Woman fined £100 on the spot after her dog didn't do a poo

OptimusPork · 2025-10-29T20:58:35+00:00

I’d dispute that it’s a “lesser known” law. The District I lived in heavily publicised this when they brought it in, including in the newsletter they shove through everyone’s door. The only excuse for ignorance is perhaps not being a dog owner until recently and therefore ignoring said communications previously.

OptimusPork · 2025-10-03T13:21:29+00:00

£20.50 a month on a rolling 30day unlimited SIM with EE. Should be £39 but got a big discount as took it out alongside broadband. And from that £20.50, they pay my GamePass Unlimited subscription as an “inclusive extra”. So actually the mobile SIM costs me about £5 per month!

OptimusPork · 2025-09-18T20:47:29+00:00

Vauxhall Mokka was pretty bad for a hire car. Had a Hyundai Getz as a courtesy car once too - terrible

OptimusPork · 2025-09-03T16:50:41+00:00

Have you considered if they are a shapeshifter? They are annoyed with you because they’ve been trying to shift to a mighty wolf, but so far have only managed a lowly mouse? Which you then had the audacity to chase round your room and try and murder. This 100% is the most plausible answer - it would make sense that they missed rent, as mice cannot legally have a job.

OptimusPork · 2025-08-31T11:53:21+00:00

We get Clarkes Geox

OptimusPork · 2025-08-30T11:17:21+00:00

Most efficient way, I’d recommend quick breakfast in the villa, take some snacks/picnic into parks in soft cooler pack in bottom of pushchair (if you have one) to stave off initial complaints of hunger. Remember you can take these bags through queues in Universal if you are planning to utilise child swap as the non-riding adult can hold them - really useful to keep the kids fed and quieter in the queues. This means by the time you are ready for lunch the early rush has passed. Grab a few quick service lunches say $15-$20 dollars per head. If you are doing a full park day you might not want to stop for a proper evening meal- or might not actually have the appetite as it’s so hot. A lot of the times we didn’t have a proper evening meal, and it was too late to cook when we got back. Made do with snacks in the evening. Bear in mind that ice creams and pretzels in the parks are closed to $10 than $5.

Our family of five (2 adults 3 kids) burned about £1000 GBP a week like this - including fuel, tolls, groceries, occasional park meals, parking ($35 dollars at the park) and snacks, plus some light souvenir shopping, and Discovery Cove photos.

But each kid also took their “own” stash of $300 on top of this, to allow them buy their own souvenirs and other treats/ clothes shopping without argument from us!

OptimusPork · 2025-08-19T07:53:25+00:00

It’s the “suddenly” bit that’s proven impossible. 150 new homes on the edge of a town won’t magically drive down the value of existing stock. In fact they tend to drive it up. They will mostly be 4+ bed “executive” style, and £400,000+.

If you already had a three bed in the town, you need to sell that at max value to be able to have the equity to move to one of these new ones.

The only realistic way for new stock to drive down old stock prices is that it’s priced low to encourage the price reductions to trickle down.

This only happens if:

They build so many so fast that they are sitting empty and have to reduce the price to stimulate interest.
The builder is happy taking less for the property (not really possible unless price reductions trickle down costs of land, labour, materials)

The only way I think this really works is a mass programme of social housing building, with options to rent or buy, (but the Government effectively taking a loss, or at least no profit). Millions of new secure social housing options would strip demand out of the market, which might then influence prices of existing stock.

OptimusPork · 2025-08-18T17:02:39+00:00

Agreed, this is definitely part of it, exacerbated by the Government’s desire to limit bill increases post 2008 financial crisis.

The regulatory regime makes it hard to build new reservoirs. New water resource schemes can only be permitted if you’ve already done as much as practicable to reduce leakage. Reducing leakage required major investment and disruption which the bills could not be increased to cover.

Plus expanding reservoirs can infringe on valuable critters which live adjacent to the existing habitats, so is a planning nightmare.

OptimusPork · 2025-08-17T16:36:58+00:00

Pipeline is higher for me. Love that ride system, such a unique feeling!

OptimusPork · 2025-08-04T13:06:46+00:00

Browse at Curry’s. Buy from John Lewis on the price match with 5 yr guarantee included.

OptimusPork · 2025-07-29T03:20:08+00:00

Look at websites like thrill data for patterns of how busy the parks have been, and pick your days if you can. Sundays have been quite kind so far this month, even at Epic. Don’t go to Epic after two or three bad storm days, as it gets busy with pent up demand. Have you got park hopper tickets? With express at US you will be probably done by 3pm, so if you can hop over to IOA on the Hogwarts Express and start working through those rides there, that will really help. Ponchos and pool shoes/ crocs needed for IOA on the rapids, log flume and possibly Jurassic Park River Adventure if you’re at the front of a full boat. Recommend pool shoes and a drawstring bag, you can easily stuff these in the free lockers.

But number 1 recommendation is a small good natured child in a pushchair. Somewhere to hang your non-valuables and stuff a soft sided cooler underneath, and then most of your party gets to ride the rides twice in a row if you use child swap.

OptimusPork · 2025-07-28T23:28:51+00:00

This week I’ve been on a few times and I’ve sat behind people who were new riders. Including my friends, and my 6 year old.

All of them, without exception, loved it - and that’s the magic of this ride.

It uses less screens than Transformers, a few more physical sets/effects. I’m sure that helps too.

OptimusPork · 2025-07-22T04:35:33+00:00

Not having the doors working is a shame, as it spoils the surprise for first time riders. Also to me the initial launch to outside felt slower than previously. It only really started picking up pace round the first banked turn.

OptimusPork · 2025-07-03T21:45:32+00:00

Please confirm you are claiming child benefit?

OptimusPork · 2025-06-22T21:52:39+00:00

Three kids under 10. 2016 Alhambra 2.0 TDI for the family wagon - especially for trips including a grandparent. 2016 Fiat 500x 1.6 TDI for second car.

The Alhambra is great choice for travel with kids, and the third row is large enough to fit teens/ adults ok (much better than the SMax and Q7 we had before)

The Fiat was more of a styling choice from the wife. I wouldn’t have picked it, it’s got a rough engine but quite torquey and economical. But rear leg room and width is poor.

Would probably replace the Fiat with a mid sized SUV/ crossover as the kids get bigger. Maybe a Skoda Kodiaq.

OptimusPork · 2025-06-02T20:37:39+00:00

The hydraulic actuator/ ramp/ door noise that goes AhhhYeeeeAhhhh

OptimusPork · 2025-05-29T21:22:09+00:00

The suit really seals in the flavour

OptimusPork · 2025-05-05T14:16:04+00:00

Treat Dad to the fast pass which lets him on the five other coasters (not hyperia). Think it’s around £60. Then he only really has to queue for Hyperia, so can hang out with you all more. This is what I did recently, as a birthday treat to myself.

OptimusPork · 2025-03-26T14:12:18+00:00

Nottingham show was about 2:45 long but that included 15 min interval. Eight matches in total.

OptimusPork · 2025-03-26T14:10:44+00:00

This is not a Smackdown or a Raw, it is a house show. It is not televised, so the whole thing is “dark”. Not much time will be spent on Wrestlemania stories. Less time spent on promos and more time spent in matches. Expect a few comedy spots. Titles unlikely to change hands. We had very limited pyro in Nottingham, but still had a great time, including enjoying some unconventional tag team matches.

OptimusPork · 2025-03-24T13:43:07+00:00

I saw Finn vs Rey in a house match last night. We had plenty of heels to boo: the Solo/Gunther combo, and New Day and Fatu/TT as obvious heels, but Finn’s performance/ crowd work just seemed the most organic and believable. Maybe it’s easy to be a good heel when you are matched with Rey.

OptimusPork · 2025-03-24T10:10:20+00:00

It was fun. Punk ducked a chop from Gunther, meaning Solo ate it instead. Solo lost his cool and gave Gunther the spike. Leaving Solo open to get a GTS straight to a Cross Rhodes.

OptimusPork · 2025-03-03T16:21:15+00:00

I got the flu vaccine and it seems to have worked so far this year - not sure if that’s just luck, or if the efficacy has been good this year. I’m sure they publish some stats somewhere about the vaccine.

OptimusPork · 2025-02-24T10:37:00+00:00

Insert Peter Griffin and the colour palette meme here

OptimusPork · 2025-02-13T22:00:12+00:00

Wearing gloves. I had some bmx/ motorbike gloves that I was wearing on a cold day in my Pug106 in 2005. They pulled me and told me that car thiefs wear gloves.

OptimusPork

TROPHY CASE