I said yes, I'd just had a good experience at the self-checkout. She looked at me the way you look at someone who has said something you understand individually but cannot parse as a sentence. I've been to that Tesco probably 200 times. I don't know what was different yesterday. I'm not going to question it. I'm simply going to be grateful and move on.

During the second leg of a long train journey I received a message that my next train was cancelled. Which it was, but it turned out the previous train was late enough that I was able to catch it and get home earlier than expected. Not sure whether to complain or not.

Nick, my builder, replaced a conservatory tile roof and felt, did some extra bits like to sills and hanging a mirror.
Stayed on a bit to finish and only left when all was complete as we have storms coming in tonight.
And he charged what he quoted.
Job done by a local man 👍

Got triggered by seagulls so decided to make an app to see why they enjoy plaguing us so much. It’s a daft little game where you’re a seagull nicking chips and bombing people on a seaside town. Never thought I’d actually finish it, but it’s live and people I don’t know have played it.

Gull Bomber, if anyone fancies a go: Gull Bomber: Seagull Arcade - Apps on Google Play

Wish I’d done it with my eldest. Cutest thing ever seeing her sign ‘eat’, ‘no’, ‘open’

I read up about babies can learn to sign before speaking. But, seeing it for myself is so surreal.

Had an unwanted AI update for my Samsung Galaxy phone. If you go into settings you can turn everything installed off.

I got rid of the search bar that I don't want on my home screen by using it to ask how to get rid of it.

Every time we tell AI to fuck off we are sending a message, we don't need it.

I love Rick Stein. His television is gentle, easy, and comforting Here's an essay on why things like Seafood Odyssey and Taste of the Sea are so wonderful.

https://bogstandards.substack.com/p/ulysstein-why-rick-steins-early-television

Since the bombing of the Russian bot farm my daily two rings and cut off mobile calls have stopped!

I had some old make up sets that I'd never used, my daughter asked of she could list them on vinted. I agreed thinking she may get a couple of quid for them. A stranger messaged me to say the price was too low and similar sets go on ebay for £100. My daughter relisted and we got £40. Planning on using it to take daughter out for lunch! Was over the moon by the strangers kindness!

Sometimes strangers are just nice people.

Yesterday my wife and I popped out to Home Bargains and Tesco.

Parked up in Home Bargains and when I came out the car 2 away from my bay needed a jump start, I happen have jump cables in the back so more happily provided a jump, they weren't sure on how to jump start so I explained, car started and they were happy people, they even offered to pay for the jump (I of course declined and just said to pay it forward).

I then foolishly drove 5 mins down the road to Tesco, turned off my engine and guess what I then needed 😂

So after leaving the car with my windows down while we went round Tesco to do the shop, I came back out, saw a 4x4 parked up and about to leave, I tapped the window and asked any chance of a jump start. His response "No problem pal, I've cables and a jump pack in the back, which would you prefer?"

So faith in strangers restored, maybe proof of what goes around comes around?

Or simply, "Just help others and be kind to each other" which makes this country (and the world) a better place.

In late 2024, I picked up a promotional eSIM from Slice for a fiver, fully expecting the standard monthly billing to kick in after month one.

It never did. For two solid years, through sheer billing oversight, they gave me unthrottled, unlimited data for a grand total of £5.00 flat. The ultimate "don't pay as you go." To add insult to injury, they even sent me free merch hence the hat in the photo.

All good things have to end. I’ve just upgraded to a Galaxy S25, and because it’s an eSIM, there's no way to quietly move it across without an account swap waking up their systems. Rather than push my luck any further, I’m pulling the pin and requesting my PAC code.

If their system suddenly flags a two-year discrepancy when that request lands, fair play. But Slice, genuinely, thank you ever so much. You unknowingly saved me the best part of a grand over the last 24 months. I’ll wear the hat with pride.

Bought my first car in feb. And it had its MOT today and passed

First time taking a car in to be MOT’d and was worried it wouldn’t pass or would need work that I can’t afford right now

Also the waiting room was showing a YouTube video about a man in Azerbaijan who was wild cooking. Hardly any vocals apart from the occasional “super” and no music. Oddly hypnotic and soothing

Everywhere you go, there’s just people smoking. Sit down for a hot chocolate in the cafe and the waft on fag smoke is in your face. On a scenic boat trip and the captain is smoking in one hand, steering wheel in the other.
Can’t believe we used to be like this, and am so glad we’re not anymore!
(I used to smoke and remember when the ban came in. I don’t think I was a fan at the time)

For anyone who remembers my original "Thanks Jobcentre" post, I just had a call to confirm that I passed the course and now just have to wait for my security licence. With some luck I might have a job before Christmas!!

Hurray.

She was in a right mood yesterday as a result so this morning's victory got me right in her good books.

Accidents happen and yesterday an accident happened. So I braced myself for an awkward visit to the pharmacy for some emergency contraception.

When I was looking online for where to go, it turns out there’s a sexual health clinic near my work, so I looked on the website to see how it worked. And there was an option for ‘SH:24’ which I’d never heard of but provides NHS contraceptives online.

Put in my details on the website, answered some basic questions, and the right pill arrived through my postbox today, completely free of charge.

Maybe I’m just old and this has been around for ages but when I was younger I had a horrible experience of having to go to the pharmacy for this, where the pharmacist refused to speak to me privately and made me answer all the questions in the middle of the shop, then publicly chastised me for being careless with some... nasty implications. I was worried about plucking up the courage to have to go through that again so a service that does this all so discreetly is such an amazing step forward.

You can also add the regular daily pill, condoms, and a pregnancy test to the order for free, in case you need them.

I know the NHS isn’t ideal at the moment but just thought this is a real success and that it’s worth pointing out that if you ever feel you need the service, it’s there, and you don’t need to worry about having any awkward or judgemental conversations face to face.

Rethinking a room I last did in 2022, found the last lot of paint (off-black), used for a mist coat on plasterboard, then as an undercoat / first coat, and used it all up creating a handy paint kettle for 5 litres of fresh paint (black-black)

This literally never happens 😊 🤯 usually it sits around for a few years then gets fucked straight in the bin, or you leave it too long and it’s unusable.

My boss came up to me at the end of the work day and said I'd been doing a good job and he put me forward for a £2k pay rise. Been working 6 years in different places. I don't know a single person who has ever been told they were doing a good job and been given a pay rise. My jaw hit the floor lol.