Get your admin sorted!

Here’s a good one! I used to own a car, still do, but the car in question gave up the ghost a couple of years ago and I had it scrapped.

Being hot on administration and attention to detail I didn’t tell the Vehicle licencing authorities and after a period of time received a fine of £215 from my local court for not having the (now scrapped) vehicle taxed. I rang up the courts to query this but their computers were down, they asked me when it was scrapped and I said I would find out. I have to say at this point I was resigned to coughing up the money, but thought it was worth trying to challenge it.

Being diligent and on the ball I left it for a month or so and received a final notice that said they would put it in the hands of the local bailiffs if the fine was not paid – a pretty sure sign that the computers were back up. I paid the fine online and thought it was all done and dusted.

A month later I received a cheque from the court for £215, no note or anything, just a cheque – nice one!

A couple of weeks went by and I received a note from a firm of bailiffs asking me for £365 – whoaaa!! I rang the court up and they said a distress warrant had been issued (legal tech speak for handed over to the bailiffs) and is was now nothing to do with them.

I rang the bailiffs and said could I have some time to pay, I had just bought a new car and cashflow was tight. I received another note from the bailiffs saying cough up or lose your stuff and left a message on the bailiff's answer machine to say I would have some money on the 27th and would pay then.

So the 27th came and I rang to pay the £365 except the bailiffs said it was nothing to do with them and it was with the court. I rang the court and guess what they said? It was nothing to do with them. It turned out, in the end, that the court was now back in control and, eventually, they accepted payment of £215 one year on from the original fine.

I don’t know what the moral of the story is for us all but it is something like “get your admin sorted”.

PS – I would of posted this on Friday but couldn’t remember the password to my Blogger space.

Floods and political points

Last saturday morning we got a phone call; my partner's mother had water lapping at the back door.

Jo went around and when I finally surfaced and made an appearance I was met with circa 20 people rapidly filling sand bags as four houses had been flooded.

Everyone worked diligently and with humour and soon the houses were protected from the worst of the water.

During our efforts a local County Councillor (Lib Dem) came to have a look, and stopping for a chat it wasn't long before he was blaming the District Council (Conservative) for not having bought enough sandbags on cost grounds and there will be questions asked.

I could have scalped him with my spade (not because of any Tory sympathies!), here was a group of neighbours, from 5 years old to 85 years old, helping each other out, pitching in and the only contribution an elected representative can make is to try and score a cheap political point.

It is extraordinary how the country is being stoical and taking the floods with good humour yet certain quarters are trying to find a) someone to blame and b) tales of woe that are less than woeful.

On the first point, it's no-one's fault, it's weather, sure we may be guitly of leaving lights on, of taking a holiday by plane, but then everyone is guilty, apart from a few tree-huggers, so let it go and let's manage the situation.

On the second point, the the media have been very good at showing narrow shots of the flooding with earnest and deeply concerned reporters on river banks while crowds in the background are having a party - desperate to find a tragic tale one British Broadcaster took a family back to their flooded home to show them how crap everything was, naturally this was to much for and the 12 year daughter old was reduced to tears as was mother... thank you for that.

Yes it is bad but as the George Inn in Oxford has put it we are "Open for business - come hell or high water.''

About time too!

11 years working online and finally after no end of dithering around I start a blog, somewhere to vent my spleen, say what I think.

That implies that I haven't had somewhere to do my spleen venting and think saying, I have, but like starting a diary, opening a savings account, joining a gym and any number of other "good intentions" it has always slipped down the ever-growing list of priorities.

Anyway I have done it now it's off the to-do list and on the do list.

If you have popped in to read up I can't promise any pearls of wisdom or great insights as this is space for me (mespace?) to get angry and/or laugh, but if you get angry too or have a laugh as well then like so much in this place we call world, it is better shared.

Cheerio for now!