Strange but true

Safe crossing
The fatality rate of frogs, toads and newts crossing Charlcombe Lane, Bath has dropped from 62% to 6% after a volunteer group of local residents, armed with torches, buckets and gloves, started helping the amphibians cross the road to reach the pond where they spawn every night for six weeks in spring.
Laughter lines
London comedy club The Top Secret Comedy Club has guests taking an “expression test” on arrival to detect those who have had Botox injections. The club says having an audience full of people with “frozen” faces alters the atmosphere in the venue and that comedians can’t bounce off the audience‘s reactions if their faces don’t move.
Sign of the times
The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) has added virtual reality headsets, yoga mats, men’s slider sandals and pre-cooked pulled pork to the basket of 752 commonly purchased items ONS uses to measure inflation. Gammon joints, DVD rentals and ads in local papers have been removed.
Gone off-leash
A dachshund called Valerie has been on the loose on Kangaroo Island for more than 500 days. A NSW couple were visiting the island in November 2023 when the dog escaped from her pen. A search was eventually abandoned but in March this year there were reported sightings of the dog. A trap was set up with her favourite treats and the dog has been turning up at the site regularly but the combination of island wildlife also entering the trap and the sporadic nature of her visits has so far prevented recapture.
Choc-lifters
A WH Smith store in Liverpool UK is putting security tags on 1kg bags of Cadbury Mini Eggs in an effort to deter shoplifters with warnings that shoplifting is spiralling out of control. The bags are priced at 19 pounds. Also being tagged are Terry’s Chocolate Oranges and Freddo bars. Other retailers are taking more extreme measures. A Tesco in Covent Garden has boxes of Quality Street chocolates within a wire net with a security tag.
Hot crossed buns
The range of unconventional hot cross buns is expanding says The Times. Sainsbury’s has custard creams with hot cross bun-flavoured filling, Asda has tiramisu hot cross buns, M&S has ‘millionaire’s hot cross buns’ studded with salted caramel fudge and here McDonald’s have a hot cross bun flavoured McFlurry. At supermarkets there are hot cross buns flavoured with Wagon Wheel chocolate, Cinnabon and Biscoff. Aldi is even selling hot cross bun-flavoured vodka.
Bons mots
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.“ – Henry Ford

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