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Post by Tibidabo on Mar 11, 2017 17:55:42 GMT
I spent over 3 hours excavating a pile of 2.5 years worth of theatre programmes, tickets & miscellaneous impedimenta. I then spent an hour lying down to recover! Think I've slightly pulled a back muscle but at least everything is now in order. Tidy pile envy  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2017 18:42:09 GMT
I went to the zoo today.
There are several walk-through enclosures with two doors at each end to prevent escapees, with the obvious intention that only one door will be open at a time. It's astonishing the number of people who don't seem to understand that there is a reason why you have to go through two doors and that reason is not that they accidentally bought too many doors.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2017 19:41:22 GMT
Got screamed at by a woman, then her mother, then a random passer by in a shop...
Was in a tiny, tiny shop and twice got nearly tripped up by someone's Little Darlings who were being allowed to 'Play' (read: run around like idiots) in the small space, with two toy trollies, encouraged by Mum who thought it was 'so cute'. Shop is so small nobody can pass when said child is in a space between displays. On trying to exit, again one of them blocked my path. Again mother did nothing. On finally exiting, I muttered 'Jesus Christ move' to myself. The Mother immediatly starts shouting in the 'oi what you talking about manner' so I turned around and again, polietly said 'I've nearly been tripped up several times by your child, maybe consider other people a bit' and again made to move. Well then she calls her mother over, who started shouting, all culminating in the immortal line "DO YOU HAVE CHILDREN?"
Oy, Oy, Oy....
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4,156 posts
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Post by kathryn on Mar 11, 2017 20:36:13 GMT
I accidentally made toffee.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2017 20:40:08 GMT
I accidentally made toffee. I don't know how you accidentally do that, but it sounds like a skill worth having. |
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Post by infofreako on Mar 11, 2017 20:44:34 GMT
Thats so frustrating @emicardiff. I feel your pain. I think child free time in shops would be a huge step forward.
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Post by CG on the loose on Mar 11, 2017 20:47:55 GMT
Spent the day with my old Dad, 92 next week. While there I fixed his computer so he can write a letter to his dentist! Well, when I say fixed... he's registered blind (macular degeneration) and although he has some peripheral vision, it's very limited and if pop-ups pop-up, he can't see what they are or how to dismiss them, just knows that he can't see what he usually sees (email and word icons on an otherwise deliberately empty desktop!) so assumes it's broken. A few clicks and we were back to normal. Then he showed me the garden bench he'd replaced part of the seat on - found suitable wood and screws, cut to size, drilled, counter-sunk, varnished, assembled - beautiful job. And all by feel. Took him 3 days. Can I just say, GO DAD!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2017 20:51:09 GMT
Thats so frustrating @emicardiff . I feel your pain. I think child free time in shops would be a huge step forward. Oh but heaven forbid we not bend every aspect of public life to accomadate children right? In all seriousness, I have GREAT sympathy for people whose kid is genuinely being a little sh*t, as kids are inclined to do, and they're doing the best to deal with the situation. I have ZERO time for parents who assume that every space belongs to their child to do as they wish! |
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Post by kathryn on Mar 11, 2017 20:52:56 GMT
I accidentally made toffee. I don't know how you accidentally do that, but it sounds like a skill worth having. I was going for honey roasted almonds! Oven was either too hot or I left them in for too long. Still tasty, though. Just had to break it up into chunks to eat. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2017 20:54:28 GMT
kathryn my cooking rule is 'if it ends up tasting good it worked' 
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Post by infofreako on Mar 11, 2017 21:05:28 GMT
Its those who make no effort whatsoever to control their little darlings that annoy me. Why, as a parent go to a supermarket at a busy time with 4 or 5 school age kids you clearly cant control whilst concentrating on shopping.
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Post by Dawnstar on Mar 11, 2017 21:51:30 GMT
Does anyone else find that when they decide not to go down to London an understudy they want to see promptly goes on, or is it just me?
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2,051 posts
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Post by infofreako on Mar 11, 2017 21:53:33 GMT
I despair for the world when some of my daughters friends proudly announce they're expecting, partly I guess because I dread the day she comes home with that announcement, but mostly because the majority can scarcely look after themselves.
In fact of 8 who've reproduced since finishing college 6 no longer have custody of said offspring and there's only one case where I think social services got it wrong.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2017 22:03:42 GMT
All parents seem to believe that their own spawn is the singular most perfectly behaved example of humankind ever to have walked the earth and it's an honour for everyone else to be in their presence. Everyone else is thinking "Look at the size of that rat! Oh my God, it has a human face! An actual human face! What the f*** is this creature‽"
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Post by Dawnstar on Mar 11, 2017 22:18:31 GMT
Wow, we have Delia in our midst! My rule is "if you are still alive after 24 hours and are not suffering chronic stomach cramps etc, then it worked." Hmm, I'd think twice about attending a chimps' tea party at the Monkey's house (cage?) after that statement! |
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Post by infofreako on Mar 11, 2017 22:26:16 GMT
I've had a decent day though. Mostly organising theatre trips which is always enough to make me smile. Got a meeting tomorrow that I should have prepared for.
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Post by showgirl on Mar 11, 2017 22:48:19 GMT
Theatre part was fun; delays on good old GTR were not, and the first part of the journey was enlivened by just such an indulged brat as mentioned above. Her father was allowing her to run up an down the carriage, making a racket and only the ingress of the world and his wife at East Croydon put a stop to it. Then while shopping pre-matinee, there were more little darlings running riot, including one who trod on my foot. I yelped instinctively, then looked round anxiously to see if an angry parent was about to berate ME for having the temerity to try to shop in what was evidently actually a playground.
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Post by Tibidabo on Mar 11, 2017 23:00:06 GMT
In fact of 8 who've reproduced since finishing college 6 no longer have custody of said offspring and there's only one case where I think social services got it wrong. That is actually really sad. All parents seem to believe that their own spawn is the singular most perfectly behaved example of humankind ever to have walked the earth and it's an honour for everyone else to be in their presence.I know. Ridiculous........surely everyone knows that prize goes to my kids. Oooh get me, multi-quoting! |
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Post by infofreako on Mar 11, 2017 23:10:01 GMT
Tibidabo it is really sad. Breaks my heart really to see these young adults leave schooling without any real support and filled with the naivety that those with severe learning difficulties have, with no understanding of the outside world and without statements to protect them any more they're left to make their own decisions and mistakes. Most of them upon leaving that education are realistically the equivalent of a 9 to 11 year old yet they're allowed to reproduce. My daughter is unlikely to ever have true independence and I find that so sad. I find it so hard to deal with, her biological father has no interest in her whatsoever yet she's so good natured and loving. Rant over. Sorry for drifting wildly off topic
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Post by Tibidabo on Mar 11, 2017 23:21:34 GMT
infofreako there is no off-topic on this thread. This subject might not be one for this board, but it's come up and I have to say it's breaking my heart. I resigned my job a month ago because there were 8 children in my class (year 4/5 ages 8-10) who should have been statemented years ago and, despite my writing reports on them almost daily and constantly ranting, nothing was ever ever done. I resigned because I did not want to be the next name in the newspaper when one of them did some serious damage to one of their classmates - only a matter of time I felt. I loved them and tried so hard with them but had to follow procedures. It is so difficult when you report things in the way you are instructed to and then nothing is done at the next level. (This is a leafy suburb....you cannot imagine.) Your daughter has you. That is more than many kids with difficulties have.
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Post by infofreako on Mar 11, 2017 23:32:03 GMT
infofreako there is no off-topic on this thread. This subject might not be one for this board, but it's come up and I have to say it's breaking my heart. I resigned my job a month ago because there were 8 children in my class (year 4/5 ages 8-10) who should have been statemented years ago and, despite my writing reports on them almost daily and constantly ranting, nothing was ever ever done. I resigned because I did not want to be the next name in the newspaper when one of them did some serious damage to one of their classmates - only a matter of time I felt. I loved them and tried so hard with them but had to follow procedures. It is so difficult when you report things in the way you are instructed to and then nothing is done at the next level. (This is a leafy suburb....you cannot imagine.) Your daughter has you. That is more than many kids with difficulties have. So sad but so true. I couldn't believe at the time she left compulsory schooling that the statement and with it any support just disappeared. There's something seriously wrong with a system like that. She's at college studying floristry now and she loves it, the support she gets is limited, seems there is something equivalent to a statement for this level but she slipped through the net in terms of transferring across and its incredibly difficult to get back to that kind of support. It may be that the equivalent wasn't available when she left school. Alongside this it'll only get worst as the local council are trying to merge the special needs units which will help nobody. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2017 11:14:54 GMT
Its those who make no effort whatsoever to control their little darlings that annoy me Amen. I got it today at Green Park tube. Escalators clearly marked "stand on the right." So, me and others behind me walk down on the left (as Londoners do), only to find young woman blocking it... sure-fire way for a Londoner to execute you on the spot, tourists please note. A polite "please excuse me" gets "there's a child there." RIGHT: So, the person you are with - assume parent - has the stupidity to ignore the warnings, put the child and herself in danger by blocking a fast-moving stream on a moving escalator AND THEN try blaming others for it? Control your children, particularly in such a dangerous environment, PLEASE!!!! I'm so glad people on here share my pain- I can't count the number of times I've had social media attacks for commenting on similar situations. I did enjoy a teacher-friend's response "If we can control 30 kids who don't want to be there all day you can control 1 for 5 minutes" Again it's not even when they're being actually 'naughty' it's just the entitlement that they can do as they wish anytime anywhere! Once when working as an usher, a kid's show had just let out (so about 150-200 kids running about the place) and two kids were RIDING BIKES around the foyer. Now it's a big space, but it's a) not a park b) currently filled with lots of small people. I asked the older kid to please stop, as it wasn't allowed, and of course he 'told on me' to his Mum...and guess who got screamed at...nope not the kids. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2017 12:03:14 GMT
I'm so glad people on here share my pain- I can't count the number of times I've had social media attacks for commenting on similar situations. I did enjoy a teacher-friend's response "If we can control 30 kids who don't want to be there all day you can control 1 for 5 minutes" Again it's not even when they're being actually 'naughty' it's just the entitlement that they can do as they wish anytime anywhere! Once when working as an usher, a kid's show had just let out (so about 150-200 kids running about the place) and two kids were RIDING BIKES around the foyer. Now it's a big space, but it's a) not a park b) currently filled with lots of small people. I asked the older kid to please stop, as it wasn't allowed, and of course he 'told on me' to his Mum...and guess who got screamed at...nope not the kids. Im a manager in a restaurant and get screamed at by parents at least 3 times a week who believe that it's absolutley fine to let their little brats darlings run around while my colleagues and I are trying to carry hot plates, glasses and cutlery. Last night a child (out of a group of 4 who were running wild) bumped into me as I was carrying a hot sizzling skillet, and of course I dropped it...on purpose, I could have saved it...but I was already so annoyed with the child's parents that I really only dropped it to make a point. Obviously I made sure that it fell in a way so that it would land nowhere near the child. The argument that followed was quite a big adrenaline rush. Parents: "How could you not look where you were going, that nearly kid my sweet little Rihanna" Me: "How could you let your child run around in the middle of a busy restaurant, knowing full well that they are disrupting my other customers, and also knowing that I will be trying to carry that (the skillet) to your table" Parents: "They're just kids" Me: "Yeah, kids YOU are responsible for, not me" It ended well, they swore they would never be back, and my reply "uh huh please keep that promise, f#ckity bye". I got a few thank yous, and great tips from other tables in the area, it was great. And now Im getting ready for another work shift...god bless sundays, and our wonderful "Kids Eat Free On Sundays!" offer. Just want to clarify, I don't hate children, just the parents. Happy Sunday Everyone 😊 |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2017 12:10:50 GMT
d'James.92 Yup the "I don't hate children just the parents" is EXACTLY what I and I reckon a fair few others think! I did years of coffee shop work, aka 'Yummy Mummy free creche' I feel your pain...hope today's shift is better!
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Post by kathryn on Mar 14, 2017 8:57:08 GMT
I am having the biggest 'First World Problems' stress over trying to book my flights for New Zealand next year.
I am using Avios, because I want to fly business class and can't afford to pay cash to do it. I refuse to do 20+ hours in economy!
I have spent a couple of years saving up 194k Avios, got a credit card and put £7k of spending through it in order to earn a voucher that allows me to book a return Club class flight for the cost of premium economy. The voucher can only be used on BA flights. BA operate a peak/off-peak system on their own flights, you can use Avios on 'partner' airlines but have to pay the 'peak' price for them.
I want to fly down to Auckland, do a tour of NZ, then hop over to Sydney for a few days before flying home. BA don't fly to Auckland and only operate one flight a day to Sydney, and only release 2 Avios seats per flight. The seats get released at midnight 355 days in advance. They get snapped up within minutes of being released.
So, the plan is to fly LHR-HKG on BA using the outbound bit of my voucher (39k Avios), then HKG-AKL on Cathay Pacific at the full business class cost (90k Avios) and then a paid flight to hop across from NZ to SYD, and fly back from there using the return portion of my voucher (65k Avios). All this has to be off peak, and has to work with the dates of the tour I want to do. Stressful enough to work out already, right?
So the wrinkle is that there are 2 ways to book flights using Avios - BA.com and Avios.com. My upgrade voucher is an Avios.com product and sits in my account there. In theory both sites can see and book the same flights, but Avios.com updates slightly slower than BA.com. So when the new flights to SYD are released at midnight, they take about 20 minutes to appear in Avios.com - by which time the seats have been booked by people using BA.com.
So, I have flight to HKG booked in Avios.com, and last night I had my fingers poised on BA.com at midnight and managed to book SYD-LHR. I now need to get my upgrade voucher applied to both flights so that I have enough Avios to book HKG-AKL.
So this morning I need to phone the Avios.com call centre, where I will doubtless discover that the call centre agent can't see the booking I made via BA.com, and can't apply my voucher to it. Because that would be far too easy. I'm probably going to have to phone BA, get them to cancel the booking I made at midnight, transfer the refunded Avios back to Avios.con, then sit hitting refresh until the flight returns to inventory and shows as bookable at Avios.com - hoping that no-one else manages to spot it and snap it up before me - re-book it, and then phone up the call centre and get my voucher applied to it.
I'm never going to complain about booking theatre tickets again. Even CumberHamlet was easy compared to this!!
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