LilyB7

PLEASE can someone help me. My bestmate and business partner has an iphone 3 on vodafone and can not get the settings right for her email settings to allow her to send emails from her phone. Her email address is a tiscali one, so if anyone has any ideas of the settings I would be very grateful, as she's sitting opposite me looking completely befuddled!

My partner and I are taking my 16 year old son and his friend to Tunisia in July, and wondered what the rules and regs are for them having a drink with their dinners in our hotel? I know that the legal drinking age is 18, and totally illegal for the muslims in the country, but wondered if there was any flexibility in the hotel with dinner, as there is in this country.

I took my daughter down to university last weekend, and she's struggling with being so far away from home. He course hasn't even started yet, but she's desperately homesick and talking about wanting to transfer to a closer to hone uni - or if thats not possible dropping out completely.

My question is, is it possible to change universities (supposing there are any which have vacancies!), and how would she go about it?

Wasn't 100% sure which category this should be in so bear with me!

I received a court summons at the weekend for non payment of council tax. It would appear speaking to them that I missed the april payment, due to an error on my part, which I accept. All other payments have been paid on time. The first I heard of this was the court summons. They say a non payment letter was sent in July. I never received this and they say I cannot have a copy!. £35 costs have been added and it would appear I have lost the right to monthly payments. I paid the missed payment over the phone this morning without a question. I missed the payment fair and square. I did say to them if I had received the original letter I would have sorted it there and then. Until the summons I had no idea I had missed a payment.

My quesion is should they have issued further communication before issuing a court summons. I thought, maybe wrongly, that a red letter had to be issued, and then a final demand, then the court summons. One simple mistake and I pay heavily plus £35 costs. Also can I insist on a copy of the letter for my records. They say they cannot do this.

Thanks in advance as I am not lying down and taking this if they are not following correct procedure when I make a simple, though stupid, error

My son is 15 and my daughter is 18, their father and step mother still think it's ok for them to share a room together. Their father recently refused to pay for my daughter her own room (so she ended up forking out £70 herself for her own room), in a hotel and told her that she should share with her brother. I was always under the impression that there was an upper age limit for sharing siblings. Only answers relating to UK please.

My cousin is expecting her first baby in October. My intention had been to buy bits and put them away into a bounty box for her for when baby was born, but the proud and excited grandparents have already filled a wardrobe for baby!

So my thoughts turned to Mum. Everyone seems to overlook Mum and shower the baby with gifts but I have decided to shower my cousin with gifts instead. I know Sanctuary do a Mum To Be range, but just wondered who else did a Mum To Be or New Mum pampering range.

I'd be grateful for all your input please.

I'm a 40 something woman and although I love my partner dearly I just can't be bothered with sex, and will come up with any excuse I can to put it off. Although if I do succumb I do enjoy it.

I've spoken to my nurse when I went for my contraception check, to ask if it could be that which is effecting my loss of interest and she says not, it's probably just my age.

So, is this it? Has any one else experience of this and what can I do to get my drive back?

We have a three year old Parsons, who is getting a bit too big for his boots!

Recently he has started to wee and / or poo on furniture. It's not that he needs to go, because he inconveniences himself in the places he chooses. On one occasion he went upstairs onto my daughters bed and carpet and then straight into our room and on our bed and carpet. He's gone one better than that though and has poo'd on all four seats of our sofa's and then on the arm of one too. I am at my wits end with this - these are just a couple of occasions out of over half a dozen, that I'm highlighting. The dog was successfully house trained as a pup before we bought him and he's always been clean.

We're now starting to redo our living room, and this will involve a new carpet and sofa's and I'm loathed to keep the dog as he's systematically undoing all the hard work we're putting into redecorating our home.

He's also started challenging our German Shepherd *****, during feeding, and will sit on or lay on top of her when they lay down, and guards her from me if I try to get to her to fuss her or clean her ears.

Any suggestions? I'm inclined to think that this is dominance related behaviour.

My husband and I have been awarded a small amount of child tax credits, for my son - our joint household income is quite close to the upper eligible limit, so naturally we weren't sure whether we would be awarded anything - we both work full time.

My sister in law on the other hand works 24 man hours a week, she's a single parent and on a low income (she earns below the personal income tax allowance), and I do know that she gets assistance with her rent - but as to any other "benefit" I do not know, yet she hasn't been awarded as much Child Tax Credit as we get. When she tried to up her hours to 30 a week, found that she was worse off as the deduction in tax credit was MORE than she was earning in increased wages!

She says she's queried this several times and has been assured that this is correct - but I really don't understand the system! My husband says that for her to receive "tax credit" surely she needs to be paying tax!

Can any one please clear this up for me?

I have a three year old German Shepherd, who has always suffered with ear infections, predominantly in her right ear - to the point where it has cauliflowered as she always holds it down. Her ear becomes red and inflamed, and hot to touch, it produces a thick dark waxy substance which is quite fusty smelling. And it obviously causes her discomfort as she will hold her head to one side and shake it constantly as if trying to dislodge something. I have had endless vet trips where they've prescribed antibiotics, ear cleaner, and drops, which has cost THOUSANDS! Her litter sister was at the same vet and she has had dodgy ears too and was offered an allergy test and diagnosed as being allergic to yeast, sugar beet and house dust - the vet refused to test my dog - so I changed vets!

Our new vet immediately suggested an allergy test, and my dog was diagnosed with food allergies to yeast, soya, rice and oats - and house dust. We changed to a food with no allergens but yet the problem still reoccurs frequently, and appears to be now predominantly targetting her left ear.

I have to regularly pin my poor dog down to clean her ears and administer ear drops. The poor dog hates the procedure and tries to hide from me, even when I'm not trying to clean her ears she's suspicious of my every move, or word towards her. Any sight of cotton wool in my hands (even if it's to remove my nail polish!) and she escapes and vanishes quicker than Houdini! I have no positive relationship with my dog as I have been having to clean her ears out and such like for 3 years now.

PLEASE has any one experienced this problem. I'm now wondering whether the problem really is allergy related, as our Parsons Terrier seems to get the same discharge in his ears.

She was bought from what I believed to be a reputable breeder, who had excellent credentials - but my dog was one of a litter of ten and I often wonder whether the bitches were over bred.

If any one can offer any advice and shed any light on this both me and my beautiful Shepherd will be eternally grateful.

Like thousands of other parents I'm looking for a cheap first car for my 17 year old daughter for when she passes her driving test.

We're not in a position to buy her a brand new car, and she's happy to have an older one anyway (she has roughly £2k to spend), but the concern is the insurance!

There are plenty of websites with new car insurance groupings, but can anyone please advise me of older small cars which are in the lowest insurance groups.

Need to buy a ready made cake asap, that is free of nuts & hasn't been produced in a factory that handles nuts or nut products.

Thanks :)

I'm a registered childminder, and a little girl who I've been minding for 5 years is leaving me this week as she's going to High School in September, and will be almost 12 years old.

I can't buy her cosmetics as she has really sensitive skin, I can't buy sweets/chocolates as she has innumerable food allergies/intolerance's.

I'm stuck for a leaving gift for her! Every child that leaves us, leaves with a CD of all of the photos that we've taken during their stay with us, and a DVD with all of the photos made into a slide show too, but as she's been with us for so long we'd like to get her something special - but I can't think what!

I've a budget of up to £20 and would be grateful for your suggestions please.

I have a 1000 litre garden pond that we struggle to keep clear, and yes before you all ask - it is in sun and not shade. At the weekend we purchased a UV filter (3000 litre capacity), and did a partial drain and refill. A family friend assures me that they have a uv filter, that their pond is in sun and yet their water is clear.

Before this the water really was like pea soup but now is a little clearer with visibility maybe a couple of inches into the pond.

What is the best way to get and keep the pond clear please.

Right this is complicated, so please bear with me.

Almost two years ago I suggested to my ex husband that if he paid for the cost of it and took my name off the deeds and mortgage of the house, I would be prepared to walk away from our marital home with nothing. He agreed to this and put the wheels in motion, so I have in my file a letter from his solicitor asking me to confirm that I was in agreement to this, but this is all I have in relation to it.

My ex has always been atrocious with his finances, and has a real debt problem whereby he constantly spends beyond his means and has remortgaged several times to repay his credit cards and overdrafts when they become unmanageable - this is one of the reasons I walked away from the house, it has no equity left in it and wasn't selling, and to be honest I needed to make a clean break before he dragged me down with his debts again.

Our divorce was finalised in October this year - 18months AFTER I left the marital home, he had by this point moved his new partner in the house. He hasn't however, managed to secure a new mortgage in his name, removing mine from the loop to so speak.

This year he's apparently had to take a pay cut (but he was already on £70k+ per annum), however, he's still decorated most of the house with his new partner, including new carpets an furniture and not just a fresh lick of paint, but it appears that he has money flow problems again (my 17 year old daughter informed me last night that he's trying to borrow £200 from her).

My worry, and therefore my question is this ... what is my legal position and responsibility for his debts (ie the £240k mortgage and millstone of a house) if he ends up in the proverbial again with his finances? Bearing in mind that I left it almost two years ago, and his new partner moved in 6 months ago, and I'd already asked him to take my name off the deeds and mortgage?

I'm expecting most of you to say go see a solicitor - which I'm intending to do in the new year, but could do with some idea of my position BEFORE then. So any solicitors reading this section ...

Right this is complicated, so please bear with me.

Almost two years ago I suggested to my ex husband that if he paid for the cost of it and took my name off the deeds and mortgage of the house, I would be prepared to walk away from our marital home with nothing. He agreed to this and put the wheels in motion, so I have in my file a letter from his solicitor asking me to confirm that I was in agreement to this, but this is all I have in relation to it.

My ex has always been atrocious with his finances, and has a real debt problem whereby he constantly spends beyond his means and has remortgaged several times to repay his credit cards and overdrafts when they become unmanageable - this is one of the reasons I walked away from the house, it has no equity left in it and wasn't selling, and to be honest I needed to make a clean break before he dragged me down with his debts again.

Our divorce was finalised in October this year - 18months AFTER I left the marital home, he had by this point moved his new partner in the house. He hasn't however, managed to secure a new mortgage in his name, removing mine from the loop to so speak.

This year he's apparently had to take a pay cut (but he was already on £70k+ per annum), however, he's still decorated most of the house with his new partner, including new carpets an furniture and not just a fresh lick of paint, but it appears that he has money flow problems again (my 17 year old daughter informed me last night that he's trying to borrow £200 from her).

My worry, and therefore my question is this ... what is my legal position and responsibility for his debts (ie the £240k mortgage and millstone of a house) if he ends up in the proverbial again with his finances? Bearing in mind that I left it almost two years ago, and his new partner moved in 6 months ago, and I'd already asked him to take my name off the deeds and mortgage?

I'm expecting most of you to say go see a solicitor - which I'm intending to do in the new year, but could do with some idea of my position BEFORE then. So any solicitors reading this section ...

Ok I know it's an odd question but I'm a childminder and have recently moved house, the room which I have bagged as my playroom had a fireplace in with a "marble" fireback. Originally I tried to stick a piece of painted hardboard against it as my blackboard, but this wasn't successful.

I now want to prime and paint the marble itself to use as my blackboard, but aren't sure what sort of primer I need to use, so am looking for the answer here please.

We have a 2005 1.8 S.I Vauxhaul Vectra that's done 96,000 miles, and it's going through oil at what we believe is an excessive consumption rate - roughly 1 litre every 750 miles or so. There's no sign of leaking, no sign of burning and the main dealer can't find anything wrong with it but claim that Vauxhaul recommend 1 litre every 1000 miles.

This problem has been getting worse during this year or so, as previously we could do 10k to 15k without the orange oil level light flashing on!

Has anyone else experienced the same, and what was the outcome please.

We have, sorry had, four mice girls. Sadly one of them died yesterday, and it would appear that her cage mates have tried to bury her under their cage litter.

Why would they have done this? Is this common behaviour?

Hi, I've had a sore throat for a couple of days now and this morning I've woken up with swollen ear lobes and my left cheek feels red hot. My friend has suggested that it might be mumps, but I can't feel any swelling in my saliva gland, although it is quite difficult to swallow ... I'm a childminder and need advice ASAP please!