Yet again the bin men have gone above and beyond, bless 'em. The lid design of the recycling bin means that it frequently blows open with even a moderate blast and takes the bin with it. Fed up of retrieving the bin and its (minimal, one reason why it blows over so easily) contents I now use a bungee strap to hold the lid closed in windy weather. It isn't always possible to take it off before the van arrives though if the wind is bad, as it is today, but the chaps undo the strap, empty the bin and then, more often than not, fasten it again. I managed to catch them this morning to thank them and wish them Happy Christmas. Big smiles and "you're fine, we don't mind, it's better than having rubbish blowing up and down the road". Also, from their point of view it saves having to heave a prone bin upright to get it to the van.
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Almost brand new JVC Dolby B-C NR HX Pro twin cassette player obtained locally on Gum Tree now installed and working fully up to expectations. My old model, also a JVC, generously donated to me by my ex-neighbours some fifteen years ago, finally conked when both motors seized up, though I did get one month's grace after a godsend of a local repair man did a temporary job to free up one of the motors. The model I had in mind is going new in the region of £388-400, so was lucky locating this one within 3 miles of where I live for just £100, even though I had to carry it all the way home, being too large to fit zippably into my back pack. The arrangement I've rigged up, plugging into the amp of an old Sony hi-fi system I also connect to a separate DVD player, but now otherwise only usable for its FM radio and record deck, serves me adequately for my 1000+ audio cassettes, some of them more than 45 years old but still in good condition (despite what experts will doubtless claim).
I seem to be creating a houseful of re-purposed and recycled necessities, including a bedside radio alarm and modernistic table lamp, both recovered from our wheely bins, which only needed patience with figuring out programming the former and replacing the dud plug fuses; a double element cooking unit found dumped in bushes two months ago; two 30-years old dressing gowns, two sleeveless pullovers (one originally knitted by my mother for my father when I was small), a woolen rug/blanket given to me by an aunt for boarding school when I was 9 (which lost its tassles and has needed a lot of BBC1 Repair Shop-type restoration), and any number of socks. Reels of cotton can go a long way, and much satisfaction is to be gained from not giving in to the throwaway society.Comment
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S_A That sounds marvellous what a miraculous miracle....very pleased for you, so glad you can now put it out of your mind and get back to listerning....I only wish I was in the same situation....my house Low Fi (hangs head in shame)....bong chingComment
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No other good news from our contributers for some time now, so I thought I'd cheer everybody up by reporting that my internet crash last night was quickly rectified (and put right!) after just now discovering a plug disconnected on my landline. I had thought last night's gale might have been the cause. Oh and my energy provider is to reduce my double fuel deduction by £100+ from the start of March. They're not one of the firms recommended by Uswitch a couple of years ago when prices suddenly escalated generally beyond reason, but had been recommended for efficient services such as fast call-outs and decent online query and other responses. I hope these reductions are now happening across the sector in these times of cost hikes more generally - it's about time.Comment
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It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.Comment
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Prices are supposed to come down from April as the price cap drops.Good to hear of a drop, but since energy use will be dropping noticeably at that time of year anyway the effect is much more limited than it would have been during the colder months, and doubtless the cap will rise again towards the end of the year...
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I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but around this part of England I've been relieved to see no e-scooters recently. A year or so ago it seemed we were to be infested with them. I wonder if it's a passing fad, and those who bought them have realised that they're over-priced and dangerous, and maybe they have a short life (like some of their riders).Comment
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I've been noticing this too. However, I am wondering if this may partly be explained by the recent very wet weather making their use more dangerous?Originally posted by smittims View PostComment
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Could be the weather. Our council changed over and contracted a different company to provide them a year or so ago, so I don't think they intend to abandon the idea.Originally posted by Serial_Apologist View PostIt isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.Comment
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Your council provides e-scooters? I thought they were illegal!Comment
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It is illegal to ride a privately owned e-scooter on the road or pavement.
With a local authority agreement, hire scooters from a registered provider my be ridden on the road in a given location (city or town).Comment
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Ah yes, thanks, I had heard about trial schemes, but there isn't one here. I had absolutely no success last year or the year before trying to get the police to take any action against the riders; I had eventually concluded that, like smoking at railway stations , it was a law no-one really wanted. Maybe the police were waiting for them to be made legal, or anticipating a decline in use. I don't think I've seen one this year so far, so I'm hopeful.Comment
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To my enormous surprise a typed conversation -part chatbot part with human - with Vodafone this morning secured much better and cheaper phone contracts. The only drawback - it took 1hour 50 minutes to complete. A phone call could have polished it all off in less than half the time.Comment
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By coincidence exactly the same for me on this very day! Likewise a big reduction from Vodafone, and likewise it took a long time to do the operation, partly because I had misled all my logging details and had to go through an online written query conversation, though I do have to say the guy was very patient and generous with his time, so I geve high points in the after quality questionnaire.Originally posted by gradus View Post
This is the right way to treat customer loyalty.Comment
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So pleased to hear about this U-turn - but why were visas denied in the first place?
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