ACCORDING to the Daily Express, we now prefer to hop into the shower instead of taking a long soak in the bath.
A survey by bathroom manufacturer Ideal Standard reveals that almost a quarter of the nation no longer takes a soak in the tub and one person in 10 showers more than once a day.
The average Briton spends eight minutes and five seconds in the shower each day.
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When a 5,000 strong swarm of bees swooped down onto a store in Victoria Street, central London, trained beekeepers were called in, reports the BBC.
The bees were smoked out after gathering around a sign in front of the store and moved to nearby Westminster Cathedral, where they will be looked after by beekeepers on the church's roof.
One of the beekeepers said: “We have either had a virgin Queen or an old Queen, she has left the nest and she has brought the swarm and settled on the shop front.”
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Not something I've ever been tempted to indulge in, but it seems that London has been named the selfie capital of the world.
The Daily Mirror says the city has beaten the likes of New York and Paris to first place according to social media analysis from Suggestme.com, looking at networks including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Popular spots were Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye.
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And, according to the Daily Mail, the Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate has come top in a happiness survey.
The paper reports on a survey by Rightmove which asked nearly 50,000 homeowners how they felt about the safety and neighbourliness of their area and how proud they felt of their property, along with several other measurements of happiness.
Harrogate Mayor Councillor Michael Newby said: “The district has some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK, if not in Europe and beyond. There is also a great community feel, which certainly makes life a lot happier for many people.”
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A tortoiseshell moggy called Poppy has been officially recognised as the world's oldest cat.
Poppy, who lives in Bournemouth, Dorset, is 24 – the equivalent to 114 human years - and the Mirror says she has been recognised by Guinness World Records.
Owner Jacqui West said: “People always ask what we put Poppy's longevity down to and I guess she has a good diet and lots of exercise. She keeps herself fit by walking around and she eats a lot. She has biscuits in the morning and tinned food later on.”
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But for us humans it seems that old age does not now start until 80, says a poll by PayingTooMuch.com outlined in the Daily Express.
The research showed that among people over 40, the vast majority of them will not consider themselves to be old until they reach their 80th birthday.
It seems that a healthier and more active lifestyle, staying in work longer and seeing more older people in the spotlight are among reasons for the change in attitude.
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How's this for a bit of 'green' news. A story on the BBC website says that one of the finest old mansions in Wales is using new technology that sucks heat from sea water.
The 18th century Plas Newydd relies on a heat exchanger, which utilises a system similar to refrigeration to amplify warmth from pipes in the sea. The scheme cost the National Trust £600,000 but is expected to save around £40,000 a year in operating costs.
Adam Ellis-Jones, from the National Trust, said: “With the Irish Sea right on the doorstep, a marine source heat pump is the best option for us. Being a pioneer is never easy. There are very few marine source heat pumps and none of this size in the UK, so it has been a challenging project - but a very exciting one.”
Reference lists:
The Express (www.express.co.uk)
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)
BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)