Bin Bags

OK, so you may not feel that 'bin bags' are worthy of a 'RANT'???


They most certainly are.


A few weeks ago I bought some 'extra strong' bin bags from a well known supermarket.  'Extra strong'?? - 10 for £1.  That's 10p per bin bag.  My bin bags are anything but 'extra strong'.  In fact if the truth be told......................  My 'extra strong' bin bags are actually 'extra weak'.


To say I am furious about this mis-representation of my bin bags is an understatement.


So far I have used four of these so called extra strong bin bags.  And so far every time I have taken the bin bag out of the bin it has split.  That means, I then have to put the 'extra strong bin bag' into another 'extra strong bin bag'.  That means that every time I use a bin bag I actually have to use 2 bin bags.  So now my bin bags are costing me 20p per bin bag.


Unfortunately, I can't remember which supermarket I bought these 'extra strong bin bags' from???


It is so, so annoying though.  I think I might do a bit of 'googling' to see what criteria is used for describing a bin bag as 'extra strong'??


I can't believe that I am 'ranting' about bin bags??  Bin bags are just bin bags - black sacks that one fills up with rubbish.  ................BUT if you fill up your 'extra strong' black bin bag with rubbish and then it splits and all the rubbish falls out, the minute you try to move it...................  Then in my opinion................  that is NOT an 'extra strong bag'???


Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.......................

Good schools

OK so tonight I am sitting here watching 'How to get into a good school'.


I haven't got kids so I've never been through the 'which school should I send my kid to' scenario.  I have however, been a teacher and I have taught in some so called very bad areas.  In my day of teaching, 'Ofsed' was only just beginning and 'league tables' hadn't been invented.  If league tables had been around I can guarantee that one of the schools that I taught in for more than 10 years, would probably have been at the bottom of the league??  I can also guarantee that, that particular school had the most dedicated, conscientious, hardworking bunch of teachers that I have ever encountered.


Ofsed & league tables are all very well and good.  But what the majority of the great British public don't seem to understand is...................  There's more to life than 'academic achievements'???


OK, so I accept that as an 'educated person' (who has worked in a lot of so called 'menial' jobs); I have a choice because I have qualifications.  At the moment I clean holiday let properties one day a week because living in the SW, cleaning pays a lot more than my 'proper job' which is running the office of a very successful company.


BUT what annoys me and turns me into a 'middle aged ranting spinster' is........................  All this 'Ofsed & league tables' stuff never seems to take into account what the teachers are actually starting with in the first place.


For most of my teaching career I taught infants. (Though I have taught all other ages as well.)  And what really annoys me about all these boxes that seem to have to be ticked these days..................  Where is the room for empathy, caring, compassion?????


The kids that I taught in the 1980's were the sons/daughters of drug dealers/alcoholics/etc etc etc.  OK 'Jeremy Kyle' hadn't even been heard of then, but if he had - the show could have been broadcast from the school that I taught in.


I remember one mother coming to pick her son up (an hour late - in those days the teacher just stayed until all kids had been collected), she'd collected her benefits that day and gone out drinking.  Walked into the school, pulled down her pants and wee-ed in the mop bucket that a cleaner had left by the entrance.  


Obviously parents want to send their kids to the 'best' school.


My gripe is - What qualifies as a 'best school'?  And it seems that 'Ofsed' & most parents only recognise academic qualifications???


OK, so most people seem to think that 'academic qualifications' are the only thing that is important.  And if that's what you're looking for in a school then that's fine.


However.........................  I would just like to say........................  that a child who loves to come to school, likes school more than home, interacts more with his/her teacher than his own parents & feels that school is a safe environment................................. Then who cares about league tables????


..........................Some parents just seem to be constantly pushing their kids to achieve the 'materialistic dream' instead of teaching them how to be happy!!!!

Contactable 24hrs?!

OK so I wasn't quite sure what title to give this post so I've given it the title, 'Contactable 24hrs?!'


I've just received (at 8.30pm) a 'forwarded text from my boss' (who is not going to be in work tomorrow) a text that he had received from a client about items that the client wants delivering?!!


My job is; running the office for a very successful business in the SW.  My official title is 'Office Administrator/PA' and yet I am not even paid the 'living wage' of £7.85ph?


So I did what any good 'office administrator/PA' would do - I texted him back immediately and said, it would be sorted in the morning.


And yet....................  This has got me thinking?


1)   Why do people think that businesses operate 24/7


2)   Why does my boss respond via his personal mobile the minute he gets a call/email/text?  This only means that everyone responds to his calls via this number and then he gets angry that they're not phoning the landline???  And then he gets 'angry at me' because I haven't a clue what's going on???


3)   Why can we not have a 'work' mobile that we switch off at 5pm?


4)   How come my boss is texting me at 8.30pm at night? - I'm supposed to be a 'part-time' worker.  Surely if he wasn't coming in tomorrow he could just have emailed stuff through to the work computer ready for me to find at 9am???  I love my job but I hate being contactable 24/7 - I HAVE a life???


5)   ZERO hours contract - This DOES NOT mean that a boss can control your life!!!


I actually don't know the answers to any of the 'above'???


..............DO YOU???

Dentists - Rant 3

OK, so since my last RANT about my dentist, more than a year ago, I haven't bothered ranting any more.  I still feel the same.  I think this is the 5th time I've been to the dentist since he took over the practise?!!




He's still asking me the same stupid questions that he did the first time he saw me:




Do I floss?
Do I use an electric toothbrush?
How often do I clean my teeth?




Honestly; I really feel like just bashing him in the teeth.  He keyed all this information into his computer the first time he saw me.  I really do not understand why he has to ask me these same questions every time I see him.  ..............Just get on with the job and stop being so patronising!!!  Or go back to dental college and learn a few people skills?!




The job today was to give me a filling.  I haven't had a filling since I was about 14 years old.  The last time I went for a check up & clean he told me one of my fillings had a crack in it so it would need to be replaced.  Obviously one tends to 'trust' the professionals. 




The problem I have is.......................




.................For the whole of my life (I'm 56 years old) I have visited the dentist every six months.  And until 'Mr Patronising Dentist' I still don't know his name because he's never bothered to introduce himself came on the scene, I've been told the same thing - 'You have really bad tartar but your gums are in good condition.'




Today, 'Mr Patronising Dentist' said that he wanted to take an X-ray of my teeth and then he wanted me to make an appointment to see a dental hygienist so she could look at my gums.  Not only look at my gums; apparently she'd have to 'numb them' to do this.  Just googled this.  It sounds like a local anaesthetic to me and I could be in pain for 48 hours???  Then I'd be given a deep clean and an assessment.




As a 'totally stressed out dental patient' I just went along with all this and agreed.  He's the professional after all.   'Mr Patronising Dentist' was telling me that I may develop serious gum disease.  Maybe I will, maybe I won't.  BUT he didn't give me the option to make an informed choice.


So I've done a lot of 'Googling'.  And I now understand a lot more about the procedure.  And no way am I going to put myself through that.




To be honest the whole 'filling experience' was no where near as bad as the 'cleaning experience' (though I did think he was going to clean my teeth today as well??!!).  Having said that; I can now 'feel' that I have a filling in my tooth whereas before I didn't even know there was a filling there.  Apparently he's replaced a silver filling with a white filling, as if that was the best thing in the world??  As far as I'm concerned - I've had a silver filling for more than 40 years so I couldn't care less what colour the filling was.  The lovely jubbly white filling cost me £51.30 on the NHS which apparently is standard price.  Can't find any prices for silver fillings???




However if I go through with this 'numbing my gums & deep cleaning thing'; I saw on 'my card' it's going to cost me £135.  Not sure where this price has come from because looking on the NHS dentist website they have 3 price bands - £18, £51.30 & £225




Anyway I am going to exercise my 'patient rights'???  No way is anyone going to anesthetise me to dig underneath my gums!!!




I'm going to be really brave and stand up to the professionals..................




...................I will continue to go for a dental check up and clean every six months (which is more than the NHS recommended guidelines of every 1-2 years).




Tomorrow I am going to contact my dental surgery and tell them I will come for a check up & clean every 6 months.  BUT no way is anyone going to anesthetise me and go digging underneath my gums???




PS - The receptionist & dental hygienist/assistant at my practise are very, very lovely people.  They have the best people skills ever.




http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1781.aspx?CategoryID=74

Tesco - 5th RANT

OK, so last week I ranted about ASDA but actually I've only ranted about ASDA once.


This is my 5th rant about TESCO!!!


About a week ago I filled my car up with TESCO petrol.  I like TESCO petrol stations because they are usually cheaper than any other petrol stations.  And when I hand over my 'TESCO club card' I get 'points'.  Yay!


A few months ago TESCO were running some sort of scheme whereby you got money off petrol if you spent a certain amount of money in store.  I have to say the TESCO employees, both in the supermarkets & in the garages, were really good at telling the shopper how much money they were going to get off their petrol and what date they had to buy the petrol by.  It was actually one of the things I liked about TESCO. 


Obviously I did not RANT about it because I am a 'RANTING middle aged spinster' and that was one aspect of TESCO that I was really impressed with.


But guess what happened today??????????????????????????


I spent a fortune in TESCO and the very lovely checkout man said, 'Do you know that you've 6p a litre off petrol until tomorrow???'


Duh??!!!  No I didn't know.  I thought that scheme had ended ages ago???????????


Nobody has told me and when I filled up my tank last week at a TESCO petrol station nobody told me?????????????  I gave them my 'club card' (which is normally when they tell me if I have any discounts).


Seriously not happy............................


Is TESCO still running these 'offers' but not actually telling anyone about them, so that they can say that the offers are there but the customers are not taking them up????  OR have TESCO seriously lost the plot???  Well we've all seen the news reports that TESCO are losing money???


So, I echoed these thoughts to the very lovely TESCO checkout man and asked how long the 'petrol scheme' was running for.  He said it had been extended until the end of May.


Get a grip TESCO - does anyone actually know this??????


Today, I received through the post, a load of TESCO vouchers giving me £7 off a £50 shop until 10th May.  OK I will go and buy a load of wine but will wait till they have their 25% off 6 bottles on  And then 5 more vouchers giving me '£5 a week off a £50 shop' up to 14th June.  Is that really going to make me want to shop at TESCO every week for the next couple of months?????  I don't think so.


Much as I RANTED about ASDA before. Their policy of low prices, good quality foods, no gimmicky club cards, etc......................  It works for me.

ASDA

Today I am going to have a RANT about ASDA.


I love ASDA.  ASDA is my most favourite supermarket ever.  And until about 6 months ago my nearest ASDA was about 25 miles away so I didn't often go to ASDA.


I now have an ASDA about 6 miles away.  Whoopee doo.  OK it might not be a big huge massive ASDA.  But it's ASDA and I was really excited when it first opened.


After my latest shop in ASDA I might not bother to return.  I only popped in because they were advertising 6 bottles of wine for £25.


Sooooooooo.....................  Into ASDA I go, and I think I might as well pick up some 'womans weekly mags' at the same time.  Most supermarkets have these by the entrance next to the newspapers.  Were they there?  No they were not.  So I spot an ASDA employee just standing around doing nothing.


Me:  Where are your magazines?
Him: Aisle 10 (which is right at the other end of the store).  Would you like me to show you?  I'll take you there.
Me:  No, it's OK, I'll find it. I've got other stuff to buy first.  (How stupid to have newspaper & some magazines at the entrance to the store and everything else at the other end???)
Him: Is there anything else I can help you with?
Me: No thank you.
Him: You've obviously just started shopping (I only have mushrooms & milk in my trolley)
Me: Thanks for your help.


So I trundle around ASDA and pick up a few bits & bobs (including 6 bottles of wine).


And then I go looking for a 'checkout'.


We are very 'high tec' down here in the Southwest???  There were 4 'proper' checkouts open.  BUT there were 15 self service checkouts available.  Well, I don't do 'self service checkouts'???  Why should I?  It is so so annoying when one goes into a shop and no-one is around to serve.  It's almost as annoying as getting an automated reply when you phone someone.


So I join the  shortest queue to get served by a 'real life person'.  Unfortunately the 'fat person with a squealy brat, in front of me, had bought pretty much everything in the store.  I look at what she has in her trolley and think; 'Jamie Oliver you haven't made much impact here.'??? 


..................And then I look at my own trolley which includes 6 bottles of wine, 3 trashy magazines, 3 big bags of crisps, 1 jar of cheese dip, mushrooms & a litre of milk (see I can do healthy?)


But what annoyed me most about ASDA today was the 'checkout procedure'.  I absolutely hate, hate, hate my local Tesco and I thought when ASDA opened I would love it.  But actually I don't.  At least in Tesco they will open an extra till if there is more than about three people in a queue.


So today...................  the checkout operator was actually the same ASDA employee who'd been standing around when I first entered the store.  He was the one that I'd asked where the magazines were.  ......................And he was still in 'mega friendly chatty mode' while he checked out 'fat persons' shopping.


I'm all for customer service and all that.........................  but efficiency would be nice too.


I actually stood in the queue behind 'fat person' for 15 mins before I got served.  I now know what her squealy brat likes to eat, I now know a lot of 'personal facts' about the ASDA employee.  OK I won't divulge them here.  And then, after ASDA employee and FAT customer had finished discussing everything under the sun....................  Her junk food shopping came to £40+.


..................And guess what?  Her credit/debit card was rejected????????  Grrrrrrrrrrrr.............  more waiting.


Fortunately, 'fat person's', even 'fatter mother', was also in the store so she just yelled for her mum who came and rescued her and paid for her shopping.  ...............And the whole of the time this was going on; I was just thinking....................  Jeremy Kyle..............  why don't you just broadcast your show from ASDA?????


So 15 mins later, 'Mr Friendly I want to win the Asda employee of the month', starts checking out my trolley. 


6 bottles of wine???  Are you over 25 years of age he asks????  I feel like bashing him in the face!  My reply - 'Do I really look that young?  I think you'd better call your supervisor to check out my ID'.


'Mr Friendly I want to win ASDA employee of the month', laughs nervously.


OK so I do still like ASDA.  But I HATE self service tills and I HATE shop employees who are just trying to win the 'employee of the month award'.


ASDA - please get rid of all your self service checkouts and employ a few more real life people??!!

I don't mind what we do

OK, so this weekend I have a friend staying.  The friend that is staying is a very old friend  OK not ancient in years but old in that I have know her since the start of secondary school  who I have known for years.  In fact I think I have known this friend since I was about 12/13 years old and now I am a 'ranting middle aged spinster' in my mid 50s.




Anyway she has come to visit me and it is sooooo hard to 'entertain' her.  In all fairness she did say that she didn't need to be 'entertained'??  And I'm sure she doesn't.  I'm sure she would be quite happy sitting in my house, playing on her ipad and reading her kindle, all day, every day for the four days that she is here.




I am the one who has got the problem??!!




If  'friends' say they want to come and visit then I assume that it's not only me they want to see.  I assume they also want to experience a bit about the local area,




If all my friend wants to do, is sit in my house and play on her ipad and read her kindle, then why has she bothered to leave her very comfortable home, massive compared to mine, travel hundreds of miles, stay in a house which is no where near up to her standards, just to do exactly the same as she would do at home.  Which as far as I can make out is not very much.  Don't get me wrong - if all my friend wants to do is 'play on her ipad' and 'read her kindle' in a different location; then I have absolutely no problem with this whatsoever.




Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a 'party animal' so when my friend said she wanted to visit I wrongly thought we'd be 'living it up' in town every night.  OK, I didn't think we'd be out every single night but I thought I'd be spending a little bit more time than I normally do going out and about.




NOT SO!!!


I know I'm a 'Ranting Middle Aged Spinster' but really.................  I just don't understand why anyone would pay hundreds of pounds to go away for a few days if all they are going to do is sit around watching 'Jeremy Kyle' and playing on an ipad all day?  I totally understand the 'change of scene' thing, the 'it'll be nice to have company' thing, the 'I'm in a different location thing.'


For me though (& I could be totally in the minority here); if I go away somewhere............ where I am staying is just a place to rest my head.  I might just be playing on my ipad  OK I won't be doing that because I haven't got an Ipad, I might want to 'chillax' a bit and do nothing.  But to spend 4 days doing 'nothing'?  NO I wouldn't want to do that.


If I had spent a lot of money on flights/taxis etc I'd want to do a lot more than just sit in a friends house watching trashy TV & doing exactly the same as I'd do at home??


There again................  I'm not married, I don't have kids, I do whatever I want to do, whenever I want to do it and I don't have to consider anyone else. 


I LOVE MY LIFE!!!


And, ACTUALLY, despite all the garbage I've written above;  I totally understand why someone would want to go on holiday to experience the life that I actually live every day.


I'm a very, very, very, lucky 'ranting middle aged spinster'.