Linda, I never ever pay anything by this DD business where they want to work out your bill and you pay months in advance for something you may use. I pay them in instalments when I get a bill, so I always owe them money.
I work it so I have paid my bill just as another one comes in.
My mother had hundreds of pounds of 'credit' with both the water, gas and electricity companies. It is a well known fact that these companies are awash with money paid by people who have been conned into parting with their cash this way.
Kick Back Girl, I did.

THUNDER

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!

Like you TW I would never pay any of the services upfront as they do live off the credit that you are asked to pay DD each month. The only Bill I do pay upfront is Virgin but that is because that is the way they run the business that you pay a month in advance. I don't like it but that is the only one that I do pay up front. Water and sewerage I pay on a 10 monthly direct debit but that is worked on equal payments for the year which is fair enough. Electric I pay when the bill comes in, in total for which I get an allowance for prompt payment.

Jenny, Thunder, blow it this way please. We desperately need it here although we did have flooding only the other day Rayleigh and Southend just up the road got more than their share but the ground lapped it up and it was wonderful. Hope it clears the air for you.

Really heavy rain now and guess what? just before it started I watered all my pots because they were so dry

I'm honestly so BORED with working on the website that I cannot think of a single interesting thing to say. It took me hours longer to 'get going' on it than I had planned. Even went to bed and watched a movie for an hour or so before starting. Then made a proper meal for myself - couldn't put it off any longer. But am just NOT in the mood. Need a rocket strategically placed to get me going again.

Been chatting to Jen about the minutae of our daily life today. Expecting to talk to No.1 son this evening. He bluddy better come thro - I know he has a few issues at the mo and is probly avoiding talking about them.

Can I be bovvered to bang on Sabby's door again for his rent? Need to speak to him about another matter too - he has removed sliding verandah doors and put them outside (a lot of the Eastern Europeans do that - just take out all the doors and windows for the whole summer - they avoid aircon coz it's expensive) I don't mind but they shouldn't be outside. Humidity gets into the 'catch holes' and it creates moisture in between the glass which is impossible to remove.

To be quite honest, as I said to Jen, I am on the verge of throwing in the towel where all this property management is concerned. I no longer live in one I manage so don't have the same 'vested interests' as before and there's a hell of a lot of hassle and adminny stuff coming up re probate and power of attorney and sale of one unit. They want me to get involved to help them. If I do (and I don't think I will) it will not be for nothing this time, nor for peanuts either.

So I am every such a little tiny bit fed up and ever such a lot bit bored right now! The only other thing I could find to do to put off doing more work online right now is ironing but that goes against all my principles and beliefs!

I received a phone call from my son today to say that the insurance payments have come through for Tangles vet fees and also a cheque for what we payed for her. It is such a relief as they had tried to say that her first illness which fell within the first ten days of the insurance where she wasn't covered (being my first dog I hadn't realised you could - should- overlap with the 4 weeks free insurance) was linked to the illness she got two weeks later which she died from and I know that it wasn't, also Leahurst also said that it wasn't.

It doesn't take away from the heartache, in fact it brought it back with it, but at least now I don't have to worry about £3,000 of vets bills to pay. The bills were spread across 3 vets, the emergency one she went to, our vets and Leahurst - today's two letters concerned the emergency vet and our payment for purchase so I guess we'll get another 2 letters re our vets and Leahurst in the next day or so.

It's made me miss her all the more today though, she was such a darling who sadly never got to have the life she should have had but I know that she was loved to bits in the time she was with us and that she knew she was too.

Afternoon all,
A busy day for me here too and after walking the dogs I did a big food shop and lots of housework

Nippy - Dry and hot here today and I'm not moaning 'cos I think the weather is going downhill next week

Believe it or not I travel light but its the dogs clobber (food, beds etc) that take up the room. Lol.

Pat - Your website works sounds a nightmare. Go and read a book, have a drink and a ciggie on your lovely balcony instead .... much more fun.

L.S. - I remember when my youngest started school and feeling very emotional about it. Time goes sooo quickly.

Afternoon everyone.
Joedee everything crossed tomorrow for the stitch removal and that the eye is healed.
Gerri hoping all went well with Pip.
Linda (((hugs))) Pat the same. June glad you enjoyed your walk. Helena things seem all go again for you.

We had a cuppa at the cottage and I was chatting to the lady that owns it and met her two children the little girl picked flowers for her mum, Gorden and myself mum and I got bits of Buddlia (sp) Gorden got a dandelion.
Gorden did the measuring. I asked if she had a letter re: the planning and she says she hasn't but there was talk of the owner of the cottage one side and the pub wanting to build on the bit of spare land at the bottom of them. Cottage no 5 is let.
Gorden rung our solicitor before we left and he asked if there were any plans in the offing would we pull out of the sale and Gorden said if it was going to be 2 storey yes. He is getting his specialist search team on it straight away.
Met Michael and Margaret and they treated us to lunch then we had a wander round the village together and showed them the cottage from outside. They liked what they saw.
Dillon has been in our faces even though we have had a game with him but it has been a long day again for him.

So very very sorry about Tangle, you did everything you could and more, Leahurst work miracles, but I suppose even they can't always work that extra one sometimes.
The people who have Taran have a horse who was blind in one eye, eventually he went blind in the other eye and it is thanks to Leahurst he is up and about again, they are still hacking him out and they say you would never know he was blind. Obviously he can't do trick riding anymore, but is still a well loved member of their horsey family.
They saved my mare Isis, in fact I had told them to pts her as I thought she wasn't going to recover, but they said to give her another 48 hours, and she did recover. She is the one I am riding on my avatar.
I know it will have brought it all back to you, and you have been in bits, Marco has come to you to help you through these times, and through him you can remember Tangle.