Amanda

My dwarf hamsters have been running on their wheel for ages, but never seem to get breathless or panting. Why not ?

help !

I'm thinking of publishing (on my blog) some diaries left by my mother (died 2006). Some of her opinions (which I don't share) are not quite in line with political correctness and might offend sensitive readers.

Could I be sued ? If I edit out the opinions I'm changing her writing. I intend to add a note to say these are not my views.

I need to loosen a bolt - it's supposed to be undo-able with an Allen key but is rusted in place so tightly that there's no room to squirt lubricating oil in. The Allen key can't turn it.

I tried levering at the Allen key but no luck - any ideas ?

My mother, now dead, was a keen amateur painter and some of her paintings are quite good.

My brother and I inherited her estate and agreed verbally that he took the money plus a dinner service while I took the property and other goods; it worked out about even.

If I publish photos of Mother's painting, who owns the copyright ? The photos have been taken by me.

My mother's sister is also still around but there are no other close relatives.

I have a male friend (not a boyfriend) who is having trouble find work. He's a nice man, but he has a full and frankly rather scruffy beard (which he seems proud of and his clothing is not always as fresh as it might be.). How do I suggest, without hurting his feelings, that a little more attention to personal grooming would be a good idea.

He lives alone and I suspect is not close to his family, so maybe no-one's told him.

I'm using Internet Explorer 11. When looking at a website, I get banners advertising stuff I'm not interested in blasting across the screen and blocking my view of what I do want to see - makes it almost impossible to enter my grocery order correctly.

How do I get rid of the banners?

I've already got every security item I could find turned on.

I put the (new) washing machine on the wrong cycle and shrank my favourite jumper; is there any way to un-shrink it ?

My (now dead) father used to sing a song that included the words

"Away went my very last day as a child, the day that the circus left town"

Anyone know what song this is ? It's probably old.

I've lived in a block of flats for 7 years and get on well with my neighbours - except for one thing : I own 3 mobility scooters, and every time one particular neighbour sees me getting one out of the garage, he makes the same "joke" about them breeding.

Since we see each other most days, that makes hundreds of times I've had to listen to the same "joke" that wasn't very funny anyway.

I tried talking him through my reasons for owning more than one (several times) and he said he understood, I tried pretending not to hear, but neither works.

Now I try to hide if I see him coming and am beginning to dream of hitting him.

Any ideas on how to discourage him ?

It's none of his business, anyway !

I'm English. When I use the word "biscuit" I mean a small flat piece of baked flour, possibly with fruit, jam or chocolate flavouring. Americans seem to mean something else, but what exactly ?

Could anyone from the USA please explain what they believe a biscuit is ?

I just watched a film ("Ladyhawke" starring Rutger Hauer) in which he finally kills the villain by throwing his sword from some yards away and skewering the villain to the wall.

I believe the broadsword, a weapon made for slashing, would be too blunt and would just bounce off the villain (leaving him with maybe a nasty bruise but hardly dead).

Does anyone out there know for sure ?

(maybe the hero sharpened the point just in case ?)

Yes, I know it's only a story but I'm interested....

I have a pair of male Chinese hamsters (about 6 months) who've been kept together & got on OK, though they squabbled a little. I bought them a new and more luxurious cage - now it's scuttling, scuffling and squealing in there all evening (luckily they're pretty evenly matched).

Should I let them sort it out, separate them, or put them both back in the old cage ?

Should that be "It's been lying around"?

"stylish consistency" or "stylistic consistency" ?

I have had a really stupid phobia since puberty and would like to cure myself of it.

I cannot bear to look at my own breasts (to me they're absolutely revolting) and have never done so on purpose (I dress / wash with my eyes shut).

Now I need to get them checked - there's an itchy rash underneath. Don't have the time, money or inclination for counselling, so is there any way to break the phobia myself ?

Just sniggering won't help - sensible suggestions welcomed..

I know I'm being irrational but whenever I try to look at them I throw up and / or become hysterical - I once asked a nurse for help - she yanked my bra up, said whe'd sort it, then jsut got cross with me when I vomited, pulled my top on and ran out.

I was watching a documentary on Victorian life and they mentioned how factory workers were woken by someone called a knocker-upper since clocks were too expensive. But who woke the knocker-upper ?

Did the factory provide an alarm clock or did he stay up all night and sleep days?