Wifey

I know a couple of Welsh speakers here.

So is it a problem with larger women when you are able to see more than the baby's head?!

In reply to Pleepsie, I just want to add this link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1814156.ece Scoot down to the bottom: "...the fund will not benefit from gift aid, a form of tax relief that allows charities to claim from the government an additional 28p for every £1 they receive in donations. And tax will have to be paid on all interest accrued by the fund...Madeleine's parents had hoped for charity status for the fund but were turned down by the Charity Commission because the money raised is not for the "wider public good"."

Just because they won't read this and you don't know them doesn't mean it's appropriate to speak as you have. The McCanns made a mistake and they are paying for it in the most horrendous way possible. I no longer feel able to contribute to this thread. KOYAANISQATSI's attitude has appalled me. That someone should feel such anger towards the parents yet show no concern for the wellbeing of the child, in such a self-rightous way, is horrible.

I really can't agree with you, KOYAANISQATSI. I think being critical of the McCanns is cruel. What they are now going through is dreadful and people suggesting the horrors their child is now suffering is all their fault isn't constructive. So you think it is important to criticise the McCanns to make sure no one else makes the same mistake? You don't need to say anything - you can be sure no one will leave their children alone in the same way again. What is important now is finding Madeleine and supporting her distraught family. Leave the discussion of their parenting skills until a more appropriate time.

This little girl's parents clearly felt their children were safe or they wouldn't have left them alone. They could never have anticipated what was to happen. They were in what was perceived to be a safe, family environment. The worst they could have imagined was one of the children falling and bumping their head. None of us have been to this resort (I'm assuming). How many of us can say for sure we wouldn't have done the same? We recently stayed at Centreparcs. You feel as though you are in a safe, closed, children friendly environment. I let my 8 year old daughter cycle around on her own. My only concern was she might fall off her bike and graze a knee. It never crossed my mind something sinister could happen. Would I let her do the same now, after what has happened in Portugal - not a chance. I can very much identify with Maddy's parents. Their lives before this horror were similar to mine. I also have a 3 year old daughter, who looks not dissimilar to Maddy. I can imagine nothing worse that one of my children being taken and harmed - nothing comes close to being as bad at that. We shouldn't be criticising the McCanns. What they are going through is worse than a living hell.

I like John Lewis for white goods. Their prices are good, delivery is free (although sometimes it can be a bit slow) and returns are no bother. I bought a tumble drier from them but after a couple of days I wasn't happy with it. (It wasn't faulty, I just didn't like it.) I phoned John Lewis and asked if I could return it and order a different one. The following week JBT arrived with the new machine and took away the original one.

Jim's Garage is good. We've bought 3 cars from him and we've always been pleased with the service. I've got a Yaris. It's bigger inside than you'd think (a bit of a Tardis really) and it's cheap to run. I went for the 1.0 engine - its acceleration isn't good and it's slow going up hills, but it's brilliant around town. Overall, I just love my little Yaris and I would certainly recommend it.

My BT Broadband speeds have dropped to a third of my normal since the weekend. Other techie forums have suggested BT are decreasing bandwidth for some to ensure BT Vision runs smoothly for those that have it. I'm not convinced. Does anyone here have BT Vision yet? I registered an interest months ago. I had an email from BT saying it wasn't available to me yet and they didn't know when it would be.

The Missing Manual series of books is good. They do one for "switchers" which you might find helpful.

I would just love to see Sid Meier's Colonisation again. I used to play it when I was a student - it must be about 15 years ago. It was so much better than Civilisation. The graphics were terrible, the music was awful, but we just loved it. If anyone knows how to get a (legal) version for OS X I would love to know. Monkey Island was another good one. Guybrush Threepwood, mugs o' grog, insult competitions ("You fight like a dairy farmer." "How appropriate, you fight like a cow.") . Ah, happy memories!

...because I have! I ordered it from Amazon on Friday and it arrived today (thanks to a very nice man at the Royal Mail office in town called Davie). We have a PS2 and my children and husband like it. But I've never gotten to grips with the little joystick bit on the controller. I can never get Princess Leia (on Lego Star Wars II) to run in a straight line. But the Wiimote is great. I swing my arms around (goodness knows what the neighbours are thinking) and my Mii on the screen does the same. I've only played Wii Sports so far. But I've got Rayman Raving Rabbids and Wii Play coming later in the week. I just had to put this post on because I'm feeling smug right now!

For me £4000 would be a huge amount to spend on clothes. We won't spend even half of that in a year - and that's for 5 of us. But that's just because I'm not into buying lots of clothes. When I buy something I expect it to last a long time. (I'm not exactly into high fashion - obviously!) However, I am in no position to criticise DarkstarIII. I spend silly amounts on gadgets and computer stuff. (My children are dressed in rags so that I may buy a Nintendo Wii. Actually, chance would be a fine thing!) Back to DarkstarIII's original question: I buy almost all my clothes online - Boden, M&S, Next. And the occasional eBay bargain. I don't buy anything in Shetland. I'm not sure why. Habit probably - and it's exciting getting things in the post!

Better the devil you know? I'd be worried if I had technical problems (like those we've just experienced with BT) - would a Faroese ISP be any better at dealing with it? I know BT can be rubbish - but at least I know where I am with them.

Njugle could be onto something - maybe we should take this further. Watchdog would be fun. We could all be on TV. Except then all our pseudonyms would be blown! Anyone got a plan?