Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

Generali

AIUI, having worked for a couple of US banks, you are expected as a US citizen to pay income tax on worldwide earnings, capital gains tax and also state taxes. Many Americans try to be 'from' Florida if living abroad as the applicable tax is $0 pa.

lostinrates

vivatifosi wrote: »

That's made my day:rotfl:.

Has anyone had trick or treaters round? I bought a bowl of sweets and not a single knock on the door. At this rate they'll end up on my lap to munch through watching telly tonight. Not good:eek:.

By appointment my neighbours brought their grandsons to knock on the door. They got the results of an autumnal kitchen experiment ''Crepes lostinrates'' and ''lir's toffee chestnuts'' (like toffee apples but a big mouthful for a person, instead of a sticky thing that gets half eaten and stuck messily to a halloween costume and to the inside of Grandmama's car to be found having stained car upholstery and creating an hours hard scrubbing.).

edit: most importantly dh liked his which he had for pudding.

PasturesNew

vivatifosi wrote: »

That's made my day:rotfl:.

Has anyone had trick or treaters round? I bought a bowl of sweets and not a single knock on the door. At this rate they'll end up on my lap to munch through watching telly tonight. Not good:eek:.

Tsk tsk ... the MSE way is to buy NO sweets and to turn the lights out for 3-4 hours and sit in the dark until they've all gone home.

vivatifosi

sss555s wrote: »

Take a picture to show us if you end up with chocolate all over your face

No chocolate, though if I carry on with the Drumsticks my dentist will be very cross, or very rich...

PasturesNew

I am sitting in the biggest room I've ever rented/owned (14'x16') and I measured it to see how big it is just so I could tell you ... and CH is included (for 5 hours/evening) so I am warm and toasty for the first time ever - never lived anywhere where I/we could afford to heat more than the main room for more than the absolute essential so spent most of the winters in my life buried under a duvet on a sofa unable to do anything

It's a bit like being posh and well off like you lot ... except it's a short lease

Total size of my entire new domain is 16'x22'. Tiny en-suite though (no heating in there).

vivatifosi

PasturesNew wrote: »

Total size of my entire new domain is 16'x22'. Tiny en-suite though (no heating in there).

I don't switch the heating on in my bathroom either Pastures, trick is to leave the door open until you need to use it. If it gets really cold, just stick a fan heater in there for a few mins beforehand.

New pad sounds lovely. I hope you're really happy there.

michaels

I think the front garden looking like a building site (quite literally, the builders took the hoarding down today so they can do the drive) and having to scramble over mud and rubble past the skip put the large numbers who passed the house off coming to the door. I also wonder whether you are supposed to signal you are taking part with suitable lighting/decoration?

DDs went to a 'party of light' at the local church - halloween costumes not welcome. I just find it so sad when some church types take halloween all serriously and fear for 'devil worshipping' and try to give kids good, wholesome alternatives - present me with a good, wholesome alternative and I will immediately want to investigate what it is that 'they' think I shouldn't be doing.

chewmylegoff

Generali wrote: »

AIUI, having worked for a couple of US banks, you are expected as a US citizen to pay income tax on worldwide earnings, capital gains tax and also state taxes. Many Americans try to be 'from' Florida if living abroad as the applicable tax is $0 pa.

Don't they have federal income tax as well as state income tax? All the yanks at work seem to have to pay extra. My old manager was very seriously considering giving up her us citizenship as a result.

silvercar

vivatifosi wrote: »

That's made my day:rotfl:.

Has anyone had trick or treaters round? I bought a bowl of sweets and not a single knock on the door. At this rate they'll end up on my lap to munch through watching telly tonight. Not good:eek:.

Last year I had one caller, so this year I bought one bag of fun-size chocs as a precaution.

I've had 8 lots of trick or treaters! Some were little and sweet, with adults at the end of the drive. Some were far too old to trick and treating (and grabbed too many chocs from the bag). One lot consisted of 2 teenage girls who had got the wrong idea of dressing up - or at least had used outfits intended for vicars and tarts parties rather than halloween - more in need of adult supervisors at the end of the drive than the little ones!

silvercar

PasturesNew wrote: »

Tsk tsk ... the MSE way is to buy NO sweets and to turn the lights out for 3-4 hours and sit in the dark until they've all gone home.

One guy on the radio said he had provided toffee coated onions last year, to ensure no repeat callers this year!