Pick My Postcode’s Stackpot Draws

Guess you meant to reply to Marie's post but created a new thread instead. This explains how you do it ...

https://help.pickmypostcode.com/article/109-how-do-i-reply-to-a-comment

FORGIVE CAPS PMP.

YES - TREATS THE WHOLE PERSON NOT JUST THE PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS WITH MINIMAL ADVERSE REACTIONS.

FLOWERPOWER, YOUR EXPERIENCE SOUNDS AWFUL. DO YOU KNOW IF THEY WERE PSA ACCREDITED?

ENVER, YOUR POOR RELATIVE, I’M WONDERING IF THEY WERE ACCREDITED AS ACUPUNCTURE ISN’T REGULATED BY UK LAW.

JUST IN CASE ANYONE IS LOOKING - https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/practitioners/acupuncturist

I did try acupuncture for my migraines but it didn't work.

I have a friend who is an acupuncturist so, yes, lots. She cured my frozen shoulder and that treatment reduced my panic attacks. Great for menopausal hot flushes. I used to do the books, wages and PAYE at her clinic so I had the opportunity to try a few therapies. Reflexology was my favourite. Cranial osteopathy is also brilliant.

Marie.... check out my email address...that should answer the question 😉

Cider vinegar definitely works for arthritis - my doctor mocked me when I said I gave it to my horse and dog and it worked wonders, so my husband had started taking it with good results. At the following appointment he apologised, said he had spoken to his colleagues and apparently there is scientific proof that it works.

My last dog seemed to be having pain in her back, and was putting on weight too - I took her to the vet who suggested their acupuncture lady, and it worked brilliantly. For a difficult dog, who dragged me out of the vets like a charging chieftain tank, she would happily lie in the barn with the door wide open, lead dropped on the floor, happily stretched out and looking like a pincushion with 20-odd needles sticking out. The acupuncture lasted about 4 days, but in three weeks I had her scanned and we found she had inoperable liver damage - not cancer but large holes all through it, which is why it had spread out and made her look fat. Very rare condition.

I found the Full Stop key on my typewriter is sticking making it painful when I hit it. I need to see a doctor as I'm unsure if it's due to arthritis or period pain.

I'm so sorry for your relative Enver. That sounds awful.

I haven't tried any yet but native women peeing on a frog to see if they were pregnant led to modern testing.

Lin is threatening to make me a drink involving lemons & cider vinegar to solve a problem that GP's say that the treatment they can offer would aggravate my allergies.

Enver the acupuncturist should have said something to her especially if she referred to the pain as period pain!

I have tried acupuncture. It didn't make a lot of difference to me. I took red clover during the menopause; I think it helped with the hot flushes and insomnia.

I'd try herbal remedies, or any sort of movement therapy, but don't believe acupuncture works.

I had an 80's year old relative that told me she had been paying to have regular acupuncture for "period pains" for a couple of years, told her at her age she;s past the menopause & to press for second & third doctors opinion as it sounds a lot more serious... It was stage 4 Cancer.

I tried acupuncture a few weeks before starting chemotherapy. It was supposed to boost the system to help with potential side effects. I was never sick after treatment + I worked all the way through. Without a time machine, I'll never know if the acupuncture did anything or if I've just got an iron constitution 🤷

Hubby tried acupuncture for a frozen shoulder as the physio recommended. He was sceptical but his pain reduced immediately after the first session. After the fourth session he was able to function normally.

I had a reiki back massage once which was very pleasant but I wouldn't say I was converted to it.

I was given acupuncture at the local hospital by the physiotherapist, don’t think she’d ever done it before! I was covered in bruises all down my Spine & both hands & both feet, quite a lot of bleeding too!

It didn’t help at all so I can’t say I’d recommend it personally but I do know several people who had satisfactory results, perhaps it depends on what it’s for & how good the practitioner is.

Had acupuncture on a frozen shoulder, it took a while to work and I'm not sure it was the treatment or if it would have got better on it's own anyway.

I'm a bit skeptical about these alternative therapies but if one is in pain and can't get a doctors appointment it must be worth a try.

Did try acupuncture once, didn't work for me.

,Yes, I agree Marie it is all there but there's such a lot of it (or there seemed to be when I joined) that it's off-putting. I was suggesting a few sentences. Having said that, I haven't looked since so I'm probably talking nonsense again - sorry 😔

Point taken Marie, but you must realise from the number of questions that it doesn’t really work as it should

samandi, but all the information you have listed is included in the one FAQ already - https://help.pickmypostcode.com/article/16-what-are-the-different-draws

We always suggest that this one is probably a good place for members to start - https://help.pickmypostcode.com/article/10-what-is-pick-my-postcode

I agree with BuaD Marie..The FAQs are important but they have evolved into something like reading an insurance policy.

Perhaps a short paragraph " This Information Might Improve Your Chances Of Winning".

It could list times of draws, which ones are first claim wins, how/why the Stackpot changes and where the Mini draw can be found.. It could end with "If you have further questions, please see FAQs

We do encourage people to read the FAQs when they join, but we can't force them.

The amount of Stackpot results varies depending on how many claims there have been on the previous draws. Three postcodes get randomly drawn for the Stackpot each time a draw takes place. If you see more than three postcodes, this means that not all of the stackpots have been claimed from the previous draws. The number of unclaimed ones roll over and three more are added if this happens. This means that the number of stackpots can fluctuate depending on how many claims there have been. In this case, there were more claims on the previous draw, so less rolled over.

Please read the FAQ Choc Spaniel has linked above for more information about the different draws.

Maybe when people join, there should be a much cut down version of the FAQs to inform them of the basics, so that they have to read it before joining. The sheer volume of people who don't know how it works takes up so much of the comments. For instance, the mini draw seems a mystery to many (even now, when you get the "Update Available" message).

Because more are being claimed, less are rolling over.

https://help.pickmypostcode.com/article/16-what-are-the-different-draws

e.g if there are 2 left at 9am, then they will roll over and 3 will be added = 5

The amount of Stackpot results varies depending on how many claims there have been on the previous draws. Three postcodes get randomly drawn for the Stackpot each time a draw takes place. If you see more than three postcodes, this means that not all of the stackpots have been claimed from the previous draws. The number of unclaimed ones roll over and three more are added if this happens. This means that the number of stackpots can fluctuate depending on how many claims there have been. In this case, there were more claims on the previous draw, so less rolled over.

Please read the FAQ Choc Spaniel has linked above for more information about the different draws.

https://help.pickmypostcode.com/article/16-what-are-the-different-draws

No, one was unclaimed & added to the 3 new ones.

If you check the Stackpot at a minute before 9 o'clock, you'll see how many codes are claimed/unclaimed. Dead on the o'clock, the system removes one of the unclaimed codes (no idea why) but that block is added back to the other unclaimed codes + the 3 new ones & they're shown no earlier that 2 mins past 9 o'clock 😉

Ah, thanks for that clarification, Avisk! I'd never heard about that but thought it sounded like something certain politicians might post about on social media to "support" their cause and rile up the masses.

Re the National Trust Calendar mentioned above. It wasn't the regular calendar which is sold to members and to the public. It was "strictly an internal supplementary resource designed to familiarize staff with lesser-known religious and cultural celebrations".

In other words - a huge fuss about nothing!

NT, RSPB, English Heritage (via Historic Scotland which we joined on holiday there: in the first year it gave half-price entry to EH, from the second year it has given free entry to EH properties).

Member of RHS - I love gardens!

I had a years membership of the NT a long time ago and visited most of the places close to my home. In the last 3 or 4 years I have used the free family day passes that you can claim from local papers - maybe 4 a year. I don't know how they can afford that. Maybe it means they get most of their money from the car parks, cafes and shops.

Yes I am a member of the National Trust, we go to the local ones quite often and if we plan a trip away we always look for their sites, on our recent 3 day trip to Somerset we went to Stourhead, Montacute House and Lytes Carey Manor. I'm also a member of the RHS although we haven't been to Wisley for a couple of years because of the roadworks. I think the RHS magazine is good, it has a good mix of articles about different gardens and helpful tips.

We are National Trust members although I don’t like the direction they are going. There are a couple of local properties we like to visit for a walk. My husband used to be a volunteer, driving the golf buggy between the car park and the house. We were members of Historic Houses for a year. That was really good. There aren’t any English Heritage places near here.

Yup, in a previous life.....

I'm a member of both organisations and the RHS, plus Bishops Palace and Gardens in Wells, which is very reasonable at £25 for a year allowing unlimited visits.

No

I'm a member of the RSPB, Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Devon Wildlife Trust. I would join the NT but it's really just for the parking as most of the places round here are outdoor not houses or stately homes.

We are members of the National Trust.

I have been as a guest before never joined and I’m glad I didn’t when I see the above comments I don’t know if it’s still the case but if you volunteered for just one day at one of them (can’t remember which one) they would give you free membership for a year that included free parking

Used to be a member of NT but had cash flow problems and let it lapse.

We were NT members when we used to go regularly to NT places. Sadly, we can't travel much now so we let it lapse. I have no problem with their politics though. Like JH I also used to be a member of the Woodland Trust and, previously, Friends of the Earth, but we were short on cash at the time so I let those lapse too. Now I just support animal charities - Cats Protection, Dogs Trust, and a couple of Horse rescue charities.

When the National Trust issued a calendar without Christmas and Easter, but included Jewish , Hindu and Muslim holidays, I vowed to never go near one of their properties again.

Many years ago I was a member of National Trust which I thought was a society celebrating our history and heritage, unfortunately it decided it was a political lobbying group so I left. I am now a member of English Heritage which seems to be leaving politics to the politicians.

When I lived a short walk from the Northern Horticultural Society's (NHS) botanic garden in Harrogate I joined the Society, which also gave entry to the garden. The NHS had a really good magazine about gardening in the north of England and all was well. Sadly the NHS collapsed and the Royal Horticultural Society took over the garden and the membership. I then started receiving the RHS magazine which was all about gardens in Italy and South Africa and came with full page adverts for Bond Street jewellers. There seemed little in it for normal people. I think I would have left the RHS anyway as having nothing to do with my gardening experience, but I moved house and was no longer near the Botanic Garden so I let the membership lapse then. I haven't joined anything else to replace it but, as I don't have a car, getting to any National Trust properties would be a bit of an odyssey.

I am a member of "The Woodland Trust " 👍🙂

And someone decided to partake! Hope they enjoyed ordering.

"Blood Brothers" confused Lin for a while because it started at the end.

Play goes wrong, definitely hilarious. Others are musicals of which Blood Brothers and War Horse are firm favourites.

My daughter and myself spent Christmas and new year in nyc, I prefer musicals over plays and we were two blocks from Broadway so we were spoiled for choice. My daughter said we should go watch Phantom… and I’m so glad we did, it’s not there any more 😔 and my choice was Cats. Had I known it was going to be absolute pants I would have gone to watch SpongeBob the musical instead 😂😂. So my fave three musicals are Phantom of The Opera, Les Mis (saw that over here in Belfast) and War of The Worlds

Cakey reminded me that we've enjoyed "The Play that Goes Wrong" & "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" since the one's I mentioned. I've almost certainly missed others too.

I loved Warhorse. It is visually and emotionally powerful.

Fore ;p

Su.O.

I loved The Play that Goes Wrong and have reccommended it to several people. I saw a university drama group production of Top Girls by Caryl Churchill many years ago and it has stuck in my memory. Amateur productions are usually excellent the best version I have seen of Jesus Christ Superstar was a high school production.

Pac-Man I’ve seen 2:22 A Ghost Story. It was really good. Jay from Inbetweeners played the leading role.

Actual -been-to plays are very thin on the ground - 'Waiting for Godot' with the school, another school trip to see Antony and Cleopatra at the 'new' (then) stage at Stratford-on-Avon around 1968? Corin Redgrave played Mark Antony. I saw a fabulous version of The Tempest starring Roger Allam as Prospero and Colin (Merlin) Morgan as Ariel, who was absolutely amazing, via the OU access to Drama Online then saw another version set in Computer Graphics of the ship, the storm around etc - very different, but equally stunning. However, I think Julius Caesar set in modern dress (which I would normally hate) and also in period costume, where Caesar is stabbed on the escalator of an empty department store, by the look of it, and the conspirators are conniving in the Gents' Toilets of the building (doesn't everyone congregate there at events?) - was very powerful and memorable. Apparently Brannagh has just put on Tempest - I must look it up. For someone actually studying English Lit to only have seen two plays in real life is not very good (unless you count The Lion King in Southampton).

I think Kinky Boots is more a musical, @PacMan. It’s a great show. Saw it again a few weeks ago.

Lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons was very good. 🍋

Instructions for a teenage Armageddon (with Bridgerton actress Charithra Chandran) was an excellent one woman show and she was incredible in it.

We watch more musicals than straight plays so I'll choose athe last three I've seen.

Gaslight, Whistle & I'll come (& Finally( Middle age spread.

Man with two Guv'nors is a gud'un.

I would have said Kinky Boots, but my new favourite is '2.22, a Ghost Story'.

Bet you can't guess ?

A Month of Sundays by Bob Larby (half of The Good Life writing team)

There's a film of it "reimagined" for the USA, and it's awful, but if you see it done as a stage play with all the original British references, it's hilarious and tear-jerking at the same time.

Noises Off. Man with two Guv'nors. The Goes Wrong series of plays. Anything by Noel Coward.

You can see where I am going with this, can't you?

😆😆😆

There's something Fenny going on here 🤔

Yes who’s calling my name

How can we help you?

Rooster - It's 18:00 on 16th June and the new Mini Draw for today has now been displayed at the foot of every page.

@Rooster - Big Tongue

🧙‍♂️🧑‍🦯😀😀😀😀😀🤣

Thanks Lidlicker. It was a tongue in cheek remark, my friend.

Thanks all for explaining to Rooster.

If you look at the Bonus Draw page comments section, a helpful member posts the previous days Mini Draw results and mentions if it was claimed or not. Invariably not!

There are a couple of members who keep (used to keep) past "numbers" but, the site does not. Hopefully you only want to know out of curiosity because, again hopefully, you know you can't claim retrospectively 😉

Thank you for the replies. I had seen some people mention a mini draw before, but assumed it was another name for the Bonus Draw!

Can I have the numbers for the past two years please to check.😂😂

No, it's a draw in its own right. You can find it at the very bottom of any PMP page between 6.00pm and 2.00am every day.

Like the Stackpot it is first-come-first-served, not shared if more than one person tries to claim. Here is more information:

https://help.pickmypostcode.com/article/16-what-are-the-different-draws

or see the big blue [HELP] button at the bottom left.

Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and you will see it.

Most singers have autocue screens at the front of the stage now so they can glance down at them...

He probably needs reminders of the next line nowadays.

I think that one's been done before 🤣

Buttercup2 🤣 you start,I'll follow 🎶🤗

Thought you were trying to start another Cliff singalong there until I saw it was 11 hrs ago 🤣

Congratulations & celebrations! 🎶🍾

Well done! 🎉

Congratulations Sue ! 🎉

Well done Sue..

Good news! Congratulations!

Congratulations on your Stackpot win.

Congratulations on your win! 🎉

🥳🥳🥳

Congratz.

🎉 Congrats 🎉

Congratulations! 🥳

Congratulations 🥂

Yes, more players must be claiming now, which is good in one way but bad in another, as it means there is less drawn for the 9 pm draw.

More like an appetiser than a stockpot.

Ooohhhh! Don't know Beth8it! There were quite a few Haffendens curtesy of my Great Grandfather,Titus 🥰

Wendy, are we related? My aunt Pat, mum’s cousin, married Peter Haffenden, had two kids. Pat and Pete stayed with us when we did holiday letting - always had some great laughs.

I love Rupert Brooke,especially The Soldier,I believe he died the month before the end of WW1,as did my great Uncle,Montague Haffenden,this poem always reminds me of him 💝

Hooray, others who know and like Gerard Manley Hopkins! I nicked his book from school after A-levels, and I do go back to it now and then - can't believe how good he is. John Donne too - a one-off. Irony, satire, humour, erotica, great fun. For the serious side, Edmund Blunden, a WWI poet who served as a Captain in the trenches and read and wrote poetry, a bit like Siegfried Sassoon only ten times better. Read 'Undertones of War.' We have just done a lot on the Renaissance, Restoration and Libertine poets so I am really into it at the moment.

Brian Bilston would share an infectious disease with the current POTUS?

You're right, Redz. I missed tracy's birthday wishes as well.

FORGIVE CAPS PMP.

THANKS MARIE,

NOTE TO SELF - KEEP ENLARGING TEXT!

(JUST REREAD IT - I SEE I WASN’T THE ONLY 1 🙃)

Redz, it was the poet whose birthday it was, not Snowqueen's.

FORGIVE CAPS PMP.

SNOWQUEEN,

HAPPY BORN DAY FOR YESTERDAY - HOPE YOU HAD AN ENJOYABLE DAY 🥳

That was brilliant, Snowqueen. It gave me a chuckle. I am sorry you have to share a birthday with him. Happy belated Birthday. You are a lot better liked than him.

Thank you Snowqueen. I enjoyed that.

I still have a few bits of sonnets in my head from my younger days which I quite liked. Some chap from Warwick I think.

I also like Brian Bilston as he often makes me grin and yesterday I definitely grinned :

UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (Brian Bilston)

It’s important to share, or so I’ve been taught,

to show kindness to others), to be a good sport.

But now all of those teachings have taken a bump –

for I share my birthday with Donald Trump

For years I knew not of this dark, dreadful fate,

and with ignorant bliss I honoured the date –

but then it got hijacked, sullied, gazumped

by a self-serving bigot, a foul gibberlump.

With him, I would share an infectious disease,

a mouldy bread roll, infestation of fleas,

a romantic weekend at a toxic waste dump –

but please, not my birthday, Mr Tangerine Chump.

Alternative dates he is welcome to try –

12th Fibtember, 33rd July.

But 14th June? In a lake, take a jump

and find a new date, you deranged sewage pump.

Roger McGough, closely followed by Adrian Henri.

Gerard Manley Hopkins. Lots of lovely alliteration.

Pam Ayres and Edward Lear for humour. Studied Tennyson at school, quite liked a lot of his poems.

John Cooper Clarke. Went to a hall in Salford to listen to him a few years back....brilliant

Probably John Donne. I haven't read any poetry for quite a while now I come to think about it. I should probably change that.

I have read all of Brian Bilston's books this year - relatable, humorous and thought-provoking. I have also enjoyed reading Simon Armitage, Barbara Kingsolver, George Mackay Brown, Donna Ashworth and Lemn Sissay.

Brian Bilston

Love Pam Ayres

Several, like avisk. Algernon Charles Swinburne, William Wordsworth, Spike Milligan, Edward Lear.

I like lots of poems by various authors but Rudyard Kipling has written many that I like.

Leonard Cohen.

Can't choose one! Gerard Manley Hopkins, A. E. Housman or Louis MacNeice - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/91395/snow-582b58513ffae

Anything by Pam Ayres is bound to be entertaining.

Ooooh! I love Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti. 🐷

I second Spike Milligan.

I would also have to say Lewis Carroll for Jabberwocky.

John Betjeman.

For humor Spike Milligan who is referred to as an "Irish comedian and writer" only because the UK would not give him citizenship here.

;-)

Never really been interested in football.

One of the best days of my life was when my son decided he didn't want to play football anymore.

Having said that I was befriended by some professional football players in the distant past. Probably as the last thing I wanted to talk about was football. When you think about it talking football with them is like talking shop.

…..and 28 years since we Scots have been there. 🥳

@Tattiesoup - because it's boring.

Absolutely Tattiesoup 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

How can you be bored with the world cup? It's only every 4 years!

Bored with all the football, perhaps??

⚽ 🏆

Been a good 24 hours for Stackpot claims.

I am with Glitter. Been here longer than Wildflower and still patiently checking and waiting for a win.

You did well Wildflower, with my bonus now exceeding £4,500 I am also keeping my fingers crossed 😀

You never know when it might be you again!

I know that feeling

Hope you do get a 2nd win Wildflower I have been on here longer and still hoping for my 1st win 🤞

@ CSK/Malc'. I believe the celebrations where not for our visit, but for the Kings Official Birthday Celebrations.

Presumably referring to Trooping the Colour.

What was going on?

Thanks.

Things just dropped into place for us.

That was an unexpected surprise for you, PacMan. Glad you enjoyed it.

Glad you had a good time in London.

I don't, I am not on my computer after 6pm. But I do occasionally check to see if my postcode has been picked and I missed it, and it hasn't

Pearl, when do you check the £100 Mini draw??

There's no issues with the emails that we are aware of. We always tell members that they shouldn't rely on the reminder emails as so many things can affect them arriving, plus with 9 draws a day it is possible that you may miss a win on one of our first-come-first-served draws if you are relying on the email to remind you to check.

I just check twice a day, when I get up, which is before 9am, and then after 9am. That covers all the main draws.

The 'reminder' can be a bit random.

I believe not much can be done about the timings, mine usually arrive late afternoon.

Not always successful but I try and make a routine for when I check to set my own reminder.

9Am, 12 Noon, 6Pm and 9Pm are I believe the key times.

Good luck

Never had that problem as I don't need them. You could miss out on a first to claim wins if you wait, which is not necessary as the site is open 24/7.

https://help.pickmypostcode.com/article/30-my-email-reminders-arent-coming

It was much more noticeable because there was no background traffic sounds & no screaming kids running around.

@ Barrie, I’d much rather hear your swans flying overhead than any size of aeroplane.

Lockdown was fairly quiet most of the time.

Strangely quieter on Monday, as much lighter incoming flights were just cruising over my area, not trying to climb with a heavy load of fuel.

We get a plane going over every 90 seconds 😕 I loved lockdown, (from a nature point of view) strangely enough it is the only time I have ever seen buttercups growing up to my knees.

FORGIVE CAPS PMP.

CSIKIJANOS,

WERE YOU THERE WHEN THE RUSSIAN IL-76 & THE VIETNAM AIRLINES BOEING 787-10 DREAMLINER AIRCRAFT FLEW IN/OUT OF BRS? 😳

WHAT ABOUT WHEN THE RED ARROWS FLEW REGULARLY INTO FILTON AIRFIELD - DID YOU SEE THOSE?

The skies are polluted with what is being spread over the world. Research how planes fly in the air. The most fuel they use is taking off.

On flight paths for Mildenhall and Lakenheath so plenty of US military flying over at times. Often awake around 0440. In Yatton, years ago would see planes make a right turn after climbing out of Lulsgate Bottom (Bristol airport, fogbound hollow much of the time)

During lockdown we realised how noisy a swan's flight is because one took off & flew low overhead.

Hi Sylvia - love to Bognor. When I lived there early 1970,s Lec were still making refrigerators on that site.

Sorry Sylvia R but I doubt you would've managed to avoid seeing it anyway as it was all over the Internet from very early am...

Well done Scotland, and thanks to Buttercup for providing that scrap of good news, even though I am not a football fan. At least one of the Home Nations has managed a win.

I agree with Little Owl about how pleasant lockdown was in terms of noise and pollution, and very few pedestrians on the pavements.

I woke up as usual on a Sunday to the noise of Nasty Neighbour mowing his large back and front gardens - at 9.30 am. .

The glider trips from Bognor Lec airfield will be starting soon.

I was hoping to watch the Scotland match without knowing the score - no point now that Buttercup2 has spoilt the fun, so catching up with Politics South and Laura Kuellensberg.

We live about 6 minutes flying time from Brize Norton and Fairford. We get military planes. The Globemaster from the London flypast yesterday did several low circuits over us before it went back to Brize. We often get A400s doing circuits after midnight.

You woke up at 4.30am Enver? I went to bed at 4.30am after watching Scotland win their match in the World Cup tournament 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ⚽ ☺️

One thing about lockdown was the peace and clean air, Enver. Then Putin invaded Ukraine and the world changed. I used to like the comforting sound of the Dakota mail plane taking off in the early hours of the morning (in the days when your post arrived the next day).

@Redz3112 - IS THERE ANY REASON YOU CAN'T TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK? ARE YOU USING A 1970S TELEPRINTER OR TELEX MACHINE TO SEND YOUR MESSAGES? DOES IT STILL HAVE A PUNCH TAPE READER?

CURRY'S HAS PLENTY OF MODERN KEYBOARDS ON SALE THAT CAN DO lower case AS WELL AS BLOCK CAPITALS AND THEY ARE QUITE REASONABLY PRICED.

Old saying, "You can tell what God thinks of money by looking at the people he gives it to."

Nothing wrong with money - root of a lot of good, as well as evil.

Love of money - now there's a different matter. The Biblical quote, if I remember very faintly from 60 years ago, is 'The love of money is the root of all evil.'

Cape Verde held their own against Spain, one of the favourites to win the World Cup. Not a shabby show at all.

Sorry, nodded off. What were we talking about?

YAWWWWWNN.

(Apart from the reference to Juvenal. That was interesting, and - somewhat inappropriately re the quote - made me think of a cage fight hosted on the White House lawn by a man who rejects democratic decisions.)

@Chris - the point that is being made, I think, is that you referred to the top 24 but there are 48 teams in the World Cup.

1994 was the last time that it was 24 teams.

There are discussions about having 64 teams in it next time.

FORGIVE CAPS PMP.

JUVENAL USED ‘CIRCENSES’ AS A BROAD METAPHOR FOR ALL STATE-SPONSORED SPECTACLES - FROM THE RACING TRACK (CIRCUS MAXIMUS) TO THE GLADIATOR ARENA.

BY PAIRING PANEM WITH CIRCENSES HE WRAPPED ALL PUBLIC GAMES TOGETHER.

THERE WERE ACTUALLY FAR MORE CHARIOT RACES THAN GLADIATOR GAMES IN ANCIENT ROME.

HIS METAPHOR DIRECTLY CRITIQUED HOW THE CITIZENS OF ROME WILLINGLY TRADED THEIR REPUBLICAN POLITICAL POWER (VOTING RIGHTS) & DUTIES FOR FREE PROVISIONS & ARENA DISTRACTIONS.

@Purple Anonymous - Both of these countries are represented at the current World Cup along with loads of other non-runners. THAT is the point I was making, that if the World Cup is supposed to be a showcase for the very best in the game, the presence of Haiti, Curacao, Cape Verde, Uzbekistan and numerous others is ridiculous.

Yes, they won their groups. But York City won the National League (5th tier of English football) last season. That does not give them a Champions' League spot.

Circuses in this context meant gladiatorial contests and the putting to death of criminals. Nothing to do with Billy Smart and that genre.

That may have been true once but now celiacs are revolting about animals in circuses.

FORGIVE CAPS PMP.

EMPEROR OGRE,

PANEM ET CIRCENSES: ‘Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt’.

Money is the root of all evil and FIFA are part of the show.

@Rosy 2 cakes you'd be surprised how many foreign footballers play in the UK premier leagues, honing their skills in the UK, but obviously playing for their National teams in the World Cup...

In fact, according to the latest FIFA world rankings, Uzbekistan are 51st and Curacao 82nd, so I have no idea what the OP was on about...

Curacao and Uzbekistan maybe not top 24, but maybe top 48? (That's how many are at the World Cup).

I have zero interest in the football, but I was surprised that some countries such as Cape Verde and Curacao had enough quality players to play in a world cup. ? Also there must be some huge differences between a team like Cape Verde and a team like Spain for example. Seems to me to be a money making exercise.

I agree Chris. For me the competition only really gets going when we get to the knockout stage. Many of the group games are meaningless.

I find it ridiculous that most (8 out of 12) of the teams that finish 2nd to bottom in their group get "rewarded" of going through to the knockout stage.

I guess the way FIFA look at it is, more games = more money.

@Dee - I don't think there would be any problem printing the details of people who had asked for their details to be printed and who had consented to the T&C's?

The issues with GDPR include using data other than for the purposes for which they were collected, processing them without due regard for privacy and security, or sharing / publishing identifiable personal data without the consent of the data subject.

If I want to tell everyone on here my name, address, age, gender and sexual orientation, that would be legal (although PMP might declare it to be a breach of site rules, which is a very different matter.) However, were I to publish YOUR details, without your consent, that would be very likely to result in a visit from the local constabulary and an interview under caution.

Had a French pen pal who was the French friend of my friend's pen pal (or possibly exchange student, can't quite remember). I wrote in French, or tried to, I think she wrote in English. Came to an end when she wanted to come over, but my family could not accommodate.

Also while in secondary school, we all were given pen pals in Japan - corresponded for quite a while, but then she stopped writing and that was it.

Made friends with several foreign students while I was at university, corresponded with a couple of them but now there is only one, in Thailand, who keeps in touch.

I had loads from all over the world. Music magazines and fanzines back in the day would print the addresses of those wanting penpals and you could simply write to them directly. These days with GDPR and all of that, it wouldn't be possible.

Yes, school arranged it in our first-year at grammar school, but it fizzled out, then 2 yrs later they set it up again and I have visited her several times in France, inc with my husband a couple of times. She came once before I married but goes globe-trotting so I think it’s a bit tame for her here. She has cancer at the moment - not heard from her recently.

OMG. I forgot about the guy I started writing to who was from Mauritius. We only had 2 or 3 letters off each other before he wrote "do you want to be a lover of me" 😳 ..... it scared the living daylights out of me 🤣. I was only 12/13 in the early 70's & nothing like my more mature granddaughters these days 🤣

I had a French pen pal when I was at school in a run up to a student exchange week. which I was dreading as we had very little in common. I can't remember how I got out of it especially as I'd enjoyed the school French trips, but the student exchange never came about for me.

I had two pen pals, one only lived about 15miles miles from where I was born lol.

and wanted to meet in the city. I didn't turn up as I got anxious about it.

The other lived in Staffordshire. We only corresponded in the school years for a while.

About ten, through the International Pen Pals thingie in Turku Finland. Some lasted a letter, some a couple of years, and my best, my friend Marie-Christine (Kiki) in the south of France, about ten years!

Never had Pen Pals as such. My eyesight was poor when I was growing up so reading and writing were not something I enjoyed. So much better now after my cataract operations.

Since I retired, bought a computer and learnt the basics I use the internet to chat with people all over the world. The UK, Germany, Canada, USA, Pakistan and the Philippines.

@Cakey - He's probably living in The Irish Republic under an alias, I knew one young guy who went AWOL from NI, but don't think he ever served in Germany.

When I lived in Dublin we went on a coach tour of some of NI, oh the embarrassment of being in a red Bus Eirann coach (possibly containing IRA) which stuck out like a sore thumb in the north. The british army lads in combat clobber with machine guns were crawling in peoples gardens or hanging on street corners giving us all suspicious looks, as did the NI police (also armed & with body armour) & looking down the peaks of their hats. Quite a few checkpoints too with scary armoured grey landrovers.

I had a French penpal whose English was far superior to my French, that just fizzled out.

An American girl who seemed to spend her time chasing after pop bands, we had little in common.

A boy in Czechoslovakia, that was going well until I joined WRNS and was advised I could still write but wasn't allowed to tell him that I was in WRNS or anything about what I did. It was too difficult so another one fizzled out.

I also wrote to a British soldier in Germany, we had the same sense of humour and wrote regularly until I received a letter from his commanding officer. His regiment had been posted to Northern Ireland (this was early 1970s) and he would tell me of what was happening in NI, how they were attacked when on patrol, their life. His CO returned my last letter saying he had gone AWOL and that I should contact the regiment if he got in touch with me. He never did, probably because he thought he would be compromising me being in the forces myself. I never heard from him again.

I think I had a school arranged French penpal briefly. I then had my best friend who emigrated to Australia with her family at 17. We wrote to each other regularly for many years, even when it went weeks we always picked right up where we left off. Eventually we moved over to emailing and then lost touch when she got married and had kids. I still think about her now and then but don't have any contact info anymore and haven't had any luck trying to track her down by her profession (she became an architect).

When I was younger it all started when I was 8 my parents owned a static caravan in Towyn in Wales we used to stay at the caravan mostly school holidays and bank holiday weekends. I was from Liverpool at tge time I meet a girl called Jane from Croydon her parents owned the caravan in the next row from ours and we became friends and we started writing to each other so we were pen pals but we also saw each other from time to time at tge caravan park that was in 1980 I was 8 I'm now 54 and we are still in touch we send Xmas cards and we use Facebook messenger which has made it easier for us to keep in touch ❤

I had several in the late 70’s when I was at middle school, 4 in France, 1 in Israel, 1 in Japan, 1 in Norway, 1 in Italy. I used to always be at the post office buying stamps.

I had a German pen pal in my early teens organised by the language teacher at my school with a school in Germany where my teacher had a German friend and they thought it would be good for both sets of pupils. We each wrote in both our languages for a few years before things petered out . We sent small gifts to each other for birthdays and Christmases: I still have a very pretty necklace she sent me. It's a small amber cube on a silver chain. I don't remember where in Germany she was from and I'm not sure of her name now either but I often wonder where she is now and how she doing.

I had a penpal at school from Finland. Like Lidlicker, I've no idea how we connected.

Yes, one in France, who came and stayed with me and I went and stayed with her family. My first husband and I also went to stay with her and her husband a few years later.

Also had one in Finland, who I also met when she came on a visit to London.

I had an American penpal for a few years - I can't remember how we first connected. I also had a French penpal via school. That one was specifically a group arrangement to eventually facilitate an exchange. About 20 of us corresponded for a year before the French students came to stay with us for 3 weeks. The following year we all went over to France for 3 weeks.

Yes, have you got a pencil mate?

Had a French girl, arranged via school, she wanted to be an exchange student but my Mum didn’t fancy it, worried about what she would eat!

It eventually petered out as such things tend to do, can’t remember who stopped writing.

Had a friend who went to live in Canada, we kept in tough for a couple of years but didn’t have anything much in common after a while plus she had 5 children so was pretty busy!

😂 you have certainly been busy with the ladies It’s lovely to read all about them you ought to write it all down in your memoirs

I just had one in France my PE teacher used to translate the letters for me

Had several during & after college & later working, costly with the air mail & International Reply Coupons some wanted.

several in Philippines turned out to be scammers wanting currency notes for high school projects (I sent photocopies & got no reply),

3 in New Zealand (met one vegan girl who came touring UK),

2 in Singapore (met one chinese girl who stayed with relatives in London for a while & I got on well with, but from a rich family),

one in East Germany (who hardly understood english, & my german was basic at the time),

one in Tenerife who I was working with in Warners kitchens on Sheppey, he later became a notariat (Spanish solicitor).

Also a girl in Mexico City, dunno what happened to her.

one in Holland (she came here & we went on a coach tour, joined the Dutch navy & vanished in a submarine),

one french girl in Mauritius. & one boy in West Germany (whose school group stayed at the mountain guest hut where I worked in Bavaria), ... (Sure there were more, can't remember)...

Also wrote to my college german teacher (a uni student from Essen), & a CSV (trainee teacher from boarding school who was learning french & german) & went teaching abroad,

Lost contact with all of them eventually as mum threw all the correspondence out when I went to live in Dublin with a gf. Probably just as well, as some replies came back in about 10 days, others from further away in 5 weeks, got confused who i'd told what, one said "That's the 3rd time you told me your cat died'. 😂

I just remembered, I also had one right here in Livingston when I lived in London, can't for the life of me remember her name or address, nothing rings a bell cycling round or even browsing a street map, but the town has greatly expanded & changed since.

Yes. I had one in the USA and another in Turkey....I used to write in German to the girl in Turkey as it was a shared language between us...that was in the 1980's... often wondered about them.

Had 1 when at school, but was never really all that keen. Pen pal was the one who stopped writing!

🧙‍♂️🧑‍🦯🤣

Yes and ended up marrying her. In answer to the follow up question, yes I do have a pen pal now.

Congrats Dusty! I close my eyes & count to 10,maybe then I will win! 🤗🙏

Congratulations on your win.

Congratulations, Dusty! Here's to the next one!

Many congratulations, dusty55

A lovely surprise, dusty55; nice one! I only joined in May so I may be waiting a few years, ha ha! 🤞

thank for all your replies. will keep me interested .

and Brian I've been playing since 2017 and only had a flash draw win before so there's still hope

🥳🥳🥳

Congratulations I have been playing every day for 4 year's never had so much as a single bonus win survey video draw not a single penny I will just keep trying and praying something will happen on the upside I am at around £730 in my pot.

Congratulations on your win! 🎉

Congratulations 🥂

Congratulations 👏🎉

Congratulations! 🥳

Congrats dusty55, enjoy your win🥂🍾 - thanks for posting, gives us all hope.

Congratz dusty55

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🎉🎉🎉

The bonus is paid with all wins except for the Flash Draws.

https://help.pickmypostcode.com/article/16-what-are-the-different-draws

It also doesn't reset after a win as an incentive to keep members coming back and they could then win even bigger next time, if they are lucky enough to win again.

https://help.pickmypostcode.com/article/23-what-is-the-bonus-all-about

Remember when Dr Who discovered an alien machine that dispensed specimen bottles filled with whatever chemical formula you typed, he typed something, a wee bottle fell out, & he opened it, smelled it & drank it to everyone's horror. ... he said."Jolly good water".

Lol 63 I liked that one.👍

Once there was a scientist

But now he is no more

For what he thought was H2O

Was H2SO4

FORGIVE CAPS PMP.

I PREFER CELTIC & ACV - FOR THEIR HEALTH BENEFITS 🙂

(FORGOT TO ADD NOT ON 🐟 & 🍟) 🙃