The good ol’ days

Inspired by history and old films, a British couple lives, dresses and behaves as if they are in the 1930s

Taking vintage shopping to an extreme, a young couple has literally time travelled to the early 20th century. Ruth Shelley and Robert Oestmann own a vintage car, wear vintage clothing and have decorated their home to match their 1930s aesthetic. They also do not watch TV and instead listen to wartime music on a gramophone. Their favourite recipe is a Depression-era meatloaf made with tomato soup. The couple has credited their lifestyle to benefitting their relationship, allowing the two to be “present in the moment as opposed to being glued to Netflix or on our phones”.

Shelley, a research historian, explained that, as a unit, they are captivated by history and try to implement as many 1930s lifestyle choices as possible into their lives. She did, however, acknowledge that it does turn some heads. “This style isn’t something you could wear if you are shy, as we do get stared at a lot. We don’t mind at all and it’s often positive feedback.” Shelley said. “The elderly love it as it’s like a flashback for them. Sometimes people stop us and ask for photos, which is totally fine.” “Robert and I dress like this all of the time, as we are in love with the style,” she added. “Robert mainly wears a suit and flat cap, whereas I may wear clothing from the 1930s to 1940s.”

Oestmann, a whiskey salesman, explained where his preferences stem from. “As a kid, my grandparents used to watch a lot of old films,” he said. “They were inspirational—as I grew older I began reading a lot of books and my style stems from stuff like that.” He added that he had certain qualms with modern-day fashion. “I also didn’t like the sound modern synthetic clothes make when I was walking. Our wardrobe is unique and different from today’s extremely casual one,” he said.

Not a happy meal

Russian woman who broke fast with a McDonald’s cheeseburger, is taking the fast food giant to court for delicious advertising

Ksenia Ovchinnikova, an Orthodox Christian from the Russian city of Omsk, is reportedly taking fast food giant McDonald’s to court for making her break her fast during Lent with its aggressive advertising showing delicious burgers. The woman accused McDonald’s of insulting her religious feelings by advertising delicious meat products during a time when Christians attempt to refrain from eating meat. She is requesting 1,000 rubles ($14) as compensation for sustained moral damage.

In her complaint, Ovchinnikova is referring to an event that reportedly took place in April of 2019, while she was fasting for Lent. The woman hadn’t eaten any meat for about a month, but she happened to see an appetising banner ad for McDonald’s cheeseburgers and went into the nearest McDonald’s and ordered herself a burger. The woman immediately regretted giving in to her weakness, but blamed the fast food chain’s aggressive advertising for it.

Man makes ex-girlfriend co-wife at wedding

A 20-year-old Indonesian, Korik Akbar, ended up with two wives at his wedding. Akbar was taking his vows at the wedding ceremony, when his ex-girlfriend broke into the venue asking that he marry her as well. Instead of making a scene, Akbar’s fiancée, Kotimah, agreed to the proposal and told the young man that she accepted his former fling as his second wife.

Lover boy sat for his girlfriend’s exams

A student of the Gaston Berger de Saint-Louis University, in Diourbel, Senegal, managed to fool the faculty and supervisors at an examination centre into thinking that he was a female high-school student for three days. Khadim Mboup wore a long-hair wig partially covered with a traditional scarf, earrings, a dress, bra and even face makeup to pass off as his girlfriend, Gangué Dioum. His identity was eventually discovered.

Princess Diana’s wedding cake slice sells for Rs 1.9L

A royal fan named Gerry Layton has bought a slice of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding cake for 1,850 pounds (R1.9 lakh) at an auction, more than 40 years after the couple tied the knot. The large piece of cake icing and marzipan base features a detailed, sugared design of the royal coat of arms in gold, red, blue and silver. It was given to Moya Smith, a royal staffer, who preserved it with cling film and dated it July 29, 1981.

Now, get weather update from insects

For hundreds of years, people have looked to the behaviour of animals on the planet to help predict the weather. While most of this was considered superstition, there has been some scientific evidence to suggest that the behaviour in insects does change depending on the incoming weather conditions, particularly in the case of rainfall. Dr Ken Paige, professor and associate head of the Department of Animal Biology at the University of Illinois, told the Chicago Tribune that insects and flies tend to bite before a storm as they are “likely responding to falling barometric pressure preceding rainfall.” Researchers in the lab of José Bento, an entomologist at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, have also discovered that certain insects avoid having sex when there are drops in atmospheric pressure before rainfall.

This fish has a human mouth

A fish with human-like teeth is dropping jaws on social media after it was caught in Nags Head, North Carolina. Sheepshead fish actually are pretty common and “have human-like incisors and molars” to help crush their food, and enjoy shrimp and oysters, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

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