RP

Usually I would use the word 'laid', but in the case of my chickens laying an egg, do I say she's 'laid', or 'layed'?

TIA

My daughter's thinking of leaving home and I'm trying to help her work out a budget. I'm wondering how much single people spend on groceries per week please. Just need £ answers really. TIA

My parents are horrible, nasty people and my father is violent. I don't wish for them to have any contact with my children, and my eldest children (teens) don't want anything to do with them. My youngest child is only 2, so too young to have an opinion.

Although my father has never been physically violent towards me or my children, he is towards other people and brags openly about it for years afterwards. I also consider them both to be psychologically abusive. They are extremely critical and never have a good word to say about anyone. They call my children names, and given them extremely difficult moral dilemmas to cope with (eg., giving my eldest child money and saying not to tell anyone and not to share it with siblings).

I have given in trying to reason with them and believe my family should not have to put up with people like that any more. My children are entitled to happiness, and their grandparents were not allowing it. I have therefore told my parents they can no longer see the children (much to the relief of my eldest two). They are threatening to get a court order to gain access to the children. Obviously, this would be against my wishes as I feel the older children have been emotionally scarred by them in the past, and I want to protect my youngest from such emotional abuse.

BTW, if you ask them why they do certain things, it's not like they aren't aware of the consequences of their words and actions. They know exactly what they are doing, are doing it to have an effect, and defend their actions.

Does anyone please have any advice as to how to clear my head following and unresolved (unresolvable) argument? It was an argument with my parents. I put up with them being nasty to me all my life and for the last 16 years have put up with them being nasty to my partner, about my partner and about my children. When they started being nasty TO my children, I decided enough was enough, it was time to get them out of our lives. This was right at the end of last year. My children had been complaining that they didn't want to see their horrible grandparents for a long time, so when I ceased contact with them, they were relieved. During the next 8 months we have all been much happier and more relaxed and we have all become much more positive people now that the negative influences have been removed. However, yesterday my parents walked into my house, uninvited, and stated that if I don't allow them to see the kids they will take out a court order to gain access. When I pointed out that the children don't wish to see them either, because of their horrible, nasty mannerisms, they started being nasty again, saying horrible things about my daughter (in front of her until she got out of their way), and about my partner and myself. When my partner opened the door and asked them, in his most polite, most calm voice, to leave the house, my father took off his glasses and started threatening physical violence. I told them I, too, wanted them to leave and when they refused I said I will call the police to have them removed if necessary. Still they wouldn't go, and I ended up dialing the number of the local police station. They finally left before the police answered the phone.

Now I can't stop arguing with them in my head. It took me months to stop doing that before, and to stop imagining them behind me and criticizing my every move (I got nothing but criticism all my life from them, so there was a lot to 'throw off' if you see what I mean). Now, they're back in my head and I want them out so I can get back to my new, happier, more positive life.

How do I clear my head? Please?

My partner has been given the choice to stay on Warfarin for the rest of his life (the risks being if he has an accident he might not be able to stop bleeding), or come off it after 6 months (and risk more blood clots - he's had them twice already). He's 39 years old and has decided that he wants to come off the medication. I am wondering what foods we could increase/decrease to help reduce the risk of further blood clots.

If anyone can advise, could you please tell me how you are qualified to give the advice. Also, any references to further reading would be very useful.

Thanks, everyone :)

Does anyone know anything about the English Democrat Party? We got a 'newspaper' from them through the letterbox the other day and what they say sounds appealing, but I don't know any of the 'down side' of the party. Can anyone dish any dirt on them? They don't come across as racist or nationalist in their writings, but I do wonder if they are a bit like that. I would like to know the negative stuff so that I can form a balanced opinion about them.

I would prefer answers that are backed up with some kind of evidence if possible, please.

Do you call yourself British? Or do you call yourself Scottish, Welsh, Irish or English?

I usually call myself English, but say British when I'm talking to people from overseas who might not understand the difference. It gets me mad when people refer to the UK as 'Scotland, Wales and Britain'.

My partner and I have be happen together for 15 years and living together for 14 1/2 years. We'rey as we are. We are not religious and so don't feel the need to have a church wedding or anything. I know there are other types of weddings, but we just don't see the point. We know how we feel about each other and if other people don't understand that we love each other by now, tough! Yet still people think that it's wrong to live together unmarried. My mother said that those who are married "try harder" in their relationships. She doesn't get it that we don't have to "try hard" to be together - we're together purely through choice, not religious ties or the law. I think people who stay in a loveless relationship just because they are married are denying themselves and their spouse the chance of true happiness.

Why don't you want to get married? What do you say to people who think you should?

My friend has asked me if I'd like to run the Race for Life on 1st June. It's a 5km course which I think is about 3 miles. Aside from it being for a good cause, this would also be a really good challenge for me. After several years of being in one of those jobs where you can feel yourself getting really unfit, and not having enough time out of work to do anything about it, I then became pregnant, then of course had the baby and was very tied to her. Now she's nearly 2 years old I have no excuse not to get fit. On top of that, I've been through a lot of emotionally challenging events very recently. So I feel this is something that will benefit me enormously.

However, as you will understand, I am still very unfit. I feel clunky, awkward and embarassed when I try to run and can't get further than the end of the street. I could walk the course easily, but I would really like to run it.

What steps do you recommend I take to get fit enough? What excerises, how far and how often?

I live in Kingston upon Hull and it's 103.9p per litre.

Someone asked about 15 minutes ago if Christians hate Muslims. Looking at the first answers as they come in, there seems to be just one answer - no, that Christians love all people regardless of differing beliefs. Why, then, do I get the impression from other questions asked on YA that Christians hate Atheists?

It was a history series about life and how we used to live a few hundred years ago - in Tudor times I think. In it a small group of people were sent to live in a house for a year with a bit of land. The house was equipped only with the items that would have been around in those times, and the only food they had to eat was home grown, using the farming equipment of the time. Even their clothes were of the period. I only saw one episode, in which the residents had to harvest wheat and go through the whole winnowing and grinding process before eventually making a loaf of bread. They also tended the (weak) beer which they brewed and drank instead of water because it was cleaner and safer. In the evening they sat around a large table and played simple games by candle-light.

The name of the series did not give much clue to the content. There was no "history of.." or "the way we were" or anything like the name of the farm, but I just can't find it in any search engine.

Should religion be included in the Mythology & Folklore category instead of being grouped with Spirituality?

Shouldn't 'religion' be included in the 'Mythology & Folklore' category instead of being grouped with 'Spirituality'?

I'm from a small town in Yorkshire, UK. We have breakfast in a morning, dinner around mid-day and tea in early evening. If we're talking to people who are not from around here, e.g. on the phone, we will say 'lunch' instead of dinner, but even in schools we are given a break at 'dinner time'.

If a new company had a turnover of £22.97 in its first week, and £147.33 in its second week, what is the % increase in sales and how did you calculate it, please?

and which country do you live in?

Are you from the UK? If so, do you call yourself English/Irish/Scottish/Welsh, or British?

I'm a 36-year-old woman, fit and strong. I love gardening and have an allotment. I particularly love digging. My partner does not enjoy gardening.

My father says my partner is lazy and that 'a proper man would not leave all the heavy digging' to a woman. My partner has a heavy manual job. I work for myself running an internet business whilst looking after our toddler. When I'm gardening, my partner looks after the toddler and does a bit of the housework.

I think my father is being extremely sexist. What do you think?

Hi, Could someone please help me get my head around the following? Keeping the numbers simple, if a company's turnover one week was £100, and the next week it was £880, is this an 880% increase or an 8.8% increase?