HOUSEHOLD TIPS NOT FOUND IN WOMAN'S WEEKLY

[Marilyn]

It's ok. We don't have any Mirin either!

Her texts are always hilarious. About 50% of them are blank as she presses SEND before she had written anything.
Last week she said she "had broken her bottom on the microwave". ( that had me in fits!)
She meant "button".
I have to think outside the box sometimes...her attempts to take and send pics are funny too. ( no heads)

[Stanley]

[Tizer]

Now where was it, in recent days, that I saw a photo that a mother had taken of her child in its new school uniform. I think the `child' was Joanna Lumley and the head was missing from the top of the photo - when she complained her mum said `Well, I took the photo to show your new uniform'.

[Marilyn]

The thing with my dear friend is that she is likely to send a headless photo saying "what do you think of my new hairdo?"!!!!

[Stanley]

Try to be patient when the Pharmacists make a big deal of finding a pre-ordered regular simple prescription. It is getting ridiculous!

[Tizer]

When I worked for Boots we would pop around the corner to one of the other pharmacies if we didn't have something in stock!

[Stanley]

I'm convinced that pharmacists are on the same track as other workers, converting their work into a 'profession' to increase rewards by making the process appear more complicated than it is. Finding 4 boxes of 28 500mg Metformin is not difficult!

[Tizer]

Surely, you don't expect them to keep stuff in stock, do you - like, you know, physically there, in the pharmacy, taking up space?

[Stanley]

If you ask for aspirin these days they ask what you want it for and lecture you about the dangers. I always tell them the same thing, I've been taking it for 80 years...... That shuts them up.
I remember when dentists were allowed to be addressed as 'doctor'. We had a retired dentist as a tour guide at The Black Country Museum once and he started the day by telling us he was to be addressed as 'doctor'. Martha said that was fine, she and Roger were doctors and I was 'Professor Graham', which was quite true under the US system. Or we could use first names. He decided that would be best...... His name was Gerald........
If you are drilling a crucial long hole by rack of the eye, always err a little on the safe side.....

[Stanley]

It's never a waste of time to sit quietly for a minute or two and plan your day. Even better if you have a regular routine think about what comes next while you're doing the first task. Sounds simple but so many people never learn the skill! I've always liked "Work slowly with purpose". One of those small things that make so much difference to your life.

[Stanley]

I look at the adverts on TV and wonder what we would have made of them 60 years ago. They are a signpost to where the money tree is today. Following that logic it's beauty products, incontinence, gambling, extortionate loans and dodgy life insurance. This isn't progress! My tip for today is never buy anything you see in a TV advert!

[Cathy]

Apart from food ads we seem to have a lot of funeral insurance ads and debt service ads.

[Stanley]

Likewise Cathy. They are all for stuff I would never consider buying or using!

[PanBiker]

Just to think that when I started in the TV trade and through the 70's there used to be a Monday morning program called "Mondays Newcomers" on ITV. It was 20 minutes of back to back adverts that were new to air. It was on a loop and ran for 20 minutes even if there were only a few minutes of new ad's. Gave the company advertising execs a chance to see what they were paying for.

[Tizer]

I'm a bit sensitive at the moment about the way we are all being trapped into contracts. The broadband companies are an example and act as an oligopoly - try finding one that doesn't put you in a very long contract. When we had a business selling books the buyer didn't have to enter a contract and could return the book and ask for their money back. I think the 18 and 24 month contracts are a scam - they'll soon become 36 month contracts. They should be banned. If you ask a company to provide you with broadband they charge a start up fee to cover the router etc. After that you should be able to switch at any time without any cancellation fees, payment for outstanding months etc. The government wants more people to switch their banks, insurance companies etc so why not make broadband companies operate like they do and allow no-charge switching?

[plaques]

If you want to change your electrical single socket outlet into a double without going through the trouble of chipping out and replacing the back box there are some quite neat double socket units that will screw directly into the single box. The only downside is that they stick out about 2cm from the wall but this is better than having a multiple connector stuck out of the wall. Fitted one this morning and it took less than 15 minutes from start to finish. If I can do it anybody can.

[Stanley]

Tiz, that's another argument for the Stanley way..... Just stay where you are and eventually the contract runs out.....
P, When we re-wired this house over 20 years ago I gave the sparks a clear instruction, no single sockets, all doubles and plenty of them. You can never have too many sockets!

[Stanley]

We don't like to admit it but winter is getting nearer. It's not being negative, it's common sense to think ahead.... Does your wood burner need a service? Would it be a good idea to get the roof inspected? best to get these maintenance jobs done while the weather is good. Too many people leave everything until the last minute!

[PanBiker]

Don't have a wood burner but my boiler has been serviced and I have had my roof fixed.

[Stanley]

Good Lad! You'd be amazed at the number of industrial boilers need urgent attention as soon as the heating season starts.....

[Tizer]

This morning we've been helping my cousin do maintenance at her buy-to-let house. The young family that lived there have now managed to save enough for a deposit and are buying their own house. They were good tenants but we still found some odd things they'd done. For example, they must not have defrosted the upright freezer - we found the trays had an inch depth of water frozen in the bottom. I think many young people now don't learn about how to look after a house as they grow up. A common complaint from tenants is about mould and damp but they don't seem to understand the need for ventilation.

[chinatyke]

A tip for those with false teeth: don't buy expensive denture cleaning products. To descale them of any plaque, drop them in a cup of undiluted toilet cleaning liquid (the viscous liquid type formulation) for a few minutes, rinse them and clean with toothpaste. To whiten your teeth, drop them in a cup of undiluted bleach for a few minutes and rinse well with water.

I'm not suggesting you do both treatments at one time and never mix bleach and toilet cleaner together!

After use, the bleach and toilet cleaner can be poured back into their bottles.

[Stanley]

I've been under the impression for years that toilet cleaner was bleach China, you live and learn! Oven cleaner is good as well! I keep meaning to try straight vinegar because plaque looks just like lime-scale to me. Must have a go and report!

[Big Kev]

Most toilet cleaners contain hydrochloric acid, not sure I'd be wanting to clean anything I was putting into my mouth...

As stated earlier certainly don't mix toilet cleaner and bleach, the resulting chlorine offgas won't do you any good

[chinatyke]

Most toilet cleaners contain hydrochloric acid, not sure I'd be wanting to clean anything I was putting into my mouth...

As stated earlier certainly don't mix toilet cleaner and bleach, the resulting chlorine offgas won't do you any good

Some types of toilet cleaners are based on hydrochloric acid. Those are also OK to use with acrylic false teeth, they work well with plaques for the same reason they work with limescale. HCl isn't toxic, just corrosive.

However what I was really recommending was the 'thick' liquid type based on citric acid, NTA, etc.

Wear gloves would be another sensible precaution, but I don't bother.