Journal Entries
Whip Car?
Posted May 26, 2010
Martin "Money saving expert" Lewis's latest information sheet points out that there is a new company called Whip Car (www.whipcar.com). You can either hire a privately owned car in your neighbourhood or rent out your own so long as it is less than 8 years old.
Rates vary depending on the age and type of car but start at about £6 per hour/ £35 for the day. The company covers the insurance so if the car is destroyed by the hirer your no claims discount is not affected.
It did get me thinking about how little we use the second car and this would help it pay for itself when we aren't using it.
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Latest reply: May 26, 2010
My first campaign on Facebook
Posted May 10, 2010
When the limo didn't arrive to take my daughter and the bridesmaids to church a few weeks back I was at once feeling sick and feeling angry. The time had come for the church service to start and we were still sitting, standing and pacing in the house waiting for the car to arrive.
We jumped into my beaten up Volvo estate with missing hub cap and asked a neighbour to give a lift to the little bridesmaids to the church.
The limousine company Limo Brokers www.limobrokers.com not only seemed oblivious to our distress but have not even offered to pay back the money to my new son in law that he laid out for the hire of the car.
I thought that in asking for the equivalent of two hours hire of their top of the range car they would think this reasonable (they say in their literature that if your car cannot make it they will replace it with an equivalent or better vehicle). As they didn't do this I thought asking for a cash payment was very reasonable considering the fury I was in.
They still haven't done this so we have decided to have a campaign against them on Facebook and try and shame them into paying up.
If you'd like to join (and I thank the friends who already have - God Bless 'em!) look for Limo Brokers on the facebook site and our group should pop up in the same list.
I'm still furious about this! 
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Latest reply: May 10, 2010
Manilla or Sydney
Posted Apr 28, 2010
I have come to a crossroads in my life. I don't want to continue in my current job and have been at a low ebb for quite a while. I mentioned to a friend who works for an international NGO about this and he has given me something to think about. Would I like to go to Manilla in the Philippines and help out in a community working with children and adults with learning difficulties. They struggle to get enough food to put on the table each week and need help in organising their craft workshop. This would be a purely voluntary position.
The other option is to go to Sydney and help with one of their projects there. There would be a salary attached to this one. Both are the other side of the world.
I am attracted to both in their own way, but how do I decide which one to pick - I may still be rejected by the people concerned anyway!
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Latest reply: Apr 28, 2010
I'm a father-in-law
Posted Apr 19, 2010
Yesterday was my daughter's wedding day. The weather was absolutely glorious. The day went very well, apart from a couple of small glitches.
The limo didn't turn up and I started to have a heated debate with the company and realised that they would not suddenly appear and that I needed to make alternative arrangements.
My daughter, who looked absolutely stunning in her gorgeous dress, was ferried to the church in my beaten up Volvo estate with a kind friend providing the lift for the bridesmaids.
Apparently the vicar, with a grin, had offered to start the bingo while they were waiting for us to arrive.
Once at the church everyone was offering to ferry the newly married couple to the reception venue which was only a short distance away. The winner was the person with the smart looking cabriolet which allowed a good view of the happy couple to all passers by.
The reception went very well and the speeches were well received. I managed to get a topical joke in about we sent Iceland all our cash and they respond by sending us all of their ash.
We live close to Heathrow airport and I cannot tell you how nice it was to not have lots of planes in the sky (sorry for everyone who has been badly affected by the hold-ups in the airways).
Everyone had a lovely day despite the sky lanterns not actually getting airborne due to the wind - which was not strong but strong enough to blow them into things - like the cars in the car park!
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Latest reply: Apr 19, 2010
This is not a funny story
Posted Mar 29, 2010
We visited a friend today and she started the following with the statement, "This is not a joke it actually happened."
She then went on to tell us the story which went something like this:
Her friend has a son with Down's syndrome. He is an adult now and does most things for himself but they have a pull cord at home, which, in an emergency, phones her mobile directly. She saw that the special number was calling her and her son's voice said, "I'm frightened of the Troll!"
"Have you been watching videos again? You know some of them frighten you. stop watching the videos. Just sit down with the telly off and you'll be fine"
The emergency number rang again. "The Troll is under the stairs and I'm frightened of it!It's trying to get out!"
"Don't be silly, you are imagining things! Just be calm and I'll see you after work."
By now her boss could see that something was going on and when the third call came saying, "Mum! The troll is trying to hurt me you must come home!" Her boss told her that she should go and see to her son.
She headed home and when she got to the front door she was greeted by her son with scratches to his face and arms and torn clothing. "It's the Troll under the stairs! He's been hurting me!"
She could hear noises under the stairs and thought that there must be a cat or dog trapped in there.
Tentatively she opened the door and a very angry person of restricted growth jumped out saying words to the effect of "What in blazes is going on here? I'm going for the police!" and out he went.
On investigation it appears that her son had seen this person in the street and thinking he was a troll picked him up and carried him home kicking and screaming.
The police are investigating.
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Latest reply: Mar 29, 2010
Vestboy
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