That looks fascinating - thank you for flagging it up

I've only been once (because of my age). It was mildly uncomfortable, but nothing worse than that.

We didn't go into the centre. My son and his fiance live on the outskirts so we were going there for our lunch, and to meet their new kitten!

Very lovely! We drove into Chester le Street yesterday and the colours on some of the trees were stunning.

And that feels true to life. Grow up in small village and you tend to move away when you get to the age for university/college/adult work. That's what I and all my friends did, in a somewhat larger village in Lincolnshire. But it does leave a gap in the demographics for #TheArchers

Nice! We used to jump over the cracks in the pavement, so the bears didn't get us 😁

Our version, as kids was:

Happy Birthday to you
I went to a zoo
I saw a gorilla
And I thought it was YOU

Happy Birthday!!!!!

Yes - really infectious laughter! Very much amused me

#TheArchers

A noteworthy anniversary - congratulations! Are you doing anything to mark the occasion?

I'm thankful I at least gave it a sensible name, so the search function found it easily.

I'm also grateful to the "Find" function on my computer which helped me track down the rather random folder she chose to save this document in 😁

That may be unique to Sunderland, rather than every council. There were a couple of local charities, plus Citizen's Advice Bureau who offered assorted types of support too, but we fell in the gaps between the areas they covered, geographically

Yes - we had help from someone at the local council, who have a Welfare Support Department, when we were facing a PIP tribunal. The woman who helped us was amazing and said we could have called her department earlier and she'd have taken us through the process from the start.

Flipping heck Rachel! I helped one of my kids apply for PIP and the system was a nightmare for a relatively straightforward case. I cannot imagine how much more extra stress you're dealing with right now. I'm so sorry it's so utterly awful.

Whether you want to learn to mend or not, A Wing and A Bear is a gorgeous little yarn shop and anyone who likes knitting, crochet, spinning or dyeing, and goes anywhere near Durham, should pop in and have a look. The owners are very friendly and would love to meet you.
www.wingandabear.com

Suitable for beginners. All materials provided, or you can bring along your own knitwear that needs some attention and get some personalised advice on how to mend it.

It's the perfect time of year for checking all your knits out and seeing what needs some love!

I'm the other way round. I'm not sure about the pattern (although I suspect I could come to love it), but the shape looks like it would be really pleasing to hold.