End Watch

When I moved house I changed my address with my bank, Barclays. I told them I did not require a statement as I check my account on line. Well the dillbrain on the counter evidently did not change my address completly in his computer. I did not receive any statements but it seems that statements were sent to my old address, redirection not withstanding. The bank also sent my new bank card to that address and someone was happy to receive it, the morons used it. Somehow they cancelled my currant card and used the new one to get tops-ups for a mobile phone. £30 worth and it took me overdrawn. Luckily it was the week before payday.
I had notice money missing but could see where it had gone, I could not remember taking any out at an AMT and it takes a couple of days to show on line. When I saw the charges I had a fit and got in touch with the bank straight away. The girl on the line was really nice and said it was the banks fault and I would be reimbursed for the amount taken and any fees incured due to being overdrawn.
As I did not have telephone banking facilities I had to go to the bank to get faud papers and organize a new card.
The police were not interested as they considered it was fraud against the bank and they would only get involved if asked to by them.
I hope they get the morons

Striped the wallpaper in the lounge yesterday and sometime this week will put up backing paper ready to paint. The walls are terrible, full of little holes and one or two large ones that were hidden by the wallpaper. Will also paint the hallway this week. Next week will tackle the kitchen. It's a start. Later today will pot a few bulbs, just to make the backyard a little nicer. Even though I do not like the place, have to make it livable.
Redd has made doggie friends, aah so nice and he enjoys the large garden to charge around in. He is starting to moult, losing his winter coat, as it makes him itchy, he is likeing his brushes each day. Each day we are getting a bag full of hair and can not help thinking he will end up bald but he want. It is amazing how thin he is under all his hair.

Well we have moved from Garelochhead and the nice countryside to the bleakness of Lanarkshire. We are in a groundfloor flat/apartment. From living in a three storey house we had a lot of clearing out to do. Though we have been in the new place for a month most things are still in boxes. No where to put anything just no cupboard space. We will have to buy the damn things. Every room has to be redecorated. The bathroom is the worst, the wall shave to be replastered first. The previous occupants had started to strip the walls and left it. The painted the kitchen and hall grey...?? One wall in the lounge had black wallpaper the other three walls hey grey patterned wallpaper, which they didn't finish and left bits of wall paper covering sockets and flowing over the skirtingbords. What were they thinking? In one bedroom which is quite large there is pink wallpaper with mice, on top of this they have drawn Donald Duck and some strange female.
I did not like this place from the start but opnly took it because my partner wanted to, it being nearer Glasgow and his mother is two streets away. Personally I would rather been on the other side of the world, back home in Australia. The garden in huge with lots of rubbish.

As for one of my neighbours, well my dog Redd went out into our garden andher three dogs, yes three dogs were in her garden. She sware at Redd because he barked and told him to shut the F up. I looked out my door and she spoke first and in a nasty tone asked "You just moved in with that dog?"
"Yes." I was wary
"Well I am warning you." she snarled "Your dog had better not jump the fence. Stop his barking. My dogs don't bark."
At this point Redd had stopped barking and had lost interest in her dogs.
I went back in my flat, Redd followed me in.
Her dogs do bark and one jumped our fence and was chased out by Redd. She has now put up an ugly fence which I am sure she did not ask permission of the council, no way will they had said yes. I don't care.
Her partner seems to be a nice guy.
Anyway I hate this area.

The weather is gawd awful today. Took Redd for a walk this afternoon and I got soaked as it was 'bucketing' down. There were rivers running down the roads. I passed one particular house at the bottom of a steep road that has new owners, they moved in earlier this year. The house always had a beautiful display of daffodils in the spring in the small front yard that had a raised small lawn on either side of the pathway. Very pretty really. Well the new owners dug up the lawns or rather dug them out and the daffdils as well. The new owners then laid plastic down and covered it with pebbles. Not so pretty any more. They are now the proud owners of a swiming pool. The garden was flooded and the water was lapping the front porch. A young man was trying to clear the drain in the road but it wasn't block just overwelmed by the volume of water. I have never seen that garden flooded before and I suspect they did not consider drainage when they remodeled their front garden.

Another winter in Scotland, will I manage to survive it? I think this could be my last one here. I do not intend dying only returning to Australia. Winter in South Australia can be chilly but no where near as cold...freezing as in Scotland. The other problem is the cost of heating in this damn country. No consideration for the not so well off. The utility companies are greedy bastards, you could freeze to death as far as they are concerned. Their shareholders want big dividends and so the prices are high. I can not afford to have the heating on all day so for awhile I am cold. I put the heating on about 4 or 5p.m. and have it on till about 10p.m. and off it goes. I put it on high just for the first hour to warm up the house and then turn it right down for the rest of the night. I am saving money up for when the freeze really hits in February. Sigh.