life skills

sa 19 Oct 2024	Life Skills No. 59: Prompted by a friend we downloaded the RingGo parking app so we wouldn't have to worry about having the right coins when visiting the dentist in Woodbridge. The app worked on our second visit and we thought That's that, but then it didn't work in a Dorchester council car park and we leant there's more than one parking app. Judging by this Wickham Market sign there's now a choice of five apps in East Suffolk.
th 1 Aug 2024	Life Skills No. 58: For years we opened paint tins with a screwdriver then we bought a Wickes opener that looked a little like the screwdriver that came with Meccano. It does work better than a screwdriver. In time we realised it's perfect to put under the lid of a jar of gherkins or olives to ease the vacuum so you can get the lid off ... winner winner chicken dinner.
we 17 Jul 2024	Life Skills No. 57: We struggle with those beer four packs that are glued together to avoid a plastic binder. Indeed on our first encounter we deployed a Swiss army knife and inadvertently cut through a can wall made of an aluminium only slightly thicker than a human hair. Getting ready for England v Spain Sunday night we noticed there are instructions on the can side ... it was so much easier.
mo 13 May 2024	Life Skills No. 56: Don't push your supermarket trolley with your hands on the outside, you'll get your knuckles skinned by a careless trolley pusher and if it's the Bury St Edmunds big Tescos they probably won't apologise.
fr 15 Mar 2024	Life Skills No. 55: When pain killer shopping surprisingly (to us at least) Lemsip and its relatives counts as one of your two per shop.
mo 18 Dec 2023	Life Skills No. 54: The V11 letter that has a ref number to renew your road tax online comes with links to other ways to pay, making an off road declaration or telling the DVLA you've moved or don't have the vehicle anymore but not pay on line. More usefully there's a new to us link get a MOT reminder.
tu 24 Oct 2023	Life Skills No. 54: We knew that Fitzroy replaced Finisterre on the shipping forecast but despite a lifetime of listening to Forties Dogger German Bight we couldn't say where any of them are. The map on the Met Office web site makes it clear they sort of surround the British Isles.
mo 14 Aug 2023	Life Skills No. 53: When the rubber on the end of your plastic pencil has worn down sufficiently to be a bit useless turning it round helps for bit. More useful is to put a little dot of Blu Tak into the hole and that'll fix it longer.
we 26 Apr 2023	Life Skills No. 52: Oven cleaner makes a reasonable paint stripper. Do use it in a well ventilated space, incautious breathing in of this ancient can of Mr Muscle caused violent coughing.
sa 5 Nov 2022	Life Skills No. 51: A bit incomprehensible why the post office feel the need to add to stamps what they call a bar code but what looks like a QR code and then say we can't use the old ones after Jan 31? With a first class stamp at 95p it can soon add up so worth trading them in. If you've lost the leaflet that came through the letterbox you can download one which is slightly different.
we 12 Oct 2022	Life Skills No. 50: Spices in most supermarkets (even the big one at Martlesham) only seem come in those little glass tubes making Life Skills No. 9 redundant... but Cupboard Love on Framlingham market has spices and stuff loose including the ground coriander we wanted, just bring a jar.
we 17 Aug 2022	Life Skills No. 48: If you're going to oil your Swiss army knife because the blades have become a little stiff take out the toothpick first or you'll be tasting 3-in-One for weeks if not months.
tu 19 Jul 2022	Life Skills No. 47: Visiting the Leiston or Ipswich council tips needs an appointment ... and a single mattress should fit into the back of a small hatchback.
sa 28 May 2022	Life Skills No. 46: Seems the Saxmundham Waitrose normally closes at 8pm, who knew? We didn't and they don't announce it on the pa.
su 1 May 2022	Life Skills No. 45: If as a small attempt to lighten life's load you usually order a lovely latte don't order a lovely *cappuccino* because you'll get a latte, order a captivating cappuccino. Similarly if you say Get me anything but a cheese roll you'll get a cheese roll.
th 31 Mar 2022	Life Skills No.44: We've finally worked out how you get a bacon roll in Costa Coffee when you can't see it on the menu ... if there is one you pick it out of the display cabinet. OK, you all knew that.
mo 14 Feb 2022	Life Skills No. 43: An OPEN sign that can't change to CLOSED is not to be trusted.

more life skills • email us • advertise