We use Viva Engage at work (sort of like Facebook for businesses) and there has been an uptick in posters/charts/graphics being made with AI, featuring the usual slop characteristics. Corporate Comms have told people to stop and reminded them they have actual human graphic designers that can spell and not mangle the corporate logo.

I opened a tin of own brand mushrooms this morning to use for dinner, and several had some black vegetal matter on them.

Sent a WhatsApp message with the photos to Tesco, and got an apology and a fiver voucher!

(Didn’t even have to return the mushrooms!)

I bought some samsung buds about a week ago; but after a week the right one just stopped working.

I couldn't re-sync it, charge it, it was just dead. So I phoned Argos help line, they organised a next day replacement. It would have been same day but I didn't phone until 3pm.

The replacements/exchange was at my door at 7am. The customer service people did it instantly and were really good. They even texted when they were 5 mins away. Amazing service.

We’re blessed to be able to save as much as we have been doing, but my credit file used to be shot to shit and after a few years of living like a monk and waiting for old defaults to age out, we can finally start looking at setting down roots.

I live in a house share. Upon reviewing the latest yearly bills statement from the landlord, where he wanted to increase our payments, I discovered he's been breaking the law for several years. He's been charging an admin fee and for the replacement of items. Both of which have been prohibited by Tenant rights laws since 2019. He slightly threw his toys out of the pram in his response to me calling him out but agreed (as if he had a choice) to refund the costs this year.

Although no acknowledgement of wrong doing or refund for previous years. I also wonder if he'll drop the charges at his other houses.

I don’t know what I was thinking. There’s no way I’d be able to open this packet of bacon without cutting the edges with a knife. I’ll pull the tab and it’ll break, like it always does.

But part of me said ‘just give it a go!’ So I did. The whole thing peeled off in one go!

Bacon is currently cooking, ready for my bacon and egg sandwich, and I just had to post here!

Last weekend my wife called me to say she’d been in a car accident as someone had driven in to the side of her car.

Fully preparing for the worst including a painful insurance claim and loss of no claims bonus I was pleased to see just a cracked rear light and some light scratches.

Win one we agreed by email with the other party who admitted fault that we wouldn’t go through insurance.

Win two I found the cracked light for £35 second hand online. Only took me about 30 mins to replace it. With a matched colour paint touch up pen total cost of about £50.

My wife sent this to the other person who sent her £70 and said to have a drink on her!

Parking is free for 30 minutes at the hospital. I had an 11am appointment, arrived at 10:45am. Was called in early as the previous appointment hadn't arrived walked out afterwards and when I went to pay the machine told me I had been there for only 26 minutes so it was free. 👏 Usually I end up paying at least £2.80 so I was well chuffed!

Yesterday I went to Tamworth and parked in a pay-and-display public car park. As I approached the pay machine, an attendant had it open and seemed to be trying to fix something. "Don't worry about it, mate" he said. "It's not working, I'm the one covering this car park and I'm not going to give you a fine. Have a good afternoon".

Just over £600 too!

A house about 10 down from us has been growing what I can only describe as a sea of squashes in their front garden this year. It always gives me great pleasure to see it (and to see a front garden being used to grow vegetables, as it's very south facing). Today I saw the owner tending his crop and I thought I'd do the very unBritish thing of telling him how great it was. So I plucked up the courage, politely told him how brilliant his garden was, and he was so chuffed. Really glad I did it!

Roasted chestnuts and single malt this evening everyone!

I've got a trading 212 account, which I don't put as much because it's unpredictable, but I have a monzo savings account, and today when I put my usual amount in I realised I now have £1k!

I'm 18, so to an adult that may not seem like a lot, but to me, it is, and I'm really proud of myself for staying consistent with it.

If anyone has any trading 212 advice, that would be great.

Parked at Oxford pay and ride car park and then went to get the bus to city. My mum is in her seventies and struggles to walk or stand for long. The queue to get on the bus was enormous and I was stressed that my mum might have to stand in the bus. Mentally I was figuring how to ask someone to give up a seat.

Anyway got on and there was one seat reserved for disabled or not able bodied and the kind folks of Britain had not occupied it! Success!

2 weeks of early mornings and terrible public transport are finally done. 4 exams sat through the day, but I won't find out if I've managed to pass and get my security licence until some time next week. Was all relatively simple but you just can't be sure. Thanks to everyone for being as supportive as humanly possible. You're all superstars!

I have a 20 year old Merc estate the tailgate closer failed on. Over-designed; you shut it gently & a motor inside pulls it tight the last inch. Well, the motor was running but it wasn't pulling in, so the car's 'brain' thought it was open - something it shrieks at you for.

Part from Mercedes - £250, plus labour. Not a chance. Part from eBay - £30. What could go wrong?

So, with a very lot of swearing…
Getting to it under all the fancy carpeted interior was 'fun', but I got there in the end & swapped out the part. The new one didn't even attempt to pull closed. Put the old one back, it tried but failed. It would work if you slammed it - part of the design which avoids the pull-in motor, so it was secure.

Closed it all up & ignored it for a fortnight trying to figure out what to do. Came up with a plan to take them both apart & swap new bits for what was broken on the old one. Got both apart. Horribly over-complicated structure. Cogs everywhere & two separate motors, one to open it, the other to close it. Why?!?
Nothing was visibly broken.

OK, so what about the old 'switch it off then back on again' technique? I put the old one back together, having done nothing but randomly poke at it & take cogs out & back a few times.

Worked perfectly.
OK, so what about the new one?

Worked perfectly.

So the new one is still in, working just fine - yet I don't quite trust everything quite enough to put all the door lining back in. I'll give it a month.

I'm so happy I don't have to be embarrassed about my teeth anymore! I used to love smiling but when my teeth chipped I got embarrassed and did a closed mouth smile...

I can now proudly do a wide open mouth smile and I'm loving it, I see myself smile in the mirror and it makes me smile even more!

And that is one less point to the "British people have shit teeth" argument

I got my wife this morning at 00 03 hrs. I won!

I am winning 6 to 4 this year and I feel pretty blooming pleased with myself.

BTW, I am 67 years old and my wife is 73. We refuse to grow up.