Number O

We have just bought our first house and want to decorate before moving in. The previous owners painted gloss and/or vinyl silk type paint over everything; walls, ceilings, woodwork, throughout the whole house.

The paint desperately needs sanding back but this will take forever with just paper and sanding blocks. I saw something called a drywall sander online, would this work? Or is there something else out there which would make light of this massive job?

It's like the world's best kept secret and I can't find the answer anywhere on their website...

I have a senior Staffordshire Bull Terrier which was a rescue and so I have no recorded history for him. I am looking at taking him on hols this year to France and he is fully passported and ready to go. However, France has its own Breed Selective Legislation and "Stafforshire Teriers & American Staffordshire Terriers" are classified as attack dogs and are illegal in the country. Staffordshire BULL Terriers we dropped from this list in 2010 but if I take mine and am stopped by Gendarmes, I may have to prove his breed. (Note, not 'pedigree').

Please advise. Or tell of your experiences with SBTs in France if you have any.

Many thanks!!!

We are on holiday in the Languedoc at the moment and renting an old village house. There is a huuuuge(!) garage underneath which takes up the whole footprint of the house. The garage door is about 8 feet tall and arched. These are a very common sight throughout the country particularly in very old villages/towns. I am curious as to what these "rooms" would have been used for historically prior to the motorcar?

I was certain a recent law was passed (but might have dreamt it?) which stops seniority discrimination in the workplace. For example, someone who is new to a role getting paid less and having lesser terms and conditions attached when doing an identical job to a colleague who has been in the role for a long (or longer) time.

I would be very grateful for clarification on this.

We're thinking of a family holiday to Florida next year, but my brother has a DUI conviction from about 2 year ago. First of all, would he be able to get a tourist visa or ESTA and if successful with this, would he be able to drive a hire car once there?

I have had a look on the USA visa site and can't get the answer I need there. All it states is that the applicant must have good moral standing.

Many thanks!!

I want to get it for my mum who is nearly 70 and a complete computer illiterate. In your opinion, is the DS a console which is easy to use and would you recommend it for anyone whose idea of technology is setting her radio alarm clock...??

The most common seem to be stainless steel or pewter and I've also found some silver ones. Which is the best for not tainting the taste of the drink inside?

I need it for court to prove what the weather was like on a certain day (about a fortnight ago), I'm trying to prove it for mitigation purposes so I would prefer legitimate points of reference if any exist. Many thanks in advance!!

We have hired a holiday villa for our hols from a French family and they require a 500 euro damage deposit which will be refunded after my stay if everything is left in order.

My problem is we don't get it back on the day we leave (but will be refunded within 10 days by which time we'll be back in Blighty) so cash is not really an option. What (if anything) can I use for payment which can be refunded by post? If I write a cheque from my English bank account and state the payment in euros, is it valid? I can't use debit/credit cards as this is an arrangement between two private parties and not a retailer or anything. If I got euro travellers cheques, can they be made payable to a third party?

Any help would be much appreciated over this confusing situation. Ta!!

We have hired a holiday villa for our hols from a French family and they require a 500 euro damage deposit which will be refunded after my stay if everything is left in order.

My problem is we don't get it back on the day we leave (but will be refunded within 10 days by which time we'll be back in Blighty) so cash is not really an option. What (if anything) can I use for payment which can be refunded by post? If I write a cheque from my English bank account and state the payment in euros, is it valid? I can't use debit/credit cards as this is an arrangement between two private parties and not a retailer or anything. If I got euro travellers cheques, can they be made payable to a third party?

Any help would be much appreciated over this confusing situation. Ta!!

Whilst on holiday in Mexico, I saw lots of piles of stones, kind of in a single column, sometimes 3 or 4 stones high and sometimes more. They appeared to be in totally random places. I witnessed someone creating their own pile on top pf a rocky outcrop near the beach. What do these piles mean or represent?

I have an old military landrover which is currently road tax exempt due to its age. Trouble is, the engine type is shown as petrol on the registration document but it's actually a diesel. Originally it would have been a petrol engine but the diesel was already in when I bought it. If I declare this to the DVLA will I have to start paying tax?

We are constantly told that our prisons are full and people deserving custodial sentences are being let off as there is no-where to put them. Our population is on the increase and they wouldn't say sorry there are no more houses so you can't live here, they solve the problem by building more so why the aversion to new prisons?

I want to have a single colour tattoo done in a brown colour so it looks similar to a henna tattoo. I have asked an artist before and he told me that there has to be an outline to the artwork done in black to stop the fill-in colour 'bleeding'. I have heard several variations to this theory and also been told that it's a load of cobblers. Can anyone confirm or deny this please? Answers with good sources especially welcomed.