I was today years old when I realised.......

[cwtchesandprosecco]

What have you recently realised that’s made you feel like a bit of an idiot?

Mine is that I didn’t know you shouldn’t flush tampons down the toilet...... I swear I remember my mother telling me I could when I first started using them, and that’s what I’ve done for 14 years! It was only through a conversation with a friend (about whether you empty your bathroom bin before the cleaner comes.....) and subsequent google that I’ve found out you shouldn’t.....

So, what have you have you learnt recently that you definitely should have known before?

It was a year ago I realised that using knives make them blunt . I corrected someone who said it saying dobt be silly that's not true at the same time as having a penny drop moment that doh that is what happens

Am now singing Nights In White Satin, this will stay with me for hours 😆 Great thread...

I only realised a couple of years ago that the dial on the toaster meant minutes and not shades of brown....😳

If my carer ever reads this I'm dead.

We were chatting about, well, anything and everything and then about place names, how Australia has 'New South Wales' 'Queen's land' and 'Manley' and , 'Newfoundland in Canada' and then he said; "You know countries that have 'Land' in them, they are all made up nwly discovered places aren't they?

To which I said, "yes, yes that's true, I mean, England, Ireland, Scotland, Finland, Iceland, all made up 'new' places, oh and...

I only realised a couple of years ago that the dial on the toaster meant minutes and not shades of brown...

Really, @Buggersticks? I've heard that suggested before, but I'm not entirely convinced that the numbers measure minutes - I would have thought it's an arbitrary scale varying between toasters.

The toaster dials refer to a scale of measurements confined to the world of toasters. Us mere humans are not supposed to know.

@Buggersticks

Am now singing Nights In White Satin, this will stay with me for hours 😆 Great thread...

I only realised a couple of years ago that the dial on the toaster meant minutes and not shades of brown....😳

And you are today years old when you found out that the toaster dial thing is a total internet urban myth load of nonsense

www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/toasters-are-illuminati-tho

How could you have realised it, if you'd put your toaster dial at say 5 did you really stand there and find it took 5 minutes to return you a totally burnt ex piece of bread

@Prokupatuscrakedatus

The toaster dials refer to a scale of measurements confined to the world of toasters. Us mere humans are not supposed to know.

@BarbaraofSeville

Babybel Maxi 380 g

Bit expensive for crap cheese though.

Thank you

[quote gallileofigaro]**@nestlestealswater* @Therainisback* I'm from Buxton, alas left in 1989. 52 now and living in North York's![/quote]
[Waves to galileofigaro]

If you want a more definitive answer on the toaster question, watch this - it's worth sticking to the end.

Mind blowing that it went over my head is what I was referring to

Apologies that was for @flyingburritos

Idk

Fml

You should also make sure your mug doesn't have a gold rim round it. It's a very loud bang
Or you get your own lightening show within the microwave, as I found out doing it at work. I nearly shit myself. I wouldn't put metal in so still can't quite work out why I thought a gold rim and decorative hearts would be okay.

I thought that betting shops were some kind of sex shops until I was about 13 and asked my Mum

As an employee in the sector, I'm glad you found out the truth.

There's always (at least) one post on threads like this that makes me actually giggle and today, so far, it's this one
I was 35 when I found out that baby elephant's were not called heffalumps!
Jesus man!
They should be called that, it suits them.

I only found out recently about the FedEx arrow in their icon. The arrow is between the capital E and the x. Now I cannot not see it whenever I see their trucks! It's a thing apparently, who knew!

That the dog accessories brand K9 is short for „canine“. I’m more of a cat person, but still...

OK I don't think this is such a stupid one but I think I was 30 odd before someone pointed it out and now I cannot unsee it. So look at Wales / Anglesey on a map and it looks like a cowboy firing a gun . ( so Anglesey is the cowboy's head with his hat on - bit of a brim ) & then if you look towards Abersoch that is his arm with his cowboy gun. ) I don't think it's up there with thinking cows are mythical beasts but just a thing I don't think I had ever seen until my thirties. I told DS when he was young and now he cannot unsee it either

That the dog accessories brand K9 is short for „canine“. I’m more of a cat person, but still...

Er you do know about police dog units?

And the robot dog in Dr Who / Sarah Jane adventures?

And the 1989 film?

Sorry I'm a bit of a know it all, that's probably why I live alone with a cat.

@BasiliskStare

OK I don't think this is such a stupid one but I think I was 30 odd before someone pointed it out and now I cannot unsee it. So look at Wales / Anglesey on a map and it looks like a cowboy firing a gun . ( so Anglesey is the cowboy's head with his hat on - bit of a brim ) & then if you look towards Abersoch that is his arm with his cowboy gun. ) I don't think it's up there with thinking cows are mythical beasts but just a thing I don't think I had ever seen until my thirties. I told DS when he was young and now he cannot unsee it either

When I was little I was quite scared of the weather forecast because the map of mainland Britain looked like a witch and Ireland looked like her baby.

I mispronounced Tarpaulin for years, for some reason, in my mind it was tor-poor-lean.

I was also amazed to discover that you can now get kettles with different temperature gauges as coffee and tea are best made with varying temperatures of hot, not boiling water. I always make tea with freshly boiled water, so I must have been doing it wrong all my life. Does it make a difference?

@Ineke

I was also amazed to discover that you can now get kettles with different temperature gauges as coffee and tea are best made with varying temperatures of hot, not boiling water. I always make tea with freshly boiled water, so I must have been doing it wrong all my life. Does it make a difference?

I always a bit sceptical of these "you've been making tea wrong all your life" headlines, because I like the taste of the tea I make, so what's the problem? If my method produces a drink that I'm accustomed to drinking and I am happy with it, in what sense am I doing it wrong?

You are supposed to make tea with freshly boiled 100 C water, the example given that tea at high altitude tastes crap because water boils at a lower temperature up there.

But you're also supposed to make coffee at a slightly lower temperature because otherwise you'll scald the beans or something.

But I agree that you should make it how you like it, but the downside to that is that if anyone else makes it, or you buy it in a shop/cafe etc, it's likely to be not right for you. I struggle with coffee and especially hot chocolate in cafes because it's often not hot enough. Hot chocolate is served literally luke warm to me in most places.

Tea- the George Orwell method.
Instant coffee - water that has stopped boiling.