Psychic oracle... or not?

Ooh. I actually have been writing those 500 word observational columns about local life I mentioned a few weeks ago. just for my own amusement. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the bizarre and appalling management that seemed to be going on at the City by the Sea's independent department store; today I read in the local paper that it has gone into receivership and is beginning the process of shutting down. Fear my amazing clairvoyant skills! Then again, as a management accountant I should be able to spot a business that's in trouble; perhaps I'm not psychic after all.

Actually, I'm definitely not. I bought a washing machine two years ago, which has been nothing but heartache. Sometimes it would go through a full cycle, but others it would get stuck with four minutes to go and make a very annoying grinding noise until I came back and poked its buttons. At least, that was the case until last week, when I finally worked out that some settings can't have certain buttons pushed. That was trial and error, though. It wouldn't have killed them to spell it out in the manual.