I've just discovered this very interesting and entertaining blog called Retirement Rocks where 'Silverback' has written a post about his trip to Knaresborough and has posted some lovely photos. (OK it's Yorkshire, but it's only Sheffield City Council that I've fallen out with!)
And he's retired - I'm sooo jealous. ;)
Welcome to Sheffield!
Well, having just threatened to go and sort out good old Yorkshire Pudding for supporting male chauvinist pigs, by going over to Sheffield, on second thoughts, maybe I won't. We did go to Sheffield in July to see Elder Daughter for the day. Younger Daughter, Elder Son and his children were there too, so we had a very enjoyable day. However, we did have a few problems getting to her house, even with the GPS because several roads were closed, presumably becaue of the floods Sheffield had suffered a couple of weeks before and there was little advance notice each time, which necessitated a lot of turning around and 'doing a uey' as Keith likes to say, especially as, each time we were approaching a closed road and I informed him, he decided to press ahead anyway, just in case it was open after all. (Another MCP?)
But our main problem, although we were unaware of it at the time, was that, on our way home, again negotiating a different-from-usual route, we apparently commited the heinous crime of...wait for it...Driving In A Bus Lane!!!
Obviously there were no buses anywhere in sight, otherwise we would not have been in the bus lane and, being unfamiliar with the area, neither of us noticed any signs telling us not to drive in it. All immaterial as far as Sheffield City Council are concerned, as they have sent us a penalty notice and a fine of £30.
Unfortunately, if the fine is not paid within 14 days, it then increases to £60 and, of course, the notice came while we were away, which means that we have to pay £60.
So it will be a long time before we venture into Sheffeld again!
But our main problem, although we were unaware of it at the time, was that, on our way home, again negotiating a different-from-usual route, we apparently commited the heinous crime of...wait for it...Driving In A Bus Lane!!!
Obviously there were no buses anywhere in sight, otherwise we would not have been in the bus lane and, being unfamiliar with the area, neither of us noticed any signs telling us not to drive in it. All immaterial as far as Sheffield City Council are concerned, as they have sent us a penalty notice and a fine of £30.
Unfortunately, if the fine is not paid within 14 days, it then increases to £60 and, of course, the notice came while we were away, which means that we have to pay £60.
So it will be a long time before we venture into Sheffeld again!
TK again
A new contribution from TK. You may have seen them before but I hadn't, so enjoy.
1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. I may be a little moody so be prepared.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
3. Sorry to have missed you, but I am at the doctor's having my brain removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
4. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from vacation on 18/4. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over.)
7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
9. I've run away to join a different circus.
10. I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as "Sharon" instead of "Steve".
1. I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. I may be a little moody so be prepared.
2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.
3. Sorry to have missed you, but I am at the doctor's having my brain removed so I can be promoted to our management team.
4. I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from vacation on 18/4. Please be patient, and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.
5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first 10 words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.
6. The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again. (The beauty of this is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over.)
7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.
8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait by your PC for my response.
9. I've run away to join a different circus.
10. I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as "Sharon" instead of "Steve".
Builders eh?
I am having a conservatory built on the back of the house. which I plan to use for my counselling. I say 'I' because it is my project, so the builder called in yesterday to lay out ready for the cement base to be put down today. There had been some discussion about whether to move the side gates or not and we had finally decided not, and when Bob the Builder turned up, we ran through the decisions we had made and he started to measure up.
"I'll just shut the back door," he said, "and get on with measuring."
So he did and I carried on doing what I was doing in the living room, roughly about six yards away from him.
Minutes later, Keith phoned.
"Is that all-right, then?" he asked.
"Is what all-right?"
"Moving the gates. He says he can't get the full width otherwise. Didn't he say anything to you? He's just rung me up to ask about it."
So, having shared my views on this way of going about things with Keith, (who then retired to nurse his sore ear), I waited...
When the gates had been moved and Bob and his sidekick were about to leave, I went to the door.
"Oh," I said sweetly, "I see you moved the gates after all."
"Oh yes, I rang the boss..." he began.
I stopped him there and explained it to him.
I was quite amicable about it. Not a word passed my lips about sexism or male chauvinist pigs - really.
"We'll be here between half eight and nine in the morning," he promised. "And I'll bring you a white hat, as you're the boss."
It's three minutes to nine and all is silent....
"I'll just shut the back door," he said, "and get on with measuring."
So he did and I carried on doing what I was doing in the living room, roughly about six yards away from him.
Minutes later, Keith phoned.
"Is that all-right, then?" he asked.
"Is what all-right?"
"Moving the gates. He says he can't get the full width otherwise. Didn't he say anything to you? He's just rung me up to ask about it."
So, having shared my views on this way of going about things with Keith, (who then retired to nurse his sore ear), I waited...
When the gates had been moved and Bob and his sidekick were about to leave, I went to the door.
"Oh," I said sweetly, "I see you moved the gates after all."
"Oh yes, I rang the boss..." he began.
I stopped him there and explained it to him.
I was quite amicable about it. Not a word passed my lips about sexism or male chauvinist pigs - really.
"We'll be here between half eight and nine in the morning," he promised. "And I'll bring you a white hat, as you're the boss."
It's three minutes to nine and all is silent....
Photo gallery
Have a look at a selection of the photos we took on holiday. http://picasaweb.google.com/jennytc/FranceItaly2007
Touraine and its chateaux
Chateauroux and Montresor - just two of the chateaux that we looked in on during our two days in Blois in the Touraine. I spent six months in Tours in 1969 as part of my college course and so most of the chateaux names have some memories for me. It is an area that I'm particularly fond of. It was just a shame that the weather wasn't better - all that grey sky!!
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