I've been very busy for the last 11 months, working and getting my
finances in order and then (since October) finding and getting settled
into my new -and hopefully only temporary because it's not very good -
place.
ADSL broadband access here is likely to be slow so I've switched to
Virgin cable (which seems to be very temperamental - ho hum ...). Had
lots of email losses due to Demon seemingly cancelling my account right
from the moment I told 'em I was moving. Bastards! At least they stopped
taking my money straight away, which is more than my ex-landlord did. I
discovered she'd taken two more months rent out after I moved. Still
haven't had my deposit back either!

Just back from a trip to Taunton in Devon for my Nephew Chris's wedding.
He's in the Royal Marines, currently in Afghanistan getting shot at by
the Taleban in Helmand, and happily firing mortars back...

<*YAWN*>

On Sun, 3 Feb 2008 23:07:38 +0000, Mike Harrison
babbleomatic.com> wrote:

Thanks Mike I thought that was interesting, I hope you get settled soon.

"Mike Harrison" babbleomatic.com> wrote in message
news:Z4eotzM6kkpHFwuY@ntlworld.com...

In article Mike Harrison said ...

I learnt that one the hard way - always cancel any Direct Debits and
credit card links, as well as standing orders, when moving out. This
was about 10 years ago, and was only sorted out when things started to
get rather nasty. Thank god it was nothing more than harsh words that
were needed. These days I'd be tempted to reach for a small claims
court if I was owed 2 months rent + deposit.

On Sun, 3 Feb 2008 23:07:38 +0000, Mike Harrison
babbleomatic.com> wrote:

Good hotels include Breakfast in the price of the room.

*Expensive* hotels add it as an extra :-(

I tend to stay in two- or three-star hotels where there is a kettle in
the room and no Pay TV, rather than pay four times as much for a room
where you have to call room service just to get a cup of tea.

The worst service I have ever had was in the Grand Hotel Kraznapolsky
in Hamsterdamn. No kettle, Pay TV thrust at you, but none of the BBC
channels which the cheaper hotels *do* have. And the most expensive
not-very-good breakfast I've ever had in an hotel.

On Sun, 3 Feb 2008, Mike Harrison of A Sprinkling Of Clouds wrote:

Welcome back, Mike - good to see you again! :)

Grr!

Did she take the money by direct debit? If so, contact your bank and
tell them she wasn't authorised to take those payments. If things
still work the way they did in my day, you should get refunded
straight away under the direct debit guarantee and they'll then chase
her to get the money back.

In article JJ said ...

I think the best hotel FEB I've ever had was at the Thistle in Aberdeen,
about 20 years ago and yes, it was a buffet too.

They had white pudding as well as black (though I prefer black), and
some of that weird, square sausage stuff (Lorne Sausage is it?), as well
as *2* kinds of normal sausage, a beef sausage and a pork one. Amazing
spread of grub, and the beating of anything else I've ever seen before
or since, for sheer scale of nosh.

Anyway, I had been out the night before with the fine folk of the North
Of Scotland Hydroelectric Board's IT department, and as a result was
nursing a hangover of biblical proportions (their hospitality was
superb, and after one pub shut they found another doing lock-ins, thence
to my hotel room with loads of carry-out - we got 20 people in a normal
double room, and I finally got to bed about 3:30 am). There was nothing
to it but to set to with knife and fork - kill or cure, you might say.

Halla wrote:

the sausage that was common in my growing up was all flat, but round.
called 'em sausage patties ...

On Sun, 10 Feb 2008 12:34:31 +0000, Halla
drunkenbastards.spam.com> wrote:

"Halla" drunkenbastards.spam.com> wrote in message
news:ruh5r3t18jdj3ju2j3ju1u9t244a373860@4ax.com...