1. Rubbish! We have a good collection system. One week it’s garden stuff,
another week it’s household waste. And I never lift a finger, except to fill
the bins. I used to print off the date schedules for collection but now I just
look out of the window to see which bins the neighbours have put out. It
doesn’t matter which date it is, since I have what they call assisted
collection. One of the pleasures of old age!
2.
People complain about the state of the roads which,
when I drove a car, I always found to be okay. They should try using a scooter
on pavements! Workmen do good jobs filling holes they made, but when
there are several (by several I mean lots and lots) they should get together
and make sure the surface is flat and even. Sometimes I have to drive over so
many it’s like being on a switchback.... scary!
3.
Found
a gardener!
4.
Isn’t
it a waste of energy when you rush into another room to do something only to
find you can’t remember what it was you rushed for?
5.
New
visitor on lawn: a young fox. As I write he is surrounded by three magpies and
an audience of two, e.g. Charlie and me. Foxie made out he was sleeping,
leastways he lay for a long time with his eyes shut. Cunning or what? We left
him in peace.
6.
Just
booked another grocery delivery. Maybe this time I will have remembered
everything, unlike the past few weeks when I had to add an item to my on-line
order.
7.
Late
June/early July and a heat wave in the UK. Definitely worth recording since we
were still cold when we should have been boiling hot for most of June. Not to
worry, we’re told it will all end next week. Now where did I put that woolly
jumper…
8.
I
am now the proud possessor of a water meter which should reduce yearly payments
by about £200. Also got a refund! Not sure why my late husband didn’t want one.
9.
A wet flannel was
always used to help cool down during summer months. That was years ago which
proves what lousy summers we’ve been having. Until now!
10. Gave up having milk
delivered. Got fed up looking for change to pay and having to wait for milkman
to knock the door when I should have been out and about. Neighbours have milk
delivered and the roundsman makes enough noise to wake the dead. Three o’clock
in the morning! On a Friday, he can be heard shuffling empty bottles and
cranking crates. Why Friday? That’s when he gets his money. Neighbours put it
in a special hiding place so why does he need to wake the entire neighbourhood?
Hello Valerie, thank you for popping over and wishing me a happy birthday. Sure did appreciate it. This made an enjoyable read.
ReplyDelete1. we have four collections a week so I am not complaining. Two are for general trash, one is for recycling and the last is for yard rubbish, so can't complain. How nice it is all taken care of for you.
2. Flat surfaces are appreciated here too. Roads are not too bad really. They seem to take care of them pretty well.
3. Yea on the gardener. Congrats. I know they are like gold.
4. Well, exercise is good that's what I say when I go in the next room and can't remember what I went in there for ;)
5. How wonderful! I wonder if our foxes will be back this year?
6. Nice to have groceries delivered. We can get that here too but not making use of it, not yet anyhow. If you don't drive it would be a Godsend.
7. This heatwave is affecting us too. I read some parts recorded 124 deg. F. Today, however, is wonderful! In the 70s I believe. It actually went down into the 50s last night. I had the top windows open, it was lovely!
8. The water meter sounds like a great idea.
9. I don't remember it getting hot enough for a wet flannel cool down but that's a great idea. I might be using that when the temperature gets high again.
10. I remember the rattle of those milk bottles as the milkman put them on the doorstep. We all used to scramble to get the cream off the top, lol! I was too young to have to worry about things such as payment though. These are the things I would have liked to ask my mother about now.
Denise, the cold wet flannel really works. Back of the neck is where you should put it, and the rest of the body responds by cooling down. Loved the way you replied to all items... did you do that last time ten items appeared on my blog?
DeleteHope the birtday was a great day.
I can't remember if I did or not Valerie but I was wide awake when I read your This and That, and my brain was working ;) I will remember that cold wet flannel. Thanks Valerie.
DeleteOh so the guy is going to cut your hedges, great news!
ReplyDeleteWe gave up having a milkman years ago, it's so much easier to pick it up from Tesco or a petrol station if it's an emergency.
Sadly the pot holes around here are quite bad.
I'm loving this weather but our grass isn't!
Re grass, now that it's brown it completely changes the appearance of the bushes.
DeleteA shame about the milkman. I think they are now considered a "threatened species" and if so you'd think they could make a special effort to please their customers. When I was hot as a child one of my friends told me the best thing was to fill the wash basin with water and fold my bare arms and lower my arms into the water. It works surprisingly well. A wet flannel is more convenient though!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know some areas still had milk delivered; I bet it's wonderful, despite the noise. I wear a wet cooling scarf all summer long, it helps so much. Some are colorfully printed, some are plain, but they're specifically made to stay cool. I wear them everywhere and have never seen anyone else do it so I probably look a little strange, but I'm cool!
ReplyDeleteI haven't come across wet cooling scarves, kden. I must google it and see if we have them here. Mind you, by the time I got one the weather will have changed!!
DeleteTotally agree with you about the roads. Uncut verges, pot holes, speeding motorists are a weekly occurrence for me walking on the country roads near me. Thanks for A Mixed Bag News.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to have someone agree with me, Dave. Thanks. I went a different route to the postbox today - it was marginally better but not much.
ReplyDeleteI gave up on the milkman over 30 years ago. 3 young sons, so quite a lot of milk. I worked out that buying it from the supermarket, where I went 3 times a week anyway, would save me over £100 per year ! I think I pay around £1 for 4 pints now.
ReplyDeleteHello Frances, thanks for popping in. With three boys you needed to sort out your milk supply. I don't take milk now, black or herbal tea is now my normal drink and I don't take coffee. It would be different if there were youngsters to cater for.
Delete"but when there are several (by several I mean lots and lots) they should get together and make sure the surface is flat and even."
ReplyDeleteValerie, I no longer drive a car because of living in a city, however, I can totally understand your gripe about the sidewalks because we have the same issue here. In fact, there has been times when I've tripped while walking because of the cracks and uneven surface.
So happy to hear you found a gardner. YAHOO!
" Isn’t it a waste of energy when you rush into another room to do something only to find you can’t remember what it was you rushed for?"
HA! Yes. And I do that quite often!
As I shared with you in an email, we've had the same heatwave here in parts of the US. For a week the temps rose to over 100 degrees. We had a bit of a break, however, today it's back to heatwave temps. This is why I don't summer. I hate to be hot.
I can't believe you can still have milk delivered by a milkman in the UK?! When I was a kid, I remember the LOUD noise our milkman used to make while making a delivery.
Hope you're having a fab week, my friend!
P.S. I FINALLY got my internet and phone service back. And it only took a week and a half.
Wow Ron, I didn't expect this reply. I am so pleased your internet access is now open to you. I do hate it when things go wrong, especially when it is out of our control. May future IT dealings have pity on bewildered users! Like heck!
DeleteI drive so I have noticed how bad the road infrastructure has become over the years. There is a street near where I leave where I never dare to go over 15mph for fear of the potholes and bumps. :-)
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
Hi Cuban. Our cities are being neglected by councils... I wish some of them would try using invalidity scooters. Okay, it's all down to money... or is it?
DeleteThe daily grind. Yes it keeps us retired folks alert. I too check on the neighbors bins along the curb to see what the big hauler trucks are picking up...;)
ReplyDeleteIt's great having neighbours to rely on, TB.
DeleteI thoroughly enjoyed this and that. Lots of good stuff in there, Val. I thought a lot of you and Joe while I was watching the World Cup. I imagine he would have been pretty happy to see England have a pretty good run at it. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt. Yes, Joe would have been happy. I watched England and felt proud, even though we lost they played a good game. Joe would have been angry to see the rough way other teams play. I hope Gareth Southgate was proud of his team.
DeleteMe'thinks a whole lot of us, do the.... go into a room and forget why. What I do is putter around some, until "the why" comes back to me. :-)
ReplyDeleteA cooling tip. I read that to run cold water over the inner wrists, seem to have a cooling effect. And it does. :-)
Another version of the one, where the person immersed lower arms, into cold water.