Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Today I am walking on air

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No the ear is not sorted yet.

This morning I was back once more for another episode of ‘hoovering’!

Mind you, it felt more like drilling a new coal seam as Elly’s granddad did many a time, over one hundred years ago. Or maybe it was the beginning of a tunnel to the centre of the earth and out the other side to Australia.

So what has me dancing like a whirling dervish?

Today I had an email that would ensure a wealthy retirement for me and half a dozen generations after me. Wonderful. I might start by hiring my own jet, a team of pilots and stewards to cater for my every whim. Visiting every country all the way round the globe.

You do not believe me?

Here is the proof:

Dear Sole Beneficiary,

I am Charles J. Colocino Jr., a senior officer at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (USA)

I have contacted you regarding an abandoned diplomatic consignment box and the x-ray scan report box revealed some US dollar bill in it which could be approximately 12.5 Million dollars and the official paper of the box indicates your contact details. To confirm you as the authentic beneficiary and also for security Purpose, do send me your full information for crossed checking of your details with the information stated in the office.

YOUR FULL NAME, YOUR HOME ADDRESS, OCCUPATION, GENDER, YOUR HOME/MOBILE TEL NUMBER AND NEAREST AIRPORT CLOSE TO YOU,

Kindly click reply and get your correct and valid details to me as soon as you get this email. I will give you a call after my confirmation.

For your information, the box was abandoned by the diplomat who was on transit to your city because he was not able to pay the Airport clearance fee of 3,800 dollars.

I have taken it upon myself to contact you personally about this abandoned box so that we can transact this as a deal and share the total money 70% for you and 30% for me. As soon as I get the requested detail from you for verification.

I will pay the clearance fee and make arrangement for the box to be delivered to you which can be concluded within 4-6 hours after confirmation is made and upon your acceptance and willingness to co-operate. All communication must be held extremely confidential to ensure a successful delivery.

Sincerely 

Wait now… let me think this through…

  1. My name is not Sole Beneficiary.
  2. I had only one relation who went to Chicago but his name was not O’Hare nor was he part of any Diplomatic corps.
  3. Mammy always said “There was no such thing as a free lunch.

Oh well, time to pick up the knitting and stop the dreaming.

What will I wear today?

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I have spent a good half hour trying to decide what to wear today. Nothing fancy as the day will be spent cooking, preparing food for a party, ironing, cleaning windows and dancing with the vacuum & duster. All these activities will be interspersed with resting periods of crochet.

So I am looking for something suitable to don and flounce about in while I work. You know, work clothes. Fresh & clean, not worried about little spillages, yet smart enough if an unexpected Toyboy should land on my doorstep! No way do I want to spoil my image!!

I have so little to choose from these days and it is all my own fault:

Hanger sculpture

Hanger sculpture

This hanger sculpture is actual evidence of a recent brutal clear out of my wardrobes. All sorted, cleaned and gone to charity or for recycling. The only problem is that I forgot to keep an outfit or two for mucky housework!

I suppose if I am stuck, I could always wear my pyjamas turned inside out!!

 

Official Swiper

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In the last couple of weeks I had a letter from my bank. It was not to discuss my tuppence of assets in their grip.

No it was to insure I had easy access to reduce and spend it.

A spanking brand new piece of plastic was attached to the letter, a month before the old one expired. At least this new plastic did not necessitate a page of questions about my financial health and a tour of the land!!!!

This spanking brand new piece of plastic brought me up to date with the world of swiping. Making small purchases up to the value of £30, I can swipe my card on the card reader without the effort of inserting my pin number.

Just like the new shoes or sandals bought for me as a child, I loved to walk out of the shop wearing them. I was anxious to try this spanking brand new piece of plastic.

On my next visit to the local branch of Asda, I discovered they do not have the facility for the use of Swipe cards. I discovered it was the same story in other Supermarkets – Sainsbury’s and Tesco.

Lidl does have the facility, so when I have run out of almonds for baking, or feel like a crusty roll for my lunch, I know where I’ll be swiping!

Now on the mention of food and lunch, I discovered this video recently and thought it was perfect for anyone wanting to lose those winter pounds:

A Meme

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I found this finished list lurking in my ‘items to post’ folder. It must have been there at least a couple of weeks. There are several other items… begun, half finished or with just a title back there. So here we go…

My variation of Chuck’s Meme

Every answer must start with the first letter of your name. 

Name – Marie
Colour – Mustard
Career – Magistrate
Hobby – Macramé
Animal – Moose
Boys Name – Michael
Girls Name – Maxine
Drink – Margarita
Food – Monkfish
Fruit – Melon
Place – Madrid
Movie – Mission Impossible
Something you wear – Muffler
Something found in bathroom – Make-up
Reason to be late – Murdered

😆 I have not been murdered. I need to reinstate my blogging routine. I have missed the daily interaction with regular readers. Intentions are good but time is a killer right now.

Sewing alterations & repairs are my priority for today.

Over the weekend I ‘hope’ to find some time to complete a few unfinished posts for during the coming week.

 I made a phone call

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Telephone

I like talking to real people. In person. If that is not possible, then a real person on the other end of a phone will do. In this case I mean when doing business.

An ATM does not smile or say “Good Morning!”

An automated phone call with fifty two options followed by a Concerto does noting for me. If I have to continue to press buttons to complete my business, I HANG UP!

I like to speak to a real person, who can answer all my questions, with an interesting voice or accent while interacting with me. Hopefully we both come away from the call feeling better about the day.

This morning I did feel better.

Sorting through a bundle of paperwork, I discovered my renewal notice for motor insurance was due tomorrow. The reason it had not been sorted, is I was still waiting for an answer to whether I am allowed to renew my driving licence. Yes, the medical forms are still doing a tour of Northern Ireland before the final decision is made and I am informed. 🙁 If the licence is declined, there would be no reason for motor insurance.

Living in hope, I phone the insurance company to renew coverage for another year.

I spoke to a delightful young man (DYM). I gave him my policy number and said I wanted to give him money. He laughed and asked the required questions to make sure we were on the same page.

I then enquired if he could do better for me than the figure I had in front of me.

DYM – “Now let me see… I can reduce it to £xxx.xx” he said.

Me – “ I am always surprised that if I ask, the renewal cost is always reduced, yet if I say nothing the full amount would be taken, without comment.”

DYM – “It is a discretionary reduction. There is no obligation to give it. A customer who has been with us just a year or two would get a small reduction. Since you have been with us for a good number of years then the reduction is worth more for you.”

So I happily gave him the long number on my card and answered his other questions.

Today I have £51.53 to play with all because I made a phone call and asked for a reduction. It would not have happened if I paid by direct debit.

Family weirdness

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I had an idea for a lighter post today, it began like this:

Granny had a coal hole – that wasn’t.

Nana had folding doors that didn’t

I had an under-the-stairs… in a house with no stairs.

I hope this gene skipped my Elly!

£$€£$€£$€

Over the next few days, I hope to tell you more about them…

Then it will be your turn.

That was one heck of a long day!

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It is over a month since I metaphorically put pen to paper.

On the 7th January I was preparing to renew my driving licence. The form had arrived and it had like me, certainly changed in the last ten years. I had more questions to answer. I answered all the questions honestly and decided to drive to Coleraine on the north Coast, through a dull grey day to hand in my application form and the requisite payment for the next few years.

A very helpful young man spent some time going over the form and went away to check with the medical department if I needed a form to be filled in by my doctor. I did. I came away home with my money (fee) and the medical form. That was the 18th January.

I delivered this form for medical information, a payment claim form for the GP, a copy of the health questions I had ticked and a covering letter addressed to the Doctor, to his secretary on the morning of 19th January.

Two and a half weeks and many reminder phone calls later… the completed form was returned to me yesterday at 5 p.m – a day before my licence was due to expire. I posted it off this morning and followed up with a phone call to the NI licensing office.

They have extended my existing licence for a couple of weeks until they have vetted and checked the letter I put in the post today. Fingers crossed there will be no more hiccups.

Work for today

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Have a photograph (passport size, in colour) for the renewal of my driving licence.

Gather the items I need for identification purposes,

Fill the now two page form…

I never remember having to answer all those questions on health in past years, but it is important and necessary to keep us all safe on the road.

No more ten year licences for me… I may well have to do it all again when I reach seventy years of age.

 

Saving

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This morning I am running late, not exactly running, more of a crawling pace and I am not facing the first day back at work. I am off for some knitting & nattering. Sure you never know I might come home with a story…

In the mean time, a little something I came across on Facebook yesterday:

Penny Jar

Penny Jar

Alas my jar full of colourful buttons won’t buy much cake..

This year, I think I’ll change the contents!

Wee Wimmin’s Worries.

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Over the past few days I was far too busy thinking and you know some thing…

I came up with answers to a few major Problems!

As we wee wimmin grow older mature like good wine, several things happen to us and we keep blaming ourselves when they are not really our fault!

We wake up each morning with our hair standing on end and a hole in the middle of it. This is due to the fact our brains have collected so much knowledge down the years that our heads grow heavier. when we lie down, the hair is flattened to spread like sun-rays on the pillow.

And another problem…

As we mature, we grow down a little. First gravity squeezes the bits between the bones of the spine making them shrink. 🙁

Add to that, if there is any space left, that we are carrying around an amazing amount of information:

  • To-do lists, ideas of how to get our husbands to think they ‘want’ to help us with the chores, the garden and the car!
  • Then there are all the wurds for scrabble that we learned in the bukes we read.
  • The gossipy news to share with our hubbies… and the information we need to remember NOT to tell them… like the new handbag, gloves, scarf that we snuck into the back of the wardrobe, never mind the new boots we have our eye on to buy next week! 😉

Let me explain…

When the bits between the bones shrink there is less vertical space for all the ‘soft’ bits to sit neatly in place. Then a heavy head acts like an elephant sitting on a jam do-nut…. the soft bits flatten and spread horizontally!

So there you have it.. we are not Fat at all.

We are informative and walking cuddly cushions!