Tuesday 30 April 2013

Time's flying, errors, two of everything is not needed



30 April 2013

Well, just look at that date!  It's the end of April already.  Where on earth is all the time going?  No wonder I'm feeling knackered ;-)))

We writers are always being told to produce manuscripts that are as near faultless as we can.  In today's post there's my copy of Writing Magazine.  I shall be going through it with my red pen to hand this time.  Why?  I'm currently reading James Herbert's Ash, and a cracking story it is too, well worth buying guys n gals.  Anyway, as I've read it I've found quite a few errors in it, missing words mainly, a few items where upper case should have been used and so on.  So the question arises, is it just the lesser or unknown writer who has to be spot on with their work?  Herbert isn't the only writer I've found errors creeping into work; Tom Clancy - especially now he's writing with a co-writer; Peter James; Ian Rankin; Michael Connelly, and a lot more too.  It makes me wonder if having been a successful writer they stop really caring.  I hope not!

Both Jan and I have Motability cars.  This allows us to go off and do what we want.  Normally we go together for birding and photography but tomorrow is an example of where us having our own cars really helps.  Jan is driving down to Ringwood in Hampshire for the day to see her sister.  I'm not really one for visiting people like that so while Jan is off tomorrow I shall take the opportunity to drive to Brum for a few hours to do a bit snapping with my camera.  Sunday's is another day when I go off while Jan is at church.  See, it does help.  The thing is ...

Motability who supplies the cars, is a charity.  Every three months are so they send out a magazine called Lifestyle.  It's an interesting read too.  But do we really need a copy each?  Surely it can be sorted so that where there are agreements in place at one address in the same surname, they can sort it out that only one magazine is sent out.  I even used to get it when I had my scooter on the scheme.  Motability is not the only who could save cash by trying up addresses.  We are members of Warwickshire Wild Life Trust; we are also members of Norfolk Wildlife Trust and at one time we were members of Lancashire Wildlife trust.  We used to get copies of each of their magazines come through the post.  But each trust is linked to the National Wildlife Trust.  So as well as each individual county mag we also got a copy of the national mag too.  Two copies of one mag is really daft, three copies is plainly stupid!

So now I have to find another photo ... 

shoots on a tree at Attenborough.  The tree itself has been heavily cut back, right down to about a foot above ground level.  If the intention was to kill the three, it clearly hasn't worked!

And a funny for today ...

It has recently been discovered that the most common sexual position for married couples is the Doggie. This is where the husband sits up and begs, whilst the wife rolls over and plays dead.              

Monday 29 April 2013

Parry Hotter, mail dleivery and TNT



29 April 2013

I'm late today I know ... sorry ...

School uniforms are getting sillier by the day it seems.  This morning's News has the story of Hartshill School now has a different coloured tie for each of its houses.  How daft can any one head teacher be?  O}Perhaps he's a Parry Hotter fan and has OD'ed on the DVDs?  Whatever, it's crazy!

Just sat and watched this week's Despatches on Channel 4.  An interesting show showing just how poor some of the private mail and parcel companies are.  A UK Mail depot in Bournemouth was filmed for a month and they showed clear footage of parcels clearly marked as fragile being thrown around the depot, and falling off the conveyor belt they use while staff stood and watched and laughed about.  One parcel contained bottles of wine at £400 a bottle.  One bottle broke so the rest should have been returned to the sender but that was before the staff got their hands on some it.  One of the said that it would be on eBay later that day. 

TNT hasn't improve any it seems.  Now they are delivering letters from the NHS and Barclays Bank as well as other high profile companies.  Deliveries are left unsecured on bikes outside of companies while the postys goes inside to deliver to the addresses inside building.  The worry with the letters from the NHS being delayed or lost is obvious of course.  The worry about letters from banks being left unsecured should also be a worry too.

I first came across TNT when I worked for Interlink in Bed'th.  As far as I am aware they still have a good reputation for their service and lack of insurance claims made against them.  TNT however were a different kettle of fish!  One Saturday I had a delivery to company who repaired HGV trucks.  When I got there I asked the manager if he used a courier company.  "Yes," he said, "I use TNT."  "I'm sure we are cheaper than they are," I replied.  !In know you are but 
I can't afford to use you.  You see, if I know I have a truck coming in on Wednesday for new engine or gearbox to fitted say, I would order then component to arrive here by Monday.  But I know that TNT won't get it here until Wednesday morning when I actually need it.  They have failed on their contract and I get the delivery fee refunded.  I can be sure you would get it here on time and I would have to pay.  Why pay for something if you can get it for free?"  There was no point in pressing the case.

Parcel Farce was just as bad, and no, that isn't a typo!  Far too many examples of their silly game to mention.  What puzzles me is how they make any money out of it all. 

Even so Interlink was open to a lot of fiddles for those so inclined.  An example ... I have always wanted a large Yamaha electric piano thingy.  One morning I arrived and started sorting my deliveries and found I had eight small and four large such pianos.  What we drivers did was to use a scanner to scan the barcode on each parcel and that gives a clear chain of receipt and so on.  But what would happen if I only scanned eight small and 3 large boxes?  All I had to say was that there was only 3 large boxes, not four at the manifest said there was.  Who can prove otherwise?  Another time I had 25 computers on board for a shop in Dorktown.  How easy would it be for one to go missing?  I would hope by now that all of these gaps have been closed.  But the thing is, I'm an honest man.  One boss I had once told me I was too honest for my own good.  But if I could see such holes, how much more could someone who was wasn't honest? 

So, a photo ... 

was this a lovers tiff?

And a funny ...

The NHS have started to give old men Viagra to stop them rolling out of bed.         

Sunday 28 April 2013

A new GP, a missed appointment and Kiles sneaky beaky snapping and



28 April 2013

Follow on the GP saga - we have been accepted by the new GPs.  The Grange is a lot closer than Red Roofs and therefore easier to get to.  On Tuesday afternoon we have an appointment with the practice nurse for a new patient medical.  We are now hoping that everything to do with Jan's stoma care supplies will settle down thereby cutting our stress levels.  I do have one more appointment at Red Roofs for an aneurism screening.  That is being run by a different set of people and nothing to do with the practice there other than using their building.

Another health related item though ... I read in the Dorktown News about a screening session for prostate cancer and seeing I'm in the age range for it I gave them a call and they fitted me in at a 1.45 ... opps ... I forgot and at 1.45 we were sat have a drink and slice of cake at Attenborough.  I'll see what the new GP can do with that one now.

Yesterday we did go to Attenborough near to Nottingham.  We had a bit of job finding the place seeing as I came off the M1 at the wrong junction.  When did finally get there we had a great time - even if we did get a bit damp during the showers.  Kile loved it again.  We let him use one of our Nikon compacts, usually the Coolpix 5100.  He total 126 shots yesterday including one of me while I was driving home; sneaky beaky shot that one and he is very pleased with it.  Only 29 species of birds but six for the year so not a bad three hours birding.  Jan and I are planning going there again sometime on a weekday.  It was very busy yesterday. 

Today I was thinking of going out and doing some photos but after yesterday I'm feeling a tad tired.  And seeing as there's a good bit to do here I am staying in and having a lazy(ish) day instead.  I've also got Kile's home to do as well.  Let me explain there ... his task for this weekend is to is to ask one his family to name a city they have visited and to say what they liked and disliked about.  Now, my hand writing is pretty poor and Jan's is pretty small, so I'll type it up and he can copy it out as the teacher wants it.  Biggest problem is making sound like a nine year old has written it, and not a honours graduate ;-)))  Fun eh ... ... ...

Toady's photo is this ... 

a wild primrose we found at Cley.  I was also surprised to see so much cow's slip around there too.  Surprised but pleased though.

Now for a funny - but I got told off by Jan for the 'GameBoy' one from the other day ... sorry if it upset anyone; it was not meant too.

Forty travellers arrive at the Pearly Gates in their Transit vans and caravans.  St Peter goes into the gatehouse and phones up GOD, saying: 'I've got 40 travellers here. Can I let them in?'
GOD replies 'We are over our quota on Pikeys.  Go back out to the Pearly Gates and tell them to choose among themselves which are the 12 most worthy, and I will let just the dozen in."
Less than a minute later St Peter is on the phone to GOD again.
'They've gone', he tells GOD.
'What?' says GOD, 'All 40 of them?'
'No, the Pearly Gates'.

Friday 26 April 2013

Kile, birding and a change of GP practice



26 April 2013

Jan is getting more and more stressed out over Red Roofs GP practice.  They are continuing to be difficult over her stoma prescription.  Yesterday I collected our normal monthly medication from our pharmacy to find that they had also issued three boxes of stoma bags that they normally don't supply.  However, the bags are of no use to Jan seeing as she was taken off them a few weeks after the operation.  And so it goes on.  This morning she is going to another GP practice to see about moving there.  If they have a diabetes clinic or nurse then I shall be moving there too.  The thing is, my family have been with Red Roofs since before WW2.  In all the 64 years I have used them I have never experienced such poor care services. 

We are due to have Kile this weekend.  Tomorrow will be another birding day and we will be taking him to Attenborough reserve just outside Nottingham.  I took Kile birding to Brandon Marsh last year sometime and he has kept on about going birding again.  He'll get his wish tomorrow.  At least then we won't be stuck in here with him playing the Wll or whatever.  It should be a good day.  Sunday he'll go to church with Jan and I shall disappear off for the day - but I don't know where yet; somewhere where I can get lots of photos.  Out of the 110 I got on Wednesday I managed to get 12 that are of any use - ah well ... ... ...

There's been hardly anything to write about in the Dorktown News this week, that's mainly why I haven't mentioned it before.  However, there is one story to merit a word or two.  A burglar has been arrested after a nationwide series of robberies in churches across the UK.  When he was arrested he had ordnance survey maps showing churches across Yorkshire highlighted.  The crimes began just one day after being released from a jail.  He's got another four years to dream up another load of robberies now.  But when he was arrested he complained about churches not being so lucrative as targets now that they were banging their money much more often.  Cheeky sod!

A photo for today ... 

part of a block of flats in Dorktown.

Funny time ...

I was driving this morning when I saw an RAC van parked up. The driver was sobbing uncontrollably and looked very miserable. I thought to myself ‘that guy’s heading for a breakdown’.