Early Risers.

[Tony_S]

12 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

I'm also fairly certain English was his first language

Aditi sometimes mentions that English is her third language. However English is the language she counts and dreams in so it probably is her first language. 

[Barry O]

about to have a little email rant  with a company called "rental cars" (actually part of Hertz) who really badgered us up (car wise) in Adelaide  Lots of delaying tactics from them.. wonder what my "interview without coffees" email does.. next up the MDs PA will receive a shot but polite rant about some of the lies we received and complete lack of support. *If I had known they were Hertz in disguise I wouldn't have used them.. two companies I worked for forbade our use of that company because of poor service.

 

Baz

[jjb1970]

9 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Aditi sometimes mentions that English is her third language. However English is the language she counts and dreams in so it probably is her first language. 

 

A good friend of mine is an Argentine diplomat, she always makes a stand on speaking in Spanish with simultaneous translation yet her English is impeccable. I am not just saying this for effect, her command of English shames most native speakers. The one that really impressed is my friend Yuri, he speaks in Russian while listening to the simultaneous translation in his ear piece and takes the interpreters to task if he isn't happy with their translation. His English also shames most native speakers.

[southern42]

Quote

Can’t sleep so an early breakfast is being consumed.

while SWMBO was watching game show (Rise and Fall (probably best described as a cross between Big Brother and I’m a Celebrity get me out of here)) I thought to myself I don’t know anyone whose been on any tv quiz show. Has any ERs appeared on any such show ?  Unquote

 

@Erichill16 You do now! Me!

1960s BBC children's TV.  The quiz game was called Baddlewat and featured on Whistle Stop.

I was part of our school trip to see BBC TV's Crackerjack <<Crackerjack!>>.*** At the end of the programme, someone came round looking for contestants for another show. I was one of four from our school. There were four from another.

We were taken off to another studio/room, and were recorded playing the game called Baddlewat.  We sat in a row with the other team in front and below us. Whoever was in possession of the bat shaped "baddle" at the end of the row, won. The baddle got to seat No.3 in front of me, he gave the wrong answer so the baddle past to me and, with the correct answer, I was able to pass it onto our No.4 who got her question correct.  Short game, but we, on the top row, all received one of the latest Albums - mine was "Cliff's Hit Album."

 

*** I don't believe it! It came back! Though, it does remind me more of the '80s-'90s stuff our kids watched. 🤣

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000stc8/crackerjack-series-2-10-the-crackerjack-awards

 

Edited March 31, 2023 by southern42

[jjb1970]

I had another amusing sight of a young Malay lady wearing a black head covering and face veil with a micro skirt on the MRT coming home this afternoon. It's something you occasionally see here, young Malay (or Indonesian) ladies dress to look suitably attired for zoom calls etc whilst being ready to......ahem...impress once they are done with work.

[BoD]

3 hours ago, polybear said:

 

I see The Orange One is to be hauled in front of the Beak. 

 

 

3 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

One reason I post here is to stay well clear of political commentary regarding the USA. Seems I was mistaken.

 

 

I have never been able to work out our press's (particularly the Beeb's) obsession with news from the USA.

Don't we have enough of our own?

Does the rest of the world not exist?

[TheQ]

On flights from the UK to Saudi You see Saudi women in mini skirts and similarly small tops, as the flight gets into Saudi airspace the scuttle off to the  loo, and then come back fully blacked out..

[BoD]

4 hours ago, grandadbob said:

ISTR that the late GordonS appeared on Eggheads.

 

He did indeed.

I don't think he invited Sam to be on his team though.

[TheQ]

1 minute ago, BoD said:

 

 

I have never been able to work out our press's (particularly the Beeb's) obsession with news from the USA.

Don't we have enough of our own?

Does the rest of the world not exist?

Cheap TV, the USA has vast amounts of TV news coverage, you can pick up news clips for peanuts and they don't have to translate the coverage.

[Tony_S]

1 minute ago, BoD said:

 

He did indeed.

I don't think he invited Sam to be on his team though.

Shergar would have made an impression though. 

[Tony_S]

4 minutes ago, BoD said:

 

 

I have never been able to work out our press's (particularly the Beeb's) obsession with news from the USA.

Don't we have enough of our own?

Does the rest of the world not exist?

The reorganisation of BBC News starts today.Expect more news from Singapore.  

[Tony_S]

5 minutes ago, TheQ said:

On flights from the UK to Saudi You see Saudi women in mini skirts and similarly small tops, as the flight gets into Saudi airspace the scuttle off to the  loo, and then come back fully blacked out..

Aditi said the reverse happened at the college she worked at in Newham. 

[DaveF]

A dismally dull drizzly day with the cold wind coming in off the sea today.

 

As usual yesterday I went to church, the road works and traffic lights have reappeared at the same place as before on the way there but they only delayed me by a couple of minutes.  After the service I had coffee as usual and then went to do a little shopping - some paperbacks I "need" and DAS clay which is on offer at The Works.  I also stocked up on small plastic bags ready for sorting out some costume jewellery (i.e. not gold or silver) so it can go to a charity shop in due course.

 

The sun came out so I took a few photos of plants in the garden before going to Seaton Sluice for a walk, the daffodils by the harbour are out.  Then I went onto Rocky Island, it was warm enough to sit on a bench for a while watching the sea and birds.  There was a lark singing and rising and falling overhead and a heron flew past very near me on its way to go fishing in the rock pools. When I got back home I finished sorting out the plant pots and got rid of the plastic ones where the plastic had deteriorated so they fall to pieces when you touch them.  Then I picked up the plastic box they had been in  and it fell to pieces so it also went in the bin.  UV stabilisers do not prevent plastics from deteriorating in strong light eventually.

 

I received a leaflet through the door informing me that Virgin are cabling in the area and will soon be doing my road - this entails lifting all the pavement and bits of road.  They tell me access to my house will be possible during the works, I just need to speak to the workmen on site.  I think I'll just stay in while they do it, I don't fancy trying to get the car out having seen what the roads they work on are like while they are doing it..

 

Then it was time for tea.  Later I watched a pleasant programme on an Austrian channel about a German saxophonist, did a supposedly difficult Sudoku and a crossword puzzle.

 

David

[PupCam]

Morning All!

 

14 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

So you ring them and you get 'we are extremely busy why not try on line'. Try again and again and again in the end after listening to this for 30 minutes I got through to a cockwobble who was about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

 

Welcome to the world of "normal" these days.   People may have noticed that I'm perpetually  hacked-off by this sort of "Customer Service".  It doesn't matter what field, line of business or care service you are talking about this is the universal treatment they inflict on the people they purport to serve.    I'm very sorry to hear that they didn't constantly reassure WB that his call was important to them* 

 

Personally, I think making "customers" endure a ~ 2 minute pre-recorded message (of anything) every time they get through on the telephone should be made a criminal offence.   Is that too harsh?   No, thought not.    The only ones to benefit from such waffle are the telecoms companies as they get paid (one way or another) for every second of the connection.  A cynical person might venture to suggest that they were in-cahoots with the peddlers of such drivel.  Of course, we don't have any cynical folk on ERs .......

 

Yes, that qualifies a s a rant I fancy.

 

* If that was really true they'd employ more call centre staff to deal with the consistently higher call volumes driven by the fact that all in-person contact with organisations is fairly rapidly being eradicated.

 

2 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

Listening to customers is one of the indicators of a good business (or organization). The British are very bad at it, we like to rant to friends about the indignities we suffer but just nod politely when faced with poor service (the classic example is restaurants). The modern evolution is to rant on social media and whip up the equivalent of virtual lynch mobs on Twitter etc. As much as I favour honest feedback (emphasis on honest, and I am just as enthusiastic about positive feedback) I also think if people lack the you know what to complain directly then I don't support them ranting on the Internet and trying to review bomb businesses.

 

That is very true.   And I (nearly) always provide suitable feedback when something "isn't right".   However something, alright another thing,  that really does does irritate me is the modern way of bombarding you with requests for feed back on each and every transaction.   No, work on the basis that if something is wrong you'll be hearing about it.  If you don't hear anything it is not unreasonable for you to assume that everything is fine aka "congratulations you've done you're job adequately" or on rare occasions I may contact you to thank you when you've gone above and beyond the call of duty.      But no, I'm not going to rate every single transaction to buy some batteries, shoes, sheet metal or whatever it is  and no, on the odd occasions I'm "in store" I wouldn't like an Email receipt (just so you can flood my Email account with dross).

 

Probably another rant?

 

In Other News

 

Sorry, been rather quiet for a few days as we've been down 'ampshere again.    Consequently there's been a degree of skipping through the multiple pages of ER.    Oh, I do like a Daff or six.     Anyway, managed to dodge the humongous road works at the M25 J10 (A3) on the way down by nipping down the M3 and weaving our way over to Guildford.   Unfortunately the A3 was stuffed at Guildford so we then had to weave our way over to Farnham and then Hindhead.   It was a very slow journey ......

 

On our return yesterday I received 3 appointment letters from the hospital.  They'd obviously travelled through the post system together as they were all neatly stacked together and wrapped up in the latest issue of Real Classics (@New Haven Neil) and wedged as an ensemble in the letter box courtesy of the Postie.   

 

The first letter confirmed the non-conformable appointment from a few weeks ago                                         - Big tick

The second was for a subsequent consultant consultation I knew nothing about in September                      - Big tick

The third was to cancel the subsequent consultation in September                                                                       - No comment  🙄

 

Whilst visiting we saw the Postal flowers we had sent previously as a gift.     After a week or so some of the buds have still not opened and now beginning to shrivel so they won't be happening.   Yep, snottogram already sent to the supplier!

 

TTFNQ

 

Alan

 

 

 

[jjb1970]

31 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

The reorganisation of BBC News starts today.Expect more news from Singapore.  

 

No...please don't...I like Singapore😉

[DaveF]

A couple of photos on Rocky Island at Seaton Sluice yesterday.  I forgot put in original post that the dandelions and daisies are flowering in the grass.

 

 

Looking north

 

Looking northwest.

 

David

[TheQ]

I often see the BBC news from Singapore I'm often awake at stupid oclock,

Sharanjit Leyl, Mariko Oi, etc.

[Dave Hunt]

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

People may have noticed that I'm perpetually  hacked-off by this sort of "Customer Service".  It doesn't matter what field, line of business or care service you are talking about this is the universal treatment they inflict on the people they purport to serve.   

 

After my recent experiences with various companies that have left me with the same feeling as Puppers regarding 'customer service' I was surprised, not to say flabbergasted this morning by making two phone calls that:

 

a. Were answered within a minute by a real person.

b. Satisfied my queries without resorting to obviously scripted responses.

c. Sorted my subsequent requirements out and didn't ask stupid questions or put me on hold so that I could listen to inane sounds purporting to be music.

d. Didn't try to sell me anything else.

 

To say that my ghast was well and truly flabbered is an understatement and that the experience took my mind off the sciatica remarkable.

 

The two companies concerned? Saga and Slaters.

 

Dave

[PhilH]

1 hour ago, PupCam said:

 

 

Sorry, been rather quiet for a few days as we've been down 'ampshere again.                                        

 

 

Nearly the proper pronunciation there, just need to remove the ‘p’ and the final ‘e’….

Edited March 31, 2023 by PhilH

[Tony_S]

41 minutes ago, Dave Hunt said:

Were answered within a minute by a real person.

b. Satisfied my queries without resorting to obviously scripted responses.

c. Sorted my subsequent requirements out and didn't ask stupid questions or put me on hold so that I could listen to inane sounds purporting to be music.

d. Didn't try to sell me anything else

A few years ago I had some appointments at the endocrinology department at our local hospital. The issue was swiftly dealt with. As far as I was concerned the instruction to reduce and stop some vitamin supplements was all I needed. Anyway another recent routine blood test must have highlighted something again, so a couple of days  I had a phone call from my gp surgery asking if I still was taking the previously prescribed vitamin D. I said I wasn’t. So my GP asked me to start again. Today I received an appointment for the endocrinology clinic in a few weeks. The appointment letter also included a blood test form. A few years ago one particular test had to be done at the hospital rather than an outpatient clinic. I rang up the blood test booking service to see what I should do. Can be done anywhere now, and can book online. Wasn’t even on hold for very long. 
The next phase of my “am I going deaf” process is booked. A nice man is coming to the house to remove the blockage in my right ear on Tuesday morning. My GP nephew has just started offering earwax removal (big demand apparently) at his surgery but a trip to Sussex can’t happen anyway as the poor lad had contracted Covid and is watching Netflix and eating Tesco meals. 

Edited March 31, 2023 by Tony_S

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Still a bit windy but the rain is holding off. Not long woken up from a rather prolonged eyelid inspection so now to catch up with a few things.

[monkeysarefun]

4 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

I belong to the former sub-species having always been very partial to the stuff. I defended its honour for 17 years in the Land of Vegemite.

Essential Vegemite facts!

 

For several years after it was introduced Vegemite failed to gain any market share over Marmite, for a short while it's creator changed its name to Parwil in order to use the corny advertising line "If  Marmite.. then  Parwil!" which made no difference to sales so it reverted back to Vegemite shortly after.

 

Popularity finally grew in  the 1930s and the brand gained official product endorsement from the British Medical Association in 1939 and began advertising in the British Medical Journal.

 

During WW2 Vegemite was mandated as an essential part of military rations and civilian supplies were cut in order to provide adequate Vegemite to the troops in North Africa and New Guinea.

 

The first grocery item barcode scanned in Australia was a jar of Vegemite in a Woolworths supermarket in Chullora NSW.

 

Many Vegemite jars have long   been designed to be re-used as drinking glasses when emptied and it is estimated that 98% of homes have at least one former Vegemite jar in with the glassware.

Edited March 31, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[Hroth]

Ears lowered, feels a little draughty...

 

[Barry O]

47 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

Essential Vegemite facts!

 

For several years after it was introduced Vegemite failed to gain any market share over Marmite, for a short while it's creator changed its name to Parwil in order to use the corny advertising line "If  Marmite.. then  Parwil!" which made no difference to sales so it reverted back to Vegemite shortly after.

 

Popularity finally grew in  the 1930s and the brand gained official product endorsement from the British Medical Association in 1939 and began advertising in the British Medical Journal.

 

During WW2 Vegemite was mandated as an essential part of military rations and civilian supplies were cut in order to provide adequate Vegemite to the troops in North Africa and New Guinea.

 

The first grocery item barcode scanned in Australia was a jar of Vegemite in a Woolworths supermarket in Chullora NSW.

 

Many Vegemite jars have long   been designed to be re-used as drinking glasses when emptied and it is estimated that 98% of homes have at least one former Vegemite jar in with the glassware.

 

Which is why I carried the biggest pot of Marmite (catering standard sized) to Australia in January for a chef friend.. why even Oz Customs are used to Brits with Marmite.. Vegemite is nowhere near as good.. of course you can also get "Our mate"  in Kiwiland.. made by Marmite... for Kiwiland only?  (Go figure!)

 

Baz

Edited March 31, 2023 by Barry O

[PupCam]

4 hours ago, PupCam said:

That is very true.   And I (nearly) always provide suitable feedback when something "isn't right".   However something, alright another thing,  that really does does irritate me is the modern way of bombarding you with requests for feed back on each and every transaction.   No, work on the basis that if something is wrong you'll be hearing about it.  If you don't hear anything it is not unreasonable for you to assume that everything is fine aka "congratulations you've done you're job adequately" or on rare occasions I may contact you to thank you when you've gone above and beyond the call of duty.      But no, I'm not going to rate every single transaction to buy some batteries, shoes, sheet metal or whatever it is  and no, on the odd occasions I'm "in store" I wouldn't like an Email receipt (just so you can flood my Email account with dross).

 

Went to the ivory sculptors this morning.    

 

Got an Email from them this afternoon; "Would I like to do a survey on how well they did?"    

 

What do you reckon .......

 

4 hours ago, PupCam said:

Whilst visiting we saw the Postal flowers we had sent previously as a gift.     After a week or so some of the buds have still not opened and now beginning to shrivel so they won't be happening.   Yep, snottogram already sent to the supplier

 

 

Had a reply to the Snottogram.   They are very sorry to hear that and are sending a bigger, better bouquet to say sorry.   Big Tick!

 

TTFNQ