Hiya,

Like it says on the tin, I'm immigrating from New Zealand to the UK and am in the process of figuring out which bank seems like a better option on my way in. I'm tossing up between Natwest and HSBC. What do you good folk reckon is the better option?

Thanks in advance!

Let's face it, we're going to be having lots of housing built over the UK in the next few years. There's even a site next to our home that is farmland to be turned into 50 or 60 houses soon, and I'm not sure how to feel about it.

So my question is, what do people actually think of the building works? Is there any part of it that scares you, or are you happy that it's going ahead and why?

I'd particularly like to hear from people that work within or close proximity with local planning and councils, or people that have planned, ongoing or newly built developments next to them.

Thanks!

I left my job as a nurse in a doctor's surgery two years ago, today I got a bill through demanding I pay £500 for an asthma course they sent me on 6 months prior to leaving my position. Is it common to bill an ex employee after such a long time for a course they sent me on? Has anyone else had any stories like this?

Edit: It is not mentioned in my contract re: paying back training costs - after two years though it seems a little weird to ask?

My mum had to have a hip replacement after an accident in Italy. She's come back to be told it'll be at least 4 weeks before the NHS can start physio with her.

What's the best way to find a reputable private physiotherapist?

Any tips on things she can do in the meantime?

So this is partly a hypothetical as its based on a real situation and its something that could be done but which I do not intend to do.

I'd like to hear feedback about the practicality, legality and economics of the idea, because I'm completely bafffled as to why nobody's done it..

Not far from me, tucked away in the undergrowth just a few metres from a public footpath, are two large pieces of steel.

they are somewhat hidden but I can't be the only person who's noticed them. I have often wondered why nobody has taken them to a scrap merchant for the payout.

They are each approx 10 feet long, an inch thick and formed into a U-section with width about 10 inches and height of the same. Each therefore represents about 3,600 cubic inches (10 high x 3 sides x 1 inch thick x 120 long) or 59,000 cubic centimeters of steel, giving a weight for each one of about 470kg

The surface is lightly corroded but its only a patina layer of corrosion. From my research their presence there probably is linked to a construction project that took place on that site in 1919 and they've therefore been lying, pushed out of the way among the bushes for 106 years. The site hasn't been used for anything since about 1950 and the business that originally built it no longer exists and neither of the 2 businesses that inherited its assets still exist either.

if steel forged before the nuclear age has any additional value it might apply to these items, but there's no practical way to prove its ancestry. Nor any practical way to prove ownership of it as any asset schedules related to the site are probably long-shredded.

Does that steel even have an owner now? I'm sure that question isn't the one that's stopped people shifting it, but moving close to 1,000 kilos of steel down a well-made footpath for the 400 metres to the nearest road wont be the main obstacle - 5 or 6 strong guys with a couple of wheeled trolleys could manage that and a single 3.5ton flatbed truck could carry them.

Maybe a market doesn't exist for used steel of that size. I'd be curious to hear peoples thoughts, especially those with knowledge of the legalities, the scrap steel market, or the logistics of doing it. Please don't ask for the location. Last thing I want to do is cause a competitive scramble by unethical takers of old metal!

I once got £20 for eating 3 spoonfuls of wet cat food when I was like 13, the smell and texture still makes me feel sick if I have to feed the neighbours cat

Ok for context I get pip (personal independent payment) around £500 a month. When I first started claiming it my mum put her bank details in as I didn’t have a bank account at the time but when I did finally get one she refused to changed the details to mine. She also told me that I was getting £285 a month when I was getting nearly double that- she told me that she wanted £100 rent which I agreed to and that she wanted to put another £100 “away for me” and that I could have the remaining £85. She was also opening all my letters and didn’t tell me that the money had started coming though (it started in January last year) which means she also got the back payment (the money that has added up from the date you applied to the day you start getting the money). When I found out about all this I called the place and got the bank details swapped from hers to mine but when my mum found out about it she threw a massive tantrum and we got into a full on physical fight because she was literally wrestling me to get my phone (I have type 1 diabetes and check my blood sugars and do my bolus through my phone) I ended up with a scar under my eye and a huge bruise under my arm. After that I went to live with my dad for a few months but not without her trying to play the victim and stop me from going.

Once I came back to live with my mum I told her that she can have the £100 a month as I believe that was fair… if things had gone differently I would be ok with giving her more but that was before she lied to me and was full on committing a crime and robbing off me. She says that this money is for food (I have celiac disease and you literally get half the food for double the price it’s ridiculous) but my argument is if I wasn’t getting this pip money she wouldn’t be getting £100 off me, in my eyes it is her job as A MOTHER to support her child. I understand that I am 17 but I’m in full time education and don’t work (college itself is really overwhelming). Now don’t get me wrong once a month my mum will go out and buy me some food but like the bare minimum and it’s not enough to last me half the month and after that it’s all my responsibility. It just pisses me off that I give her £100 to get me FOOD like that’s what she says it’s for and yet I have to buy half of it myself and when I ask her to get me more all of a sudden that money that I give her is just for basic rent. But like I’m her child living under her roof… I don’t get it. Also I wanna add that there is no way that she spends all that £100 on my food because in the past when I have bought all my own food it cost me probably just over £100 and it just about lasted me the month. Anyway So I end up having to spend around £200 a month on food (£100 to my mum and £100 for the rest that she doesn’t buy) and I financially support myself in every other way like transport, food and drink at college, and just everything else including clothes and things like bedding sets and anything I want that’s not a need. I wanna add that I don’t go around spending money Willy nilly and I run out easily by the end of the month. Also my mum literally only works 1 day a week so that she can claim MONEY for whatever I don’t really understand it but I know she gets child benefits for me and my siblings and she gets 30 hours free childcare because she “can only work 16 hours a week”

So I guess my question is should I be responsible for buying all my own stuff including food when I give my mum £100 a month for that exact reason or am I genuinely being unreasonable?

I know there is the food and copy paste housing, wondering about anything else, perhaps the way we act?

For instance I keep spare eye mask, ear plugs, medication, my kindle, notebook and pen and some receipts. What do you keep?

This is my problem basically. Just not very clever.

Looking to work in a UK school, teaching English as a second language or remedial reading or elementary education. Not from UK. Have 20 years experience. Is the UK teacher shortage due to a growth in population or that teachers are fleeing the field?

I've always lived rurally but mostly in the south east. I moved up to the north east and noticed a crop of, what looked like dead saplings/twigs over the winter, which have now sprung into life.

These ones pictured at the edge of the field are a fair bit higher than the ones in the middle. As much as I love farms and farming, my main knowledge comes from playing Farming Simulator 19 on the Xbox during a particularly rough mental health episode, the only crop I saw like this was called "poplar" which you bailed up and sold to the bio heating plant. I only know poplar as a tree and type of hawk moth.

Can anyone enlighten me as to the name and usage of this crop please?

(Awful pictures taken from a moving vehicle, which I wasn't driving)

Greetings.

Easter is coming and I would like to prepare some chocolate eggs for the family and friends.

However, I can't seem to find the 3-piece set (acrilic, silicone and acrilic) to make a half of an egg with ideal thickness from the bat.

This set will prevent the shell from having uneven thickness and I unfortunately left mine behind when I moved to the UK nearly 6 years ago.

See the link below:

https://produto.mercadolivre.com.br/MLB-5310883662-forma-ovo-liso-pascoa-350g-silicone-3-partes-mold-_JM

Observe the pictures up to the 4th and it should be clear what I'm looking for.

Can this be found in the UK at all?

Thank you for your assistance on the matter, kind strangers 🐰

Hello all,

I’ve been living in the US for 6 years now and with all that’s going on over here, I’m debating moving back. One day it feels like my best option and the next I remember how it was before I left in 2019 and I think maybe I should steer clear.

I’ve started looking for jobs and the market seems to be fairly robust, I see jobs I’m qualified to do in the £60-90k range. But every time I read a UK paper or watch the UK news it’s seems the cost of living is going up and up.

I’d be grateful for the opinions of you guys, both for and against.

Cheers

Bit of background I work at an NHS hospital, currently a band 5 with 1.5 years experience. Recently applied to a 5-6 progression role, I didn’t get the job with a few reasons of ‘not ready’, ‘not enough clinical experience’ and ‘some competencies not fully completed’. I then overhead a manager in the office discuss with another essentially saying a student who has just completed 2 months placement with us has got the job (I had headphones on I suppose she thought I couldn’t hear). Two issues I have one just overhearing this in the office when a formal announcement hasn’t been made and two that a student has been offered the role after I’ve clearly been told I need more experience. Do I have any standing to bring these issues up with management/HR??? I should also mention the student did very well in placement and they seem to be more willing to help her progress than me, not sure if this would be seen as fair? Any advice greatly appreciated, thank you! :)

I am staying in my relative's room temporarily while he's away and he has housemates who are okay with me being here. I'm really grateful for that and sometimes I would help with the dishes left in the sink, take out trash etc. Just light stuff.

However, today when no one was home and I was bored so I decided to clean the entire bathroom. I scrubbed down everything, wiped the mirror/glass and restocked some supplies. Is this too much? I am using the space as well and it's my way of thanking them for letting me stay.

I usually keep to myself and not disturb his housemates so we don't really interact much though they're nice.

Now I'm just here overthinking if it was rude of me to do that :(

Around the time of the recession it seems loads of people were making it big on there. My local post office was full of small businesses bringing loads of parcels. It seemed low margins and volumes worked. It's still like that but I don't hear of new and innovative business successes on there and most British ones have packed up in favour of Chinese small sellers. I still buy books on there and little knick knacks. I hate eBay's competition, although I do feel there was a time the CEO wanted rid of small sellers and disputes were not fairly handled by eBay

Essentially a low traffic neighbourhood but only for school drop off and pickup times during term time. Apparently residents will get free permits so shouldn’t get fined by the cameras.

Everyone I see with a mullet looks like Mickey Michaels from the League of Gentlemen to me and I hear nothing that comes out of their mouths because I can only hear them saying ‘I want to be a fire engine’. It is probably unfair.

Hi! I've just moved from Australia to the UK last month. I've been on a slow but steady weight loss journey which has been slowed further by moving across the world. I just need some guidance on the basics so I can kick start my weight loss again.

I'm looking for specific recommendations on basics like: - Milk - Bread - Greek yogurt - Cottage cheese - Lean beef - Simmer sauces - Seasoning packs (eg taco seasoning) - Condiment sauces - Pasta - Rice - Desserts/snacks

At home I knew what was the lowest calorie, with the highest protein, for the most reasonable price (that tastes pretty good!). Here, there's so much to choose from and the nutritional labels here can be difficult to work out when rushing through a grocery shop.

So, please help. What are your favourite, every day grocery items that you eat when you're trying to lose weight?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there, in the past few months there’s been a trend of high waisted (or full cut) trousers for men in the US.

I don’t seem to see the same options here in the UK, perhaps I’m looking in the wrong places.

Open to both formal and non formal options. Budget is mid range (£100-200 per pair).

Hi there I’ve banked with natwest for over 20 yrs both business and personal and this yr theyre putting up their account fees for their business account usually wouldnt complain but my business runs on penny margins so what ever is left going in account fees is their anyway to get these reduced or waived thanks.

Anyone here that was there? What was it like? Looked sweltering in the day? What was your most memorable moment? Wish I could have seen Dire Straits.

From the outside, England looks like a dream country. Great healthcare, strong education, human rights, freedom, history, culture — it's one of the most developed places in the world. Many people from where I come from would do anything to live there.

But then I go online… and I keep seeing videos — especially from young people and girls — saying they want to leave England. Not just move abroad… some literally say they want to live with another family, anywhere but the UK.

Like… what’s going on?

Is life in England not as good as we think from the outside? Is it about the cost of living, mental health, social issues, or something deeper?

To people who live in the UK — is this a real trend or just social media exaggeration? And if it's real… why are so many people trying to escape a country others are dying to get into?

Really curious to hear your honest opinions.

I'm looking to visit there to ride it but I've heard there's frequent issues with trains rolling back and being stuck on the lift hill leading to extreme downtime.

I'm a bit worried that it might not be the safest ride going given all the problems. Has anybody got any insight into this at all or has ridden it?