Shameful cold calling

Yesterday, I visited mum and dad to be with them when the Locala lady, Yasmin, came to assess their bathroom needs.  She, Yasmin was lovely and very helpful.

While they were all talking in the bathroom, I took a call on my parent’s landline.  It started with “hello, Mr Sugden??” [a short breath], “is that Mr. Sugden??” I said that it was (well it was! – not the one she wanted but …) and she started again “hello Mr Sugden, please don’t worry, this is not a nuisance call but we’re an energy saving company, working in the area and can save you £400 per year”.  Well, much of that is paraphrased, but it WAS an unsolicited call aimed at tricking old folks out of their money.  The manner in which the words were addressed at me was soothing, confident and understanding and in no way the sort of sales call that I might get on my own landline.  She went on to say “I just have a few questions to ask you – none of them personal so …” – I interrupted at this point to ask where she got ‘my’ details from; she said “I have them here, on my list”. I asked her to remove ‘my’ details from her list and never to ring this number again.

I didn’t get her company name. My parents are listed on the national TPS

“elderly people receiving an average of 39 nuisance calls a month – 50% more than the general population” – (https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/aug/06/phone-service-protect-elderly-fraudsters-nuisance-calls )

All of that would have been ok but later, when my parents and Yasmin were talking in the kitchen, I answered a knock on the door.  A guy, probably in his late fifties, looked visible shocked to see me answer it [I don’t think that I look like Mr. Gullible – yet] and asked “Mrs? sorry Mr Sugden??” I said yes, I’m one of them!  At which point I guess he knew the game was up.  He told me he’s come about the mattress they had discussed with my mother on the phone the previous day.  I told him that my mother has Alzheimer’s disease and that he/they shouldn’t be cold calling old folks like that.

I only managed to get the name on his van – Mobility Care – and the telephone code 0115 so that could be http://www.mobilitycareproducts.co.uk/ in Derbyshire.  If I’m wrong, I apologise unreservedly – but if Mobility Care is the company who are cold calling old folks – then shame on you.

Resourses:

• https://www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2013/jun/25/how-stop-nuisance-phone-calls
• http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/721118/this-morning-stop-salespeoplecold-callers-preying-elderly-family-members
• http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/688244/martin-lewis-stop-spam-calls-junk-mail-this-morning-holly-and-phil
• http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/nuisance-calls/article/ten-tips-to-stop-cold-calls
• https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/phone-internet-downloads-or-tv/stop-getting-nuisance-calls-and-texts/

Photo Credit
Mark Hillary: https://www.flickr.com/photos/markhillary/964441032 – with thanks for using Creative Commons

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Gin and Tapas

Earlier this summer I decided that we should hold a ‘Gin’ party.  We had so many bottles of gin (mainly Gordons Export 47.5% stuff), that we thought we’d better share some out amongst friends.

Invites were sent and accepted, and last night the party was duly held.

Not sure how the bash would go, I simply thought that we could sample, then drink, a variety of tipples (we had four different gins available) with a variety of mixers (guests were asked to bring along a selection of ‘interesting’ mixers – I would supply bog-standard-Schweppes) and intersperse those with a selection of tapas.

Which is what we did.  We also played a few table games which were hilarious, especially as we became more and more gin-soaked.

The food unfolded as the night went on: Tuna Empanadillas and Albondigas were the hot offerings, but we started with cold tapas on the table.  It has just been Lidl’s Spanish week – so we had Manchego cheese, Boquerónes, and Jamón seranno as well as my own Feta salad (with minted cucumber, cherry tomatoes and bacon pieces).

I’d also cooked a Tortilla, but we were too full to need it.  We never made it as far as the Gordon’s gin either.

Jamón Seranno

Lidl’s ‘Spanish Meat Platter’ looked a bit overpriced at £1.99 for what it was so I thought that I would risk the full leg (@£27.95)!!, despite my previous attempt (65^th birthday) being a bit of a dog’s dinner. I ‘know’ the layout of bones in a pork leg but last December’s attempt at slicing the ham was an uninformed disaster. I managed to feed everyone, but it wasn’t pretty.

So, during our last few visits to Spain, I’d observed the way various cortadores sliced their meats, so I was a little bit more prepared to attack another full leg. Just to be sure, I watched a few YouTube videos and as a result, made a successful start to the cutting. When, I say ‘start’ I mean that I cut enough for the eight of us last night, and there is at least another twenty to thirty portions still there to be cut.

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The ham is really tasty, not as tasty as the Iberico ham you can buy in Spain, but still more fuller flavoured than the Italian jobs found in supermarkets.

The gins

Rambla 41     https://www.nakedwines.com/products/rambla-41-gin.htm

Brecon Gin     http://penderyn.wales/brecon-gin/

Sheriton Strawberry Gin     http://palaunougintonicbar.com/?p=2095

Jinzu     http://www.ginfoundry.com/gin/jinzu-gin/

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Chain Road

I took advantage of an unusually dry day today,  to take a bus up to the top of Varley Road (I wasn’t walking up; it’s too steep, too busy and there are no footpaths) and I then walked along Chain Road (B6107) to Marsden.  The views from up here are tremendous and now that we’re a good way into August the heather is beginning to populate the hillsides and tops.  Along with the purple thistles, and other pink/white flowering wild flowers – the colours are just beautiful.

There is a slightly higher route, on Marsden Moor proper, alongside the water channels originally designed to move water to and from Deerhill and Butterly reservoirs, but I fancied the road route as I would return to Slaithwaite along the canal.

The canal was wet and muddy after all the rain and in places, showed signs of having been flooded at some point. Still the rain stayed off and I had a pleasant five-mile walk.

When the weather is nice here in the UK, we can experience the most wonderful scenery. From where we live, rugged countryside is never more than a few minutes away.

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