Shopping in the UK can be a miserable experience. Overpriced goods, often out of stock, lack of choice, and terrible customer service abound.
Some stores are exceptions. The exceptions that prove the rule, if you like.
At the weekend I was getting some gifts in Cambridge. Melanie likes goods from Lush, so putting together a selection box is in order.
Now I'm a complete dunce in a shop. Especially a cosmetics shop. No sense of smell, they've reorganised the shop so I don't know where anything is.
So there I am looking perplexed in a packed shop, when a friendly assistant asks if I need some help. She shows me where the first item on my list is, then helpfully offers to carry the basket as I'm struggling with all my other bags and the shopping list, and we fill the basket up. They do a gift wrapping service and, as I was a bit short of time, one of the other assistants wrapped my goods there and then.
All in all, excellent service - perfectly helpful while unobtrusive, with a smile - leading to a happy and satisfied customer who will no doubt be back.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Economic pointlessness
Would you trust these people to run the country?
So the chancellor announced a cut in VAT from 17.5% to 15%. Supposedly to kickstart the economy, but it's obviously a pointless wast of time and effort.
It's going to have no real effect: shops in the UK don't advertise an untaxed sticker price and then add tax at the till. So the sticker price - which is largely rounded to a convenient looking number such as 99p - will largely be unchanged, so consumers won't benefit.
It's going to be a nightmare to implement. Businesses are going to have to redo all their finances. And in the unlikely event they reprice, that's going to require effort they won't want to do.
Consumers aren't going to notice any difference, so this isn't going to lead to an increase in consumer confidence.
Not only that, but attempting to reduce prices at a point when inflation is already falling isn't exactly gong to stabilise matters. And then there's the 2.5% increase to kick everyone in the teeth at the end of 2009.
And the counter to this is an increase in taxes on income. So everyone sees the money in their pocket going down (again) and simply responds by cutting back on spending.
So, these changes will at best be completely pointless, and are likely to seriously harm the economy.
It's clear that what should have been done is to reduce taxes on income. In addition to the direct stimulus to the economy, people actually get a positive feeling from having more cash in their pockets.
So the chancellor announced a cut in VAT from 17.5% to 15%. Supposedly to kickstart the economy, but it's obviously a pointless wast of time and effort.
It's going to have no real effect: shops in the UK don't advertise an untaxed sticker price and then add tax at the till. So the sticker price - which is largely rounded to a convenient looking number such as 99p - will largely be unchanged, so consumers won't benefit.
It's going to be a nightmare to implement. Businesses are going to have to redo all their finances. And in the unlikely event they reprice, that's going to require effort they won't want to do.
Consumers aren't going to notice any difference, so this isn't going to lead to an increase in consumer confidence.
Not only that, but attempting to reduce prices at a point when inflation is already falling isn't exactly gong to stabilise matters. And then there's the 2.5% increase to kick everyone in the teeth at the end of 2009.
And the counter to this is an increase in taxes on income. So everyone sees the money in their pocket going down (again) and simply responds by cutting back on spending.
So, these changes will at best be completely pointless, and are likely to seriously harm the economy.
It's clear that what should have been done is to reduce taxes on income. In addition to the direct stimulus to the economy, people actually get a positive feeling from having more cash in their pockets.
Friday, September 19, 2008
On yer bike
I'm very pleased that I've managed to cycle to work every day this week. The weather has been pretty good (although it can be a bit chilly in the mornings) and now Hannah's at secondary school there's no need to ferry anyone to school in the car, so I've been taking advantage of it.
Even today, when the cold that's been hovering around me for the last couple of days descended in earnest.
Remember the Sinclair C5? I saw one of those heading the other way one morning this week. Now that's a blast from the past.
Even today, when the cold that's been hovering around me for the last couple of days descended in earnest.
Remember the Sinclair C5? I saw one of those heading the other way one morning this week. Now that's a blast from the past.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Useless shops
It's not just markets that are useless. Shops are going the same way.
The local supermarket has gone steadily down hill over the last few years. (It's only a few minutes walk, so is the obvious choice for most of our shopping.) There are two obvious things that have happened:
Suppliers don't help out. The 'new improved' recipes they offer taste simply awful. They can't resist destroying a winning formula.
The same is true on the High Street. I decided to go into Cambridge after my Birthday to go round the shops and treat myself - and came home empty handed. The choice was dismal, and the couple of nice items of clothing I found weren't available in my size.
There are all these worries about the economy going into recession, but stores aren't helping themselves by not selling goods consumers want and not having stocks of what they do.
The local supermarket has gone steadily down hill over the last few years. (It's only a few minutes walk, so is the obvious choice for most of our shopping.) There are two obvious things that have happened:
- The choice has shrunk dramatically
- Many of our favourites can no longer be found
Suppliers don't help out. The 'new improved' recipes they offer taste simply awful. They can't resist destroying a winning formula.
The same is true on the High Street. I decided to go into Cambridge after my Birthday to go round the shops and treat myself - and came home empty handed. The choice was dismal, and the couple of nice items of clothing I found weren't available in my size.
There are all these worries about the economy going into recession, but stores aren't helping themselves by not selling goods consumers want and not having stocks of what they do.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Mixed Markets
I remember when car boot sales were interesting places to visit. There were always bargains to be had - and the sellers benefited by getting some cash for stuff they would otherwise throw away.
It's been some years, though, since I've been to a car boot sale that has had anything useful. They now seem to be dominated by repeat sellers hawking the same old tired tat, or "professionals" looking to make a profit.
On holiday in Rome, we went to a Sunday Market. Another dead loss - some sellers doing a good job of selling to locals, but also significant numbers of stall purely aimed at ripping off gullible tourists.
Back in the UK, we went to a bank holiday Monday market. And that was even worse. Absolutely nothing of interest, lots of rip-off merchants selling substandard goods at excessive prices (by which I mean significantly more than you can get fully guaranteed on the high street).
It's not all doom and gloom. We went down to London for the afternoon, and went round Camden Markets. And while there is a bit of trash, and you see the same items on multiple stalls, it's got a lot more character, and feels a lot more wholesome. While I didn't come away with anything, I quite enjoyed it.
It's been some years, though, since I've been to a car boot sale that has had anything useful. They now seem to be dominated by repeat sellers hawking the same old tired tat, or "professionals" looking to make a profit.
On holiday in Rome, we went to a Sunday Market. Another dead loss - some sellers doing a good job of selling to locals, but also significant numbers of stall purely aimed at ripping off gullible tourists.
Back in the UK, we went to a bank holiday Monday market. And that was even worse. Absolutely nothing of interest, lots of rip-off merchants selling substandard goods at excessive prices (by which I mean significantly more than you can get fully guaranteed on the high street).
It's not all doom and gloom. We went down to London for the afternoon, and went round Camden Markets. And while there is a bit of trash, and you see the same items on multiple stalls, it's got a lot more character, and feels a lot more wholesome. While I didn't come away with anything, I quite enjoyed it.
Roasted in Rome
After our trip to Wales, with the girls back from camp, we headed off to Rome for a short week.
It was dry (we just had one sharp shower) and pretty warm. I'm not overly keen on hot climates - but at least it's better weather than some of the apathetic stuff we have here in the UK that passes for summer!
Rome wasn't quite what I expected. I don't think we saw any of the modern city. What did impress me was the sheer size and extent of what's left of ancient Rome: some of these buildings are huge and were obviously built to last. And it's not just the odd bit of wall, there's acres and acres of buildings.
The Vatican and the Sistine Chapel were a huge disappointment. We queued for hours (continually pestered by tour guides promising us that they could get us in without waiting), and it's largely a tourist machine. The Sistine Chapel was particularly disappointing - OK, it's a decent bit of painting, but it's overrated. And we're all crammed in like sardines into the chapel, with security guards yelling Silence every few seconds, and shouting at and hassling people who ignored the prominent 'no photography' signs.
There was some really interesting stuff in the Vatican museum, that you get pushed past as the throng pushes you through the sausage machine to the Sistine Chapel. I was fascinated by the Gallery of Maps in particular. But generally the whole day was a bit of a washout.
It was late afternoon when we left the Vatican, and we decided to eat locally before heading back to the hotel. And then what I found interesting is that for every block away from the main tourist route, the prices fell basically linearly. So we walked a couple of blocks and ended up in an excellent local restaurant with excellent service and had an excellent meal - a lot less frantic and a lot less expensive than a similar place a couple of streets away. (This pattern was repeated all over Rome - just go down a side street and you'll get a better meal for less.)
We also went to a local water park. And even though it wasn't all that sunny, and I took care to keep in the shade as much as possible, I still got sunburnt.
It was dry (we just had one sharp shower) and pretty warm. I'm not overly keen on hot climates - but at least it's better weather than some of the apathetic stuff we have here in the UK that passes for summer!
Rome wasn't quite what I expected. I don't think we saw any of the modern city. What did impress me was the sheer size and extent of what's left of ancient Rome: some of these buildings are huge and were obviously built to last. And it's not just the odd bit of wall, there's acres and acres of buildings.
The Vatican and the Sistine Chapel were a huge disappointment. We queued for hours (continually pestered by tour guides promising us that they could get us in without waiting), and it's largely a tourist machine. The Sistine Chapel was particularly disappointing - OK, it's a decent bit of painting, but it's overrated. And we're all crammed in like sardines into the chapel, with security guards yelling Silence every few seconds, and shouting at and hassling people who ignored the prominent 'no photography' signs.
There was some really interesting stuff in the Vatican museum, that you get pushed past as the throng pushes you through the sausage machine to the Sistine Chapel. I was fascinated by the Gallery of Maps in particular. But generally the whole day was a bit of a washout.
It was late afternoon when we left the Vatican, and we decided to eat locally before heading back to the hotel. And then what I found interesting is that for every block away from the main tourist route, the prices fell basically linearly. So we walked a couple of blocks and ended up in an excellent local restaurant with excellent service and had an excellent meal - a lot less frantic and a lot less expensive than a similar place a couple of streets away. (This pattern was repeated all over Rome - just go down a side street and you'll get a better meal for less.)
We also went to a local water park. And even though it wasn't all that sunny, and I took care to keep in the shade as much as possible, I still got sunburnt.
Wet in Wales
The girls were off to guide camp, so after a couple of decent restaurant meals, we headed off to Wales for a few days.
We stayed at a fabulous self catering place - The Gwalia - not far from Ruthin. It's tucked away now narrow single-track roads, but it's a great place to relax and unwind once you've got there.
We didn't just sit back, though.
One afternoon we went Quad Biking. Just tore around a muddy field on a quad bike for an hour.
Then a couple of mornings White Water Rafting and Gorge Walking. I'm probably getting a bit old for this lark - or, rather, my gammy knees and bad arm are, despite my mental willingness.
Then on the last morning Melanie went off to have a pamper session at a local hotel and spa while I had a ride on the Llangollen Railway.
We stayed at a fabulous self catering place - The Gwalia - not far from Ruthin. It's tucked away now narrow single-track roads, but it's a great place to relax and unwind once you've got there.
We didn't just sit back, though.
One afternoon we went Quad Biking. Just tore around a muddy field on a quad bike for an hour.
Then a couple of mornings White Water Rafting and Gorge Walking. I'm probably getting a bit old for this lark - or, rather, my gammy knees and bad arm are, despite my mental willingness.
Then on the last morning Melanie went off to have a pamper session at a local hotel and spa while I had a ride on the Llangollen Railway.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Avoiding the private car
We went to the Cambridge Beer Festival yesterday. The nature of the event meant that driving was out of the question, so we had to take the bus.
It's not particularly inconvenient. We can walk round the corner to catch the bus, and it's only a couple of minutes. The bus route is moderately direct, and it's not much further to walk at the other end. Furthermore, the service is frequent - a bus every 10 minutes.
So should have been easy; but in practice travelling in Cambridge by bus is hard work and has often been problematic.
While there's supposed to be a bus every 10 minutes, in reality you wait more in hope than expectation. This case was no different - no bus at 20 to; no bus at 10 to; a bus finally appears at 5 minutes to.
Then we get to the railway station and the bus stops. Everybody has to get off and get on a different bus because this one goes no further.
A bit further on, we get into Cambridge and the bus stops. This time we have to wait 5 minutes for a new driver to take over.
All in all, the journey (it's about 3 miles in a straight line) takes about an hour.
What's more, the total cost - certainly for a family - significantly exceeds that of driving and parking a car.
Is it any wonder that we're having trouble enticing drivers away from their cars?
It's not particularly inconvenient. We can walk round the corner to catch the bus, and it's only a couple of minutes. The bus route is moderately direct, and it's not much further to walk at the other end. Furthermore, the service is frequent - a bus every 10 minutes.
So should have been easy; but in practice travelling in Cambridge by bus is hard work and has often been problematic.
While there's supposed to be a bus every 10 minutes, in reality you wait more in hope than expectation. This case was no different - no bus at 20 to; no bus at 10 to; a bus finally appears at 5 minutes to.
Then we get to the railway station and the bus stops. Everybody has to get off and get on a different bus because this one goes no further.
A bit further on, we get into Cambridge and the bus stops. This time we have to wait 5 minutes for a new driver to take over.
All in all, the journey (it's about 3 miles in a straight line) takes about an hour.
What's more, the total cost - certainly for a family - significantly exceeds that of driving and parking a car.
Is it any wonder that we're having trouble enticing drivers away from their cars?
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Poor timing
I've just received my tax disc (vehicle license, for those unaccustomed to the terminology).
I paid for it online, which is good. As I did earlier in the year for my TV license.
However, both the tax disc and the TV license have one flaw. They send you the reminder letter about a month before it's due, but you can only pay from the 15th, so you get the reminder about 2 weeks before you can take action on it. Which means that there's a real danger of filing the reminder away meaning to act on it and then completely forgetting about it.
I paid for it online, which is good. As I did earlier in the year for my TV license.
However, both the tax disc and the TV license have one flaw. They send you the reminder letter about a month before it's due, but you can only pay from the 15th, so you get the reminder about 2 weeks before you can take action on it. Which means that there's a real danger of filing the reminder away meaning to act on it and then completely forgetting about it.
50 quid a tank
Ouch. The price of petrol continues to rise. Filling up over the weekend cost me 50 quid (that's about 100 dollars to our transatlantic brethren).
But with finer weather I'm cycling to work when I can, which helps both my finances and my fitness.
But with finer weather I'm cycling to work when I can, which helps both my finances and my fitness.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Versatile tickets
Or not.
Came to pay for a car park ticket today, and the machine insists that it has to be inserted with the magnetic stripe on top and to the right.
What gives? It's trivially easy to make the thing read it whatever way you put it in, and pretty well any machine does that. But not these brand new ones, it would appear.
Came to pay for a car park ticket today, and the machine insists that it has to be inserted with the magnetic stripe on top and to the right.
What gives? It's trivially easy to make the thing read it whatever way you put it in, and pretty well any machine does that. But not these brand new ones, it would appear.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Britain's got Talent?
I wouldn't normally watch this, but other family members had it on.
Generally, though, the show proves that its title is false. And the few examples of real talent amongst the talentless rubbish that came forth serve to emphasise the point.
Generally, though, the show proves that its title is false. And the few examples of real talent amongst the talentless rubbish that came forth serve to emphasise the point.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Half a bottle?
Why is it that almost all bottles of wine are the same size?
Do I always want to drink exactly the same amount?
Often, we find it would be nice to just have a pleasant glass of wine with a meal, maybe two. It's not that often that we feel like finishing off a whole bottle between us in one sitting.
I reckon the suppliers are missing a trick here - it would be great to be able to get half-litre or half-bottles of wine. Especially decent wines - many of the smaller bottles available are of the more basic varieties and the choice is very limited.
Do I always want to drink exactly the same amount?
Often, we find it would be nice to just have a pleasant glass of wine with a meal, maybe two. It's not that often that we feel like finishing off a whole bottle between us in one sitting.
I reckon the suppliers are missing a trick here - it would be great to be able to get half-litre or half-bottles of wine. Especially decent wines - many of the smaller bottles available are of the more basic varieties and the choice is very limited.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Changes everywhere
Been rather busy recently. We've been making a number of long overdue changes around the house.
Our main bedroom has been completely revamped. New bed (modern metal frame, and a king size rather than the minuscule standard that passes as a double bed); new furniture (light and airy); and a new wooden floor. We originally planned on just replacing the carpet, but never found a colour we liked and became drawn to a wood (laminate, we're not that rich) floor. It all goes together nicely!
I don't include DIY as one of my strengths. Sure, I can wield a brush and roller, but anything beyond that is quite a challenge. But I managed to replace the light fittings (and that's something that was much more involved than it has any right to be), and moved an electrical socket so the fitted furniture would actually fit. The electrics don't bother me - it's knocking holes in the house to gain access that causes all the trouble.
Of course, once we had a wooden floor one of the girls decided she wanted a wooden floor too, and of course they both had to have dimmer switches for their lights once we had one!
The spare room needs a revamp. It's currently got the old futon we had in Toronto. We've been looking for a replacement sofa bed for a while, and are going to see one tomorrow. It appears that we only have a fairly restricted choice. As in we've only found the one that will fit - and it's been tricky finding somewhere that has one in stock to go and look at. It should make watching the second TV rather more comfortable, and should provide us with a proper guest bed (the old futon simply wasn't anything you would expect a guest to use, so we've used it ourselves, and I really don't want to have to do that again).
As the girls' bedrooms have been decorated fairly recently, and we've just had someone in to paint the upper hall and landing, that just leaves the bathroom. Melanie has realized that you can get regular sized spa baths, so it looks like some fairly major work is on the cards there....
Our main bedroom has been completely revamped. New bed (modern metal frame, and a king size rather than the minuscule standard that passes as a double bed); new furniture (light and airy); and a new wooden floor. We originally planned on just replacing the carpet, but never found a colour we liked and became drawn to a wood (laminate, we're not that rich) floor. It all goes together nicely!
I don't include DIY as one of my strengths. Sure, I can wield a brush and roller, but anything beyond that is quite a challenge. But I managed to replace the light fittings (and that's something that was much more involved than it has any right to be), and moved an electrical socket so the fitted furniture would actually fit. The electrics don't bother me - it's knocking holes in the house to gain access that causes all the trouble.
Of course, once we had a wooden floor one of the girls decided she wanted a wooden floor too, and of course they both had to have dimmer switches for their lights once we had one!
The spare room needs a revamp. It's currently got the old futon we had in Toronto. We've been looking for a replacement sofa bed for a while, and are going to see one tomorrow. It appears that we only have a fairly restricted choice. As in we've only found the one that will fit - and it's been tricky finding somewhere that has one in stock to go and look at. It should make watching the second TV rather more comfortable, and should provide us with a proper guest bed (the old futon simply wasn't anything you would expect a guest to use, so we've used it ourselves, and I really don't want to have to do that again).
As the girls' bedrooms have been decorated fairly recently, and we've just had someone in to paint the upper hall and landing, that just leaves the bathroom. Melanie has realized that you can get regular sized spa baths, so it looks like some fairly major work is on the cards there....
Monday, August 28, 2006
Water water everywhere
Where it's not supposed to be. One of the girls was having a shower upstairs, and I could hear something dripping while cooking in the kitchen. Went into the hallway and water was pouring through the ceiling. Over the fusebox. Everywhere.
Dagnabbit.
Just got the car back, and fixing that cost me a fortune. Looks like more expensive repairs are in the pipeline.
Dagnabbit.
Just got the car back, and fixing that cost me a fortune. Looks like more expensive repairs are in the pipeline.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Summer Holidays
Just had a couple of weeks away.
The first week was spent up at Griffon Forest, near York. We've been there twice before, and love it. It was really pleasant to be in a cool lodge (the weather in England was unusually warm). We packed a lot in: Flamingo Land, swimming, relaxing in the hot tub, visiting Lotherton Hall, going to Scarborough and Bridlington.
The first time we went to the coast was very unusual. We had hired some bikes in Dalby Forest earlier in the day. It was right and sunny, and as we neared the coast it looked very strange - a brown band in the sky ahead of us. Then we went into dense fog and the temperature dropped about ten degrees.
On the way home we stopped off at Magna. In addition to the pavilions (OK, but suffered a little - as many of these attractions do - by some of the hands-on exhibits being broken) much fun was had outside in the playground.
The second holiday saw us heading off to a beautiful cottage in the Dordogne. Another repeat visit - we were there the same week last year. We also went back and had a good day climbing through the trees at L'Appel de la Foret.
The holiday itself was great, but the journey was "Interesting". Having driven down and gone across on EuroTunnel, we were about an hour and a half south of Calais when something in the car went. Lots of vibration, sounded pretty sick, felt bad. We pulled over and couldn't see anything, but attempting to start off again resulted in the car shaking and it obviously wasn't happy. We were stuck in a pretty dangerous position at the side of the motorway, and knew there was a service area (just a picnic area, really) just along the road, so we managed to limp to that. Calling the recovery company, they tell us that they can't do anything - we have to contact the police to get towed off the motorway before anything else can be done. Having been towed to a local garage, there are lots of phone calls - eventually we get someone at the recovery company who can speak French.
It takes a while, but it was too late to get a hire car and, while the garage had a car themselves, they wanted a large cash deposit (more than we had). We were put up in a local hotel for the night (OK, but not quite the Chateau we had booked as the overnight stop), and were back at the garage next morning. The recovery company still couldn't get a car from the major hire companies, and it was looking like we would have to stay there till Monday or Tuesday. But we eventually negotiated with the garage that the recovery company would guarantee some of the deposit, and soon after got on our way.
The car we got was actually very nice - a new Renault Clio. I've always thought of this as a small car, but it didn't feel like it, and even managed to take most of our luggage. I was impressed, and the Clio is definitely a car I would look at when the time comes to replace mine.
Coming back, we had to set off very early to get the hire car back to the garage before it closed. Clearly the recovery operation was up to full speed by then: the rental had all been paid for, a taxi was waiting to take us to the compound where our car was waiting, it was put on the back of a truck and taken up to Calais. We had to take the car onto the train and off by ourselves - the recovery vehicles can't go that far. And driving through the ticket barriers and up to the car park felt OK, but the car rapidly sickened from then on. Sounded like I was dragging tin cans along as we got on the train, and it wasn't happy. I managed to stagger off the train, and only needed to go about half a mile to get to the services to meet the next recovery truck, but it seized up completely on the slip road into the services.
It's now home, and we're looking at a replacement gearbox and clutch. More expense!
While the trip was reasonably smooth in the end, and we did get there and back without too much of an interruption to the holiday, the recovery company could have done better. I'm not sure we ever talked to the same person more than once in a dozen or more calls. The initial response was sluggish and uncertain - just at the time when you need good service, they didn't seem to be on top of it. This was the same sort of problem I saw when I had an accident - they sorted the claim and repair out very well, but seemed incapable of doing a good job of making sure I was alright and able to get home in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
The first week was spent up at Griffon Forest, near York. We've been there twice before, and love it. It was really pleasant to be in a cool lodge (the weather in England was unusually warm). We packed a lot in: Flamingo Land, swimming, relaxing in the hot tub, visiting Lotherton Hall, going to Scarborough and Bridlington.
The first time we went to the coast was very unusual. We had hired some bikes in Dalby Forest earlier in the day. It was right and sunny, and as we neared the coast it looked very strange - a brown band in the sky ahead of us. Then we went into dense fog and the temperature dropped about ten degrees.
On the way home we stopped off at Magna. In addition to the pavilions (OK, but suffered a little - as many of these attractions do - by some of the hands-on exhibits being broken) much fun was had outside in the playground.
The second holiday saw us heading off to a beautiful cottage in the Dordogne. Another repeat visit - we were there the same week last year. We also went back and had a good day climbing through the trees at L'Appel de la Foret.
The holiday itself was great, but the journey was "Interesting". Having driven down and gone across on EuroTunnel, we were about an hour and a half south of Calais when something in the car went. Lots of vibration, sounded pretty sick, felt bad. We pulled over and couldn't see anything, but attempting to start off again resulted in the car shaking and it obviously wasn't happy. We were stuck in a pretty dangerous position at the side of the motorway, and knew there was a service area (just a picnic area, really) just along the road, so we managed to limp to that. Calling the recovery company, they tell us that they can't do anything - we have to contact the police to get towed off the motorway before anything else can be done. Having been towed to a local garage, there are lots of phone calls - eventually we get someone at the recovery company who can speak French.
It takes a while, but it was too late to get a hire car and, while the garage had a car themselves, they wanted a large cash deposit (more than we had). We were put up in a local hotel for the night (OK, but not quite the Chateau we had booked as the overnight stop), and were back at the garage next morning. The recovery company still couldn't get a car from the major hire companies, and it was looking like we would have to stay there till Monday or Tuesday. But we eventually negotiated with the garage that the recovery company would guarantee some of the deposit, and soon after got on our way.
The car we got was actually very nice - a new Renault Clio. I've always thought of this as a small car, but it didn't feel like it, and even managed to take most of our luggage. I was impressed, and the Clio is definitely a car I would look at when the time comes to replace mine.
Coming back, we had to set off very early to get the hire car back to the garage before it closed. Clearly the recovery operation was up to full speed by then: the rental had all been paid for, a taxi was waiting to take us to the compound where our car was waiting, it was put on the back of a truck and taken up to Calais. We had to take the car onto the train and off by ourselves - the recovery vehicles can't go that far. And driving through the ticket barriers and up to the car park felt OK, but the car rapidly sickened from then on. Sounded like I was dragging tin cans along as we got on the train, and it wasn't happy. I managed to stagger off the train, and only needed to go about half a mile to get to the services to meet the next recovery truck, but it seized up completely on the slip road into the services.
It's now home, and we're looking at a replacement gearbox and clutch. More expense!
While the trip was reasonably smooth in the end, and we did get there and back without too much of an interruption to the holiday, the recovery company could have done better. I'm not sure we ever talked to the same person more than once in a dozen or more calls. The initial response was sluggish and uncertain - just at the time when you need good service, they didn't seem to be on top of it. This was the same sort of problem I saw when I had an accident - they sorted the claim and repair out very well, but seemed incapable of doing a good job of making sure I was alright and able to get home in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Friday, May 05, 2006
21 Again
The title ought to give a hint. It's also true in another sense - another 21 years have passed since the first 21.
I'm older, for sure. Wiser? Not so sure.
The weather turned nice and warm. (So hay fever assaults me - I've not grown out of it yet.) We had a nice lunch out, and generally relaxed.
Having taken the day off work, and it being necessary anyway, I dropped the car off for a service. Shame it didn't work when I got it back :-(
I'm older, for sure. Wiser? Not so sure.
The weather turned nice and warm. (So hay fever assaults me - I've not grown out of it yet.) We had a nice lunch out, and generally relaxed.
Having taken the day off work, and it being necessary anyway, I dropped the car off for a service. Shame it didn't work when I got it back :-(
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Netherhall Concert
Last night we went to see Amanda take part in the Netherhall Spring Concert at West Road Concert Hall.
There were about 15 mini-performances, from the full band and orchestra, choirs, small groups, and solos.
The choice of pieces was good, and the quality of performance was excellent.
Of course, West Road is an awesome venue, which helps a lot. The only disappointment was that so few parents turned up - the audience was pretty small, which was a shame.
There were about 15 mini-performances, from the full band and orchestra, choirs, small groups, and solos.
The choice of pieces was good, and the quality of performance was excellent.
Of course, West Road is an awesome venue, which helps a lot. The only disappointment was that so few parents turned up - the audience was pretty small, which was a shame.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Vroom....
No, not the start of the new F1 season!
The Baldock Bypass is now open. This makes a considerable difference to my commute to and from work - saving me about 15 minutes in the morning and about half that in the evening. Great stuff!
It's still too long, really. And there aren't any other improvements in travel times I can look forward to.
The Baldock Bypass is now open. This makes a considerable difference to my commute to and from work - saving me about 15 minutes in the morning and about half that in the evening. Great stuff!
It's still too long, really. And there aren't any other improvements in travel times I can look forward to.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Weekend Away
For the first time in twelve years Melanie and I just had a weekend away, with no kids in sight!
Both girls went to an orchestra weekend at Grafham Water Centre, so we booked a break at Folly Farm Cottage, in the small village of Ilmington in the Cotswolds.
The place was ideal for a romantic break - a small self catering apartment with a 4-poster bed, whirlpool bath, delightfully decorated, very nice and helpful people too. We ordered a cooked breakfast for Sunday and that was delicious.
We spent Saturday having a little drive round the area, visiting a couple of antiques places, Moreton in the Marsh, Broadway, and Chipping Camden. Coming past Broadway Tower there was quite a lot of snow around - some quite deep drifts in places. The weather was good - clear and sunny - but a little chilly!
Saturday evening we booked a table at the Howard Arms in Ilmington. We walked down - remembering to take a torch to see the way.
Not everything went quite according to the original script. After arranging all this we ended up going to a function at Chilford Hall Vineyard on the Friday evening, so our carefully laid travel plans got slightly derailed. The original plan was to set out, leave the children, and carry on. Instead we came back to Cambridge, had the meal, and set out much later than planned - so we didn't arrive until nearly 1 in the morning. Fortunately our hosts at Folly Farm were very understanding and made arrangements to leave a key.
Then, on Saturday evening, having had a drink at the bar, started on the bottle of wine, and just had our starters arrive at the table, the phone went - with a message to say that Amanda had been unwell and would it be better if we went to collect her and take her home? Needless to say this wasn't particularly practical, but fortunately Amanda was fine, so we were able to stay on. It did put rather a dampener on what was looking to be a very fine meal, though.
Today we had a walk round Stratford and a warming bowl of soup before heading back to collect the kids and bring them home.
Overall, a nice weekend. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 12 years for the next opportunity.
Both girls went to an orchestra weekend at Grafham Water Centre, so we booked a break at Folly Farm Cottage, in the small village of Ilmington in the Cotswolds.
The place was ideal for a romantic break - a small self catering apartment with a 4-poster bed, whirlpool bath, delightfully decorated, very nice and helpful people too. We ordered a cooked breakfast for Sunday and that was delicious.
We spent Saturday having a little drive round the area, visiting a couple of antiques places, Moreton in the Marsh, Broadway, and Chipping Camden. Coming past Broadway Tower there was quite a lot of snow around - some quite deep drifts in places. The weather was good - clear and sunny - but a little chilly!
Saturday evening we booked a table at the Howard Arms in Ilmington. We walked down - remembering to take a torch to see the way.
Not everything went quite according to the original script. After arranging all this we ended up going to a function at Chilford Hall Vineyard on the Friday evening, so our carefully laid travel plans got slightly derailed. The original plan was to set out, leave the children, and carry on. Instead we came back to Cambridge, had the meal, and set out much later than planned - so we didn't arrive until nearly 1 in the morning. Fortunately our hosts at Folly Farm were very understanding and made arrangements to leave a key.
Then, on Saturday evening, having had a drink at the bar, started on the bottle of wine, and just had our starters arrive at the table, the phone went - with a message to say that Amanda had been unwell and would it be better if we went to collect her and take her home? Needless to say this wasn't particularly practical, but fortunately Amanda was fine, so we were able to stay on. It did put rather a dampener on what was looking to be a very fine meal, though.
Today we had a walk round Stratford and a warming bowl of soup before heading back to collect the kids and bring them home.
Overall, a nice weekend. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 12 years for the next opportunity.
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