We’ve written before at HuffPost UK about why airline staff ask us to keep the blinds shut during takeoff and landing and the surprisingly sensible reason some planes still have ashtrays, even though smoking’s banned on board.

So, what about those tray tables – the ones that fold down from the seat in front of you, which you’re always told to keep up and secured at the start and end of a flight?

As you might expect, it’s all about safety.

Flying in a commercial plane is statistically the safest way to travel. But takeoff and landing are by far the riskiest parts of a flight, Business Insider explained.

For instance, even though takeoff and the plane’s initial climb only account for 2% of the overall flight, over 14% of reported accidents happen in these short stages.

This is part of the reason why the tray rule was introduced, Captain Steve Schreiber, a former pilot who posts on social media under the name Captain Steeeve, said in a YouTube Short.

“If you have to get off the plane in an emergency and in a hurry, if your tray table is down, you might not get out of that plane in 90 seconds,” which is the maximum length many regulatory bodies require evacuations to last, he said.

Additionally, you might block or slow down the people behind you, causing a pile-up or delay.

Speaking to Travel + Leisure, ex-flight attendant Kelly Kincaid said the same thing: tray tables have to “be up for takeoff and landing so that [they] won’t block you from evacuating in the event of an emergency”.

And, she stated, folding up your tray table also means you have to put the things you had resting on it (like your laptop or coffee) away, meaning there could be fewer potentially dangerous projectiles in the event of an emergency.

Keeping channels to emergency exits clear is key for passenger safety, especially during the parts of a flight most vulnerable to accidents.

That’s also why you can’t recline your seat during takeoff and landing.

Speaking to HuffPost UK previously, a spokesperson for the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Flight Operations Specialist Group explained: “There are two primary safety-related reasons why aircraft seats must be in the upright position for take-off and landing.

“The first is that the seat gives the occupant maximum impact protection when upright, and its structure locks into position accordingly… The second reason is that reclined seats reduce the space available in the row behind for occupants to escape quickly if an emergency evacuation is required.”

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I will be the first to admit that furniture building is not my strong suit.

Despite following instructions, I just can’t quite seem to get it right – no matter how hard I try.

But the Dreams Cosmopolitan Quick-Build Bed has absolutely changed the game. Forget Allen Keys, forget small little screws, the bed comes together so quickly and so easily, it’s practically foolproof.

You simply unfold the frame (which comes flat-packed), insert the centre bar, attach the slats to the top, pop on the frame cover and you’ve mastered it in about 5-10 minutes – it’s wonderful.

If you want to get the job done fast, you can rope in a friend to help – but I think it’s certainly doable with one person (it might just take a little bit longer, although it’s still a far faster process than your usual flatpack furniture build).

Having the right bed frame can impact your overall health: if you don’t have a solid, sturdy frame, it can impact sleep quality, which can – in turn – impact physical and mental health.

Bed frames can also act as a very handy storage solution. I don’t have many places to store things in my flat, so I went for one that can also hide my bits and bobs underneath. It’s been incredibly practical and I’d definitely recommend for people living in smaller homes where space, and therefore storage, is limited.

I can say for a fact that I feel completely supported when I’m sleeping. The bed is strong, sturdy and doesn’t move at all (and I have wooden flooring so I’ve experienced this issue before, it’s not fun).

While it doesn’t come with a headboard (you’d need to purchase one separately), the Dreams Cosmopolitan Quick Build Bed is the ideal purchase for anyone who wants a quick-build bed that’s stylish, contemporary and has a decent amount of storage space.

At just £199, I think it’s absolutely worth the investment.

This year, I decided it was time to start growing my own herbs. I’ve already written about my success with mint, which basically grows no matter what – but I’ve kept pretty quiet about my basil project.

That’s because I keep making mistakes. I don’t pinch the plant enough, so it’s grown tall and stringy instead of lush and bushy. While I divided and separated the roots of my supermarket plant, I still don’t think my pots are big enough for the job.

All of this, however, a basil plant can survive. My main issue was the one that can cause it to “rot” and sometimes die: I overwatered it, leading it to wilt and yellow in patches.

Thankfully, I’ve managed to save the affected plants since (though as you can see from the pictures below, I’m still doing a terrible job of pinching off leaves for bushy growth: I find it hard to let go of my growth!).

Per the RHS, overwatering seedlings can lead to fungal diseases, like fatal damping off.

For adult plants, Homes & Gardens added, too much water can lead to a condition called root rot.

This (as the name suggests) leads the roots to brown, become mushy, and partly decay.

As root rot gets worse, it endangers the plant because it stops it from being able to absorb the nutrients and water it needs to grow and stay alive.

Basil likes free-draining soil, which is why it needs drainage holes if stored in a plant pot. Letting it sit in moist soil spells disaster.

At first, I thought that meant I needed to apply smaller doses of water. I was only pouring a little into the saucer under my basil plants (always water them from below: watering basil plants’ leaves can cause fungal growth, too), but I was adding it every day.

Speaking to The Spruce, Jordan Mara, founder of Mind & Soil, explained that that’s about the worst watering mistake I could have made.

You’re far better off giving it deep and infrequent waterings rather than lighter applications of water more regularly, he said.

This not only keeps it hydrated for longer, but “trains the roots of the plant to search down more deeply for water, creating a larger root system,” too.

A deep watering from the base about once a week should do if you’ve got an established plant, Mara said, though factors like the weather and whether your plant is potted or planted could affect that.

Martha Stewart’s site echoed the advice, suggesting about 2.5-5cm of water once a week unless the weather’s really hot.

Meanwhile, Southern Living recommends a more customised approach.

Plunge your finger into the soil, they advise, and only water if the first 5cm is dry.

• A bad smell coming from your soil,
• Yellow leaves, especially at the base or top of the plant,
• Wilting stems,
• Brown spots on leaves,
• Droopy, dull leaves,
• Mushy, weak, and/or discoloured roots.

I saved most of mine with six steps (and saved my sanity with a seventh):

Kim Roman, instructor for Square Foot Gardening, told Martha Stewart: “At the first sign of yellowing leaves, you must immediately inspect for the disease as the spores are fast-moving”.

This, it turned out, was true. The basil plant I figured would work it out in the end has since gone to the great well-drained garden in the sky. Check your plants for signs of overwatering at least once every couple of days.

It might sound obvious, but putting more water in your soil at this stage definitely won’t help, Food Gardening Network said.

I had some mild root rot, which I confirmed by lifting the soil out of the pot and looking at the roots. If that’s happened to you, shake off any excess soil, run the roots under lukewarm water, and cut off any affected areas (these will be weaker and discoloured).

This can help to get rid of any remaining spores which could come back to haunt your basil.

If your old pot doesn’t have drainage holes and/or your previous soil was heavy with clay, change them for more free-draining options (terracotta pots with good drainage and a saucer are generally better for basil). Don’t compact your soil, either, as that can cause it to hold onto more water.

If a lot of your roots have gone, much of your plant’s energy and water channels have been cut off too. You may want to remove some of your plant’s leaves after this process, especially if it’s a big plant.

Sadly, BBC Gardener’s World said, it can be tough to treat root rot in established plants. This is especially true if it’s already affected a lot fo your plant’s roots and leaves, as happened with one of my four plants.

Still, now you get the chance to start all over again. And depending on how long you’ve been growing your basil, odds are you’ve already got a decent return on investment for that sub-£2 supermarket plant.

Long before we knew her for the likes of Mamma Mia!, Mank and The Dropout, Amanda Seyfried found international fame playing Karen in the 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls, and witnessed her co-star Lindsay Lohan’s struggles in the industry up close.

Opening up about her friendship with Lindsay in a new British GQ interview, Amanda recalled how, although they were the same age when they appeared together in the Tina Fey-penned movie, the level of attention they received was nowhere near equal.

“[I] wasn’t working at that level,” she said. “The spotlight was on her, no matter what she did.”

Amanda said she saw in real time how Lindsay went from being Hollywood’s hottest star to having the tabloids praying for her downfall.

“The outsized bashing is ugly,” said Amanda. “It’s like, a fear of mine. I would not want to be spotlit for being infamous in any way.”

During the same GQ article, Lindsay spoke fondly of the Oscar nominee, opening up about their continued friendship.

“We’ve stayed close because there’s genuine trust and respect between us,” the Freaky Friday actor claimed. “What started as shared experience has grown into a meaningful friendship over time.

“Now we talk more about life, motherhood and our families. She’s always someone I can rely on. That consistency is rare and something I really cherish.”

Although Amanda may have been mostly unscathed from the press during the era of paparazzi upskirting starlets and tabloids plotting the downfall of young women, it wasn’t because she didn’t go out clubbing.

“Did I find myself at Val Kilmer’s house one night at 1am with [Mean Girls co-stars] Daniel Franzese and Jonathan Bennett? Did I find myself there with them in the pool? I was 18 and I had just moved to LA and we had gone to a screening of Reefer Madness. I was at Val Kilmer’s house – I don’t even remember meeting him, but I was at his house,” she recalled about her “ridiculous” 20s.

On the red carpet of the 2024 Mean Girls musical adaptation, Lindsay also sang the praises of her 2004 co-stars Amanda and Lacey Chabert, who played Gretchen Wieners.

“I love Amanda and she’s done so well with her career,” Lindsay said. “She’s such a great actress and Lacey as well. We’re good friends and that’s what matters most.”

Robert Jenrick has been accused of “playing divisive identity politics” after announcing a Reform UK government would make it more expensive for bosses to employ foreign workers.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased employers’ National Insurance Contributions from 13.8% to 15% in her first Budget back in 2024.

Critics have labelled the policy a “jobs tax” which makes it more expensive for employers to hire staff.

Jenrick, Reform’s Treasury spokesperson, announced on Monday that his party would reverse the NICs rise, but only for “British workers”.

He said the policy would be paid for by introducing a “Migrant Labour Levy”, which businesses would have to pay for every foreign worker they employ.

Jenrick said: “For more than 20 years now, we’ve had British workers coming second – undercut by cheap migrant labour, which drives down wages and our people’s quality of life.

“The experiment of letting in millions of low-wage migrants – as millions of Brits languish on benefits – has failed catastrophically. Reform will end it.”

He added: “If the migrant is hired, the taxman collects £7,000 in taxes, but ends up paying the British candidate not hired around £8,000 on universal credit.

“If the British worker was hired instead, the £7k in tax would still be paid. But the £8k in benefits would be saved.”

He claimed there are around 3.6 million non-EU workers in Britain – and the the levy would raise £10 billion from the non-EU migrants on PAYE alone.

Liberal Democrats’ Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper told HuffPost UK: “Instead of playing divisive identity politics and creating a bureaucratic anti-business nightmare, we should be focused on helping all our struggling local businesses to thrive.

“The Liberal Democrats have been clear from the start, the hike in employer National Insurance is a self-defeating jobs tax that hits high street shops, local pharmacies, GPs, and care homes hard. It needs to be scrapped for everyone.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage’s latest half-baked plan would leave British businesses and British people worse off.

“Their proposals threaten to hike bills and leave working families paying the price.

“Reform is not on the side of working people and are simply making it up as they go along.

“Only Labour is making the fair choices to change our country, ease the cost of living, and improve our public services.

“We’ve already slashed migration by 69% since last year, our Immigration Skills Charge is funding more training for British workers, and we’re reforming the system to get people back into the work and out of the doom loop of joblessness which spiralled out of control under the Tories.”

“Another day, another uncosted policy to distract from Robert Kenyon’s sexist comments,” Labour MP Luke Charters also told HuffPost UK.

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