DCB Store

In all good faith an HP ink cartridge was purchased online. However, once received it was noted that it did not fit my photocopier so I placed it for sale in DCB Store.

A customer purchased the HP 350 cartridge, also in good faith; I have just learnt that the item has NO ink in it...

So who is at blame? But who is getting the bad feedback. Yes, you see on some occasions you just can not win.

Watch out Folks - I cannot be the only one?  

Pay back time... I went to Tesco's yesterday to do a weekly shop which entailed walking up every aisle in the shop; by the end of which time I had a splitting headache.

What brought this on? Well the floors were being continually cleaned with a machine that was being pushed up and down each aisle twice if not three times. At first I respected the machine and gave way, smiling apologising for being in the way, but after the ninth time if not more times of meeting I was beginning to get angry. Why on earth continuous cleaning needed to be committed? I had no intention of taking my shoes off to enter the shop, nor to clean the wheels of the trolley, and the floor appeared perfectly clean. The monster of a machine had jutting out areas, more in line with a chariot of old, which could have caused more damage to the poor shopper than slipping on any spilt liquid. Though, as previously stated, I saw no evidence of any spilled items requiring a mop up or polish. Thank you Tesco's I did purchase some more Hedex for my poor head. A good sales ploy or just some irk being ruddy annoying with his machine?     

I am not one to grumble! But, why is it that we spend money on loft and wall insulation, double glazed windows and then pay for heating only to have visitors that open the windows? Need I say more...

Land of toil, sweat and strain,

Land of sun and Mar fish rain,

Sweat-rash, foot rot, prickly heat,

Aching Hearts and blistering feet.

Fan that hum throughout the night.

Land of Scorpions, camels and bugs,

Hashish, Heena and other drugs,

Streets of sorrow, streets of shame

Streets that you could never name,

Clouds of sand and dust that send

The sanest Bods right round the bend.

Donkeys, goats and Pyeard dogs,

Cut throat thieves and pestering wogs,

Land where children in their teens

Sell souvenirs outside canteens

Baksheesh, Baksheesh is their cry

For this alone they live they die.

Where Tinea Thrives and Gypo gripes

Where Wogs smoke Hubbly Bubbly pipes,

Where every native black and brown

Waits on you to go to town.

Obnoxious smells, eternal strife.

Oh for Blighty and the wife.

Where tour ex men just sit and wait,

While others dream about the boat,

Their only aim to dodge and skive

Until their clearance chit arrives.

Their chief delights to laugh and shout.

At some poor Erk that’s just come out.

Land of Turbans, galabeya

Qais Tamam Quas Katir

Land of Chai and Mungaria

Land of Chapattis and Alsop’s Bear

Where one can always hear men quake

About the thought of NAAFI break.

Oh for Britain’s happy life

Where people never know such strife,

My final chit, I going home

Away from there I will never roam

I’m going home and oh so grand

To see green fields instead of sand.

Land of sorrow filth and shame

I’ve seen you once but never again,

I’ll leave you now with no regrets

The sights I’ve seen I will never forget

Native’s heaven, white man’s hell

This Khormaksar fare the well.

On the whole carers are worth their money BUT read on.....

Let us get something straight - yes, it is partially my fault that carers were even applied for. My 94 year old mother was beginning to show signs of needing additional assistance. Not only in help getting up and dressed in the morning but also in preparing meals and drinks. Noticeable deterioration; with not feeding and drinking, was evident in the loss of weight and the subsequent falls. The mind also was quick to fade when food and drink not administered. So Kent services were requested to provide carers to come initially twice a day and then, as time passed, three times until, ultimately, four times a day. The general consensus of opinion was that these wonderful people who travelled far would come and tend to my mother's requirements.

A change of faces often occurred but as long as they, the carers, did their job, this was not a problem.

However, as with all organisations not was all it seemed. Money left for service people started to disappear, noticeably after the carer or carers had been. Mother's watch, left beside her bed, was taken. Mother's digital photo frame went missing and gradually as the family went round the property they noticed other items had gone astray.

When Mother fell and injured herself the Carer in attendance had not been trained to administer basic first aid. It was later learnt that they learnt any first aid from a video provided!

What do we learn from this; that the trusted help, cannot always be trusted. Though you cannot tarnish all the Carers who, on the whole do a magnificent job, with the same brush: The rogue one gets into the system and is allowed to get away with theft and is not trained adequately for the job...

Those of us fortunate to live in the countryside or overlooking must have noticed the lack of grass growth in the fields this year. Even gardeners have not had to mow their lawns as frequently as in previous years.

During the summer months, though large animal livestock have been able to be out in the paddocks and fields, additional hay has had to be provided depleting the winter stores left over from last year and not re-stocked through lack of growth this.

The cost and value of hay must rise through depletion making it more expensive to purchase bales of hay to give sustenance to livestock during the winter months; so please consider not only the ponies and horses but other large animals such as cattle and deer.

Those who oversee large animals, livestock, need to consider their welfare and when it comes to the winter month’s additional feed needs to be supplied. The expense has always been there but this year De-Clutterbug fears that hardship felt through the financial problems encountered in the Country and World must have a 'knock on' impact and the first to face this will be the large animals.

So De-Clutterbug asks all to remain alert to these countryside issues and the husbandry therein. Take note of animal welfare and hardship suffered through, not necessarily, the owner’s failure but the outcome of financial and lack of forage growth.

A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!

Is it out of order for a prospective customer to enquire of a company, no matter the size of the company, information regarding the greenness of their products they offer for sale?

For example is the company's packaging material biodegradable? In this day and age customers are drawn towards items which they recognise, in some small way, are through them, the customer, making a purchase; saving the planet and they are supporting this by their action.

Another, possibly, more important question to be asked; is animal testing or any animal bi-products used within the manufacture of their products? On issuing this question I would have expected a resounding 'NO' but, surprisingly, I received the following negative response:

Thank you for your recent email.

With regards to your query, we require some further information. We have forwarded your query to our Specialist Department, who will contact you shortly with a response.

Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The company approached is a well-known household name American organisation; that leaves me with the impression, just maybe, we are being hoodwinked into believing that well known brands are not as kind as we are led to believe.

Perhaps we, as customers, should start questioning the origins of our purchases so that we are aware of the sustainability and kindness of the products sold to us...

Just a quick thought for the day...

How about working in this country, United Kingdom, and earning money honestly, before being able or allowed to claim benefits of any sort?

The most melancholy of human reflections, perhaps, is that, on the whole, it is a question whether the benevolence of mankind does most good or harm.

What say you?

Through reading an article in the newspaper the other day the following observations were concluded;

With all the money that is given to footballers and the sport therein surely the teams should be encouraged to support their local communities... financially, socially and to help train youth teams in their area, to build a better rapport between the sides and their local supporters?

Would not it be nice if training sessions were attended by the team's supporters so that they could gain a better understanding of where their money is spent, on whom and have an even closer affinity with their team?

I can only imagine that this must build a greater bond between those players, supporters and players of the future?

Does it really matter who is on the Wedding Guest List? What does it matter if the Blair's and Brown's are not invited? Suddenly it appears to be a farce. The Wedding Guest is made up of people that it is politically correct to invite not all those that the Bride and Groom would wish to invite, I am sure.

God Bless the Royal couple and may they have years of happiness ahead of them...