Mundane facts about your day: Part Deux.

Thehooperman said:

You should find that you can claim a refund back for the full cost if the train is cancelled but they won't show it until the details filter through the timetable system.

Try it again in a couple of days.

Alternatively if you were over an hour late you should be able to claim delay/repay from the train operator.

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You can claim compensation for delays of just 15 minutes or more, no matter what the reason, with London NorthWestern and some other train companies.
I didn't bother as it would have been less than £1 from a £5.70 return fare for Atherstone.

Thehooperman said:

No this isn't the case and most TOCs will argue their case.

Cross Country are notorious for being stubborn and paying the bare minimum.

Just before Christmas I was told by the train managers on both legs of my journeys to Manchester and back would be fully refunded but when I tried to claim their customer service department only offered the difference between First Class and Standard. So much for caring customer service.

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Thanks.
You know better than me then.
Several times in recent years I've travelled via Euston and Paddington for the South West to avoid Cross Country trains which I only use for Macclesfield, Stockport and Manchester.

Mudgie said:

Thanks.
You know better than me then.
Several times in recent years I've travelled via Euston and Paddington for the South West to avoid Cross Country trains which I only use for Macclesfield, Stockport and Manchester.

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I shall be avoiding them as much as possible going forward and I'm now booking alternative operating companies even if it means changing at Stoke if I'm en route to Manchester!

Thehooperman said:

I shall be avoiding them as much as possible going forward and I'm now booking alternative operating companies even if it means changing at Stoke if I'm en route to Manchester!

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Maybe I should consider that for my two nights in Manchester next month.

Well, tonight was rather colder than I expected. I decided to cycle the three miles to the pub and was surprised at the chilliness, after I set out.

The ride home was somewhat colder. But, I had the help of a blazing Moon. In fact, I could have ridden home with no lights, as I didn't meet a single vehicle and the moonlight would have been adequate for the visibility that I needed.

My mum died 2 weeks ago, which was fairly devastating, but I had the opportunity to go see my sister in Worcester last night and we laughed over old stories. I suppose its part of the healing.
In other news Stewart Lee in Wolverhampton was excellent on Sunday.

PeterD said:

My mum died 2 weeks ago, which was fairly devastating, but I had the opportunity to go see my sister in Worcester last night and we laughed over old stories. I suppose its part of the healing.
In other news Stewart Lee in Wolverhampton was excellent on Sunday.

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Sorry to hear about your mum @PeterD

PeterD said:

My mum died 2 weeks ago, which was fairly devastating, but I had the opportunity to go see my sister in Worcester last night and we laughed over old stories. I suppose its part of the healing.
In other news Stewart Lee in Wolverhampton was excellent on Sunday.

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Yes, sorry to hear that.

I’ve had a gratifying day. Husband was out all day so I decided to have a “batch cooking for the freezer day”.

I’ve made 4 portions of ham, tomato, red pepper pasta, 4 portions chilli, 4 portions bolognese sauce, I large cottage pie to serve 4 and a smaller one for the next door neighbour, plus 8 sausage rolls.

Was going to make some paella and a prawn curry but not only have I run out of time but I’ve also run out of enthusiasm. I shall do those later in the week.

Its all handy for the days when I haven’t got time to cook, just defrost and microwave.

Oh @PeterD , sorry to hear about your Mum, always sad to lose a loved one, but it sounds like you and your sister are talking and sharing memories which as you say, is a good thing.

I’d already put the recycling bin out when I realised that I’d got 2 long thin cardboard boxes (about 4 feet long x 8” wide”.
I heard the bin men (sorry, refuse collecting recycling operatives) in the road so I went out with my cardboard boxes in hand.
Me “Can I just give you these please” I thought he’d just take them and throw them in the lorry.

”Bin man “No, sorry we can’t take them”

Me assessing the situation very quickly “but you’ll take them if they’re in the blue bag?”.

Bin man nods his head.

So 4 bin men stand and watch a lady of a certain age (me) squash down the boxes, put them in the blue bag, stand on bag to squash down enough so that the bag will close.
They then proceed to take blue bag and throw the contents in the lorry.

”Sorry” he says again “daft innit?

I decided to be nice, theyd caught me on a good day so I said “Well, you don’t make the rules“

What I actually wanted to say was “Well, I know that you have rules but it wouldn’t have taken you 2 seconds to just throw them in, saying “we’re not meant to do this really but I won’t tell if you won’t”.

Anyway, he then tells me that the system isn’t working, it’s costing too much money, it’s taking too long to do the rounds, the cardboard bags are too heavy to lift and so in 2025 it’s going back to the way it was before, ie, no blue bags.

The ironing fairy says I have too many shirts.

Carole said:

so in 2025 it’s going back to the way it was before, ie, no blue bags.

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Oh thank god

Carole said:

in 2025 it’s going back to the way it was before, ie, no blue bags.

Cue said:

Oh thank god

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I only managed to finally get a blue bag on October...

Cue said:

Oh thank god

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Well don’t get too excited , we are South Staffs, whether Stafford Borough follow suit remains to be seen.

Carole said:

Well don’t get too excited , we are South Staffs, whether Stafford Borough follow suit remains to be seen.

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Local bins for local people.

Carole said:

Well don’t get too excited , we are South Staffs, whether Stafford Borough follow suit remains to be seen.

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Is it Veolia?

Carole said:

I’d already put the recycling bin out when I realised that I’d got 2 long thin cardboard boxes (about 4 feet long x 8” wide”.
I heard the bin men (sorry, refuse collecting recycling operatives) in the road so I went out with my cardboard boxes in hand.
Me “Can I just give you these please” I thought he’d just take them and throw them in the lorry.

”Bin man “No, sorry we can’t take them”

Me assessing the situation very quickly “but you’ll take them if they’re in the blue bag?”.

Bin man nods his head.

So 4 bin men stand and watch a lady of a certain age (me) squash down the boxes, put them in the blue bag, stand on bag to squash down enough so that the bag will close.
They then proceed to take blue bag and throw the contents in the lorry.

”Sorry” he says again “daft innit?

I decided to be nice, theyd caught me on a good day so I said “Well, you don’t make the rules“

What I actually wanted to say was “Well, I know that you have rules but it wouldn’t have taken you 2 seconds to just throw them in, saying “we’re not meant to do this really but I won’t tell if you won’t”.

Anyway, he then tells me that the system isn’t working, it’s costing too much money, it’s taking too long to do the rounds, the cardboard bags are too heavy to lift and so in 2025 it’s going back to the way it was before, ie, no blue bags.

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Our bin men were shocked as I'd taken the bin to the edge of the long driveway when we first got here and walking to grab it back in afterwards. "Leave it up there love, if we can see it we will come and get it from the house".
Told him I was suprised to see them taking side rubbish , and overflowing bins with lids right in the air .
Why ? "In Stafford if the lid was slightly up , or wrong stuff in when they looked in , we got an Ooops labels fastened to bin and not emptied. No side rubbish taken "
They were gob smacked!

And they get all the road done in super quick time , whilst laughing and joking away, a quick hello if you happen to be out at the time, with every bit of rubbish taken. (I only ever put the closed bin out , but some have piles of stuff next to the bin.)

As I've walked from town up a very steep hill , with lots of steps leading up gardens to each to the houses on the main road, the blokes have still got a smile on their faces as they go up each garden to grab the bin, empty it and put it back up the steps again.

Lovely seeing happy teams proud of the job they are doing well.


Oh, and all types of recycling gets put into the one bin, side bags taken as well . I was even offered free green plastic bags for if I ever needed them from one of the crew .

Well ....had a call from hand therapy clinic today. Found out the 3rd different splint I've had put on still isn't the right one.

Asked if I could bend the joint above the broken one ok . "Well no , hard plastic splint covers it and holding it straight.".... shouldn't be that length!

Is finger moving around at all inside splint , as it shouldn't be..... " Yes" ..... They've put too loose a splint on , it's not holding it together right!

Have I been back to have dressing changed often? ..."No, not been told to unless it falls off and I can't do it myself".... should have ,it will get sore!

When am I due to get it checked again? ......."Told to just take splint off after 6 weeks and then can drive again" ......Them"AAaaaaargh!Nooooooo!"

So got to go to hand therapy clinic , 1st available Worcester Hospital appt on 8th Feb , to make sure it's still in correct position and have a personalised splint on to keep it secure . Made tight and short enough so as not to cover other knuckles , so that I can bend the knuckles and have more movement in finger. If I can move it and have enough flexibility then they decide then if they might allow me to drive. But healing period possibly going to be for 6-8 weeks longer from then now , if it's not been in right position these first few weeks.

You trust all these people to be doing their jobs right in the first place


I'm just carrying on for 6 weeks with soft slings on fractured elbow as first consultant decided was best, He wanted elbow re-xrayed the following week, but different consultant on duty that day , who then who decided to re-xray finger instead of elbow and try to keep me in for an operation that the consultant the previous week had advised against.

Sat in a Latvian immigration office waiting to see if I can have residency...