General Chat

Hi All,

Mo,so sorry you and Eve lost at darts on Monday night. I would have been very nervous, and would have started to shake too, so you're not on your own. Have you had any news of your granddaughter and nephew lately? I've been wondering how they're both getting on. Nice to hear that your son and girlfriend are settling down okay in their new home.

Sylvia, hope all went well at physio for you. Have you got back into routine at home now? I hope that MJ will soon get over his tummy problem. Sending him hugs and kisses!

Jean, are you still busy making cards? We haven't heard much from you lately. I've been busy doing the washing and ironing today and then the weekly shop, so I'm now having a bit of time on here.

Ann, just a few days before your holiday. Are you almost prepared to go. Hope you're feeling better now.

Debbie, Marie, Liz, Huia, Julia and Marilyn hope you and your families are all okay.

I'll speak to you all tomorrow.

Love and best wishes. Sallie.xxx


Richard is having problems with his electric bill, he received a bill for £400, so he rang S------n Electric up and asked them if they could check that it was right, because he thought it was a bit high. He got a letter off them yesterday, telling him that the bill wasn't correct and that the revised bill was £937. My friend was telling me today, that S------n Electric has been on Watchdog because they very rarely read the meters and just send estimated bills to their customers. So when a customer queried a bill,
they were then sent a bill for the true amount. Much higher than the first bill.

Ouch, that is quite a bill Sallie.

I am at the stage where I wonder if it is all going to get done before we go. We have to tie up all the loose ends before we go for 4 weeks, pay bills etc (credit cards). and generally have everything in order. yes thanks I feel fine now.

Glory be Sallie!! How long a period was that bill for????



Today we started the process of booking our next train trips to Halifax and back ........ for Christmas!!! The travel agent is checking it all out for us.


Very very early, I know. BUT the province is bringing in a new tax on July 1st, which will add an extra 7% to everything, including a lot of things which are not currently taxed at that level.

We have 2 types of taxes on goods and services that we buy (ie, similar to your VAT). There is the GST which is Federal tax, and is currently 5%, then there is the provincial PST, which is 7%. We will be moving to HST (Harmonised Sales Tax), which combines the two taxes for a total of 12%. The new tax will be applied as of May 1st to anything bought that will not be delivered or used until after July 1st ..... hence trips, next season's tickets to theatre, opera, sports, etc.

Nasty little b*****s aren't they?

The HST will apply to many items that are not currently affected by the PST ...... including hairdressers, physio, magazines, restaurant meals, etc etc. The province has had to make exceptions for a number of things, including children's clothes which have traditionally been PST free for the last 50 or 60 years, and books, and also for some special interest group industries.

Despite these exceptions, about 82% of BC'ers are very anti-HST. It moves taxes on goods and services from businesses to consumers ......... so will make everything much more expensive for us. It would add 7% to the train tickets for us, for example. It also would add the extra 7% to new houses costing over $400,000 (exempt under that price) ........ in Vancouver and area, that is actually a very cheap house or condo!!

But the business world loves it!

The really nasty thing is that the provincial government (Liberal party) campaigned on a promise NEVER to implement this new tax. Then announced 3 days after the election that they were joining with the federal government to do it. Can you spell VOTER ANGER???????

There is actually a petition going round for recall of the HST, but it has to collect over 50% of the signatures in ALL ridings in the province, . Very difficult to do methinks!!



We are looking at leaving here on December 14, arriving in Halifax on the 19th, and then leaving Halifax on December 29 ............... and spending New Year on the train, probably somewhere in northern Ontario.


J asked us on our very first morning over there if we wanted to go for Christmas, and then said "we're expecting you to say yes, you know!!".


Sallie ..... we go away so often during the summer (up to the cabin etc) that we settle back into routine very quickly!!

I hear from J that MJ is having some very fidgety, gassy evenings, so they're having to work hard to stop him crying and settle him down! He's 7 weeks old now, so hopefully it will all end soon.




sylvia
xxx

Good grief Sallie,thats an enormous jump from £400 to £937 for richards electric bill.
Have you checked the readings for yourself,as sometimes even the meter
reader can put the wrong numbers down.
How the heck is he supposed to be able to pay that amount,when it has been their fault for not doing the reading in the first place. And why leave it this long.
Oh I am spitting feathers now,it's o.k for these big suppliers,to sit in their offices somewhere,and send bills out to people,causing them heartache,when the customer has paid the original bills thinking they settled their debt to the supplier.
Sorry Sallie,I should not be ranting like this,but I do feel for you all.
My nephew has finished his radiotherapy,and has to see the specialist in june.
No news on my grandaughter. Even my daughter has not been able to catch her at home,to speak to her.
My daughter has not even been invited to view my grandaughters new home. And whenever my daughter goes to the house GD is never in.
She is such a frustrating child,I feel I want to shake her at times.
Not long now then Ann,till your hols. If I don't get to speak to you before you go,have a lovely time,and don't forget to come back and let us know how you enjoyed it.
Have a safe journey,and take care off yourself.
Night Night,god bless you all. Love Moxxx

Hi Sylvia, sorry I nearly missed you then.
Oh my,have you got to wait till christmas,till you see young Matthew again.
Still the first christmas with a grandchild is very very special,and you will both enjoy it.
Go to go to bed now,sorry,can hardly keep my eyes open. Love Mo xx

Mo


they're planning on coming to this side in July for 3 weeks

They have to show young MJ off to all the "adopted" family that we have here.


But they want to combine their trip with M's defense of his PhD exam ................. and they won't know when that is until much closer to the time. Apparently they will get 6 weeks notice of the date, so they will wait till then to book any tickets.



s
xx

Morning everyone, my word what a lot of chatterers you are, I have been busy with the cards, Sallie, cant stop, I am totally lost in doing them, so many new styles to have a go at....and I am doing another album too.... J has to prise me from the crafting now I could stay there all day.....lol.....
Sylvia, hope the phsyio went well. and also hope the little one soon settles and no more upset for him, blimey we are just looking for a few days away now, Christmas is so far a way, but it is a good idea to beat the deadline to visit your family.....

Sallie, what a shock for Richard, we had the meter read yesterday, and the man was telling J they only send out bills once a year, we have just changed our supplier so have no idea if it is cheaper, but we do it all on line so should be able to check.. he also said there will be a merging soon of all the suppliers, so that should be fun,

Mo darlink, I know exactly what you mean about your granddaughter, enough said...lol... you really must try harder at the darts, do you want me to have a word with Eve, maybe she doesnt reallise how important it is to us, well we have to get the bets on in time.....

Ann, have you got your suntan lotion packed and the trendy glasses I know you like to wear...seriously though, I am sure you and T will have a lovely holiday, we are all envious of you 4 weeks away , utter bliss, we look forward to hear from you, happy holiday .....

Hi, to Debbie, Marilyn (who we dont seem to hear from is she away again?)Liz hope all is well with you...Julia, Marie, and not forgetting Huia..


Bye for now, love Jean xx

Sallie I was telling D about Richards big bill, and she reminded me about a simular thing happening to her years ago, it seemed the previous tenant hadnt had the meter read on leaving so she was being charged for their account , she didnt know she should have had the meter read when she moved in... wondered if this was what has happened with Richard....

Love Jean xx

Hi Girls,

Jean, Richard has been living in his flat for over seven years, so it isn't that. The problem is Sou----n Electric, they tend to NOT read the meter, and just send out estimated bills. Janet, ( my friend ) tells me that it was on Watchdog not so long ago, people thought that the meters had been read and that they had paid the full bill every quarter. Then when they queried a high bill, they were then sent a new bill which was even higher. It just seems unfair that all those people had paid the bills they were sent and thought that it was all paid up, and then to be presented with a bill that was much higher. Oh Jean, there is no stopping you making the cards. Well done! I'm hoping to do a couple of cards tonight, I have to start, because it's both Jennie's and Janet's birthday on 29th May. Trouble is it's been a bit of a funny week, so haven't been able to get down to doing much.

Sylvia, Richard's bill was for just one quarter, so I think that Sou----n Electric need to get their act together. I'm just wondering if there is a place that he can go to, somewhere like Consumer Advice, but not sure if we have anything like that here, apart from BBC Watchdog.
I was telling Alun about your trip to Halifax for Christmas, he is quite envious. He tells me that if we were living in Canada, that's what he would love to do. As you might already know he's a steam train enthusiast, but still has an interest in other trains. I hope MJ's trouble settles down soon. Bless him!

Mo, I've been annoyed about the bill since Richard told me about it. Like you say, they sit in their offices and send out these bills, and cause a lot of stress and worry to people who think that they haven't got any debt. Of course with Richard being out of a job at the moment, he's worried about finding the money to pay it, and that he will be cut off. Pleased to know that your nephew have finished his radiotherapy for the moment, I hope he'll get some good news when he sees his Specialist in June. It's such a shame that your granddaughter doesn't let her mum know how she is, surely she must know that both her mum and you worry about her. How is Roly doing? I hope he's okay.

Ann, it's lovely to go away for four weeks, but there's so much to do before going. I'm so pleased that you are feeling better now. The holiday will do both you and T the world of good.

We haven't heard from Debbie, Marie, Huia and Julia for a while. Hope they're all alright. I wonder if Marilyn is away again.

Well I'm off to make our tea now, it's Alun's Model Railway Club tonight, so I'd better get going.

Speak to you all later.

Love and best wishes to you all. Sallie xxx

Sallie, Has Richard contacted them and told them he is out of work and unable to pay the full amount. I think they are supposed to arrange with him to pay of so much a quarter or something. But he need to contact them not just sit there and stew over it. I do think that when they see a bill going up a lot they should contact the person to inform them. We are with NPower and pay DD monthly, if they think we are using more than our DD will cope with they contact us. If I were Richard I would query why they let it go so high.

Ann, I'll tell Richard when I ring him tonight, I know that he's spoken to them
but I'm not sure whether he's mentioned that he's out of work. Thanks for
that!

Love, Sallie x

Hi everyone.
Jean,I have managed to send it to Marie,lets just hope she gets it now.
Well I was thinking Jean,about you having a word with Eve. Like me she is a bit hard off hearing,and even though I was shouting at her at the time,she completely ignored me. And it's a bit hard to do sign language,with darts in your hand,in case you stick them in someones eye.
Seriously though,you would like her,she's like me down to earth,and calls a spade a spade.
Hows the album coming along. J must be getting lonely,with you stuck with your head in your cards all the time. Ahhhhh bless him,big hugs for him from me. lol
It will be lovely for you to see Matthew in July Sylvia. Stupid me,I can recall you saying it now.
It will be nice for the rest off the family to see him as well.
Sallie,Roly is o.k. Well he has been moaning about his stomach,for about three weeks now. He gets pains after eating,and then has to go to the loo.
He had to do the bowel cancer test not so long ago,and that came back clear. I am seriously wondering if he has got IBS as well. I keep asking him if I should make him an appointment with the doctor,but he says no.
So we end up having words. If he doesn't get it sorted soon,I will make the appointment for him,and if he doesnt go,he can explain to the doctor why. Ohh honest men.
Marilyn has been at her sisters all week,but she is due home on saturday,
so she may start to look in again after that.
Right Ann,is my suitcase ready,I will be up with you tommorrow morning.
I have been on a diet all week to lose the extra pounds,so I should not cost to much in excess baggage. I hope it's a big case,I don't want to get cramp. lol enjoy yourself.

Hello all, just checking in to let you know I am still around. I dont have any news to add. I dont usually comment on other people's problems as I have trouble remembering who has what and it makes me dizzy scrolling up and down all the time! That doesnt mean that I dont care, though.

Huia.

Hi Huia.
It's good to hear from you love. Hows things at your end off the world.
Has the fungus infection gone yet,or are you still suffering.
Have you seen Phil over the last few days. If so how is he faring.
Have you been busy doing your research,as I missed seeing you posting.
Take care mate. Love Moxxx

Hi Huia,
It's nice to hear that you are okay. Don't worry about commenting on other peoples problems, it's just nice to hear from you. We all know you care. Sometimes I haven't got much to say, then another time there's no stopping me.

Thinking of Phil, and that things are going on alright for him. Take care of yourself!

Love, Sallie xx

Mo, since I stopped using the ointment for the lichen sclerosus the fungal problem has gradually disappeared, although the skin is still rather dry. I discovered that a rough elbow that I have had for ages is probably due to L.S. so I occasionally apply the ointment to it, but I dont want to overdo it as it can cause problems with the immune system.

Phil was fine when I saw him on Wednesday (2 days ago.) Not that he looks at me or says anything, but at least he is not making rude jokes about me! I will visit again on Sunday morning (in 2 days) and hope to go to a choir concert in the afternoon so I can meet up with my old singing mates over afternoon tea. It will be nice to be on the receiving end of the spread instead of having to contribute to it! Must be careful to not overeat, though.

Huia.

Hi all.

Huia, hey, pig out at the meeting, will save you doing a meal later lol
I am glad Phil seems ok in himself, and isn't cracking any jokes about you lol Take care and enjoy the choir get together.

Jean, glad you are enjoying the card making so much, I am ok, still going to counselling but not feeling very energetic and not doing much on the boards.
It doesn't mean I don't care about you all, just a bit lethargic and lots to keep up with on my emails.

Forecast for Norfolk B.H. w/e is not great, lots of rain, well there's a surprise.

Love to all, take care and enjoy the weekend if you can

Lizxxx

Hello to you all, Sorry I have been missing but doing lots of research and keeping up the exercise I have lost a KILO yes a KILO, now I am boasting.
I see you are all well,as I am.We have had more wet weather & our Winter is in full swing, frosts all this week I have had to turn the heating on the last few nights.

Liz are you still having counseling , I hope you get some energy back soon.How is your partener going ???
Sallie I hope your dau is ok .I shall be anxious about my power bills now that winter is on us,our electricity bills are going to rise by 60%over the next 3 years! however our pension wont go up by that much in the next few years.We could make a bet on that.
Jean & Mo thank you for your team work in getting me the card I am a big fan of Jacqulin's Cards.
I & my friend Barbara Johnson had a lovely day out visiting some of the cool Climate Vineyards we went to 3 of the local Vineyards and at the last one we all had a Luncheon and some of their wine, the food was scrumptious and the dessert to die for, and the company was very happy, all in all a great day,we went to the GYM this morning to knock off the ozs or pounds that were in the dessert ,we dont usually exercise on fridays.
I will say Goodbye to you all see you next time around,
Love and HUGS Marie.

Hi, Marie ,so good to hear from you, plesed you finally got the easter card....lol... why cant I send it to you? I recieved your mail with no problem, ansered direct from your mail so why dont you get mine? still as long as you know I am always thinking of you and Huia, and not forgetting Sylvia too. I love talking to peeps from other countries and having a look at various places in each one of them, so let me know of some of your local beauty spots and I will pop on. and have a look...lol...The day out sounds like you enjoyed it too.hope you managed to stagger home o.k. .....lol....

What a team Mo, thanks for sending the card onto Marie,..Will come back on later to chat.

love to all Jean xx..

Hello one and all.
Huia I am pleased that your fungal infection is clearing up. It's good to have something positive happening in your life. It's also good that Phil is
well,and that he is not being rude to you. But then you know he has a wicked sense off humour,and probably does not mean it to sound as hurtful as it does.
Liz,get your wellies out girl,and your umbrella, "singing in the rain,just singing in the rain". Ahem,I can't sing like our Huia amd Marie,but I am just trying to cheer you up. lol
Marie, you lucky thing losing all that weight. Just be careful when you go over drainhole covers,you might fall in. LOL
Brrrrr you are making me feel cold,mentioning the frosts. I know we worry about the costs off heating,but we cannot allow ourselves to be cold,or we could end up with further complications.
Vineyards vineyards,that means plenty off wine tasting. I hope not to much went down the throat,and that your head is clear today.
I am so glad you received Jeans card. Poor woman was getting herself in right tizzy over it.>>>>>>>>>runs off quickly before Jean gets me.
I have had some bad news today. My nephew has been rushed into hospital. He had a fit last night,and is awaiting a MRI scan,to find out the reason for it. As I mentioned to Sallie,he finished his Radiotherapy,for his brain tumor a couple off weeks ago. And now this has happened,oh my lord,it never rains but it pours.
Hi to Sylvia,Sallie,Jean, Debbie and all our friends. Love Mo xxx