HEALTH & SAFETY TRULY GONE MAD - Oct 2014

This is our new kitchen ...

Not bad, considering this was that very same room last year ...

Today's story is nothing to do with moving to Wales, but it is connected to the cooker we had installed in the new kitchen.

The cooker is one of those which doubles up as a grill by using the heating element at the top of the oven. In using ours, we discovered that the grill pan has no handle. So today I visited the kitchen shop to inform them of the missing part, only to be told that cooker companies no longer provide handles for grills due to health & safety. It appears that the manufacturers would prefer us to burn our hands while trying to mess about with oven gloves, than use a purpose built handle!

Our grill pan even has holes for the non-existent handle attachment!!

Health & Safety truly has gone mad - as if you didn't know that already of course!!

Next blog - Herding Sheep

DON't BELIEVE THE POLITICIANS - Oct 2014

Not that any of us do believe the politicians, but if you hear them criticising the Welsh health system - it's ALL lies!

Certainly where we are, we have had the best service ever!

AND we get free entertainment in the waiting room!!

As I walked into the waiting room for a recent appointment, a lady of the 'blue-rinse' variety, whom I guessed to be around 70 years old was talking to the receptionists - and anyone else who cared to listen, about her recent holiday experiences.

She started with the all-over-tan she had gained.

She then went on to explain that there was another lady at her holiday destination who must have been in her mid to late 80s who was topless. 

So, our storyteller decided that if an 80+ woman could do it, then why shouldn't she too? So she decided to go for a topless swim. But as she was swimming, she became aware of something strange swimming alongside her, so she put her hand to her sides to explore what was there . . .

. . . only to find it was her breasts!!

At this point, her audience burst into uncontrollable laughter.

She did not stop there. She had apparently met a Russian who told her that they knew an English song which is "Very important in England". 

The song?  . . . 'Bobby's Girl' !!!!

At which point the lady, the receptionists and the waiting public all burst into a rendition of 'Bobby's Girl'!!



Lady, if you are reading this, I hope you don't mind me stealing your story. I am very envious of you and I only hope that when I grow up, I will have as much confidence as you - not so much to allow me to go topless at your age, but to be able to 'tell 'em like you do'!




Next blog - Health & Safety truly gone mad

A BIT OF BAD TIMING - Sept 2014

A couple of weeks ago we took a well earned break, taking the train from Bangor all the way to Venice. We flew back refreshed, a few days later.

Here's a photo of one of the many bridges, taken just before we left Venice ...

As with many of the Venetian bridges, it was always packed with tourists. 

Two days later, having arrived back home, a very important event took place there - George Clooney's wedding. Here he is with his bride-to-be Amal Alamuddin at that very same bridge (NOT my photo!!)

Note the empty bridge! He clearly has the power to clear Venice of tourists!!

Now was our visit bad timing on our/his behalf? Or maybe it was good timing???


The best part of the holiday was being on the train when an Asian lady told me I had a lovely tan. She thought I had been somewhere exotic. To the amusement of fellow passengers, I was able to tell her that it was a home-grown tan from North Wales!!



Next blog - Don't believe the politicians