WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Tizer]

`Your pictures on the theme of 'railways'' BBC

[Stanley]

Despite continuing to refuse to pay for Prime, the torch I bought yesterday was delivered today in under 24 hours.
(My god! It's powerful!)

[PanBiker]

Told you they were impressive.

[Stanley]

You were right!

[Stanley]

Couldn't resist it, tried the torch out last night, it's like a war time searchlight! I think my old Rubbolite that has served me well for years is heading for the bin.
What grabbed me this morning is that we have no wind! What a relief....
I heard that report about farmers being redundant and exploded. Obviously the man knows absolutely nothing about farming or the farmers benefit to society. He has also missed the fact that without them we would have starved during the war. I wish such people would keep their opinions to themselves.

[PanBiker]

Is your torch one of the models with the attack / defence ring around the front lens? Many tactical models have this feature which can also be used to break vehicle glass, ideal for emergency entry or exit.

[Tizer]

Perhaps you all know this and I'm the only one who missed the news - 33,000 mattresses were illegally dumped in the UK last year, many of them simply dumped in the street. 60,000 have been dumped in the last 5 years. 600,000 are sent to Scottish landfill sites each year. A charity `calculates that the number of mattresses disposed of in Scotland would, if stacked on top of each other, be about 100 times taller than Ben Nevis, which at 1,345m is the highest mountain in the British Isles.' English councils spend £58 million a year on clear-up, with mattresses among the most commonly illegally dumped items.

This article gives some explanation for these incredible figures...
`The mattress landfill crisis: how the race to bring us better beds led to a recycling nightmare' Guardian

[Tripps]

I was going to post that link a few weeks ago, but didn't.
It explains why the 'pinned' adverts on the local Gumtree, and perhaps other areas too, are always for 'brand new looking' mattresses - delivered if required.

New looking beds

The most important word there is 'looking'.

There was a time here within my recollection, when a phone call to the Council, and they would collect a mattress free of charge. Now they charge Bulky item collection Example £30 for a three seater sofa (that's imaginative) . I'd say that's high enough to make it unrealistic for some folk.

[PanBiker]

I am waiting for a small package delivering that I bought on Ebay over a week ago. It is a battery holder for three 18650 batteries and as such is about the size to go in a small jiffy bag. I made a conscious effort to order this from a UK source, (Manchester in this case).

I ordered it on the 22nd February. Instead of sticking a stamp on a small jiffy bag, my battery holder was picked up by Yodel on the 23rd of February and taken to it's Hatfield (Hertfordshire) distribution centre, it took four days and arrived there on the 27th February. It was then sent to Yodels Preston depot arriving on the 28th February, tracking says it is still there on 29th February whatever Saturday Business Address means? Then nothing, not yet out for delivery!

Tracking data below is in reverse order, I will give them another day but I reckon they have lost it!

It's 40 miles from Manchester to Barlick, just saying!

----------------------------------------------------------------
29 Feb 2020
10:13am

Saturday Business Address
PRESTON SERVICE CENTRE (YODEL)
----------------------------------------------------------------
28 Feb 2020
10:35am

This Parcel is in the Service Centr
PRESTON SERVICE CENTRE (YODEL)
----------------------------------------------------------------
28 Feb 2020
3:52am

Arrived At Depot
PRESTON SERVICE CENTRE (YODEL)
----------------------------------------------------------------
27 Feb 2020
7:40pm

Departed Depot
HATFIELD TERMINAL
----------------------------------------------------------------
27 Feb 2020
7:25pm

Arrived At Depot
HATFIELD TERMINAL
-----------------------------------------------------------------
23 Feb 2020
1:13pm

In transit to Yodel
CUSTOMER LOCATION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
22 Feb 2020
12:00am

Parcel data received awaiting coll.
HAYES SERVICE CENTRE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
22 Feb 2020
11:04pm

Tracking number provided
-----------------------------------------------------------------

[PanBiker]

There was a time here within my recollection, when a phone call to the Council, and they would collect a mattress free of charge. Now they charge Bulky item collection Example £30 for a three seater sofa (that's imaginative) . I'd say that's high enough to make it unrealistic for some folk.

Pendle Council introduced a charge for collection of bulky items but our currently controlled Labour Borough Council has now scrapped the charges in the recently agreed budget. There is a fine line between the cost of free collection and that of clearing up all the fly tipping that charging for the service creates.

[Big Kev]

I am waiting for a small package delivering that I bought on Ebay over a week ago. It is a battery holder for three 18650 batteries and as such is about the size to go in a small jiffy bag. I made a conscious effort to order this from a UK source, (Manchester in this case).

I ordered it on the 22nd February. Instead of sticking a stamp on a small jiffy bag, my battery holder was picked up by Yodel on the 23rd of February and taken to it's Hatfield (Hertfordshire) distribution centre, it took four days and arrived there on the 27th February. It was then sent to Yodels Preston depot arriving on the 28th February, tracking says it is still there on 29th February whatever Saturday Business Address means? Then nothing, not yet out for delivery!

Tracking data below is in reverse order, I will give them another day but I reckon they have lost it!

It's 40 miles from Manchester to Barlick, just saying!

----------------------------------------------------------------
29 Feb 2020
10:13am

Saturday Business Address
PRESTON SERVICE CENTRE (YODEL)
----------------------------------------------------------------
28 Feb 2020
10:35am

This Parcel is in the Service Centr
PRESTON SERVICE CENTRE (YODEL)
----------------------------------------------------------------
28 Feb 2020
3:52am

Arrived At Depot
PRESTON SERVICE CENTRE (YODEL)
----------------------------------------------------------------
27 Feb 2020
7:40pm

Departed Depot
HATFIELD TERMINAL
----------------------------------------------------------------
27 Feb 2020
7:25pm

Arrived At Depot
HATFIELD TERMINAL
-----------------------------------------------------------------
23 Feb 2020
1:13pm

In transit to Yodel
CUSTOMER LOCATION
-----------------------------------------------------------------
22 Feb 2020
12:00am

Parcel data received awaiting coll.
HAYES SERVICE CENTRE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
22 Feb 2020
11:04pm

Tracking number provided
-----------------------------------------------------------------

It'll probably turn up today

[PanBiker]

Not yet marked as out for delivery.

[Tripps]

our currently controlled Labour Borough Council

Are they in control or in coalition with the Libdems, as there seem to be more Tory than Labour councilors on Pendle Borough Council. How does it work?

[PanBiker]

In coalition but Labour have the lead.

[Tripps]

I see - thanks for that. So you can come second and still end up in charge. Though the Tories pulled a stroke to get their previous majority of one didn't they? What goes round. . . .

I note that David Whipp (late of this parish), is 2 i/c. I treasure the photo of hm 'dusting' the Square with a Henry Hoover. Does he wear his trademark shorts for Council meetings?

Pendle Council

[PanBiker]

It'll probably turn up today

You could be right now Kev, just checked and it is now marked as out for delivery from Preston. :smile

Just have to be vigilant now that they don't chuck it in any of my bins which seems to be par for the course with Yodel.

[PanBiker]

I see - thanks for that. So you can come second and still end up in charge. Though the Tories pulled a stroke to get their previous majority of one didn't they? What goes round. . . .

I note that David Whipp (late of this parish), is 2 i/c. I treasure the photo of hm 'dusting' the Square with a Henry Hoover. Does he wear his trademark shorts for Council meetings?

Pendle Council

Indeed the Tories re-instated a councillor who was previously suspended on racist issues.

With regard to D. Whipp, the photo was staged for propaganda purposes and yes he does live in his shorts regardless of the circumstance of his service. I have seen him with a pair of strides on but it is the exception rather than the rule. He tends to frequent FB land now, (over multiple sites like a rash to be quite honest). More mileage in social media circles.

[Tripps]

More mileage in social media circles

Yes - but more quality on here.

[PanBiker]

But not as many votes Tripps.

On my delivery saga - I have just received an email from Yodel with updated tracking information. I can see now why the delivery drivers use drop and run tactics especially if they are on penalty for not hitting targets!

The unfortunate who has my parcel is in Colne and on drop 21 of 139 deliveries and he, (or she) has another 71 to deliver before they get to me! That by my reckoning puts me at number 93 in the list of 139. Blood out of a stone comes to mind.

I repeat, Manchester to Barlick in a small jiffy bag, 1st or even 2nd class mail would have been a lot more efficient, and it will almost certainly fit through my letter box. It will be lucky to get past the bins on it's way to my back door.

[Stanley]

I don't know what an attack ring is Ian. Here's the torch. It was non-Prime delivered by courier in less than 24 hours and on a Sunday!

[PanBiker]

It's the serrated bit at the front around the lens, it is cable of serious damage in a defence situation and can also be used to break vehicle glass.

My parcel tipped up at 17.50 yesterday afternoon, knock on the door and Sally saw the delivery driver just about to drop and run just before she opened the door. No worries, I have it, the bloke after leaving me still had another 46 packages to deliver at that point, bet he wasn't finishing at 6pm!

The package was small, my item is only 2" x 1.5" so a stamp would have done fine and got here a lot quicker. I will not leave the supplier negative feedback but will message them about the inefficient delivery which od course is out of their hands once picked up.

[Tizer]

I buy things like mineral specimens and postcards through Ebay but always from the same sellers that I've used before. I choose their free standard 2nd class Royal Mail delivery and the items always arrive in 2 to 3 working days. Last week my order placed with the Glasgow mineral seller on a Saturday arrived with our usual RM delivery on Tuesday and was placed in our porch by our regular postman who rang the bell to let us know.

[PanBiker]

It was free delivery and no option to change the method of delivery or carrier, they will probably just send everything with Yodel. Seems daft to me, the company I bought from is not a power seller with thousands of transactions just one in Manchester that had what I wanted. Having said that and visiting their Ebay shop they seem to be a distributor for a whole range of diverse Chinese products, sewing, craft supplies etc.

On the other hand, I ordered an item from a supplier in Staines yesterday afternoon at about 2pm. It was delivered this morning on their standard Royal Mail parcel service at 9.30am.

[Stanley]

I shall send a parcel to Tiz by Royal Mail. Just going to pack and address it now.

[Stanley]

Not a lot up to press beyond the fact that my daily pint of coffee tastes wonderful!