I was always jealous of kids that got pocket money, no matter what the amount, as I never got any. Any coins coming my way were earned or if I got lucky I found in the street. going to the shops for neighbours earned you anything from a penny to thruppence. I distinctly remember one day, I would be about eight, running to the shops for a lady on our street { believe it or not she's still alive and almost 100 } and she gave me sixpence for going, I went home still staring at this coin not believing my luck and I made the mistake of showing it to my mother, she asked if she could borrow it and she would pay me back the next day, I agreed.....I'm still waiting!!
When I left  school and got my first job I had to hand over the equivalent of 80% of my wages to my mum every week and what was left after I took out expenses for such as bus fares and the like it didn't leave me with a great deal, needless to say I didn't socialise a lot.
This is why I turn a deaf ear to people {especially the young} who bang on about how they are struggling, and how costly things are.
They seemed simpler times then, if you couldn't afford it you went without. In my mothers case and most others, stuff that had to be got on the never never took ages to pay off, thankfully in those days there was no hidden extras, no interest added for late payments, what price you bought an item for no matter how long it took to pay off that was the price you paid.
Got to go now every thing is starting to go into Sepia........

I have seen quite a few of these cop chase programmes {Traffic cops, Interceptors etc} and I look at the carnage created by these morons trying to escape the clutches of the law and when they are caught and brought to book what happens? I'll tell you, £$%%&* all that's what happens.
To the career criminal getting caught is an occupational hazard, but the derisory sentences metered out to these morons, when caught, makes our judicial system the laughing stock of the world.
Have you ever wondered why we get so many crooked people coming to England to ply their "trade" it's simple, should they be caught and heaven forbid incarcerated, our prisons are like holiday camps in comparison to other countries. 
One episode a "career" drug dealer led the police on a 42 mile chase along a motorway hitting innocent motorists as he tried to flee, when they finally stopped him they found a small child with it's mother sat in the back of the car.  All that damage, distress and mayhem he caused and a record as long as your arm and he got less than 3 years, with time served in custody and "good behaviour" he could be out in less than 18 months.
Cross over the pond and a similar situation he would have got a minimum of 10 years. Say what you like about the Americans when they pass sentence, they pass sentence.
Take the sentencing, in the U.S. of an ex police officer charged with rape and other offences, he got 263 years. Straight away you think what a stupid sentence, but is it? because of the severity of the crimes and the fact he was a police officer sworn to "Protect and Serve" this reflected in his sentencing, even with time off for good behaviour he will never see the light of day again.

In this country we DESPERATELY need an overall of the judicial system.

Yes we were given those little "bins" too, I found the perfect job for it, all my computer/phone cables spare mouse etc all fit in nice and tidy.
 As for the bins, at the top of our estate is an old terrace street, when the bins are out and cars parked you literally have to walk down in the road.
 

Again this is an old post but......
 I'm afraid the problems are still there, in fact I would say they have gotten worse, especially since the contract to empty the bins changed about 2 years ago round our way.
I wonder if they would empty the bins if we put out the bins as neatly[sic] as they leave them, o.k. I don't have to trudge miles to retrieve my bin but I've certainly had to walk past a couple of neighbours houses to get it back.
What people can't seem to grasp is that
In the good old days binmen teams were 8 men and a driver. 2 walked up the estate {1 either side} fetching your bins out onto the pavement, 2 teams {2 either side} emptied the bins onto the lorry and the last 2 followed taking your bins back down your path.
Your now doing at least 50% of the job for them and having to pay more for the privilege.
Also it was pointed out that disposing of batteries meant we no longer put them in the inner box of the maroon bin, we now have to put them in a bag and tie the bag to the bin handle so they can be kept separate, that's a laugh they just grab the bag and throw it in the main bin before emptying.
{I did make the council aware of this practice a while back and, as usual with a criticism, I was ignored to a man} 

As were going down memory lane I wonder what answers you would get from your parents {then} if you asked them to explain computers and the jargon, possibly the replies might be something like this.......

Broadband...... Is that margarine?
Internet...... Where you keep caught t'fish
Snapchat.... Discussions at the meal table
Facebook.... A photo album
Twitter.... the dawn chorus
Re-boot.... Buying new wellies
Cache.... loose change
Chips.... Twice a week
Spam.... To go with the chips
Cookie... What the Yanks call a biscuit
E mail.... What you exclaim when receiving an unexpected letter.
Megabyte.... Big gob
Phishing..... A drunk catching fish
Virus..... What your in bed with
Online.... Trespassing
Laptop....Your thighs
Mouse.....Where!!!!
P.C.....The local bobby
Web browser..... A spider

Any more!

Thankfully high rise fires are not a common sight in this country, or the world. Unfortunately with Grenfell {as with 9/11} the job of getting people out of a burning high rise is all but impossible, and whilst people live and work in tower blocks/skyscrapers it will remain almost impossible, mistakes were definitely made. The London brigade, and I suspect the nationwide's brigades policy of telling people, if a fire starts, STAY IN YOUR FLAT is all very well if the fire is on the 20th floor and your on the 1st floor, but if it was the other way round you wouldn't catch me sitting like a turkey in an oven waiting for the gas to be lit.

Take for example, on discovering, a chip pan fire...... what do you do?
A/ leave it burning whilst you run round to your neighbours telling them there's a fire and then ring the fire brigade
                     OR
B/ turn off the gas run a tea towel under the tap and throw it over the pan then ring.
Of course people panic, different people react to situations differently. How many people do you think, especially those with young children, have actually thought about what they would do if a fire broke out in their home and how many have shown their kids what to do!
I've been guilty of that. My 2 are both in their forties now and I never did and neither in fact did MY parents, and in those days you went to bed with the fire dampened down, but still in {in our house it was 2 fires} I think everyone walks round with that It will never happen to me attitude and I believe this is what causes the panic and the subsequent not thinking straight.
Most people have smoke detectors fitted which give people a fair warning and so can make good their escape, mine are situated in the hall nearest the kitchen door and the other at the top of the landing and come hell or high water the batteries are changed every xmas

This is why I always check where fire escapes, hoses and evacuation notices are when I'm on holiday and have booked into a strange hotel.
Only the other week there was a hotel fire abroad basically caused by drunk youths trying to set fire to one of their mates feet {as a joke} by using an aerosol can and it set the apartment on fire. Now you understand my caution when you are sharing a hotel with mindless dross like that.

I believe this is why especially in the U.S.A. the first thing people do when confronted by anyone in authority is get out their phones and start recording the incident, and from what I've seen on you tube in most cases that's maybe not a bad idea.
Unfortunately in times of emergencies when quick action is needed passers by would sooner record what's happening than help, well over 90% of what is viewed on you tube comes from peoples camera phones.
Having said that my wife bought me a dash cam for my last birthday and the car never moves off the drive without it switched on.