The Lusty Month of May (chatty)

Post by **merry** » Tue May 02, 2023 9:24 am

Had to make my own Chatty again *huff*

We have the Stroke Team coming in today so got up ridiculously early.

And I'm STILL trying to sort out a cleaner. This has turned out so much harder than I expected! I have one very eager to do the job but her English is so poor it's making communications between us impossible. I texted her yesterday to ask 'how much do you charge' and she replied 'I charge the match with 20 pounds but we will settle it there on the spot.'

I've texted back to ask 'what is 'the match' (which sounds to me like I have to pay her before she even does any cleaning) and a simple and clear 'how much for three hours cleaning'. We'll see what I get back! Added to that she didn't even show up last time, and then in penance "I will even bring my girlfriend" (!) it's really not promising .

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Tue May 02, 2023 10:56 am

The Next Door website is good for things like that Merry. Worth a try?
https://nextdoor.co.uk/

asymphototropic · Post by **asymphototropic** » Tue May 02, 2023 7:11 pm

Yes that sounds like a problem, Merry. Usually people who speak English as a second language do very well in the realm of "How much do you cost?"

I have just handed off our problem of roof repairs to Engineer Daughter Thingummie minor. I do not want her father climbing up that high on ladders anymore. Getting anyone to do physical labor in Loudoun County for any price at all is difficult. I'm hoping her building industry contacts will prove useful.

[elephant doing a song and dance to get work done]

Post by **merry** » Tue May 02, 2023 9:33 pm

I'll have a look at Next Door, thanks Eccles.

Also OC had a great suggestion about Age UK, which funnily enough Claire the OT who turned up today also mentioned!

Getting anyone to do physical labor in Loudoun County for any price at all is difficult. I'm hoping her building industry contacts will prove useful.

Asy, it's so strange isn't it. We have the same problem here in the UK! I rang a plumber today and he hasn't got back to me. Of all things, I really needed a blocked drain in the garden - water round it which may be 'foul' water.

If only I had a Plumber Daughter and a Drain-Rodding Daughter!

On the other hand I picked up a brand new £5 note on my walk tonight! Maybe our luck is changing?

Patience · Post by **Patience** » Wed May 03, 2023 7:53 am

I had a dental appointment yesterday. Fortunately it was just a check up and hygienist visit. I took advantage of my dentist being close to our new office to take a trip in and work from there. It’s been a long time since I saw that many people in an office in years!
The office has only been open for a few weeks and is over 2 floors of a 9 storey building. As with many offices these days, not the whole building is occupied and there a few floors to be let.
I also got some exercise in as I needed to walk to and from the station at both ends.

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Wed May 03, 2023 2:27 pm

Merry is your drain connected to a communal/shared sewer? If so you might be able to get the water company to fix it for free as shared sewers may be their responsibility.

Patience · Post by **Patience** » Wed May 03, 2023 8:28 pm

@panikos, just as well this isn’t your local! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-65471314
It’s not too far from Wharf Road where I used to live in Grays.

Wildrover · Post by **Wildrover** » Thu May 04, 2023 8:10 am

I've always been able to sort out blocked drains with a drill bit attached to a long flexible metal cable which I atttach to my electric drill but I suppose that's not an option for you Merry. Eccs may well be correct but in my experience if the drain is on your property it's your problem.

Anyway we're off to Gatwick this morning to get our flight to Playa del Carmen for 18 days of R&R. We've been looking forward to this for 6 months so I hope it lives up to expectations. I'm hoping to get out to Chechen Itza which I've never visited previously and do a bit of diving but I'm guessing it will mainly be two weeks of eating, drinking and sunbathing. Can't wait...

OurCreature · Post by **OurCreature** » Thu May 04, 2023 9:30 am

Safe journey WR. I have seen photos of Chichen Itza and it looks very spectacular so I hope you are able to get there; I have looked on Google Maps and it is something like 2 1/2 hours each way (185 km each way). I don't think I'd try to climb up the steps on the towers though, they look a bit steep to me - especially after the previous evening's conviviality with drinks.................

I went to vote this morning. No problems with identification, but the polling station was as dead as a doornail. Both the District and town councils do the 'big bang' so far as voting for them is concerned, so the DC ballot paper was quite long and you had to vote for up to 3 candidates out of the 11 or 12 on the ballot paper. It was vote for up to four candidates for the Town Council, and the Tories are bound to be re-elected if our ward is anything to go by - 5 candidates on the ballot paper and 4 of them were Tories, the other being a Liberal Democrat. I'm surprised there weren't more non-Tories on the ballot paper because the Town Council precept and therefore their Council Tax they take off you isn't all that much smaller than the DC take. Still, if people can't be bothered to vote then they shouldn't really grumble when the local authorities botch things up because they are failing to hold them to account.

Furby · Post by **Furby** » Thu May 04, 2023 10:16 am

I liked the little gollys and they were nice toys to me just like bears and dolls. Sad to see they can get pubs closed down.

Climbing up a pyramid seems an exhausting thing for a holiday. Happy holidays to wr.

Can't merry get a robot cleaner they have them now.

The voting has been critisized saying young people wont have photo Id but why won't they. Need id to travel anywhere get a job rent a house open a bank account etc. Unless people are living totally illegally will have had to get Id for life in UK today. Older people seem more likely because if you already had those things asking for id wasn't backdated unless you changed anything.

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Thu May 04, 2023 1:25 pm

I detoured my morning walk to include voting. My local ward had no Labour candidates. Good luck to WR on his hols.

Post by **merry** » Thu May 04, 2023 10:16 pm

eccles wrote: ↑Wed May 03, 2023 2:27 pm Merry is your drain connected to a communal/shared sewer? If so you might be able to get the water company to fix it for free as shared sewers may be their responsibility.

They are fixing Paddy's next door (in her garden) so it might be. But knowing my luck it probably won't be!

My lovely plumber is coming to look at it tomorrow. I am shamelessly playing the '... and my husband has had a stroke' card to encourage people to come to my aid.

Amd... my cleaner turned up this morning! she is Bulgarian, I liked her, she talks in Bulgarian into her phone and shows me the English. She quoted quite a high price but I agreed it. She looks like a hard worker, she had a skinny kid in the car which softened my heart and I'm weary and short of time and just want the job done.

Oh and not being a total idiot

I checked out her reviews on Bark and the nine verified ones all speak well of her. But not too well if you know what I mean. So I'm happy with it but I think I'll look round for a cheaper one when this deep clean is done.

Maybe a robot cleaner yes!

Post by **merry** » Thu May 04, 2023 10:23 pm

PS Have a good holiday, WR.

And yes, Patience, it is Pani's local. He never goes there but he's annoyed about it. It does seem to have some implications.

Furby · Post by **Furby** » Fri May 05, 2023 3:37 am

The voting is so unimportant they aren't even counting it overnight. Its only local elections and low turnout they would have had it done by midnight but I suppose it saves costs not to pay people night rates.

The robots had a spider robot thing that climbed up the walls to clean the windows. And there was one to pick up childrens toys as well as the vaccum cleaners already in homes. Going to be trickier to invent robots to move things out the way safely and clean kitchens and bathrooms. And who cleans the robot afterwards.

OurCreature · Post by **OurCreature** » Fri May 05, 2023 7:37 am

The voting is so unimportant they aren't even counting it overnight.

Some of the counts were done overnight; in the good old days nearly all of them were counted overnight but now most of them are done next day. The rest will be counted today. It has been the trend to do the counting next day for decades; I recall when Shirley Williams received her P45 from the electorate at Stevenage in a next day count and that was back in the late 1970s.

There was enough going on for BBC to have an all night programme about it on Radio 4 which I liked, because it helped me to go to sleep.

60 councils have declared so far, with 170 to still declare. The Tories are the only main party to have net losses (209) while everybody else including Independents have gained. The Ratepayers Alliance* has lost one councillor.

*Oops! Residents' Association; there aren't domestic ratepayers any more. Silly OC!

Patience · Post by **Patience** » Fri May 05, 2023 11:14 am

merry wrote: ↑Thu May 04, 2023 10:23 pm PS Have a good holiday, WR.

And yes, Patience, it is Pani's local. He never goes there but he's annoyed about it. It does seem to have some implications.

My local was The Wharf. I only lived 100 steps away.

Post by **merry** » Fri May 05, 2023 7:09 pm

Handy, Patience

I've got Severn Trent coming to the blocked drain tomorrow. I contacted them by WhatsApp, it seems to be the New Way. I don't really recommend it, there were long gaps between their replies! but in the end it got sorted.

Chat tonight, don't forget, I will stagger there and try and stay the course

asymphototropic · Post by **asymphototropic** » Fri May 05, 2023 8:24 pm

Cooking Mexican food for Cinco de Mayo supper. Then hoping Thingummie major will have enough energy left for English Country Dance.

We spent most of the day digging holes for vines in the vineyard. [whew....]

Post by **merry** » Fri May 05, 2023 10:56 pm

I love your life, Asy. I hope TM makes it to English Country Dance!

Thank you to those who came to Chat. We had quite the fun pre-Coronation party!

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Sat May 06, 2023 2:22 pm

Thank you to those who came to Chat.