Moan, Moan, Moan - 2011

[Anthony Darby]

Back in Scotia we had Heidi insured. Paid off big time as she had to have two lumps removed, under general anaesthetic, from one leg - one lump, only seen when the first, larger (benign) one was being removed, was potentially dangerous. That was nearly two years ago and no problems since (touch wood). It's orthodontic work for Lucy (why do dentists here call themselves "Doctor"? ) that we are having to take out a mortgage on!

[ranunculus]

Here in Lancashire we have a saying; 'NO PET - NO FEE'.

Then you can lavish all your attention on your plants ... or your wife!   

[Lesley Cox]

I thought I might take Teddy to my own doctor next time. After all, if a penguin can get away with it, why not a little dog?

[Anthony Darby]

Curiously, in the UK, you can be treated by a vet, but a GP is not allowed to treat animals.

[angie]

Lesley great to hear things are ok, look after yourself, Teddy needs you.

I was surprised with my last visit to the vet. Benson took another stroke ( which was bad this time ) and after two visits to the vet and lots of drugs and off course the house visit I was £114. What I like about my vet is he doesn't ask if you have insurance before you put your second foot in the door.
Only thing now is a wish we had let him go to doggie heaven as he struggles now.

Angie

[Brian Ellis]

Thank goodness for that Lesley. Much better to have your  ( and our!!!) mind put at rest now and then get a regular check up on the 6th. I think I just heard a large collective Forum sigh of relief that you scan was clear.
Make an extra ten minutes a day to sit with a cuppa and cuddle Teddy.... it's good for you!

I think we all second that Lesley, good to hear that things are ok, but, you can never be too careful so make sure you have a thorough going over on the 6th

[Anthony Darby]

Quite so Brian.

[angie]

In the Alpine news there is a special offer on cold frames. I have been thinking about ordering them for a while,thingking like a Scot ( being thrifty ) now there's a bargain need to buy now. Then I was told the cost of courier £44 per frame. The courier that they use class us as The Highlands, which we are not, it's so annoying.
Anyone from Northhampton coming up to Aberdeen on holiday, off course you will need to have a roof rack.

Angie

[Darren]

A letter I drafted yesterday. I do this when things annoy me. I thought it may get a smile. If any lawyers, university academics etc are reading I hope they have a sense of humour... I'm keeping the company name quiet. For now....

Dear *&$**% Insurance PLC,

  Thank you for your recent quote, via Swinton, for our motor insurance. For the time being I shall refrain from commenting upon the extortionate price increases caused by the activities of persons refusing to take any personal responsibility for accidents and, instead, employing ambulance-chasing low-life members of the legal profession to put the blame on someone else.

  My main point is to thank you for declining to insure my wife simply on the grounds that she is soon to be a student and insuring students is ‘against company policy’. The fact that she is the same person as you have insured happily for the last 20 years, is a very careful driver, and is now doing far less mileage than when she was working is obviously not sufficient mitigation.

   If the policy was against university faculty I would sympathise with you. Twenty years of working with academics has left me with the belief that whilst one hand is giving them a PhD, the other hand is busy taking away their common sense. If they are as big a safety risk on the roads as they are in a lab then certainly you should not insure them.

   I can, therefore, only conclude that something about being a student automatically makes one irresponsible and I thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will start monitoring her closely for signs of excessive partying, drug use, dubious taste in music and clothing, taking her washing back to her dad every few weeks, living on pasta and beans on toast etc. I am somewhat concerned that she might turn into a teenager again and I’m not sure I can take the strain at my age, despite practically living at the gym already. Again – I thank you for the warning and am on the lookout for assistance from a younger bloke and a set of jump-leads.

Yours sincerely,

Concerned of Carnforth.

[Anthony Darby]

I sympathise Darren. Coming from Dunblane, where we are expected to end every sentence with "OK Ya", I can sympathise that insurance companies are blinkered and the box that says "student" will refer to some spotty Herbert who drives too fast and usually under the influence of something or other. A colleague of mine was bemoaning the fact that she was having to insure her daughter, also a student. Her poverty stricken neighbour (or so her accountant said), who's daughter was similarly challenged solved the problem at a stroke. Buy two cars and the second comes with insurance! Simple! Problem solved. Daughter has her own car which is insured at no extra cost (accountant again); no longer needs ferried hither and thither and the wife needed a second car anyway.

My moan is trivial in contrast. I bought tickets to take the kids to see Harry Potter 7 (as I had done for the previous six). In the UK it is rated 12a (which I think is inappropriate - as I found out sitting next to a five year old whose father gave a running commentary to keep him from constantly asking questions because he hadn't a clue what was going on - they say that common sense is the least common sense), here it is rated "M" so suitable for "mature" audiences aged 16 and over! I would say "Heigh Ho", but 14-year-olds are considered adults in the local cinema and command adult tickets, yet I managed to buy 2 adult and one child ticket on line (the age rating was still undecided in NZ) last week. Lucy will now have to wait 4 years to see the film of the book she read two years ago. I could understand, but there is no 9 o'clock watershed on television in New Zealand, so you can get sex and violence at any time of the day. It's OK saying "but they put a disclaimer at the start", but how many times do you switch on the TV halfway through a programme? Collecting the tickets on Friday week is going to be an interesting experience. Another interesting happening was in a shop that sells games for PS3 and Xbox360. My son James (14) wanted a game which was rated M (PG in UK) and handed it to my wife. The teller refused to sell it to my wife as it was intended for an under age person! She bought it elsewhere 10 minutes later!

[David Nicholson]

Cracking letter Darren, you're a man after my own heart. Having worked with academics for most of my working life I particularly liked your third paragraph! Do you shout at the television as well?

[Darren]

television??

I turn it on occasionally to watch a DVD but that is about it. I reckon I watch about 4 or 5 hours worth of TV - as it is broadcast - per year. I do like a lot of old TV programmes but prefer to watch them on dvd. This gives me no opportunities to shout at it.

I'm also proud of the fact that I have, by choice, not been exposed to news media for 10 years. I found out about 9/11 three days after it happened when someone mentioned it at work..

[Darren]

I definitely see your point Anthony,

 Susan is strict about buying age appropriate computer games for our nephew. If he pesters for something else she tells him to take it to the counter himself, knowing he will be refused, in that shop at least. It's difficult for her to justify to him when all his friends have managed to get a copy.

 Lucy sounds a bit like me when I was a kid - my reading age was so advanced I was reading Ian Fleming by 10. I wish I could read slower as I do not get value for money. Even the most doorstep-sized novel lasts me only 2 or 3 evenings!  It was balanced out by my being rubbish at maths...

 

 

[angie]

Great letter Darren but it must be frustrating. Before I read your last paragraph I had visualised Susan out drinking all night, partying till all the hours, no housework done, so I had a good laugh when I read the last bit of your letter.

Why are we all put in these little boxes 
I hope Susan can refrain from doing all the things that they expect a student to do, Darren it might be to much for you. It's sounds like you like the quiet life.

Angie 

[Darren]

Not too quiet Angie. I'm not averse to the occasional rock concert! 

Though I have noticed that the others in the audience seem to be getting younger.