DJKillaQueen

Nor for baking in a cake....... *still bitter from the experience*

*if Latin is allowed* deget

I'm not that bothered about.....me! That and owning my own home.....B)

He's there most Thursdays.....just ranting nonsense. I did hear him chanting about the dead and Halloween at funnily enough around Halloween, so he keeps it topical :)) The scrambler kid has been there the last two nights running I think. I have double glazing so once indoors can't hear either of them but damn annoying I would think if you can.

I remember what was said about driftwood and iroko in bathrooms Sue...you accused me of not knowing what I was doing by buying wood that can't be used in a bathroom.......you were corrected........will accept an apology on that :P Sorry *Bob* :))

debel

They all sing two songs from this week onwards. I do think the right five acts are left and I can't really pick a winner. I like all of them. I think Marcus needs the win more than the others. Little Mix and the girls will all get picked up. Male winners don't tend to do very well though. Matt Cardle's album sales are low. Joe McElderry, Leon Jackson and Steve Brookstein all flopped and Shayne Ward was dropped eventually too.

I did try to find a net curtain pic with fleas and dog hairs on it!!!! :))

I was until now stuck for an answer when asked 'what would you like for Christmas?'......I shall tell all 'Tibetan bowls on my base chakra' from here on in :) Do dogs have base chakra's Nette? :P

http://www.chilternmills.co.uk/images/categories/369.jpg

I tend to think that stats aren't really helpful with things like this because so much is relative. Some types of property are less likely to be burgled than others (a flat with very visible front door and windows compared to a house with windows and doors that are off street for example) and ED has rows of residential streets with homes that provide perfect cover for burglars with a demographic for rich pickings (whether true or not). So when it comes to prevention that has to be born in mind. Think like a burglar (and a professional one at that)..... Burglars will mostly go for the easiest options....an open window...an unlocked door but there have been some cases reported on this forum where an entire window or door has been removed (a hazard of UPVC doors/ windows that 'float' on cavities filled with expandable foam). Thankfully I've never had my home burgled but I have had a garage burgled. I still tend to think that alarms are the best deterent, after fort knox level locks, but get one that you can use even when you are home and USE IT.

Hmmm...I've had lots of cats and grew up with dogs. And I've done both in that I've had pets who only had the initial vaccinations...and others where I paid for annual boosters. Not a single one of my vaccinated pets ever got ill from the things they were vaccinated for so I tend to think the initial vaccinations are enough. But the argument that says that it's because most pet owners vaccinate that my pets are ok with just the initial vaccinations makes some sense to me as well.

I'm guessing you mean that if you live in a flat with a shared entry door.... Bailiffs do not have the right to force entry. They do have the right to enter through an open window or open door but if you don't open your door (and your windows are closed) then they have no right to force entry. What tends to happen if someone opens the door to bailiffs is that they will try and get a 'walking possession order' signed which would give them the right to force entry in the future if any agreement for payment is broken. So the message is, if you are expecting bailiffs, no not leave windows open and don't open the door to them. And vehicles can be seized by bailiffs in some circumstances....so park the car a few streets away too! Or pay the money you owe......if you can.

LOL.....you do make me giggle Red Devil :))

Ok just to illustrate what kind client Sue is (because I'm not taking any more of this nonsense) here are a couple of examples of how she operates; When the floors were sanded some wood worm damage was uncovered. Nothing major and concentrated to two small areas and I knew it would impact on the finish once the floor was painted. So I gave her the options, the wood worm could be filled, or the boards replaced. She opted to do neither and instructed me to paint over them saying that ?it?s an old house and it adds character? (a favourite line of hers for going for the lower level of finishing (a cost factor) before then complaining the finish wasn?t high enough ? and then expecting us to deliver the higher finish at no additional cost). She then wasn?t happy with the visibility of the wood worm damage and accused me of not knowing what I was doing!!!! Another example, I advised the alcove shelves should be painted with melamine paint for obvious reasons (she didn?t want gloss or any shiny paint, so melamine is a good option). She instead told us to use the same paint as the walls (under some insane impression that white melamine would make her shelf look like a kitchen cupboard). I reminded her that the wall paint was a water based emulsion and would not be easy to clean and most likely would mark once she put things on it. She didn?t mind that she said. So we did it, books went on the shelf and then she complained that that paint became easily marked by the books?????..it was a constant (and I by that I mean daily) barrage of nonsense like this. The floor varnish was I think the final straw. Before we even get to that??once the floor had been painted protective coverings were put down to keep it clean prior to varnishing. But with 24 hours, Sue had muddy footprints all over the stairs and hall (the coverings were no longer there). Wine had been spilt, she had gone and bought 10 or so potted plants and plonked them down on the painted floor in the sitting room!??the walls were getting marked??she just wasn?t very careful at all and then expected us to clean/ make good, or touch up all of that at no charge!!!! There was an issue with the varnish (a manufacturers issue) but only half the sitting room had been varnished so the remedy was to lightly sand the areas that had the issue and repaint?.perhaps a days work (and not really enough to seek issue with the manufacturer of the varnish) and something I would have happily done at no charge just to get it sorted. But again Sue made the ludicrous demand that the entire floor throughout (including that only painted so far but now getting increasing scuffed by her careless disregard for it) should be completely sanded back down to the boards at my expense! To help me on this the TV production company sent an independent flooring expert to have a look and he told her EXACTLY THE SAME AS I HAD, that a light sand of the affect areas and repaint was all that was needed. He also said the varnish was the correct varnish to use, i.e. polyurethane based, on porous paint ? so effectively validated that not only was the work fine but that the problems were easily remedied?..oh and I forgot to say that she moaned about the wood worm to him too. But even after this she STILL continued with her ridiculous claim that it all had to be redone from scratch! This is what I was up against. We were blamed for damaging things we hadn?t. Remember the washing machine Sue? And how even though we replaced the doorbell (which should have been the end of the matter) you continued to bully and accuse my young apprentice? (we replaced the doorbell because there was no way of knowing why it stopped working and for a quiet life). And that's another thing...when Sue wanted to talk about something she wasn't happy about....it wasn't a quite calm chat.....she would quite literally through a tantrum. Thinking back I have no idea why I tolerated it. And to add that in the middle of this work I found out that my mother had died....to which Sue could only say that she 'didn't give a toss' when her parents died......not relevant I know but that is just about the sum of Sue. In the end, once the final day of filming was complete, I took the Thursday and Friday off (plus the weekend) because I?d worked something like 17 days in a row (and then Sue had the cheek to say I was unreliable!!!). On the Monday Sue asked me not to continue to work and requested a meeting on the Wednesday. I agreed but removed my tools as I had a little job I could do over two days and also because most of the tools were no longer needed on site. This in itself seemed to infuriate Sue. Wednesday came and a few hours before the meet Sue cancelled, but didn?t arrange another meet?.then accused me of not wanting to meet with her and the madness continued with a bombardment via email and post of pages of irrelevant complaint. I decided to cut my losses and have nothing more to do with any of it (having decided she was insane) and nobody at the time who knew what was going on blamed me for it. In fact, many wondered how I put up with it for as long as I did. So her bathroom did not get finished but it was left tidy, and the three snags/ outstanding things to finish did not get sorted. Enough is enough Sue......I am not going to pick over every bone with you again and especially not in a public forum. Your behaviour was disgraceful when I worked for you and it has been disgraceful on this forum since (remember the claim that iroko couldn't be used in a bathroom????). To anyone on the outside reading this, the only thing that is clear is that there are two people at loggerheads, who will never agree. There is no opinion to be drawn other than that.....not on my character, work, or anything else....and anyway, who in their right mind wants to read all this? Admin...time to lock this one I think.

There is of course the other side to the story and one that is more rational and very different to Sue?s account (and can be corroborated by both other trades people who were working on her home at the time and the TV production company involved) but if you are reading all of that how can you decide what is the truth and what isn?t? I think the willingness by some to automatically take as truth every word that Sue writes and then to go further and just write downright nasty things was an appalling display. That?s one reason why I have not posted to defend myself (that and being ill and not having been online for a few weeks) and what would be achieved by that anyway. Sue doesn?t know when to stop ?.and will never admit any fault or back down even when proven to be wrong. She has consistently lied and exaggerated about both the scale and the finish of the work. Many of her claims are not only ludicrous but pure fantasy. I see nothing to be achieved by arguing with her via a public forum. I am more than happy to pm privately to anyone who requests it, a full account of what really happened and to also send photographs of the work (you will have to look hard to find the chaos Sue describes I?m afraid). When someone repeatedly changes their mind, ignores the advice given to them, goes for the lower cost option (a factor in finishing) and then tries to blame the worker when not happy with the finish then whose fault is that? Sue gradually drove me up the wall with it all (she exasperated the TV company too). As for the timescale/ cost ? things would have taken far less time and cost less had Sue been decisive regarding what she wanted and had taken the initial advice given to her (and taken care to keep finished paintwork clean and working areas clear). As to the terms of payment etc. Sue agreed to those terms, and then breached them. That is all a court would consider for example, not the terms themselves. No money was ever asked for up front for either and I continued working even when Sue stopped paying invoices ? which I also had no obligation to do. Like I say I am more than happy to pm a full account to anyone but who in their right mind really wants to read all of that? My main profession is elsewhere and one where reputation is key but only employs those who work in it for around 8 months of the year. The work I did for Sue is work I do/ have done between the contracts of my main profession. But even there I can provide lots of good references going back 20 years and indeed the person who recommended me to Sue in the first place is not in the habit of recommending incompetent people either (I wasn?t on the forum at the time). Sue seems to complain about 90% of the people ever working in her home (her posting history shows that) and that tells me that if you do work for her the chances are that you are going to be labelled as incompetent. People should use their common sense there. I don?t want to see this thread descending into the same unwarranted character assassination of the other. I?m still not online 24/7 so am not going to be able to respond to any of it either. Sue et al have had their pound of flesh....time to let it go I think.

Fuschia, you have no idea what you are talking about. There are very good reasons why the bathroom was not finished by me. Sue is not being honest about events I'm afraid. I did take extensive photographs when I cleared the site and left things tidy. It's awful enough that without right to reply (being without internet for a couple of weeks) Sue has been able to post lie after lie. And it seems I'm not the first person she's put through a barrage of slander either. I am NOT going to argue the ins and outs of a dispute in a public forum. Admin have requested the same which is very fair. And that's my last word on it.

In Southwark Community wardens hand out ?50 fines to those they see dropping litter, but no good when it comes to people in cars obviously. I've confronted people for dropping litter within easy distance of a bin but if they reply with a mouthful there's not a lot you can do.

I have always bought refilled cartridges for my Lexmark printer and then refilled them myself until they stop working and never had any problems with my printer. You will get some differences in colour matching between different makes of cartridge and inks but it depends on what you are printing. I'm more than happy printing anything from photos to letters with refilled cartidges tbh.

There's knitting tips in Radio Times on how to knit your own 'killing' sweater!

Posted by: Otta Today, 05:30PM Sue has never used your real name as far as I'm aware. Surely that would make legal action difficult? Not in this case Otta, I have more than one claim against her.....and a public forum is never the place to air private disputes, because it invites comment from people who were not there or have no direct access to the 'truth' beyond the often insane squabbling and exaggerations of those involved or those who are feeling aggrieved. As I say, I have plenty of evidence to refute most of the claims Sue makes. There was a tv crew involved and the production company had more than a few problems with her too. For me it is a question of whether or not legal action is worth the hassle. And at what point does the false accusation becomes too much? Sue drives people insane....but would I ever dream of using a public forum to go into detail regarding what makes her a nightmare to work for? No I wouldn't....although anyone doing a search will see that the chances are that if you do work for her you'll be accused of being incompetent. For me the last straw was being accused of being unreliable after taking four days off (two of which were the weekend) after working 23 days straight, without a day off and long hours too (to meet a TV deadline). I couldn't reason with her kind of nonsense then and certainly can't be bothered revisiting it now (it was over TWO years ago). She isn?t impacting on my life or my living so??. She has trouble with most of the people who ever work in/on her home. Again common sense should tell people something there....... I don?t get ill very often and rarely take time away from working because of it, it just happens that twice this year I have got ill (and broke my arm too). That happens. Not quite sure what happened with messages and Ellie, but to then see that featuring and ballooning into what it has, in a public forum, is just too insane for me. So I?m sticking to footy in future and keeping the rest of me and my life well away from this forum.

Ellie I've pm'd you. I did message you to let you know I was ill and that I had a trip away planned too. Double check your pms? I was also offline for a couple of weeks and changing phone provider (I let you know that too) and gave you an alternate number. Sue I've had enough of your lies. I'm considering legal action and have only not pursued legal action before because you are more trouble than it's worth. I have more than enough evidence to support any claim I make. And if that's what it takes to make you cease with your nonsense, then that's what I will have to do. Admin....I don't think Ellie meant to start a thread that allowed for some kind of unwarranted character assassination to take place. The nature of a forum is that people sometimes form strong views about people they've never met and that can never make for a fair or balanced debate. It seems that several things conspired to mess up communication with Ellie, that's all, and I don't deserve to be publically humiliated for it. I have made some very good friendships through the forum and am very thankful for that. If I were any of the things that Sue claims for example, there would be no end of stuff about it on the forum. But there isn't.....(apart from my particiaption in lively debates)......common sense should prevail there.

Sounds like a good idea to me H. Maybe some tax incentives to investors could be thrown into the ring too. I'm also sure that many people would like the chance to work for themselves, or to start a small businesses, if given the right support and an opportunity to find investment. That I think would be a worthwhile use of public money. And I'd also say, remove the daft rules we have on bankrupts being unable to start a business for up to three years too. Entrpreneurs and small business owners are more vulnerable to bankrupcy during tough times and yet they are the very people we need to get things going again.

Very depressing indeed. Spain is in real trouble. But we have high youth unemployment too and the best idea that Cameron seems to have is to press on with cuts (and the increased unemployment and welfare costs that will entail) and to loosen ties with Europe, presumably so that he can abolish some of the protections in law that Europe has given workers for example. He intends to make such demands in return for bailing out the euro and countries like Greece. What makes this recession particularly worrying is that the cost of living is soaring. It's not just increasing unemployment (a factor in all recessions) but the rise in basic living costs stretching even those in employment but on lower incomes. Fuel, food and it was reported last week that rents in the UK are at record highs (so much for welfare reforms correcting the rental market) and being unable to afford the essentials is what is going to push many more people to the limit. Those euro leaders (mostly millionaires) need to wake up and understand just how affected so many people are by all this. Investment in job creation, business and enterprise HAS to be at the core of any recovery plan and banks need to be forced to lend for that purpose.

For me it's simple. If Terry said what the papers are saying he said (and I believe it was caught on camera too) then he should be banned for a long enough time to send a clear message that racist abuse is never acceptable. Fans who engage in such behaviour often recieve lifetime bans. I don't see why players can't be treated in the same fashion. I was at the Emirates last night to see Arsenal beat Bolton. Fab night, fab crowd and not a single instance of malicious behaviour from any of the players on show. That's the spirit I want to see...not the foul rants of a spoilt brat like John Terry et al.