And stilll proud to be a Scouser

i have just read that in the aftermath of the bombing in Manchester Liverpool taxi drivers left Liverpool to help bring people home. That's just what Scousers are we just do it.

Years ago at the Grand National there was a Bomb alert and the racecourse was cleared and the famous race was Called off. What did the Locals do many hundreds took people in who's cars where trapped in the racecourse and let them stay until there cars where released. Scousers.




I get asked at the markets I go to often if I am English but I always answer NO then I say proudly I am a Scouser from Liverpool.

Even on holidays to many foreign countries when you get talking and you say Liverpool and you are a scouser everybody knows us.

Scouser and proud.

Just look at this floor beam

I took a friend to see a house that another friend needs work doing to it. While looking round i noticed the floor beams and i took the picture you see below. The box below is just what i want as it's full of good dry wood.

Just look at this floor beam but it holds the floor above up and has done for many years.

I had three of these boxes when i moved into my house. These boxes are made from Chestnut and it's very old and dry. All i want is for the owner to decide that he wants to sell.










There are four small rooms that have to be knocked into one and that means the floors have to be dug out and leveled.  When this time comes i hope i get to buy the box.

Service this good yes this good

I have used Pharosparcels now for three years plus and i have never had anything but perfect service. On occasion i have had to make a call for one reason or another and i have got through to Fiona the boss now that shows the boss cares.

I have a parcel on it's way of 28kilo of Spices and while in Liverpool i made up another parcel but sent by me instead of a Spice company. I decided to pay via Paypal but my browser screen froze in the middle of the transaction. I went back to do the transaction all over again and guess what my browser is having an off day.

After this i went back to the beginning to do another transaction and pay by card again the browser just looked at me is if to say it's late time for bed. So with this i decided to use my Ipad and hey it worked first time so i now have my parcel paid for and i only have to wait for an email with the label to arrive to be put on the parcel.

When i got my email i in fact got a few in fact three for three tranactions it seems that my previous transactions i tried had in fact been paid. I took copies of the transactions with a screen dump something easy as i use Ubuntu Linux not windows. I sent an email to Pharosparcels so that in the morning my email with these problems would be seen then time for a cuppa. At 10.53 i received an email form Fiona saying she will look at my problems and deal with the refunds.

Now if that's not good service when the boss emails you at almost 11pm i don't know what more anybody could expect. Fiona thanks again for perfect service

Walked out of WH Smiths

Once through the security and passport control at Liverpool airport your time is taken up waiting for your plane to arrive to take you and in my case Home. I always get a couple of bottles of Coke one for on the flight and the other for the journey from the airport to home.

This trip back home was not like it normally was i got my two bottles of Coke and went to the till in WH Smiths only to be told not asked by an assistant to use the machines. For those who don't know the machines are automatic tills where you serve yourself. Sorry i won't use these the more auto tills the less assistants so i walked out and left the Coke.

In another part of Liverpool airport is another WH Smiths and i hoped to be treated better BUT. guess what no again i was told to use the machine. It wouldn't have been so bad if they said could you please use the machine as i am busy or another excuse. So i walked out again and found a Boots, This boots was better because the Coke was cheaper. I got my two Coke and as i walked over to the till a young assistant walked over and served me and i must say she was most polite.

So Boots in Liverpool airport gets a big congratulations from me. 

Knocking on Heaven's door

I give no explanation about this it's personal. Please take the time to play the link and listen to the song.

Bob Dylan - Knockin' On Heaven's Door Youtube

Lyrics

Mama, take this badge off of me
I can't use it anymore
It's gettin' dark, too dark to see
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door

Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore
That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door

Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

Wrong type of leaves

Remember as a child when something went wrong or you can back late and you always had an answer for what had gone wrong. Well when you grow up you can do what you did then just come up with any answer. 

We have all heard of the railway problem itch the wrong type of leaves on the tracks and then the wrong type of snow. Well I saw the latest rubbish article now it's the wrong type of Rain.

Remember when British rail came up with the one " Wrong kind of leaves " Leaves are leaves.

Then we had the wrong kind of snow, how many types of snow are there i ask.

And they blamed the address

I needed a part for my electric planer and found a company who could supply it for me. I ordered and paid by PayPal on the 22nd of April and when it hadn't been delivered when I expected delivery I complained. After I complained I received an email to check the address of course the address was correct because I gave it to them.

Can I just please confirm your delivery address:

2 new road, , deal, ct15 4df,kent, United Kingdom

Is this correct?

All The Best

Solent Tools

Today the 18th May I called again and guess what they still haven't dispatched yet. They told me there is two places locally with that address but only one with the correct house number and postcode. 

I asked a postman collecting mail from a postbox near where I am staying and he confirmed that with the postcode and house number the parcel will be delivered. At a place called Sandhills in Liverpool is a post depot where you go to collect mail that couldn't be delivered is left. I went to this depot to ask if the house number and postcode is enough to ensure a parcel would be delivered. Three postmen all confirmed that with house number and postcode I should have no trouble with my parcel.

At no time did this company contact me about any problem they may think they have. The only contact from them was after I had called them. 

If after I called and they replied on the 4th May and I confirmed it was correct why two weeks later was it still waiting to be shipped. 

So beware     

I am making up a parcel to have collected by UPS to send to me timed to arrive the day after I get home. Pity a vital tool spare won't get to me in time to have sent with all the other things I have got ready for shipping.

Would I use this company again not in this lifetime, there could be anything up to 10 items and  all parcels where delivered to me and packed in one box per month. In the last three years this is the first problem I have had. Pity this crackpot firm didn't use Pharosparcels they never let me down.

At last

This trip was so I could see my Mum for her 92nd birthday and Mum was on great form even though she has been unwell of late. Even though I took pictures of my Mum I can't find a way on iPad to put up a picture on my Blog till I get home next week.


Today for the first time while I am in Liverpool we have sunshine and it and it took a week to arrive. As I came by Ryanair I have no transport, my son and daughter have been great but it's not like having my own car or van with me. While here I am stocking up with all things I like from beans to sesame oil even food grade bags for my spices. I also got a huge bottle of tomato sauce along with Fray bentos steak pies. There is nothing wrong with having a treat now and again.

Today the post came and it was my chisels for my lathe so my box will have a wide variety of stuff to get sent over to my house. I have ordered lots of timber for when I get home to make boxes for under my twin beds and timber for shelves for my workshop.

I had to locate someone some time ago

As the title says i had a need to locate someone from my past to right a wrong.
I mentioned this to a close friend and how i went about it. He then told me that he knew little about his father and would like to find out more. To make it easy his father had three Christian names and that made it easy to start the search.

Now a few days later he came back to see just how far we could get and i was surprised just how far we got. We where able to go back to the early 1800's and to his Great Grandmother. This we did because i had to remind myself just how i searched for a friend from my past and we soon started to find what he wanted.

When it got to his father by having three Christian names made it easy but there was two entries for the same person. The problem being that each one had already had someone doing a family tree so for further information we had to get in touch with the two other people. Another way i found was to look at the Births, Deaths and marriages and here we found out his Father had passed away. The births, marriages and divorces where of great help as well.

We sent of two messages to the people who had started the family trees and waited for a reply. I am glad to say that a reply came and he is now in touch with family  he knew nothing about.

Every story needs a happy ending.

Beef gravy but where is the meat

It's been a long time since i had a rant about ingredients on a food product this time it's about Asda gravy granules

Potato starch
Palm oil
Salt
Fortified Wheat flour (  Wheat flour. Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3) Thiamin (B1))
Colour Ammonia Caramel
BEEF FAT (Flavouring Contains Wheat)
Onion powder
Emulsifier (Soya Licithins)

Bold may contain allergens

The pack says MEAT Gravy Granules,  the only ingredient in this product to come from a Cow is Beef Fat.

I don't want crap scrap

I went to a scrap yard in Arganil for a headlight for my van and as luck had it they had one in stock and only 35€. When it came time to fit it i found that the reflective covering on the inside was all discoloured almost black so i went back for a refund or replacement.

It was suggested that i cut away the front of my faulty light and the front of the one sold to me and glue the two goods bits together. I asked for a refund due to the replacement being faulty, the girl who served me said that they had no money and i would have to have something else. I asked three times for a refund and each time i was fobbed of so i asked for the Complaints Book.

The system here is that when asked for the Complaints Book the business must immediately hand over the Complaints Book. I then reminded her that as she has not given me the book so i am going to the GNR Police.to make a formal complaint.

At this point she called me back having now found the money for my refund.

I then went to another scrap yard in a place called Poiares where i found a scrap yard that had one in stock but it was on a van. The guy behind the counter asked that i follow him to the rear where the van was parked. He then connected a battery to show me the headlight was OK. There is good service and all you have to do is look for it.

Parcel2go Parcel to crap

for over three years i have had all my Spice parcels delivered via Pharosparcels and they use UPS. Every parcel has arrived quickly and one only took 66 hours from the UK to me in my village in Portugal.

I had a parcel sent by a family member and they did the booking for the courier. I sent the delivery details. When the parcel was ready to be collected i was shown the label on the parcel via Facetime on my Ipad. The address was correct so UPS collected as they normally do.

My parcel is for the first time late but not just late it's now 10 days so very late. On the tracking on the couriers site i get a message

Current Status: The address is incomplete. This may delay delivery. We're attempting to update the address. / Your delivery has been rescheduled for the next business day. 

My family member used not Pharosparcels like i have for over three years they used Parcel2go because it was about £2 cheaper. 

Moral of the story stay with what you know.  https://www.pharosparcel.com/