Unfortunately the good have a tendency to die young; the horrible just go on and on and on. Chap I know who has plenty of cash, goes into hospital for a life-saving procedure, then proceeds to moan about how they all have foreign names.

Im not sure if its the change in season or work stress, but I’m having weird dreams everynight now. Last night I dreamt I narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on a bus in Israel.

Well look on the brightside at least it is easy to leave.

A friend of mine is a vicar and his church has been talen over by a power crazed couple, they upset the congregation but they are very good at winning awards for volunteering etc so he cant get rid of them.

At the end of the day he is just the chairman of a voluntary organisation not your boss, so just leave and find or set up a new club. It bites for a while but you soon get over it.

@kryton, yes working in that school certainly opened my eyes. Also, the relationship between the parents is often based on being able to satisfy The Image – if the husband loses his job, or the wife loses her looks, the relationship – which is at root a transaction – is over.

One poor girl’s father went bankrupt, she had to leave the school as he couldn’t pay the fees (why are these things registered charities!), and then the mother divorced him and got together with another, still solvent/wealthy dad at the school. Materialism in the place of love, and like I said, the kids often pick up on all this at an early age. Not a happy school overall, and perhaps it helps explain why the kids were really badly behaved (and I went to a bog standard school on a council estate, so that’s saying something).

Yep noise pollution is really stressful. My ex-neighbours were very weird and would bang around at 5.30 in the morning, in the end I was going to bed early to compensate. They’ve now moved and I feel much more relaxed.

There is a major problem in that young families are priced out of the housing market so can only afford to rent flats. The housing crisis isn’t going to get better anytime soon judging by the amount of flats rather than houses which are being built where I live in the south east.

I taught at an expensive private school some years back. There was a positive correlation between how much dosh was spent on the kids (mainly in competition with other parents) and the unhappiness of the child.

They instinctively knew it was more about their parents desire to show off than their well being.

I agree flats are not the answer to the housing crisis. Unfortunately this government doesnt care as long as the property devs are happy.

In your case you can move on, one bed houses can be quite good as am alternative. Your landlord on the other hand may have trouble selling.

Christmas to me means nearly two weeks off work, so I say, I wish it could be christmas every day.

I sometimes drink with a bunch of retired firemen, it’s interesting when they all meet up as they obviously have very strong relationships given the nature of the job, yeah like a family rather than work colleagues. If you ask them a question about the fire service they will spend the rest of the evening talking about it. That certainly wouldn’t be the case where I work – we would talk about work for five minutes, then change the subject to something else.

So ensuring you stay in touch with ex-colleagues would help. Ultimately retirement beckons for everyone so you will have to face the “leaving” part at some point, probably better to do so of your own volition.

Airports are so crowded and stress inducing now that you need a couple of pints to take the edge off before boarding. If I was rich enough to fly first-class I doubt I would need it.

I haven’t seen really drunk behaviour on flights but certainly anti-social behaviour has increased – not so much to do with drink as it is to do with a me-only culture where rudeness is tolerated rather than shunned.

No-one seems to be happy in the south east of england these days, so Im moving out.

Thankfully remote working allows me to do this.

My dad was obsessed with telling me to earn as much money as I could, but that’s mainly because he grew up very poor and despite all the cliches about money not equalling happiness, it isn’t very fun being potless either.

To the OP I’d say you are in a very good position, your own house sorted, which is the big factor facing a lot of young people, it sounds like you are not being challenged, in which case try to move up the ladder or find a challenging hobby out of work.

That man u game was reflective of the fact he could only afford ageing players so spurs ended up losing first half leads as the old geezers got knackered.

I bet the stress of the england job is no good for the heart. Could have been a different story if he picked le tissier the only player around with equivalent skills to mr hoddle.

Sounds like he us on the mend but no more keepy uppy in the studio. Glenn was a big head but has mellowed with age.

Bruce will be gone next.

Im no fan if mayo who is somewhat smug but he has been sacrificed to the bbcs ruthless diversity agenda.

The Great Raymondo would eat Hollywood Grylls for his breakfast, topped off with bedbugs, once he’s hunted him down in a nearby Hilton.

The Governess is understandably looking for a big pay day, and I say good luck to her, but having read about her Aspergers and her social anxiety, I hope everything is ok as I imagine this could turn into a very stressful experience for her.

I wonder if Susan Boyle regrets ever hearing the name Simon Cowell.

I hate to say it but I doubt this horrendous murder of an innocent man will change anything. Trump and Western leaders are playing for time, refusing to condemn Saudi Arabia whilst hoping it will all blow over.

Perhaps Congress will attack him for it politically, which might start a round of sanctions, but I daresay a lot of democrats as well as republicans have skin in the game when it comes to Mr Saud’s Kingdom.

MBS does seem unusually unhinged even for a Saud prince.

How can a seven year old make an informed decision over the Big Questions?

I can only assume he is being indoctrinated at home as an atheist, so why not expose him to the other side once in a while?

DUP will collapse the government.

Need to wait for further info before passing judgement.

I can recall it getting to around 21 degrees this time of year in the past but this is unusual…temp here is 25 degrees, at 5pm.

Does it have a laser beam like bonds rolex?

Can’t do but I can say Van Morrison’s 10 albums from 68-1978 are unparalleled in terms of sustained artistic achievement in pop music.

The older I get the less materialistic I am; but I’ve noticed a number of people I know, “Thatcher’s Children” who are getting worse with age, to the extent that they are seriously over-spending.

“But house prices only ever go up innit?!”

Saying that, it is impossible to escape the claws of the market. Everywhere you go, there is someone/something trying to sell you something. We’ve imported American capitalism big style. It is very depressing!

Fight it. Any connection between your 2nd son being born and her moving away?

Even when the seperation is amicable you have to stand your ground. The fact she just texted you is a big red flag. Dont let on that you are skint either and threaten to take this to the courts.

I speak from experience.

Ali was bragging but with a sense of humour, that makes the difference. Barry Sheen the same; not James the Shunt, whose sense of humour wasn’t as advanced.

Britain is changing, at least where I am in the South East, where there are plenty of big-head charlies who brag about their motors, their houses, their holidays, it is pretty horrible to be around.

Prem Economy flights are a bit nuts at the moment, they used be be about 50% extra than economy but now in many cases they are double. A friend is going to Japan on Prem Economy and the ticket price is £3,500!

Id upgrade to prem economy its a long flight.

Speaking as an “Anxious-Avoidant”, I ensure I only date online, do all my socialising on FB, and take my holidays on Google Earth. Turns out a lot cheaper too.

Probably explains the lack of humour.

There are only three legitimate reasons for an Englishman to leave Blighty

– Champions League football

– To win a war

– Buy a property in France

Reading your original post it sounds like you need a change of job/career…and there are always opportunities out there – use your time off to think what you’d really like to do -. That’s not to discount the value of counselling and the right meds for short-term to medium-term use.

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>It took me I while to admit to myself that I’m the kind of person who needs change/variety in my life, especially as my dad wanted me to settle into a stable career. I just change jobs/careers every 10 years or so and the ideal. I get down when I’m bored, but I am not naturally a depressive personality.</span>

For a while I felt guilty about needing to change so much, but I think frequent career-changing/retraining will become the default in our Brave New World.

Enjoy your time off, chill, and good luck.

Jodie Comer is a very gifted actress. Could go on to become one of the greats.

I know a few people who have moved to France, some came back after a few years, but the ones who stayed had one characteristic in common – they were all very patient, laid back people. I suppose that is very much a virtue when dealing with the red-tape.

Any Irish grandparents? An Irish passport could help you long term.

As long as Ken Bruce is left alone, I’m happy.

Do a time management course beforehand, and enjoy!

The Elgin near Ladbroke Grove is nice enough and gets you away from the crowds of notting hill.

Recently published research by the Marriage Foundation has been doing the rounds as apparently the divorce rate is down. They think it’s because people are taking their marriages more seriously, but most people know its because most people can’t afford to divorce, especially in terms of buying new houses, so are staying put and having affairs on the side.

@penine where is that photo taken? is it exmoor?