Manky Monkey Motors

 >:(

 ginger bread match makers!!!!!  :D :D ;D

Just because you've seen them, don't spoil it for everybody else.  >:(

So far this September I haven't been in a shop and by downloading or streaming TV programmes it means I miss out on adverts. Therefore, I thought I was doing well. You fiend!  :P

 :-\ :'(

I went into the local Tesco Metro for an ice cream when I finished delivering the Mail today & they were next to the ice cream cabinet.

Thought you was on a diet ? ::)

To further cheer up the garage and shed folk on MMM, we also have the TV joys of “Strictly X Off”!

See, that's why I don't own a TV!
Always on a diet mate :( I walk 10 miles a day & according to a health programme I watched on iPlayer a while ago, (no TV, but I do watch occasional shows on the 'net), Postmen are the "healthiest" profession in the country & burn off 1,500 calories a day! My phone says "Congratulations, you've reached your 10,000 step target for the day" every morning at about 10.30, but I don't finish delivering till 2.30

Mind you, you have to factor in the resultant dodgy knees, bad backs, etc. etc. resulting from that "exercise", Mr. M!! ;D ;D

Very true -I had over a month off work earlier this year with a buggered knee. Returned to work to receive a 1st stage disciplinary warning, despite it being a work related injury. Royal Mail aren't known as a caring employer :(

I hope you replied to your HR department in writing, stating that you felt this was unfair due to it being a 'work related injury'. This in itself may get them to rescind the warning.

Doctors note to back it up? Shove it in their face and take them to an industrial tribunal!  ;D

even with a doctors note they don't care.
company i work for can sack you after 6 months even with doctors notes. apparently its for the good of the company.
and as in Andy's case were not talking small company's!!!! were just numbers not people.

It's a 3 stage system. After you've actually been sacked, you can appeal. Most employees win the appeal & are able to return, but by then they've had time away from the job & a lot of people don't want to come back -so the company wins.
I'm not a big unionist, but since we were privatised, the management style has become increasingly confrontational.
I just want to go in, do my job & go home again.
We've just recently been told that if we can't complete our rounds within our shift & take Mail back to the depot, because they're constantly increasing the delivery areas, it'll be treated as unofficial industrial action -trying to force us to work longer hours.
I enjoy the bit out on the streets, but the bit in the depot's not enjoyable at all.

When Mike was doing agency driving he absolutely refused to work for Parcelforce (are they still part of the Post Office or Royal Mail or whatever they call it now?).  They expected him to stay out over his hours to deliver every parcel, but they wouldn't pay for the extra time.
And if he did try and get it all done, the Union bloke had a go at him!

Yes, part of our group.

Andy,they know that old Chestnut about unofficial industrial action would not hold up if challenged. I had this arguement with management on many different occasions. You are a hourly paid worker, contracted for a certain amount hours a day. Overtime is an agreement between you and the management. There has never been an agreement on Compulsory overtime. Even when we had the flex up and down system that wasn't overtime as they had to give us the time back. Even when I worked indoors and they tried to make me stay on the answer was always the same,times time and its time for me to go home. And when mangement whinged that they had to stay the reply to that was "you choose to have a career and have to put up with it, I'm just an hourly paid worker contracted at 40 hours".

They're now trying to "bank" hours -if we go over our finishing time one day, they'll let us come in that much later another day -when it suits them. An extended version of the half hour flex up/down thing. No-one's going for it though & would rather just work  to the normal finishing time. They're desperate to save money, but the service is already pared right down to the bone.

we go couple of days without seeing a postie,then get 6 letters all at once.
been waiting for a parcel 2nd class signed for since last week, series 2 landy dash panel. seller is going to give refund as its not going to turn up after waiting 8 days.
you have same problem as us andy, shareholders come first, you must make a bigger profit year on year, just there are more cuts year on year, with a worse service, trouble is they cannot work out the reason why. just money money money.  till it goes bang(and it will in the end)

When I started my working life, the standard hours in Industry was 44 for a 5 day week, and nobody, however esteemed they might have thought themselves, would have threatened or coerced a worker to exceed that, unless by mutually agreed overtime, at the approved enhanced rates. So this is where the British worker has graduated to, something resembling pre-Trade Union days, another example of societies advancement? I think not! Sad times.... :'( :'( :'( :'(...Morrag

If we work more than 10 hours overtime, the pay rate is reduced.

It won't be long before they are sending kids back up Chimneys and women back to the Mines.   :P ::)

Some kids deserve to be sent up chimneys  >:(

 ;D ;D ;D

......... aaaaaaaaaaaaaand back to the topic of the thread............



"Is it time to ban Christmas presents" - Martin Lewis.

As raised on ITV’s programme The Martin Lewis Money Show Live: Christmas Countdown on Tues 25 Sept.

The programme is being repeated on Sat 29th Sept on ITV at 11.40am


Wanna know more

https://blog.moneysavingexpert.com/2009/11/is-it-time-to-ban-christmas-presents/

Morrisons supermarket this evening, one day after Bonfire Night.
How long before the damn carols start?!

No, definitely not!  Whether or not to give presents is a personal choice, who would have a right to say that we can't?

The people who spend far more than they can afford on Christmas presents will simply spend far more than they can afford on something else.

Poprodder, your new avatar gave me a start. :o Is it to celebrate the time of year or is it more a reflection on how you feel?

As this thread also delves into postal problems, I would like to mention six missing cards all posted at one post box outside a post office. The senders have now contacted Royal Mail to complain. In fact my Mum did that after the second card went missing and they said they'd send her some stamps. When she contacted them more recently about even more cards missing she reminded them about the stamps, which never arrived either. When sending cards, we are now writing on the envelope that the card does not contain money. We can only surmise that this is the problem as other post is fine. So is it the postie, or the sorting office? All the post, bar the last 2 were going to different destinations. My poor Grandson didn't get his cards from his Auntie and Nan. My Granddaughter's hasn't arrived today even though my Sister made sure she posted it a distance from home but whether it will be the same sorting office, she's not sure. My Son whose birthday is Thursday received a card from Wales but it arrived opened and not like it had just come unstuck. What is going on? My Sister is now going to post the postal problems in her area on a local Town Matters website because perhaps it's not just her post that's disappearing.

Poprodder says he's been waiting for stuff. Anyone else, especially with birthday cards and the like?

This is not a dig at all posties (take heed Baychimp and Andy) and my postie is excellent and we can't blame Christmas temp posties as they've not started yet, but something is obviously going wrong somewhere and Royal Mail customer services doesn't seem to care.

Missed the Martin Lewis prog. Some people do try to do too much and get into (further) debt but I doubt that will change as there will always be loans/credit cards available. I did my best to ignore Christmas last year. I tried to get my relatively small extended family a decent present each (or cash) and said that was it. Rick and I agreed no presents so that was easy and everyone seemed happy enough. I always visit my children/grandchildren Christmas morning playing santa and I'm always astounded at the number of pressies around particularly at my grandaughter's house. You can't see the floor because of stacked up pressies. My children, when they were young, got secondhand stuff I reconditioned. They didn't realise and they were happy enough!

Bah humbug.  ;D

We only get presents for immediate family and we don't spend much except occasionally when one of them wants/needs something special, like last year when I gave my grand-daughter a sizeable (for me - £200) contribution to her car fund, because she's been working really hard in a cafe as well as doing her college course, and being really careful how much she spends and I thought she deserved a reward.

  The grandchildren have always had lots of stuff but still been really appreciative of what they get, although when asked what they's like for Christmas they usually can't or won't say, apart from 12 year old Elliot who has a dry sense of humour and will say "Well I'd really like (whatever) - it's only £5000" and grin at me.

When my girls were young and I was a lone parent they often had secondhand stuff and likr yours JJ, were still happy with it.

Arrrg ! Wife put on the radio this morning. Nothing but bloody inane Christmas songs. I'm never good in the mornings anyway. >:(

Oh dear..time for the mancave sir

Yup ! Hopefully I can hide in there till January.

Just in time for Easter ? ???

In a earlier post I mentioned about the trouble with cards sent through the postal system where my Mum and Sister live. Well it turns out another card, sent to Wales, didn't get there either. My Sister posted about the problems on her local Town Matters website and she had 60 responses!  :o They all said they have posted cards in the village or nearby that had not then arrived. They had all complained and got nowhere. She is now going to copy the responses and send those off. The Royal Mail can't keep ignoring what is happening. Someone somewhere is obviously taking them hoping there is money inside, as there isn't any problem with general mail.

This does happen from time to time - years ago we had the same problem - it turned out that a relatively new postie was having problems getting round in the time he had, so he was shoving the remaining post in a hedge somewhere.  Goodness knows why he thought he could get away with it!

She looks elfy.
In Screwfix this afternoon.

Garden display in Christchurch, Dorset today.

True story.

Picture the scene.............

It’s the 25th December, and family members have been invited out to dinner at a relatives.

20-something son plays the humbug card and stays at home preferring his own company, and has a seasonal ready-meal (not just any ready-meal, a you-know-who ready meal).

The meal is taken from the fridge and placed in the combination microwave/fan oven/grill.

Controls are set, and the young man leaves the kitchen to carry out non-festive pastimes elsewhere.

What could possibly go wrong!!

Here’s a clue to the first part of the puzzle – the instructions for cooking the meal

Our chef, for whatever reason, decided that these weren’t to be followed, and set the
combination microwave/fan oven/grill to the microwave setting (at 1000W no less!) and zapped the meal for 35 mins.

The result can be seen in the photo.

The added “bonus” was the acrid smell which engulfed the whole of the downstairs, furniture, curtains etc, and anyone visiting or spending time in the room ended up carrying the smell on their clothes, skin and hair through to the next day ( the washing machine is doing it's thing as I type).

The outcome - He went hungry, but may now read instructions.

Serves him right  :D

Ha ha ha!!