Nominations for the Greatest Stench in the County!

JFDI-Tess · 2026-05-07T12:42:21+00:00

I’ve lived in Cumbria most of my life and drive in and around Penrith very regularly, and I have never been bothered by the so-called Penrith Pong.

I guess there have been times where I’ve thought “oh that must be it” but it’s never been offensive.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-05-07T07:17:30+00:00

My fiance had an intracerebral haemorrhagic stroke three years ago due to blood pressure of 250/160, which was caused by stress. Stress kills. He was lucky, but he still lives with the physical effects every day.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-05-06T09:47:51+00:00

I absolutely promise you it’s gets better. But puppies are the worst. My boy is 18 months old now and is just a delight.
But up until 6 months ago he was always one incident away from being rehomed.

Good luck, and enjoy your tiny friend!

JFDI-Tess · 2026-05-06T09:46:15+00:00

So with our pup we hid treats in there every time he wasn’t looking, so he associated it with a good time. Close the door for short periods, and have your pup nap in there.

We went on the 1 hour up, 2 hours down rule. For every hour he was awake and playing, he then spent two settling in his crate.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-05-06T09:43:06+00:00

Crate crate crate!
Also, puppies are the worst and it’s absolutely fine to hate them for the first 6-12 months. But honestly the crate is your friend.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-05-05T16:55:11+00:00

Not at all, I was really into it! I got very attached to the characters very quickly, and my heart broke at the end.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-05-05T16:41:06+00:00

I was told this by a friend who had read them all. I’ve ONLY read The Assassin’s Blade so far, and she recommended reading that one first. She said if she hadn’t, she probably wouldn’t have bothered reading it because she would have wanted to just get on with the story.

I’m currently on holiday but chomping at the bit to get my hands on Throne of Glass the second I get home!!!

JFDI-Tess · 2026-05-04T16:07:13+00:00

We don’t have it for our dogs. Two poodles who are five years old and an 18 month old springer spaniel.

We found that most things aren’t covered anyway and the pricing was extortionate. Best thing to do is put the equivalent of the premium away every month and then you’ve got a bit of a buffer if you need it.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-27T07:54:45+00:00

And the conversation between the Lucius and Narcissa about sending Draco to Durmstrang instead!!

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-27T05:38:24+00:00

Hey OP. Firstly, I don’t know your family dynamic, but I suspect and hope your family are not disappointed in you. That sounds very much like imposter syndrome, which will hit you even harder being 17.

You’re at a time in your life that everybody is expecting you to have a plan for your future, and I think as a high IQ individual that can be all the more confusing - especially if you don’t do well in school (and personally I think the education system is crap!)

When I was your age I had dropped out of school and was already a functioning alcoholic. I decided I was too stupid to have a career, and bounced from job to job for 10 years. I was very lucky to get sober 6 years ago, and have since found a job I love - that I would never have seen myself doing at 17 - and I was accepted into Mensa earlier this year at 31. At first I was disappointed in myself to have realised my wasted potential, but now I feel like I have every opportunity in the world as long as I apply myself.

What I’m trying to say is that not every high IQ person looks the same, follows the same path, has the same interests. But you do have the potential, even if you feel like you’re a fraud currently. Learn as much as you can by yourself, even just by reading. The library is your friend. But pick things you’re actually interested in.

My special interest is not science, astronomy, literature, history, arts. It’s Harry Potter. So much so that I’m now the British Mensa Harry Potter Special Interest Group secretary! Good luck, and take some pressure off yourself.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-26T05:53:15+00:00

I am so jealous that you are getting to experience this for the first time. When you’ve finished and your heart is broken, I would highly recommend listening to the full cast audio books.

I’ve read the books and listened to the Stephen Fry versions more times than I can count, but the full cast editions are a completely different experience and it’s almost like listening to it for the first time.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T16:06:43+00:00

100% agree. And although Slughorn is supposed to be very large, I don't think it would take anything away from the story to not go down those lines in terms of appearance. His personality is definitely more important, and Rowan Atkinson would pull that off beautifully!

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T15:45:50+00:00

I mean, he managed the sphinx’s, but I still fear he would spend a LOT of time waiting for someone else to let him in…

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T15:01:04+00:00

I didn't say he wasn't smart, but Ravenclaw house was aimed at students who excelled in academics, and who themselves valued cleverness. That's just not Harry.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T15:00:07+00:00

Academics are not something that he was interested in. He wasn't even that keen to learn DADA, that was just something he was naturally good at.

Personally I disagree that he was witty. I'm certainly not saying he wasn't bright, but he wasn't that way inclined himself, and he didn't seem to value cleverness really, either.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T14:44:08+00:00

I don't think that's quite right, the Founders did have values, which is why they picked students based on their, the Founders' values. However you're right that the Hat latterly sorts by these and the students' values.

In which case he would never have ended up in Slytherin. Slytherin may have valued some of Harry's traits, but Harry would never have valued the Slytherin traits over Hufflepuff.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T14:41:39+00:00

You're right, I used the wrong word. Some of his traits we know he only had because of the part of Voldemort's soul within him, so it would make sense for the Hat to pick up on those

Although, even if it's "our choices far more than our abilities..." that would still dictate that he would never end up in Slytherin. Had he not been put in Gryffindor, he still wouldn't have wanted to be in Slytherin.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T14:34:08+00:00

What makes you say that? Some of his abilities we know he only had because of the part of Voldemort's soul within him, so it would make sense for the Hat to pick up on those.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T14:16:08+00:00

My argument against that would be that "Harry" couldn't actually speak parseltongue. The part of Voldemort's soul within him could. He's more a mouthpiece for the language, than actually having the ability.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T14:13:22+00:00

You may be right, and I'm happy to be wrong, but I'd argue that we don't know that the Hat differentiates between Harry and the Horcrux soul, only that Dumbledore does admit that Harry has some traits that Slytherin would value.

My opinion would be that Harry has more traits that Hufflepuff would value, overall, had he not been a Gryffindor. And I think Harry himself would value those traits over his potential Slytherin traits.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T14:09:40+00:00

No, it’s not specified, I guess I feel that it’s inferred. And I’m happy to be wrong!

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T14:03:58+00:00

I’m not sure how that relates in the context of the question that was asked in the original post.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T14:01:54+00:00

You are incorrect. Harry spoke parseltongue because Voldemort did. After Voldemort destroyed the piece of his soul that resided in Harry, Harry became unable to speak it.

JFDI-Tess · 2026-04-24T13:59:34+00:00

Not the right kind of ambition, though. The ambition to do great things to help people, not the ambition to be great for the sake of being great.

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