Snow Hill

So rather that employ staff at a decent wage to answer customer calls, P&O utilise systems which irritate the hell out of people. I spent some years when working installing phone systems for my employer the rule we had that the was only 4 options on the menu and choosing the correct one would take you through to an agent. The systems in place now in many businesses are not user friendly and customers are not having to resort to all sorts of tricks in order to bypass them, same with these bots on website chats.

Currently 2C and glorious blue skies and sunshine, our south facing dining room currently 19C heated curtesy of the sun. We went to Dobbies yesterday and whilst there had one of their “Old Fogies” lunches as my FiL used to call them, which consists of a main meal and a cake, we also used our monthly free drink vouchers. However later in the afternoon both myself & OH started to feel queasy, the only thing we ate in common was the Fish & Chips, as I was up in the night feeling sick and still off colour this morning I am thinking it was the fish that caused it. Also noticed that spook appears to have returned to our bedroom, we found the usual bottle of perfume teetering on the edge of the shelf this morning, it usually at the back of the 4 inch wide shelf. I got my mini spirit level out this morning no slope on the shelf, not being moved by vibrations. 👻👻

It’s the process that a Private Equity Group such as Lloyds Development Capital undertake they invest in a company for a set time then at some stage will put it up for sale in order to realise their investment. Usually happens 8 to 10 years after the original investment. In this case they invested in the travel agency in 2015, so eight later they are looking to move the business on. This the way PE works, not a default on payment. I won’t link to the LDC portfolio in case this breaches rules, but you can find it via a well known search engine, but it does seem a success story.

Getting chillier outside, dropped to 3C, so decided time to come back inside, however did manage to quite a bit done. Cut down the Dahlias that had been blackened by the overnight frost, tucked them up in their winter lancet of straw and a bell cloche to protect tubers from freezing. Those on the opposite side of garden seemed not have been touched by the frost and still have flowers, see if they are blackened by tonight’s forecasted frost. Checked over the winter cabbage, raised the netting as seems pigeons have been pecking through. Cleared some of the empty pots, trays etc from greenhouse to give me room to start putting up the insulation as some of my plants will be overwintered in there. Filled up bird feeders, the local Robin was quick to notice feeders now full and got first dibs. Time for a cuppa.

They have separate banking licences, the Lloyds Banking Group consists of 3 Banks, Lloyds, Bank of Scotland and Halifax. Lloyds has a separate Bsnking Licence, whilst BoS & Halifax share a licence.

Already being rolled out in parts of the country https://www.postoffice.co.uk/bankinghubs

Apart from the 2 youngest, the other 7 prefer us to transfer money to their respective accounts as they don’t do cash.!

This study of gels, foams and soaps against viruses makes interesting reading, especially it reference to Norovirus which appears to be the most resistant to all forms of hand cleansers except bleach, which of course is not a sensible option for washing your hands with. https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/gentle-cleansers-kill-viruses-effectively-harsh-soaps-study-finds#:~:text=Despite the widespread use of,simplex virus%2C norovirus and influenza.

Sitting having breakfast this morning gazing out on the garden when out local female Sparrowhawk dived in and snapped up her breakfast, not sure bird she took no doubt feathers on the lawn behind the rockery will give me a clue later.

Which gel is that, as most healthcare experts say gel is ineffective against Norovirus and only effective hand washing with soap & water is effective against the virus

It’s probably because they have invested in snow clearance kit as they know there is a guarantee of snow or ice every year and it won’t be sitting round idle, unlike in the U.K. where some years we get little or no snow except possibly in Scotland.

Are they from the planet Liguria? Give one if the earlier comments hopefully there will no Klingons present.💩 😂

My step daughter has a Hyundai Kona Hybrid, she loves it, gets average of 60+ mpg.

Defrosting freezer a job I used to hate, when we bought our freezer over 10 years ago we opted for a no frost upright one, it was replaced recently with another no frost one, no more kneeling on the floor or bending over and nearly falling into a chest freezer scraping out the ice.

The last time I visited a branch of my bank was back in 2012, I have been using online since 2007, I worked for a bank and worked on the implementation of online banking. It was fairly basic then, still had to use a branch to pay in cash or cheques, now I scan the cheques in, I hardly use cash anymore except for small purchases, my local independent convenience store doesn’t take cards for less than £5, although the Coop Convenience around the corner does.

Yes there are some manufacturers with diesel engines before 2015 that are compliant.

Just seen the Tesco Christmas Ad, no celebs, it’s on their landing page online. Quite like it, better than some that are currently around. https://www.tesco.com

Petrol Cars after 2006 onwards are exempt, as are diesels cars from built after Sept 2015, and vans after Sept 2016. So it’s not every vehicle that pays the £12.50 in London as some in the media and elsewhere would have you believe. Birmingham has a Clean Air Emission Zone, their fee is £8 if you are driving a vehicle which doesn’t meet above standards. Cars 40 years old or more can get an exemption.

No longer buy Cadbury chocolate, partly because they seemed to have added wheat to their recipe, which means my OH can’t eat it. Apparently Mars own Whiskas, hopefully they hever mix the recipes up. 🤮

That’s an eye watering amount for drinks, think we would be checking in to a clinic on return to sort liver out. 😂

I have used a walking stick from time to time as a assistive device, as my physio call it. I have on occasions had inflammation of the tendons in my knee, the result of a football injury in my late teens. I used the stick as a balance aid when standing still, not when walking, although I do us walking poles when out walking in the countryside. I don’t need any assistance walking and would feel insulted if there was a suggestion that they were defined as mobility aids, when they are not. I have taken my walking poles with me when we went to Norway, does it mean I have to declare them as a mobility aid ?

One reason we only book cruises with the minimal number of sea days, which means we often settle for a fly cruise.

Are P&O trying to put off those who have minor Mobil issues from travelling with them? My understanding of a a walking stick, is that is an assistive device not a mobility aid. Suspect the the form was written by someone without a medical back ground.

Well that was a whole day wasted waiting for ParcelForce to deliver, email said printer would be delivered today, at 4pm got a message to say parcel now at hub ready to be passed to delivery office, so despite the website and an email saying it will be delivered today, it turns out it won’t be after all. Will see what tomorrow brings.

I have been using Windows 11 for a while now, I find it better than Windows 10 had no issues with it. As for the Mail update it’s independent of Windows 11 so will eventually apply to both sets of users. I have been using Outlook for some years as part of the Office suite, the Mail app now mirrors what I have been using for sone years now. The windows 11 update on my laptop took just under 3 mins to install this evening, so no need to leave on overnight.