Hecateh

You're not the first and you won't be the last to say that or something similar. First is the relief that you are not alone or going mad, that others have had similar and often worse problems Second is the element of emotional support from people who understand and third is (or are) the practical suggestions and advice that can alleviate the situation All often washed down with a dollop of (sometimes dubious) humour. The commonest complaint from many of us is the regret we didn't find the site sooner.

I wasn't excited either. I got fed up of changing things and her just ignoring my changes - no explanation until I asked and even then not satisfactory ones. Other things she put in as requested, without any hint that although they were doable they would cost a fortune. She too turned out to be a technician rather than an architect and I didn't find this out until after the event. I wish I had ditched her the the first time she let me down, or the second or even straight after getting planning (at which time I wanted to but was too scared but I shouldn't have been and it would have saved me money but that's another sotry) It sure will. Okay some of the 40% overspend was unavoidable but getting better advice earlier on would have definitely saved some and could have potentially saved a lot. To me it sounds like you have lost confidence and that can be more important than 'not being excited' although that is also important.

TP sent me a brick offer in a recent email https://www.travisperkins.co.uk/spotlight/mayjunebricksandblocks

almost as bad as the 'Mummy Mummy' jokes

The things I take are with the full knowledge and support of my GP. The majority of them are things that have been previously prescribed by the GP because of deficiency due to malabsorption. I have found forms that are more palatable, cause less digestive issues in some cases, and are more efficacious at getting my levels to an optimum level which is demonstrated by regular blood tests ordered by the GP. I am also saving the NHS money by not requiring prescriptions for things that relatively cheap for me to buy myself. She freely admits that medical training around vitamins and minerals is minimal and that it quite likely that, for some people, selective and judicious use of these specific vitamins and minerals will be beneficial.

You choose who you believe @SteamyTea . Clearly you know best and I am deluded - but healthier because of it C'est la vie

Yes - I have heard many good results for glucosamine for arthritis. I suspect it was not arthritis causing my issues, moresome other deficiency, D3 is my suspicion, as since taking this my joints, and for me it was particularly ankles and hands, no longer give me any bother.

Whilst I agree double blind randomised system is the best way of testing. Using this don't many of the drug trials get very much the same results with big pharma disregarding results that don't meet their 'expectations' . There is little effective research done generally on vitamins and other supplements but Australia is conduction a huge study on vitamin D at the moment because of the strength of observational evidence as to benefits, However even this uses relatively small amounts at 60,000 units per month, whereas doses of 5 to 10k per day are recommended. Abstract for test https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27086041 In addition to this there is further testing going on into the effects of vitamin D supplements on MS, again supplementary to strong observational evidence. This trial is using varying doses which do meet the recommendations This trial is has run for 5 years (so there has been strong observational evidence for a long time) and first results are expected next year.

My sister in law swears by glucosamine but I found it didn't help me at all. This is why I have some issues with the placebo effect. I know it exists and if my improvement is all psychosomatic - I don't really care so long as I feel well and get relief from things that are or have been bothering me. But why do some things that come highly recommended not work for me and others do?

Only one PM went to the same college. (No prizes for guessing who) One of her boyfriends from then certainly fit your model but as she grew up the 6th child in a family of seven she would barely have survived as purely an intellectual. She was also the stroppy little madam whereas I just went with the line of least resistance.

and me

I totally believe taking supplements is a waste of time and money if you already have optimum levels - however many people don't and taking the right amount, in the right form, at the right time can make a difference. I also believe multivitamins are generally a waste of time.

Taller yes but she was always the brainy one - First from Oxford.

I take supplements as I have many deficiencies due to abdominal surgery meaning absorption of vitamins and minerals is seriously compromised. The advice given was to take a multivitamin, B12 injections every 3 months and iron. Following this advice my blood showed 'normal' levels of everything albeit at the very low end. Taking supplements way above the recommended amounts of vitamin D3 has brought my levels into the top 20th percentile of what is considered normal. AND I don't just feel better, I have less pain in my joints, have more energy, am a lot more active and have lost weight. If that's a placebo effect then I'll take it thanks. Magnesium supplements had the placebo effect of stopping severe panic attacks and I also sleep better as I am not being woken in the night by a racing heart. Iron - as prescribed by the GP had horrendous abdominal effect didn't help my hb levels as I rarely took them because of side effects. Iron - as bought after research in a much lower dose but with more available ferrous sulphate has sorted my iron levels for the first time in 20 years. Oh and it cured my tinnitus which I didn't even realise was related to iron levels until I noticed it had gone Oh and though of course weight is important your genes are by far the bigger predictor of problems. I have been overweight for most of my life but it is my younger sister, who has never had a weight issue - taking after the 'other side' of the family in her proportions who is about to have her second hip replacement. Mine are fine

Vitamin D helps strengthen bones even in us oldies, it won't repair damage though. My sister (who has never been more than a size 10) needed a hip replacement in her late 50s. doing the recommended physio exercises delayed the need for the op BUT more importantly really supported the joint after her op and got her fully mobile agin very quickly. She was Scottish dancing again withing 6 weeks. She has just been back for exrays on her other hip and they are amazed she has only just started having pain as her hip is shot. Lesson being whilst hip breakdown cannot be repaired without surgery, strong supporting muscles really makes a difference.

Hope you aren't seduced by clickbait

My "brilliant" builder uses Checkatrade. All his reviews are excellent. He was bragging to me how he got negative reviews (only 2 ever, honestly) removed by proving how they were unfair. The 2 he was bragging about seemed reasonable. One had (he said) said that he had pretended his daughter was ill to excuse not being there. I know his very young daughter was very poorly at the time. The other was a bathroom job, where the customer complained that the drain wasn't working - H showed me pictures of long dark hair clogging the drain. So I think it was fair enough to get those off BUT how often does it happen?

I'd like something like this but it is probably beyond my budget.

I have a beech hedge - between me and my (to the west) neighbour. Looks fab in winter with bronze leaves, Needs cutting once per year (ideally) to keep it in shape. Best done in August, then it grows fresh green leaves which go bronze late autumn and stay on all winter, only pushed of by the new leaves in late spring.

One of my brothers worked in planning for a local authority (roads not residential). Took early retirement at 50 with a big payout and was back a couple of weeks later, as a consultant doing the same job for more money and no (or at least much less) responsibility

Yours is excusable - as are many when it is something technical. We only know when it works or not. I've had friends recommend their decorator, - when I could see gaps between every join and a ragged edge at the ceiling - that's more what I was referring to.

Mine weren't fat - not because of hard work though - unless leaning on the scaffolding and using their phones continually burns a lot of claories Another problem is that many of the people they are doing work for don't know what a good job looks like either.

I (briefly) worked for British Steel in the 80's. I stuck it out for about 5 months. I was bored stupid. Being Nationalised, there was a similar work ethic to (some) local authority departments. Bonuses were paid monthly on the performance of the whole department, at the year end they were consolidated into pay - along with a pay rise and a rise based on length of time in the job (None of this was related to individual performance) We were told not to answer the phone if it was 15 minutes or less to your lunch break and the whole switchboard shut down at half past four, as we finished at five. Other staff complained about their workload if they had another task arrive before they had finished the previous one. In general, people only answered the phone if they had nothing to do. If they were (shock horror) 'busy' then generally they ignored it.

Well, if you finished everything she wouldn't need to keep you any more, would she?

bummer - I had to read it 3 times to spot it too ?