Jacqui5254

Was given some free cosmetic samples which I left on my bedside table. Got up in the dark to use the facilities in the middle of the night. Before getting back into bed reached to put some of the moisturising cream from one of the samples round my dry lips and chin. Fell asleep thinking..'mmmm, that smells like something I recognise'... Woke up the next morning to read 'fake tanning lotion' on the used sample...

I deal with the guilt by cutting images off all cards I like, incl lovely birthday and Christmas cards , punching a hole in them and turning them into gift tags with a bit of raffia ribbon. Sounds 'crafty', which I'm not, but I have a tin full of lovely gift tags for all occasions, saving about 50p each time. Now I don't feel the cards are wasted...result!

Too right! Basic skills. heCat Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I'm with the OP on this one, its infuriating > crawling down your street to see 'half sized' > spaces everywhere.... > > If having less than a foot either end of your car > sees you worried about being 'hemmed in', then I'd > suggest you need to learn to drive and maneuver > your car a bit better.

Yes, had a few days without post, incl an Amazon delivery that finally arrived yesterday 4 days later than expected. The 'regular as clockwork, same postie' has changed to new faces and an erratic service over the last few weeks or so. Jacqui.

Thanks kiera, I'll take a look at it. These bits of our local history are rare gems!

I love this shop front. It's a rare and beautiful thing to be able to see such intact features of a Victorian shop. Go and take a look at the original roller blind boxes, the Victorian door with a tiny letterbox for when letters were only a few inches in size, the decorative brackets, the original glass. To think that this will be 'made-over', obliterating its history, is tragic. I would buy it if I could and retain all those features, so I hope whoever buys it is sympathetic to its soul.

sorry, no. [Dunstans]

As someone who has lived under the tyranny of a CPZ scheme I would warn.. be careful what you ask for. Sure, a 12-2 limit sounds great but, once the powers-that-be are given the go ahead, then it could be for any length of time as it all has to be paid for and 12-2 doesn't make as much money as a longer time period. New signs need to go up, new bays created, leaflets distributed, road markings changed, permits arranged. Then come extra wardens to police the roads. I lived in St Albans, my house was over half a mile from the station yet we had 8am-8pm CPZ. The worst thing was that there was a warden at the end of our road at 7.59am every single day as that was when the pickings were rich. They were a permanent presence all day, 6 days a week, miserable faces because everyone hated them bearing down on you as you parked, creating anxiety whilst visitors first 'hello' was "am I supposed to have a parking ticket?". Despite regular protests, not one single thing was changed in the timing or location of the CPZ once it was established. So one day you wake up and find that YOUR road is 8am to 6.30pm. You spend half your working day thinking about parking. You have a permit so you feel a sense of entitlement and, about 2 miles from home you start thinking about a space...everyone else is on their way home from work now...willl there be a space? Will someone else get there first? You will spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about parking. What about your cleaning lady? Has she got enough visitor permits? She arranges to clean for 2 hours, runs over a bit, then tells you that she went out to her car and there was a ticket on her car. The babysitter? The person who is dropping by for a cuppa...do you give them a one hour permit then watch the clock or a 5 hour permit just-in-case? They cost more but, hey, so does a fine from a keen parking attendant. Is it cheaper to use up a 5 hour permit on someone who is there for 4 hours or use up 4 individual hour permits as you have more of those left over, except that your neighbour has just knocked on your door saying 'have you got any one hour permits? My mum is coming over and we have only just realise we gave the last one to the boiler man this afternoon and, well y'know it takes 2 days to order new ones, etc etc etc.. So the cost of reducing the number of people who park in 'your' road can be measured in money, time, stress and fines. And you are still parking two streets away!

God, I feel sorry for the FHR reception staff.

Well said Alice.

Thanks for that Sidhue.

I recently had some renovations done to my flat and, as I have had several conversations with people looking for recommendations for good tradesmen, thought I would post it here.. Atanas Deschev and his company, Big Small Building Solutions. They do kitchen, bathroom and whole property renovations with a skilled team which covers plasterers, tilers, carpenters, builders, painters, electrical work, etc which he coordinates to ensure your project keeps to your agreed schedule Their customer service, time keeping, flexibility and decent costs are what made him stand out for me. I have had several builders in recent years and they don't come close to Atanas and his team. To give an idea, they completed the following... Knocked out the internal hall wall of my first floor flat, extended into the new space by creating and installing a new kitchen, removed and repositioned a [new] boiler. Also a complete bathroom renovation. Then they moved two loft hatches and installed new loft stairs, built and painted two enormous storage cupboards, replaced my flat door, decorated the hallway, upgraded some electrics and tiled the kitchen and bathroom floors. All this was done in a very tight space with no garden to spill into. They cleaned and only left when everything was in its place,no outstanding jobs, nothing left behind. All monies spent were accounted for with receipts down to the last penny. I benefitted from 100% of his discounts at trade stores where they know him and describe him as their best customer as he is never annoyed if something isn't ready. The men clean after themselves, don't seem to take breaks, and are very helpful and have high standards. Atanas is very approachable and easy to get hold of and is always willing to sit down to discuss any concerns or details. I am thrilled with the outcome. Oh yes, and the whole job took exactly 4 weeks. http://kitchenandbathroombuilderdslondon.co.uk/contact.html If you are looking for someone who is totally reliable, who answers his phone and arrives when he said he would,who has an eye for detail and takes full responsibility for the quality of the job, not you nagging about how straight the tiles are, then Atanas is your man.

HopOne Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > However, I think it is not > fair to suggest that this practice is in meltdown. > I needed to see a doctor urgently yesterday and > was accommodated, very professionally, within the > hour. Can't fault that. I agree with HopOne, the practise is working well for me. It's not a case of Drs good/Admin bad. The pharmacist is excellent, friendly and helpful. The two nurses I saw were professional and warm. And I have never had a rude or unhelpful receptionist. Maybe a little stressed by the frontline onslaught but try putting the GPs in their posts and the shoe will be on the other foot....

I hate to see the Drs good/Receptionists bad divide. Sue, one of the reception staff showed me nothing but courtesy and kindness over several calls I made. Her suggestion of seeing a Senior Nurse Practitioner turned out to be just as good an option as my 'I need to see a dr' request and I was seen within hours. Also, the Practise Pharmacist has an important role to play. I don't know why the doctors are being rated so highly when at the same time don't seem to be able to manage their surgery, despite being on the top end of the payroll. Frankly, I feel sorry for anyone [ie receptionists] who have an administrative job and who are managed by senior colleagues [gps] who have don't have the skills, time or training to manage. Can't be a happy environment to work in every day.

How awful. Thanks for taking the time to let us all know, ianmyoplex. Hope you get your money back without too much hassle.

Oh, please..

Oh, I love the Venice images. Gorgeous.

Wow! Excellent photos!

Whilst I have loads of the 40p fortified bags from Sainsbury's, I still prefer some of the free bags as well as they are good to reuse for tons of other things. Does it matter that, as the use of free plastic carrier bags decline, the purchase of plastic bin liners increases?

I hope the 5p carrier bags are of a better quality than the current free ones. Better for re-use.

Thanks for the cracked pavement support, James! and YES to kford's suggestion for the LED lights!! Jacqui.

How about repairing the cracked and uneven pavements on Northcross Road [Palmeston end] so that people don't trip up on their way to safely crossing at the new super-expensive junction with LL [when it's finished]?

This might be a good opportunity to remind us all to donate some of our unwanted [and decent!] things. Or donate as an option to helping with the refugee crisis. http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/about-us/emergencies/child-refugee-crisis-appeal?utm_campaign=refugee&utm_medium=ppc&utm_source=refugeecrisisappealppc&sissr=1

Blah Blah Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Someone parks a vehicle necessary for the job they > do outside their home and that's an issue? Blah Blah, I think that sometimes people just need to put their thoughts out there for a bit of reassurance, support or clarification. Not really necessary to knock them on the head about it. And there are 3 large vehicles not one. Personally I would feel quite irritated, especially with the early wake-up noise. But I would feel better with a bit of sympathy if nothing could be done!