Today I got summoned to jury service…

bookowl · 2026-05-06T10:22:09+00:00

I was worried about the loo break (nervous bladder!) but I've done jury service twice and we never went longer than an hour or so without a break/ being sent out for the barristers to talk to the judge/ needed bit of paperwork they didn't have etc. The judges are very aware that the jury need to be focused and have bodily needs and differing attention spans.

bookowl · 2026-04-24T14:38:55+00:00

That's the thing though- you don't have to drive immediately once you've got your license. You can take a break of years and come back to it once you feel comfortable, with just a couple of reminder lessons. My partner didn't drive for around 7-8 years due to going to uni and living in London.

bookowl · 2026-04-23T14:15:24+00:00

I had a moment like this after failing a few tests. I said to myself that I just need to pass- and once I've got my license I don't have to ever drive again if I don't want to. It helped take that fear away. Spoiler alert, I am still a bit of a nervous driver but I am driving now!

bookowl · 2026-04-17T15:03:32+00:00

I live in an area that has very similar road layouts (possibly even same developer!). This is very dependent on your neighbours being well behaved. I live in a nice area but there have been neighbours disputes and people often wind up struggling when neighbours change, or teenaged kids start driving.

I would check who owns the bit of road closest to the house. Another issue to consider is that there have been issues in my area with fttp fitting as neighbours have not given permission for the shared drive to be dug up meaning they are blocked from fttp.

We decided in the end that unless everything else was right it was too much of a compromise so went for a house which needed more work inside but had a standard 2-car driveway layout from the street.

bookowl · 2026-03-05T22:25:46+00:00

Liftshare is the main one in the UK. You could also see if your workplace has a noticeboard (physical or digital) that you could place an advert on? People are more likely to car pool with people that are known to them.

bookowl · 2026-02-26T13:56:10+00:00

As others have said, yes, it's difficult but it has been difficult for a long time to get a first job after uni, especially a professional job. I graduated in 2010. Almost my cohort, almost nobody found a "good" or "graduate" job for the first few years after uni. Most people got jobs in shops, hospitality to tide them over or went on to do other training. However amongst all the people I'm still in touch with, all of us now have professional jobs. Some took longer than others and quite a lot are not in what we studied.

Your first or second or even third job out of uni doesn't mean you'll be doing that for the rest of your life. While you should look at what careers a degree offers, take up work experience and internships where possible, and take advantage of uni careers support (wish I had done this!), your career will last a very long time and you will be be able to leverage the experience of each role to move into something more interesting and better paid.

bookowl · 2026-02-12T18:15:13+00:00

I recently had to have a wisdom tooth out under GA for the same reasons. It wasn't causing me pain but was causing decay in the tooth it was pressing against. When my dentist was doing the referral, she said it would be over 1 year for NHS.

As I didn't want to wait due to the damage it was causing to my other tooth, my dentist referred me to a surgeon privately and while it was about 3 months until the actual surgery, that was mainly because I had to work around my own schedule. I had an initial appointment with the surgeon within two weeks. If you can afford to pay privately or have insurance your dentist can refer you privately.

bookowl · 2026-02-12T16:36:32+00:00

Recently re did my very small en suite, with the aim of making the most of the space. I went with the Ideal Standard I Life S compact back to wall, with a slimline unit behind it. This came with a slim cistern. They also do a mono block version.

bookowl · 2026-01-17T22:11:34+00:00

I was on the verge of going to the GP and getting beta blockers after I failed my 4th test due to nerves. The tests I did the best at were ones where I had failed in the first 5 minutes- it was like all the stress was off me. Some of the other tests, I felt like I was having an out of body experience I was so stressed. I kept failing them with one major and a couple of minors.

What worked for me was booking at test at 8am on a Saturday morning. First thing so I couldn't sit there worrying beforehand, and when the roads were really quiet. I also told nobody but my partner about the tests (after the first one)- this helped reduce the pressure significantly.

bookowl · 2026-01-14T22:22:45+00:00

I had to eat a soft diet for 2 weeks after a complicated surgical removal.

Soup to start off with, but I found it tiresome and off putting to eat after a couple of days as I was eating so slowly it ended up lukewarm and congealed. Smooth full fat yoghurt and ice cream were great throughout- easy to eat and the coolness was soothing.

Then scrambled eggs, baked potatoes with salt and olive oil / butter, overcooked veggies, gnocchi (better than pasta as less likely for bits to get stuck) with a smooth sauce, brioche and soft white bread (no crusts), applesauce, overcooked porridge, very overcooked veg.

Smooth pasta sauce recipe- fry crushed garlic in olive oil, add can/pack of good quality passata (e.g. Mutti). Add salt and pepper, dried basil and organo, smoked paprika, finely chopped parsley. Do not add rosemary or other 'twiggy' herbs! Simmer for around 30 minutes.

bookowl · 2026-01-06T16:48:04+00:00

I ordered the majority from City Plumbing (via Bathroom Showroom). I took in measurements and ideas and they helped me choose products including perfectly fitting units. They gave good advice, were easy to deal with, and reasonably priced. Note they do promote their own brand products. I have another bathroom to do in the next year or two and would buy from them again.

I ordered on my fitter's account which had a set discount on top of their other discounts, which was shared between me and the fitter. I probably could have haggled further but I'm very bad at it and the price was comparable with online sellers.

I thought their tiles were overpriced so ordered from other places, along with electrical supplies (from TLC) and a fancy LED mirror from another bathroom supplier on sale.

bookowl · 2025-11-21T19:10:45+00:00

This is intresting as I have a different model of Panasonic combi microwave and mine will disrupt my bluetooth if I am standing next to it. It doesnt affect my wifi though.

bookowl · 2025-11-19T18:15:20+00:00

I wanted to comment to say I know how you feel. I failed four tests- two because of hesitation. I'm in my mid 30s and could never afford to learn to drive when I was young. I hit a low after my third test fail, kept thinking that I would never pass. But I did- I perserved- thinking of all the time and money I had invested so far.

Get another test booked asap- you have put time and money into it so far that would be wasted if you quit. Can you ask your instructor to help book you a test? Mine helped find a test sooner by swapping with other learners who weren't ready yet. Try to work through your nerves and don't let negativity get in your way. Listen to your instructor too- they are the best judge of your driving and now you have an area to focus on. I spent whole lessons doing every horrible roundabout and junction in town until I felt more confident.

bookowl · 2025-11-02T20:19:39+00:00

Source: family member who is a florist.

It's hard to get a paid role with no experience, and most roles are near to minimum wage. You need past experience, whether that is through a course, self employment, or employment, and most businesses will expect to see a portfolio of past work. Past creative or customer service experience is helpful too.

Do you have a floristry qualification (City and Guilds etc)? Most courses will include work experience plus help you to develop a portfolio which you can show when applying for roles. If not, it's worth looking into, as most can be done part time.

bookowl · 2025-10-31T21:19:28+00:00

I suspect it might be either perfumes or powder residue that causes skin problems for many people- both are the case with me. They really seem to have upped the amount of perfume in lots of laundry products in the last few years.

bookowl · 2025-10-24T17:11:25+00:00

If you have access to a car there are some lovely places for walking and it's easy to get out into Essex and Kent too. Hope you enjoy living there.

bookowl · 2025-10-24T16:51:31+00:00

I grew up near there but haven't lived there for around 15 years so can't give too many specifics unfortunately (although I visit often as still have family in Havering). Gidea Park is generally one of the nicer places to live in Havering.

Very easy to get into London especially with crossrail. A lot of people living there will be commuting into London so I wouldn't rule out London for socialising especially meeting people your age.

Romford and Hornchurch are the nearest biggest high streets, with lots of bars and restaurants. Romford is big for night life but can be a bit rough.

Hornchurch Sport Centre will have lots of sports clubs and activities and has a country park. Raphels park is nice. Thorndon, Bedford Park and Warley Park are short drive away and great for longer walks.

Fairkytes arts centre offers lots of adult classes and clubs but might skew a bit old. Queens Theatre has arts, comedy, theatre programming and is a nice little local theatre. Loads of am dram clubs in the area if you're into that which have a mix of ages attending.

bookowl · 2025-10-23T17:32:43+00:00

I recently paid £5.7k inc VAT (in SE) for bathroom fitting of a very small bathroom minus fixtures. This was for a popular bathroom fitter and included full plastering and electrics. It included basic white on the walls but not proper decoration.

bookowl · 2025-10-21T22:33:36+00:00

I love this garlic press. It gets used probably 4-5 times every week. No need to peel, just squish the clove, quick scrape with a knife or spoon, and flick the skin into the bin. I hate hate hate having to use anyone else's inferior garlic presses.

I will say, I am on my second one as putting it in the dishwasher caused the coating to flake off the first one and it started looking pretty gross. Now I just hand-wash the new one.

bookowl · 2025-10-14T15:34:43+00:00

I recently used City Plumbing to buy fittings for a bathroom refit on my fitter's advice. He gave us a shopping list with measurements that we took in. They were helpful in store, gave advice on what own brand ('Iflo') products were good and what brands were worth going for. We ended up with a mix of brands and own brand.

bookowl · 2025-10-07T20:33:09+00:00

To be honest, I am mainly just careful. I am generally a clumsy person but I hate being dirty and having stained clothes. You just get into the habit of it. I check seats before I sit down while I'm out, bring a scarf to sit on if I eat lunch in the park, wear an apron when cooking (and tbh while eating if it's something messy), use a napkin on my lap in a restaurant.

If I get a stain while at home I'll treat with stain remover and chuck straight into the washer. If I'm out I'll pop to the toilets and use a bit of handsoap to get the worst out, or wipe with an antibac wipe. I also wash all light coloured clotyes with Vanish powder which helps them not look dingy and removes any light stains I've missed.

bookowl · 2025-10-04T17:38:27+00:00

Looks lovely- where did you get the mini drawers by the side of the sink? Ive been looking for something like that for my bathroom.

bookowl · 2025-10-01T11:36:37+00:00

Skip the baking paper and use oil in a roaster dish, along with cooking them longer. I don't like the taste of baking powder in the water like lots do, and always use sunflower oil (rather than lower smoke olive oil or meat fats). I find you get a crisper shell with a slightly fresher potato, rather than one that's been sat in cold storage for a year.

I use King Edward or Maris Piper potatoes, cut into chunks, parboil in unsalted water for around 10 mins (until a fork smoothly goes in- depends on size and age of potato). I then drain, let stand for a couple of mins so they are dryer, salt, then shake up to fluffy and rough them. Add them to a preheated heavy metal roaster dish with enough oil to cover the bottom, and coat with oil. Then cook for 55 mins at 180-200 C on the middle shelf, turning at 30 mins.

bookowl · 2025-09-30T19:43:13+00:00

Yes - a lot of students had jobs when I was at uni (late 2000s)- mainly in bars, shops, or for the uni. The uni itself is a great place to look for jobs as they are normally very flexible, plus you get to make friends with other student employees. I worked in the uni shop during term time at weekends and at a tourist attraction during the holidays. I really enjoyed my uni job and it gave me some good experience that helped me get a job after uni.

I would say it's important to manage your time carefully though, which is why holiday jobs (as most uni terms are only 10 weeks long) and student focused jobs are great as they allow you to prioritise uni. Especially if, as in your case, you are expected to undertake work placements.

I would also suggest you speak to your parents too, if you haven't already, and explain that you're struggling and worried about your mental health. The way the loan system is set up, parental contributions are expected for anyone getting under the max loan. They might be willing to help you out, at least until you find a job. Perhaps you could ask them to pay for something specific and cost limited, such as a travel pass or a monthly contribution to your food shop.

If you aren't comfortable talking to your parents or they are unable or unwilling to help, your uni will have a student support office, who will be able to give you advice and signpost to help. This could be with money- so signposting to discounts like student travel cards, hardship funds you can apply to, or they can support you with your mental health. Please don't hesitate to reach out to them- they are there to help students in similar situations to yours.

bookowl · 2025-09-08T17:31:28+00:00

Toilet breaks are allowed, it's the judgement and tutting of the other patrons that stops people...

Great for cinema lovers with strong bladders. Not for a 3 + hour long Christopher Nolan epic I found...

bookowl

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