AlistairB1983

Luckily I no longer work in the same establishment as her (I moved schools back in November), so lunch times are my own again Apologies for OT ....

And the double pack ones are smaller! Er ... apparently, never eaten them myself - or so I tell the other half.

We're back to it having a noticeable effect on staff absence levels.

Agreed, there are a few instances where another character was being chased which seemed ..... badly scripted/written as the chase should, in reality, have been much shorter than it was given the participants involved! But, obvious plot holes aside, it's still good fun. Certainly good enough for me to give it 5 stars on every site I see 'fans' review-bombing it on!

Agreed. AQA let us upload all our MFL recording via their website.

Potentially, although it would depend on the particular wood/forest concerned. My parents used to live inside the Forest of Dean (like literally in the middle of the forest - no other houses for about 4 miles in any direction!) and the Forestry Commission allowed them to pick up anything they wanted from the surrounding woodland. So long as you weren't deliberately cutting it down or doing it to make a profit, they were happy for you to even chop up trees that fell in a storm if you were able! Sadly (for him!) my mother wasn't terribly keen on my elderly father using a chainsaw, so some of the bigger ones had to lay where they fell

Gif. Obviously

I know it's one that people have seen previously but every time I look at it, it still takes me a second to understand it

I installed it on my series X on the week of release way back when and, aside from having to restart the prologue once due to an error not being able to finish one of the missions, the rest of the game played through without any issues. Recently went back to it following the 'next gen' patch and, being honest, I could barely notice the difference. Yes there were a few more NPCs around, but as they're just generic 'sidewalk filler', it made no difference to me if anything it was more irritating to have more people to try and run through! Otherwise, not much really to write home about. It still feels like an empty city that has a handful of things to do spread out really far apart. The whole 'interactive city' bit is just missing entirely for me. The game is a very solid game. I just think unfortunately it was over-hyped to oblivion, to the point where they're realistically never going to be able to match what they've promised.

The Mrs was watching it last night whilst I was making dinner - it sounded (from the few bits I overheard) very similar to The Tinder Swindler (which is also worth a watch FYI) in terms of how she operated. And none of the victims were 'idiots' (some greedy, easily manipulated perhaps). Would be interesting if the two (Anna & TTS) met who would come off better/worse.

Well yes, that is probably a comparison which does BoBF no favours in that regard. My issues with the early part of the series wasn't so much the action scenes - they were an 'issue' later on (as per my previous reply) but still not major - but more the jumping around in time. This can definitely work for certain series (see Witcher season 1) when done right, but in BoBF they just made each episode feel too condensed and also too sporadic at the same time. I'd have much rather than episodes 1 & 2 split in half, with episode 1 dealing with the past and episode 2 dealing with the present, rather than each trying to cover half and therefore not doing justice to either.

I do understand why some fans were disappointed in it - there was some silly parts (e.g. things outrunning something only to have it appear 'right behind them' in the next scene ), but to me this just reminded me of the 'not serious' nature of the original 3 movies where similar sorts of things either happened or felt like they could happen. Personally I still it (possibly because I'm not that bothered by looking much below the surface) and can't wait for Obi Wan in May, and the next seasons of these two.

One of them won't - Barney Harris (plays Mat) has been replaced for Season 2 as he refused to comply with Amazon's vaccine mandate for working on their TV shows. Allegedly. But share your sentiments on it being slow to begin with and picked up towards the end even if (apparently, I've not read them) it doesn't follow the books.

Finger's crossed it lasts longer than Shannara. I really liked that and was disappointed it was cancelled (though unfortunately I can understand why). The only other 80's series I could think of was David Gemmell's Drenai saga, but I'm not sure if that's 'big' enough to count for this

Because the media, correctly or otherwise, believe that the British public can't get their head around that - so do the calculations for them.

Completely agree - a very good watch even as someone who, despite many attempts at trying, can't get into the 'real' Critical Role even though I've played D&D since AD&D

There was an interview years back (2015? 2016?) on I believe BBC radio with one of the senior members of one of the exam boards (either AQA or OCR) basically saying the same thing - it was inevitable that exams were going to head in that direction as that's the direction life in general has moved and they needed to become more relatable with what goes on in the outside world.

I think that's the main part to take away - is that (apart from a few regulated sectors) it is, by in large, up to the Employer where in a grade they start you. I started a new job in November, on a higher grade, but was able to start on half way up it due to experience in my previous role and being able to justify why I deserved more money. Best thing to do is ask. If they say no would you really want to have to go all 'legal' on them even if it was a requirement for them to do it?

Hello everyone I've been around for a while and thought it might be time for my first post - at which point this thread seemed ideal. I'm recently started as a Data Manager for a secondary school in Berkshire, but have been Data Manager/Exams Officer for two previous schools over the last 8 years. This site has already helped me numerous times and I look forward to it doing so more in the future - and maybe one day me being able to return the favour for someone else!