THE BBC reported on an unusual reason for a football match to be delayed – bees swarming around the goalposts.
Oldham Athletic were getting ready to start their pre-season friendly match against Blackburn Rovers when a queen bee attached herself to one of the posts, which led to the penalty area becoming a hive of activity.
The kick-off had to be delayed. A spokesman for the club commented: “We are very grateful to the local bee society who arranged for a beekeeper to come along and clear the bees.”
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Pupils at an all-girls school in Croydon, South London, have been banned from using slang words, says the Daily Express.
Harris Academy, Upper Norwood, which at one time had been criticised by the Ofsted school inspectors, has now been given top marks after banning all slang - including ‘innit’.
Also on the black list are 'coz' and 'woz' - and beginning sentences with 'basically' and ending them with 'yeah'.
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It's something that Prince Charles is renowned for but now it seems that more and more Britons are talking to their plants.
The Daily Mail tells us about a survey of 2,000 horticulturists which revealed that half confess to chatting with their flowers, with the same number believing it helps them grow.
The survey also revealed that older generations seem more inclined to engage in 'plant whispering', 57 per cent of those over 55 compared to just 48 per cent of those under 25.
Botanist Tim Clapp from B&Q, which carried out the poll, said: “Plants are much like humans – if you leave them alone and don't give them proper care, they suffer.”
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London commuters are being urged to move further out to the Northamptonshire town of Wellingborough.
The Guardian says that a study of commuter towns by Lloyds Bank named Wellingborough as the most affordable town within an hour’s commute of the capital. The average home sells for £160,245 compared to £722,000 in central London.
Estate agent Mario Bartella said: “I’d say three or four out of every 10 sales transactions are people who used to live and work in London but now commute in to town from here.”
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It seems that crisps as a snack are on the way out in the UK with health conscious Brits opting for popcorn. The Daily Express tells us that we are eating more than 5kg of popcorn every year.
Propercorn, said to be the UK’s fastest growing popcorn brand, said it is now selling more than three million bags a month.
Official figures estimate that the UK popcorn market will grow 45 per cent to £167m by 2019.
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Exciting news in the Daily Mirror for bird watchers. Apparently two pairs of rare bee-eaters, which are normally found in southern Europe, are nesting and raising chicks in a quarry in Cumbria.
A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: “Bee-eater sightings have really been on the increase in recent springs and we're delighted to confirm they are breeding in the UK for the second consecutive summer. Pushed northwards by climate change, it is highly likely that these exotic birds will soon become established visitors to our shores.”
Reference list:
The Express (www.express.co.uk)
The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)
Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)
BBC (www.bbc.co.uk)