Meridyth was at a weekend-long Scouts camp with screaming kids, little sleep, and little energy left to squabble with Alister over politics.

But we did want to talk about the expected cuts to the welfare budget this week, which is giving Alister a bit of a migraine. While details are scant, Reeves has stated that it’s about reducing taxpayer costs and to “get people into work” — believing the system, as it stands, is being taken advantage of, rather than empowering people to find gainful employment.

Skeptics, like Alister, are surprised by this move from Labour. Even former Labour shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, said cutting disability benefits is "not a Labour thing to do..." And these reforms could lead to significant losses to people's income, leaving many wondering, how anyone is supposed to "contribute" when we’re still suffering from the “cost of living crisis.”

While Alister has his knickers in a twist, Meridyth is too tired to bother until Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, actually unveils the details — ahead of the chancellor’s Spring Statement. So are you like Alister this week or Meridyth?

🇬🇧 No squabble required

🐀 Is this Hamlin? Sanitation workers in Birmingham have gone on strike for the better part of a week, demanding better pay and conditions. Health risks have been raised due to the increase in rats and other pests. And residents have had to dispose of their own waste. Where’s the Pied Piper when you need him?

🏥 My death was greatly exaggerated. The government is not scrapping the NHS, but rather shutting down NHS England — the governing middle layer in England between the NHS and the Dept of Health & Social Care. Starmer’s big move aims to be more efficient and hold the gov’t more accountable for how national health is run.

🌆 Westminster After Dark. This isn’t a seedy new show about the underbelly of politics. Westminster Council hopes to keep London nightlife alive with Late Night Entertainment Zones from 6pm to 6am. These zones hope to focus police and safety efforts, as well as encourage a range of nightlife.

🚓 Vetting Reform UK. Jack Aaron of Welwyn Hatfield has now been put in charge of vetting for the Reform party - i.e. advising candidates on which old social media posts to delete. The appointment has been controversial due to his previous statements about Hitler being “brilliant” at inspiring people and Bashar al-Assad being “gentle by nature”.

🌎️ The rest of the world… according to us

🇦🇺 Australia’s most dangerous animal - Americans. A US influencer recorded herself picking up a baby wombat and running away from its mother. She was shocked by the amount of hate received online, even from the local gov’t. The PM suggested next time, “Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there.“

🥂 Brunch may get less fun.  In response to the metal tariffs Trump has been issuing across the globe, the EU has slapped US whiskey with a 50% tariff. Despite only drinking Diet Coke, Trump has threatened the EU with a 200% tariff on alcohol. (Prosecco could go from $15 to $45 per bottle, meaning mimosas at bottomless brunch may be history.)

🇬🇱 Not for sale. Despite a surprise election victory for the centre-right, Greenland’s political parties came together with a unified and joint letter making it crystal clear that Greenland will never be part of America. While some of the parties are pushing for independence from Denmark, there is no appetite for a new master!

🇷🇸 Down with the President. Massive protests erupted over the weekend in Serbia against their president. Feeling like the gov’t has become corrupt bordering on autocracy, some argue that the election process is even rigged. It’s estimated 325k people have attended the protest, the largest in their history.

🍎 Part of your ‘5 A Day’

🐟️ Fishy Kids. A long term study of 6,000 kids in the UK has indicated that eating fish a few times a week could make your children kinder and more social. Fish contain Omega-3 and other brain developing nutrients. (Meridyth: In case your kid dislikes fish like mine does, chia seeds in yogurt offers loads of Omega-3.)

🥗 Yes, your husband is getting fatter. Polish research has found that married couples do put on weight as the years go on, but the likelihood for men is higher than women. They believe the social stigma around weight for both sexes explains why. (Duh, did they really need to conduct a study for this???)

🩺 Killing cancer and sex drive. A common preventative procedure in the UK to remove pre-cancerous cells from the cervix might have some long term side effects. The procedure, given to 50,000 women per year, appears to be causing discomfort and pain during sex. Medical misogyny may play a part in the problem as calls for further investigations grow louder.

🧦 The odd sock

🚆 Upside down skyscraper. Paris has unveiled a stunning new £3.1m underground (metro) station. The Villejuif-Gustave Roussy station is made from mirrored steel with a glass cylindrical shafted roof hence the name “upside down skyscraper”.

🚫 NSFW Rain. A weather forecast in America has had an unfortunate look. The colours indicating the rain intensity resulted in a familiar shape being drawn on the map. Obviously social media jumped on the opportunity and suggested the storm was “going to aggressively penetrate the Deep South.“

🚀 They just needed some space. Two astronauts had originally left for a 2-week stint on the International Space Station. However, due to technical reasons, they’ve been stranded for NINE MONTHS! Good news, a crew finally left on Friday to tag them out and return home. How long can you go in the company of just one other person?

🤬 Rants or Raves 🤩

by Alister

I’ve been on again, off again, when it comes to meal preparation kits. After seeing a discount code, I decided to try Hello Fresh again (after a 3-yr break). The recipes are simple and quick (~30 min) with all the ingredients pre-measured. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

But does it taste good… that’s the real test. The latest meal I made was the Speedy Teriyaki Sesame Chicken. I accidentally added a bit too much chilli, but yummmm!

I’m unsure if this time around Hello Fresh will stick beyond the promo period, but it’s a fun break from the norm. So if you’re in need of a break from staring into your fridge, wondering what to eat, then try my referral code to get your own discounted boxes.

Or just do me a solid and prolong my own discounted deliveries. 😂

🤣 What do you meme? 

“This is…” Thon Hotels

It’s not easy trying to attract people on social media these days. Whilst many companies don’t take risks, or end up embarrassing themselves, Thon Hotels in Norway is an exception.

Their latest trend has a straight-faced “Yvonne” hilariously explaining what you can do and eat, before heading back to the hotel.

Watch on TikTok

There are quite a few fun videos, but this one caught my eye — in particular a comment with over a thousand Likes saying, “I wake up every morning with this fantastic, fabulous, marvellous, talented, loving person, I’m so grateful to be her husband 🥰🥰❤️“.

Absolutely adorable 🥹 

Whew, you made it!

The 20th of March is International Day of Happiness. But don’t worry, we’ll be back to our usual squabble-selves for next week.

Alister & Meridyth