Offers, Christmas and weeds

The Internet continues to bombard me with ‘unmissable’ offers on a daily basis.  The best so far this week include “Hot Dates In Your Area” (I don’t even like dates, they are always still sitting in the box in mid-January, complete waste of time buying them); “Jaw Dropping Jewellery” (sounds rather painful and unnecessary); “Free Solar Panels” (nothing in this life is free); “Your Free Slimming Plan from Special K” (thanks, but I will pass on that as it is actually a high sugar food) and more offers for credit cards than I could fit in my purse.  Still all these make a change from the usual offers for old age products and residences, although I daresay they will make a return shortly once the advertisers think I have forgotten them.

Tickets for the British Grand Prix next year have been ordered and this time we have gone even more upmarket for only a couple of pounds more than our pit lane grandstand.  I love early bird savings!  We have dedicated on-site parking behind the grandstand (very likely dedicated queuing too), a food marquee with chefs cooking all day and ‘other goodies’.  Now then this bit I am curious about........apparently it means we are given hats and other bits (hopefully better than a children’s party bag), however I am holding out for a meeting with one of two of the drivers, not fussed who, and a photo opportunity with them.  Our seats are in the front row so a good view of the proceedings and a car landing in the kitty litter is assured.

Now that we are in the second half of the year the Christmas adverts have started to appear.  This week I have heard one on the local radio offering bargain van deals with Jingle Bells playing in the background.  On the television the Christmas catalogues are mixed in with adverts for payday loans, bargain furniture offers and back to school uniform offers.  I was in a card shop this week and heard the assistant tell a customer that now they are in larger premises they can put the Christmas cards out this month instead of the end of August. For goodness sake...............the schools haven’t broken up yet for the summer holidays.

I read a posting on a social networking site’s local page this week where somebody was complaining about the weeds along the road outside his premises.  Granted the foliage was higher than the kerb, but in the time it took to take a photo of the offending plants and post it on the site with a comment, he could have pulled them out, job done.  With all the rain we have had over the past few weeks it is no wonder that the weeds are growing, but the local authority have more to do with our council tax than to pay people to pull them out.  Simple answer to this is if you don’t like them then bend your back and remove the green stuff.  In many other countries residents are expected to do just this, plus clear the pathways outside their property when the snow falls.  We are too fond in this country of passing the buck to someone else and failing to take responsibility for anything.  I will be armed with the weed puller once the rain stops for long enough to actually do some outside work.

The sorry saga of my parents’ conservatory rolls on.........bearing in mind the rebuild commenced in mid-March they are still awaiting the skirting to be fitted.  The chap arrived on the appointed day (an hour and a half late) but brought the wrong style of skirting.  He is due to return tomorrow and complete the job.  I am not holding my breath on this for fear of turning blue.  During the period since the work started my Mum has recovered from her hip replacement and was signed off by the surgeon four weeks into the works; I have had a week and a long weekend away; my parents have had two weeks away; the big bang theory has been proved; assorted decorating works have taken place at mine and my parents properties; we have had three family birthdays (April, May and July); and the trees opposite my house have leaves turning autumnal.  Another case of you couldn’t make it up.