Whaaattt?

Oops not me thankfully my wife isn't on any medication for anything.

 

Yes, sorry @Jiffy.

Oops, sorry too to Allotment Boy - obviously not concentrating today!

 

@gks I was googling about comparative GDP and found this - Economy of France - Wikipedia Looking further, the IMF calculates GDP per capita slightly differently and that, according to this table puts France 26th and the UK 20th
List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita - Wikipedia

GDP per person seems to be a more accurate assessment of how efficient each nation is at making the best of its resources, including its available workforce.

@KT53 I find it outrageous that a receptionist can make decisions about problems with medication. Can Mrs KT not get an appointment with the GP earlier and also go to a pharmacy in the high street to ask for advice?

 

@Obelix-Vendée trying to get a GP appointment is just as bad. My wife actually asked to see a doctor and was told she needed to speak to the practice pharmacist! Unfortunately, all the GP practices around here seem to be as bad as each other. I've mentioned the problems my niece has experience before, and she is with a different surgery.

 

That puts both the UK and France a lot more closer than your previous post. Interesting about you see that GDP per capita is a more accurate assessment. I would of thought you would then need to base it on an average over a period time. When you look at the GDP per capita of both the UK and France over the last 35 years, both countries are further down the rankings with France ranked 28th and the UK 31st and with another site having both countries even lower.

I think you could use it at best on a short term bases but I think an average over a period time would give you a more realistic assessment. If you get an exodus of the mega rich moving to tax havens it could easily distort the figures.

 

5 to 6 years ago the amount of people walking and cycling was unreal, lockdown brought them out in the droves. Their was a huge boom in sales in bikes with many saying this would continue, however, this was not the case.

Last year the sales of bicycles was at the lowest level since 1970. One of the issue was demand out stripped supply, prices surged as did the cost of international shipping. During lockdown this was not an issue as people were spending their money on things they probably wouldn't have, or on things they would of bought in the future. The problem with the huge dip in sales is stockist have been lumbered with large inventory, so little to no capital to purchase new and cheaper models. Planning does not happen over night and maybe when the council gave consent they were basing cyclist numbers to increase.

The same happened with the horticultural sector, all this talk that lockdown would create up to 8 million new gardeners never materialised. One of the largest independent garden centres by turnover, which is based where I lived lost nearly £2 million from 2022 through to 2024 due to large volumes of inventory they struggled to sell. I have been in the horticultural sector since I left school in 82 and there is very little of the younger generation interested in gardening, I see it daily by the age group of the customers. The same could be said for this forum, if I asked for nobody over the age of 60 not to post for 1 week, how many posts would there be. Things have changed, and all this hype of new cyclists and green finger enthusiasts going forward has not materialised.

 

Younger people might like to garden, but they are stuck in short term rentals or HMOs. Or, if they manage to squeeze themselves onto the housing ladder, the size of their new-build garden is roughly one car parking space. One small shrub and a 6 pack of bedding would fill it, with nowhere to store a half full bag of compost or the simplest tools.

 

@gks that first link I gave you mentioned France's IMF rating but not the UK. It's only when I looked further because you asked for sources that I found the UK was also lower on the IMF system.

As for horticulture, bicycles and even dogs, there was a blip of abnormally high demand during COVID and I'm afraid the return to normal levels was predictable by anyone sensible enough to realise that as people went back to work, taking public transport, going to the pub or other usual social pursuits that demand would fall.

Agree completely with @ViewAhead on yoing people and their lack of garden space and time because of their housing situation and lack of free time to sow, plant, weed and grow.

 

There's a young couple over the road from me, they have a housing association house, he appears to work for one of the big electrical companies maintenance, washing machines, gas boilers as well.
I assume he is self employed but has one of their vans.

He never leaves before 8.30 in the morning and is always home by 2.30, never works weekends, he must be earning a hell of an hourly rate to survive on those kind of hours, the wife appears to work part time as well, they have 2 young kids as well.

 

There are always exception @pete.

When I was 4 my parents moved into a council house in Huncoat - favoured tenancy cos he worked for the CEFB and she was a district nurse. This was in the 50s. It was,'t a "sink" estate and thos hoses were well built with good sized gardens. Most homes were 1 working man with a stay at home mum - vastly different pay levels and hours but only 1 house in that avenue of 50 had a tatty garden.

Not everyone was green fingered but they did all cut their grass and weed the paths. Not everyone coud afford a TV and there was, of course, no internet so more spare time.

 

These dont seem to be able to get the bins in from the street, rarely cut the grass in the front anyway, not sure what goes on out the back I think it mostly kids stuff out there.
They turned the outside light on out front about three weeks ago and its been on day and night ever since.
I know only because its so bright it lights up all the rooms in the front of my house at night.

 

Contact the housing association and point out the “defective” light. Not that they will do anything but it will give you a warm glow of satisfaction.

 

Surprise, surprise........the govt. have now realised that some of us have to use oil for heating and hot water albeit they seem to be concentrating on N Ireland. Also promise to stop suppliers ripping customers off . That's definitely worth waiting around to see ( providing you haven't frozen to death in the meantime )

 

Young first time buyers prefer low maintenance new build homes and so does the baby boomers who are looking to down size. My son will be 28 this year, himself and his girlfriend want a new build. They are both living with me and the Mrs rent free to help them save, there is plenty of other older cheaper properties but they are not interested, has to be new and low maintenance. In the Westmorland and Furness council area it is ranked 5th in England with 3500 empty homes., so plenty of homes to be had that are cheaper. Affordability is a big factor, but there is many younger generations now have this, Live for today, approach on life.

There was a survey by Halfords and car leasing companies along with general house maintenance that the younger generation lack practical skills, so a simple job like charging a car battery can be beyond them. So they can spend an extra grand or so on getting professionals to do it than have a go at it themselves, with them being branded as the GOTDIT generation, get others to do it.

The ‘GOTDIT’ (Get Others To Do It) Generation: Gen Z adults spend £1,300 a year calling in professionals for basic tasks such as changing home lightbulbs and pumping up tyres - Halfords Group plc

I speak to many customers regularly who have allotments and in the onion club etc etc, they tell me that there is many plots are now over gown as they come along with big intentions then after a few weeks never comeback. They reckon there is about 170,000 people on the waiting list for an allotment plot with around 45,000 not being used. Some parts of the country can have as much as 30% not being used.

 

I wouldn't change a car battery these days, far too many things to go wrong if you dont have the right gear to keep the thing "alive" while you change it.