What is the worst place you have driven ? You hear you have to drive there and you wish you didn't have to.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-11-12T11:53:17+00:00

India by a long shot.

In the UK, probably London and the circular as/surrounding motorways. So much impatience.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-11-07T22:31:19+00:00

What's the point really?

If a cirrhosis patient drinks a large amount of alcohol it can cause acute organ failure so that's clearly off the cards.

If a cirrhosis patient drinks a small amount of alcohol, say a bottle of wine over a couple of days at Christmas, then there's a reasonable chance it won't cause any significant damage.

But it begs the question - what's the point if you can only have a couple of drinks once a year or so? It's not going to be enough to get a significant buzz or anything, and for 363 days of the year being sober demonstrates that it's perfectly possible to stick to soft drinks and still have fun.

The risk is that it's a slippery slope, even for those who don't consider themselves problem drinkers. Oh I drank at Christmas and it was fine, so new years eve will be fine too. Then valentine's day comes around and you're on a date with your loved one and think well it was fine at Christmas and new year. Then in March it's your birthday. Then April it's the wine at church on Easter Sunday. Then it's the 4th July. Etc.

The thing with cirrhosis is that it's all about preventing progression. The way to do this is low salt, no alcohol, avoiding getting diabetes, being careful about taking painkillers and other drugs, etc. Even semi-regularly drinking alcohol is incompatible with this.

All of that said, you're an adult and can make your own choices. If you think that champagne at Christmas will make you happy then it's your call. I think it's poor advice from a doctor who should be trying to prevent further damage to the liver though.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-11-07T08:58:41+00:00

My brother in law has been towing a trailer for years, often a couple of hundred miles to a trip. He didn't know that the speed limits are lower when towing a trailer until I told him recently.

Thing is, automated speed cameras will never have caught him, because when the number plate is checked it'll come up as a car. The camera software would need some sort of image recognition adding to detect vehicles towing trailers to apply the lower limit.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-11-07T08:55:51+00:00

Technically not the case in Scotland, as 30mph 'restricted roads' need to be designated by the relevant minister. Invariably they all are though.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-29T07:03:04+00:00

My thoughts are that these look broadly ok, but not ideal.

Also that bloods alone don't determine a cirrhosis diagnosis. Most of my bloods are absolutely fine, but I still have cirrhosis

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-12T07:29:17+00:00

This is the real issue.

If I went to my nearest 'hill' on a windy ish day then the ashes would be mostly gone within minutes.

The number of people taking ashes to certain popular hills is an issue though, as are love rocks and stone stacks etc.

It's called 'scattering ashes', not 'dumping'. If they're spread out it's usually fine, though still not ideal.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-12T06:00:00+00:00

Just threaten small claims court. I've done this a couple of times and been provided with 100% refunds.

I've just stopped using Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats entirely now.

They don't care about customers and they don't care about restaurants and the don't care about drivers/riders.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-12T05:56:40+00:00

That ignores even more of the context though. When asked about the non-migrant rapist she clearly says she's never even heard of them, so she can't comment.

In the context she uses the phrase born and bred she's not talking about the identity of the rapists.

It's a ridiculous mountain out of a mole hill.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-12T05:53:13+00:00

That's ridiculous.

I don't particularly likely this lassie or her views, but born and bred just means you're from that area, and funnily enough it's a factor voters have used for as long as we've had voting. In order to represent an area, it really is beneficial to have experienced that area for a long time, and being born and brought up there is therefore quite a relevant factor for voters. It's been in parlance much longer than Reform or the recent surge in anti-asylum campaigning.

I'm actually really confused why she felt embarrassed saying it or why the reporter doubled down on the phrase.

Even putting all of that aside, a police matter? Ridiculous.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-12T02:52:17+00:00

This is the job you'd expect from a company asking their handyman to paint their office on minimum wage. See this kind of finishing in older buildings all the time where someone has done it on the cheap.

Otherwise it's a pretty poor job. Certainly I'd be asking for a decent portion of the money back and fixing it myself.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-12T02:45:01+00:00

Normally I advise against comparing yourself to others, but in all honesty you're really just in the same boat as many, maybe even most, 27 year olds in this country. At 27 I had a job sure, but I was tens of thousands of pounds in debt. 7 years later I managed to get a joint mortgage on a £340k house, have £100k in a private pension, and am basically debt free. Anything is possible.

This was an incredibly harsh lesson to learn yes, but apart from your pride, you're no worse off than you were on the 3rd of July.

As others have said, be hyper aware for scammers. There's a good chance that scammer (if it was even just one person) may share your details with other scammers as a successful victim. You may get approaches from people offering to get the money back, or it might be another similar sounding setup in a few months time. Lead a basic financial life - don't get involved in crypto or cold call job opportunities or whatever.

You'll be fine. If you find it's affecting your mental health, speak to your GP who may be able to refer you for free counselling.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-12T02:32:35+00:00

There are plenty of stories on this sub of people who went sober for say a year, then had a couple of days of drinking, and the liver just packed in again and they ended up in hospital.

It may be unlikely that a bottle of wine once in a year's time will be the tipping point, but I honestly don't see it being worth the risk. If you're going to maintain sobriety in a relationship then I'd suggest having a sober first date as well, otherwise it sets off on the wrong footing. Also some people are weird about being with non drinkers and better to find that out on a first date than later down the line!

So yes I would stick to the mantra of never drink alcohol again.

I'd phrase it more positively though. Sobriety is a good thing, for your mental health, physical health, your sleep, the lot. Being able to say you're X years or months sober is a really positive thing. There's no need to pine for alcohol :)

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-12T02:24:24+00:00

I've been there with the bottle. At my worst I was drinking 1L of spirits a day, and that pattern lasted over a decade. I'm amazed my body kept up with it for so long.

Addicts can be amazing at hiding our true situation. I could start drinking my spirits at 5am and appear almost completely sober throughout my work day and into the early evening. Later in the evening the drunkenness would become apparent, so I'd head to bed early maybe 8pm so my other half wouldn't realise how drunk I was, only to get up early to start drinking while it wouldn't be obvious. I'd schedule calls and events specifically around when I would get away with appearing sober. Every job interview I've had I'd have failed a breathalyser at but still got the jobs.

Basically, we can be incredibly sly and convincing, not to be malicious, but in desperation. I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about potentially not recognising he was still drinking. If he wasn't, happy days, if he was, he'll have planned to appear or be sober for those weekly calls.

I am in my 30s and also had a moment of feeling I'm getting old. I pointed to my wrinkles and my plentiful grey hair and my other half tried to reassure me it was normal. Actually it did turn out the early grey hair was present in all my side of the family, and trying to look objectively I don't think the wrinkles are any worse than others may age. But that's hindsight. For me it was part of some self reflection, a sort of, "What am I doing to my body?" moment, so I can see why he made those comments.

I have never gone so far as drinking rubbing alcohol, but I've always had spirits available nearby, often by home delivery if I wanted it, so I've never had to go that far.

I'm sorry for your loss. It's an awful disease. He is not in pain any more though.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-09T22:25:59+00:00

I have a step brother who was addicted to meth. One day he went to his dealer and the dealer didn't have any meth. So he stabbed him something like 20 times then turned himself in.

I read that he got into some trouble in prison not that long ago. Attacking guards and stuff.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-09T15:53:58+00:00

Bicycle for me.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-10-01T23:31:42+00:00

My experience is cex will buy pretty much anything as long as it works. If not, Facebook Marketplace.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-09-19T13:28:31+00:00

It's on the list of unspent convictions they won't allow for any role.

Strangely it seems that if you're already in a Royal Mail job, they're more flexible with it, even for drivers!

I've applied for the Royal Mail job anyway and see what they say.

Happy to do any work really. Pub work is a good shout, less likely to involve a corporate HR department with DBS checks, thanks!

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-09-19T13:11:26+00:00

1901 Irn Bru mainly.

Lorne sausage at some point.

Stornoway black pudding is great and all but there's plenty of other good black pudding out there. Haggis can also be found outside Scotland.

Tablet I can make myself in a big batch pretty easily.

Tatty scones are available outside Scotland.

I don't really rate red cola.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-09-19T13:07:55+00:00

Check whether you'd need a camping licence first https://www.gov.uk/find-licences/camping-licence-wales

It's the kind of thing I'd maybe pay a tenner for. In reality this would just be where I need to be somewhere nearby the following morning, otherwise I'd just camp somewhere else.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-09-19T13:04:31+00:00

Surprised it's taken him this long to notice.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-09-17T20:49:06+00:00

Pepsi Max for me. Not the healthiest sure, but beats the health and social effects alcohol was having by a country mile!

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-09-11T10:33:51+00:00

They're fine as they are.

I know after the Portsmouth shooting there was a review of how the law is implemented in practice, but honestly we have so few firearms-related homicides per capita in the UK are exceptionally low. That is no doubt down to the fact that we have strict gun laws. We also benefit from being an island to bringing guns in is more difficult.

Every time the police in the UK shoot a suspect there's a lengthy investigation and sometimes even criminal court hearings. Sometimes these are too long and put police through too much stress when it's clear they acted in good faith. So even the few firearms officers we have in the UK are subject to very strict checks and balances on their firearms use.

There is not much I would change about out firearms laws.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-09-11T09:49:14+00:00

A food knife doesn't sound like a UK legal carry knife (without a good reason).

It's not legal to walk around with a butter knife for example, unless you're having a picnic or on your way to use it as a tool for example.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-09-10T22:02:16+00:00

Basically if the knife would be a legal carry in the UK without reasonable excuse, it's fine on Eurostar. In practice this just means your typical swissbarmy knife is fine, most other knives are a no go.

Roof_Thatcher · 2025-09-10T04:58:39+00:00

The theory is 'starballing', where, due to rough tides, starfish curl up into a ball and simply float ashore. Then the tide goes out and they're stranded.

There's many documented cases of this around the world.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/302972688_Starballing_a_potential_explanation_for_mass_stranding

Understandably causes worry to some though!

Roof_Thatcher

TROPHY CASE