BIN THERE AND NOT DONE IT, DO'H
This morning was woken by the huge....
鈥hirring of the dustcart. My goodness me in the quiet of the early hours the engine on that thing sounds like a monster coming to get us all. It鈥檚 moanings and screams interspersed only with the monosyllabic shouts of the dust cart attendees piercing through the air for all to hear but few to understand.
With my eyes still closed one thought comes to mind. I forgot to give them their Christmas tip. I wonder how many other people did this. I wonder how much back pay their owed in unpaid gratuities. Will I give it to them today or shall I give them double this year. How much does one give them anyway.
What if they did the same and forgot to pick up my rubbish ? What if they said we鈥檒l leave it till this time next yea ? What would we all do ? How many rubbish mountains would form and how quickly would this all happen ? What diseases would ensue, what social unrest would it cause, what apathy would we witness ? In a world where everything is so finely balanced, there is little room for error. Are the dustmen part of a well oiled machine operating along with the rest of a finely tuned infra-structure, or are they, like all of us, involuntary members of a creaking overloaded system permanently operating beyond it鈥檚 means and on the brink of collapse ?
Are we not similar to those shiny Californians we like to deride so easily, all living on a precarious fault line with an earthquake guaranteed to happen sooner rather than later.
How about a list of the top ten things, simple things, scarily simple things, that could throw life as we know it into chaos.
Saw 鈥淭he Queen鈥 last night, great movie. Left me with real mixed emotions. I鈥檓 just not sure The Royal Family can be justified anymore, at least not in their present modus operandi. Straight after that, watched The Blair doc., part two, excellent again. Tony Blair was so close to being Superprimeminister but there is no doubt that Iraq has done him in, such a shame. For once the French may have been right,
鈥淲ar is zee absolute last option and we have not reached that point yet.鈥
Chirac had fought in Algeria and saw for himself what a bloody awful business war was at first hand.
Sometimes men get rewarded for acts of madness, maybe those days are coming to an end. Let's hope so.
In the mean time I will get up and do my bit for peace. I鈥檓 gonna run after the dust men and pay them.
CLP X 2007
Comments
Morning CLP!
Do we not pay enough in council tax to justify not leaving a Xmas tip for the refuse men? Or am I just a scrooge!!
Morning, all - looks like I'm first today!
Didn't get with yesterday's blog at all, but this one strikes a chord.
Why do we feel obliged to give Christmas gratuities anyway? - the dustmen are doing a job that they are paid for, all year round.
Why is it that the UK and US think it's ok for us to have nuclear power but it's not ok for anyone else - Iran or North Korea?
et tu
G x
Morning all!
I too am among those who didn't leave the dustbin men a tip... there again they forgot to empty my bin for 3 weeks (this was before Christmas). Luckily I live on my own (with the 2 bears) and my rubbish quota isn't too enormous and I was able to manage by recycling everytrhing possible and burning stuff in my parents garden burner and only had one extra bin bag to leave with my dustbin when they eventually did take it away. What concerns me is the amount of packaging we get on everything that causes this amount of rubbish. If we went back to minimal packaging our bins would be a lot lighter and the bin men would have an easier time.
Luv
Lyndyloo
-x-x-x-
Morning CLP.
How true - there is such a fine balance in life - it's why, on a micro-scale, I have such a rigid routine with the kids - one step off the path throws us all out - late, missed meetings, missed deadlines, yada, yada, yada... Nothing earth shatteringly important though.
Have just been watching Breakfast News and the item on Global Warming and the impact it's having on our gardens. There's no doubt things have changed; all we can hope is that Mother Nature will re-dress the balance somehow, as she has done for millenia - this is not an excuse for us not to accept our responsibilities as stewards of this earth, it is merely a hope.
Got up feeling better today, but then dropped the kids off and came home feeling dreadful - could barely get out of the car. I have agreed to one of my 'friends' coming around today to bring me some soup - it feels strange allowing someone to go out of their way for me - I've been fiercely independent for too long, I think! Definitely feel out of my comfort zone - how will this small act impact the balance of this relationship???
Right, back to 80's DVDs - (Footloose this morning) and some rest I think.
Wonderful Wednesday All,
S xx.
Morning Chris and everyone,
My messages keep disappearing, not sure if I sound so miserable they are being deleted by the happy police.
I didn't tip the binmen either, I kept meaning too but I kept forgetting, and I wasn't sure how much to give them and how to give it to them if you know what i mean! As you may know, I work as a dinnerlady and we don't get tips, we don't even get invited to the staff Christmas dinner as we might not know which knife to use. I'm not bitter at all! I don't know what's wrong with me at the moment, i know I've got a great life but I feel so down at the moment, maybe it's the weather and I'll perk up when the sun comes out again.
Back to Chris's blog, I love having a royal family and I always have. I suppose it's the whole thing about wanting to be a princess when I was a little girl, I just love the huge castles and palaces, beautiful dresses and amazing jewellery, it's all part of the history and culture of this country.
Love Em xx
PS Susan S, i keep trying to tell you the name of that lady blogger, it's Judith O'Reilly, but my messages haven't been getting through, fingers crossed this time xx
Hi Chris (and everyone of course)
Great, great blog! I have never tipped our binmen - absolutely shocking, I admit. Our guys are the grumpiest, rude and downright unpleasant bunch but I suppose their job is difficult, to say the least. I certainly don't want to do it. We get our next pickup on Friday, I may just leave them an envelope and see what happens!
Apart from binmen we couldn't live without:
Doctors, nurses and everyone who works in hospitals
Teachers/School staff
Vets
Dentists
Milk Suppliers
Bakers
Shopkeepers (do we still call them that?)
Train and bus drivers
Radio DJ's!
Last, but certainly not least, the pub landlords - God bless them all!
Have a good Wednesday!
C xx
Morning,
The first thing that springs to mind for your list of 10 things that could throw life into chaos is the water supply being stopped or contaminated. We would have to drink from water butts and rivers, which I know our ancestors would have had to do hundreds of years ago but we have changed so much and are dependant on those in charge of those kinds of things now. It's made us quite pathetic really in comparison to our stone age predecessors, don't you think? We're very clever at technology but mostly useless when it comes to living off the land. No electricity would drive us to fires and candles and we'd have no washing machines or televisions. And what about if there was no petrol? There'd be no cars (sounds good) and empty shelves in the shops. We'd be eating rabbits cooked on open fires surrounded by our piles of our own rubbish!!
They should make a film about this! xx
xx
I've changed my blog name as I keep finding too many others who have chosen the same one....
Hmmm.......dustbin men, They do indeed do a fine job but so do lots of people and we don't tip them...
Simple things that could throw life into chaos.....easy - no electricity or gas!!! Not something I'll see happen in my lifetime but maybe in the next, Scary.
Lotsa love
R xox
Hey y'all - Happy Hump Day!
I wished Mr Diva a 'Happy Hump Day' at 6.30 this morning and he thought his luck was in!!
First of all CLP .... thank you thank you thank you! Last week I put 'dear prudence ....' as a PS on a blog entry - and last night you actually played it! I was driving home in the rain with the BIGGEST smile EVER on my Diva chops! Ramones at 5pm p'rpaps, or am I pushing it??
On the subject of tipping dustmen .... no I don't either. Regular bloggers will know that I work in a portacabin on a landfill site educating the masses on recycling. The monosyllabic mumblings you identify summarises the type of people I put up with for 40 hours a week. They're all actually intelligent people, just so downright crude and miserable. Take it from me - they get paid enough, and we pay enough for their services. Nuff said!
The job interview went well (I think). Hopefully I will get called back for a 2nd interview but at least I made the initial 17 (out of 70ish applicants).
Sammie #4 - put those tootsies up, draw the curtains, open a bottle of lucozade and some minstrels (other sugary snax are definitely available) and enjoy everything that is Footloose! Classic film. Tomorrow's choice - Ferris Bueller or Dirty Dancing - tough call! If you're anywhere near East Anglia what time shall I come round?!?!
CLP - you made Heat magazine again this week - hurrah for good friends is all I'm saying!
Loads to do today so will keep paddling my toes into the blog to catch up and comment every hour or so.
Take care bloggers - it's a jungle out there!
CtD x x
PS: I love you baby!!
Interesting Chris,
I've often thought - being a child during the cold war - how I'd cope in a post nuclear society when services had disappeared.
I could grow and cook my own food (veg) but not sure I could kill an animal to eat.
I could make my own clothing (as long as there were sheep) and build my own shelter.
I think these skills are important to have and to keep alive.
Spinning and knitting lessons anyone?
Jan x
round here we're not allowed to pay them and their not allowed to accept either, so it makes it difficult, or does it..........................
P
Dear Chris,
Your council tax pays for the binmen to empty your bins, there is no need for you to pay them any extra.
Why do people feel the need to give tips? nobody gives me tips for gawping at spreadsheets all day.
I'm sorry if I sound tight but I will not pay people extra for doing the job they are employed to do.
In the days when bin men took the bin despite the lid not quite shutting because there was too much in - i would have tipped.
In the days when bin men took the extra bag of rubbish that i had put next to my bin cos i couldnt quite get it in - i would have tipped.
In the days when bin men chatted to each other and us..politely and possibly even with an element of friendliness - i would have tipped.
In the days when bin men took my recycling bin, despite the fact that some passing rascal had dumped a small bit of non-recyclable rubbish on top of my perfectly acceptable, recyclable rubbish - i would have tipped.
And dont get me started on my postman.
Its not like the old days chris. I know this will sound like bah humbug, and i am sure that if i gave them all a bottle of scotch (as my mum used to do in the old days) they would have a smile for me on that day. But i just get the feeling that in the long run it wouldnt change anything. Sorry.
and did you ?
Ten simple things we can't be without:
i) 2 hot meals
ii) Clean available water
iii) No heat, ie no electric, gas - oh cripes, no cooking!!
iv) No petrol, ergo no travel, no commerce, no nothing
v) No rubbish collections
vi) No health care - especially no medicines during a pandemic
vii)
No, don't want to go on, I've scared myself.
Paul et al, you are scrooges! Dustbin men (and dinner ladies, nurses, milkmen, shopkeepers, posties et al) do a job that's not well paid (relatively speaking) and they do it throughout the year in all sorts of weather and situations. The christmas envelope is (was?) supposed to show thanks and engender a community spirit - giving a little something extra to say a personal thank you. I often wonder if it's this sort of decline in community which has had more of an impact on our lowly rating within the commonwealth viz-a-viz children etc than anything else.
Ho hum - have a good Tuesday
J-n-J
Ok I know I've not blogged for a while but...... This one WON'T go away!
Now some might call me a bit grumpy but I don't care.
I believe in leaving tips for very good service, to the point I've even had arguments about it while I've been eating out!
People go into a job knowing what their wage will be, why should the expect extra for doing there job properly?
Boo Hiss I hear you cry!
I've spent 20 years either waiting on tables and also Bar work as a general worker and also as management..... And I've been known to return tips because the service or food/drink has been bad!
I pay enough in taxes for a pants service from the bin men. they are very often at least 1 maybe 2 days late because we are on the end of the run! and they very often leave a mess which then NEVER NEVER CLEAN UP!!!!
Ok sorry..... rant over!
Bye
Morning Mr E
Crikey. A veritable smorgasboard of topics spilling forth today.
The thing that scares me the most is the utter reliance on computers to run our world.
Whether it be computers in your car, in your heating system or your workplace, we take for granted that these things will fire up on demand and merrily perform every task asked without a glitch.
We all saw the (as it turned out unfounded) panic as we approached the year 2000, the visions of planes falling out of the sky and the economy grinding to a halt, but what if the world鈥檚 computers failed tomorrow morning?
We would be beamed straight back to the dark ages in an instant. We can exist happily without computers, but we have forgotten how to.
Scary stuff.
Meanwhile, Royal family? Nice in a sentimental, tourist attraction kind of way, but make them pay their own way.
Happy hump one and all
MfR
PS Johnny Thunders
PPS It鈥檚 not a crime when you look the way you do
PPPS Orange crush
I had completely forgotten earlier that we really do need water and electricity!
EmM #5 - I understand you feeling down, I am sure it is just the time of year. I've had "the blues" this winter too!
Anna #13 - actually, well said! You have saved me a tenner and made me see sense!
From Tuesday's blog - Sparkle - I thought your story of the Three Trees was wonderful! Happy, happy, days!
C xx
Anna #13 - do you live in sunny suffolk too then??
Postmen???? Our postie is quite possibly the most miserable dirge ever to be born unto this mortal planet of ours. A grunt on a good day (or christmas eve) but sneers and the letterbox off its hinges is the norm ... one day he put someone else's post through my letterbox and despite my trying to get his attention from my front door and waving, friendly yelling etc he still wouldn't come back to collect it, so it had to be taken back to the sorting office by little ole me in my time - nobody tipped me for that!
What would turn our comfortable world into chaos? Hmmmm .... a red wine shortage, the cake shop on ARF closing, a mm of snow ....
Think on!
CtD x x
"Old" is when...
Your love one says, "Let's go upstairs and make love, " and you answer,
"Pick one, I can't do both!"
"OLD" IS WHEN.. Your friends compliment you on your new alligator shoes but you're barefoot.
"OLD" IS WHEN.. A sexy babe catches your fancy and your pacemaker opens the garage door.
"OLD" IS WHEN.. Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.
"OLD" IS WHEN.. You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along.
"OLD" IS WHEN.. You are cautioned to slow down by the doctor instead of by the police.
"OLD" IS WHEN.. "Getting a little action" means I don't need to take any fiber today.
"OLD" IS WHEN.. "Getting lucky" means you find your car in the parking lot.
"OLD" IS WHEN.. An "all-nighter" means not getting up to pee.
and...
A man and a woman, who have never met before, but are both married to
other people, found themselves assigned to the same sleeping room on a
transcontinental train. Though initially embarrassed and uneasy over
sharing a room, they were both very tired and fell asleep quickly....he in the upper bunk and she in the lower.
At 1:00 AM, the man leaned over and gently woke the woman saying, "Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but would you be willing to reach into the closet to get me a second blanket? I'm awfully cold."
"I have a better idea," she replied. "Just for tonight, let's pretend that we're married."
"Wow! That's a great idea!" he exclaimed.
"Good," she replied. "Get your own fucking blanket!"
After a moment of silence, he farted.
Danny Dayglow
I recycle the jokes so you don`t have to
Cheryl,
It will have to be Ferris Bueller, as DD is in my 15yo daughter's bedroom and there's no way I'm going in there!
'Bout 10.30 do you???
S xx.
Christophe Lambie Pie. It's not tipping the bin men that will brighten their day; it's the ray of sunshine you will bring to them in so doing.
You know, a sincere big smile and an acknowledgement works wonders in ways far beyond a monetary donation. You get precisely what you give these days, and too many of us have that negative attitude that since we're surrounded by miserable people, Why Should I... whatever.
Well, here's the reason. Whilst I was in a Dublin hospital over Christmas with my 83 year old mum who'd had a fall and was kept in for 4 days, we were both treated with the sort of kindness and humour I have come to expect from the Irish. Opposite to mum on the ward was an old man who seemed quiet and uncommunicative, I thought perhaps he was deaf or maybe had had a stroke. But then one day he tried to get out of bed and into his chair, and was struggling. So I ran over and helped him, and he looked up at me and said, "Ah, Holy Mother of God, I'd gladly be fallin' out me bed every day for a big smile like that..." from that day he had us in fits of laughter with tales of his days in the IRA (can you believe) and I shall hold those days, which started as a trauma, forever in my heart.
Next time you see somebody begging on a street corner, instead of feeling irritated and hanging on to your Hard Earned Money That you Pay Your Taxes For, give them a smile and a hello. Buy the Big Issue, even if you've already bought it. And say a few words, even if it's Crap Weather We're Having. Bear in mind that you are probably climbing into your Mercedes and driving back to your comfortable home. He will be out in the crap weather for the rest of the day.
And as you sit fuming in the traffic, in your Mercedes with the radio on, look left and right and SMILE. Squint if you want. Pull your tongue out, whatever, but go on, crack yer face.
You'll get it back in droves. And you know what. The person who will benefit most is YOU.
Laughter fills you full of endorphins and keeps you young, and I intend to be titterin' to me dyin' day if it kills me...
So yes, Christophe, tip the bin men. But it's the generous thought that counts.
Clodagh.x
Hi Chris,
Don't your cleansing operatives get salaries ?
In other words why tip them? Fine to tip in a restaurant or another situation when someone has a chance to provide a better service. But not to someone performing their normal duties, and certainly not under fear of anyone delivering a lesser service or worse holding you to ransom!
Bah humbug :-)
N ;-)
Hello all!!
Our dustbin men broke our bin and didnt leave a note like they were supposed to!!!!! Nearly had to pay for a new one, but the council sent someone round to put a new lid on the one we had already got.
My council tax is going up by 4% v soon, so I dont see why the already well paid dustmen (who get loads of bonus and all sorts over a national holiday) should then get hand-outs off the rest of us - I bet they're better off than me!!
Interestingly my chappie who is a builder with 25 years plus experience etc etc, once applied for a job as a dustman, because...the pay was double what he earned as a qualified, exerienced, non-cowboyish builder! (unbelievable!!!!!!)
They didnt take him on though....said he was over-qualified (and thats a whole other can of worms!!!) and should be on a building site....well, yeah, d'uh!! But if it wont pay the bills then whats the point??! doesnt it just make you FUME???!!!!.....ahem.....
O dear, it appears that i dragged out my soapbox, dusted it off and clambered aboard it...again....sorry all, I shall go back quietly into my corner with a sheepish grin :-D
TTFN!
Diva xxxxxxxxxxxxx
(think happy thoughts!!!!!!!!)
PS: I have nothing against dustmen, they do a necessary and smelly job - I know I couldn't do it :-)
Patient: "Doctor, doctor, I`ve got a strawberry up my nose."
Doctor: "Don`t worry, I`ve got some cream for that."
The dustbin - tipping thing raises a big issue for me: exactly what is the proper/acceptable amount to tip? I just am in the dark about this. I am so afraid of offending and yet have to budget closely so I can't afford to throw money around. I end up being paralyzed and dreading the whole mess. When someone delivers food to my house, I tip pretty generously...particularly if I am a regular. But what if I go and pick up the food from the restaurant take-out? Even though no "serving" was involved, and the tip is typically for the service, I feel compelled to tip something...but what? The typical amount? Less? How much less? You see it just gets all so confusing.
Amanda
PS: Yes, the madness must stop.
How about a list of the top ten things, simple things, scarily simple things, that could throw life as we know it into chaos.
Right here we go...
1) The loss of a front tooth!
2) My car not starting in the morning
3) Terry Wogan going on holiday again!
4) The bakers being sold out of Pasties
5) An earthquake in Downing Street! (Well one can always hope lol!)
6) My bank's computers crashing and losing all record of my millions lol!
7) Chris Evans losing his voice!
8) My dishwasher breaking down!
9) A UFO landing on the lawn of the Whitehouse
10) Kylie offfering to do a live gig in my living room!
Ross
Well
point 1) Keep the Royal family, they pay taxes and Prince Charles earns more in private income then we give him which gets spent on his household and stuff.
Point 2) Are we meant to tip the bin men? what for - just going to work - I do that and I've never recieved a Christmas bonus (apart from the paperround I had when I was 13 and someone gave me 拢1 at Christmas). Moan over but you should only tip for good service.
Point 3) Chris, you always have the exciting article on when I get home so I miss them - please can you do them before 6:15 rather then just after as sometimes they sound quite intresting!
Yikes - we apepar to have a new Diva on the block - and I thought I was unique!
MfR - you are fab! Johnny Thunders! Do you follow the Rocky Horror Show/have a goth past you wish to share?
Viva La Diva
CtD x x
Hi CLP,
I never tip the dustmen or anyone who delivers to my house and my bin gets emptied, post gets delivered, life goes on. I live in a small village but there are 90 houses in my road alone, just imagine if everyone tipped a tenner! I am one of the grumpy old women who think that people should do a job and not expect a tip. Do those who do get tips declare them to the Inland Revenue?
This is my first ever reply to a blog and it's great!It almost stopped me from feeling like a grumpy old woman.
ps never thought I'd say this but I love your show and take back all the misgivings I had. You are great and fantastic talking to the kiddies.
Till the next time Pips x
Quick Thinking!
A man boarded a plane at Sydney airport and, taking his seat as he settled in, he noticed a very beautiful woman boarding the aircraft.
He realised she was heading straight towards his seat, and bingo! She took the seat right beside him.
Eager to strike up a conversation, he blurted out: "Business trip or holiday?"
She turned, smiled enchantingly and said, "Business. I'm going to the Annual Nymphomaniac Convention in the United States."
The man swallowed hard. Here was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen sitting next to him, and she was going to a meeting for nymphomaniacs!
Struggling to maintain his composure, he calmly asked, "What's your business role at this convention?"
"Lecturer", she responded. "I use my experience to debunk some of the popular myths about sexuality."
Really?" he smiled, "What myths are those?"
"Well", she explained, "one popular myth is that African-American men are the most well-endowed when, in fact, it's the
Native American Indian who is most likely to possess that trait. Another
popular myth is that French men are the best lovers, when actually it is the men of Greek descent. We have also found that the best potential lovers in all categories are the Irish."
Suddenly the woman became uncomfortable and blushed.
"I'm sorry", she said. I really shouldn't be discussing this with you, I don't even know your name!"
"Tonto", the man said. "Tonto Papadopoulos but all my friends call me Paddy."
Fascinating thoughts Chris. I agree entirely on the issue of the Royal family. They appear well intentioned individuals but there is no place for the principle of a Monarchy participating in the process of government in the 21st century.
We are a very finely balanced machine on this little planet. I can never understand why we listen to likes of Greenpeace et al who are the modern day equivalent of those seen carrying sandwich boards with "The end is nigh" on them at the turn of the 19th century. The planet definately only has another 5BN years till the sun expands. Its highly likely that a heavenly body will hit us and cause real climate change and of course volcanic activity could easily upset the natural order and send the economies into meltdown. Yet still no project to build a big arcship and get the hellout of here?
His Tonyness has been an awful government. I think history will call this a period of silliness. I should like to see all he has done undone, yet it seems unlikely to happen. What is really fascinating is that some people think he has been good. The power of spin eh? To me he has just been a legislator, hell bent on social engineering and criminalising the masses with picky childish little laws which are no value, things like asbos speed cameras and illegal use of mobile phones. What nonsense, no wonder nobody has any respect for authority anymore, what is there to respect?
Life goes into chaos with...
1. No coffee
2. No sleep
3. No muffins
4. A strange buzzing sound that you don't know where it's coming from
5. Everybody just ignores you
6. No car
7. No mobile phone
8. No sandwiches
9. No Life on Mars
10. No blogging
Sad really innit?
Good afternoon, Christophe!
It is amazing how little we appreciate everyone doing their job, isn鈥檛 it? What I mean is, everyone accepts that they have a job to do and do it. Imagine if, as you say, some just decided one day not play their little part in the daily running of society! Margaret Thatcher said that there was 鈥榥o such thing as society鈥, yet I remember the state we were all in when social workers went on strike. And was that not when there was all those riots too? And the miners鈥 strikes? And I vividly recall the teachers鈥 strikes and the impact that had on my learning 鈥 or lack of!
Ok, this was folk having to take a stand and with-hold their services, but I still remember the impact that it had on society and the comfort that we so take for granted these days! (As an aside, I don鈥檛 think Scots ever forgave her for inflicting the Poll Tax on us as an experiment!)
Anyway 鈥 do you think we really learned anything from all of that? One would have thought that we might have come to appreciate the part each one of us has to play in society, and appreciate what each person does 鈥. but, it seems to me, that we just take each other for granted more these days! And I do wonder if, as you say, we all 鈥榤embers of a creaking overloaded system permanently operating beyond it鈥檚 means and on the brink of collapse鈥. Hmm, blog maister, you have our little grey cells working overtime!
Still haven鈥檛 seen 鈥楾he Queen鈥, but I do strongly feel that the Royals have a place in our society. It kind of saddens me that people no longer have the awe and respect that the Royals used to invoke, but the flip side is that respect has to be earned. I think they are changing and adapting to the changes in our society, and I really would not like to see the UK without its monarchy. One does wonder what real power they have anymore, though.
And 鈥 I really do like and admire Tony Blair. I don鈥檛 like a lot 鈥 A LOT 鈥 of the things he has done whilst he was in power, but I do believe that he is genuine in his attempts to make the UK better. Last night鈥檚 programme was a good reminder of some of the things we have forgotten, wasn鈥檛 it?
Anyhoo! Need to get organised and get out and do some visiting! My sister takes well over an hour to shower, dry & straighten her hair, put on her makeup, get dressed. It takes me half an hour to wash and dress the child and myself! Ok 鈥 she looks far better than I do, but I don鈥檛 have the energy for all that titivating! I wish I did!
Have a great day, you loverly bunch of coconuts! Thanks for some great blogging again, Christophe 鈥 hope your friend is better today for your support and advice.
Huggles, Susan, Highland lass
How do,
I think we are a lot more resilient than many of you give us credit for. A few years ago when the Easter floods hit us we were stranded for 5 days. I live next to the river, but a this time we might a well have been living in it. We had no electricity and we have never been able to get gas. As such we had no power, no heating, no way of getting out of the house, no hot water.
We survived on bread, cereal, cheese and salads, we would play cards or scrabble, lit the open fire and all gather round it to keep warm. I never got a sing song out of everybody though.
The locals from the village came down to see if we were ok, they would stand on the edge of the flood waters and shout if we wanted any help or needed anything. Thankfully we were fully stocked, but had we needed anything then we would have found a way. The highlight of these few days was seeing the army fly in one of their helicopters to drop a load of hay for the cattle and sheep that were also stranded in the field opposite us. Must admit though that the 1st cup of tea and the 1st hot shower once everything was back to normal was absolutely blissful.
Sweet memories!
MW, a!
I don`t know about the dustbin men, mine don`t come that early, but I`ve often listened to the road sweeper, its` orange light strobing in the dawn light.
Put some extra feed out for the birds today, but a big fat pidgeon came along and scared off all the other birds.
Talking of birds, here`s to summer.
An Englishman, Irishman, Welshman, Scotsman were captured while fighting in a far-off foreign land, and the leader of the captors said: 鈥渨e're going to line you up in front of a firing squad and shoot you all in turn. But first, you each can make a final wish.鈥
The Scotsman says: 鈥淚'd like to hear The Flower of Scotland just one more time to remind me of the auld country, played on bagpipes in the style of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.鈥
The Irishman says: 鈥淚'd like to hear Danny Boy just one more time to remind me of the auld country, sung in the style of Daniel O'Donnell, with Riverdance dancers skipping gaily to the tune.鈥
The Welshman says: 鈥淚'd like to hear Men Of Harlech just one more time to remind me of the auld country, sung as if by the Aberavon Male Voice Choir.鈥
The Englishman says: 鈥淚'd like to be shot first."
Cheryl
No, no, no, no, no. Don't get, won't get, don't want to get Rocky Horror.
Or Goths.
Nope, I'm a rock/metal/punk fan at heart.
I noticed that there is a programme on in the next few days about the New York Dolls.
Oh, and G.Tingey. Off button?
MfR
Hey Christoff and Bloggers,
RE; Dustbinmen, in my area we all have these new large wheelie bins, but if they are not placed within the precise spot , and I,m talking inches here, then they are left unemptied.
The locker cocker,s interview with Sir Robin Knox Johnson was truly awe inspiring what a fantastic feat of endurance , but to do that at 67 years of age is astounding.
As a former matelot I know how cruel and unrelenting the open oceans are.
Keep it up Johnny boy, I caught Johnny,s commentary of the rugby on saturday, top drawer, will you be able to hang onto him for much longer Chris, you don.t want to lose another posse member.
Pottsie.
CtD - the other Diva has actually been missing in action for a while. You might be pleased to know that she is also - if I remember correctly -somewhat of a Steven of Tylerland fan, so you are in good company.
Abigail's Diva - aka Diva - nice to have you back. Hope you are taking care of all those lovely long haired one socked groupies for me!
MW, a!
PS - don't take the bait!
A mate of mine "tipped" his bin men with beer when he was leaving a rented property last autumn - they knocked on his door and said ANYTHING he wants rid of was no problem at all which saved him about 4 trips to the local dump..I mean would you want to collect everyones rubbish day in day out
To tip or not to tip - a very sensitive issue. I tend to work on the principle that a perosn is paid a wage for doing a job and I am not in a position to say if that is fair or not. Therefore any tipping should be where they have done something over and above the ordinary.
My own logic falls flat slightly as I nearly always tip in restaurants and do tip the milkman (just because I feel sorry for him as he delivers at 2am!).
How do you tip dustman anyway? - I never see them as they come in the middle of the day when I am at work, and then there are the recycling people as well.
As to things that would bring the world to a halt - electricity must be number 1, no power for any lengthy period and the country would be at a standstill.
As to wars don't get me going on that other than to say what gives us the right to say we are better than others?
Nev
No one has mentioned the frustration of sitting in traffic behind the bin lorry whilst the driver makes absolutely no attempt whatsoever to tuck it in slightly so other road users can get around it - but it's the bored smug look on the drivers face as you wait patiently behind them that really gets me! I'm with all those non-tippers on here!
Another simple thing we all take for granted and would be lost without - post boxes! Imagine if they just took all those red pillar boxes away overnight......brrrrrr!
Emma
PS Gloria - it's because Iran and North Korea are ruled by mad men and if they could make a bomb and drop it on us they probably would.
Hallo and good afternoon lovelies!
I'm poorly today...at home feeling bleurgh.
Altogether now, 1, 2, 3 aaaaaaaaaaaah
I am definitely not at my best. This may or may not have anything to do with the fact that despite two telephone calls to the local authority last week, by Sunday, I had to climb over nine bags of rubbish to get to my front door.
I used to tip the bin man. The bin man used to empty the rubbish from my bin into his bin and take it away with unfailing regularity. The truck would pull over to let me drive unimpeded to work, and whatever the weather, he always put my bin back under the porch.
I used to tip the post man. I knew my post man. He knew pretty much the names of everyone on his route. Because of this, if he saw a mis-named or mis-addressed envelope, he'd try to make sure it went to the right place. If you caught him at the letter box, he'd still take mail from you to send.
Now I live somewhere else I don't tip either of them. I have had to call the council too many times as we have been 'forgotten', or 'missed out on the run'. This would be the whole road. I have to struggle with bags of rubbish to put on the pavement, so that the seagulls can pull them open and leave mess everywhere, and create a hazard. The recyclers kindly issued a calendar of collections for 2007, just before last Christmas. If they have ever stuck to this, I don't think I was there on that day.
I now owe money to people, from whom I did not receive letters. My friends sent birthday cards which never came. The boy never received a cheque. We have so many post 'persons' on 'rotation' I have no idea which one may be mine.
It's odd you know. I do tend to tip taxi drivers more these days. They are super round here. They help you with bags. They actually come and knock at the door when they arrive. They wait outside until I have walked safely into my front door and waved them away. I do live at the dark end of a 40ft alley, so I really appreciate this, even with our blinding security light!
Anyhoo, Diva, good to see you back! You don't seem to have been about lately...have you been on tour, or nothing so exciting...?
...and it's back to the sofa
love
hazel
x
ps New York Dolls
pps Babies in Jars
ppps Dazzle
Ha ha - some very funny and very grumpy blogs today.
Keep it up
Sal
Greetings!
Ah, the royal family!! Don't get me started on that one! Oh you already have! OK then, just a quickie!
All that nonsense about King Edward having to abdicate just because he was getting jiggy with a divorcee. Couldn't do his job. Danger to the morals of the country etc, etc. Then the blinking rules change as soon as Chuck fancies a portion of same dish! Absolute rubbish!
At least we have found a use for one of them. perhaps harry will be able to find them a nice little des res out near Basra!
TTFN
G.Tingey #24 - I'm all for freedom of speech, but you are really skating on thin ice here.
Perhaps you'd be better off listening to a local radio stn or Classic fm etc etc???
Just thought I'd respond.....
CtD x x
Hi CLP and all you lovely bloggers out there. Haven't blogged for a while, not enough hours in the day etc., but been reading it when I get the chance. Had to comment on the tipping thing though. Like a lot of you, I can't understand why we should tip people for doing what they're paid to do. I work about a zillion hours a week, love it by the way, but don't get tipped for doing my job.
Enough of me moaning. The sun's trying to come out in Bedfordshire, and I feel like spring is just around the corner,soYIPPEE!
Happy Wednesday y'all,
Love from Catbird xxx
Hey G, (#24)
I know you haven't been getting enough of the "good stuff" lately at home, but that's no reason to take it out on CLP!
Bring home a bottle of champagne tonight and let's see if we can get rid of those grumpy chops!
Mrs T x
hello again.
thanks for the answer Emma # 33, but actually that was my whole point.....
Who is to say that those governing Iran and North Korea are any more mad than GWBush and our own TBlair?
What is the definition of mad & who says so?
Reminds me of animal farm - all are equal, but some more equal than others!!
By the way I think the Royal family are a waste of taxpayers' money - I might think more kindly of them if they paid their own way - after all, they are millionnaires, and lots of hangers-on too!
Best wishes all
G x
Good Afternoon
Ere where鈥檚 me tigers head?
Too much packaging in the world.. Could some scientist come up with a solution. Something that you can pop in the microwave that reduces to a pea sized lump of plastic.
Hazel: The residents at the home can鈥檛 go back to Brighton. I鈥檓 afraid, we were there in 2002. At the time, Tom the fire eater wandered off. We suspect he may have been practising his act on the pier.
No鈥︹︹ it鈥檚 been decided this year it鈥檚 a booze cruise to Calais .Most of the residents spent many a happy hour entertaining on cruise ships, working along side such famous acts as the Krankies. So this should bring back a few memories for them.
Love and peace
MfR #34 - you sound more appealing by the blog entry - despite not getting the RHS.
Do you read Classic Rock?
When is the NYD prog on? Radio or tv?
Abigail Diva - hellooooo!!! Nice to hear of another Steven Tyler fan - are you going to see the 'smiths in June?
Sammie - was Footloose as good today as it was in the '80s?
I'm loving the blog today - really entertaining stuff. Keep it up!
CtD x x
Hiya Chris and the blog people...~:)
Bin men! ..... I like our bin men, they're a really good bunch, it's one of the worst jobs ever in the winter: yet, they do it with a smile; they get two crates of beer at Christmas as a little thank you.
The top 10 things we couldn't do without:-
1. Food:- anything that affects the food supply; production/transport/storage etc.
2. Shelter:- None of us would survive for too long without that.
3. Warmth:- vital for survival.
4. Other people.
5. Knowledge.
6. Intelligence.
7. Social structure.
8. Compassion.
9. Love.
10. Strappy Heels...
Keep smiling
Rachel x
I just wanted to say how great the blog is these days - we seem to get real discussions going and the saccharine content seems much lower. Different opinions are expressed and allowed - rock on!
On the monarchy - I will forever prefer the monarchy to a republic. Someone once pointed out that at the height of his popularity Jeffrey Archer could conceivably have been voted in as President by the purple rinse brigade. How bad/embarressing would that have been! And Queenie and co do bring in an awful lot of money through tourism and foreign trips where they promote our country and businesses to others.
I love the blog from the upset morris dancer too!
Happy Humping
J-n-J aka Janice
Come in no. 29 G.Tingey your time's up. Your middle name isn't Ian or Ivor is it...
Uneducated unintelligent, moronic, our Lambie Pie?
Hmmm. Well now. You've spelt Displaying wrong, sweetheart.
Bless you.
Clodagh.
I think the act of handing over a tip, however much it might be, connects us to, albeit in a small way, another person. And that act of talking to each other, in a friendly way, builds the bridges. Good on you, did you have a chat too?
I have only recently 'found' your programme again, thank you for your great shows.
Hi honey. This is Daddy. Is Mommy near the phone?"
"No, Daddy. She's upstairs in the bedroom with Uncle Paul."
A brief pause. . .
"But honey, you haven't got an Uncle Paul."
"Oh yes I do, and he's upstairs in the room with Mommy, right now."
Brief Pause. . .
"Uh, okay then, this is what I want you to do. Put the phone down on
the table, run upstairs and knock on the bedroom door and shout to
Mommy that Daddy's car just pulled into the driveway."
"Okay, Daddy, just a minute."
A few minutes later:
"I did it, Daddy."
"And what happened, honey?".
"Well, Mommy got all scared, jumped out of bed with no clothes on,
then she ran around screaming. Then she tripped over the rug, hit her
head on the dresser and now she isn't moving at all!"
"Oh my God! What about your Uncle Paul?"
"He jumped out of the bed with no clothes on, too. He was all scared
and he jumped out of the back window and into the swimming pool. I
guess he didn't know that you took out the water last week to clean
it. He hit the bottom of the pool and I think he's dead."
***A very, very long pause***
Daddy says, "Swimming pool?............Is this 486-5731?"
Psst. Missus G. Tingey.
Don't be givin' the husband champagne. The man is a Morris Dancer.
In the words of Edmund Blackadder, Morris Dancers are 'Fourteen effeminate blacksmiths wavin' bits of cloth in the air they've just wiped their noses on...'
And I'm with 'im.
Way back in the early sixties when child abuse was the new black, I was forced to don a hideous pink frock with bells on and join the Morris Dancing troupe at our local church so that we could put on an embarrassing displaY (n.b.) at the Church Fete. Imagine my chagrin when all the fathers lovingly made shakers for their daughters with wooden handles and crepe paper; mine were made from mop heads and the chopped up corner flags from off the rugby pitch. Black and amber. And the Dear Departed Father Eric was no Handy Andy. Consequently, when the band struck up the first note one of the said mopheads flew off and concussed Brown Owl, who subsequently was on the sick list for three weeks and I never got me Junior Housewifes badge.
This indignity has followed me through my sad and tragic life so don't talk to me about Morris Dancers.
Devil-worshippers the lot of 'em.
Clodagh.x
Do my eyes decieve me.
Message 29 Do you have Morris dancitis. It can be cured you know by listening to Ken Bruce.
Good evening
Clodagh, have a heart for Mr Tingey - he's probably a binman who didn't receive a Christmas tip...and no wonder!
Hey Hazel Love - Do you really live in the same "Brighton" as me? Taxis that come and knock on your door??!?! I just get 2 rings on the phone and it cuts out....Bin bags?!!?? How come you've not been forced down the route of wheelie bins?!? Must be some parallel universe....hope your health improves soon!
Oooh, and Gloria - I feel relatively confident that Iran and North Korea's leaders are madder than ours and USofAs (not that I condone these guys policies) but at least they are heads of liberal democracies with all the accountability this brings (free press, laws etc) may not be perfect of course but I would still feel safer if mad rulers of autocracies kept their hands off nuclear arson....cheers!
Chris - an interesting blog today and some very interesting comments.
I do tend to tip. I didn't see the bin men this year so I'm afraid they missed out but I have tried to do it most years in the past - sometimes cash and sometimes some cans (beer, lager etc). I know what people on the blog are saying about council tax and the bin men already being paid to do a job. But they like a great many others in this country provide a service which quite frankly not a lot of people want to do. They probably are not well paid and I suspect do not have the opportunity to earn bonuses - no matter how well they do their jobs. It's right that they are not as flexible as they were in the past but a lot of that is down to rules, including health and safety - and not down to the individuals. The posties didn't get tipped this year either because of the rotation thing - before, we always had the same one so it was easy to do. This year, I'm going to take a box of chocs or biccies to the local post office and they can have one with their cuppa. Delivery men that bring things to the house - they always get 'enough for a pint' - so 拢2-3 depending on what change I have. I always leave tips in restaurants, unless the service is really poor, and I always tip my hairdresser. Also taxi-drivers. I always find that it's well received.
Go on, share a little love and understanding.
EG
WOW G. Tingey #29 - who rattled your cage???
Just for the record, next time you want to have a serious rant - spell check it before you post :-)
Cheryl - Footloose was slighted dated - but wonderful! Have decided upon Dirty Dancing for tomorrow - child will have to locate it for me though!
HL - sorry you're not well! Take some of your own medicine (!!) and have a well deserved rest. Hope you feel better soon.
S xx.
Oh no, don't get me started on the binmen!
To tip or not to tip? NO TIP.
I used to tip the binmen when I would leave something out that they didn't have to take away and they still would for me. When they came down my drive to pick up the black bags when I forgot to put them at the of the drive.
However, my local council has provided wheelie bins which seem to hold one and a half full bags. If you put too many bags in and the lid doesn't shut properly they will not empty it. If you have an extra bag on the floor next to the bin, they will not pick it up. I appreciate that they are only doing as instructed by higher beings in suits but it really annoys me.
I never get a tip at Christmas anyway, other than don't eat yellow snow (sorry couldn't resist!)
Love Deb x
So no use for the queen or even 'King Charles'? Alternatives are not good especially if USA style with Blair as Bush! Anyway no further politics.
Who has changed? When we were both younger I disliked your programmes and presentation style. Now it is different. Any ideas?
First blog - always read though as it's so entertaining. Just had to add my thoughts re tipping. What I dislike is when restaurants add a (typically 12.5%) service charge to the bill. To me it seems as if they can't trust you to be adult enough to show your appreciation and leave a tip. I then feel sad at not being able to do this. How about leaving the tipping to our discretion when you open again Chris? Your restaurant has a great ambiance and the staff are fantastic so they would always get tipped well. It won't stop us going there, it's just a thought!
Tuesday
Hi Chris (et al ad mauseum),
As a Permanent Resident Alien, ex-pat American, I'd like to say the best part (and most aggravating as well) of British Society is the Pretense of Equality and 'Abolition' of Classed Society! You will ALWAYS have the Haves and Have nots, YOUR Haves also come with Titles which USED to give them Authority, the only one left with any Real Authority (if she would use it) is HM, the Queen. All that's left of a quite remarkable Monarchy is the truly impressive Pomp and Circumstance that DOES impress the rest of the world...! How HRH Prince Charles will cope with it all is another matter, and Manys the folk I've spoken to who could easily see it skip a generation onto William's head, but that's another issue altogether. YES, the Monarchy needs to be responsive to modern times and society, but its greatest strength is its apparent inflexibility; something to rely on in a world of flux.
Keep the monarchy, the rest of the world loves it.
ALSO, if you Really want to know, you NEED a Second Chamber of Legislature (the House of Lords) to Balance the Politics of the Commons with consideration and cogitation. If the latest Politicos get their way, it will be reduced to a meaningless pathetic apendage that must be left to wither away. The THEORY is that the Lords held old landed gentry holding great 'caretaker stake' in the entire country that could balance and force reconsideration of upstart change merely for change sake. How could we possibly return to that?!? Mind you, I'm not yet a citizen (I've only been here 25 years) and I don't vote, so don't blame me if you get the kind of government you deserve....
Great show, Chris. It really livens me up on a long drive home. Ask the Fox 'How much of every Lottery pound Actually goes to ANYONE other than Camelot or an administrator?'
Cary- Thanks for your interesting and insightful post. It makes a change to hear another point of view. I have to admit to having a great deal of respect and admiration for the monachy and only wish there was a way to not have as much news coverage (not just here but world wide) as I beleive that there is much that could be said for leaving well alone. I'm also in favour of the house of lords as a further filter for policy decisions. Quite frankly we could do with less laws and more common sense, less civil servants and a whole lot less tax.
Rant over.
Goodnight
-x-x-x-
But also whatabout the Christmas box for the postie?? They all change about 3 weeks beforehand - so how do you give the guy/gal who has struggled up our steep path all year the bonus -rather than the ever struggling student (who I don't begrudge either)
Lady P
p.s. Woman's minute prizes are great and fun - don't be so serious folks!!
I'm a little bit late to this, just been searching a news24 article in a similar vein (29-02-2008). Binmen , postmen, waitresses, waiters etc. are all paid to to that job. Why do we have to tip? Ok, they may not be paid a great amount, but they accepted that job with the associated pay. I have a job where I am paid a particular amount and, unless I go beyond the boundaries of that job, I expect the pay for which I am contracted. Why should anybody else expect more for what they are paid to do.
This doesn't mean I don't tip, I do, but only when I feel I have received exceptional service - more than I expected.
Is this unreasonable?
I'm a little bit late to this, just been searching a news24 article in a similar vein (29-02-2008). Binmen , postmen, waitresses, waiters etc. are all paid to to that job. Why do we have to tip? Ok, they may not be paid a great amount, but they accepted that job with the associated pay. I have a job where I am paid a particular amount and, unless I go beyond the boundaries of that job, I expect the pay for which I am contracted. Why should anybody else expect more for what they are paid to do.
This doesn't mean I don't tip, I do, but only when I feel I have received exceptional service - more than I expected.
Is this unreasonable?