We had a discussion on here a couple of years back (just tried to find the old post but can’t). I found it both enlightening, frustrating and reassuring.

Basically I had asked people on here who recruit, what they look for in applications/CVs. From what I remember, some of the replies were along the lines of

– I throw out any CVs that are on any colour other than white.

– I throw out any CVs that are not in my one and only favourite typeface (which could be anything!).

– If I see a spelling mistake I don’t read any further

– If I see a spelling mistake, I don’t care as the general experience and tone of the CV/application is far more important

– I read all job applications sent to me

– I grab a random handful from the pile sent to me and throw them in the bin unread, as those applicants are unlucky and I dont want unlucky people working for me (!!!! who could forget this comment!)

– I pick a random number out of the pile and never get round to reading the rest

After all that stuff, I realised that you will have no idea if your CV/application will be read by someone decent, someone overwhelmed and desperate or by a total prat.

Having also been involved in a multi person panel interview, as one of the people giving an assessment of the candidates, the same applies. People have preconceptions, fail to listen, choose people by personality even if clearly they will be crap at the job, ignore huge warning signs because ‘I expect he is only like that in interviews’ (he wasn’t and failed to talk to anyone he managed unless forced to).

I even had a colleague tell me they tried to get someone appointed (luckily they failed) as they thought they might like to try to sleep with them at some point.

After the CV/application discussion on Singletrack, I stopped worrying about my own failures and successes at applications as unless you write something really rubbish or give a terrible interview, its all down to chance so much – your own carefully made efforts are just a tiny tiny cog in the process of random human hangups and odd behaviours.

Basically, don’t worry yourself to death over doing a mint perfect CV given what will happen to it once it gets there and what people might read it 🙂 Just do your best but don’t get worried or obsessed over getting it flawless, as there is no flawless due to recruiters own failings and fallibilities.

Personally I know of 2 people who got more professional advice about CVs and neither of those felt it made a huge difference to employment searching as the people who rewrote them turned out to not be all that good at it, despite charging.

I would suggest you do a web search on modern CV styles or go to the local library for a book on CVs – if a book, check the publishing date so its fairly recent and not 10 years old.

Write out a list of stuff you want included about yourself, try to limit it to enough material to fill a single page or 2 at most on the end product CV (the readers get bored with long or complex), then either do it yourself and get someone else to then edit it, or just get a reasonably literate friend to run something up direct from your list and you edit it.

Thing go in fashions too. No one likes photos included with CVs any more – presumably because of anti discrimination laws as photos allow discrimination. You should no longer be asked about your age or marital or children statuses, so do not put stuff like that on your CV.

I would also consider getting a few job application details for jobs you would like and look at what info they ask for, then match up info on your CV to what most companies are looking to find out about you.

Also many people when very keen on a particular job, tailor/adapt a new CV for each application they make, as they can make it fit better to each companies needs. Its not so practical to do that if someone else is employed to write it.

If you do employ someone, get them to give you a computer file copy, so that you can do your own editing. It would be a real pain to have to copy a print only version into your PC by hand.

Hope this helps. Also, don’t get disheartened if no one bothers to even contact you to say you did not get an interview. I know quite a few people looking for jobs the last couple of years and almost no employers even bother to tell you to get lost, its just like you do not exist despite several hours of careful application writing. Its not about you, or you getting stuff wrong. So very many applicants for not so many jobs these days allows employers to be both worn down and heartlessly rude.

Good luck, you will get a position if you keep trying. 🙂

Agghhh, not red trousers! We get enough of that in Bristol (ref to the elected mayor here, who I am not impressed by). Had not realised red trousers were a gentry thing 🙂

Thanks so much for all the advice. I am happy with either road or off road, so all info useful. Info on bike shops helpful.

Any further suggestions of where to eat or drink in the villages round about the place?

Saw the big house park on the map – looks really huge. I see they have some kind of agricultural fair at some point.

Northwind, might I ask the make of yours? Ta.

I either give direct to charities or will sponsor someone doing something actually useful – such as picking up litter or doing something of direct practical benefit to other people or the community.

Time wasting utterly self indulgent activities such as “sponsor me to bike round Iceland for 3 months” or “sponsor me to drive 6 different vehicles in 45 minutes” or for running from one place to another get short shift as they achieve little in real terms for anyone other than the participant and if supported by an events company of some sort, are just cash cow events being milked by greedy events organisers lining their pockets.

Don’t even get me started on the salaries of the board members of charities and some of their perks. In my personal view some of the inflated salaries verge on being theft from the good causes charities are supposed to support. The lower level workers are often very decent, honest, committed types though and great respect to them.

“‘Everybody’ (well, not everybody…) expects free care for the elderly even if they have the means to pay for it , but bar a few hours free care, we don’t expect the same for the very young (childminders, pre school etc).”

There is no “free care” for the elderly. Most of those elderly have paid taxes, national insurance etc for the whole of their working lives (employment being more available and continuous in the past, many started full time work on thier 14th birthday and worked to 65, plus of course, they got the opportunity to die in the war)

The money they themselves have paid to the state has gone to pay for
– thier own welfare
– for the national health, so that mothers can give birth safely
– for the medical services so kids in the UK can be vacinated
– for the medical treatment of kids generally, so more live to adulthood
– for the education of children
– for universities (before charges were brought in) to train doctors, dentists, engineers etc who helped our society
– for the care of other people, more ill, elderly or disabled than themselves.

Also, people do expect ‘free’ care for the young and even a “few hours” is not cheap and people expect it, instead of valuing the sacrifice others make to give it ie old people being shunted into homes – modern parents and thier kids get medical support, subsidised nursery places, primary and secondary education, child allowance, housing benefit, ‘free’ school meals. Most of that is not paid for by parents but by….. the older people who put money into the system previously who build the schools, the medical centres etc! At one time, parents were expected to finance much more of the costs of the children they choose to produce. Not many elderly choose to get sick and ill – its not actually fun to feel like that.

So a little less attitude about war veterans wanting something for nothing please. Many of them would have lost loved ones in the war on top of everything else. How many of us would be here today if Germany etc had won? Concentration camps anyone? They must be fun as its ok to put old scared people in something they fear will feel the same.

I have much respect for today’s emergency services people, often they are underrated, but its not really comparable overall to the horrors of war and the personal risk is much lower.

Also, given todays politics, who can blame elderly children of the even more elderly, for being utterly scared of spending all their savings when the future for social care in our society has become so bleak, unless you are a banker or an MP. Maybe some of his family will be homeless if he has to sell his home.

Why are people assuming that the children of the man in question are flushed with cash and not pretty desperate themselves?

I don’t mind either way if people sign or not, I was just telling people the petition is there. I do object though to people saying this man does not deserve consideration – its heartbreaking that more people in the UK cared about Jeremy Clarkson and a mindless TV show than care what is happening to those more deserving. I despair of what people are becoming, of what they see as valuable.

Its never occurred to me to think of suicide as an act of selfishness.

Perhaps the people who remain living are selfish on some level, that they think others should live in misery in order for they themselves not to have to cope with grief or inconvenience. People who select dying as a choice must have to be utterly utterly unhappy and miserable to even consider suicide, its not like its the ‘fun’ option for themselves is it.

Its seems to me such a frightening act to attempt and profound event that only the truly unhappy or desperate would try for it. I think you have to be very brave or desperate to kill yourself as it cant be pleasant and is so against the normal self survival instinct. I feel only sadness and sympathy for people whose lives have been so bad that dying is for them, in their own belief, the best option they have.

I have a lot of sympathy for those surviving them as well as it must be sad and terrible and full of ‘what ifs..’ but I still think its wrong to think of suicides as selfish people.

The world is so harsh sometimes.

Being able to take a break does not necessarily mean all is well.

A relation of a friend started drinking in his early teens but could always stop if he wanted to, often for weeks or a month. This did seem to be accurate, the ability to stop and has remained true all his life. So alls well? Not really…

When he went on a bender every few weeks or months I have been told he would sometimes be bed ridden for several days from the after effects. Some periods he drank large amounts for days or weeks running, in between the breaks. But there were always gaps of weeks at a time.

He is in his 50’s now and has developed epilepsy that is related in some way to alcohol, so is on pills all the time. He has liver damage, gout, various other issues including a near death experience from an alcohol related/aggravated gut problem that then involved major surgery and which could come back (yes, he still drinks).

He has no partner, no kids, hangs around with alcoholics. He did have a partner within my memory but it did not last long as I believe he used to hit her when on a bender.

Being able to abstain for a short period of days or a month means nothing, its not much of an indicator if you are an alcoholic or not. Its more complex and indeed more scary than that.

All addicts think they can stop, its a viewpoint that empowers their belief that they are ‘ok really, don’t have any problem’.

Being ‘able to stop anytime I want’ also can be used to brush off the fears and distress of the people who have to live with an alcholic.

I know of someone else who was drinking shorts at breakfast and who sunk so low in the ‘its not a problem’ belief that he blamed his teenage daughter (trying to do her exams) for ‘being the problem’ when she could not cope with his appalling behaviours.

He lost his wife and kids in the end, when he went straight back to drinking when released from rehab. A man who knew how to put himself first. He got put on a liver transplant list (what a waste of a liver) but died from alcohol related injury before he got one. He was found dead after no one had seen or heard from him for days. It took that long for someone to notice.

He was really loved by his family once. You can destroy any amount of love if you really make the effort….

So many sad things about this whole situation.

Clarkson must have brought great misery and difficulties to all the people he worked with on set and off, to friends and employers who have supported him previously (and perhaps shouldn’t have) and now his fellow presenters look likely to loose their jobs as well through continued misplaced loyalty to someone who appears to feel no concern about the consequences of his actions to others. Perhaps they are as bad though, as neither has said to hit an innocent man is wrong.

We keep hearing what a nice chap Clarkson is. So where is his speech or comment saying how he feels remorse, how much he regrets dragging others into his poor and aggressive decision making? His apology to the public whos money pays him.

I wonder how much awareness he has of all the many many people associated in with Top Gear events who are going to loose out? Of how he has let down the public who have paid him so well via the BBC he is a multi millionaire? Well, I understand he did make a public speech a few days ago, saying it was ALL the fault of the BBC… All ego and selfishness, no shame. Sad or perhaps just simply pathetic.

And for those who blame the victim – its like the people in India who blame women for being raped. Oh its just a little punch… Clarkson is a big man, but besides that why should any employee doing his best expect to have to physically defend himself against a raging violent person? From the report the assault would have gone further/been longer and was only stopped by a bystander. According to the BBC report, Clarkson was still shouting abuse and insults at the bloke for some while after the assault was broken up, loud enough for people on the floors above to hear in closed rooms. Why should colleagues have to witness this sort of event or feel driven to intervene – its not just the producer who was victim to Clarkson but every person in the room who was forced to witness or become involved with it in any way.

Also why is the victim being blamed for getting checked at the hospital – maybe he thought he had a fractured jaw – maybe his alarmed colleagues insisted he go. Remember the really small head injury that killed Natasha Richardson only hours after it occurred, with her thinking she was ok until it was too late.

This whole thing is like looking at Lance Armstrong all over again – no matter what the evidence revealed Armstrongs ego marched on and the fans worshipped the ‘really nice guy’.

Clarkson does not even have the niceness to ask people to stop harassing his victim. He could stop a lot of the vile internet abuse and death threats aimed the assaulted producer with just a few words to fans but he has done nothing to discourage the appalling behaviour of his own fans towards the innocent man.

Pamela Stephensons answers are always rubbish, at least the ones I have read, wonder how much she gets paid? Molly Ringwold gives really sensible advice that makes Pamelas weird perspectives look an total embarrassment in comparison.

It does not even seem to occur to Stephenson that the lab coat wearer might be used to seeing men as merely colleagues ie pretty much sexless/just another human, so commenting on the working conditions/dress in the lab might have meant no more to her than if she had made the same comment to a woman colleague. I dont get why she only takes the line that the woman is flirting, its such a narrow point of view esp from a ‘therapist’. The bloke sounds like an egotist, if he is a real person at all.

Yes, speak to an accountant rather than a financial advisor.

Its the BBC’s own fault. They knew he was trouble, they have repeatedly renewed his contract knowing this and have not taken the opportunity to bring in and develop alternative presenters, despite knowing full well it was just a matter of time before Clarkson went way too far.

I have no understanding of why anyone supports bullying in the work place.

I have no understanding of why there is a massive petition to support bullying in the workplace by Clarkson, yet comparatively nothing from the same public in response to food bank need escalating, closing of public libraries and dismantling of care facilities for the disabled etc.

I despair of people priorities and selfishness.

A friends father had I think either 2 or 3 heart attacks in his 60’s. Never had one since. Quite physically active after the attacks, keen walker etc. Now in his early 90’s and still out and about!

Kind of you to let us see. Sorry you got the not so good weather. 1,4,6,9 are particularly nice.

Did you manage to get all your target sites in the end? I hope you had fun running around doing it. 🙂

If you go to Temple Meads, go out the back of the station, follow signs to ferrys. You can walk left along the river all the way to the docks (you may have to change side of the river now and again) and there are lots of nice views of modern offices, quirky cafes (yurt), the shot tower, Castle park, Landogger Trow pub and you end up near Queens Square/Centre/Main docks area/St Mary Redcliffe. Not many people photo from that route compared to further into the city.

If photographing in the centre or docks/bars areas on Fri or Sat night take care – it can get quite rough, plenty of drinkers about. I once stepped in a pool of congealing human blood early on a Sunday morning by the docks, it not being taped off yet by the crime scene people there and my not looking downwards as I walked. Rest of the week its fine by the docks, no problems.

Gromits:
There is another Gromit in Clifton. Head towards Clifton village from the Merchant Venturers headquarters, its up on a balcony on the left of the road. I believe UWE has one as well, but I don’t know where they keep it. I think Ardman bought one for itself too, but I don’t know where it is located either – though part of the Ardman offices are next to the SS Great Britain, it could be in those.

When I walked past the other day, the sign was not in sight on the Observatory, so I assumed it had been auctioned or sold. Or maybe they stopped the sale – I don’t know. Its really sad its not owned by the Council or the National Trust or similar charity. Its sad any rich person has the potential to come along and shut down the cave and camera obscura access for the public if they have that whim.

I think the Clifton village residents parking zone becomes official this coming Monday. Several others close to it are already live. In some places you can park up to 5 hours (areas near the Merchant Venturers & Mayors headquarters, surprise surprise, why mess up access for the elite). Most of the areas I have seen so far are already ‘[charging a pound per hour and you can’t have a fraction of an hour, it has to be all or nothing and they are in Clifton charging you up to 9pm at night, to deter all those commuters who rush in to work every evening (or perhaps just to rip off anyone who uses a restaurant, which was not supposed to be the aim of the scheme).

I agree in some respects Bristol is not say, Birmingham or London, but the list of subjects the photographer has been given is quite spread out physically when you also allow for him not knowing the city at all, not knowing the public transport system and maybe having to bike or drive around a totally unknown city – plus needing to take professional quality imaginative photos. I have a lot of sympathy for the OP. I am sure he will do well, there are some nice photos on his own site.

If the commissioner wanted clichéd shots run up at a drop of a hat, they could have got plenty from stock sites or from gallery sites at a cost probably lower than just the fare alone from Yorkshire to Bristol. So I presume they are looking for more original images… and contrary to what some people genuinely and innocently believe, its not just rolling up, snapping once with your camera from the first obvious angle and then running to the next site. I understand why people think it is easy as so many people take photos – we are in the true age of the photo, but it is time consuming to get this stuff to a pro standard, to a standard to be paid for. Hence my mentioning the absurd commission I was offered some years back, which I explained to them just could not be done in the time scale they wanted – multiple sites in a single day of a difficult subject range. The photographer they ended up hiring when I turned them down could not do it either – the commissioners eventually had to settle for only 2 of their sites out of 5 being photographed in a single day and neither of which was the 60 mile trip location. That was the best the other photographer could do and I think they did well.

I am not saying the OPs task is impossible, but its a ton of work to fit it all in, not knowing the area himself. Bristol is not big, but you need to allow not just time to get to places, but to explore the possibilities of them, which is where time can get eaten up. Its even harder if you have not been to a place before or if the weather on the day is grey and pouring with rain. Its also a lot of fun doing this sort of stuff, but fun with pressure! 🙂

Ashton Court – note it has 2 separate deer parks (2 types of deer) and a rose garden, though I guess that will look a bit bare this time of year. Also a pet cemetery not far from the house. Again for commercial use you might need permission as it is owned by the city council and you cannot photograph it unless stood in the grounds owned by them.

What day are you here?

I really am wondering how you will cover all this in just a day.

Might I ask what the purpose of the commission is – guidebook, city tours?

People underestimate how long this sort of stuff takes. I once got a commission to do multiple sites (interiors, exteriors, multirooms) in a single day, most based in various bits across Bristol, but also including one site that was a 60 mile round trip out of the city.

I would be hard pushed to do all your list well in a day and I live here so know the place! What happens if you hit bad weather?

Another thought for Waterside pics, go to the M Shed – they give the public roof access most days. Just go to top of the building, go out on to balcony/roof.

Centenery Square could refer to Queens Square, just off the Centre.

Waterside areas are very extensive – they effectively start by the train station and end beneath the Clifton suspension bridge if you are looking for views. If for resturants and bars its around the M Shed, Arnofini, Watershed sort of triangle and maybe down river a bit.

Park Street/Bris Uni quad – the huge tower at the top of Park Street is the Wills Memorial building (part of the Uni) and gets mistaken for the cathedral sometimes (as does St Mary Redcliffe, more famous and prettier) the Wills tower has a bit of greenery around the bottom. The physics building up behind that area has an ornamental garden. The Uni also has a policy of ‘open gardens and green spaces’ to the public, they have signs up stateing this in several places but you would need permission for commercial photos in those spaces.

I beleive the Clifton observatory is shut to the public at the moment as its just been up for auction.

Try ‘The Sea Walls’ area on the Downs for views of the downs/bridge. If you want less common views of just the bridge, walk down to the Portway road beneath the bridge or the bike/walkers path on the other side of the river. The other prime spot is to walk across the Plymsol bridge (think I have mispelt that name) on the overpass to get a higher, very frequently taken, view of the bridge.

I wonder if you realise what a huge physical area they are expecting you to cover in just a day? Its going to be a hell of a rush. Also unless you bike or taxi, parking will be difficult as the idiot who is Mayor has put deeply restrictive/expensive street parking in place. If driving, read every parking sign carefully as they are different from street to street literally and many marked areas are resident permit only so cannot be parked in without risk.

For hight, try the upper floors of some of the multistory car parks. Try to avoid parking in the “West End” car park near Park Street/Triangle as cars seem often broken into there.

According to the article I read, both weasel and bird got away safely. The bird landed with the weasel still on it, then took off again with no weasel – the photographer and his wife believed the weasel ran off into the grass.

Another thought – are there tax issues which might need the services of an accountant?

Our cat had diabetes and had to be injected twice a day. Its quite quite common now in cats and dogs. On the bright side, if we can manage a cat (who cannot talk or give info on symptoms) successfully then its looking good with a human. Our cat died some years after diagnosis but of health issues unrelated to diabetes. He used to go out doors and do all the normal cat things with our other cats. Putting things in a protective cocoon does not give them a good life.

I investigated some things about humans at the time, to understand the cat situation more – and came across a very encouraging account from a lady in her 30’s who had been diagnosed as a child. She said it had not stopped her doing anything at she wanted and at the time of writing she had already given birth to a couple of children and felt the illness had not impacted her life in any high profile way.

I also came across an article from someones mother who did nothing but bemoan how unhappy she was that her child had been ill with it for over 10 years. She seemed totally to miss the point that 80 years or so ago her child would have been dead at least 9 years before she started writing her complaints. She had all those extra years that so many in the past never got the chance to have, as did her child. She did not know how lucky they both were.

I also had a work colleague in her 40’s who was diagnosed with diabetes at a very late stage – so ill you could see the outline of her teeth through her face due to weight loss – only diagnosed a few days from fatal coma (so the hospital told her, clearly not very proactive local GP). To everyones shock she transitioned to the injections almost seamlessly, lived another 20 years and died of a lung related disease she had from childhood, so again unrelated to diabetes in any way.

It will be ok. You will got through a stage of anxiety while learning to monitor the situation and learning to feel confident in the readings (much easer to monitor now than it used to be) and then you will realise not much in life has actually changed and you are all hugely lucky its so relatively easy to monitor and treat these days.

We all live with minor risks every day – just driving some place is a risk. But we get so exposed to it we stop worrying and it will be the same for you and your family, just give it time to settle.

Thanks for the resource links and other experiences people are posting, its so helpful.

So, what should a good agent be providing?

Do they offer legal protection against tenants who stop paying or who do not leave?

I am sorry if I am asking daft questions, but we are only just starting research into this. Neither friend nor I have ever rented a property yet alone let one out. Not sure where to start. I presume even the house insurance needs to be specialist. Also who pays council tax, bills etc – the tenant or the person letting?

For complex reasons, its not possible to sell it or to live in it themselves at the moment (longer term intention though).

Why did you wish you had just sold MC? Was it that much grief?

I don’t know what a deposit scheme is. See I told you I know nothing!

Load of helpful stuff here, thanks folks.

Mention of oil based gloss – should I presume that water based glos stuff is useless in this situation?

Parental pressure when you are young can be very hard to hold up against. All sorts of emotional blackmail can be deployed. Its not the sort of thing you want to admit to other people as you loose face. Sometimes children are not aware enough of adults sometimes selfish motives.

I can think of a couple of people I have known who have been told if they do not behave as the parent wants (not particularly in the childs best interest either) they will be punished or cast out from the family.

My sisters son was not allowed to go to university (back when it was still free). He was told if he tried to, to not come home again. However his sister was parent destined “to be a doctor” and from when she was about 10 there was talk of university. Both kids were equally bright. It was a vile situation, mostly based on the fathers favouritism.

A lot goes on behind closed doors. Not saying this lads family behaves like that, just saying the young are not all feckless – be aware of the sort of power, blackmail and threats families and parents can occasionally wield. Sometimes you don’t know rules even exist until you brush against them as a child and all hell is unexpectedly let loose when you show any signs of thinking or behaving like an independent adult.

I am sorry things went wrong for you. Feeling very bad is not just a guy thing. Situations like this can feel utterly soul destroying. Things do get better the longer time goes on – because eventually you fall out of love with the lost person, but it can be a long hard wait.

I would suggest to anyone that changing your life and environment where possible is a good thing. I found too many familiar things just triggered off memories that made me very sad. Look at where you live, what you do, hobbies and socialising patterns. Change what you can, add in new stuff, stop doing the old stuff. Become a new version of you.

I think I was dogged by so much of my own past for longer than I should have been simply because I was not able to change my environment and life soon enough after things went wrong.

I found other people (family, friends) to be ultra conservative over even small life changes and very discouraging of change or self renewal, but in reflection I think people fear change and to protect themselves will seek to stop others from doing new, different or daring things. So, make changes, things get better eventually even if it seems a hell of a long wait.

For what its worth, I am now glad it did not work out with the love of my life. I adored him for years, but now I can see how selfish he was.

Have you heard that somewhat weird BBC Radio 2 program about ‘live gardening’, was on again around 1.45ish today I think.

I changed channels and there was some bloke ‘gardening’ on the radio. It seemed to imply he was pulling out a post on an allotment in real time and then planting some beans, all broadcast via his mobile phone. Its really odd as there are bits of speech, then a pause while he picks up a hammer or whatever and you hear vague sounds of tapping, lots of heavy breathing as he ‘wiggles his post’ then declares is is too deeply embedded, but as everything is wet it should slide out smoothly once it get moving. I kid you not. I heard this allotment broadcast once before, I think he was digging that time but the sound of the earth turning was too faint for anyone to pick up – its beyond weird.

Perhaps even odder in some way was the studio presenter (Jeremy Vine ??) suggesting the bloke use a pair of pliers to help extract a fence post 2 feet deep in the ground – just how big are his pliers? God help his wife if he ever tries DIY around the home!

“So if you had a good friend (not just a pub mate) that was convicted of a similar offence that had no direct impact on you what would you do? I’d like to think I would not just abandon them? “

In this situation, buying off under age girls and their families – damn right I would abandon them. They would be gone faster than yesterdays rubbish. Even faster if (1) my job was representing my country (2) I had daughters of my own, so I could relate even more to how disgusting the behaviour of this convicted criminal has been.

The court case has been around for some time, I remember reading about links and allegations some while back, possibly on a USA page.

“He once counted Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Kevin Spacey and Naomi Campbell among his associates, frequently lent his private jet to powerful contacts and became famed for his extravagant parties.”

“Epstein was arrested in 2005, after the stepmother of a 14-year-old girl told Florida police he had paid $200 for an erotic massage with her daughter, and later became the subject of an FBI investigation.

By the following year prosecutors said they had identified 40 young women who may have been illegally procured by Epstein. Dozens of his alleged victims are reported to have settled with Epstein out of court.

The federal inquiry was eventually dropped after Epstein negotiated a deal with prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to a relatively minor state charge relating to soliciting paid sex with a minor. He served 13 months of an 18-month sentence and is now a registered sex offender.

A lawsuit against the US government brought by two of Epstein’s alleged victims, who are unhappy with the terms of the plea deal, has been ongoing for more than six years.”

Both excerpts quoted from
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jan/02/jeffrey-epstein-rise-and-fall-of-teacher-turned-tycoon

“Many of Epstein’s contacts rapidly disappeared when he became the subject of criminal proceedings that eventually resulted in 2008 in an 18-month jail term for soliciting prostitution with an underage girl after an 11-month police investigation.

But Andrew remained unswervingly – even perplexingly – loyal.

In 2011, a friend of both men told Vanity Fair magazine that Epstein had helped shape the Prince as a more relaxed individual – but after the financier’s conviction Andrew had been advised to sever all links.

The unnamed friend said the Prince told him: “Leave me alone, Jeffrey’s my friend. Being loyal to your friends is a virtue. And I’m going to be loyal to him.

At least until December 2010, that loyalty manifested itself in meetings between the two men, including several holidays. When Epstein was released from jail, the Prince was on a guest list for a dinner at his Fifth Avenue mansion which also included Woody Allen. The financier proved a worthy and generous friend, at one point paying £15,000 to help an indebted Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.”

Quoted from
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/sex-slave-case-prince-andrew-may-regret-friendship-with-financier-who-had-a-very-dark-secret-9955061.html

I presume it was sent by some kind of Troll or by a friend of the rather unpleasant mayor – a man obsessed with localism or ‘Bristol only for the Bristolians’ instead of the regional centre of trade for the area that cities have traditionally tended to be.

Still in South Glos zone now, though its having a quieter moment. Not sure if its ending or just rolling on someplace else.

For some reason, one of our cats is desperate to be out in it. Must be mad…

I have to sign off now as I have an appointment, so won’t be able to post more replies for now.

The cats have no access to packs or tins prior to feeding. We have stored food in the same way for 8 years and no prior issues. I can’t understand what is going wrong – as people have said, the packs should be hermetically sealed then cooked. I see no signs of damage to either packs or tins. Its mostly packs or those shallow tray things we have problems with, so we are moving to tins more this week to try.

Thanks for all those replying here by the way, helpful.

Stumpy, yes I too am very puzzled. We have had cats for about 8 years and have never had this significant issue before. Some of the cat food is ok – we may find say 3 problem packs per box. We have even thought it is us, that we are misreading the smell, but if we put it down for the cats they rush up, stop, look horrified and refuse to eat it. Another pack from the same box is then accepted – but that pack smells different even to us, the humans.

To be honest I had hoped other people might be finding the same issues as it might have narrowed down the problem. I think maybe it is more noticeable to us as we have several cats and its very very unusual to put food down and have all of them refuse to touch it – yet this is happening now. I don’t feel I can keep taking it back to the shop if its only us with the ‘issue’.

So, can anyone recommend a wet food brand that is not problematic this summer?

Interesting Zippy, thanks.

Iolo – they have dried food, but I like to give them some proportion of wet. We did have 4 cats but one died of kidney failure and there is some possibility that too much dry food might increase the risk of kidney issues – aside from that, they enjoy some wet food. I try to provide variety for pets on principle, to stop boredom but also keeping pets open to trying foods can be very helpful sometimes.

I forgot to say, we feed as soon as the container is opened, no food is left lying around. The food is already rotting prior to opening.

“address every criteria they ask for” This. Even the obscure seemingly trivial points should be mentioned by you positively.
All more points on the scoring chart for you.