Rant of the Day v2.

[Groundgripper]

Apparently, common practice is to seek the services of 'house clearance' facilities, who typically charge a couple of grand and get to keep whatever is removed.

When used properly they have their advantages.
My sister died in mid 2021 (her husband died in late 2020) and I was appointed sole executor of the estate. I also called in the valuer from a local auction house to assess any items of value left and made sure that her son-in-law, my son and I had what we wanted from the house. Any neighbours who had borrowed and hadn't returned items were told they could keep them. All clothing, shoes ,etc. were given to a local charity (who later let me know that they had profited by several hundred pounds from the onward sale of these through their shops). Other valuables were passed to the forementioned auction house and the ensuing income added to the estate.
I like to think that there was little of significant value left for the house clearance people I called in and, in any case, no-one in our family wanted any of it and the cost of £800 was worth it just to clear the place so that it could be sold.

Slightly different, I know, from cases of people moving to retirement homes.

GG

[G-CPTN]

As a child I was a prolific (?) mathematician and could perform mental arithmetic 'instantaneously'.
At school I excelled at maths, studying Pure Maths, Applied Maths, Pure and Applied Maths at Advanced Level and Scholarship Level (together with Physics) before proceeding to university to read Engineering.
Although I wouldn't consider myself to have dementia, I now struggle with 'simple' mental exercises.

At a recent medical examination I was challenged to count backwards from 100, subtracting 7 at each stage. I stalled at 93.

Earlier today (during the night, having woken to pee), I was reading (internet) and encountered a date of birth 1983 and had to resort to online mathematics to determine how old that person was.

What has gone wrong?

As far as memory is concerned, I regularly struggle to recall names (of people, birds etc) but 'given time' it usually 'come to me' within half an hour or so.

[Hydromet]

Had a call yesterday from an old friend who is now unable to walk and has to sell his house and move into a nursing home. He has some high quality photographic equipment including cameras, lenses lighting, tripods etc, and wanted to know if the camera club (he was a member until a couple of years ago) could help him sell it, of necessity quickly.
I spoke to the president an they can't, other than letting peopl know it is for sale. Apparently, like many specialist clubs, they are inundated with offers of equipment from those in similar circumstances.
However, his daughter & grandson are savvy with facebook marketplace, and are disposing of his library, and getting good prices, via this method, but they nothing about cameras.

[G-CPTN]

My son took an estimated £4000 worth of my camera equipment (including a Rolleiflex and a modern Pentax SLR) to a camera shop and received a derogatory sum.

Further equipment was refused as 'they didn't have room for it'.

[ExSp33db1rd]

“ I was challenged to count backwards from 100, subtracting 7 at each stage. I stalled at 93. “

I had to do that to renew my driving licence recently, found it easier to subtract 10 and add 3. But …. I forgot the address that had been given me 10 minutes earlier at the start of the test !

I can recall minor issues from the start of my National Service - in 1955, with ease.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Whilst my recent purchase of basin tap connectors needed to be returned to the Big River because they were badly manufactured, I can at least now return stuff through my local post office, whoever delivered it.
And as a bonus, the refund happened as soon as the return box was in the system (6 hours), rather than after it had got back to them and been checked (7 days).

Of course, if they weren't now getting so many returns, they wouldn't have had to streamline their return system.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Canada Post idiocy continues.
I couldn't place my last order with the Big River for Canada Post delivery because of an item of "Dangerous Goods" again - a can of spray paint.
So, the Big River picked the carrier(s).
The spray paint is being delivered by...Canada Post!
and everything else by other carriers.
Madness!

[ricardian]

I do wonder about the procurement procedures of some governments - or is it a scam? I received this email from "cotaxter09@textcollege.cc" to me in my capacity as editor of the island's informal monthly newsletter.

Government of South Sudan
South Sudan Development Commission
(Bureau on Procurements)

Attn: The Managing Director/CEO

RE: SOUTH SUDAN DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION INVITATION.

Dear Sir/Madam,

The South Sudan Development Commission (SSDC) is a program designed by the Government of South Sudan under the Presidential Directive with the mandate to handle all the rebuilding, rehabilitation and developmental plans of the Government to ensure optimum government productivity.
Based on this, the Government of South Sudan through SSDC has budgeted funds for procurement of COMPUTERS/ ACCESSORIES/ OFFICE EQUIPMENTS, CONSTRUCTION/ AGRICULTURAL/ ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENTS AND VEHICLES/TRUCKS for the program.
Interested Companies, Individuals or Groups capable of providing any of the item(s) mentioned above in a large quantity should not hesitate to contact us immediately stating clearly what item(s) to provide for more detailed information. If you also know any person or company that can supply the items required, do also invite the person. Funds are ready for the contract. All Application should be addressed to the Chairman quoting Ref No: SSREP/P/1/23 to:

Chairman
South Sudan Development Commission
Bureau on Procurements
Juba, South Sudan
Email: info@rssdcgov.com

We thank you for your attention.

Regards,
Akol Aleng

For the Chairman,
South Sudan Development Commission
Bureau on Procurements
Government of South Sudan

[Groundgripper]

I suspect the latter: the two letter code for South Sudan is SS; CC is that for the Cocos Islands, halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka - not the first place one would suspect for scammers, but everyone seems to be getting in on the act these days!

GG (AKA the Bailiwick of Guernsey).

[Woody]

[Pinky the pilot]

Love that one, Woody, but what does concern me a bit is that someone, somewhere, is stupid enough to believe that photo is genuine!

I have learned over the years never to underestimate the depths of Human stupidity!

[Smeagol]

As I have regularly told the wife, "If you assume most people are stupid, you will not often be disappointed".

Present company excepted, of course!

[emjay]

Well the old tax year has closed, time to put "Tax Return" in the diary. Why the rush? Well non-residents are still not allowed to complete a Self-Assessment return online. Thus a paper SA100 needs filling out to arrive in their grubby mitts before 31st October.

Ok, download a blank as before and send off in good time, allowing for the postal lag. Not so fast - even though you can download auxiliary sheets e.g. justification of continued non-resident status, for the basic SA100 - verbotten.

Ok, call the "special" helpline provided...... and wait..... and wait...... Apart from the robotic "we are experiencing higher call volumes than we give a damn about processing" - nada. Here we go again - rig up the multi-instance Skype caller and finally get a hit.

Lackadaisical voice ignores my UTR, just wants name and address - "We'll get one in the post to you in the next few weeks"

"Weeks? Why so?"

"Well we say that because we don't know how slow your postal service is"

Live in hope - maybe they have a batch printed, maybe not. Some chair-polisher has decided this is an effective way of trapping those naughty ex-pats who don't really live where they say they do. Sorry to burst your bubble mate, never heard of mail forwarding services? Increased pain for the service consumer for little or no gain to the provider.

[llondel]

I guess I'm lucky that they stopped bugging me some years ago. I assume some of it may depend on what presence you still have in the UK - I have nothing, so presumably they have decided I really am non-resident. We did have a few years in the early days where they'd demand a tax return from either my wife or me, then impose a penalty for not providing it, and we'd appeal both and win because there we were not in any way resident and had nothing in the UK generating income.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

The easy way to get them to ignore you is to bug them.
I am still waiting a response, promised "Shortly" in a letter dated Apr 2013.
They have ignored my complaint letters.
However, it does mean they daren't contact me again as I could reasonably bring up their incompetence.
Pools Panel: Goalless Draw.