Posts by: Tertia

This is only an idea - it might not work with your daughter although I have to say it worked wonders with ours. It hinges on the idea that at 2 and half the immune system comes online and the body becomes much more particular about what foods and chemicals are absorbed.

We found that excluding chocolate made for a calmer child. I know it sounds mean - but no more so than the alternatives you have tried. Alternative, safe sweets can be peppermints or licorice.

It took 6 weeks before we were sure of the results. Good luck!

If you have to ask then you shouldn't be the one doing the work - but then you knew I would say that. I've checked in the book I have on Plumbing and wiring - some of the pictures show a terminal built onto the metal back box, most of them show a straightforward earth terminal where the other terminals are. However, I do remember that if you look closely you will see the earth terminal connects to a metal strip which connects with the screw holes connecting front to back.

I have already picked my favourites for the coming season. One-button dark cable tunic (J Jeans) sequined dress and necklace (Red Herring) all worn over black jeans and 3/4 sleeve black blouse. The grey sequins on the dress give the effect of a chain-mail tunic only just seen and the overall effect is very knightly. All from you magazine 2/9/07 although their other bits were the usual boring rubbish. My other treat would be the Monsoon Liv Halter Dress (252010) - a long silk job in slashes of purple, jade and white on black silk - featured on their cover 26th August 2007, athough I doubt it will look as good on me as it does on Helena.

I'd love to find a pirate shirt- snug through the body and long full sleeves into a tidy cuff. Crimson silk or ivory chiffon. Possibly polyester with a hint of lurex or more especially nacre thread. Something you might wear under a waistcoat (or bodice!) Something you could dress up for christmas. Not these cotton puffs that finish half way up your arm.

Hi, are you still looking?
I know you looked in Debenhams but did you try their bustier /skirt sets - since you could buy separate sizes for the top and bottom as required. They currently have a sale on...

If she does find a dress /skirt that fits ok it can be shortened relatively easily, some shops may do this if not ask in the dry cleaners. I don't know how easy it would be to take in a waist but you could ask, or maybe put a tuck in yourself, carefully? and hide it under the sash.

Alternatively- you could try looking on ebay with the search terms 'organza prom'.

I hate Patio Heaters with a vengeance.
Mostly the gas kind but I am willing to include all the others at a pinch. What else says you haven't got a clue about global warming MORE than an unnecessary metal monstrosity stuck in your garden and heating up the neighbourhood like you've got money to burn?

To me it doesn't whisper 'rich, classy, desirable' at all. It shouts out that you are an ignoramous who hasn't a clue how to shape your environment in sympathetic ways. I look forward to the day when they are taxed as high as petrol. I am appalled that you are offering one as a prize.

I just missed a to-die-for red silk trench coat on ebay- if it had been in grey, jade or ultramarine I would have remortgaged the house. There must be some more around, please help me find them. I am 5ft 9 and would need a generous 18 or a 20 - hence my passion for silk.

One final footnote- I received the gas bill earlier this week for the proper amount of £12.93 which I really must get around to paying them.

If you have a problem with British Gas the fastest way is NOT to phone, but to go on their website and navigate to the complaints page. Full details are in my report currently on ebay.

The nice man at BG said the same situation was likely to develop next quarter...

News! I've just had a phone call from a very nice man at British Gas, replying to my email of 2 September 2006. (Check the dates, that is 2 full weeks to reply to an urgent email complaint)

After a long explanation regading their new billing system, he has a novel recommendation for avoiding this problem in future- take out the gas meter! I said I would think about it as it seems rather drastic with winter coming up.

He promises to leave notes on my account and to get a revised bill out to me, and between the pair of us we worked out that the next bill was also due last week, so I should get 2 bills for zero gas soon. Fingers crossed.
What a shame I forgot to ask for confirmation in writing.

I also forgot to ask about their Standards of Service provisions - I know some companies pride themselves on prompt and effective response and offer compensation if basic levels of service aren't met, but apparently British Gas does not feel able to do this.

Do you feel I could recover my costs -3 x one-hour peak rate phone calls, inconvenience and stress- by offering details of this known defect in their new billing system on ebay?

Yes, you would think that with it showing 'total cons*' (sic) of over a million something-or-others I would get a bulk discount. Interestingly enough British gas won't let me save the actual webpage to my hard drive but never fear, I took a screen dump instead ;-)

The next few days should prove interesting - I have just spent another hour on the phone to BG who have not had the presence of mind to cancel the legal action, and have today charged me £10 for telling me so. Just checked my gas account online, if they bill me for the units the computer says I have used it will come to (somewhere in the region of) £51,000 -that is to the nearest thousand. Well done boys, since I actually use NO gas, nada zero, zilch.

Where is the Daily Mail when you need them?

It must be obvious to everyone (except your ex) that your boy is angry with him - so often the way that the person who causes the anger is absent and others take the flak.
Nothing wrong with having a new man in your life, just remember to take things very slowly at first, and that continuity is the key. You may find that if you 'move on' your ex will take more of an interest in the boy - it's a possessive thing he won't want another man doing daddy duties.

Two new brands have just joined Tertia's list of Bad Apples- two you might not expect perhaps.

ASDA - for not keeping to their Multibuy Promise 'Two for £5 on Persil Liquid'. This offer might not still be running as it was a couple of weeks back. They join the Bad Apples bunch because not ONLY did the Multibuy not come off at the till, but they also failed to reply to my letter querying it. I won't be shopping there again. (However, the lady in bakery was a star.)

BRITISH GAS - This one will run and run. There is a fault in their billing system software (which will only affect a fleabite of customers) but thats not why they joined THE BAD APPLES. They qualify because however many times you phone British Gas you will only get platitudes and no action, no notes to record the calls, no changes to the accounts, in some cases your revised meter reading will not be recorded or actioned. No-one who answers the phone is qualified to put anything in writing. You have been warned - unless you can put pen to paper you don't exist.

Tertia's off with the pirates this winter- snaffling Littlewoods Teal Embroidered coat and looking for a silk shirt -tight through the body and full on the sleeves -to wear with b/f's waistcoat. The emphasis is shifting away from the cloth and more towards the fitments- belts, boots and bags - if you haven't got a belt that cost £50+ start looking now.

There is no substitute for staying in the shade!

Here are Auntie Tricia's tried and tested sun solutions-

* Lavender essential oil - the best first aid for sunburn, it can be used neat in an emergency and is even better added to moisturising lotion (Arran Aromatics lavender m/l makes the perfect base).

* Rehydration salts - anyone with a baby under one year old MUST have these handy just in case, get them from the chemist they are really cheap and could save your baby's life. Pack them with your picnic.

*Cover up- Keep your head and the back of your neck covered and watch out if there is a breeze, you could be burning without realising it. If your skin does 'catch pink' keep it covered for 4 days before you go out in the sun again.

Have a good day!

I recently potted up 2 dozen cyclamen babies each with one fingernail sized leaf on a pink inch long stalk. Now what? because they (and the parent plant) have gone dormant - how do I store them til autumn? They are in divided trays in my best compost. is anything likely to eat them in the meantime? The parent plant is autumn flowring, outdoors, small flowers. Thanks, Trisha

Red wine, kiwi fruit, and that gorgeous kaftan from Next (see 6 of the best kaftans). I wish I was 12 stone again. You have done really well to lose 3 stone in as many months. Aim for 9 hours sleep a night and put the maternity clothes away - they must be too warm this weather.

Oh dear...the one redeeming feature of your conservatory is that your lounge will be warmer in the winter -but ONLY if you keep the patio door. The lounge will only be warmer if you can separate the two volumes of air. If funds allow you might put in french doors instead.

I don't know what to suggest for actual heating. Is the conservatory d/glazed? I also wonder if there is a south facing wall behind it that you could paint a pale colour to reflect light (and some heat) back into the conservatory?

Firstly, you need to adjust your own attitude to the room - compare it with the room sizes on newbuilds and you will find they are offering the same room size on some properties - a fact you can mention if necessary. It is perfect for a nursery, a study or workroom (eg sewing). Cheat and use a good-looking bunk bed (2ft6in wide) nicely dressed, with a low chest of drawers that might double as a bedside table since it is so close to the bed. Try working a mirror into the room on one of the long walls. Good luck! ..if you haven't sold already.

Could be 'pond snail eggs'. There are photos online to compare with what you have. Newts and toad also lay their eggs in jelly strings, but the individiual eggs are bigger than you describe. You might not have started with snails but they -and doubtless other water inhabitants- will hitch a ride on any visiting froggy.

How to make it 'yours'? Easy, and much less than you might think- because it is not your money that puts your stamp on a home, it is the investment of your time and the display of your skill. That's why you want to paint the walls- not because you necessarily want them a different colour, but to say 'I painted that'.

This is why an expensive throw is less satisfactory than some cushions you make yourself, some prints straight out of Argos not so much fun as a canvas boxart you painted from Works. Look for something fairly large as a first project, so that your visitors are sure to notice your handiwork.

Don't panic! Your ribs and all your other bones are perfectly proportioned, you are just right just as you are, and as bits of you grow, the other bits will catch up. There is one part of you that is really beautiful maybe your eyes or your smile or maybe your toes or your teeth (I am sooooo jealous if you have good teeth). Focus on the beautiful part and see how the bit next to it isnt so bad, and so on, til you are beautiful all over.

I occasionally look at a word and think -hang on, that isn't spelt right, but it is, and I'm sure it is a temporary hitch in the brain, something like roadworks where it takes a different route, just temporarily. Tell your feeling it is only temporary too, and the rest of you is fine just like before.

Last time I looked, it wasn't a crime to suck your thumb or finger in public. This is a comfort habit in the same way that carrying around a favourite teddy bear or blanket is, and I have to say a lot more hygienic -and convenient- than either.

Trying to stop her will only stress her out more and she may then go on to chewing her nails -with extremely painful consequences. Recognise that the problem is your end: you don't need to control this aspect of her behaviour, and she will ease out of it in good time.

You could try the Dorma website - their fabric by the metre is in 280cm width, which would be enough to cover the bed with a single width provided u then add a deep edge for the throw. If you are quick you might catch their sale this weekend, ends 1st May: some ranges are 70% off.
For sheeting you could try ebay, or if you don't mind the sheets being a couple of inches too big all round try victorialinen.co.uk for the egyptian cotton at £76. This was the first site I looked at so there may be others doing outsize sheets, and I haven't bought from them myself -being a strictly Dorma girl. Good luck! Patricia

Angie would be the best one to answer this.
The only people who know if you are likely to get permission are the council, and I know that sounds obvious when you think about it but you didn't say who advised you in the first instance -it could have been a prospective builder. 'Favourably' suggests you are likely to get the p.permission but they would like the forms etc so they have a record of the changes. If you are losing sleep over this then go see them in person: some of the nicest people work in the planning department!