What's making you happy today?

[morethanpretty]

I start today!

[glatt]

for real this time!

good luck!

[chrisinhouston]

Got my Land Rover back up and running by replacing the XYZ switch with one I got on eBay for $140 instead of $600 from the stealership!

[glatt]

Excellent!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Have you found a way to waterproof it?

[limey]

A bag full o' crispy duck in the freezer, reinstating what the Big Snow took away from me. I now have:
roast duck bitz in the freezer
plum sauce in the fridge
rice pancakes (courtesy of Sundae ) on the shelf
In a day or two I'll go get us some cucumber and syboes (spring onions) and we'll have the crispy duck pancake thang!

[footfootfoot]

Do folks hunt ducks where you are or are they farmed? I have to admit that I associate Scotland with nothing but the thinnest of soils that barely support grass and sheep. I always wondered how you all manage to eat. And for being practically in the water there isn't much talk about Scottish fisherman. It's always Irish fishermen.

What, exactly, is going on over there? Where do you get ducks?

[limey]

This duck came from the Co-op (what passes for a supermarket here).
The late lamented remains of the Christmas duck was free range at a farm up the road. We've already placed our order for the next one.
You are right about the thin soil, especially here on Arran which is just a rock sticking out of the sea with a thin covering of top soil. The Irish fishermen have pinched all of our fish (as have many other nationalities).
If'n you want to shoot at stuff, there's a couple of guys here who raise pheasants for that, or have the stalking rights (for the red deer).
Most people go to the shops for their food :p

[Sundae]

Limes, the rice pancakes need to be soaked.
They're more a wonton covering than a pancake covering, as I discovered to my chagrin. Otherwise you may as well eat your duck from a cereal box.
Mmmmm, crunchy!
Fine if you are able to steam them I assume.

Happy today?
You betcha.
Group interview for W (high-end supermarket) today.
Seemed to go well, said we would hear in 2-3 weeks.
Just checked my email:

Thank you for taking part in our recent interview. I am very pleased to tell you that we will now be considering your application further for job matching for Aylesbury. You will hear from us to let you know either that we have successfully matched you into a position, or that we plan to place your application on hold as we cannot match you. I will advise you by email when the job matching will be taking place once we have completed all of our interviews.

If we place you on hold and a suitable vacancy comes up within the next three months we will get back in contact with you. In the meantime, if you review your status on the system, it will state that your application is on hold following group interview.

We were advised at the interview that this was the second step.
Third step is exactly what it says above; from 1500 candidates they invited 350 for group interview. From 350 they had 140 vacancies to fill. Now it's simply (!) matching the working patterns and hours requested to what they require. As I said I was available for all shifts on all dates, I stand a very good chance of getting through to stage 3, which is simply JOB OFFER!

The only criterion I expressed was a minimum of 15 hours, because below that I am simply better off on benefits. Sorry to say it, but it's true. There is no point in me taking a job for 5 hours per week (their minimum shift.)

Just gotta get through the reference stage, hmmmmm.

Yes, it's a supermarket.
But it's one I really like.
And it seriously looks after its employees. Sorry, partners; it ha sno shareholders and an annual bonus to all staff. Opens 8 August. And I was looking forwar to it so much. But now if I don't get a job, how can I ever cross the threshold without resentment?

Yeah, I'll manage it for a penguin's egg.
Ostrich egg, I mean.

[Clodfobble]

Nice to hear, Sundae! Good luck all around with it.

[Chocolatl]

Good luck, Sundae!

[Lola Bunny]

Good luck, Sundae!

[Sundae]

Me again!
Gosh, happy, happy

Those of you who follow my posts assiduously will remember that my parents received a refund from the AA (car insurance, not alcohol) because I recognised a bum deal when I saw one and drafted a letter.

This time round, Mum was very unhappy about their hoover (although not a Hoover, a Dyson) breaking down. Now she did have the nous to call their helpline, but was even more unhappy with the response. She was asked to dismantle the machine and although an engineer could be sent out, if it was not a replaceable part it would cost them £70 plus parts because despite the 5 year guarantee there is an expectation that customers take care of the vacuum cleaner. The 'rents do of course, but £70 cold hard cash scares Mum if she can't be sure.

They went out the same day and bought a cheap Hoover (yes, really a Hoover this time.)

No, sez I.
Dyson can do better than that.
Let's appeal to their brand-pride. They offer a 5 year guarantee, you are OAPs with health problems. You have not abused it.
You have similar-aged friends and the newspapers love a story like that.
So I drafted a letter. No mention of said friends or newspapers of course; you do not appeal to a company's PR department by making threats, veiled or otherwise.

I told no lies.
Mum amended it and she told no lies either. You know what I mean.
And I specifically said that there was no complaint about the person who handled the call, and Mum kept that in. Poor lass was following company policy.

Mum got a call today.
So sorry.
No responsibilty accepted, but an offer - without prejudice - for an engineer to come out free of charge and mend it. Just wish Mum & Dad had taken my advice and not bought another vacuum cleaner in the mean time. But it would have scared Mum into fits to have a house un-hoovered for three days.

Mum sez she will have one for upstairs and one for downstairs.
She's made up anyway, saying she wouldn't have argued this, or the AA issue and she's glad I am here.

And there it goes a little weird.
Because she's all apologising for being a bad mother and how she failed all of us and all this and all that.
I mean I get cross with her. Often. And I really dislike her double-standards and critical approach. But she is my Mum and I love her. So to hear this when I've made her happy and that means I am happy is... well, weird.

Maybe this has been sparked by me nearly getting a job. So perhaps a little bit of regret that the first thing she said was "Let's just hope they don't find out about your medical history." Which sent me tail between legs to break the news to you instead.

Anyway.
They will get their Dyson back (£370)
And that is really good news.
The new Hoover (£77) moves like a car with the handbrake on.

And anyone looking to buy a Dyson cleaner in the future - go for it. It's worth the initial payment for the peace of mind. Even if it took a letter.

[Clodfobble]

Surely it's the health issues themselves? Maybe they're making her realize that she might lose you someday--though not for a long while, and not likely in any case, it still might be a sudden wake-up call for her that she can't take you for granted.

[Griff]

My drummer kid makes me happy. Horrible quality but you get the point.