Not naming and shaming but…

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When it came down to getting Junior a motor car, we narrowed it down to two different possibilities.
And this is a lot of money and a tight decision, so we went and we researched extensively, and we test drove each of them on a few different occasions.

And of course the salespeople – both men in this case – were lovely and charming and helpful and friendly. But we look past the salespeople and we look at the actual car. Because we’ve met salespeople before.

Still, they had a job to do, and they did it: both extolled the virtues of their option and mildly exaggerated the actual facts on the spec sheet. And to their credit, they didn’t do too much shouting about the negative side of things regarding the other choices out there.

They each got their contact just about right, as well: not too much, not too little. We were neither ignored nor bombarded. And they seemed to respect the fact that we would have to make a choice at some stage. Because… well, we cant afford both. (I’m still not 100% sure that we can afford one.)

So when we finally made a decision, it seemed just good manners to let the one guy know that we were going with the other manufacturer. Not something we had to do, but we’re big on respect and politeness in this household.

And so we sent him a message (all contact both ways had been via Whatsapp apart from the times when we were actually at the dealership), saying thanks for your time, but we’ve chosen to go with the other vehicle, all the best, Us.

His response was friendly and magnanimous:

Ah well. That’s a shame. But thanks for letting me know and all the best.

Ja right. Was it bollocks.

Nothing back. Mr Friendly for the past three weeks couldn’t even be arsed to respond.
Cut us dead.
Because Mr Friendly was actually Mr Salesman-Twat in disguise and it was all an act.

I mean, I shouldn’t have expected anything else but wow. What a two-faced POS.

I’m not naming and shaming. Why stoop to his level?

Just see it – like we have – as a reminder that salespeople are always going to salesperson, and you’d do really well to overlook anything and everything they say and do, and make sure that you are clued up and have everything – EVERYTHING – down in writing.

And just be nice, and as genuine as you can.

Last minute bargain? Beware.

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Just be careful out there when you’re looking for your (very) last minute bargain for a Christmas gift.

They know that you’re (quite reasonably) panicking about getting that Xmas gift you overlooked, and they’re ready to take advantage.

Sometimes it’s subtle:

A frankly ridiculous price for a shitty knock-off backpack anyway.

But sometimes they are even more brazen and the thievery is even more heinous:

I’ve mentioned before just how much I love Checkers, but this time, I’m leaving my card in my wallet, thank you very much.

As ever, whatever you’re doing today, have a nice day.

What a save

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No. Not top goalkeeper Michael Cooper.

Me.

This month – known as one of the busiest of the year – has been very busy. Not that it’s been bad busy.
We did this. And we also did this (and this and this). Oh, and this too, I suppose.

But aside from being away, when we were at home, we were also busy. Football, social events, football social events, horseriding (not me) etc etc etc. And so I had… mmm… “neglected” the pool a bit.

So when the time came to open it up for the Christmas week… well…

Oh dear.

Three weeks of hot weather and an opaque pool cover will allow this to happen. Especially if no-one intervenes. That no-one being me. Because I did not intervene at all, and the pool took the opportunity and returned to nature.

Let me be honest, though: this is the worst that I have ever seen a pool under my management. Ever. And by a long way too. But records are made to be broken, and this one was. Comprehensively.

Time to fight back then, but not much time, given the proximity of the festive season.

I attacked. And less than 48 hours later, after a bit of hard work and some extremely toxic chemicals, this:

Ka – if I might be so bold – boom.

Crystal clear. Inviting. Sorted. Altogether:

What a save.

So. Let the good times roll. Just as soon as I have cooked my gammon (not a euphemism) and made a final decision on some wine for tomorrow: the Penhill 2016 Shiraz (only 6000 bottles produced) is clearly leading the way right now.

Enjoy your day.

Eve Eve

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If we are going to have a few days off – no, don’t panic, not off blogging – then we have to get a few things sorted before we can relax. And after a whirlwind day of tasks and jobs being ticked off the list, I’m happy to say that we’re very nearly there.

Not quite, but very nearly. And if things go well tomorrow, then I think we’ll be done by lunchtime and then we can switch off a bit and begin the festive holiday thing. I t will likely involve some wine.

The two big bits of news today were signing an OTP on a car for the Boy Wonder, which is very exciting, and finally getting this delivered, which was a huge weight off my mind. 3 separate entities involved and I had to chase up each of them to manage to get things done. Amazon in SA has a long, long way to go.

But today, and the 17,500 steps it brought with it, has left me exhausted.

So happy Christmas Eve Eve, and look out for more fun and games tomorrow.

2 at once

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It’s the video we’ve all been waiting for. Two recorders at once. In the nose. Two blowholes (I think that the technical name is nostrii – 1 nostril, 2 nostrii), so two recorders. A descant and a treble.

It’s beautifully done. And I love the t-shirt.

Little known fact about me: I’m actually pretty good on the recorder. I know we all did it for a year at school when we were 6 or 7, but I kept going for many years afterwards, playing for the leading youth recorder group in Sheffield. We toured widely, as far as Manchester, Holmfirth and London (amongst other places), winning several (or more) competitions, and I still have my recorders to this day.

Could I do this, though?

Well, almost. The whole nostril thing wouldn’t be an issue at all: in fact, I do a great rendition of Jingle Bells like this.

But… the balancing the descant on the half loaf or white bread? No.

I only eat brown, seeded stuff now* – doctor’s orders, see? – and that’s simply not spongy enough to allow for adequate movement. In fact, trying to do this with a loaf of this heavier stuff might even result in some sort of bizarre injury. Hopefully only to your nose, but you never really know, do you?

So I’ll leave this sort of thing to the expert in our video above.

Safety first.

* Apparently, there’s some in the freezer.