Sticking to trusted sources, keeping it British and seagull havoc

Stick to trusted sources or be left out in the cold

I find that too many conversations open with someone saying, “apparently” or “I saw that…” which immediately sets off alarm bells. When the ‘fact’ or story has been shared with me I then usually ask for the source of the information, to which the response is often “the internet” or “on social media”. If it’s written somewhere (anywhere) so many are guilty of taking things at face value regardless of who said or wrote it.

Don’t believe everything you hear or read. Getting your information from trusted sources is more important than ever, especially with the rise of content generated by artificial intelligence. Case in point: thousands of people turned up at Centenary Square in Birmingham to witness fireworks and a ‘spectacular midnight show’ on New Year’s Eve only to find they had been tricked by an AI-generated news article that got traction on a number of blog posts and social media channels. Well, if you’re going to believe anything you read regardless of where it came from, you deserve to spend hours out in the cold packed in like sardines for no good reason.

I’ve got a tip for you… let’s keep doing things our way

Sometimes it’s a good thing, sometimes bad. But inevitably, so much of our custom and practice, language and way of life is influenced by our friends across the Atlantic. Some of it travels quickly, some of it takes a little longer, but much of it reaches our shores in the end. Halloween is becoming bigger each year, the kids call it candy instead of sweets, and it’s Santa Claus instead of Father Christmas.

But the thing I’ve dreaded the most was if America’s tipping culture ever infested the British hospitality industry. I’m finding that when paying, card machines are prompting me to add gratuity regardless of whether a service charge has already been added to my bill. Some even suggest what percentage.

I read in the newspaper that the number of cafés and restaurants having a tip prompt has increased by 78% between 2022 and 2024 – that’s huge. But us Brits aren’t having it, with the average tip we’re giving hanging around the 10% mark. Even when I ordered a pint at the bar in a London pub recently, the card payment machine gave me the option of adding a tip. No thank you. I pay for service and only if it’s good. Let’s put this whole thing back on a one-way ticket headed west.

Seagulls creating seaside havoc

Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside. I mean, who doesn’t? That fresh sea air, donkey rides on the beach, fish and chips, and often some lovely tea rooms and the odd pier to amble down. But I’m often on guard from monstrously sized seagulls. Some of them are huge; it’s as if they’ve been on the protein shakes or perhaps it’s steroids.

If I’m enjoying a bag of chips and there’s seagulls around, it’s like I’m cradling a baby. If you don’t protect your lunch, it could be curtains. So when I read a headline in the paper that said ‘Seaside towns draw up ‘seagull strategy’ as attacks surge’ I dived into the story without hesitation. North Yorkshire has got it bad, and Whitby, Scarborough, Bridlington and Filey are part of a £36,000 scheme that will try and educate people that feeding these ‘beasts’ is a bad idea and highlight why dropping litter and leaving rubbish on the beach is contributing to the problem.

There are going to be seagull-proof bags and more bins. It all seems a bit daft, but I get it. Cleaning all this bird mess is costing a lot of money, and the issue can put tourists off – and we know how much coastal resorts rely on our pounds. But when you have to educate people that feeding seagulls and throwing rubbish on the floor is a bad thing you really are struggling. Alas, I find that common sense and intelligence is in short supply these days, so perhaps there’s no other way.

Although I did stumble across a tale about a food truck on the Isle of Man that charged a £1 seagull insurance policy so customers can claim a free meal should a gull snatch your food. It goes to show that not everyone is a moron - some people do have genius ideas.

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