Eleanor

Its really hard to use one of these checkouts if you have anything else in your hands. I frequently have other bags with me when shopping but at self service checkouts there is no where to put them while you are serving yourself! Also self service checkouts are a hassle to use if you are buying alcohol because you have to show ID to a real person. They also encourage the use of the plastic bags that are already there, rather than putting your shopping in a reusable bag that you have brought yourself. over 2 years ago via web

I admit I have lied about my age to get out of signing up with a chugger. I used to say I was under 18 but I'm not sure I can get away with it now! I don't like being rude to them but some can be pretty persistent & lying about my age seemed easier. Its not that I don't want to give to charity but I would rather do it on my own terms like buying a poopy or red nose or doing charity fun runs. I also don't want to end up on mailing lists over 2 years ago via web

I have to say I quite like my Oyster card & when I am outside of London I feel a bit naked without it. I got on a bus in Bristol only to remember that I had to hand over actual money to go anywhere followed by thinking do I even have any change?! I wish that the oyster card service was national so when I book my rail tickets online they could be added to my oyster card rather than posted to me or me having to queue for the fast ticket machines. I hope some of the problems with oyster will be solved with the announcement that it will now cover all the London rail services over 2 years ago via web

There is no display at all that I can find on platform 2 (towards Notting Hill Gate I think) at High Street Kensington! I don't use this station much anymore but it it really would help to have it back given the unreliability of the circle line. I don't know if the station is going through upgrades but something temporary would be appreciated I'm sure over 2 years ago via web

I was the first academic year to take the newer style A/S A2 levels in 2001-2002 & I really do think this system has made it easier to get better grades. There is more opportunities for resits and because you don't take all you exams in one go, ie at the end of 2 years it means you have more opportunity to bring up lower grades. However this means that there is very little scope for learning a subject in any depth because you are doing exams so often. 2 out of 4 of my subjects had exams in January aswell as June which meant you were doing sets of exams 4 times over the course instead of once. The extra time spent on revision and doing practice papers takes away from time spent learning new material about the subject. The problem is it creates young people who are good at taking exams but haven't learnt a subject to a required depth or are lacking in other skills. The introduction of the A* at A Level next year is an outright admission that it is getting easier to get higher grades but it also means that my own A Level grades are being devalued. I also don't understand why at GCSE and A Level there can't be one nationwide exam board instead of different ones setting different syllabuses and papers.
over 2 years ago via web

Where I went to secondary school many of the local residents of the area walk their dogs on the school playing fields. They also seemed to think that it was ok to use our long jump pit as a dog toilet... Its is also not fun accidentially running through it in the middle of a PE lesson, because you can't see it mixed in with muddly grass.

You wouldn't leave your dogs mess all over your own house, because its disgusting. Yet some dog owners obviously think that its ok to leave their dogs mess all over the place for everyone else to avoid stepping in. Cleaning it up is part of the responsibility of owning a pet. If you are out with your dog you take something with you to clean up after it. If you had a baby you wouldn't take it out without spare nappies. & I think this is a valid comparison as some owners treat their dogs as if thery were their own children. over 2 years ago via web

National express are so very expensive and I believe that they were planning to introduce a £2.50 charge to reserve a seat. They advertise that there are loads of cheap singles available for travel for example between Leeds and London but they are never availble when you actually want to travel. No surprise there. So you probably could get from Leeds to London for £10 but only if you travel on a wednesday in the middle of the afternoon and book 3 months in advance! over 2 years ago via web

I also once had the unfortunate experience of trying to eat a piece of bread given to me on a Lufthansa flight which was denser than lead and probably could have been used as a substitute for reinforced concrete. But that was a few years ago so they might have improved their on-flight food by now. over 2 years ago via web

I have to say I have not flown very often but the food on Singapore Airlines was very good. Completely exceeded all expectations and was a nice combination of oriental and western influenced dishes. My only issue is that it is really hard to eat noodles with a polastic knife and fork. Chopsticks as an alternative would be much more effective & I would be very surprised if anyone found a way of hijacking a place with one. over 2 years ago via web