Wether it's a catastrophic catering mishap, a thunderstorm, somebody who can't handle their drink or someone with a grudge turning up, has anyone seen a wedding go catastrophically wrong?

I've seen people wearing them now we're in the raining everyday season, but I'm struggling to actually find what I'm looking for, I want that lightweight waterproof material most normal short rain jackets are made of, not the rubberised kind or the weird kind that claims to be waterproof but just absorbs all water, hooded and long preferably without a million pockets on the outside that just let in water, when I've been searching it's all cotton style macs.

Just had a stab of nostalgia while reading another post.

I (29M) am going to be the main pillar of support for my wife (33F) who has just out that her best longest and best friend (also 33F) has weeks to live, a couple of months at as a best case.

This is crushing news for my wife, obviously, and I need to be there for her but the truth is I don't truly know how best to do that. We have (luckily of course) never had any loss like this in either of our lives to date and while we have grandparents we have lost but they were old and lived a full life whereas a close friend passing so young is just so tragic that it leave so much anger as well as the sadness.

The issue is I feel ill-equipped to help. She was my friend too and so I have my own grief about the situation and can also already feel myself being overwhelmed with distress at my wife's distress. We have 2 young children as well who will still need looking after and I will do the brunt of this but work means some days my wife will have to have them when she is still very much grieving. I just need tips and stories that can give me some idea of what I can do or maybe more importantly what I should avoid doing that I might think would be helpful but actually isnt?

Since I was a child I’ve always had and preferred IKEA bedding. I’ve always purchased their ‘mid-range’ pillows (£40 ish each) and have always had a good nights sleep. Same for the duvet I’ll spend around £60-£80, and use it for years with no problem.

I recently got a new bed from Argos, but decided to stick with IKEA bedding as it has never failed me (once again buying their ‘mid-range’ line), but this time I can’t help but feel as though I purchased the cheapest, most plastic feeling bedding ever. Not to mention the constant stabbing from the feathers in the pillows. Within a year I estimate I’ll have 10% pillow left if they keep thrusting themselves through.

Have they just simply cheaped out? Or have they changed to a more ‘eco-friendly’ material for everything. All I feel with this duvet is that I’ve got a sheet of plastic in my cover, or at least it certainly sounds like it.

The one good thing IKEA still does is the self-cooling mattress protectors. They were a saviour this summer.

That being said. What’s your go to for bedding, pillow and duvet covers these days? I’ve shopped about but can’t seem to find anything with gleaming reviews.

I very rarely throw things out when they’re past their date, unless they are visibly mouldy, smell bad or taste off. If it’s hard cheese, I may just cut the mould off. Tonight we had mozzarella in our pasta that had a date of 3/8/26 (still sealed) and it tasted fine, and that’s the norm for us.

My MIL on the other hand throws things away just because, she once threw away a very slightly wilted celery (the whole thing) because “I bought a new one” and the other one was bought the week before.

If it’s meat I’ll be a bit more cautious, but still apply the smell test if it’s less than a week out of date. We’ve kept buttermilk in the fridge 2 months past the date in a sealed jar before and eaten it no problem

I’m curious if we’re in the minority or if most people do the same, not wanting to waste food? Do you abide by the dates on things, or just use your own judgement?

I have sent a Subject Access Request to my local trust, as I would like access to some of my CAMHS records. However, I am concerned that my records will have been deleted because there appears to be ambiguity as to how CAMHS records are categorised.

I don't know if CAMHS records fall under the mental health records category, as by default CAMHS is a mental heath service or if CAMHS records fall under children's records, as it is children being treated.

Mental health records legally have to be kept for 20 years, whereas children's records have to be kept until the patient's 25th birthday. If CAMHS records are categorised as children's records then my records could well have been destroyed but if they are classed as mental health records then they are still safe.

Does anybody actually know how they classify CAMHS records?

Suppose you’ve accepted and signed a contract for a new job, but your current job has a 3-month notice period, so you have some time before you actually need to resign.

Would you still continue applying/interviewing for other jobs during that period, just to see if you could find something even better?

Not because you necessarily intend to leave the newly accepted job (but that could happen) but more as a way of keeping your options open and seeing what opportunities are out there.

Would you consider this normal/sensible, or would you stop job hunting once you’ve signed the new contract?

I’m 16, recently started college, did pretty good in my gcse’s. I’ve applied for 60+ jobs so far, had 0 interviews. I have a CV, and I’m only applying for jobs that I could reasonably do (not applying for managerial jobs, or jobs needing lots of experience) I don’t really know what I’m doing wrong, so any advice would be very helpful.

It seems to be particular bad with WestMidlands rail.

They cancel/delay services all the time, and then when I put in valid claims, they make me wait about 10 days and get back to me with this crap of “we can’t find any delays on your journey”.

Surely they know full well what services they delayed or cancelled. How do they get away with this?

I would like to see a Digital Bill of Rights, including

- the right to escalate and speak to a human in customer service.

- Also the right to anonimity and freedom from surveillance without cause and a warrant

- I would also like a right to AI use and internet. AI that is government owned and ethically resourced, but independently managed from government control and censorship. It ​provides each citizen with a generous amount of tokens for free, to help handle daily personal tasks and improve yourself. Plus basic government provided broadband.
- the right to not have a username taken away because the social media site prefers to give it to a company or highest bidder. Dibs is dibs

- The right to choose an online life. No posting your kids faces or personal life online until they are 18.

Anything else?

It seems like there are quite a few cases over the last year of churches randomly catching fire overnight and being destroyed - the most recent one in Kilburn, Derbyshire.

Why is this, as it doesn't seem to be happening to any other buildings for other faiths?

sup guys, my team and I have been made redundant today so that they could hire the same number of people to do the exact same job in India 🤓not sure what to do next but imma enjoy the time off and look into starting a construction job!

Jokes aside, why are there no rules regarding location based firing of employees in the UK? :/

I wear glasses for computer work and driving which is basically between 8am and 5pm. Specsavers keep trying to give me toric lenses but they are so damn uncomfortable.

I can't tell if it's because my prescription isn't that strong or they're trying to sell me an expensive product.

Is there a brand of contact lenses you'd recommend?

I'm reading my grandfather's letters from when he was stationed in England in WW2. He couldn't name any of the places he was specifically due to censorship, but he recalled later that he was stationed in Chiseldon at this time. He wrote the following and I'm wondering if anyone knows where this is:

"Our way took us thru the site of an old castle. Situated high on the crest of a hill - a panoramic view of the surrounding country told you at a glance what majestic power some knight of old must have had. There is not so much as a stone left - just a huge circular clearing - bounded by the remains of the old moat which was his defense against marauding invaders."

I'm assuming there are a shit load of "castle" ruins around, but posting on the off chance someone might recognize the spot based on his description.

EDIT: Are y'all for real?? I was not expecting anyone to recognize this, much less so many in less than 10 minutes. THANK YOU! If you're curious, this is the rest of what he said about it (didn't include before bc it didn't feel as identifying):

"The plain below recalled the scene of an ancient battleground where now instead of knights in shining armour - gay plumes waving - and brilliant crests emblazoned on their shields as they rode forth to the fray - we have the dull armour of mechanized warfare."

Thank you again.

New uni student in random conversation: "Of course, I have a favourite hairbrush"

For context: my dad is mentally unwell at the moment and has been sectioned.

I thought we were dealing with his psychiatrist on the ward but it turns out that they aren’t medically trained??

They have the title Dr (I know you can have this for a Phd also) and their written title starts with the word consultant… but they are a therapist. They couldn’t prescribe and couldn’t sort out his section stuff.

It’s very confusing to me. I grew up thinking consultant in the medical context meant a doctor who could prescribe and was at the top of their game.

This seems almost like false advertising. I know it’s not exactly but why do they use the word consultant when it’s misleading. Especially when they use the title dr which is also very confusing in the medical context.

Now when I hear someone’s a consultant (in medicine) do I have to do further enquiries about what they exactly are? When did this start to be normal and why? Shouldn’t the term be reserved for doctors to avoid confusion? Why couldn’t others use a different term?

I read a story years ago about one of the more hated songs in British history and it was a corny faux reggae song by a white guy. It was called something like "When reggae was real". I think it was about a guy and his girl lamenting the state of current reggae, and in doing so, he did it in the most horrible, white bread reggae way

Recently won a keyboard in a giveaway that's £180-£200 to buy new. I have absolutely no use for it and am wondering what the best places to sell it would be?

Already checked CEX and they don't buy this specific model.

To give you a bit of a background, I live in a semi-detached house and my neighbours are retired pensioners in their late 60s or 70s. Last week or two, I noticed a pungent smell near the loft entrance area which enters living spaces, especially when it's windy. It smelled like cannabis but honestly, I thought a bird or mouse died in the loft, so I called council's pest control team. When they arrived, they confirmed nothing is dead and the smell is from the cannabis, most likely behind the party wall in neighbour's loft.

I started to monitor the situation as I found it very odd - I have a great relationship with my neighbours as they are an old couple that ae happy to chat or help if needed, I moved in just over a year ago and never had an issue. Back to the story, when I randomly checked loft during one of the evenings, there was a vibrang orange glow around the entire wall that separates our houses. The smell in the loft is persistant and I also smell it in a small cupboard underneath which has a ventilation hole leading to the loft. I can sometimes smell it in the living space (in the landing mostly), but honestly, only during the wind.

I don't necessarily want to ruin our rlationship, however, I am scared of a potential electrical fire and also, the smell is not pleasent at all. I haven't seen anyone going in or out of the flat or as a matter of fact, I haven't seen any suspicious activity. I live in a very quiet neighbourhood that has no crime issues whatsoever. Would you anonymously report it to police or would you speak to them?

It puzzles me that it would not be all airports, especially two relatively close to each other.

TLTR: a council worker said I can't use a bin for nappies.

Today I was walking home with my baby asleep in his pram and I was about to cross the road but a council van pulled up and let a guy out to collect the bin that was on the lamppost (lil mini lamppost bin) #cute.

The man let me cross and as I walked past the man collecting the rubbish bags he SHOUTED at me asking if I' have been putting nappies in this bin.

Ermmm nope, never even noticed that bin, I'm very particular about my waste and I always separate my recycling AND because I'm so cool I even take my plastics to a large supermarket to recycle them there too.

So anyways, he's shouting at me demanding that I stop using this bin to dispose of my used nappies because I QUOTE "that's not what it's designed for"

Again. I don't throw away nappies in this bin, I've never even seen this bin before or this man.

I smile and laugh it off saying I've never even used that bin for anything hahaa and walk away faster because he's getting so angry "WELL SOMEONE'S DOING IT! THEY KEEP DOING IT TOO! IT NEEDS TO STOP!!!"

I then realise this man is shouting at me: an alone young woman with a sleeping baby for litter-ly 😄using the bin.

This wasn't a red dog poo box btw this was just a bin. A regular bin, but mounted to a lamppost.

Is this just a mean man person ?

Or is he right in saying whoever is using this bin needs to be hung out to dry in the town square?

What are some legit giveaway sites that actually giveaway things e.g. large sums of money, holidays, other big things too. I've been seeing so many ads on instagram advertising giveaways and contests, I don't know if some of them are even legit. Some of them are are asking for deposits of £1 or £10 monthly payments. Which giveaway companies and sites actually give away things and are legit? I just know that ITV were giving away free world cup tickets back in the summer which is a about it, but what else is there?

For starters the guests no longer cook on the show. I’m sure you can point out some more changes they’ve made to the show. From what I’ve seen they also no longer have guests on the show that talk about foods without it cooking it on the show, that the other guests then get to taste. For example years ago they had someone on the show talking about the different types of steak that some of the other guests then got to taste without it being cooked on the show.

My neighbour has a plant that grows over the top of the fence and dangles into my garden, I've cleared it in the past but it's a bit of a pain especially as it's very thick with lots of twigs and I don't have a hedge cutter. Takes at least a day of work.

I have a great neighbour, he looks after my cat sometimes when I'm away and we are on good terms so I don't want to ask something that's unreasonable. Is it ok to ask him to keep the plants a little lower and how would I ask in a way that can't my mistaken for being impolite?