@bullstuff2
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Steve, I was shown a few instances of historical corruption and several just plain errors when I was dealing with Common land Searches. The corruption had been covered up, but the errors led to the Council being fined, often large sums: these repaid with taxpayers and ratepayers’ money of course. This was shown to me by my immediate female superior as an object lesson in what could happen if I made such an error, and I was informed that the law had changed to make the Council Officer solely responsible for the error. Unfortunately for her, a Senior Legal Officer was present and shot her down in flames – “That is incorrect, no such change in the law has been made, in fact could not ever be contemplated. As a Legal Clerk and a new employee’s superior and mentor, you could be liable to disciplinary action against you for giving him incorrect, illegal information.”
Exit one red-faced “Mentor”. This woman was evil IMO. Some months later, she tried to shift the blame for an error of her own on to me, by forging my signature upon the documents which gave permission for a developer to purchase land which she had not fully investigated. It was found to be an owned land and that cost the Council refunds to the developer and his solicitor. Again, she was unfortunate, as well as incompetent: she failed to check the dates when I was supposed to have created and signed the documents – I was off sick that week, proven by pay checks. She also failed to copy my signature with any similarity whatsoever: a comparison with my many sig’s on other documents, demonstrated the glaringly obvious forgery.
Now you would have thought that this
witchwoman would have been sacked, wouldn’t you? Not a bit of it. She remained in her post, and I was moved to another office, still carrying out the same work and having to return to her office to use the computer dedicated to my work and hers. My ongoing revenge was to leave work later than her, and put in a password to access the PC. I would return next morning to find her accusing me of breaking the PC. I would just restart it, input the password and ask in innocence what the problem was. I was driving her even crazier than she already was, until the Council retired me on ill health grounds. How she remained in her post was down to knowing something about something or someone, I believe.Whatever the answer, it demonstrates what happens in ALL Council HQ’s. People there are often in ‘jobs for life’ and some become lazy, leading to incompetence and negligence. They are not all the same: I had many friends there doing their work efficiently, competently and with integrity.
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I'm out.There is a (possibly 5 yo) development of what was meant to be 9 ‘executive’ houses in Louth, about 3 miles from our village centre to the street, in what was a patch of waste* ground. The house numbers ran along one side of the street, and the street name was just one letter different to our Close, something I did not know for a long time. This led to problems for us: for over a year we received letters for a guy with a double-barrelled family name from the AA. I sent some back and just kept receiving more and more, eventually receiving a red demand letter. So I investigated, found the development and discovered it had run into trouble. Numbers 1,2 and 3 had been completed, as had 7, 8 and 9. Where 4, 5 and 6 should have been, was a patch of waste ground, overgrown with brambles and weed. Not a good advert for ‘Executive Homes’!
Unfortunately one of those numbers matched my own door number, which was why the AA did not believe I was the double-barrelled barsteward living at my address. They failed to notice the additional letter in the house name and they failed to investigate the fact that my wife and I had been the sole tenants here since 2003. I collated all the necessary information and sent it with an acid complaint letter to the then new CEO of the AA. I received an apology and the AA letters ceased, but the apology contained an offer of free AA membership for 12 months. I refused the offer based upon two factors:
1 – I was a Motability customer and was therefore a recipient of RAC free membership.
2 – I could have no faith in any organisation which had demonstrated such glaring inefficiency and lack of competence as demonstrated by its administration’s inability to deal with more than 12 months of complaints from me, regarding one issue.
*No’s 4, 5 and 6 are still represented by an even wilder patch of waste ground, and should be properly called “Common Land”. When I worked at a County Council HQ, part of my work in Legal Services involved dealing with potential buyers of Common Land, usually developers, who are charged a substantial fee twice over, by the solicitor representing them to the Council, and by the Council itself. Quite how this bunch managed to cock up their project is not clear, but No’s 1 to 9 (4 to 6 exclusive) are still uninhabited. A lesson to all would-be Property tycoons!
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I'm out.The Blidworth NCB estate house that I grew up in was one of 840 “Pit Houses” built in 1926. Unfortunately for my dad and the other miners who travelled to work there during 1926 to 1928 from all around Britain, geological problems forced closure in 1928. My parents had arrived, with dad’s brother and family, as the 11th and 12th tenants of Lord Newstead’s ‘Newstead Colliery Company’ estate. Dad and mam, with my big brother Eric a 2 yo baby, moved to another Nottinghamshire pit, then another, until Blidworth colliery reopened in 1931, now with another son, born in 1930 and still living, although with severe dementia now, at 89.
The 840 houses were therefore empty and abandoned for almost 5 years. In 1992 I bought a mid-terraced Pit House at the upper end of the village, the whole estate having been built on the banks of a fairly steep hill: I had grown up in a house at the bottom of the hill, in the Dale. We invested in several improvements, from SUDG windows and doors to moving the downstairs bathroom/WC upstairs, expanding the lounge into the area of the old bathroom and substituting Gas for solid fuel heating, with new boiler and radiators. I had never considered the structure of these properties, so imagine my surprise when the engineer began taking up floorboards and crawling under the house to fit piping! The floorboards extended underneath every wall and there was nothing but hard-packed earth below. Only the chimney stack and outer walls were on foundations. Plastering was carried out by a builder mate who also carried out the extension into the old bathroom space. I had once tried plastering and realised why all plasterers have large arms, so I left it to an expert whilst I rebuilt the engine, brakes, tipper hydraulics/mechanism, steering and suspension of his next truck. Tip for aspiring boxers: never mind the roadwork, get plastering!
It is surprising how the houses have lasted so long: all have been bought, either by ex-miners, a local Housing Association, or sold by the ex-miners (at a good profit) to new owners. We sold ours to the son of a mate who came down to work at the pit in the early 60’s, after the first wave of Lanarkshire pit closures in Scotland.
Considering the facts that the housing was empty for all that time, and the estate streets were built on the banks of a steep hill, I find it amazing that they have not begun to deteriorate, after 92 years. Perhaps they might have been subjected to subsidence, as the pit was at the top of the hill and very close to the top street. However, the Colliery Company decided early that a substantial “Pillar” should be left below the estate, in view of the geological problems. I know that housing built farther out, has experienced subsidence problems. The original garage at which I became foreman, suffered subsidence and had to be rebuilt with British Coal compensation, further up the hill opposite the pit. We got a spanking new workshop, paint oven and MOT Centre. My dad got £200 when he retired from the pit in 1965…. where is the morality in that?
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I'm out.Bob was that Para pub up a small road / alley off the high street heading in to the main town centre walkway?
Mark, it sounds similar, but after (gulp!) almost 53 years I cannot be certain. And I was blinded by love (or something like it) and several alcoholic beverages at the time. It was certainly a blind alley for me!
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I'm out.Sharing that crack Steve, passed to my Gert who cracked up, thanks mate, she needed a laugh. Your SOH is the same as mine: laugh in the face of trouble.
Grimsby hospital is between 20 and 30 minutes away depending upon time of day and traffic, but all a reasonably straight run up the A16. Usually Gert’s consultant is in Louth Hospital, which is only 2 miles by road through a town of ancient streets and many traffic lights, so I go an extra mile around the A16 bypass and get there quicker, without holdups.
When my Op consultant sends for me for a final check, it will mean Beverley in East Yorkshire. That is a horrible place to drive around, with some of the daftest junctions I have seen. I hope your Doris soon has better luck with appointments.
Richard some sections of the NHS are very fond of treating us all like mushrooms. I have never been quiet in opposition to that. My favourite phrase is thrown at medicos in full flow: “What does that mean in layman’s language please?” Reactions vary in answer to that.
May our other halves, families and ourselves have better medical news in 2019.
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I'm out.Hope we don’t get that bug, I’ve had enough of infections for a while. As Nolan says, a lowered immune system is vulnerable. I am feeling pretty good atm, but missus Bob is not. The hip she had replaced last February is giving her pain and may well have to be redone. New consultant was one of the gang I call “Off-Putters”, in that he told her at her last visit that it is her spine which was causing the pain. “In her groin?” I asked. (We always go into appointments together, for support and witness) Wife accepted this but I did not, and assured him that we would be back if his advice to “Let it settle down” resulted in continuing pain. It is now worse and she has asked to see GP, who is one of the good guys who takes up a patients cause and does not give up.
I have had enough of her struggling to walk and would like to get this sorted while I am reasonably well enough to see her through it again. More household tasks in my future I think!
Saturday is a family do which will cheer up my missus. 25th birthday meal for eldest grandson, whole family gathered around a table scoffing their heads off.
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I'm out.Steve I think I posted here about my 21st. birthday night, spent in the Scots Guards nick in Aldershot. I had gone with a mate to a pub used by Paras, regular 2 Para guys and not Short course as I had been. Some of 2 Para guys were away on exercise but their women were in the pub, looking for – (cough!) – Something Different. We became Different for the night, I ended up in a Married Quarter flat with one such young lady. Husband and mates came back early and I really wanted to live a bit longer, so I went out the window with shoes and jeans around my neck, down each drainpipe, heart in mouth and trying to control my bowels.
Unfortunately an MP patrol spotted my athletic descent and arrested me. Interviewed, I told the truth, all the Monkeys had a good laugh but took me to the SG nick instead of the Para guard room, big relief! Next day the SG sheriff listened, had a good laugh and gave me a lift back to REME barracks in Bordon, on his way to a mate’s in Guildford. What a nice man!
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I'm out.I bought a quality jacket and contrasting trousers quite cheaply at a House of Fraser sale in 2013. They are still in good nick, although I have not worn them more than about 20 times since then, mainly on holidays. I bought a very nice blazer and cream trousers from Greenwoods in about 1996 and the blazer is still good as new, but whatever possessed me to team it with cream pants is not one of my better decisions. If I want a specific clothing item, I wait for Sales in the ‘better’ shops. Nowadays I don’t think that I will need any more than I have already, which is the result of buying quality stuff.
I bought one pair of brown shoes and one of black, from a classy Grimsby shoe shop maybe 6 or 7 years ago. There was a fitting service and the owner had to wait for the correct size of the brown shoes to come from Germany, as I have size 7’s but have very broad feet. Both pairs cost me a total of around £175, but fit like a glove and show very little signs of wear. For everyday wear, I have a battered pair of 8 yo trainers or the cheapest, best fitting (= most comfy) Shoezone slip-ons, or the £35 Clifford James Walkers I bought last year, for muddy stuff. I love shoes, probably passed that to our daughter, who has literally dozens of them. SIL is long-suffering, but he buys most of his gear from Charity shops.
I used to buy a lot from Greenwoods, but the quality deteriorated until they went bust. I have a very warm, fur lined coat that I bought from Greenwoods maybe 8 years ago. The monkey-metal zip came apart last year, so I had it replaced by a brass zip at a local seamstress shop: still working, better than original.
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I'm out.I must have missed Spike by a few months, sounds like he was one of the Good Guys.
I want my headstone to read like Spike Mulligan’s wish for his: “I told you I was ill!”
Family don’t like it.
Above the neck I am still 18, but the rest has lagged behind, most severely. (Some of it has even gone missing)
You know you have never grown up when your wife and kids criticize almost every decision and/or plan you make. Especially when the grandkids think your ideas are ‘cool’.
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I'm out.Jules’ Hootenanny gets worse every year.
Madness’ Show was much better.
A good dose of Irish coffee, followed by a couple of measures of naked Jamiesons, sent us into the Land of Nod by 01:30. Woke at about 10 am, showered, no after effects.
Have a great rest of the year, only 363 days to the next one. Start buying up reduced price fireworks.??
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I'm out.Our pub/restaurant is mostly restaurant now and does not have enough space to rotate a feline, will be closed to all but family, so a night out there is out of the question and I wouldn’t fancy it anyway.
I now recall that we did spend one NYE out here in Lincs: Mablethorpe 2001, and had a brilliant night out at a hotel which is now mostly a Gift shop. Returning to the B&B, I pulled a drunk woman out of Queen’s Park Lake: she was convinced she was drowning in about 3 feet of water. Got me soaked, had to refortify myself at the B&B, which partied until 5 am or so. Funniest memory of that was several women trying to sing “I will survive” into the Karaoke mike and getting the words mixed up. Missus and I were crying with laughter: apparently the ‘lead singer’ had recently got divorced, probably on the grounds of being Tone Deaf. Landlady let all guests sleep until 3 pm, which was nice considering state of guests’ health. And landlady’s.
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I'm out.Poor little fella has been turned into a Man U creature. Is there a cure???
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I'm out.Staying in ourselves, trying to keep my Gert awake after 11 is a bit of an ordeal though. I will make an “Irish” about 11:30: Irish coffee, made with a healthy slug of Jamiesons proper Whiskey over a teaspoon of sugar and 2 teaspoons of coffee, in the correct tall glasses. Topped with a very careful pour of double cream, so as not to let the cream dissolve, just top it off. Lovely!
We have not been out on NYE for a good few years, like Steve I gave up seeing the point some time ago. Always some drunken idiots wanting to fight the world, would never do it without some Dutch courage.
I remember the great NYE nights we used to have back in my old Notts village at the Miner’s Welfare, before the pit closed and the place went downhill. Really enjoyable nights, anyone starting trouble was out of the door and barred for 6 months. Any more trouble at a later date, resulted in a Life Ban. Everyone knew each other, everyone danced with anyone. “Auld Lang Syne” was epic, hundreds linking arms, singing our heads off. Everybody kissing whoever would kiss back. Ended the night with a face full of lippy!
All gone now.
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I'm out.Adding my thanks to Lee for giving us all a Bolt Hole/Conversation Corner/ Debating Society. With some great Device Advice on the side from some knowledgeable people who share their knowledge and experience. Tha’s Bratfuds Best, Lee!
Just a thought brought up by BL‘s mention of Donations: I made out a small monthly DD to Forumite. Personal choice of course, but even a small amount helps more, especially if it’s regular and soon mounts up.
I have chilled out today after a lot of walking since coming out of hospital, feel good but suffering from chocolate and mince pie (with double cream) excess consumption. Got loads to do:
Chase up PPI – fit Dashcam – setup new record deck pressie – setup new wireless printer. Next Saturday big family party for eldest grandson’s 25th. What a long way this young man has come, for an Aspergers lad, now with a great job and an executive apartment. Family will embarrass him as usual, but he is safe amongst us and knows it.
Happy New Year everyone, Forumite is a safe Haven!
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I'm out.Thanks for that Ed, good tips.
Thankfully, my health continues to improve, mainly due to being able to walk again. Today missus and I went to Mablethorpe and walked the whole length of the Prom, north to south, returning again the other way. I am told that is almost 2 miles, and I didn’t feel any tiredness at all. My missus has also shaken off the last effects of her new hip and is walking much more easily. All down to being able to exercise again.
There used to be an old, dismal cafe on the Central Promenade, which was once a cold, draughty, miserable den serving only horrible tea or coffee. It has been rebuilt and transformed by new ownership into a really good restaurant: warm, welcoming and is now called “Mr. G’s”. We were met at the door by Mr G himself, who looked at the packed venue and confessed to not expecting so much custom today, after only opening just before Christmas. I explained that it made such a great change from ‘chips with everything’ and crappy burgers. I also explained the local area bush telegraph, which spreads good news quickly. We had a really good Lincolnshire sausage bap and a very good cup of tea. I think Mr G will do well, full menu has 3 course meals, down to egg, bacon & sausage baps.
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I'm out.Thanks Graham, but I cannot “improve my mood” too much, intake is strictly limited by the removal of so many organs. My system can only deal with a little alcohol at a time now.
Just had a day at Sutton-on-Sea. Blue skies most of the day, cold but we were well insulated. Good meal at a local restaurant.
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I'm out.Chrimbo Joke:
The Aviation Authority decide to examine Santa’s sleigh for Airworthiness before take off. An official checks everything on the ground, then boards the sleigh with Santa as pilot for a test flight, carrying a pistol.
“What’s the gun for?” asks Santa.
“We have to see how you cope when you lose an engine at take off.”
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I'm out.Get well/stay well everyone!
I second that BL! Have had a sudden increase in energy levels: what they have prescribed is definitely working. I was also told that I can resume a small alcohol intake if I wish. Sitting here with a nice cup of coffee, fortified by a splash of Jamesons Whiskey. Feeling good. Hopefully more outdoors tomorrow and a nice bottle of Chenin Blanc to bring home.
A better, healthier 2019 to everyone.
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I'm out.Thanks guys
Richard they know my Vitamin D is fine: every blood test and culture proved it. I was on a chalky big tablet for this from the first visit: new consultant says it is irrelevant and should not have been issued. I am now taking:
Lansaprazole (morning) – Erythromycin (2x tablets) twice a day – Doxycycline 1 a day, for 7 days – Tamsulosin 1 a day; that’s the one that is wiping out the infection.
Stevie P: I wish you all the best for your grafts, hope you can get through them OK, but knowing what you have already pulled through, you will fight this. Having an Army mate who went through something similar, I have a bit of an idea of what you are in for. Good luck, Good Health for 2019.
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I'm out.Quoted meself, dunno what happened! Going for a lie down.
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I'm out. -
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