WAMT....what annoyed me today!

Nod said:
Had to dispose of a G-Plan sofa a couple of years ago. The webbing had given up the ghost and the cushions were losing the comfort. Then again, it had come down with Mrs Nod's parents when they came down about 45 years ago so it had done well! The IKEA replacement probably won't last as long but seems to be lasting OK so far.
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Our ikea sofa is approaching ten years old and the only damage is feline related...
 
I hate cats :mad:
 
If that's because of the number of birds they take, presumably you hate birds too...
 
I think 'hate' is the wrong word Nod. I very much dislike cats. We have had cats as pets/guests in the past, 3 in total. They just live with you, zero company.
 
Norkie said:
I think 'hate' is the wrong word Nod. I very much dislike cats. We have had cats as pets/guests in the past, 3 in total. They just live with you, zero company.
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Our last cat was very much one for company. She would sit on the sofa between me & my Mrs almost every night, and like to bring us "treats" (mainly mice & worms). She was 12 when we lost her to cancer. That was almost 20 years ago now, and we are just considering getting a rescue cat now I've retired.
 
Jelster said:
Our last cat was very much one for company. She would sit on the sofa between me & my Mrs almost every night, and like to bring us "treats" (mainly mice & worms). She was 12 when we lost her to cancer. That was almost 20 years ago now, and we are just considering getting a rescue cat now I've retired.
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We had a Siamese, 'Ming' we named her. She would bring treats home for us, usually rabbits!!
 
Our cat was hugely sociable - almost too much so when she was Mum and Dad's (we took her on when Dad died). She would visit their neighbours for cuddles and fussing.
 
Nod said:
Our cat was hugely sociable - almost too much so when she was Mum and Dad's (we took her on when Dad died). She would visit their neighbours for cuddles and fussing.
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Our cats are sociable too especially one of them always wants company
 
Could have been worse - could have been Dr.Ava Bollokov.
 
Think it was BBC News yesterday talking about the increase in energy costs. Went to the home of someone who was struggling etc... and 2 things struck me. First, she was just in a sleeveless top, so not that cold then! Also she looked like she had plenty of money to eat, as she was a fair size!
 
WAMT was having my photo taken. Had to be done though - passport renewal time! Last time I can remember having my photo taken (rather than being in a candid group shot) was 10 years ago for the old passport!
 
cambsno said:
Think it was BBC News yesterday talking about the increase in energy costs. Went to the home of someone who was struggling etc... and 2 things struck me. First, she was just in a sleeveless top, so not that cold then! Also she looked like she had plenty of money to eat, as she was a fair size!
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I criticised grossly-overweight people until my wife pointed out that it could be thyroid problem..ie a medical condition rather than just over-eating. There are quite a few medical conditions that lead to involuntary obesity. Could be overeating in the example you've mentioned but I now keep an open mind. Where I draw the line at giving the benefit of the doubt is when I see them eating junk food..especially super-sized junk food ,at that.
 
This annoyed me yesterday.

We flew home from Tenerife yesterday and a taxi collected us from the airport. First off, when we departed on February 4th the taxi driver..the same one who collected us yesterday, stopped the taxi at the drop-off point which was quite a step from the terminal, especially with two large suitcases, two carry-ons and my camera bag. We're not youngsters anymore,either. and it was 8.00am and very cold. My wife told the driver that his colleague dropped us off at the designated area close to the terminal entrance last November. So..he relented and did that. I then realised that he had to pay £6 to gain access via a barrier to the area close to the terminal entrance.. The cost of the taxi covers this £6 so he would have pocketed it.

Fast forward to our return . It went like this. You need to note the times.

The plane was due to land at 2100. It was going to leave 15-20 minutes late so my wife fired off a text at 1652 , from the plane... we were onboard on the runway... to the taxi driver to inform him of this but saying that, most likely, time would be made up and we should arrive at the scheduled time of 2100. In the event we arrived 20 minutes late at 2120.

At 2131 my wife received a text message from the company ..not the driver..stating that the taxi had arrived, gave the registration number of it and asked us to look out for it and thanked us for using the company. It obviously has a GPS tracker.

Two minutes later at 2133 a text arrived from the driver in repsonse to my wife's text she'd sent when were were on the runway at Tenerife (1652) .

"Thanks. I will be there at exact same drop-off location at 9.00pm .I'm waiting around the airport let me know when you arrive"

Of course,it takes time to get off the plane itself,then go through passport control,then luggage claim. We called him from outside the terminal building and went to the drop-off/collect point and got into the taxi whereupon he told me he had been there from 9.00pm and it was now 10.00pm and the rules are that he can charge me £10 and that he works to the time of arrival as stated at the time of booking....ie 2100. That was that. We arrived home. We knew the cost was £110 each-way but he handed me the card machine and I had to pay £120. I'd paid for that hour he'd said he had to wait. My wife was unlocking the front door and was unaware I'd paid £120 instead of £110 until I mentioned it this morning when she came to me, having read the texts and realised he'd said he would be at the airport at 2100 with the text showing it had been sent at 2133 and the text from the company stating the car had arrived at 2131.

My wife called the company this morning . The lady taking the call coudn't believe what she was being told. She also said it was ridiculous to go by the time of touch-down when there was passport and luggage-claim to go through. Their drivers allow for this. The boss wasnt' in but she wrote everything down..ie the wording of the texts and the times and said we will get the £10 back. Is it possible he sent the text before 2100 but it didn't 'send' until 2131 ? I notice that happens with Emails. Eg Sent at ,say 2100 but come in to my Inbox..I hear a chime.. much later. I doubt it not when you consider what he tried to do re the £6 drop-off charge I mentioned.

I could be wrong,I suppose, but my guess is that he didn't think my wife would notice the timings on the texts as we're not of the tech generation..both retired but my wife is pretty sharp re today's technology which is why she does all the texting and online bookings for us including booking a window seat for my photo ops.. I have a saying in life . You are not the only one 'that' will have happened to" This especially applies to where you are confronted with a rude retail assistant. You will not be the first he/she has been rude to so make a complaint.

We look forward to hearing from the manager in the next 24/48 hours.
 
JohnC6 said:
I criticised grossly-overweight people until my wife pointed out that it could be thyroid problem..ie a medical condition rather than just over-eating. There are quite a few medical conditions that lead to involuntary obesity. Could be overeating in the example you've mentioned but I now keep an open mind. Where I draw the line at giving the benefit of the doubt is when I see them eating junk food..especially super-sized junk food ,at that.
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"The first law of thermodynamics, when applied to diet and overeating, essentially states that if you consume more calories (energy intake) than you burn (energy expenditure), the excess energy will be stored in the body as fat, leading to weight gain; conversely, if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight, as your body will utilize stored energy reserves to compensate for the deficit."

So underlying health problems or not you still need to be consuming too much food to gain weight, and short of being force fed this is in the control of the individual (y)

D
 
Willid1 said:
"The first law of thermodynamics, when applied to diet and overeating, essentially states that if you consume more calories (energy intake) than you burn (energy expenditure), the excess energy will be stored in the body as fat, leading to weight gain; conversely, if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight, as your body will utilize stored energy reserves to compensate for the deficit."

So underlying health problems or not you still need to be consuming too much food to gain weight, and short of being force fed this is in the control of the individual (y)

D
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It's not quite like that. Most of us eat many more calories than we use, but much of the excess is excreted. To lose weight through restricting intake alone can be quite difficult.
 
ancient_mariner said:
It's not quite like that. Most of us eat many more calories than we use, but much of the excess is excreted. To lose weight through restricting intake alone can be quite difficult.
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As my A-level biology teacher told us, more than 50 years ago, biology is not an exact science.

It's largely empirical. I've been keeping a food and weight diary for thirty years now and my experience is that there is a general link between consumption and weight. 200 calories of consumption is very roughly 100 grams of body weight, gain or loss. Of course, excercise is another causal agent and there are others but that relationship serves well enough for my needs.
 
JohnC6 said:
I criticised grossly-overweight people until my wife pointed out that it could be thyroid problem..ie a medical condition rather than just over-eating. There are quite a few medical conditions that lead to involuntary obesity. Could be overeating in the example you've mentioned but I now keep an open mind. Where I draw the line at giving the benefit of the doubt is when I see them eating junk food..especially super-sized junk food ,at that.
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I had to wait in a traffic queue today due a halfwit pulling out in front of someone outside a McDonald's restaurant. It's quite amazing to see how so many people with thyroid problems all eat there. It was like watching a David Attenborough documentary about feeding elephants - for fifteen minutes I watched several dozens of 'problem-thyroid sufferers' walking out stuffing their faces and carrying armfuls of food. :coat:
 
Willid1 said:
"The first law of thermodynamics, when applied to diet and overeating, essentially states that if you consume more calories (energy intake) than you burn (energy expenditure), the excess energy will be stored in the body as fat, leading to weight gain; conversely, if you consume fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight, as your body will utilize stored energy reserves to compensate for the deficit."

So underlying health problems or not you still need to be consuming too much food to gain weight, and short of being force fed this is in the control of the individual (y)
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Normally, yes, take in more energy in the form of calories and don't expend it with excercise/ heavy work etc you will put on weight but I've attached a couple of exceptions.


Sky said:
I had to wait in a traffic queue today due a halfwit pulling out in front of someone outside a McDonald's restaurant. It's quite amazing to see how so many people with thyroid problems all eat there. It was like watching a David Attenborough documentary about feeding elephants - for fifteen minutes I watched several dozens of 'problem-thyroid sufferers' walking out stuffing their faces and carrying armfuls of food. :coat:
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Come on Trevor..you're better than to post a response like that. That's a silly response. I did not say that all obese people have a thyroid or other medical condition that predisposes them to obesity. I just said that overeating was what I used to think until I said that to my wife when I saw an obese lady one day and she pointed out to me it might not be just down to overeating.

So..here's a condition that would still cause problems re weight no matter how hard someone tried to reduce calorie intake. It's about how the body deals with what the affected people do eat.


Re Hypothyroidism
www.verywellhealth.com

Diet and Weight Loss Tips for People With Hypothyroidism

Weight gain is common when you have thyroid disease. For ideas on how to lose weight with hypothyroidism, follow these tips for eating well and staying active.
www.verywellhealth.com www.verywellhealth.com

Cushing's Syndrome https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cushings-syndrome/

"Symptoms of Cushing's syndrome can start suddenly or gradually. They tend to get slowly worse if not treated.One of the main signs is weight gain and more body fat"........

Prader-Willi Syndrome.
www.mayoclinic.org

Prader-Willi syndrome - Symptoms and causes

www.mayoclinic.org www.mayoclinic.org

"Prader-Willi (PRAH-dur VIL-e) syndrome is a rare genetic condition that leads to physical, mental and behavioral problems. A key feature of Prader-Willi syndrome is a sense of being hungry all the time"

www.healthline.com

10 Leading Causes of Weight Gain and Obesity

Saying that obesity is only a matter of willpower is nonsense. There are many factors involved, both internal and external, that affect our eating behavior.
www.healthline.com www.healthline.com
"Nevertheless, claims that behavior is purely a function of willpower is far too simplistic."
 
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AndrewFlannigan said:
As my A-level biology teacher told us, more than 50 years ago, biology is not an exact science.

It's largely empirical. I've been keeping a food and weight diary for thirty years now and my experience is that there is a general link between consumption and weight. 200 calories of consumption is very roughly 100 grams of body weight, gain or loss. Of course, excercise is another causal agent and there are others but that relationship serves well enough for my needs.
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Eating sugary things may also make the weight gain happen more readily than eating the same calorific intake as protein of fat. Having a faster metabolism (for many reasons) will also mean a person burns more calories in the same environment than a person with a slower metabolism. Of course, starving people will drop their weight, though one may have to really starve some individuals for a significant weight loss, just as over-feeding can make much less difference in some cases.

McD was mentioned. Very highly processed foods of this type, often bought by poor people, will commonly contribute heavily to obesity, even though they aren't necessarily eating a *lot* of food.
 
I am overweight and concerned but seeing a consultant to see if it can be fixed. The cause is through taking prescribed pills (Steroids). I do not eat junk food and have cut my intake of all food considerably. I do have lunch at a pub once a week after playing tennis but only drink water; I stopped drinking beer around 4 years ago. The consultant prescribed a different drug which might have allowed him to reduce the steroids except the new drug made me rather more ill. He is now trying yet another variation but I am not very hopeful of success. No alcohol is allowed with these new drugs. I am sure some of the obese might have similar problems but probably only a small percentage.

Dave
 
Dave Canon said:
I am overweight and concerned
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One thing I've noticed is that "overweight" isn't an absolute matter.

Books and the internatter will tell you that you have to fit within a certain weight for your height. However, different doctors, in my experience, hold different opinions on the advantages of following the BMI system. The NHS has gradually changed its policies in regard to BMI (and weight generally) as indicated by this page...

www.nhs.uk

Calculate your body mass index (BMI) for adults - NHS

Check your BMI to find out if you're a healthy weight for your height, and get advice on what to do next. This BMI calculator is for people over 18 years old.
www.nhs.uk www.nhs.uk
 
WAMY was forgetting my teef. Wouldn't have been a problem if we hadn't gone out for lunch!!! Good job the soup was delicious.
 
Just seen on our local FB page, that a few people have had letters from Southern Water, saying that their annual bills would rise by 47% this year. So, I guess that is me and others paying for the constant leaks and sewage releases into the rivers:mad:
 
andya700 said:
Just seen on our local FB page, that a few people have had letters from Southern Water, saying that their annual bills would rise by 47% this year. So, I guess that is me and others paying for the constant leaks and sewage releases into the rivers:mad:
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It's appalling what these water companies..most are foreign-owned..have got away. What on earth has OFWAT been doing all these years ? It's not fit for purpose. They reckon since privatisation that £66bn (fines are written into their business model) has been paid out in dividends and now we are all paying for them to upgrade their systems..especially re sewage. I think what would stop it is the CEO having to take personal responsibility for sewage discharge but,of course,they don't have the infrastructure to deal with it and it's either a river or back up the toilet pipes into homes. Thames Water is a disgrace. How was it allowewd to get near bankrupcy ? February 18th..ie last month..not last year.


LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - "Britain's Thames Water secured court approval for a 3 billion pound ($3.8 billion) debt lifeline on Tuesday, warding off the collapse and state rescue of the country's biggest water supplier"

Oh look Lol..Your water company is 'excited' re the 2025-30 investment programme which customers will be paying 47% more..but hey..it's just the cost of a cup of coffee a week..

Why is my bill going up? | Southern Water

We understand that bill increases are worrying. We're here to help explain why we’re increasing charges, where your money will be spent and how we can support you.
www.southernwater.co.uk www.southernwater.co.uk

We’re excited that we’ve been given the go ahead for our biggest ever investment programme from 2025–30
 
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We've been without mobile access for 3 days, all we get from the provider is that the problem is taking longer then expected and we should use wifi calling, ok until you leave the hiuse
Today I called the company and git a total idiot who said I should restart my phone as that would sort sort, couldn't make him understand that the whole area is out not just and when I drove to a local supermarket this morning about 5 miles away its was fine.
Reminded me of the old days when you had internet problems and person you talked to seemed to have set answers and nothing else
Gave up with him and rang through again, this time I get a very nice young lady, who although couldn't give me a definite answer did at least try and find out a
 
Gremlin said:
Reminded me of the old days when you had internet problems and person you talked to seemed to have set answers and nothing else
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Bad luck. I haven't heard of an answer like that for a long time. Years ago we lost out internet. The bloke on the"help desk" wanted me to go through the whole thing of trying to restart my PC and the internet to make sure the problem wasn't my PC despite me saying none of the five devices we had in the house could access the internet.

Dave
 
Tringa said:
Bad luck. I haven't heard of an answer like that for a long time. Years ago we lost out internet. The bloke on the"help desk" wanted me to go through the whole thing of trying to restart my PC and the internet to make sure the problem wasn't my PC despite me saying none of the five devices we had in the house could access the internet.

Dave
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Yes that is exactly what it seemed like. Back then he wanted me to go and buy a new router, we'd had no internet for over a week. Spoke to BT and they put us back online with them, I cancelled my account with Tiscali and they said I had to pay another month, cancelled the DD as well and heard nothing more.
Everything sorted this morning and a month's payment returned for inconvenience
 
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Tringa said:
Bad luck. I haven't heard of an answer like that for a long time. Years ago we lost out internet. The bloke on the"help desk" wanted me to go through the whole thing of trying to restart my PC and the internet to make sure the problem wasn't my PC despite me saying none of the five devices we had in the house could access the internet.

Dave
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I used to be with TalkTalk and was with them for a lot of years, but found my speed dropped considerably over the years and also the relatability of the connection worse too..... One day a couple of years ago my connection was down again and so I phoned them up..... the help desk started going through his script of getting me to check my end.... things I had already checked.... Despite telling them I'd already done those things the rep insisted that the problem was not their network and wanted to send a new router out for me to try as that was basically the next step on their script..... I'd already tried a different router with no improvement. I worked on data and signal transmission systems for many years as part of my job so know quite a bit about fault finding and yet they refused to listen to anything I was telling them. In the end I said to them don't bother sending a new router and I would initiate switching suppliers.... As soon as I ended the phone I started my search and soon signed up with a new supplier. Result was a much improved connection and speed
 
Been with EE since the days of Orange but since BTs takeover it decidedly poor, last 3 weeks has been intermittent slow connection speed and no service, I keep message updates ‘we’re working on it but only short periods of normal service. Time to visit or call and ask for restitution, I feel a change of provider coming on.
 
Anything the other side of the fence is always greener!!!
 
We have been with Plusnet for a very long time and in the main they have been very good and IMO that is helped by having very active community forum where the customer service agents get involved too.
 
Box Brownie said:
We have been with Plusnet for a very long time and in the main they have been very good and IMO that is helped by having very active community forum where the customer service agents get involved too.
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I left EE and moved to Plusnet a fer years ago when BT almost doubled my broadband charges
and Plusnet were offer a good price, luckily it was only a 12 month contract, couln.t wait to get away from them
Speed kept dropping, loss connection frequently and as for the mobile network, useless and no wifi calling
Went back to EE and not had that many problems, in this case it was the first person I talked no the company.
When my contract ended last year they offered my a great broadband deal that was cheaper then before and a new phone deal for £10 a month unlimited everything
 
Gremlin said:
I left EE and moved to Plusnet a fer years ago when BT almost doubled my broadband charges
and Plusnet were offer a good price, luckily it was only a 12 month contract, couln.t wait to get away from them
Speed kept dropping, loss connection frequently and as for the mobile network, useless and no wifi calling
Went back to EE and not had that many problems, in this case it was the first person I talked no the company.
When my contract ended last year they offered my a great broadband deal that was cheaper then before and a new phone deal for £10 a month unlimited everything
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I may be stating what you already know?

BT own both PlusNet and EE, though like any such structures each company are independent of each other though of course in regard broadband both EE and Plusnet will be using the BT backhaul connections.

We moved our landline to Plusnet a few years back.....as that gave us a better deal especially as they matched the BT package of line rental and free landline calls package. This same deal I have been able to repeat as needed.

As for mobile ~ I too had the PN mobile SIM and was peeved when they ceased to offer what was an EE based service.

However, I switched to EE and the deal I got for mobile was, as both myself & my OH are low data users......so got the same pocket worthy deal for both of us.

Looking ahead, there is of course the phasing out and closing down the landline analogue service. Though quite when still seems a little vague.....as such when my 2 year contract comes up in 2026 it will be interesting to hear what the PN Options Team will suggest;)
 
Box Brownie said:
I may be stating what you already know?

BT own both PlusNet and EE, though like any such structures each company are independent of each other though of course in regard broadband both EE and Plusnet will be using the BT backhaul connections.
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You are and I may ne stating the obvious to say that they BT & EE are now one supplier, "New EE"
BT used to the the landlline and BB side -, EE mobile phone and Plusnet the add on

When I finally gave up of Netlix due to a problem that wan't getting fixed, EE checked the line from the exchange to my home and all was running well until I lost the connection a week later . Rang EE and they checked my my line and told me there was a problem they would get it checked. A while later it all came back on line and I get a call from an engineer on behalf of Netflix to tell me there was no problem, told him I knew that and was no longer with them,
nice to hear It would have be another week with slow internet before they sorted !!!
More recently a new neighbour moved in and she had her BB installed by Netflix, they managed to cut me off just as I was doing something important on line. Seems Netflix use Morrison Telecoms and 2 inexperience engineers we doing the installation. 5 Hours later I was still waiting so rang EE, 30 mins later an Openreach engineer came and sorted it , won't mention what
the others had done.,
They left after putting a glob of expanding foam in the huge hole they had made, with gaps round the sides. My neighbour complained and someone did come to fix it but it's still looks a mess
Different people have different experiences, I would never use or recommend Plusnet to anyone based on my experience, I made the mistake of saving money instead of a good customer service and at the time EE didn't have BB deals
 
Spoke to EE today to be told BT had shut the fault case down yet EE could see there was a fault, the system was tested again and as result an engineer will be here Thursday am, no help or action on the EE app, some of you may remember the advert with Busby “it’s good to talk” it was in this case.
Sky engineer was here too today appears fault was apparent to the Sky box before affecting my laptop etc, so his trip was almost wasted, he found the last engineer who installed hard wired coupling between router and Sky box plugged one end into the wrong port:eek:. All ok now, at least when BB sorted, request for compensation already logged onto system with EE, to be discussed when problem(s) cured.
 
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Since our old passports were due for renewal, we did it online. According to the progress tracker, mine has been printed and they'll tell me when it's been posted. It's arrived... Not complaining about the service - 7 days from application to delivery but the progress tracking leaves a lot to be desired! Mrs Nod has had an "It's been sent" text.
 
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