Crinklyfox

Good weekend. I've always enjoyed competitive sport but as I've aged my body and reactions won't support football or cricket so in my retirement I took up bowls last year, found I wasn't too bad at it so bought myself a custom made set of blue and white bowls with a fox motif and entered competitions at my local bowls club (which has 120 playing members). Played throughout the season and won the pairs tournament (with a very good partner) at the weekend. Nice to get the buzz back from competitions and well chuffed.

Sounds like the seller wants to have his cake and eat it. If he accepts your offer he shouldn't be leaving it on the market, acceptance means that you have agreed a deal. If he doesn't accept your offer then you're free to look at other properties and make offers on them. If you find another property then you can take your offer 'off the table'. Leaving it there just gives the seller and estate agent the option to use it as a lever to get a higher offer from other interested parties. If the estate agent can extract a higher offer from another potential buyer then they can come back to you with that on the table telling you that if you want the house you have to increase your offer, if you do so then it's back to the other buyer to squeeze an increase out of them. If the seller thinks your offer is time limited then they may be more willing to accept.

The books called The Feeling Good Handbook by David D Burns MD. It's Americanised but the advice is universal.

There's a lot of good advice already been given but I'd like to add my experience in case it's of any help. I was diagnosed with depression around 15 years ago. I didn't know that I was depressed, I went to the doctors because I wasn't sleeping properly, going to bed as usual but waking up after 3-4 hours then staying awake the rest of the night, which resulted in me being permanently tired at work and at home. The doctor said that I was suffering from depression and that my sleep pattern was a classic sign of it. He also said that depression caused the body to stop producing some necessary chemicals which led to more depression, effectively a vicious cycle. He prescribed me some pills to ease my symptoms and get my body functioning properly again, I was on them for about a month. However this didn't address the root cause of the depression. I'm not going to bother you with details but in a nutshell I was concentrating on the bad things that had happened in my life and ignoring the good. The doctor recommended that I read a book on cognitive therapy (which I'd never heard of). I did and it helped me put my life into perspective, I've never suffered from clinical depression since. A postscript to this is that I found that a colleague of mine, a really nice guy with a decent job, a settled family life and what many of us would consider to be happy circumstances was also suffering from depression. We talked about my experiences, I gave him the book on cognitive therapy that I had found so beneficial and it worked for him as well. My conclusion is that it may not be a cure-all but it's a technique that can help some people.

You don't have to go it alone in your efforts to beat depression. There was a time before you felt like this and your life has led you down a road that has reached your current position, but the road doesn't end there. There was a way in, and there's a way out that has been taken by many before you. Seek help and use the experience of those that can help as your guide. As many have recommended already, your GP can help but please also keep talking to your friends and posting. It may seem a long way from where you are to where you would like to be but the journey will be shorter after you've taken the first step. One of the problems with depression is that it can make you feel worthless and hopeless, it did for me anyway. I was very self-critical when things didn't work out in my life and blamed myself - if a mate had been experiencing the same problems I'd never have told him the things I told myself. It's easy to lose perspective when you're down. Just for consideration - if you have any free time why not consider doing a bit of charity work. There are many people in the UK that need help and doing good for others not only benefits them but can give you a sense of your own worth. Even if its just for a short time you may be able to improve the lot of some of the more vulnerable people in this world.

Hope you enjoy Mauritius. I've been there before and it's a beautiful island. If you're in a resort it's easy to just take in what they have to offer (some resorts and hotels own their own bit of coast, in fact a lot of the coast has been 'lost' that way, but IMO it's still worth hiring a car and exploring the island, it only takes about an hour and a half to drive from the airport to the second largest town Grande Baie in the north-west. You can also get to beaches that you wouldn't otherwise see. Belle Mare on the east coast is nice and as the winds are predominantly east-west the east side of the island is popular during the hotter months. If you don't want to hire a car the buses are inexpensive and an experience. There are many public beaches with no restrictions that only get busy at the weekend. At this time of year it's likely to be steaming hot so be prepared. You could also just catch the beginning of the rainy season. If you get an overcast day Pamplemousse Gardens is a nice visit, as well as the plants and trees it has giant tortoises.

£300 seems a reasonable average. Retailers can triple the price of an item purchased wholesale or from a member of the public so I would expect a profit on an average sale to be £150 - £200. Overheads are variable depending on location but one sale per day should easily cover the salary of the salesperson and go a good way towards covering rates for the property. On some days there may be no sales but at weekends or busier times of the year such as Christmas sales could substantially increase. Shop sales may have fallen over recent years with the increase in internet sales but given that many people like to try on an item of jewellery before purchase shops are likely to fare better than many other retail sectors. I've seen quite a few shops close in my local town over the past five years but the jewellers are still there.

Massive mark up purchase to selling prices. Combine that with high value product and you don't need too many sales to be successful.

As an oldie I can say that my wife has fortunately taken some of the great looks of her youth into her latter years and yes, there is still physical attraction. However I'm also attracted to her because of the person she is, that hasn't changed through the ageing process.

Knocky making an impact. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHH3foBPYus

Can't abide opera. Jazz does nothing for me. Maybe I'm going deaf but I can't follow most rap so tend to ignore it.

Sounds good. I thought we might try some winter sun and cruise from Southampton. But accurate........

Mrs Crinkly fancies a cruise holiday, any experience/recommendations?

I've been absolutely amazed by the number of responses to this question, thanks to the OP for raising the issue. Like other posters I've had some dark times and the thought has crossed my mind, but looking at things logically I didn't want to end my life, I just wanted to stop the pain. Twenty years ago I was suffering from a recurrent problem that I thought I could deal with but found that although I could take the blows that hit me when it first started repeated problems reduced my ability to cope little by little until every blow felt like it was crushing. That's when I thought of ending it all but couldn't do it as I was a father and I knew that I would be letting my children down. Now in happier times I can put some perspective on this but at the time I was wrapped in my own world of problems and wasn't thinking logically. Now if tell myself if I feel bad, did I feel this bad last year? The answer's no so I could feel better next year, or next month, or tomorrow, so carry on. As an aside I read Willie Thorne's autobiography, the first chapter of which deals with his attempted suicide. It's worth reading for anyone who finds themselves contemplating this action. Good luck to the posters in the dark places right now and I hope that you have brighter tomorrows.

Mauritius is beautiful, I've been there a couple of times. Rainy season is December to April so if you miss that you should be OK. There are many hotels that have bought up swathes of beach area adjoining their establishments but there are also plenty of public beaches. English is widely spoken in most areas especially the towns on the coast which makes life really easy. There are numerous restaurants, you don't have to stick to the hotels to get a good meal, I especially enjoyed the seafood. If you go self catering you can even buy fish from the fishermen in some areas. The island has some great beaches and it's also good for scuba in some locations or at least a trip in a glass bottomed boat. There's not a huge amount of nightlife outside the hotels and restaurants, although I did once find a nightclub in Grande Baie (second largest town on the island after Port Louis, it had a small sign on the door 'Couples Only'). It's really worth hiring a car and seeing the island, however there is also a decent bus service. I found Belle Mare on the east coast particularly nice, I went there in August (middle of winter, only 25 degrees) and it was pretty empty in mid-week. I also like Trou au Biches and Flic en Flac on the west coast. It only takes about 1.5 hours to drive on the 'motorway (two lanes) from the south east to the north-west of the island. At the weekend the beaches fill up as everyone heads for them, it's a real social thing there. Enjoy your holidays!

I've been to Brussels a number of times (though not for a couple of years) and found the subway system pretty easy to use. Which is good for me as I get lost easily. My only regret is that they've changed it from an honesty system where there were no barriers and you were just expected to buy a ticket to one where you have to pay to get in. They also used to let you buy tickets for multiple uses which saved some time.

Same era, same games (except Dungeons and Dragons). I used to love playing board games as a child, passed many a long hour (we didn't have a TV until I was 8 years old, unthinkable now). Add the following to the above list: Risk Go (the Waddingtons travel game not the Chinese game) Formula 1 Diplomacy

I hope you enjoyed it, it's on my 'to read' list. I've just finished And the mountains echoed by the same author, the first book of his I've read, it's also set in Afghanistan and has the same qualities that you describe for The Kite Runner..

A few books I've enjoyed: Room - Emma Donoghue This is for me a rarity, a truly original book. It's written from the perspective of a five year old child, who has had an unusual upbringing. The first chapter is a little difficult owing to the unusual style but if you persist the book is a rewarding read. Holding the zero - Gerald Seymour You know what you're going to get with Gerald Seymour, he's been turning out highly readable novels based around different conflicts since Harry's Game. This one's a tale of two snipers, and typical of Seymour, I found it hard to put down. Lies of silence - Brian Moore The late Mr Moore (not the football commentator) is one of my favourite authors, and unlike Seymour, you never know what you're going to get when you open up one of his books. Lies of silence is set during the troubles of Northern Ireland, so may not be so relevant to younger readers. However, I could have picked any of his books, if you've never read him (and a lot of people have never heard of him) give him a try. Harvest - Jim Crace This book transports you back centuries to a week in a rural village in England. I liked it mainly due to his use of language which paints a rich picture - you can smell the barley.

Agreed. Some of the Man Utd fans have short memories. When Wayne Rooney played in his early years he used his strength and speed to power past, and sometimes through, a defence. He was then hailed as a great player. We have JV who uses his strength and speed to take on defenders directly. He caused them problems in the Championship and now he's doing the same thing in the PL. If they don't think he has any skill then they must have shut their eyes when he scored.

He's too slow He's too old Couldn't even Catch a cold But his finish Is pure gold Super Kevin Phillips Super Kevin Phillips

Hi, I was born in Leicester and have followed City since the sixties. Some great times and a lot of frustrations but it's in my blood. I found Foxestalk about a year ago and visit the site regularly. Thanks to all the posters for the information and entertainment.