WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[Tizer]

This is presented as something new but we had cardboard taken from our recycling bin when we lived in the village...
`The millions being made from cardboard theft' LINK

[Stanley]

Interesting Link Peter and it doesn't surprise me. I have long had a deep suspicion about the plethora of collectors of 'old clothes' who are forever posting bin bags through my door under the guise of charity collectors. They're flogging a dead horse with me of course. I wear my 'old clothes'! My suspicions were first aroused when I saw the value of old clothing.
I went for a furtle and found THIS.
"The benefiting charity then receives a payment from the commercial collection partner. This amount paid usually represents about 50 to 75% of total operating profit (in 2013 this equated to approximately £50 to £100/tonne). The rest of the operating profit goes to the participating textile collection business. The profits generated by the business helps to secure paid jobs for the thousands of people employed in the UK textile reclamation industry."
So work it out for yourself, It's a profitable business.

[Stanley]

Just had a complete but short lived power outage. Seems OK now....

[PanBiker]

Noticed that, our alarm didn't go off this morning.

[Stanley]

Felt like a bad switch to me. But it seems to be OK now. I had a look and no lightning anywhere near us.

[PanBiker]

The lighting string I ordered from Ebay turned up today and the supplier has sent the wrong item It should be a sting of 10 LED globe lights each about 50mm diameter. What has been sent are LED lights OK but 1000 pin lights. Grrrr






Repacked and return already accepted by the supplier for a refund. Free tracked postage courtesy of Ebay, I will order some more from another supplier, lots of outlets are selling them.

[Gloria]

Got a call to my mobile yesterday, automated message saying she was from Hmrc, someone had reported me for tax evasion and I owed x, at which point I put the phone down, before I could block the caller a text message comes saying not to ignore them, to ring this number or the police will be sent round. Deleted that and still waiting. Looked the number up and it is a scam.
Not long after and coincidence or not got another mobile call about loft cladding, said I wasn’t interested, he kept asking if I was Gloria Greenwood, after my saying correct a few times, he went on to ask if my address was Xxxx I said correct, he asked a couple more times, obviously wanting the answer to be yes, I then rang off and blocked his number.
Beware people.

[PanBiker]

Lights are winging their way back to the supplier. I have ordered some more from a different UK source, brass is still going to China though.

[plaques]

Nelson library has been open now for a few weeks but there has been restrictions on the number of people entering the library at any one time although book returns are accepted without any pre-booking restrictions. Barlick library will open on the 19 Aug with possibly the same requirements for browsing and borrowing. see below link.

https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/coronavir ... libraries/

Barnoldswick library will be opening from Wednesday 19 August

It will be open Monday to Friday between 10am-1pm and 2pm-4pm.

[Stanley]

The most enjoyable socially distanced conversation I have had for a while outside the family. Ken called to deliver the Pratchett books and he had a chinwag. Thanks Ken, very enjoyable.

[Tizer]

Gloria, we've had calls on our landline and smartphone that are scams. We're ignoring everything that isn't obviously OK. The landline shows up international calls and we ignore them - they don't ring for long.

Mrs Tiz found this example of what Somerset people get up to in lockdown..
`Ex-carpenter's lockdown 'metal heads' cheer up Minehead' LINK

[PanBiker]

We cannot let the day go by without recognising that today is the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. August 15th 1945 VJ Day.

When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For your tomorrow we gave our today.

[Stanley]

[Stanley]

Morbid subject I know but one which is weighing on my mind of late. News from my nephew who is acting as family representative in clearing up the estate of my deceased brother. He reports the dilatory response from all the official bodies he is having to deal with. This is excused as 'due to Coronavirus' but I don't buy that. It was just the same when we were kept on the hook for 18 months after Janet's death by HMRC. The root cause is the staff cuts all these bodies have suffered die to austerity. The core services of government that should be efficient and reliable are almost paralysed. I am told that this affects everything today from passports to tax and justice. The pandemic has simply increased the delays. We have enough to contend with without additional burdens.

[Marilyn]

We seem to have a new trend in our area ( perhaps it is a worldwide thing and now we have it also? ) for young males to put 2 tennis balls in a string bag ( one ball hanging slightly lower than the other) and hang them from the towbars at the rear of their vehicles. Looks like a scrotum as you travel behind them. I have seen at least a dozen in the past fortnight.
Look out for them. Coming to a suburb near you soon...

[Tizer]

Watch where they park, then when they're not looking snip off their balls - it'll give you great satisfaction!

All the Instagram influencers will be flocking here...
`Fountainstown Beach: Bioluminescent plankton light up Cork beach' LINK

[Cathy]

It would be magical to see lights in the ocean like that. Very pretty.

[Stanley]

The plight of all the young people who have been put through the unnecessary torture of the Ofqual system. I hope they get the best resolutions possible. Education is hard enough without the government sowing minefields.

[Marilyn]

Watch where they park, then when they're not looking snip off their balls - it'll give you great satisfaction!

I may be just the woman for the job...it is like driving behind prize bulls!

[PanBiker]

A parcel that has been delivered before the Royal Mail tracking even says they have received it. Someone has not been using their barcode scanner.

[Tizer]

Perhaps someone needs to sell stickers reading `Child on board - and driving' with adhesive on the back so you can stick them on the outside of offenders' rear car windows!

[PostmanPete]

A parcel that has been delivered before the Royal Mail tracking even says they have received it. Someone has not been using their barcode scanner.

Oooops, I'm glad it wasn't me...! Someone will be getting detention tomorrow.

[PanBiker]

I received an email from Ebay at 10.27 to say it had been delivered, which I already knew of course.

[Stanley]

One good thing about Covid is that it has removed the worry about waiting for a courier now as they just leave the parcel and as long as you leave clear instructions about safe place you don't need signatures.
I have also noted the new protocol of couriers leaving a superfluous mail to say the parcel has been delivered. I suppose that would be handy if they had left it at the wrong address and you could alert them.
Something entirely different grabbed me. I have always assumed I was a bit of a mucky pup and was rapidly becoming the aRCHETYPAL 'DIRTY OLD MAN' BUT i HAVE NOW REALISED IT WASN'T ME BUT jACK! (Bugger caps lock) Susan called yesterday and commented on it, first thing she said when she came in was that the house smelled nice and clean. (I had mopped the vinyl with stable disinfectant because I like the smell.) The dog biscuits, rawhide chews and poo bags have gone to the lady who gives her eggs so another corner cleaned out.
Perhaps there is hope for me yet!

[Marilyn]

One can’t escape the doggy smell in closed small spaces. It can be quite vivid for those that don’t have pets.
It is not polite to mention it, but some pets do stink!
( I find that my son’s dog smells, but when I have mentioned it, he has said that she smells like Popcorn to him and he loves her smell. I could not associate my nasal senses with “popcorn”....obviously my problem entirely...) but we love her all the same, so long as she is not having one of her windy episodes, that can clear a room.