alanwoollcombe

I have a Morphy Richards 48260 breadmaker which has started leaking. The plastic washer at the base of the kneading paddle has perished so the pan is leaking. I tried fixing it with a thick rubber band tightly wrapped around the base, but it doesn't do much more than slow the leak. The problem is that I haven't found a way to remove the paddle so I can either replace the washer or the paddle itself - it appears to be welded onto its spindle. Is it possible to remove it and, if so, how?

Thanks!

I'm considering going to the Angoulême comics festival at the end of January. Can anyone recommend any hotels in or around the area?

I have a problem with a seller on eBay UK, but trying to speak to someone at eBay is next to impossible, as they don't list any phone numbers.

Instead you are directed to their laborious email maze. Firstly, you have to choose a category (topic) and sub-category (sub-topic). (If your problem is not covered by a category, tough!)

eBay then emails you back a standard list of FAQs, telling you to re-send your query if it's not covered (and if you can't find a suitable category, it's a pretty safe bet it's not in the FAQs).

Having done that, they then send you some vague, waffly 'answer' that neither answers the question nor even gives you an email address - let alone a phone number - just in case you might want to ask for more info.

Instead they tell you sternly not to send any more emails to that particular email address - and redirect you back to your starting point, i.e. the category-subcategory maze...

*sigh*

I simply want to speak to someone at eBay. Is there a number?

An allergy test has just revealed that I have an allergy to nuts. I have also been told (not by a doctor, I should add) that edible chestnuts and pine nut kernels are not nuts, meaning I can still eat them without an allergic reaction. Is that right?

The Anglican Church (as in the Church of England) has many different names for its ordinands, including ones which aren't used by the Roman Catholic Church, and vice-versa - for instance, I think 'Father' is used by Catholics but not by Anglicans. Some of these titles seem interchangeable and confusing. Can anyone explain the difference between a vicar and a rector?

The door is an antique, but it is suffering from wind and rain, blackening at the bottom. The bottom frame is too. When they dry out, they're grey rather than the original brown. I applied several coats of Danish oil a few months ago, but the problem is getting worse. What's the best way to deal with it? I don't want to paint it - the wood is beautiful.

These birds look very similar, and could well be of the same family. Certainly we don't have chickadees, and American friends tell me they have never heard of the British titmice. Are these birds the same family?

* [My apologies for calling them titmice, the long-disused old, original name - unfortunately the current name ('titmice' without the 'mice' part) is censored on this site, appearing as ****.]

I have a small patch of land with bracken all over it. What's the best way to get rid of it for good?