The Latest Report Brings Good & Bad News About House Prices

The average house price in London has fallen year-on-year for the first time in nearly a decade, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed.

From February 2017 to February 2018, the average price of a residential property in the capital dropped by 1.0% – equivalent to around £5,000.

However, the London property price situation is a little more complicated when analysed borough by borough, The Guardian reports.

Tower Hamlets (which includes trendy neighbourhoods like Hackney Wick and Bethnal Green) saw the biggest year-on-year fall: a hefty 7.9%.

Hammersmith and Fulham (-5%) and the City of London (-4.4%) also saw significant slips, but outer London boroughs Redbridge (+8.9%), Havering (+4.2%), Bexley (+4.1%) and Bromley (+3.8%) all posted notable increases.

Overall, according to the ONS report, the average house price in the UK has risen 4.4% year-on-year. The areas that experienced the highest price hikes from 2017-18 are the West Midlands (7.3%), East Midlands (6.3%), Scotland (6.2%), South-west (4.9%), North-west (4.8%) and Wales (4.8%).

Despite the London price drop, the average house price in the capital – an eye-watering £472,000 – remains more than double the national average of £225,000.

Commenting on the latest UK property price stats, Thomas White of leading economists PwC said: “Regionally, the picture remains mixed, with London diverging from the rest of the country. Compared to this point last year, prices in London have decreased by 1%, the first time a year-on-year decline in average London prices has occurred since September 2009.

“We broadly expect current market conditions to continue, projecting UK wide house price inflation to be around 4% in 2018.”

Robbie Williams breaks silence on secret third baby Coco

Robbie Williams has spoken for the first time about his baby daughter Coco, who he and wife Ayda Field welcomed via surrogate last week. The former Take That singer surprised fans when he revealed they had secretly welcomed a new addition to the family, and now he says the baby girl is already settling in well with siblings Teddy and Charlton.

“Coco is the most chilled baby I’ve ever known,” he told The Sun, before speaking about the differences with his third child. “It’s funny. The first baby you have, ‘Shh, it’s sleeping,’ then you hear someone coming in that closes the door and you run downstairs and you go, ‘Shh! The baby!’ Then the third one, the television’s on, the kids are playing, the dogs are barking, the baby stays asleep and the world doesn’t end.”

Robbie also said that his five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son are besotted with their baby sister. So much so, that Teddy wants to feed her all the time.

The X Factor judges welcomed baby Coco into their family on 7 September, announcing the news with a sweet black-and-white photo showing their family’s hands. Ayda wrote: “So we have been keeping a very special secret! We are delighted to share with you that we have had a baby girl….welcome to the world Colette (Coco) Josephine Williams!! It has been a very long and difficult path to get here, which is why we have kept it on the down low.”

She continued: “Family comes in all forms, and this little lady, who is biologically ours, was carried by an incredible surrogate mother, to whom we will be eternally grateful. We are over the moon to have this beautiful baby girl in our lives and so blessed that we live in a world which makes this possible. As with Teddy and Charlie, we ask that you respect Coco’s privacy and allow us to grow into our new team of 5! #TeamWilliams.”

The joyous baby news comes just weeks after the couple celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary. Their home and work lives are about to get very busy; not only will Robbie and Ayda be adjusting to life with baby Coco, they are also both mentoring and judging contestants on The X Factor, which returned to screens last week.

Hello!

The pro’s and con’s of renovating a house

We are renovating our home at the moment. It was one of those purchases (a house that needs a lot of doing up), which seemed like a good idea at the time (nice area and cheap house), that suddenly did not seem like such a good idea once we actually started on the work and realised how much there is to do and how much it is actually going to cost.

I am project managing the renovations. I will be upfront. I do not know one end of a screwdriver from the other, so I have to do a lot of research before meeting anyone who will be taking our hard earned cash off of us. I have already been ripped off by one aggressive tradesman when my husband was away, so I am ultra-cautious now.

Over the last 3 weeks I have had the dubious pleasure of meeting a dozen double glazing salesmen. I spent 3 days reading up on double glazing options (uPVC, Aluminium or Thermally Broken Aluminium), learning the terminology used, and the differences between filling the glass with argon gas and air. I also visited a few showrooms to have a look at locking mechanisms. Whilst there I managed to avoid making rude jokes about the length of “extrusions” which left me feeling quite proud of myself!

I had the salespeople round whilst the children were at school. It made it significantly easier to focus on them, rather than have to do riot control as well. I expected a confident sales pitch, a demonstration of the product and a list of reasons why I should give them my business, rather than give it to the company down the road from them.

I was shocked. Every single salesperson was a man, none of them showed up with a demonstration model (usually just a corner to show you what the insides look like) and almost all of them had an issue with dealing with a woman.

One chap asked where my husband was as he said he did not like to do quotes if “the man of the house is not here to make the decision”. Another told me that he would send me a quote and if I had any questions, to get my husband to call him. I asked why I could not call him myself and he turned round and said, “I would not want you worrying your pretty little head about difficult things like this.” I kid you not. I wonder what he would have said if I turned round and said, “I’m gay. My wife will call you when she gets home”?

The quotes took up to a week to come in. It was surprising how many had ignored what I had asked for and quoted based on what they wanted to sell. One person quoted for tilt and turn windows rather than awnings (doubling the price) and another quoted for aluminium rather than commercial grade thermally broken aluminium. When I phoned and queried it I was told that I did not know what I was talking about and could not possibly want commercial grade thermally broken aluminium.

We finally settled on uPVC. The person who won the business was not the cheapest, but one of only two men who treated me with respect and confidently answered my questions, with no reference to needing to meet or talk to my other half. He also quoted on what I had asked for.

As for me, I have identified a gap in the market and I am considering moving into the double glazing business. It strikes me that all I would have to do to win the business is to have a good product, be willing to show how it works and to treat my potential customers with respect. Sales people take note.

Carolyn

Yom Kippur 2018: What you need to know about the holiest day of the Jewish year

Yom Kippur the holiest day of the Jewish year, takes place in 2018 on the evening of Tuesday 18 September.

Following Rosh Hashanah – the faith’s new year – Jews observe the Ten Days of Repentance, an opportunity to reflect on their sins and transgressions over the past 12 months. This period culminates with Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, a solemn 25-hours of prayer and fasting undertaken as a gesture of penance.

What is it?

Beginning at sunset and concluding the following evening when three stars are seen in the sky, Yom Kippur sees Jews “afflict their souls” by abstaining from food and drink, bathing, sex and wearing leather shoes or perfume and engaging in prayers of repentance.

More than that, Jews are expected to make a personal commitment to reform. As the prophet Isaiah says in the Torah, God expects the Jews to “unlock the fetters of wickedness”, share their bread with the hungry, take the poor into their homes and clothe the unfortunate.

What takes place?

As on the Sabbath, labours of any kind are forbidden to ensure a focus on one’s spiritual wellbeing. Observance of the Ten Days and Yom Kippur ensure the new year represents a fresh start.

Depending on the strictness of a follower’s adherence, in practice this can mean anything from not going to the office to not using electricity. In some cases, Jews may stand all day and not sleep as an act of devotion.

In synagogues, the service of Kol Nidre is held at sunset to mark the commencement of Yom Kippur, to which attendees wear tallits (prayer shawls) and dress in white. At services throughout the following 25 hours, special passages are read from the Torah and vidui (confessions) are chanted.

Yizkor also takes place, a memorial service for those lost in the past year, before matters conclude with a final service, Neilah, “the locking of the gates”.

After this, the end of Yom Kippur is marked with the “breaking of the fast”, a celebratory family dinner.

What is Kapparot?

This is one of the more unusual aspects of Yom Kippur and involves the swinging of a live chicken three times around the head, a folk custom dating back at least 800 years and intended to absolve the devotee of sin. The fowl is subsequently slaughtered and its meat often donated to charity.

What if he is asking for a break ? 5 reason why he would do that

There are few sentences that doom a relationship as much as “let’s take a break.” It’s almost like saying, “We’re on the way out, but neither of us wants to let go, so let’s just do this painfully and slowly.” It’s like clinging to flotsam after a shipwreck in the middle of the ocean, knowing you’ll likely drown but being unable to give up. Except, in the case of the relationship, instead of sinking slowly into a watery grave, you just get sad for a while and then date someone else.

So people know that, even if the idea of the “break” has the best intentions, the odds that it won’t just turn into a full-on break up are certainly stacked against you. Here are the reasons he’s probably asking for one, in order of likelihood:

1. This is his way of breaking up without being too harsh.

This is almost always why a “break” is proposed. He’s probably a good guy, but he’s also too cowardly to tell you he doesn’t want to see you anymore. Typically, the relationship was amazing at one point, and you were deeply in love, maybe even unhealthily codependent. He wants to get out but feels awful being the one to end things, even if it’s the right thing to do in the long-term. If you suspect that’s what’s going on, ask him to be real with you. It’ll be way less awful than dragging through months of long talks and confusion when he’s already made up his mind.

2. He wants to have sex with someone else.

If you’re on a break, and he has sex with someone else, he technically didn’t cheat and then you can still get back together. This is a pretty garbage reason to ask for a break. Granted, this is 2016 and some people can successfully navigate an open relationship, and if you want to bang other people too, then maybe you’ll be down for this. “I have so many people I wanted to bang,” you’ll say. “Look at this bang list. I need to get started.” And then the two of you high-five and everything works out, and I guess you’re both soul mates because you both have a “bang list” apparently and aren’t deterred by your partner possessing a similar bang list.

But, if open relationships aren’t your thing, then this is his way of sneaking in a free pass. If there’s some woman he’s been hanging out with and he suddenly asks for a break out of the blue, you can tell him, “The only break you’re getting is a break up. With me. I’m breaking up with you.” Maybe don’t say that, but just break up with him.

3. He really actually needs to reevaluate your relationship.

It’s not necessarily a great sign, but he might really want to take a constructive look at your relationship and take some distance for a few weeks. The relationship might’ve once been great but now feels stagnant. He might feel like he’s at a crossroads where he needs to figure out if he wants to spend the rest of his life with you or not. His intentions are good, but if he has to do this in the first place (or more specifically, if he feels he has to do this), then it’s time for you both to really look at your relationship and at what needs changing. Are those things worth changing, or things worth breaking up over? Can you come back from a “break?” Sure. But you both have to really want to work at it if you don’t want it to be your death sentence. It’s way too easy to think, Single life isn’t so bad and I’m comfortable here, now.

4. He needs a few weeks of peace and quiet.

Maybe he’s not the best with words and “break” isn’t the most accurate term. He could have some major finals or a huge crunch at work, and doesn’t want any distractions. He could really just be looking for some space. If he’s stressed and he’s the kind of person that needs to focus on one thing at a time, you’ll both feel better in the long run if you give him that space. He probably knows he’s going to snap at you for little things, or act distant, and he doesn’t want to feel guilted into spending time with you when he knows he should be devoting it somewhere else. In all fairness, he probably should have said “me time” instead, but hey, this isn’t the worst possible outcome on this list.

5. This is some kind of “relationship test.”

He wants to see if you’ll say yes to the break because that would somehow mean you’re not committed to the relationship. Some people are just so insecure that they feel compelled to play mind games. Maybe he’s afraid of losing you. Maybe he thinks, She’s going to break up with me, so I should break up with her first. Maybe he’s a sociopath. Maybe he read it on some website on the internet (who would do that?). I don’t know, some people are crazy and play weird mind games. Don’t bother with anyone who does this.

Cynthia Nixon Loses NY Gov. Democratic Primary To Andrew Cuomo

Cynthia Nixon‘s bid to be the next governor of New York is officially over, ’cause she just lost to incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo … and it wasn’t even close.

Cuomo was projected to beat the “Sex and the City” actress late Thursday by AP, the NYT and others as exit poll numbers poured in throughout the state. He has over 445,000 votes compared to Nixon’s 230,000 votes of the count that’s currently in. About 33% of the vote has been accounted for so far, and if it continues like this … Nixon basically got creamed.

Nixon’s candidacy began in March on a platform focused on public transportation and immigration. Thursday’s result will piss off T.I. — the rapper is/was a HUGE fan of her plans to legalize weed.

Cynthia got a big fundraising boost from celebs like Alec Baldwin and Chelsea Handler … though Cuomo raised $12 million in donations compared to Nixon’s $2.5M.

tmz