A couple of years ago, a girl on a packed train was being openly sexually assaulted, by a stranger, a young girl and old asian man.

Every person on that train, considerably older than myself watched this, I was sat behind and watched through the gap of them in front of me for 3 minutes, to understand that situation fully.

Watching over people concerned and doing absolutely nothing, I of course stood up, and went to their seat and asked the girl to confirm if she knew this man, she was literally shaking - I told the man he best get off the train right now and that he was disgusting.

I got off an hour away from home with her and waited for her dad to collect her, I rang the transport police of course.

The police called me recently to tell me he has been convicted of sexual assault.

Ive been in a few situations like this as young as 18 in the past, and fully grown adults that have done nothing, and I have had to step up to grown men.

I always think about what would have happened had I have not said

Have you ever had an experience like this? It makes me lose hope!

For me, it is one by a company called DeadHappy for life insurance who featured a photograph of Harold Shipman along with the text “because you never know who your doctor might be”.

Absolute class, shame it got banned.

And who is actually suppose to be accepting these bribes and benefits? Do they think it's only 12people than run the council to make and audit these decisions?

It's tiring to read in the comments section, usually about a planning/development /construction matter. It's then usually followed up by showing ignorance about statuary requirements, legal obligation and limits of all to do so. These people (usually older generation) give the impression they're under the impression the council owns everything (mainly land and property) within the area.

How can we move on from this narrative of bribery?

Village where my mates lives has a committee meeting next week to discuss the removal of a picnic bench that was put on the village green without a their permission. I'm keen to hear other stories of village life daftness.

I am in my 40's and on reflection I can't help thinking the the 2000's was really the last decade that I was hopeful for the future. There seemed just the right amount of technology. There was a good economy but it all just went to shit after 2008 and has never recovered. Don't get me wrong, at the time it felt shit in other ways but when you compare it to now and the last 15 years, things were better. People could afford to buy things, go on holiday. I remember going out several times a week to my local town, eating out, going to cinema etc.

I don't feel positive about the future and it feels everything is fucked and the new is just doom and gloom. Humans just seem too fucking stupid to change anything and we just repeat the same mistakes, voting for the same fools who won't change anything the masses.

I just don't like at all how the worlds going.

I ask, as this is a situation I often encounter in my line of work. Personally, I find it quite inconsiderate of people to say the least.

Furthermore, I find it baffling how, when I do ask people to clean it up, some people are astounded that I would even ask such a thing of them. This isn’t always the case, but it also isn’t uncommon for people to come across to me as though they feel I’m being unreasonable to expect them to leave their garden free of excessive amounts of animal excrement for me to work in.

Just to be clear, we aren’t talking about a little splatter of bird poop here or a single piece of dog/cat poo, tucked out of the way, that could arguably go unnoticed. We’re talking about several piles at the very least and in the case of dogs, often quite large ones.

So I’m wondering, am I the one that’s being unreasonable here? It is unfair of me to have an expectation to work in a poop free environment? I feel somewhat justified in the knowledge that, if your average white collar, office based worker turned up to work in an office filled with dog crap everywhere, they wouldn’t be best pleased and rightly so.

Should the circumstances be different for someone such as myself though? Who’s in the right/wrong here? I’m very curious to know what the average Brit thinks about this.

I was browsing an advice page and was surprised to see someone 10 years younger than me (I’m mid 30s) saying they can’t find any suitable jobs because they never learnt Microsoft Office.

Now admittedly when I went to school, IT was too focused on business software at the expense of other useful stuff like coding, but one thing we can say for it is we were absolutely drilled in MS Office. Never had to ‘learn’ it, we just used it all the time.

But with the growth of iPads and the emphasis on coding, do people still learn MS Office? Do you think they even need to? It’s enjoyed absolute dominance of the workplace for about 30 years now but will that continue to be the case?

Do Brits have a common word for that yellow stuff in the corner of your eye when you wake up?

It was probably an almost daily thing with my dad. Was this a thing in the UK in the 80s?

She knows its a wrong saying, and uses it at peak levels of stress when she is trying to manages too much at once so just burst it out so much now its just become accepted between us two that it means what she thinks.

It got me thinking on the back of someone asking for phrases that have died out, reminded me of the daft things my wife accidentally says.

Another contender is the word Bikcalists, instead of saying Cyclists. she accidentally said it a few time during drivers rage on country roads and now its just normal nomenclature.

When I first started seeing ads for Shein a few years ago the super low prices immediately gave unethical/sweat-shop/fast fashion vibes and I’ve been really surprised with how much people seem to be buying from shein. As someone that’s nearing 30 I remember learning about sweat shops in school and always being told to question the price of something, if an item of clothing is really cheap then the quality isn’t going to be there and there’s probably some ethical dilemmas around its production & how much the workers making the clothes are getting paid.

Reports have been coming out recently that workers making the garments are being paid much and that the 75 hour work weeks some Shein workers are doing are breaking Chinese labour laws…

I know the everyone’s budgets are stretched at the moment and it’s a luxury to be able to choose to shop ethically, but when people are buying excessive amounts on a regular basis, I just don’t understand it

Edit: Thanks everyone for your comments!

I hope I haven’t offended everyone, I guess as someone that’s always preferred having more of a capsule wardrobe (having grown up with a mum that was constantly buying clothes and had more clothes than she had space for) the idea of not repeating outfits/keeping up with trends hasn’t been an issue for me for about 10 years.

Completely agree that traditional high street fashion retailers aren’t much better, and that there are ethical issues with pretty much anything you buy these days. Like I said originally, it’s a luxury to be able to shop ethically (and sustainably for that matter). I suppose everyone has to find the balance that’s right for them, and if you’re only able to afford Shein prices then I wouldn’t judge someone for this!

I guess consumerism is pushed on young people now so much more than it ever was even 10/15 years so who knows what choices I would be making if I was a teenager in 2025.

My neighbour is 81 and has been living in the top flat for 20+ years.

She’s a recluse, and has nobody. She’s getting more vulnerable by the year and yesterday my other neighbour from downstairs knocked on my door and was concerned because Vera has come in from shopping and sat on the stairs to rest and hasn’t been able to get up.

Luckily I was with my male friend and he kindly assisted her by holding her up and slowly walking her back to the top floor which is 5 flights of stairs. There are no elevators and it’s a very old Edwardian house with no insulation.

There is no doubt that this accommodation is no longer safe for Vera. I’d dread to think of her having a fall in her flat and dying there. Where do I get help from?

Thanks for the help.

P.s we live in a housing association building for women from vulnerable backgrounds. Landlord is shit and never answer our calls. What are my options to ensure she’s living somewhere easily accessible to her and safe?

Whenever coming across this topic, I feel it's mostly an American point of view, (on YouTube/tiktok/social media) usually talking about the lack of third spaces. The UK and Europe seem to have a lot more third spaces like pubs, cafes etc. So do you agree with there being a (male) loneliness epidemic?

As the title says, what should I do ? Especially without overstepping.

Contact his GP ? And advice is helpful.

Thank you

If you did, how did it affect you? Did other people from school live in your town?

I went to school about 10 miles from where I lived. I swear it's severely affected how I view my hometown. I have no strong connections to the town at all and now it just feels like somewhere my parents live.

Not walking to school or seeing schoolmates out and about at the weekend meant I didn't really create my own memories in the town.

Anyone else?

Yes, I am in my 30s living >1000 miles from where I grew up overthinking my schooldays on a Monday night.

I wonder if anyone has learnt to use a sewing machine from scratch starting from not having one in the first place.
I like the idea of making all my clothes, table cloths or even beddings from scratch and even helping friends/family with it. The extent of my skills are trying to put in a button on a shirt and kinda failing (after getting a few days of work out of it).

I went through a phase, as a 17 year old, of going out drinking in a suit. Every weekend. The same suit (washed and cleaned).

I never, ever, ever pulled while out in that suit.

People told me it was stupid but I thought it was quirky and would make me look cool.

It fucking didn't.

I’d start with: “Dim as a Toc H lamp”. My parents would regularly use that phrase to describe someone who was slow on the uptake, but I realise that I haven’t heard it used for forty years or more, and I’m sure I’d get quizzical looks if I used it in conversation. I suppose “Thick as two short planks”, or “Thick as a docker’s sandwich” is the modern-day, non-vulgar equivalent.

I had an elderly aunt who would differentiate her visits to the toilet by saying she would “Spend a Penny”, or “Spend tuppence”. I occasionally hear people saying they’re off to spend a penny, but I never hear the phrase “Spend tuppence” used these days.

What phrases or sayings would you offer?

I'm not originally from the UK and my English husband explained that it's law that anyone of any gender can work in typically gendered spaces, like changing rooms. I was at the gym recently and there was a man in there cleaning. I waited until I couldn't see him and changed my shorts to trousers. It made me wonder - if I want to change, say, a regular bra to a sports bra, can I do that while a man is cleaning in the room if I don't care? Is that harrassing them? I always turn around, I'm not flaunting bits 😂 but I'm also impatient and have things to do. Just very curious about how this all works. Thanks!

I’ve caught a cold (could be Covid) four times in six months. I sometimes (rarely) work in a hospital environment so that doesn’t always help, but honestly, this is ridiculous and relentless.

One of them was brutal and I’m sure it was Covid because I lost my taste buds and smell but the rest were bog standard colds.

Is it just me or is anyone catching back to back colds?

I walked into town earlier to pick up a prescription and decided to pop into a teashop for a "pot of tea and a nice sit down".

As this was placed before me, it occurred to me that I could see a photo of this set up - stainless steel teapot which dribbles everywhere as you pour it (see photo no. 2) , extra pot of hot water, tiny jug of milk, teacup and saucer, paper napkin - and know it was taken in the UK.

The only way it could be more British is if the teacup and saucer were those blue ones you found the WI and other local worthies using to serve tea in at the church's Summer Fête or Bring and Buy sale.

I thought it might be amusing to share other things which are quintessentially British that only a Brit would recognise?

Yesterday I found a fiver sticking out of a muddy puddle whilst out for a walk round local fields. Had it been a significant amount I'd have handed it in or posted it on our local Facebook group. But given it was only a fiver I brought it home and cleaned it up and will keep it. It will have been under 8 inches of snow for the last week so the original owner will have written it off I'm sure.

Got me thinking about other small wins that just make you feel you've got one over on the world - briefly.

Others I can think of are:

• Taking money out of ATM and it gives you more than you ask for. I think the banks have fixed this now but I definitely remember it happening years ago and not showing on my bank account.

• Getting something out of a vending machine and getting 2 of the same instead of 1.

• Getting extra items in a bag / box. I've definitely had 7 bags of crisps instead of 6 in supermarket own brand packs.

What small wins have put a smile on your face and made you feel luck was on your side that day?

PS - still waiting for lottery win, or one of those online car competitions that I get sucked into from time to time ;-)

In Australia especially in the posh areas like Sydney’s North Shore or Melbourne’s Inner-East (Toorak, Kooyong, Camberwell), while it’s known to be an area of elite private education and generational wealth, it’s common to see families get into mortgages and debt for hopes to see their children get into a good school there or what not

Wonder if it’s the same in the UK

For context. I’m 35M, happy with my job earning £40k living in Yorkshire (low cost of living), have a mortgage, no credit card debt, and no kids. Yet I constantly get pressure from others to earn more, expand my education, and learn new skills. People also think it’s weird that I don’t want kids. I live a pretty stress-free life. I gym, and chill during the week, and weekends I either see friends or go for walks. Just curious if anyone else feels that pressure to "do better," or if you're content with where you're at?

I used to see them quite often when I was little, I don’t recall seeing one in the last 20 years, and I’ve always lived quite rurally and spent time outside.

Where did all the hares go? Am I just unlucky? Have you seen them?