Call Centres and Conifers.

Not sure which of them annoys me the most.


The above photograph was intended to show what view I would have if it were not for the conifers. Here they are a bit spindly, but even so the camera and therefore the eye is drawn to the conifers .....

There would be a lot more garden to use were it not for the conifers.
The one below shows a bit of what we could be looking at. Space, fields, and the big sky.

Below is what we get out of our dining room and kitchen window.

So, sorry, but they have to go. The chap came and quoted. He is to take them to just above ground level and cart them away as well.

So - call centres. This morning I had every intention to go into the garden. I found some plant labels and was already to go. Then the phone rang. Our new incumbent at Greenbrae has been struggling since moving in to get our old number, as it appears on all advertising and web sites, you can understand the importance of this. He had phoned our provider of the phone line and they had refused to speak to him saying that the phone number was still active and in our name. So - would I phone them.

Surely someone who works for a call centre should speak clearly? And slowly?

I had to ask this woman to repeat everything she said as she gabbled on.

I am not deaf, and I am fairly intelligent. To receive a deep indrawn breath and silence every time I asked her to slow down and repeat was downright insulting.

First off it was "URSTILLCONNECTED."

"No, I cancelled on the 14th April."

"oldon"

Music. Faint music.

"Iseefromourrecordsudidcancelonthe14th."

"So can our buyer have the old number?"

"Dontseeanyproblems."

"Well what does he have to do?"

"fonebt."

"He has already done that and been told the number belongs to you. Oh and am I being charged for the line rental?"

"udbestcancelyrdirectdebitandheneedstogetback tobt."

This was actually far longer, as I had to ask her to repeat so many times.

"eersareferencenumber." Well giving me that took at least ten minutes as gabbling numbers is even worse than gabbling words.

"What is the reference number for?"

"itssoyoucanreferwhoveruspeaktotofindmy notethatuvecancelledonthe14th".

Right......

I then checked my bank account and sure enough the direct debit was down for going out today. So then I had to phone the bank.. What a difference. A lovely man called Dave who patiently listened to my rant and then informed me he would put a stop on it.

I really had had enough by this time and went out to buy the daily paper with Il Divo blasting out and it took me all the way to the shop and halfway back before my stomach unknotted.

And then , and then, John Lewis delivery men came with my beautiful dining set. Mike put it together. I stood and drooled. He said, "It'll do." Which means he likes it too. The colour choice for the chairs was down to him anyway.

What you also see in the room was marked down by me as REMOVE, on the house details. But it sort of grew on us. More Mike actually, don't men love their gadgets. Behind the picture of the stone circle is a t.v. bracket which I really did draw the line at. I do not want a t.v. on the wall in a dining room. To the right is a fridge freezer. Going left we have display cabinets, the wine cooler, more display cabinets, another wine cooler and furthest left two very useful cupboards, all lit in what could be neon? Awful really, but as I say, it grows on you. Go with the flow. Different! Just need a new dinner service now. Plenty room in the cupboards.