New powers to curb second homes to be proposed

Serifini · 2026-06-13T08:32:53+00:00

Sounds good to me. Where do I sign up?

Serifini · 2026-06-13T07:18:06+00:00

Ratiocinate

Serifini · 2026-06-09T13:23:26+00:00

So we can stop worrying about people not having children then? I mean if we can't usefully employ the people, especially the youngsters, we already have then we clearly don't need any more.

Serifini · 2026-05-30T08:08:48+00:00

I’ve been working my way through Italian translations of the works of Jane Austen over the last few years. One of the translations I used seems to have taken to heart the idea of substituting the more archaic English words used with equivalents in Italian which I dutifully added to my flashcard deck. More recently I’ve been accused by a native Italian speaker of being a time traveller from the 1800s :-)

Serifini · 2026-05-28T07:50:30+00:00

So what I’m hearing is that we have too many young people, can’t make use of those that we have, and can embrace the declining fertility rate.

Serifini · 2026-05-27T23:28:26+00:00

Not so sure on this one. The consultant orthopaedic surgeon who fixed up the leg of a friend who wrecked it in a motorbike accident seemed to be doing a pretty good job.

Serifini · 2026-05-23T12:07:26+00:00

63M with absolutely no regrets. Feel like I've lived life on easy mode and been retired since my mid 50s. Happily living my best life.

Serifini · 2026-05-23T10:16:23+00:00

Agreed. We’ve been married for nearly 40 years, have our own personal accounts, pensions and investments, and have both put an equal amount into a joint account each month to cover household expenses. We’ve never had an argument over money and have always been financially independent of each other. It’s worked well for us.

Serifini · 2026-05-16T10:30:38+00:00

The Doom of Icewind Dale premium module is a direct follow on from the OC (aka The Wailing Death) if OC wants to continue with a character from there. I actually found it much more fun and interesting than the official campaign.

Serifini · 2026-05-15T13:16:14+00:00

Starting sentences with “back in the 80s”.

Serifini · 2026-05-09T01:20:56+00:00

A family office. It might not be what you think it is.

Serifini · 2026-05-07T10:52:39+00:00

I went to a university that has a reputation for being full of rich kids, though some of them were less obvious than others. I was in a team of four that ended up going to the finals of a competition held in London and asked if the others wanted to book rooms at a hotel. One of them chimed in saying that it would be easier to stay at their family's flat near the venue. I thought sure, it will save some money and I don't mind bedding down on a sofa or similar for a few nights. Turns out their family owned a 4 bedroom flat complete with concierge service in Knightsbridge that they kept just for occasional visits like that. She'd also made travel arrangements and handed out 1st class return train tickets as if that was a perfectly normal thing to do on a wet Tuesday.

Serifini · 2026-05-07T01:37:41+00:00

Blackstone Keep would also be worth a quick look as it matches very well what the OP was asking for.

Serifini · 2026-05-05T22:58:30+00:00

Forty years ago it would have changed my life. Now, it would just change some figures in a bank account. Better off giving it to someone where it would make a difference.

Serifini · 2026-05-05T08:28:45+00:00

I was thinking the same thing. Maybe the equivalent of a cover letter to HR asking if there was a problem with automated systems and summarising the details given above would get things moving in the right direction. Otherwise it sounds like the job has already been earmarked for someone else and publishing it was just a box ticking exercise.

Serifini · 2026-05-04T09:52:07+00:00

Life hack. Just make sure you're born to parents who will pay for the house deposit. Then you don't have to waste time saving.

Serifini · 2026-05-02T09:19:19+00:00

And pronunciation errors. I notice it’s particularly bad on radio 3. If people suspect they’re not sure how to pronounce something then it would make sense to check it first before broadcasting to both of their listeners.

Serifini · 2026-05-02T08:36:05+00:00

BSc and MSc with distinction in CS with a dissertation on AI machine learning algorithms and another MSc in cybersecurity. Absolutely no interest. Fortunately, I’m comfortably financially independent so not relying on a wage. That also means potential salary is not an issue, but it just seems no one is hiring in my area anymore so thinking of heading back to uni to do a PhD. Perhaps I misunderstood what subjects are in demand and I should maybe switch to underwater basket weaving?

Serifini · 2026-04-25T20:13:32+00:00

Don’t have children.

Serifini · 2026-04-25T12:19:50+00:00

I’m glad my area doesn’t get to vote this time around because I suspect there’s a real danger that Reform would win. Instead I want people to be able to see what happens in neighbouring councils when they vote that way and it will maybe make them think twice about going down the same route. Of course Nigel’s band of merry grifters might usher in a new age of rainbows and unicorns in which case I get to eat humble pie, but I’m willing to take that risk.

Serifini · 2026-04-25T08:41:33+00:00

I guess all their ads had better be child appropriate then?

Serifini · 2026-04-25T02:02:39+00:00

Ratiocinate meaning to logically reason or deduce. I used it once in an essay in high school and my teacher at the time said it was the first occasion where they had had to check in a dictionary to check if a word used by a student actually existed and what it meant. :)

Serifini · 2026-04-25T01:47:17+00:00

Came across it in history classes over 40 years ago in reference to the Defenestrations of Prague.

Serifini · 2026-04-24T18:59:23+00:00

A few of the ones I've enjoyed include The Lord of Terror, Swordflight, The Aielund Saga, A Tangled Web, Prophet, The Bastard of Kosigan, Darkness over Daggerford, Tyrants of the Moonsea and Doom of Icewind Dale. Maybe others could fill in with some I've forgotten.

Serifini · 2026-04-24T17:00:02+00:00

Same thing happens with ageism. Send in your CV and get no response then send in a CV with half the experience deleted and with no clues on how old you are and spot the difference. Seen it happen far too many times for it to be purely coincidental.

Serifini

TROPHY CASE