What rubbish!

I wonder, is there a prerequisite when one applies for employment within a local authority for prospective employees to have gained skills not in the usual fields of things such as efficiency, politeness, customers service and financial awareness? It would appear so.

Yesterday I had the unfortunate opportunity to have a small 'contretemps' with the powers that govern all those wonderfully efficient services provided for us in return for payment of our (very high) council tax. In the first place the rate of tax here is the highest level I have suffered anywhere. I accept there are fewer people live here and consequently the services per capita are higher but at times I wonder exactly what services we are talking about.
Service does not seem to be the main function of this council, I'm sure it's not the only one, but what this council seems to excel at is prevarication, work avoidance and wasting, to the best of their ability, the monies they procure from us.

So the situation is this; the only service that we do receive directly, refuse collection, is undergoing changes, no longer do we have to drag our full bags of rubbish the 200 yards to a designated 'collection point' instead we have been issue with compost bins, wheelie bins and all manner of other rubbish recepticals. The theory is fine and good, it is 'sold' to us as a means of recycling household waste but what it actually appears to be is two things, one, an exercise in reducing still further the work done by the council employees and two, an very adept way of wasting as much money as possible......and no amount of talking common sense will seemingly resolve the problems we have been presented with. Ok, so the words 'council' and common sense' are probably not regularly used in one sentence I accept.

There are eight flats here, we live in the middle of the countryside. The first phase of this new scheme was that we were delivered four horrendously ugly plastic compost bins that none of us need, we have plenty of places to operate a real compost heap if we wish. On the day of delivery said bins were hurled around in strong winds resulting in considerable damage to two residents cars. We called the council and explained that we have no need for these items and as we have no gardens or out buildings we have nowhere to put them anyways so would they please remove them....the answer was no, so they continue to be a rolling, unused eyesore, perpetually needing collecting from wherever the latest wind has landed them.

Stage two, we were delivered yesterday eight ugly wheelie bins but only after I chased the deliverers halfway along the road to tell them that four bins for eight properties wasn't enough. Then we get to the 'instruction manual' that accompanies this system. Different colour bags for different types of waste, yada, yada, yada, you know the kind of drill but again we have to move said bins to the designated collection point. This requires that each bin be dragged approximately 100 yards along the front of the building to access a ramp, dragged up that ramp then across the same distance of gravel, up another ramp and then along the road some yards to the entrance of the properties. It is just not possible, we organised a practice run and even the guys here, and believe me some of them, PG included, are no lightweights, but trying to man handle a large heavy bin over gravel is not a simple operation and for me completely impossible! I couldn't even drag it up the ramp let alone get it over the gravel. Add to that we are not allowed to leave said bin at the collection point any sooner than the night before collection means that in winter this malarky has to be carried out in the dark.

There is a simple solution that would merely involve moving the 'collection point' and the pick-up vehicle reversing across the gravel to the top of the ramp, still a difficulty for most of us but easier. But no, way too simple. PG called the controlling authority to explain the problem and after much frustrated explanation finally the jobs-worth on the other end of the line agreed to a compromise....he would send an 'assessor' out to the properties to assess the situation!! FFS...so they employ someone to actually carry out an assessment rather than just use a little common sense?....no wonder councils attract more than their fair share of bad press. First they deliver useless compost bins, then the deliver too few wheelie bins, all way beyond the date we were informed the scheme would commence and now they are wasting time and money sending some halfwit all the way out here....... to look at a gravel car park! Gah!

The deed is done.....

....this morning I finally hit the button and killed off DAB forever.

I had kinda harboured secret thoughts that I could somehow save it but I couldn't, it just wasn't meant to be and so, with a second or two's hesitation and some sentimentality going on, I did the deed and consigned it to the great website in the sky.

I'm still feeling a bit lost without it, it has been 'what I did' for almost a year but there's no use crying over spilt milk as they say. Thus it's onward and upward, something new is on it's way, afterall this isn't the demise of M&S or some such (thankyou 'S' and 'F' for helping me regain that perspective) so I'm busy beetling away on a new site which I hope to get up and running very soon.

Watch this space.....

So far so good

Well I made it to Monday morning, I still have a connection, one down one to go, only tonight's 'updating' carry on to go and I'm home free.....I'll not start counting any chickens yet though!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On a definitely more positive note, the last week may have been a relative disaster in gemmak's-ville, perhaps even one of the worst I recall one way and another but things are looking up in at least one area....among all the confusions I forgot that aside from this coming Thursday, I am now on holiday from the 'day job' for a whole three weeks!!!! Yayyyy.

Oh....and we have 'significant' snow forecast...again no chicken counts but the possibility of white-ness is there :o)

Anything could happen

Wanadoo my ever crap wonderful ISP have decided yet again in their wisdom to update their clients liveboxes. I being a customer will have to undergo this painful procedure sometime over the next 48 hours I am reliably informed by email.

This should of course not be a problem, it should all just happen by the wonders of modern technology but I have my reservations...... for despite following their instructions to the letter on two previous occasions, not turning the damn thing off etc. etc. whilst this 'update' took place, the first time I was left without a connection for three weeks and the second time for 5 days! The ensuing debacle in how not to provide customer service was well documented here at the time so I won't bore you with it again but to say I have some concern as to whether I will have any internet access in the near future, would be something of an understatement!

Two things confound me in this.......why in the first place they deem it necessary to update, when finally and unusually it is working well..... and why in God's name they have not yet realised that this update malarky just doesn't seem to happen as they promise! Hell, one would assume that they have some degree of technical know how, though from experience they keep it well hidden, and yet, every time they decide in their inimitable wisdom to 'update' my live box what they actually achieve is to kill it stone dead!

Hence, if I appear to go awol in the next 48 hours you wont be too surprised!

Putting green?

It's not only PG these days who is obsessed with golf......and yes, really, 'putting' and even 'swinging' are practiced in the living room from time to time! Don't ask, it's a point of occasional contention! Boys will be boys and Tilly will be Tilly.

Saturday silliness Tilliness

This, if you please, is Tilly's most recently favoured 'favourite place'. Not satisfied with making it up there she invariably gets up there at the dead of night and then howls pitifully to be rescued. I might add that PG is on night shifts at the moment and at five foot it requires me to not only get out of bed but also get a step ladder, erect it and climb it, in my late night rescue efforts!

A big thank you.....

....before I fall into bed for my 5am start at the 'day job' tomorrow, to all of you who left such kind comments on yesterday's post regarding the sad demise of Design-a-blog.

You thoughts and wishes were very much appreciated and believe me, when the going got tough on a few occasions over the last 24 hours they really helped. I know also that Lisa greatly appreciates all of your wishes and I assure you she is ok.

Hopefully things will return to some semblance of normality on the design front sometime next week and until then a great big thank you to all of you.

Normal service will of course continue here......nope, you don't get to escape that easy!

Heavens above.....

....Paddy tagged me with a music meme. I don't 'do' music, well at least not on a very regular basis. It's not that I don't love some music, it's just that I like the natural sounds around here, the sheep, birds, the pair of owls that hoot back and forward to one another all night and the flocks of geese that pass overhead so often. None the less,not one to buck a challenge here goes.....

Here's the rules:
List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to.

My songs of the moment are:
1. You're beautiful - James Blunt
2. Crazy - Katie Melua
3. Run- Lighthouse Family
4. Lonely Man - Real Crazy Apartment
5. Minnie the Moocher - Cab Calloway
6. Tutu - Miles Davis
7. Handbags and Gladrags - Stereophonics

And the cruel bit, I get to tag four other poor unsuspecting souls, get to it guys.

Shephard
Fletch
Joanna
Pusher Robot

The male variant

On a lighter note, I am coming under heavy pressure from certain quarters to spread the word on the concept of a 'male variant valentines day'! Please, if you are of an easily offended nature can I suggest you ignore this post and move onto the next blog.

For those of you not so delicate, perhaps you would care to check out here what it is that March the 20th is being currently designated as....or alternatively girls, maybe we should consider launching a counter offensive! ;o)

End of an era

A sad day. Design-a Blog in it's present form no longer exists.

For reasons beyond our control Lisa has suddenly had to leave the business, which at least for the time being leaves just me manning the pumps so to speak.

It feels like the end of an era, I am very sad that we are no longer a partnership though we remain good friends. We worked hard to get to the point we were at and right now it just feels like it's never gonna be the same.

That said, give me a few days, please bear with me and I will have a new design site set up and start over. Maybe in time it will be the two of us again but for now it's yours truly on her ownsome.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
N.B. If you carry our current button my apologies but it may disappear leaving a nasty place holder. I would greatly appreciate it if you would contact me in that instance and allow me to place a new button on your blog.

Bring on March........

....February sucks! It really does, can we bring on March please, enough is enough.

It seems that the last week has been just one thing after another and today yet more bad news of difficulties affecting another close friend, another situation I feel terribly sorry about and one I can, I think, do very little to help in sadly.

Everything comes in three's they say so maybe things will begin to turn a round now, I sincerely hope so for those involved, things surely must begin to look more positive soon, I have rarely experienced, even second hand, such a run of unfortunate and sad situations, it's definitely time for things to improve among those I care for.

Amazingly as I was typing this post I received an email from a friend which caused me to change it's content half way through. really, many more of the depressive dirges and you would all have been running for the hills! The email contained a link, the link was to a page giving a lighthearted definition of the phrase 'shit happens'. This is a life situation that has been discussed before between myself and the friend who hit my mail box at such an appropriate moment....... but somehow this time and with such immaculate timing, like turning a switch it made me consider the ups and downs of the last few days and turn my thoughts around.

Shit just does happen, it isn't always within our control and we can only make decisions on the information we have at the time. Life is a risk, we take risks every day to some degree but now and again we are faced with choices that require us to take bigger chances, that require us to make decision that we don't always realise the future implications of but we have to live with and deal with the fall out when it happens. We have no choice, shit does happens and we have to accept our temporary misfortune, look it in the eye and contend with it

These choices and the effect they have on our lives, if we look hard enough have often a positive aspect to them which isn't always immediately obvious. It takes us time to see what can be gained from something that initially seems to be a negative, and yet how we handle life's curved balls invariably makes us the people we are.....and stronger.

Whilst today's news is horrible, and a great shock, the individual concerned knows how sorry I feel and knows I will do anything within my power to help, they know they are very much in my thoughts right now but they also know that with time the situation will seem less traumatic and ultimately may have some positive outcome.

So, onward and upward my friend, you know who you are. Take time to re-group your thoughts, allow yourself to heal from the shock of today's events but remember you will look back on this and see it differently, remember you are loved and in the dark moments remember there is some positive aspect to be found in almost any situation, though it might not seem like it right now, there is.

And not to make light of the situation but I know the person of whom I speak will appreciate this....this is what you get when you hurriedly try to take a picture of a 'small cat' to send as reminder of more cheerful things:

This place we call 'home'

I still cannot cease to be amazed by the kindness and concern show by so many individuals here in this place we call 'home', the blogosphere.

One only has to throw up a slightly odd and distracted post, suggesting in it's lack of detail that all is not quite as hunky dory as it might be in gemmak's-ville temporarily and almost immediately, along with the kindest of comments, my inbox suddenly becomes the bearer of emails of offers to help, some from people I have only known a very short time.

This virtual home of ours really is quite incredible, a true community inhabited by some very special people.

So to all of those who commented, mailed me, called me or took the time to speak to me in person, the biggest thank you, you are a fab lot and I consider myself lucky to be in your company.

:o)

Bookends!

The last few days.....

....have been somewhat peculiar in gemmak's-ville for a number of reasons, none of which I can go into here, which begs the obvious question, why I am typing this at all? I don't know is the answer but I am none the less.

I have stuff going on in my head, thoughts and feelings that somehow right now I just can't find suitable words for..... and even if I could, I couldn't articulate them in this forum. Some of the incidents haven't directly affected me but have resulted, among other things, in my questioning if I gave appropriate advice, whether I should have suggested another route, could I have been more help or did I completely misread the given situation and consequently only make matters worse.

Some other 'goings on' have been more directly in my own life, nothing terrible just a little confusing and unsettling but resolvable and do-able. I kinda feel like I have been treading water, going nowhere and doing nothing for a few days, stuck in a fog and I don't like it too much. Again I can't go into details, again it begs the question what is this post about, and again I'm not sure.

Hey ho, tomorrow is another day.......

Snowy skies?

Well again we have snow forecast, though of course we have been here before and to no avail! Those born and bred in these parts can 'smell' snow, can 'see' it in the clouds, but I'll be damned if I can though it did hail quite considerably, the temperature has dropped along with the air pressure and these clouds certainly don't suggest all is 'set fair'.

Here's hoping!



(Clickable)

Home alone

A friend of mine in the US has felt forced to take what action he can against an advertisement for Expedia, in which it is suggested it is 'funny' to leave a cat home alone whilst it's owner is away on holiday!

For the rest of the details and how you can help please click HERE

Cat-alogue of destruction

'Madam' has excelled herself this last week in the trail of destruction she had left in her wake. At her current rate, by the time she has grown up and calmed down we will require a small mortgage just to replace the items she had left in a state of wanting!


This weeks catalogue includes a bed sheet that she unraveled the entire hem from, the front of the stereo speakers, recently 'acquired' as personal scratch posts, a bedside lamp which she has perforated significantly with her claws, two picture frames and a floor lamp that all fell foul of her at once, when she knocked the heavy frames onto the lamp and only a very quick reaction on my part saved PG's new iPod from a shorter than expected lifespan!

Oh.....and you can add to that list, two blinds, another book, a mug, a storage basket, a serious puncture wound, including stuffing removal to the soft toy featured in the video clip earlier this week and more attention paid to the already struggling bonsai!!!

Do they do prozac for cats?

Saturday silliness

The ugliest kitten? No..... such thing doesn't exist, but he/she could use a coat of some description if only to keep warm!


Rex kitten

That Johari thing

According to Justitia, among others, the Johari window is the latest 'thing' to hit the blogosphere, so in the manner of all good sheep I feel it only right and proper that I have one too!

To this end my Johari window is posted HERE, feel free to offer your opinions but remember, for good or evil, you have to be honest or the whole thing falls apart!

Give me strength!

Am I missing something here, is there a difficulty staring me in the face that I am blind too? Is it really so difficult?

PG's car has to spend a few hours at the dealers today to have one or two routine jobs attended to, this being a used car, a loan vehicle was not readily forthcoming so a few hours in a town about 30 miles from here was forced upon him. To occupy his time, he decided among other things, to pay a few bills while he loiters without intent, one of them necessitating he visit a branch of the Halifax bank. Last night he sought the address from the internet and off he set this morning.

An hour later I receive a phone call, "I can't find the bank" he says.

"Oh" say I in reply......"and"

"Are you on the internet" he returns.....er...is the Pope Catholic?

So he asks that I check the address, which I duly do, he has the correct address.

"Well I can't find it" he says,

"er....are you in the right street?" say I.

"Yes but I can't find it" comes back at me.

Now this is where I become really confused.

What precisely does he expect me to do from 30 miles away? At this point my tired head (the result of Tilly's manic behaviour over the last two nights)is becoming a little fraught, so I put the question to him whilst silently uttering expletives.....and needless to say got a terse reply!

I wonder, is it rocket science just to ask someone where it is or if it has moved?

Why will men just not ask! Pfftt!

Oh so brave.....

...fighting tooth and nail with a stuffed toy, which incidentally was a Christmas present and I would rather like to remain intact!!

Tilly of course.

Oh so brave!
Video sent by gemmak

The perfect valentine!

If this doesn't absolutely make your Valentines day nothing will. Enjoy!


(Clickable....and worth it!)

It is in ignorance........

....that I type this post, in the hope that at least one of you bright lot out there can solve a mystery that has puzzled me from almost the first day I made my first keystroke!

Spiders, it's spiders that puzzle and confound me so utterly. Please don't run off in horror, I am not talking here of heinous eight legged creatures that promote horror into some of us. No, instead I am referring to web-spiders and crawlers and whatever other strange names they have been given. The kind of spider that decides who and what will appear in the returns for a web search, those little creatures that control the likelihood (or not) that one's webpage will be thrown in the face of those likely searching for something entirely different.

So, this is my question....how do they work? The reason I am asking is this. If I search 'gemmak' (not that it is a word one would normally search) it can return anything from 17000 to 59000 results. On an almost daily basis it fluctuates between those two figures and I have to admit my complete ignorance in not having the remotest idea why!

So please, any bright spark with the knowledge, would you be so kind as to enlighten me a little and take a moment to explain to the intellectually challenged. And whilst on the subject, don't be even remotely tempted to be impressed at the above figures even for a moment, if you want impressive you need to check out the likes of Dooce, Instapundit or Random Acts of Reality! Now that is impressive!

Eu-bloody-reka!

Woooo hoooooooo....finally the CPS have got the date of the court case I have to attend changed!!!! Yipeeeee....now we can plan our holiday and begin to look forward to it.

I have no idea yet when the case will be but it won't be while we are supposed to be on holiday so who cares.....the other 360 days of the year I can work with!

A remarkable cat's tale

Meet 'Holly'.......



Holly is at the center of a heartwarming and quite remarkable story, though it might not seem so to begin with. She belongs, or I should say belonged, to a long time friend of mine, I'll call her 'L' for the purpose of this story.

'L' and I met when she came many years ago to the place I worked, as a 'Saturday checkout operator'. at the time she was only 17 years of age and about to go to university but gradually, finding we had much in common we became firm friends and until I moved here to Scotland we spent a great deal of time together.

'L' had not had an easy life in her 17 years. As a child she had lost her twin to a road traffic accident in which both she and her father were also involved and injured. Some years later, in an effort to live with their loss a special family holiday was arranged as a way to try and draw a line under the past a little and make a new start. They went for a month to Canada. It was in Canada that 'L', whilst swimming in a lake, contracted a viral infection that within days had caused her kidneys to fail dramatically. Eventually she was stable enough to be returned to the UK, where sometime later she received a transplant.

As is often the case it was not all 'plain sailing' and her bodies rejection of the organ was severe. To this day she requires some pretty heavy duty medication and has to live with a permanent Hickman line in her chest. She copes admirably.She lives alone, owns her own house, works full time and has a hectic social life when her health permits it. In the days when I lived in London and she was an almost daily visitor to my home her medications became so routine that we had stocks in our fridge and hooks hidden under pictures on the wall, specifically to hang her I.V. bags from. I got quite adept over time at removing fatally dangerous air bubbles from her line and would 'hook her up', go make dinner and she would receive her medication as we ate to save wasting time later when we might want to go out. 'L' never let her difficulties restrict her more than they had to, though frequent stays in hospital often disrupted plans. She went to university, travelled some, rode pillion on many outings with us and was to overcome yet another major difficulty in her life, though the details of that are not for me to expand on here.

Among all of this one of her passions was her cats, Jarvis and Holly. Even this could not be simple for 'L'. Jarvis, a beautiful ginger and white tom, died suddenly at age four of a previously undiagnosed congenital heart defect, this for 'L' was almost the last straw but as ever, after a while, she rallied her strength and got on with her life.

Shortly afterwards she was forced to move house and she and Holly packed their bags and settled into a new home. But Holly it seemed, did not settle, and within days had circumnavigated 'L's attempts to keep her indoors until she was familiar with her new surroundings and had made an escape. She was never seen again and after weeks of advertising and hunting the search was abandoned and 'L' sadly resigned herself to the thought that 'something had happened' to her.

She didn't get another cat.

And then, on Saturday, three years after the disappearance, she called me, full of excitement. A local vet had just called her to say she had Holly in her surgery. 'L' was over the moon but skeptical.

Apparently it would seem that when Holly bolted she became stray. A kindly lady about a mile away had been feeding her all that time but not really wanting a cat had not fully 'adopted' her. This lady, a few days ago, having decided to go away on holiday, was concerned that the cat would go hungry so had caught her and taken her to the vets for inoculations with the intention of putting her in a cattery until she returned. Whilst checking the cat over the vet had noticed a small lump under the skin of her neck and on investigation had discovered it was a microchip. She scanned the cat and up popped 'L's details. Thankfully 'L' had never changed her mobile number.

And so yesterday, amid much excitement and a little trepidation that somehow this would not be Holly she went to visit the found cat. Within seconds of meeting, said cat, normally quite retiring, recognised her old friend and began rubbing around her legs, rolling on her back at her feet and purring madly........ after all that time she still appeared to remember her.....and so, for 'L', for once their is a happy ending, mother and cat are reunited and this time the doors and windows will be firmly shut until Holly is used to her 'new' home!

Do I or don't I?

A few years back when I decided that my days with a trusty 35mm camera were over and I would move into the digital age I mulled for a while over whether to keep the cameras I already had alongside the new digital version or whether to sell them.

Never one to do things by halves I decided on the latter option, go the whole hog and onto eBay they went. A week or so later they were dispatched to their new owners with barely a backward glance but whilst we were gathering together all the various bits and pieces, lenses, filters, flashes, tripods etc. etc. etc for packaging, PG discovered a part used roll of film in one.

At the time I took little notice, I ditched it in one of 'those places' we all have for miscellaneous bits and pieces and forgot about it....until yesterday evening, when by chance, looking for something, else I came upon it again.

My quandary is this, do I get it developed (assuming it's contents are still intact) or do I not....I have a feeling I know what is on this particular roll of film and whilst, if I am correct, part of me is intrigued to go back the four years in time and have a little peep, part of me isn't so sure, for what this old and abandoned film contains is photographs from Christmas 2001. Just days later I left my then husband, not the best time in my life.....but still, the little nosey part of me is tempted to drop it in somewhere for a quick D&P and take a peek!

How surprising, a happy Saturday!

Saturday is my Monday, the first day of my working week and as a consequence it is not often a much anticipated day. Add to that I have to creep out of my bed at 5 am and today had to deal also with yet again seized brakes and a thick layer of ice and frost on the car....all before 6am!

It is most surprising therefore that this particular Saturday turned out pretty well! No one big thing, a few small incidents and happenings added together made for a surprisingly good day. The last week or two I have been in somewhat of a 'funk' as Lisa would say, kinda low and fed up, with seemingly not much other than one stress after another to deal with. Likely as for many of us the long winter dark and cold is no assistance in improving one's mood but today was different.

The first thing to happen was snow....it snowed, only for maybe an hour and only a little bit but it was snow none the less...... and that counts! The second was the two people I was working directly with today, we actually had fun among the hassles that go with manning a retail customer complaints service desk.

And things got better yet. My thus far very unsupportive employer in the matter of the ongoing saga regarding the court date and holiday conflict, finally came through for me with flying colours. Credit where credit is due, I am keen enough to grumble about the negative things that happen at work from time to time so it's only fair that I also mention the positive. Ok, so I had to get quite stressed with the whole situation before anyone listened, but when I finally made it plain that I needed some help they gave it. My boss has contacted the company security department and from here on in, if the CPS continue to treat me as they have, he will deal with them, I not longer have to....and if the whole thing goes horribly pear shaped he and the company will support me. I can't ask for more than that and believe you me I feel as though a mill stone has been removed from my small and aching shoulders!

And finally, to celebrate this new found spell of cheerfulness, I decided to treat PG to something he has wanted forever....a baby iPod. Yeah, ok, so I can't really afford it but it was worth every penny to just see the look on his face when I gave it to him!

Yup, things are definitely looking up, a good day......... and long may it last.

Saturday silliness

*With thanks to Joanna.

Friday's feast (80)

Appetizer
What was a class or course you took while in school that you realize now was a total waste of time?

As unpopular as it may be I don't think any class I took was a waste of time. I might not have enjoyed them all but I learnt something from them all.

Soup
Who is the tallest person you know?

My first husbands brother. 6'7''

Salad
What's your favorite midnight snack?

Chocolate and crisps of course.

Main Course
Have you ever found money somewhere? If so, where did you find it, and how much was it?

Yes, £60 on the floor of a night club, way back in the late 70's that was a lot of money.

Dessert
Where would you like to retire?

I would just like to retire....... I don't give a damn where :o)

French kissing!

I really don't think we needed an expensive research project to tell us THIS! Hardly a deduction of earth shattering proportions I would have thought!

Chip and pin....and chaos

So, the days of 'chip and pin' being
obligatory are almost upon us. On the 14th of February anyone making a purchase in a store with a little piece of plastic will be required to enter their PIN number, the option to sign for the sale will no longer exist.

I see chaos on the horizon! The run up and advertising for this has been quite significant but still a vast number of the customers I come into contact with at the point of sale are sadly lacking in the appropriate digits,

furthermore many of them just won't be persuaded, that by Tuesday they will have no other option. Somehow they seem convinced that if they shout loudly enough, or threaten us with the loss of a sale there will be some way for us to oblige them and allow for a signature.

There is not! The EPOS systems that retail uses will have no override function come Tuesday, even with every wish in the world to be able to help, we can't! This doesn't refer to just the retailer I work for but all outlets with modern EPOS systems. It is not necessarily the retailers choice, it is governed by the banks, we have no more choice than the customer.

Things could get fraught, I see a few confrontations on the horizon.

The whole issue rather confounds me, the reasoning behind it is simple, it is more secure and figures published recently certainly suggest that fraud at the point of sale has dropped dramatically....they also prove though that internet purchase fraud has increased in direct line with the drop in stores.

The reasoning behind the switch (no pun intended) from signing to chip and pin doesn't it seem take into account the horrendous level of 'human error'. In the first instance, probably something approaching 40% of the customers I serve don't actually know their PIN number and of those that do, despite the warnings, when asked to enter it, they can't recall it and remove a little piece of crumpled paper from the same wallet as the card was stored in.......containing the very number needed to access use for the card! Worse still, you don't want to know how many, rather than just input the digits when asked, look at me in all ignorance and innocence and tell me the number!!!

Very secure....that's going to reduce fraud no end!

I never thought......

....I would see the day I would say this but today I'm going to.

I will never again involve myself willingly in the detention of the perpetrator of a crime, nor will I write a statement or offer myself as a witness!

Our judicial system may be considered one of the best in the world but it seems that if you try and 'do your bit' suddenly you become relegated to a position less than that of the offender.

I now find myself threatened with contempt of court, of warrants being issued for my arrest and Lord knows what all else......and all because I am due to go on holiday when I am required to appear as a witness. The 'system' it seems has some difficulty accomodating my problem.....despite the fact that we all know, that's the CPS, the police and myself, that ultimately I am highly likely not to have to give evidence once I arrive at court!

Never, never again....I've had enough, next time I will go against all my instincts and morals and suffer a sudden loss of memory!

I really didn't ever think I would see the day I would feel like this.... but I do!

I am completely powerless in this situation and completely unsupported by anyone in authority...they don't give a damn....why should I?

I don't ever recall feeling so angry, disillusioned or let down by before in my life, I truly believed in our legal system ...until now!

Fuck!....sorry but it's the only word that seems to sum up my anger right now.

Love it or hate it?

There seems to be a modicum of dissention in the ranks regarding this design, if nothing else it has caused a little discussion and none too few emails to land in my lap!

There seem to be those that love it Michelle, those that can't read it Rob and those that think that birds nose up there looks like (and I quote) 'a snout dammit,' no names mentioned Lisa! .......too funny.

So do you have an opinion, should it stay or should it go? Though as is the way in gemmak's-ville it will likely not be here forever, whatever! heh.

Collared.....or not!

The recent advance into grown up cat-hood for 'madam small puss' seems not to be running at all smoothly! There is a distinct lack of enjoyment it seems, in the wearing of the previously blogged new collar, any collar in fact. The fact that it is the height of tacky pink kitsch seems not to be the trouble, rather the idea of being encumbered with anything at all....be it black, white, pink or sky blue!

Ditto of course has been no trouble, she is well used to the wearing of a collar and tag and is happily parading her new pink glittery adornment, Tilly of course, on the other hand, has decided that this will be her new focus of mischief and misdemeanour.

All was well for approxiamtely the first three minutes, there was an amazing lack of struggle when said item was first fastened around her little neck and off she trotted happily.....until the bell began to 'do it's thing'. At this point there was much faffing and fiddling with little paws in an attempt to escape the new 'pink-ness', I was determined to persevere but less than an hour later she was becoming ballistic and so the collar was removed and a pair of sturdy pliers engaged to remove the offending bell.


Things improved....for an hour or two, when for no apparent reason she took umbridge again at her bejewelled neck wear and began maniacally scratching at it. Off it came again.

Let's try it in small doses, was the next plan and try it we did against much struggling, hissing and paw flailing in her efforts to escape the now hated and much maligned item. Again we persevered, afterall, gemmak, Poppy and Ditto all learnt within a few hours that collars were no problem at all.....but no, Tilly of course has decided differently.

This carry on was escalated somewhat last night. She had been allowed not to wear the annoying item all day whilst we were out, for fear that it would annoy her too much and we wouldn't be there to remove it, or that she might get caught somehow and again not be able to be rescued from her plight but once we were home she was back in training.......for half an hour, until she created a small disaster!

Not content with perpetual scratching and pulling in her endeavors to remove the collar she tried resorting to biting tactics, she ruined the loose end within minutes but no matter, new collars can be purchased. Finally however, she wriggled and fiddled so consistently that she managed to trap her lower jaw under the damn thing and impale her tooth into it. She shot off in panic of course, with PG and I in hot pursuit trying to catch her. The scene must have been reminiscent of a carry on film for a moment or two while we tried to corner her as she rushed wildly from one room to another. Poor little mite was terrified but after a few moments we managed to get all doors shut so she had nowhere to go, capture her and among scratching and struggling remove the offending thing and disengage it from her tooth!

So that seems to be that temporarily. I had I thought got the collar just right so that whilst it didn't nigh on strangle her, she couldn't catch her jaw in it....but somehow she managed too none the less! Why am I not surprised?!

So pink is definitely out for Tilly for a few days....though 'training' will begin again soon, she has to learn to tolerate a collar of some sort before she can go out or chipping will be the only option and here apparently that isn't a great success.

Perhaps she just objects to 'pink'!

gemmak ~ Laid bare, The answers

1. If you could be a cat, what breed and colour would you be?
Kitty.

A British Blue....so blue.


2.If you were a cat, is there anyone inparticular you would choose as your owner?
Karen.

Er...me? My cats have the 'life of Riley' and are loved to death!


3.Why do you usually choose slinky, sexy superbabes for your blog design? (Been wondering about this ....)
Barbara.

In the first instance they are all either just images I like or colours I like, secondly they are maybe my 'alter egos'. At five foot, 7.5 stone and built with too greater resemblance to a boy I can dream!


4. Not to mention where do you get the stunning artwork?...this one in particular.
Brian.

Most images are from stock image sites or are built up with PSP tubes.


5.Quote yourself... No. 30. "I'm not religious but I think I believe there is 'something'"... The Question is, what exactly?
Fletch.

The 'something' would be for me some power greater than ourselves but not a single 'God'. A power in all living things maybe that inherentlytly good but relies on all othlivingnig things not one supreme 'being'. A spiritual thing, not dependent on traditional worship but on caring for everything and attempting to understand rather than blame.


6.If you go back in time and re-live just one day in your life (a really happy one) which one would it be?
joanna.

January 31st 2002.


7. Worst decision you ever made?
Probably Marrying my second husband.

Why you made it?

Because I was scared of being alone, flattered and in lust.

How long to realise it was wrong?

Before I even did it..... in hindsight.

What did you do to rescue or make-up for the wrong decision?

First I tried to make it work and then I made the decision to leave despite the risks and my fears.

What steps did you take to avoid any repeat chain of decisions such as led to the wrong one?

I moved here with PG because it was the first time I hadn't had doubts about something....and I haven't rushed off to a registry office in a big hurry like I did on both previous occasions!
John W


8. Does PG read your blog?
Jennifer.

Very occasionally.


9.I'm finding this incarnation of the blog really difficult to read, can you do something about the contrast that's my question!
DR Rob.

No, maybe, but likely it won't be here for long.


10.Holy Crap, Scottie! Thirteen questions already! How come you haven't answered even one of them? Are you too busy? Are you at work? Have you checked your blog today? Why haven't you posted anything yet today? John asked five questions! Is there a limit?
Dale.

Yes I've been at work, yes I've been too busy, yes I checked my blog (at 6am) and I haven't answered until now because I decided to do them all at once. Did I miss anything?


11.Ok, here's my question for you: What is the very best concert or musical you've ever seen? (enjoyed the most)Shephard.

Sting ~ Blue Turtles tour. Manchester Apollo. Sometime back in the 80's

12. Yikes, that opened up a whole new can of worms didn't it? My question is have you worked out what is happening with the trial and the visit to the south yet? Joe Cool Cowboy Poet.

No...sore point, more on that another time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twelve down, any more?

gemmak ~ Laid bare

Steady, don't panic, this is not going to herald the start of a decline into less savoury images, I am not that desperate for something to post though I know at times it may seem like it to some Fletch of you!

No, this is an idea I stole from Kitty, an idea for when the bloging mind is weak and struggling to come up with anything at all in the line of posts. I hadn't anticipated needing to use it so soon, anyone who knows me well will testify that it is rare I have nothing to say but hey, we all have a bad day!

So this is the deal:
Ask me a question, any question, post your question in comments and I promise to answer honestly...... though I do reserve the right not to implicate others.

Likely I've just ensured that I get no comments at all!

Winter wonder

In typical gemmak fashion, when presented on the way home from work on Saturday with one of the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen, I only had my phone with me! I really must invest in a second camera....or remember to always have the one I have with me.

So....an apalling quality image I'm afraid, even some degree of manipulation can't disguise that, but you get the gist......the biggest, boldest winter sunset I think I have ever seen.

Pretty in pink!

Saturday silliness Tilliness

Last time it was PG that had inflicted this look of silliness on Tilly but of late she has taken to turning just one ear inside out herself when she cleans.....and leaving it in that condition until one of us unravels it for her. She seems not to notice!

How utterly, utterly typical!

You may remember, or you may not, the incident last September when a cretinous fool caused me to have to attempt to run a small marathon in order to detain him for theft.

A time later I was required to attend an identity parade, which I duly did, and then it was a waiting game, waiting to hear if 'Joe Toe-rag', he of idiot proportions,would plead guilty or not and whether I would be called as a witness.

Time went by and I forgot about it, or rather I persuaded myself forget about it. The whole hoo ha, and particularly my employers response to my efforts at saving their expensive stock, annoyed me intensely, their only reaction had been to chastise me for 'not adhering to company policy, blah, blah, blah' in giving chase, not a word of thanks, absolutely zip gratitude! So, to save myself mulling and fidgeting about said response I stopped thinking about it....that was until today.

Today the inevitable happened, a letter requesting my presence at court arrived with a plonk on the doormat, of course Joe Toe-rag hadn't done the decent thing, of course he hadn't pleaded guilty, do they ever?

This in itself is not a problem, I will happily potter into court and say my bit, what is a problem though, is that having moved heaven and earth for PG and I to get a few days off work together and visit my parents for the first time since last summer and the only time we can, before this coming summer, the court date is smack, bang in the middle of our planned week away in London!

Bloody, sodding typical! There are 365 days in the year, almost any other one of them would have been just fine and dandy with me but no, that would be way too straightforward, it just had to be in the middle of our holiday didn't it!

Our traveling dates and the length of visit make it pointless to go sooner in the week or later, as much as I love to see my parents an 800 mile drive for one or two days just isn't viable.

Bugger, bugger, bugger!

So I have done what I can, I have alerted my parents and I have called the 'powers that be' in the world of court dates and they are 'seeing what they can do'. Quite what they can do I don't know but I suspect not much. Forgive my cynicism but I imagine I would have more chance of consideration if I were on the opposite side of the law.

So that's it, my efforts have earned me a telling off from the employer who's gear I was recovering, half a day fiddling about going to an I.D. parade, damn sore legs at the time (I'm too old for this running malarky) and now likely the cancellation of a much anticipated holiday, probably only to go into court, hang around for a morning and hear that the case has been adjourned for one thing or another.......... and I don't have to appear yet afterall! Oh and of course, there is always the possibility the Joe Toe-rag will change his plea at the eleventh hour.

Arghhhhhhhhh!

We need us some of these!

Ok, so doubtless I am setting myself up for some seriously negative, if not abusive comments here but Ditto's is old and raggy and Tilly is just about big enough to need one. Methinks these are a necessary purchase!

Hardly Harrods I know but hey, that's one hell of a journey..... and even I, with my cat obsessive nature, don't go to the extremes of the real deal in carat weight for cats! ;o)

Scrub the last six months please?

Whilst I may bemoan my lot here from time to time where my day job is concerned it is very much the 'company line' that causes the anger and resentment, as it probably is for most of us, not those that I work with. There are of course one or two individuals who I am less than fond of but it is always thus, not everyone can like or be liked by everyone and for the main part our little band of approximately fifty employees, are in my experience, quite an exception in that we really are almost an extended family to one another.

Why that should be I am not sure, I suspect it is because the lack of employment in these parts means that staff turnover among us is very minimal in comparison to most areas and the small community, whilst it's lack of anonymity can be aggravating for a city girl like myself, also dictates that we know rather more about one another's lives than is the norm elsewhere.

We may have our issues with those in the ivory towers off site, we may feel 'undervalued, overworked and a lack of loyalty from on high..... but on site we are a pretty close bunch who work together well and look out for one another. Loyalty and support among those of us at the sharp end is unusually strong for the main part and we potter along like an over extended and slightly stressed family, day to day.

Maybe because of this the last six or so months have been particularly difficult, for in that short period it seems the work God's have not been smiling on our merry little band. I doubt any of us have experienced a time like it before and I hope none of us will have to again. We all have sad or bad news occasionally, colleagues who suffer one problem or difficulty another, but in the few months to which I refer, we barely seem to have picked ourselves up from one trauma before the next is presenting itself.

It began at the end of July with the sudden death in suspicious circumstances of a long time colleague. On the previous evening he has been at a works party, the next morning he was dragged from the sea, to this day the circumstances surrounding his sad demise are unclear. Just weeks later a colleague with whom I am particular friends was diagnosed with cancer, she is still fighting that brave battle. In December we lost another colleague, though this time only through resignation but again under very sad circumstances and now, yesterday, we learn that another of our number is facing the battle of a lifetime in having just been diagnosed with motor neurones disease. He too, like my friend battling cancer has chosen to continue working, these are very courageous individuals but come on, upsets of this magnitude are supposed to arrive in three's, what is going on? We are onto number four in only seven months! :o(

I can honestly say I haven't ever experienced this before and neither have any other of my colleagues, once in a blue moon in the workplace we all receive terrible news but never before have any of us encountered four incidents of such in such magnitude in such a short space of time.

I don't know if we are such a close and supportive little group because of, or in spite of