Wednesday, August 01, 2012


Oddities and Money Problems.




Boot scrapers are all the rage on Face Book.  Until Kim http://kimayres.blogspot.co.uk/  shows me how to put photos on Face book, mine is in the post below.  And yes – DV- Kim and son Rogan are going to call on the way back from their SW family visit.  Just discoverd they have changed the way one does links so that is another thing I have to relearn.




Another quirky accessory in this house is the servant’s flag thingy.  In theory one presses the bell and a servant appears to do one’s will.  We were fairly successful in hiding the bell pushes from the grandchildren and – hopefully - now the great grand children.




I’m not proud of the cobwebs in the back porch but rather like Nea’s idea


 http://ne-angle.blogspot.co.uk/


I love cobwebs! I always like to think that they help to hold my house up, and I know they keep the flies at bay.




Its true there is rarely a fly in the house.  I don’t relish brushing the cobwebs down on to my person – no matter how protected I am, and it doesn’t seem fair to ask Sheila – my help - to do something I shrink from.  What shall I do?


I’ve had a couple of money problems this week.  It finally dawned on me that the investment that normally sends dividends four times a year had missed the last two.  Having checked and rechecked that I hadn’t missed them I got MTL on the case.  It seems that the original firm had passed on part of their admin to another body who – in their wisdom – had taken the decision that I would like them to hang on to the dividends.  WRONG!  After a lengthy phone call I made it crystal clear what I wanted them to do and from now in I shall be watching my balance like a hawk to make sure they do.




Yesterday I had my hair cut and used my freshly renewed bank card.  The machine rejected it – three times.  My hairdresser told me not to worry and to leave it till next time but I had sufficient funds in my wallet.  The bank was nearby so I stormed in and was quickly ushered into an office with a young man.  When he heard the detail and checked my account he got onto a sort of fraud office ( it seems they do not have a direct line an have to wait endlessly to get a response – just like we lesser beings)  Meanwhile I was frantically going through the alphabet to make sure I hadn’t muddled the pin number .  I hadn’t.




After adjustments he took me to a machine and we tried again.  And again.  Zilch! With profuse apologies he said they would send me a new pin number – then I should go in and see them and they will sort the rest and then I can use a pin number I prefer – he will sort it.


Meanwhile I have no useable card.  He did offer me money but I thanked him and refused and blessed the fact I had MTL as a cash dispenser.


Life used to be so simple.  See Photos below

16 comments:

The Unbearable Banishment said...

The promise was that technology was going to set us free. Free to do what, I'm not exactly sure but it clearly has not worked out the way we had hoped. It won't be long until all of our transactions will take place via our smartphones. And then THOSE will breakdown!

Ms Scarlet said...

Pisceans have had it financially tough over the past week!
Let's hope things begin to improve, Pat.
Sxx

Pat said...

UB: erm - smart phones?

Scarlet: I'd like bit of luck in other areas too.

Marjolein said...

Technology doesn't seem to make life any easier! We had some problems getting cash from an ATM in Germany last week. It's so strange that the same technology doesn't work in a neighbouring country.

About Last Weekend said...

I love the beauty of spider webs and the tenacity of spiders, not sure why anyone would want to get rid of them...

Pat said...

Marjolein: we have to go back to carrying shed loads of cash on our person.

ALW: the webs are said to be amazingly strong which makes sense of them holding the house together.
I think you and Nea are possibly in the minority:)

Granny Annie said...

Hubby is my cash machine also. He wouldn't be caught dead without having his money clip full. On the other hand, I carry the credit card and make all my purchases with it. (We pay in full monthly so no finance charges) We never, never ever use a debit card ever!

Pat said...

Granny Annie: I won't tell you what MTL did when we went round the world. Even his pockets had pockets:)

Anonymous said...

Money, banks and spider webs, oh my! All my hates. I use the longest handled brush I can for spider webs so I am about half a mile away while I use it!! When money goes wrong, it just makes me cry which is useless when talking to the banks and fast talking young managers who think you are stupid!!

Pat said...

Rosneath: a shower cap is helpful too.
i keep pretty clear in the house. Its the porchea and garage that let me down.
With FTY Managers my brain switches off.

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Spider webs are beautiful.
In the garden, that is.
House-cleaning, I must go vacuum today.

Bank cards are becoming quite popular here too, but I still don't have one. I go to the ATM and pray no crook follows me home.

Everyone should read 'The machine stops' by E M Forster. yikes.

Pat said...

GG; does the porch and garage count as garden?
I wish the machine would stop.

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Haha, you'll have to ask the spider that.

Sigh.

This morning, the machine stopped. I went to the ATM to get cash to buy some veggies...no cash. I met someone who told me that it seems the system was down...that was the 3rd machine she'd gone to, no cash.

Pat said...

GG: after my credit card debacle, today I got a new sim card by post - which I expected, and a new debit card which I didn't as I already had a new one sent last week. So on Monday I'm off to the bank to get it sorted and meanwhile feel reluctant to order a new book on Amazon in case they think I'm insolvent.

Nea said...

Well, I think they're money spiders who obviously read your blog on the WWW. Once you stop planning their demise, I'm sure all your financial troubles will be blown right away ;)

Thank you for mentioning me in the post. It's weird how often you write about stuff that coincides or connects with other things that I hear or read about. For example someone mentioned to me a few days ago that to use the term "PIN number" was tautology and wrong. I'd never even thought about it, to me it sounds odd to say just "PIN". I had to admit that they were right, it is a little repetitious, but only if I were to say it in full.

Pat said...

Nea: since I got windows seven there is no longer a little green icon for links so I have to do them in a clumsy way.
BTW the reason my card didn't work was because it was a renewal of my joint account - which I never seem to use - so of course the pin number was wrong!!!