Two questions:

I'm not being nationalist (nationalism is tacky at best, horrifying at worst); I'm repeating that which is currently accurate according to general global consent. The term 'British Isles' dates back as far as Ptolomy (megale Britannia) and is arguably derived from a native term referring to both isles (apparently…

I understand if you don't like the Great British people and our government, most who do have good reasons, but you can't alter the realities of geography or etymology to suit your tastes. Ireland is the second largest of the British Isles.

In this case I was referring to the isles as a whole, I won't go into the geopolitics of the area.

A puppy (from a good line) starts at £1000 if you intend on training it yourself, to over £2,5oo for a fully trained adult (the world's most expensive Collie sold for £10,000, but I suspect that this is anomalous). Assuming a healthy dog, initial veterinary bills run to vaccinations (about £50), worming/de-fleaing,…

Not bad, but a well trained sheepdog does the job much better. Arguably for half the price once you take maintenance into account, and that's before you even consider the fringe benefits (security, company, pest control).

You don't know OrganicUnicornMeat's situation (and for that matter, neither do I); butt out.

Interesting in that the action looks like that of a dough hook...

I'll be interested on the day when an XBox or Playstation can run MS Office, Mendeley, and ArcGIS.

Hey, I'm a PC nut; I've never actually owned a console, mostly because it's easier to justify a new computer. I can always say I need it for work...

And this is why my first in case boot is always performed on the back patio with a fire extinguisher at the ready; I am not burning down my house for the sake of shiny tech.

Interesting. Manual ('stick') driving is the norm in Britain, to the point where I've had difficulty trying to find someone who can help me acquire an automatic license.

We came in peace. They didn't.

They are ours. All will submit.

The bees build in steel now.

Beats Oxfordshire County Council's response to snow, which is usually thus:

More to the point, no Rottweiler breed standard that I am aware of requires cropped ears. What is this dog crossed with?

There are, in fact, t-shirts.

Count your stars; the NHS won't get around to me for another few months. Socialised medicine is absolutely brilliant if you stumble into A+E with a sucking chest wound or tumors bulging out of every pore, but absolutely shite at dealing with chronic complaints.

Have a chat with your doctor, and a heart-to-heart with your significant otter; if the cause isn't medical then you may need some more foreplay. Also try getting yourself off; whether or not that hurts may be an important clue.