Rant of the Day v2.

[jimtherev]

Cards, as people have said, no real problem.
But with even second class stamps costing £0.66 I have a real bah! humbug! (96p for first class, hell's teeth!)

[tango15]

This is outrageous.

It's a point of view, to which he's entitled, but that doesn't mean he's right. Two of my friends are quite religious and always manage to send me cards with a religious theme on them. I've seen religious Christmas cards in card shops locally. London has all the diversity of a major city, so maybe a lot of those who are not Christian just sit out the celebrations and wait for their own to come around. Thankfully, London has never been representative of the rest of the UK, and he needs to get out more. I do agree with him about 'Happy Holidays', though. Another Americanism that has crept in, just like 'Trick or Treat'.

[TheGreenAnger]

This is outrageous.

It's a point of view, to which he's entitled, but that doesn't mean he's right. Two of my friends are quite religious and always manage to send me cards with a religious theme on them. I've seen religious Christmas cards in card shops locally. London has all the diversity of a major city, so maybe a lot of those who are not Christian just sit out the celebrations and wait for their own to come around. Thankfully, London has never been representative of the rest of the UK, and he needs to get out more. I do agree with him about 'Happy Holidays', though. Another Americanism that has crept in, just like 'Trick or Treat'.

My Jewish friends send me "happy holidays" cards for Christmas, and I do the same for them out of courtesy. As an agnostic I don't mind the "happy holidays" thing but actually prefer sending Happy Christmas cards. Christmas after all, whatever it is to most people, most likely a paean to gluttony, drunkenness, retail profit and mammon, is a Christian feast thus placed in the calendar to offset and replace pagan feasts back in the dim distant past and is thus now a Christian feast and should be recognized as such.

[ricardian]

Cards, as people have said, no real problem.
But with even second class stamps costing £0.66 I have a real bah! humbug! (96p for first class, hell's teeth!)

Convert back to "old" money and a second class stamp is 13s 2½d whilst a first class stamp is 19s 2½d!

[OFSO]

Usual moaning about everything being terrible in the UK, from people who apart from their annual week in Malaga have never worked nor lived in other countries and don't know that things are pretty much the same everywhere, when not worse. I've just been talking to my neighbour, retired Paris police chief, about costs in France and Spain. As for religion: anyone heard about the outrage caused by crucifixes being removed from public buildings in Bavaria? Can't offend anyone by symbols of our religion, can we.

[tango15]

Usual moaning about everything being terrible in the UK, from people who apart from their annual week in Malaga have never worked nor lived in other countries and don't know that things are pretty much the same everywhere, when not worse. I've just been talking to my neighbour, retired Paris police chief, about costs in France and Spain. As for religion: anyone heard about the outrage caused by crucifixes being removed from public buildings in Bavaria? Can't offend anyone by symbols of our religion, can we.

A former colleague did quite a lot of work training troops in Oman how to use a tank. There was a detachment from the British army there as well. Because they were operating in the desert, everyone was under canvas, but in quite adequate conditions. It happened that the training fell during Christmas, which of course is not celebrated there. The army detachment decided that they would hold a Christmas service in one of the tents, and informed the local imam of their intentions. He reluctantly agreed, but said that it must not impact in any way on the rest of the team (ie the Omanis). A couple of small pieces of wood were found and fashioned into a cross, which was put above the tent, primarily to indicate in which tent (since they all looked the same) the service was to take place. Within hours, the imam called a meeting, at which he insisted that the cross be taken down, because it was an abomination in the eyes of Islam. Reluctantly, and for the sake of good relations, the cross was removed and after further discussions, put inside the tent.

[OFSO]

I've just had lunch with two very good friends who nominally live back in Germany, because if the Authorities found they spend more than half the year in Spain they would lose their pensions. Their descriptions of life back in Germany beggars belief.

[G-CPTN]

I used to make a point of sending cards for specific events such as birthdays and Christmas, based on whether or not I was going to see the recipient face to face.
With the Covid fiasco I ceased buying/sending any cards (it was difficult to get to a retail outlet) and relied on internet greetings, and haven't recommenced the tradition.

[ExSp33db1rd]

whilst a first class stamp is 19s 2½d!

Remember the 2½d stamp ?

[Hydromet]

Received our first Christmas card today! Only six weeks or so until Christmas.

[llondel]

Received our first Christmas card today! Only six weeks or so until Christmas.

Are you sure it isn't just a late delivery for 2021?

[Hydromet]

Received our first Christmas card today! Only six weeks or so until Christmas.

Are you sure it isn't just a late delivery for 2021?

Always a possibility.

[OFSO]

Our Christmas Decoration at the entrance to this Urbanisation has been put up by the town hall. I think it's a tree shape but it could be a lightening strike or an arrow indicating the way for illegal immigrants. Not powered up yet.

[1DC]

93 year old neighbour got his Christmas tree out yesterday and put some decorations out in his front porch, when I told him the date he said he knew but wanted to be first. Fair enough.

[Pontius Navigator]

The George in Stamford has a line of trees on the front, all lit, last night.

[Smeagol]

Earlier this week, for the second time, I attempted to get the electricity meter in our holiday cottage changed because it does not work. And for the second time my purveyor of electrikery has failed to deliver a technician to perform the work. We did get a belated phone call informing us that their man would not be attending and a new date in December was offered. When the person was told that this was unacceptable as it being a holiday cottage we would be some hundreds of miles away and the cottage would not be accessible and it had to be carried out in the next two weeks we were told that she could not offer any other date and also could not contact the necessary department to arrange such a date. We were given a telephone number to arrange a new appointment. On ringing said number and following the 'for x, press 1, for y, press 2, etc I lost patience and refused to press any more numbers and after a wait of some seconds had a disembodied voice tell me that a real person would be available to take my call in, 'between 28 and 41 minutes'. I hung up!
My view is back to 'sod them', I only pay the standing charge for electrkery as the meter reading has been the same for 10 years. I only contacted them at the insistence of Mrs S who seems to have had a crisis of conscience I have no such problems. If their billing algorithms are so poor that they do not identify meter readings that do not change in years then they do not deserve my money.

[ExSp33db1rd]

If you have power, so you can charge your mobile phone ? -- stuff 'em.

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

What's the going rate for a conscience?

Ask any politician, they'll know!

[OFSO]

Mrs OFSO's UK electricity bill July-November was so low she rang the utility to ask if it was correct. I wouldn't have bothered. Conscience!

[Pontius Navigator]

We had an appointment to change our meter, it was cancelled on the day. Within minutes of the cancellation we had £30 compensation from Ovo in our bank account.,