One time we had a washing machine drum replaced under warranty, and the chap said he wasn't allowed to take the old drum away but he suggested leaving it out on the drive visible from the road. It had gone by the next day. I think there's an unwritten understanding that anything left out like that is there for the taking.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Pondering this morning ⊠human beings are such odd creatures ⊠this need to control, from drawing lines on maps and deciding who can be where, to being perfectly happy to spend lots of money buying seeds and grains from across the globe to feed some birds but getting upset when other birds eat the leaves from trees growing in our gardens âŠ
The way the world is going there may well come a time when weâre planting trees purposely to feed the few birds we have left ⊠but at the moment thatâs not what the trees are there for đ or is it âŠ.đ€Â
We have an elderberry tree at the end of the garden, and it's not there for us. It is solely there for the wildlife. It certainly attracts the birds. I did try using the elderberries one year, but the resulting jam was unpopular, and the number of birds dropped.Â
We have a field behind our garden, used by some of the local schools. Over the next week they will be holding various sports days.
Today there has been a party of workers preparing the field. The grass has been cut, the lines painted, and then a man has been walking back and forth with a leaf blower, blowing the cut grass off the track.Â
What's the point? Almost immediately the wind is blowing the grass back onto the track. What a waste of time, money, and the world's resources!! Surely it would have been better to use a mower to collect the cut grass, rather than blow it off - only for it to blow back again, it being a windy day.
No one seems to have any common sense these days. We used to say look after the next generation as they are our future, Â not so sure what our future will be like, Â no wonder someone invented AI. They obviously saw what was coming.Â
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.Â
They reduced my electric bill from ÂŁ48.00 to ÂŁ26.00, Â now they say IÂ must have a meter fitted! Â No, Â I mustnât if I donât want one.Â
@Lyn I had an email from British Gas telling me that somebody was coming to install smart meters on a certain date and I could change the date online. There was no option to cancel completely so I phoned BG and finally got to speak to a real person. I said I didn't want a smart meter plus I was going into hospital and didn't know when would be convenient even if I'd wanted one. They said it was my choice and they would put a note on my account to to contact me again. Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago and I got and e-mail from BG....... This time I simply ignored the e-mail and nobody is coming into my house to change anything.
@Joyce Goldenlily the Welsh NHS has a worse reputation that the English version but my niece's experience had been exactly the opposite. When living in Wales she had what she thought was just a bad cough and cold. She took a few days off and then went back to work. Her boss said she looked and sounded awful and should see her doctor. My niece phoned her surgery and was given a same day appointment. The doctor then immediately referred her too hospital, and she actually drove herself there. She had pneumonia, and it was severe. She was in hospital for 2 weeks and was told by the consultant that if she had waited a few more hours she probably wouldn't have survived. She was told she must have chest x-rays every 6 months for 2 years. Within a few months she moved back to England, registered with a local GP and got an appointment to see a doctor there. She told him her history and asked about getting a chest x-ray. The GP was totally dismissive and said "We don't do that here!" She hasn't had an x-ray in the 18 months since she moved back despite having numerous chest infections, all treated with antibiotics.
KT, Â they can turn up here with one, Â they wonât get in, Â I understand they work on a mobile phone signal, Â we donât have that little privilege here.Â
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.Â
Just back after a week away so picking up on some of the content here.
On the subject of the NHS I think it's fair to say there are good and bad medical staff and processes just as there are in every other walk of life.
The GP I saw at our local surgery put me on the list for hip replacement sooner than she really should have, on the basis that if I waited until it was really bad I would be in agony by the time I had the OP. I have now had the OP at a local private hospital but NHS funded and everything is great. I got exactly the same treatment as private patients including a course of physiotherapy which wouldn't have been provided if the op was done at an NHS hospital.Â
No wonder insurance premiums are so high. I recently lost my wedding ring and put in a claim. The insurer passed the claim on to their 'jewellery assessor partner' who have advised me they will manufacture a bespoke item for a little under £2k. This is a plain gold band with a matt/brushed finish!
How did you manage that @KT53? I haven't been able to get mine off for about 20 years!!  haven't been able to get my engagement ring back on for years either - arthritic knuckle - so i've just paid to have that and a good half dozen of my favourite rings enlarged so I can wear them again.
Posts
So, we leave it.Â
Today there has been a party of workers preparing the field.
The grass has been cut, the lines painted, and then a man has been walking back and forth with a leaf blower, blowing the cut grass off the track.Â
What's the point? Almost immediately the wind is blowing the grass back onto the track. What a waste of time, money, and the world's resources!! Surely it would have been better to use a mower to collect the cut grass, rather than blow it off - only for it to blow back again, it being a windy day.
Is this what the British have come to?
We used to say look after the next generation as they are our future, Â not so sure what our future will be like, Â no wonder someone invented AI. They obviously saw what was coming.Â