Yes, I’ve finally done it, after being let down twice in a week I’ve drafted the letter about non-returnable deposits.
One of them was a no-show, so we’d bought materials and planned the day, putting several hours of effort in. The second was the day before, but I was away that day and only checked my email this morning, by which time I’d spent several hours planning, bought materials and ingredients and generally psyched myself up.
So we’re now in the grasping, lecturing, materialistic modern world and have a document detailing our deposit requirements and defining “14 days”. I haven’t moaned, I’ve just pointed out that we can’t keep incurring costs and suffering late cancellations.
I’m reasonably happy with it but I’m sure that the management committee will have a go at mangling it.
Coming, as it did, the day after the lady at Brierlow Book Shop taught me how to pay contactlessly. I’m really feeling like a child of the 21st century. She says she can also pay with her phone and her watch. I still think anything other than cash is a bit suspect, but I suppose I’m one of a dying breed.
The keets are all happy, though I’m not sure what we’re feeding them on. It looks a bit floury and the mill we use to grind wheat for school visits seems to be full of pig pellets. Call me suspicious but if there was such a thing as an Olympics for cutting corners we would be weighed down with medals and people would call on us to commentate at the Christmas Scrooge Championships and the Tightwad Derby.
I’ve got the new feeder up, though I can’t afford a big one like the bookshop has. Nor could I afford to fill it. I’ve also put the window feeder up, but so far nobody has found it. I thought that if it works it’s worth a fiver, and if it doesn’t I’ll give it a wash and give it somebody for Christmas.
The old feeders all have a new feature – an elastic band over the top. It’s not pretty but I’m hoping it might work. The plan is that even if they do get mugged by jackdaws the tops should stay on. If the jackdaws can’t get to the contents they may stop wrecking them. How many times have I said that?
One of the goats escaped, but it’s now captured and penned again. I’d have left it to get in by itself (they do when they get bored) but someone called and asked for help.
He caught me at a bad time – I was just contemplating allowing the three guinea fowl in the allotment to escape from their pen. A moment later and I may have been spotted. I’ll do it tomorrow.
The pigs seem happy too, but in the absence of foresight I suppose they would, They may be the 4th most intelligent mammal, behind men, apes and dolphins, but they have never really concerned themselves with the meaning of life.This is probably a good thing.
Given food, friends and the occasional scratch behind the ears they seem content.
Added later – can anybody tell me if the plant still standing near the pigs (the only thing they have left standing, is hemlock? The main picture isn’t as clear as it could be – do these help?
Meanwhile the cereal trial is confusing me – the plots with chemicals seem greener, and have fewer weeds, but the ones without chemicals seem just as tall and productive, though a bit paler, or even yellow round the edges. The chemicals must help by providing all the nutrients the grain needs, but I’m wondering whether they are cost effective.
I like good old fashioned cash payments :). Though I did once read that notes, particularly £20s, have minute amounts of cocaine on them :o!
Yes, though I think cocaine might be the least of your problems with contamination. However, the entrepreneur in me is wondering how much you could recover with the right washing process…
😉
Congratulations on the letter. Can’t help with the plant
I could test it by feeding it to the next person who cancels at short notice. 😉
🙂
The only way I know to pay with a watch goes ‘Damn, I don’t have enough money. Will you take my watch instead? It’s worth 50 quid – honest’. I don’t suppose that’s what she meant though.
Yes, I’m familiar with that form of watch payment. ;-(
We are clearly living in the same era… possibly not the current one!
In the 1960s I seem to recall them telling us that progress and improvement were the same thing (admittedly I was young and Gerry Anderson and Tomorrow’s World were my main sources of information on this matter.) I’m not sure this is true, though I’m sure I am standing on the shoulders of generations of grumpy old men when I say this. However, I like “our” era! 😉
I use contactless payment now and am glad there is a limit to the amount of money we can spend in each transaction. I wouldn’t like anyone else to get hold of my card though.
Yes, it’s good there is a limit.