Skin Care

A collection of tips

Acne: Clarol Silver Serum seems to be effective in treating this, by re-balancing the skin flora.

Skin tags (fibromas): Dermaxx is a homeopathic remedy containing the essential oil Thuja occidentalis, which is known for its ability to remove skin tags.

Sources: various

Fake News About EU

Over the years, fake news has been spreading about EU. Here are the real facts.

Treating Brits abroad costs other EU countries five times as much as the NHS cost of treating EU citizens.

Educating migrant children does not cost £3.26 billion, as claimed by Vote Leave. In 2016 government figures reported that nearly 700,000 school-aged children had at least one parent who was a citizen of a European country. This figure includes people such as Nigel Farage; he has two children by his first wife who is Irish, and two more children by his second wife, a German national.

There has never been an EU ban on bendy bananas, or Bombay Mix. There has never been a ban on under-8's blowing up balloons - just a requirement that packaging has to include a safety warning. Likewise, the EU did not call for life guards at paddling pools - it has no jurisdiction to do this.

The Smoking Ban in UK pubs is UK law, and did not come from EU legislation.

There was no need to replace UK passports with a different colour cover as there this is a decision for individual countries. The decision to go from blue to burgundy was taken by the UK government.

There is no EU Army.

The UK remains metric. The change from Imperial measures happened in 1965, eight years before the UK joined the EU.

The EU did not try to put Kent in France. In a report looking at environmental changes in Europe, it was listed as having similar issues as France. Nor did it try to rename Trafalgar Square or Waterloo station.

The UK will still participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, as this is not an EU event. The annual international song competition is run by Eurovision, a television network that is part of the European Broadcasting Union, which also runs a radio network, Euroradio. Eurovision was set up for the purpose of exchanging TV programmes and TV news footage.

English will continue to be an official language of the EU as it is the most widely spoken language, understood by 51% of all adults. All 24 official languages of the EU are accepted as working languages, but in practice only three - English, French and German - are in wide general use, with English being the more commonly used. English is still an official language in Ireland and Malta.

 Source: Various.

Documents - What to Keep and for How Long

More than ever, we have paperwork, even if we've gone digital. So what do we need to keep and for how long? (Applies to UK.)

Keep forever

• Marriage, birth and death certificates, wills, house deeds, and adoption records. These are only issued in paper form, and can be difficult and costly to replace. Keep the paper copies in a locked and fire resistant security box.
• Car V5C logbook is also a paper document,which you must pass on to the next owner if you sell your car.
• Life insurance: make sure your beneficiaries know where this is kept and who is the main contact.
• Pensions: keep all your documentation, otherwise you could miss out on hard-earned money.
• Medical records: a medical exemption lasts for five years or until your 60th birthday. Keep a note of your NHS number as you will need this if you change GP.
• Keep hold of your child's Personal Child Health Record (the red book) if you have a paper version. There is now a digital version, the eRedbook.
• National Insurance number: if you've lost your NI card, you should be able to find it on a payslip, P60 or tax return. If not, you can apply for a replacement card.
• Pets: keep proof of their vaccinations. A pet passport lasts for ever, provided rabies vaccinations are up to date.

Keep for their lifetime

• Passport
• Driving licence: the paper counterpart to the driving licence has had no legal status since June 2015. You should destroy yours but keep your photocard licence. BUT paper-only licences issued before 1988 are still valid and must not be destroyed.
• Vehicle documents: keep car insurance, road tax and proof your car has passed its MOT until they expire. Either keep hard copies in a locked box or store digital copies in a safe place.
• Rental agreements: keep until you have received your deposit back from your landlord or letting agent in case you need to argue anything.
• Extended warranties have different time limits depending on manufacturer, so make a note of the expiry date.

Keep for two years

• Tax records, including your P60, coding notices from HMRC and proof of interest paid on bank accounts.

Keep for one year

• Payslips only need to be kept until you receive your P60.
• Utility bills: keep a record for a year in cases of problems, and so you can compare when it comes to deciding on a new deal.
• TV licences can be done online now, so you pay by direct debit, there is no need to worry. Otherwise, keep a note of when you need to review.

Self employed?

• Keep records of your business income so you can fill in tax returns and for five years after the 31st January tax return deadline.
• For a limited company, you need records of the company itself and its income. You need to keep records for six years after the end of the financial year. If paperwork isn't your strong point, hire an accountant to help.
• If you are a sole trader, running an unlimited business, you need to keep a record of your business income and expenses for your tax return alongside your personal income. Keep these records for five years.

Source: Feature in Good Housekeeping, February 2019