Andrew's Blog

Try Something New Today

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:26:57 +0100

Lets all go to Sainsbury's and try something new, like ignorance and being patronised.

All I want to do is get my usual assortment of groceries and household good. These happen to include 4 boxes of tissues and 2 pack of paracetamol and 2 packs of ibuprofen. This is because I am coning to the end of a stinker of a cold and have used all my stocks of tissues and these drugs.

I would have purchased more but in 1998 a law came into force restricting the sale of paracetamol and asprin to packs of 16 or 32 in pharmacies. There is no acyual law stopping you buying more than one pack in a single sale or buying more packs through multiple sales. There is clearly some issues surrounding this so guidance suggests that retailers do not allow the purchase of more than 32 tablets in a single transaction or allow as far as is practical multiple purchases in a single day.

http://www.hants.gov.uk/regulatory/tradingstandards/medicines.html

There are no laws I can find regarding the sale of ibuprofen at the usual dosage of 200mg.

I respect the law and the guildlines and only want 2 packs of each. one for home and one for the car of each.

Recent research has found that taking the recommended dosage of each together is more effective than either on it's own for fighting a cold.

I find paracetamol works well with a fever whilst ibuprofen works well for my persistient back ache.

Anyway the checkout operator refuses to sell me the 2 packs of each stating that she is a trained nurse (why is she working in a supermarket then, surly agency nursing pays more?) and that I can take them together but she cannot sell them.

It is just toally wrong!

I cannot convince her to sell them to me. I wait for the manager, finally he arrives and just spouts the same rubbish. No matter how much logic and common sense I offer i just get the same rubbish.

What makes me mad is the way a pair of supermarket staff can think they can nanny me and try to protect me from myself.

I could buy lots of booze and pickle my liver no problem, buy 200 fags and fill my lungs with tar, buy all manner of chocolate and cakes and clog my arteries, buy womens clothes and be a cross dresser, buy lots of condoms and comit adultery, buy a selection of energy drinks and send my heart beat over the red line but woe be tide me if I want to stave off a minor seasonal illness for fear of me having a sudden attack of depression and killing myself.

I was not depressed until they atarted on me. As for killing I would put myself third on the list, the checkout woman and the manager would be first.

No common sense, no understanding of the law, just ignorance and a total lack of customer focus. Just corporate robots, shells of a human being, drones, androids, the modern pit ponies.

It is hardley a suicide plot to buy 4 packs of tissues, shower gel on offer, a new tooth brush, shampoo, crisps, ready meals, various savory snacks, a big box of anti-acids, a couple of sanwiches etc. Indeed my suicide pact was so ingenious I even got the longest date items I could as I would want the food in my fridge to still be in date for the enjoyment of those who find my body.

This was not a bottle of vodca and a few packs of pills, it was a weekly shop!

Why not spend money on staff training not advertising, this incident has wiped out all my good will and loyalty in a stroke.

They have the technology to see who is not following policy as they know what is purchased and who served them? Indeed it is not difficult to make the till block the sale of 2 packs of paracetamol, the staff do not need the think (I actually think this is a bad idea as they need the practice) but when they try to think it all goes wrong.

Oh and just to prove the point I was able to put 2 packs of each in to my online basket on their website so if I shopped online I would not have had a problem except they don't deliver to my area!

Dumb fools!

Fully paid up members of the flat earth society!

I am hopping mad as you can imagine. I walked out leaving a belt full of assorted shopping for them to put back on their shelves, I guess £6o worth. I only wish I had some icecream now!

Sorry this is so long and thanks for reading.

Comments

New Airport, Birmingham Welshpool!

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:22:48 +0200

In order to attract more business Welshpool Airport has changed it's name to Birmingham International (Welshpool) Airport.

This follows the trend set by London (Oxford) Airport.

It is rumored that a few other airports are considering re-naming themselves to improve their public profile, These include London (Exeter), London (Shoreham) and Manchester (Isle of Man) International.

This trend is set to spread to other areas of life too, there is to be a Kia XJ220, a Hyundia Corniche and a Proton Carrera.

The supermarkets are jumping on the band wagon too, there is to be a Marks & Spencer (Aldi) and Sainsbury's (Netto).

The planes flying from these ariports will be changing too, there is to be the Boeing 747 (Mirrorwind MW17) and the Airbus A380 (Bi-Plane).

In order to make this possible the laws of passing off are to be revoked and we shall all be totally confused.

Comments

Peter Mandelson

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:07:02 +0200

Ok I am at a total loss as to what this sleeze bag is doing in politics in the first place but what has me fuming is that he is now running the country.

Unelected and widely disliked he is now in charge of the country!!!

What srot of fuck wit is Gordon Brown, he is supposed to be in charge of the country yet he cannot sort out the holiday rota. I may be looking at this in an over simplistic manner but I would have thought there would be a simple rule, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister cannot be off on holiday at the saem time.

Not only did Gordon not think of this but when he decided that the unelceted Mandelson would be the Deputy Deputy Prime Minister he fucked up again as over the weekend he was still on holiday so we had the Prime Minister on holiday, the Deputy Prime Minister on holiday and the Deputy Deputy Prime Minister on holiday.

I have to say we probably had the best leadership of the counrty over the weekend for a long time, with nobody in charge there were no bad decisions taken which of late is a big improvement.

Every company I have ever worked for have had rules about who can be off and when you cannot be off at the same time as particular colleagues.

Then we have the fact that MPs have weeks of holiday anyway so there is lots of oportunity to spread the holidays out.

Mandelson angers me anyway. He is a greasy slimey brown noser who I do not trust.

He was on TV today saying how the people of the West Midlands are good at finding work for themselves and are resourceful and good at helping themselves. Well Madelson, it's a case of having to as the likes of you and your chums at West Minster are not going to help us. You have helped the bankers maintain their bonuses but when it comes to manufacturing and other real businesses the policy is clearly "Help Yourself Becasue We Won't Be Helping You"

Bring back Guy Forkes, we cannot wait for the next general election to get a new government we need one now. We need a Prime Minister that has been elected and not an apointee and his unelected cronies.

Comments

Riot in Brum

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:36:11 +0200

So I pop into the city centre late Saturday afternoon for a little bit of shopping and a bite to eat.

Not going to be long so I park in the Bullring.

I pop to TKMaxx and buy some jeans.

The Pallisades are closed, seamed odd but thought nothing of it.

I come out of TK Maxx by new St station and there ar epolice everywhere. I go back to the bullring and it is locked, very odd they are meant to be open until 8, its 7.10? How the hell am I going to get into the car park. I have to walk all around the bullring and enter the car park by the car entrance. I ask a guy whats going on and he tells me theres some sort of BNP riot going on.

As I drive around the city there are riot vans everywhere, police with riot sheilds forming lines all over the city, letting everyday folk through and stopping those who look like trouble.

I see about 30 young asian men, all muscular, many with hoods up of bandanas across their faces being chased around the back of New St station towards the markets and St. Martins.

I also see lots of cars with young asian men in parked up on the edge of the city and others driving around.

It is clear that there are a lot of nasty looking asian guys out looking for trouble, but why?

Turns out the English and Welsh Defence League were having a march to protest against muslim extremeists. This is linked to the muslim protests at the soldiers home coming parades earlier in the year.

In response to this an anti fachist demonstration was organised. The two met in the city centre and a pitch battle errupted.

The EWDL are a new group who appear to be linked to the BNP and are reported to be formed from an alliance of different football "firms" (football hooligans). There appears to be some credibility to this as the police will not "kettle" the EWDL for fear of getting battered by thugs who think battering the police is a sport.

I would appear that the anti fachists were actually made up of the asian version of chavs and gangs who are all too appartent in Brum these days, a lawless bunch of young men into driving like idiots, fast cars, drugs and haters of all non asians and non muslims who have no regard to society or community.

To make matters worse there was a game at St. Andrews and as the football fans approch the station to get their trains home the asian yobs kicked off beleiving these people in football shirts to be part of the EWDL due to their football connections. Sadley these were just fans going home.

Basically we have white rachist thugs fighting a pitch battle with aasian rachist thugs while everyday folk are trying to go about their business.

Each set of thugs trying to legitimise their thuggery by hiding under a banner of a respectable cause.

I agree that we do not want fachistism. I want a political party that fight for the British people and the British way of life.

The English and Welsh need representation as the political system is becoming a joke with Scottish MPs ruling England and Wales but English and Welsh MPs not having power over the Scots.

I agree with the right to demonstrate. There is a time and a place though and those muslim extremists who protested at the soldiers home coming should have been rounded up, and arrested or at least "kettled" for a while.

The BNP does not represent British people, they have a senior offical who is South African but will not allow a British born asian or black person to be a member.

Being British is not about skin colour, it is about who you are a citizen of, it's about what teams you support, it's about what values you hold. It's about where you call home, the lanuguage you speak and so much more.

I want a British National Party who will allow our friends the asian shop keepers who are the hub of the local community to be members, who will allow the hard working mechanic who's parents came here on the windrush to be a member, who will welcome the white guy from the council estate as well as the 3rd generation Irish family.

I want a British National Party who will refuse the thugs who trash their council houses and sponge off the tax payers with their life on benefits membership as they do not upholld the British values we hold so dear.

The biggest problem I have with imirgration is that we cannot export our trash who are happy sponging off the benefits system not the hard working who will happily do the jobs that our armies of chavs feel are beneath them.

I am fed up with the assumption that white people are rachist until they prove themselves otherwise and that it is impossible for non whites to be rachist.

Just look at the businesses who are all asian, where English is hardley ever spoken and all non asian cutomers are ignored. There is a total race reversal in some parts of the UK. Where prejudice is based not only on race but religion. These are not just insular "communities" but are failing communities with the power in the hands of thugs, bullys and gangsters who use race and religion as a tool in their operations.

We have two tribes of disaffected young men who are lawless and spoiling for a fight using race as an excuse for a punch up. I wish they would find a field way away from the rest of the true British people to stage their war. With a bit of luck they would kill eachother and Britain would be all the better without them.

Comments

A joke for you alll

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:37:26 +0200

Settiing the scene:

It is 1944 in a cafe in Berlin.

An important looking German enters the cafe and is seated at a small table by the waiter.

The cafe is quite busy as there are several German soldiers and a few SS in there.

The important German as the waiter for a snitzel, the waiter replies, "I'm sorry sir we have no snitzel, the sortages, the war you know."

"Very well" says the German, "I will have a sausage"

"I am sorry sir we have no sausage"

"Do you have anything to eat?"

"No sir, I am very sorry"

"Well get me a snaps."

"Sorry sir, no snaps."

"A cigar while I read my paper then?"

"Sorry sir we have no cigars, perhaps a glass of water?"

"WHAT! NO FOOD, NO SNAPS, NO CIGARS ONLY A GLASS OF WATER" the man shouts.

The waiter meekly says "I'm so sorry sir"

"THAT DAMN FOOL MAN, HE IS AN IDIOT HE IS RUINING THIS COUNTRY WE HAVE NOTHING, THE MAN IS A FOOL!"

At this several of the SS foicers jump up and one approaches the man, "You will have to acompnay to gestapo headquarters" as he grabs the man's arm forcibly.

The man carmly replies, "I was talking about that idiot Churchill, who were you tinking of?"

The man is let go.

Comments

Vestas Protest

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:17:59 +0200

Hi,Just letting you all know about a sit in protest on the Isle of Wight.

Vestas, a Danish company and the largets wind turbine manufacturer in the world, is shutting their factory on the Isle of Wight which makes the blades for wind turbines.

The problem is that the demand in the UK is not there for a couple of years due to the early stage investment is at and delays in the planning process.

Blades manufactured there were being exported to the USA but Vestas have opened a factory in the USA and are moving production there, it is often the case that permissions and government funding in the US is tied to US job creation.

Anyway the mangement have done a poor job of the consultation with the workers over the redundancies and despite making massive profits were not offering generous packages to them.

It is also a travesty thet the UK governement are investing millions in wind energy but are refusing to come up with a solution to the short term issue and help the factory stay open.

The lack of support for UK manufactuing is poor at best.

As a last ditch attempt to save their jobs about 20 workers are staging a peacful protest in the management offices at the plant. They have been there for 11 days now.

Vestas have now sacked them loosing their redundancy pay and pay in liue of notice.

They are continuing their protest and are asking for support.

Vestas made a total mess of an application for a court order to evict them (shows how good they are) yesterday and it was thrown out of court until next week for them to get their papers in order.

The island has few skilled jobs and loosing 600 is a big blow.

The government have just announced £6million grant to Vestas to create a R&D facility on the island only employing 150 and very few of these will be former Vestas workers. Vestas had a £3.5million grant to set up the production facility a few years ago which they are now closing.

Why are the goverment giving grants with out true long term comitment?

Please visit www.ventnorblog.com for news and information along with the Guardian and other local and national press.

Comments

School Holidays

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:55:42 +0200

Oh joy week one of the school holidays and I'm already fed up.

Why, I have no kids, I am not on holiday.

Well at 8.30 pm I go to do my shopping at the supermarket as per usual.

I Wednesday evening should be quiet, but no, kids everywhere loads more people shopping for their families with massive trollies overflowing.

There was even a todler in her pjamas and dressing gown shopping with her dad.

Of course Sainsbury's don't have any more staff on the checkouts, the basket till has a massive que and I have a trolley.

I will not use the self scan tills because they can never get it right and always need a supervisor, besides at a normal till the operator scans and I pack at self scan it takes twice as long as I scan then have to pack after that to the annoiance of the que behind.

It is not really responsible to bring kids out past their bedtime to go shopping and as for the older kids, control them, I do not appreciate your brat whizzing past me at full pelt being chased by another of your offspring.

No I am not Victor Meldrew.

Comments

More from the local news

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:32:50 +0200

So last night on the local news there was a report about some cricket programme for youngsters ahead of the test match where some of the English and Aussie players were giving a bit of coaching and a photo oportunity.

So where was this?

Accoring to Midlands Today it was in Highgate park in Neachells.

This may come as a revealation but Highgate Park is actually in Highgate, the clue's in the name!

Highate is actually the first suburd of Birmingham where the merchants and factory owners of the new city set up home in the rural surroundings on the edge of the city away from the squalar of city life.

They could look across the fields and the valley of the River Rea and see their business empires on the other side of the valley in the new town of Birmingham.

Hard to think that the industrial heartland of Digbeth / Cheapside and the markets were actually outside the city and were just fields.

Highgate Park is also the first municipal park in Birmingham.

On the other side of the City the Aston area was also fields when the General Electric company decided to set up it's manufactuing plant just the other side of the river Tame in the green field site that became Electric Aveneue just next to what is now Spaghetti junction and the M6.

Anyway enough of the history lessons, why can the news just not get things right!

Comments

Todays Moan / Rant

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 09:05:46 +0200

The latest thing to get on my tits is driving.

Well it is a constant irritation.

Why do people not indicate at all at islands, then you have those who indicate right and then left when going straight on confusing the hell out of every one.

You also have those who decide that it does not matter which lane you approach the island in, then turn right from the left lane or vice versa.

The next are those who fail to move lanes as they go around the island, a serious issue when turning right. As you progress around the island you are supposed to move over from the right lane to the middle and then end up in the left lane for your exit but some will just stay in the right lane all the way round until thye swerve across all the lanes and shoot off down their chosen exit.

We also have the going straight brigade. They take a straight line from entry lane to exit when the island is round thus cutting across all other lanes. they seam oblivious to what they do.

We also have problems with multi lane islands where people fail to read the road markings in advance of the island. Many multi lane islands allow two lanes to go the same way entering an exiting alongside eachother. One island I have frequent problems with has two lanes that go right with the inside lane also allowing you to go straight on. Often thoses in the right lane will cut you up if you go right from the left lane which is clearly signed on this particular island.

I have more reason than ususal to be pissed about this as last Sunday I was hit by a driver struggeling with the island.

It is a 3 lane island. I went straight on from lane 2.

As I enterend the island a car entered from the road to the left in the left lane we passed another road to the left side by side, I indicated to come off the island in the outer of the two lanes of the road I wanted and assumed the car to my left, which was not indicating, was going to take the left lane of the same road.

Sadley no, as i exit the island there is a crunch and a bang as they drive into the rear passenger door of my car pushing the back end over.

It turns out the driver was making a right turn from the left lane without indicating at all.

She was Polish in a hire car picked up in somerset the day before and was lost in Birmingham.

It makes the driving understandable at least. That does not help my cause as I am now faced with getting it fixed and getting the money off the hire company's insurance.

An hour earlier on the same island I turned right from the right lane and had a near miss as I exited the island with a red golf who was doing a U turn from the middle lane.

This is a daily occurance on all the large islands in Birmingham.

Another cause of twitchy bum syndrome is the Pump Engine island which has part time traffic lights.

People do not know what to do when the lights are off. many times I have to break and swerve to avoid those who blindly follow the car infront on to the island without looking.

I have also had to screech to a halt behind those who stop at the stop line on the island when the lights are off clearly not noticing the words "Part Time SIgnals" on the traffic lights and stopping while they try to engage their brain.

I want a tank then I would not care what they do as I will just crush those who are too dumb to know the rules of the road.

Comments

Total Bollocks on The news

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 08:30:55 +0200

On Midlands bulitins in breakfast today the news reader read the script to a story about a fire, who is responsible for writing shuch total and utter bull shit?

"...80 residents had to be evacuated on Wednesday due to burning asbestos."

Have I missed something, is the most fire proof material known to man suddenly combustible?

How do you extinguish burning asbestos, with fire proof petrol???

Never let the facts get in the way of a story.

Oh and it was not a slip up, the same script has been used on all the bulitins from 6.30 to 8.30am.

The world is filled with fuckwits!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comments

Farmers Are Dangerous

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:24:33 +0200

Farmers,

Do not drive tractors with trailers with no lights or reflectors on the back.

Do not cut your hedges without putting up the appropriate warning signs, I am not happy driving around a corner to find a tractor with hedge cutter stopped dead.

Do clean up your cow's shit once they have crossed the road, it's dangerous to cars skidding on it.

Do not forget to turn off your bright working lights when you drive onto the road.

Do clean the the mud off your wheels before driving on to the road.

Do not think that parking an old Land Rover in the road with it's hazards on is a universal traffic control measure that allows you to close off the road.

Do not drive your telehandlers with spikes sticking out.

Do pull in occasionally when you have a mile or so of traffic behind you.

Do ues your mirros to asses the traffic behind.

Do not carry half the work for in the tractor cab, it only has one seat for a reason, hint hint.

Do realise that there is a limit to how many bales of hay you cna get on a trailer and that limit is exceeded when it toples over when taking a corner.

Do realise that tractors and trailers are dangerous to the general public as well as yourself. By all means kill yourselves but please do not kill the rest of us in the process.

Do not think that just because you are a farmer you have an automatic exemption to all the rules of the road and health and safety laws.

Comments

Central News, what's the point????

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:16:59 +0200

So I am watching the local news on breakfast TV.

BBC lead with a story about a massive fire in Moxley, homes exacuated, fear of asbestos etc.

Switch to GMTV for Central News, their lead story, Sven is coming to Notts County as director of football!!!

Sure the fire was no. 2 story but for fucks sake, leave Sven to the end with the sport. Anyway it is yesterday's news.

I don't know why I waste my time watching it. The evening news is ok but the bulitins are a waste of time and money, poor editing, rushed and poorly delivered.

Comments

Catch up

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:33:07 +0200

Hi all,

I don't know where I have been or what I have been doing.

Not a lot I guess in many way just on the treadmill towards my grave that is the journey of life.

My relationship had had its ups and downs lately, more downs than ups in recent times.

Business is crap, loosing more money than a drunk in a casino.

The recession is a total pain in the arse.

I am finally being me a bit more, totally stressed for months I am emerging from my hum drum and trying to be the nice me, not always an easy task.

My Gran passed away after Christmas, a timely passing, sad but an ending to a good life that was becoming overdue due to her failing health.

My GF has now moved into my Gran's flat. a good move on paper but a total mind shreader for both of us.

but life must go on.

Life has gone on and I am ashamed that I have not missed gran more.

Money seams to be non existant, I am in a web of debt between me and the business that I cannot see the clarity of it all and just trust it will all come good in the end.

Trouble is the end is determined by when the recession ends, any answers???

Anyway I am being far too gloomy here.

I am alive, well if a little over weight and have a good life and income.

Lots of good news in the family, babies dropping everywhere, not mine I add.

I have decided i want one but need to have stable home life, financies and relationship first.

I guess that is why so many kids are accidents, it's like a solar eclipse trying to get all 3 in line at one time.

Best of everything to you all in blogland.

Comments

Friday Five

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:32:24 +0100

1. Where was your last holiday?

Abroard: Sidari Corfu with GF
Actual last holiday a long weekend in lake district in December with GF

2: Where will your next holiday be?

Maybe a caravan in UK? maybe some sun, dunno yet (with GF)

3. What was your best break and why?

Probably going to the States by Concord and the time I spent in Chicago.

4. And the worst and why?

Not sure, probably a family holiday in Suffolk, the accomodation was a diaster, we called it tumbledown cottage. All the furniture was ancient from several house clearances by the look of it. If you sat on one of the dodgy sofas too quickly dust would rise.

A total mess, never cleaned in years apart from bathroom and kitchen surfaces. Sombody should have told them Mr. Hoover had invented the vacume!

Place was subsiding fast, all floors uneven and door not fitting the frames.

The telly broke and we were told we would have to pay for a new one. The thing was ancient It had valves and took a week to warm up and the picture disappeared into a white dot when switched off. Dad took care of that with a suitable strong word to the owner.

Apparently they did not want kids staying there either but we were the only takers (we did not choose it either it was all that was available).

Stuck in a village 10 miles from the coast.

But the holiday was good.

Typical family holiday.
5. If money were no object, where would you go?

Have to be about 6 weeks road trip in OZ with GF, whole camper van / motor home thing with weekends spent in hotels for a bit of luxary and a change.

Flying first class of course.

And I'd have mobile internet in the motorhome to buy bargins on ebay while I am away,

Comments

Worry Over

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:17:37 +0100

Phone call from docs, test clear for blood clotting so nothing serious.

Still swolen and sore, more painful today but no big worries.

Comments

A bit worried

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:45:20 +0100

Hi all,

Sorry my serial is on hold at the mo, not sure if I want to carry on with it and have not had the time anyway.

So put that to one side today i am blogging about my health.

Yesterday morning I woke up and my right calf was twice the size of the left and aching.

A little while after getting up the swelling went down a lot and the pain subsided but did not go away.

Same again this morning.

I went to the Doc's and they have run an urgent blood test.

I am worried about a thrombosis (spelling???) a blood clot in my leg.

Particularly worried as my father died from such a thrombosis which traveled from his leg to his heart killing him pretty much instantly.

He had just had a heart bypass a few weeks earlier and was a heavy smoker neither of which apply to me and I'm 16 years younger than he was but...

So I guess I will get a phone call tomorrow from the docs letting me know one way or the other.

Just worrying thinking you may have a bit of a time bomb ticking in your body and you don't know and therfore cannot treat it.

Oh well.

Best wishes to blog friends everywhere.

Comments

Why does life always dump on you?

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 21:37:49 +0100

Just when you think life is ok, you are carrying on thinking things are going quite well.

Alot of shit is happening but you are coping, you get upset you get problems but you deal with them and life goes on.

Then all of a sudden bang, you are not appreciated nobody cares, what you have been putting all your efforts into are of no value, you've got it all wrong and basically have wasted your life.

Maybe it getting time to call it quits and move on in another direction, abandon the last 5 years of your life and go back to where you were 10 years ago.

As if I did not have enough crap in my life rigth now.

Straw and camels back springs to mind.

Comments

My weekend

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:21:19 +0100

just a short post to let you know about my weekend.

Sorry I've not been hear much, I will blog a few highlights of my recent past over the Christmas Break,

Anyway this is what I have planned for the weekend.

Off to work soon, few important tasks to do then finish early at 4.30 (early for me I won't get in until 10.30).

Off to the GF's for a quick change and a shower then we get picked up by the mini bus and head off to her works Christmas meal.

I'm never good with new people (not a good mixer) and works do's are always a pain (well the few I've been on can be awkward).

At some point in the early hours we get dropped back to hers and try to get some sleep.

Then Saturday AM we head off up the M6 from Birmingham to the lake district.

We have a couple of nights booked in a hotel in a village on the coast where I used to have several family holidays.

Not sure what we will do, weather is going to be awful but I am looking forward to the break.

Then we drive back on Monday.

And I have Tuesday off work to clean the house and mend my car!

Comments

An Apology

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:13:03 +0100

Sorry for not being around guys.

I know I am neglecting my friends, but something has to give.

Life totally manic at the mo.

Working 7 days a week and doing stupid hours, was at work for 18 hours on an all nighter.

Hope all are doing well.

Comments

It's 6 months

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:07:40 +0100

It's six months today since me and the GF first contacted eachter on the dating site.

soon be our official 6 month aniversary from when we met!

(yes a six month aniversary is an oxymoron).

Comments

Just a little

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:40:01 +0100

Firstly a hi to my new friend, thanks for the kind invite.

No been here much lately, sorry.

So what am I rambling about now?

Well I am confused by my cats.

I have 4 now, sadly down from the high number of 6 having had to re-home one last year and one being killed on the road earlier this year.

They are all so different. My biggest has had 4 weeks away did not know what had happened and was very worried then he came home. That was a few weeks ago.

Now he won't use the cat flap, I have to let him in and out.

My oldest cat won't use the cat flap either. She was quite old when I installed it so she is not going to learn now.

But big Monty, I'm lost, was it because I cleaned the cat flap 2 weeks ago?

The other 2 use it.

Anyway, I tell my girlfriend and she asks my "Why won't he use it?"

What, how the fuck should I know, oh yes he did sit down and tell me that he wanted his own key and more responsibility and that to use a cat flap was beneath him!

DOH!

My little friendly lad has a nasty cut on his head, a tear from a claw I think. I have found blood on a paper in the lounge so has he been fighting with the other cats? I don't know I think he may need to go to the vets, but he gets on with the others appart from Poppy (the older lady) and she won't use the cat flap so was not it to have a fight.

I have a few things to blog about that are a little more interesting but that's it for now as I am nodding off.

Night all.

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Royal Mail, CUNTS!!!!

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:10:18 +0200

I have been trying to get them to deliver a couple of recorded items to me for 2 weeks now and no luck, they keep turning up when I am not at home, the last attempt I was in, I had arranged for them to deliver on a day when I am at home.

Posties normally comes between 8.15 and 8.30 so I wait until 8.45 before getting in the shower, a qucik 5 min shower, and look postie has been and left another card.

I can only phone the office between 0800 and 1200 and 1400 and 1500, not easy as I am busy at work and why the fuck do they have 2 fucking hours for lunch, this is the 21st centuary.

I am busy on the phone all day at work so finding 10 minutes to hang on the phone seeing if they will answer during the few hours they are open is not easy.

So I phone customer services where I am repeatedly told to sod off and use their website, doh if I fucking well wnated to use your bloody website would I have picked up the fuckign phone???

Repeatedly I'm told they are busy and phone back tomorrow, when I finally get through after only a breif wait some dimwit tells me the stuff has been returned to the sender, I ask who that was and I'm told they dont know.

Turns out to be a load of bollocks and the stuff is still at the local office.

Total bollocks, of and thanks for wasting 2 minutes of my life telling me about a strike every time I phone up,

Fuck off on strike then for fucking good you bastards.

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Hello

Sun, 23 Sep 2007 09:31:10 +0200

Hi all, I'm still alive, just not been blogging for a while, life too busy.

Still with GF and all is going well.

Other areas in my life not going so well, got arrested last week, my fault but treat shittily by Police. Changed my opinion of them a lot. Don't trust them at all now.

May blog about it if I get chance.

Bye

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mad day yesterday.

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:23:01 +0200

So I get home on Wednesday night, last here Monday morning, enter lounge and find headless rat on the carpet which makes me jump, yuk.

Put me rubber gloves on and sort that out, bag it and put it in the bin outside.

Put telly on, fire up laptop and sort out emails.

Go to bed, bedroom a mess so I get half undressed and vacume it. Get into bed, can't sleep watch film and finally nodd off.

Get woken at 4.30ish by Monty, god knows why, think he may have brought his latest kill in, but no, plenty of food and water, must just want attention. Have a wee as I'm up and go back to bed.

Keep pushing Monty off the bed until he gets the message that I don't want him nuzzeling my with his wet nose all the time.

Oh bloody hell what's going on now, Monty again, must be letting me know dawn has broken.

Damn cat!

So finally nodd off at just after 6.

Dreaming about something then a phone starts to ring in my dream, I answer it but it is still ringing, oh bugger it's not in my dream it's the phone next to me.

The alarm has gone off at work. It's 7.02 so it has to be the bloke opening up setting it off again.

Back to sleep.

Finally wake at 8.20, somewhat late.

Feeling very groggy.

So finally get my arse into gear after a coffee and no breakfast because I have absolutly no food in at all.

End up leaving the house at 9.15 after a few domestic chores.

Go to pick up part fo car in Shrewsbury, go through town instead of bypass, big mistake roads are full of moms on day trips with kids not having a bloody clue where they are going and old people who's brain function has slowed with age so they think 20mph is fast and keep stopping because of a car coming towards them may veer suddenly on to the wrong side of the road and hasten their imminent demise.

Oh and I have to go past the hospital, total night mare as it is a magnet for these old duffers!

So finally I get to where I am going, pick up the part and head off to see a customer on my way to work.

Some as yet un-diagnose problem with the car is causing poor performance, maybe brakes binding, maybe bearing gone. Supect gear box and drive shafts as well. could also be colasped CAT in exhaust. Anyway getting worse and pissing me off.

Finally find customer in Telford, total nightmare of a place, all bloody new towns are, not enough signs, ring roads and landscaping which means you cannot see anything other than the road you are on.

So park up and check in at reception, a massive company so I wait ages while the woman I a meeting walks 3 miles to see me.

Off we go into the factory, sort that out, see what I need to.

I think she is flirting with me a little, hmm, a little older than me I think, not a lot though, nice enough to look at but not a stunner, very cheerful personality though.

Off I go taking a crap route wasting more time as I get a little lost.

Quick sprint along the M54 and I find out that alarm was set off because blokes key was broken for one of the locks, he had to drag the admin lady out of bed to come down with her key, feel shit about it, should be me he turns too but I am 70 miles away so what could I do.

Oh shit, M6 car park again, it's the holidays, why?

Oh thats why, lots of caravans and day trippers with kids heading for M5.

so I arrive in the office at 12.20!

To be continued.

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Cutting it a bit too fine

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 22:52:47 +0200

So I head off home, a fair treck and i need fuel. Given that inner city Birmingham is devoid of many petrol stations these days and the few that remain either charge one arm and a wheel nut per litre or they insist on you paying first and if you pay by credit card they insist you leave it with them while you fill up. Yer right, do i want my card cloned by some mong on minimum wage?

So I never fill up in town. Mid-way there is a Tesco on the side of the motorway open 24 hours, I don't like their fuel because I don't get the same mpg from their diesel, honestly as many as 20 miles fewer on my 40 litre tanke on their juice than say Shell or Texaco.

Anyway needs must, much cheaper than the services.

So i come of the motorway after having suffered a a few little coughs and splutters.

I conk out on the island, crank her over and manage to get going again, a few more sputters and a little bemused que has built up behind me, I stick the hazards on and get a honking, tough shit mate, if I could get going I would.

I make it to within yards of the pumps then die again.

Eventually i'm going and make it to the pump.

fill her up.

Pay.

Took ages to draw diesel through but we fire in to life and off I go.

Damn, stopped again right in the way.

So for no more than 1 1.2 mins I'm cranking away. Ok there is 1 car behind I'm holding up, bloke comes out of shop after paying, sees my car blocking himin and tap on my window, offering to push me out of the way.

thanks I say but it will catch in a mo, well it hasn't yet and your in the way is the response, trust me I say knowingly (I had no idea if it would and I was fast flattening the battery but I sounded confident).

Anyway just as he was starting to sound a little pissed off thankfully she fired up and I was off.

Only to die again a few yards down the road, but not in the way.

so I crank again and get her going, this time I rev her a bit to dispel any remaining air in the pipes then set off.

I am a little pissed off, why, because this bloke was not making a genuine offer of help, it was totally self interested, let's shove you out of the way mate coz your in my way was the sentiment in his voice.

Typical, just like the mong hooting me, derrr, hazards light equals a problem.

Anyway pushing my luck again. I fill up twice a week but sometimes I just don't make it to the pumps and once I'm on the motorway there is not too much choice.

I do carry a jerry can, full, and some easy start for the real emergencies.

Feeling totally knackered.

Been reading a few of my friends blogs BTW but not been commenting.

Night all.

Comments

Police, so predictable.

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 22:04:54 +0200

So as I wend my way home I come across a Welsh police car in front of me, oh bugger. It's a nice little B road where the law don't travel much and speed limits are not really applicable, good straights of roman road mean speeds of upto 100mph are possible with ease.

So I'm in for a slow trundle, bugger but not the end of the world.

They clearly don't know the road so are breaking too hard for the corners resulting in loads of gear changes, total bummer. Anybody else and I would have over taken ages ago but you don't like to provoke.

We come up behind a Volvo which is now bricking it having a copper close behind. We are some 20 miles from the Welsh boarder and there are 3 in the car clearly coming back from a day in court or a training course so the aint going to be nicking people outside their area.

The bloody Volvo is slowing to 25 or 30 at times then up to 55 and then down to 30, totally pissing me off.

Several good oportunities are there for an overtake but the copper aint and I cannot do them both on the good bit because we are going too fast and to overtake safely I would have to be well over 60.

So when a straight on the outskirts of a village come along and we are still going at about 40 I overtake both of them and trundle off at 50 taking it up to 60 on the straight held on the cruise control.

They know where I am going and it is just inside the force area.

i know I'm in for a stop and moan.

Sure enough the only sensible route for them is to turn right but as I turn left back towards England they follow.

I decide I will take the next left and head for the hills, just to take them on a little tour but damn they put the blue lights on before I get there.

Oh well, can't do me for anything, no actual offence commited not over any speed limits for long enough to be prosectued.

I get some bull about them doing 35 as I enter a 30 and am supposed to be pulling away from them and breaking. Bull, drops from 60 to 30 on a down hill, I pass the sign at 35 and am slowing loads.

Anyway they say I'm going too fast for the road, I disagree, apparently I went on the wrong side of the road around a blind left hand bend in a location they could not describe, hmm seeing as I did not I'm not happy.

So I then get a producer. All the docs, oh no they won't check the computer to see I'm insured MOTed and TAXED, can I go 200 yards up the road to get my licence, no I have to produce everything.

BASTARDS, HOW THE FUCK AM I MEANT TO RESPECT YOU TWATS WHEN YOU ARE CLEARLY TAKING THE PISS!

total fucking time waste.

Now I point out there speeding and supposedly it was to cathc me up to speak to me about my driving for the previously unmention (by them) dangerous overtaking manouvre where there was not enough road to pass 2 vehicles especially if the oncoming vehicle that was not there had been doing 60.

60, HAVE A FUCKING JOB THE A FUCKING HAIR PIN BEND WITH A SHIT CAMBER, IF YOU WERE COMING THE OTHER WAY AT 60 IN A CAR IT WOULD BE A MIRICLE OR YOU WOULD BE IN A HEDGE!

Don't lie!

Then we see if they are doing their job properly, they ask me to sign the form, I say no thanks. we discuss ths and I read it, oh suddenly my car is black not blue (actually everyone getis it wrong coz it's dark blue and i never clean it but bollocks on second glance it's blue and thats what the reg doc says.

Oh and he's not ticked if it is manual or automatic either.

DON'T TELL ME HOW TO FUCKING DRIVE IF YOU DON'T DRIVE WITHIN THE SPEED LIMITS OR DO YOUR JOB PROPERLEY!

So I'm pissed off, late home and no doubt on their list of people to pull next time.

I nearly pulled on to the pub car park as well that would have pissed them off because it was just before the 30 limit they claimed I was doing over 35 in.

It's the high an mighty attidude that gets me too.

Rant over.

Comments

Making a start, a little introduction.

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:12:25 +0200

Hi world,

I'm Andrew, 33 Male from the Midlands but living a little further away in wonderful Wales.

I work in Birmingham and commute sort of daily.

I have a special woman in my life, my lovley 24 year old girl friend, yes there's a bit of an age gap but it suits my mental age totally

We have been togther since May but it feels like forever.

She lives near work so I spend a lot of my time there now.

I love cats and have 4, it was 5 but I sadly lost one a few weeks ago, he was run over on the road outside my house.

He was great an totally mad looney happy chap who was always hanging round the house causing trouble and he was a very happy thin chap. I miss him a lot.

I run the family business, hard work, stress, fun and freedom are part of it along with a lot of responsibility that I'm not sure I live up to some times.

7 is my lucky number and on 07.07.07 I did something special, brought an eternity Ring for my GF.

I want to buy her an engagement ring one day.

So in love and quite content, secure job, cat family 2007 is a good year despite my recent loss and the weather.

Hobies, cars, old and British of the practical classic variety, tools and gadgets in the garage, music, singing, driving and DIY, lots more I'm sure but it's late rght now.

So hello World and good night.

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