Joyron I echo what Yogi and Summer are saying, have a wonderful visit, hope all goes to plan.  Have a marvellous evening at Les Mis (you lucky thing) and we look forward to hearing all your news when you get a chance to come and tell us.

Joyron, and ditto the others for you and your penfriend

 

Squiggle, has your weather improved from this morning? Here there have been a couple of showers but nothing much.

It keeps looking a bit brighter EL and then you get a downpour.  Luckily I have managed to dodge the showers although its been a bit of a close call at times.  How is it where you are?

Squiggle, I spoke too soon when I said there had been nothing much apart from a couple of showers. About 40 minutes ago there was a thunderstorm for about 20 minutes. It seemed to come out of nowhere. I can see my neighbour had put out some washing to dry - she's probably regretting it now. It seems to have eased off, but the wind is quite light here so if it starts raining it would last longer than if it was breezy.

After a showery start, it brightened up with some sunny spells.

Summer, if Mr Summer is happy to go again then your evening must have gone well. Glad you both had a good time.

Is Scotland showing Downton Abbey tonight?! I'm reeeeeeeaaaaaalllly looking forward to it

It is, Summer.

I'm recording it as it clashes with Spooks and BB.

Fab I'm glad you won't miss out I hope you like it! I might celebrate with some cereal!

Summer enjoy your cereal, I will have to wait until the morning before joining you.  I'm off to read now but just got the shock of my life when the doorbell went.  Its pitch black here, no streetlights, and it was two hulking young men , my grandsons.  They've been to a party and are planning to sleep here before heading off home in the morning. 

 

Night night everyone sleep tight, leaving and for the night owls.

Naughty boys, they should have phoned to warn you they were coming, Squiggle.

Put them on the naughty step.

Goodnight all, see you tomorrow.

what a surprise squiggle! Thank goodness it was your grandsons Sweet dreams all in here

Good morning all. Weather is dry and bright atm.

Hope you are all well this morning, catch up later.

Good morning everyone

 

Squiggle, that must have been a pleasant surprise, though you must have been startled as you probably don't get many unannounced people ringing your doorbell at 9 at night.

 

Here it's cloudy but dry at present.

Good morning all, its a much better morning here.  Catastrophe! My grandsons must have pressed the record button by mistake on another channel when it was recording Downton and they have cancelled it   Is it repeated do you know or do I have to watch it on catch-up online?  I never enjoy it so much if I have to do that.

Yogi how 'citing, looks like you and me and Ros are going to be Harryettes, I wonder if any more Buddies will sign up

And I agree with your comment that there's a lot more to Harry than "Posh Boy".

 

Re Downton Abbey, do you have Sky or Virgin, because I think it will be on TV Catch-up?

BTW, my copy of David Baldacci's "Wish You Well" has arrived. As soon as I finish my current book, I'll start it.

As you know I don't watch BB, but when it started I had a look at each contestant's details. I didn't post anything here about who I thought you might plump for as that would have been presumptious of me. But I had a suspicion that Harry would be a popular choice amongst the Buddies

 

Just don't expect me to join as the only way I could join the Harem would be to become a eunuch, and that is a step too far

We do tend to go for the posh boys - but that's because they are the nice, funny ones.

 

Off to pick up middle son, be back later.

Yogi, you will see that I edited my last post to inset an extra bit which you wouldn't have spotted when you replied

Yogi you are in for such a treat with that book.  I don't want to big it up too much but you know how it is when you have really enjoyed something and you want your friend to enjoy it just as much   I will say no more about it suffice to say that it stays with me and I will read it again one day (I won't let my copy go although I have lent it around quite a bit) and I don't often re-read things.

 

El just let me say that in no way would we want you to ahem sacrifice anything precious to you but I know you would like Harry if you watched him.  I must say that Channel 5 have chosen some interesting people and some quite different to the wannabes we have been forced to watch in the past (Luke and Becks spring to mind ).

morning This is about my 5th attempt to pop in, messages and customers keep thwarting me so far! Hope everyone is having a good start to the week, I've had a nice flow of lovely customers so far

I'm glad its all going well Summer, hope it keeps up all week long with lovely customers and no nasty ones.

You know how Tucan Claims had been ringing me lots of times re personal protection insurance claims and I posted last week about Watchdog having an item on these insurance claim management companies. I did see Watchdog and as I expected Tucan did get referred to, and not in a complimentary way.

 

Tucan Claims have rung me again this morning and even had the cheek to say that there had been an article on Watchdog telling people about the potential for people to be able to make claims and that they had been mentioned, obviously not saying that they had not been mentioned in a positive way.

Thank you squiggle let's hope so How are things going with the recipe book?

I've seen it now, El.

I agree, that would be above and beyond the call of duty.

Glad you have had some nice customers Summer, but how dare they intrude on your forum time.

Squiggle, I'm looking forward to reading the book. I reckon I should be starting it by Wednesday or Thursday.

Talk about putting a spin on things! El, I hope you told the Tucan rep that you had actually seen the Watchdog programme.

Summer quite frustratingly the people doing the cookbook have not yet replied to my email but I think they might be on holiday so I must not be impatient I think I will have to write that out 50 times as I check my emails all the time hoping for an answer, what am I like

 

EL what a cheek those Tucan people have! Brass neck don't come into it. I shall be peering over your shoulder (metaphorically speaking) while you're reading Yogi

Squiggle, I've had a quick look at the "Author's Note" at the beginning, and I can't wait to get started.

Yogi I just hope you like it as much as I did (I lent it to everyone and his aunt afterwards I wanted to share )

I'm hoping that Tucan Claims have got the message from me this time and will stop wasting their time ringing me.

I mentioned a few days ago that I had been sorting out my savings. Some of my savings are with the Halifax and I can check my balances online with them. I had an ISA bond due to mature last Friday the 16th and another bond which matures today. A couple of weeks ago I sent my completed forms to them as to what I wanted done with the money along with a cheque to add more money. I knew they had received this as my cheque had been cleared, but I hadden heard anything from them. So I thought I would have a look today as to what balances they were now showing for me.

 

The ISA bond was now shown as an ordinary ISA variable account (which I know has a 0.10% interest rate) along with some money that I had transferred from another account (my annual permitted amount). It should have been a fixed rate bond at a decent rate of interest. The other bond was still showing as unchanged which was not surprising as it matures today. But anyway I thought I would ring the Halifax about the ISA bond as I am losing £1 interest a day on that.

 

To cut a long story short, it turns out that the Halifax have been changing computer systems and have a backlog of at least 3 weeks in processing the paperwork on maturing bond accounts. They did confirm that my paperwork on both bond accounts had been received and that they would be processed, and that the interest would be backdated to when the bond was due to start so that I do not lose out.

 

I suggested to them that they should send out a letter to customers telling them of this so that people were aware of the backlog. Because of the numbers involved, they said this wasn't practical (I think they have been cutting back on staff which doesn't help).

 

I then suggested that they could put a warning message about the backlog on their website as a simple and economic way of letting people know about the backlog. She thought this was a good idea and will pass this suggestion up to her manager, so hopefully they will put up a warning.

It sounds to me like the sneaky scam all these firms pull, they keep your money for as long as possible and pay as little interest as possible.  We had the same thing happen when a bond matured some while ago, we had to be really on the ball to make them cough up, crafty devils.  Thing is you are on the ball but many others would not be and that's where they make their money.

That's why I posted it so that others could be aware.

 

My doctor has just rung me with my blood test results and all OK, my prescription remains unchanged He says that my total cholesterol is high (6.4) but as my good cholesterol is also high, that there isn't a problem. My risk level isn't enough to start needing to take statins. The high cholesterol isn't caused by eating too much fatty food, and there is no way in which I am overweight - same belt size as 40 years ago. I think it is probably genetic via my father.

High cholesterol ran in my husband's family too EL, it was nothing to do with his diet it was genetic.

Same in Mr Yogi's family.

Signing out for the night, hugs for the night owls.

Me too - speak to you tomorrow

- will miss you in the BB fred - night yogi

night sqiggle