I get the 07:43 from Didcot every morning and change at Reading. For context, in the last three months this connection has worked out maybe twice. Usually the first train is delayed by "operational reasons" which as far as I can tell means absolutely nothing, and I end up standing on the platform at Reading watching my connection pull away while a tinny voice apologises for the inconvenience. This morning I walked onto the platform at Reading with four minutes to spare. Four. I didn't know what to do with myself. I just stood there. A woman next to me was also waiting for the same train and we made eye contact in the way that British people do when something mildly good has happened and neither of you wants to jinx it by acknowledging it out loud. Train arrived. On time. I got a seat. Not even a middle seat, a proper window seat facing forward. I very nearly texted my mum.

Since the bombing of the Russian bot farm my daily two rings and cut off mobile calls have stopped!

I had some old make up sets that I'd never used, my daughter asked of she could list them on vinted. I agreed thinking she may get a couple of quid for them. A stranger messaged me to say the price was too low and similar sets go on ebay for £100. My daughter relisted and we got £40. Planning on using it to take daughter out for lunch! Was over the moon by the strangers kindness!

Sometimes strangers are just nice people.

Yesterday my wife and I popped out to Home Bargains and Tesco.

Parked up in Home Bargains and when I came out the car 2 away from my bay needed a jump start, I happen have jump cables in the back so more happily provided a jump, they weren't sure on how to jump start so I explained, car started and they were happy people, they even offered to pay for the jump (I of course declined and just said to pay it forward).

I then foolishly drove 5 mins down the road to Tesco, turned off my engine and guess what I then needed 😂

So after leaving the car with my windows down while we went round Tesco to do the shop, I came back out, saw a 4x4 parked up and about to leave, I tapped the window and asked any chance of a jump start. His response "No problem pal, I've cables and a jump pack in the back, which would you prefer?"

So faith in strangers restored, maybe proof of what goes around comes around?

Or simply, "Just help others and be kind to each other" which makes this country (and the world) a better place.

Hurray.

In late 2024, I picked up a promotional eSIM from Slice for a fiver, fully expecting the standard monthly billing to kick in after month one.

It never did. For two solid years, through sheer billing oversight, they gave me unthrottled, unlimited data for a grand total of £5.00 flat. The ultimate "don't pay as you go." To add insult to injury, they even sent me free merch hence the hat in the photo.

All good things have to end. I’ve just upgraded to a Galaxy S25, and because it’s an eSIM, there's no way to quietly move it across without an account swap waking up their systems. Rather than push my luck any further, I’m pulling the pin and requesting my PAC code.

If their system suddenly flags a two-year discrepancy when that request lands, fair play. But Slice, genuinely, thank you ever so much. You unknowingly saved me the best part of a grand over the last 24 months. I’ll wear the hat with pride.

Bought my first car in feb. And it had its MOT today and passed

First time taking a car in to be MOT’d and was worried it wouldn’t pass or would need work that I can’t afford right now

Also the waiting room was showing a YouTube video about a man in Azerbaijan who was wild cooking. Hardly any vocals apart from the occasional “super” and no music. Oddly hypnotic and soothing

It has various decorative prints saying "YOU COULD BE PROSECUTED" and "you could be visited any time, day or evening, weekdays or weekends" or "Your IN0100" and such, but that's not so bad.

I wonder why they feel the need to explain "any time"?

Anyway.

Free loo paper, yay!

Everywhere you go, there’s just people smoking. Sit down for a hot chocolate in the cafe and the waft on fag smoke is in your face. On a scenic boat trip and the captain is smoking in one hand, steering wheel in the other.
Can’t believe we used to be like this, and am so glad we’re not anymore!
(I used to smoke and remember when the ban came in. I don’t think I was a fan at the time)

For anyone who remembers my original "Thanks Jobcentre" post, I just had a call to confirm that I passed the course and now just have to wait for my security licence. With some luck I might have a job before Christmas!!

She was in a right mood yesterday as a result so this morning's victory got me right in her good books.

Rethinking a room I last did in 2022, found the last lot of paint (off-black), used for a mist coat on plasterboard, then as an undercoat / first coat, and used it all up creating a handy paint kettle for 5 litres of fresh paint (black-black)

This literally never happens 😊 🤯 usually it sits around for a few years then gets fucked straight in the bin, or you leave it too long and it’s unusable.

Accidents happen and yesterday an accident happened. So I braced myself for an awkward visit to the pharmacy for some emergency contraception.

When I was looking online for where to go, it turns out there’s a sexual health clinic near my work, so I looked on the website to see how it worked. And there was an option for ‘SH:24’ which I’d never heard of but provides NHS contraceptives online.

Put in my details on the website, answered some basic questions, and the right pill arrived through my postbox today, completely free of charge.

Maybe I’m just old and this has been around for ages but when I was younger I had a horrible experience of having to go to the pharmacy for this, where the pharmacist refused to speak to me privately and made me answer all the questions in the middle of the shop, then publicly chastised me for being careless with some... nasty implications. I was worried about plucking up the courage to have to go through that again so a service that does this all so discreetly is such an amazing step forward.

You can also add the regular daily pill, condoms, and a pregnancy test to the order for free, in case you need them.

I know the NHS isn’t ideal at the moment but just thought this is a real success and that it’s worth pointing out that if you ever feel you need the service, it’s there, and you don’t need to worry about having any awkward or judgemental conversations face to face.

Tesla were giving away the model 3 recently. £295 a month for a 2 year lease at 8k miles a year, and no deposit. I bit their hand off, even though I wasn't looking for a new car, and have no love for Tesla, but know a good deal when I see it.

Picked it up a few weeks ago and bolted the insurance on to my existing policy as it was due to expire soon. I just got the renewal quote and it's less than half that of my old car, just £23 a month. Along with the cheap lease, no tax, no servicing, and as good as free off peak home charging, this is crazy cheap motoring ☺️

Edit

As another little win (although it's become quite clear that people here think putting over £100 a month of Dino fuel in some shed is the only way to motor, or think £295 month all in for a brand new car that runs on air is somehow expensive). I managed to pick up over 5000 free supercharger miles as a result of a few friends and family getting one using my referral code (people in the real world appreciate things a lot more than folk on Reddit by the looks of things). I thought they would be useful if I ever plan to go on longer journeys, which was doubtful, and it turns out they expire after 12 months, so thought they would simply go to waste, but I went to my local garden centre today, which I pass every day to go to work and twice a week to take my boy to football (where I need to wait around for an hour for him) and I found they've just installed a huge Tesla supercharger hub, just in time for me to use my miles. It's not a massive saving, as it only costs about £1 per 100 miles to charge from home, but it still feels like a win to be able to use them, and not have them go to waste. No doubt people will say Tesla Supercharger electric is far worse than any other electric, but I'm pretty sure it's just fine. Sorry for all the flippant sarcasm, but I'm genuinely amazed by the reaction to my little bit of British success, apparently posts are only eligible if they conform with the views of a vocal minority.

My boss came up to me at the end of the work day and said I'd been doing a good job and he put me forward for a £2k pay rise. Been working 6 years in different places. I don't know a single person who has ever been told they were doing a good job and been given a pay rise. My jaw hit the floor lol.

We live on a boat so have to but electricity on card from the marina. Price for 500 thingies has dropped 15 quid. Not often prices go down so a small win.

Batch cooking roast chicken for tonight, macaroni cheese, lasagne and borcht all for the fridge and freezer for the week!

Can't listen to your tik tok videos if I've got motorhead on full pelt can you.

And you can't have a conversation on loudspeaker if I'm also having a louder conversation with myself, can you?

Fight fire with fire.

And for those who are concerned about the welfare of the other passengers, I went back to silent but deadly mode as soon as the target was neutralised.

Driver ignored me tapping on the window and drove off. Ran to the next stop (traffic was bad) and managed to get on the same bus. felt quite smug about it.

Every time I’ve gotten this train it’s 2 coaches and everyone is literally Tetris stacked in the carriages. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see 3 carriages. Did do a silent little hurrah. 🤣 plus the conductor was as excited and enthusiastic as you could be. Described our destination as sublime and subtropical. Made a nice change than the usual grumpy so and sos that act like you’re the problem for even using the train.

Turned on my laptop, downloaded a file from etsy, clicked on print & it printed FIRST TIME with no messing.

My Tesco delivery was cancelled due to driver sickness, not the end of the world, everyone is ill right now and my husband can pop to the shop and grab some bits we need. I wait to be told when it'll be delivered the next day, no communication, and it just appears 24hrs after it should have. I WhatsApp Tesco after complaining saying it's arrived, but I decide, Tesco earn so much money let's see what I can get. I ask for a refund for the delivery cost and a goodwill voucher. Well they over deliver (haha) and I get my whole £70 order refunded, and a £5 goodwill voucher! I feel so rich!

I get to ride in comfort and solitude all the way from King's Cross to Edinburgh! And this is the second time this has happened this week!

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.