The view from my window

The view from my window
The view from my window

Tuesday 15 September 2020

Well that wasn't so bad!

While not everything has opened back up here (sewing club starts up again next week), most things are up and running so I'm getting into a better routine - which now I think of it, I actually quite enjoy! We had our latest board game evening at my neighbours on Saturday and it was fun, even if we were only eight this time, what with people being away on holiday and whatnot. We played a new-to-me card game that Jen brought along and I enjoyed it, even though, yet again, I came last. Still, someone's got to make everyone else feel good haven't they!



The weather is absolutely beautiful at the moment, much cooler than it was, hovering around 28°C (in the 80sF) and so much more pleasant. Long may it last as I have so much more energy in these kinds of temperatures. I finally decided it's time to empty my little swimming pool but I didn't want to just "unplug" it as I'm not totally sure where all that water will end up (it's untested territory as yet). Instead I've been carrying buckets of water out back and front and finally my garden is getting the kind of watering it probably should have been getting all summer long, and I have to say it seems to be appreciating it!

Ages ago I took up the rose bushes by my back window and planted simple winter plants for the most part, but as it's a real sun trap and up against a white wall, my tomato plants seem to do really well there. This is probably the only time I eat tomatoes, to be honest, because unless I am getting them from Italy I don't think the plastic things you find in the stores are worth wasting money on!

I've been having some pretty strange dreams lately involving my mom, who died in 2015. The dreams themselves are ok but I end up wondering what they're about as I tend to think most dreams have some kind of meaning. It would have been her 99th birthday in October but I don't think that's it. Still, I'm sure it'll come to me at some point. Or maybe she's just stopping by to say hallo, who knows. I used to have the most dreadful nightmares when I was married - and for a long time after the divorce - but I could easily figure out what they were about. But mom, I'm not sure. As the saying goes, "I'll have to sleep on it"!

I also think, like most people, I've been getting an overdose of politics on the TV lately. Actually I've had a bellyful of both Cheeto and the blond idiot in Downing Street. The accents are different but the antics seem to be pretty much the same sadly and I don't think you can trust either of them. So I've tried to stay away from the TV as much as possible because - well just because. That being said, I've been reading a few of the books that have come out about Trump, and they are fascinating. I read Mary Trump's book and found it really interesting. I've also just finished Melania and Me, and while there was way too much use of acronyms and back and forth of emails, I can see why she wrote the book. Boy was she set up (and subsequently exonerated it seems) to take the fall for the missing millions from the inauguration coffers. I don't blame her for writing her book actually because I know I would want to set the record straight, but more than once she said she was told not to have anything to do with the Trump family - and she admits she wished she had listened because they nearly destroyed her. I think I will also download the Michael Cohen book because each of these people tells their story from a different angle, and while Cohen was obviously as thick as thieves with Trump, I think his book will probably do the most damage. We'll see when I read it I guess!

After my Monday morning yoga yesterday I managed to fit in another hour's walk also. It seemed a shame not to as the weather was just perfect. Then I figured that as I was going to be pretty booked up for the rest of the week it would be a good time to run out to a local chimney installation place. I have a wood-burning open chimney in the middle of my living/dining room, and as of fairly recently they are apparently no longer legal in France. Having a fireplace that just emits wood smoke directly into the atmosphere is no longer allowed, so while I can keep the fireplace as is, it would be against the law to actually use it now (not that I have for the last 10 years anyway). So I now have an appointment set up to get a cost estimate to have what they call a closed cassette inserted into the fireplace that will burn granules instead of wood. I wanted to keep the fireplace as I think it's more attractive than having something that looks like space ship in the middle of the room, and apparently doing it this way would allow me to heat the large downstairs area very cheaply if I choose to. I don't really heat it too much anyway because I tend to live on the first floor, but I'll see what they say and how it might work out when they come next week I guess! On the way home I stopped in at a store I don't use very often and when I looked at the bill I noticed they had this printed at the bottom and thought what a great idea it was!

If you are a victim of domestic violence, call 3919

Then last night, just as I was getting ready for bed, I got a FB message apparently from an gent in New York with whom I play Words with Friends. We chat sometimes but instantly I thought this message was a bit weird. Out of the blue he's asking me if I've heard of the rgg programme? "He has used it, it's linked to the "Rotary Fund" and he was able to claim money from them without paying it back". First thought, well he's an older U.S. veteran so maybe it's linked to the situation in the U.S. and he had included me in the message by accident. But then I thought, nah, something about this sounds pretty fishy, so I sent him a message including a screenshot via another account and asked if he was indeed the author of the message and he said "never in a million years". So I told him in that case I think he'd been hacked and he might want to warn his friends and change his password. At that he told me that his credit card had once been hacked to the tune of $3,500, only $3,000 of which he was able to claim back. His bank told him that the scammers had tried putting through small amounts at first to see if they went through, so when he was reimbursed he received hundreds of individual cheques in one go! Wow, talk about having to watch your back!

My screen shot!
His reimbursements!

And finally, tonight I had my one hour session with a coach at the gym where I recently signed up for him to set me up with a work-out programme. To be honest, it was much better than I expected. I guess I'd been put off by seeing this one trainer in particular at our work's gym. To my mind she was alienating some people by being so dogmatic in what she insisted they do. I mean, it's not because she found it easy that others would also and I know more than a few people who dumped her. Anyway, Ben was just lovely. He sat with me and asked me what I wanted to achieve (lose the bingo wings for one) and what I wasn't interested in. I told him my only no-no would be running on a treadmill (a) because I hate running and always have, and (b) because I think I should take care of my knees which sometimes give me a bit of gyp, but other than that I was open to trying anything. So he walked me through maybe six machines and four floor exercises that would form my programme for the next few months - or until Christmas at least - when he would expect me to be able to move it up a notch. He explained what the objective was for each machine (and how to use it correctly) and told me that the one machine I particularly like (to build the inner thigh) wasn't of much use to me as I didn't need it if I used the other machines. I had to bite my tongue not to make some crack about the last time I'd used my inner thigh muscles but you'll be glad to know I managed to show some restraint! So all in all it was a much better experience than I was expecting. On my way home tonight I tried to take a picture of the setting sun as it was going behind a cloud. Not sure if it came out that well as I had to grab it really quickly, but I thought it looked a bit like a space ship at one point!


When I got in I turned on the computer to catch up with my blog reading, and saw that our "die boomer die" troll is wanking online again from mommy's basement. I had to laugh though because had this guy watched me tonight trying to hold a plank at the gym for one minute he'd have seen that he almost got his wish!



14 comments:

  1. I thought I got a scam call today but it turned out just to be a very nice small business who'd called me by mistake. Not a big deal at all but boy, you gotta be careful these days!
    Proud of you for your gym appointment! It's important to keep those inner thighs nice and strong!

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    1. I signed up to a French government service called Bloctel and that has seemingly cut out about 2/3 of the unwanted calls I was getting on my landline. I'm still getting a few but I don't answer and don't call back unless they leave a message now. But you're right we have to be careful as those bastards really do prey on more vulnerable people. As for my inner thighs - I think I might work them out just in case I get lucky sometime!

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  2. My troll was a guilt trip one-that I have destroyed the planet for my kids and they hate me. I love your gae nights and will add them into my social scene once we can. i think I have another 6 months or so of low interaction-minimally. My daughter was a little down at school-being smart but feel like they are being very insulated on the campus. I haven't read any of the Trump books-mostly because I don't want my brain filled any further with his persona, and I doubt his books will ever change his sycophants minds. Well I am officially done working for the day, so time to get out in our next summer weather.

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    1. Yeah, we're getting the same troll apparently. It just makes me laugh and they won't get through anyway so "keep on stroking it there deary!" As I said, I've enjoyed the Trump insider books but after the Cohen book I think that's it. I guess I just find malignant narcs so bloody unbelievable (whatever their politics) that I'm still fascinated. Hope Penny is holding up well!

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  3. Scams are everywhere. A text message told me my HSBC account had dome unusual activity and to follow link. It certainly is unusual as I don't bank with HSBC. My sister in laws father fell victim to Nigerian scammers and Scotland yard were involved. £90k he invested in a false company. Even after he died they were ringing the house for more money. It sounds like life is almost back to normal for you. I don't want to return to the gym as the testing has shown that youngsters are big carriers of covid in the UK.

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    1. I think you mentioned your relative's Nigerian scammers before. But £90,000???? Wow, poor guy. Obviously I wouldn't fall for that (nor do I fall for the dating scammers) but then I still have my mind.

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    2. Funny you saying the tomatoes have to come from Italy as I loved the ones in France when we visited years ago! M & S sometimes get tomatoes from France and they are delicious! But I agree, the ones from Italy are amazing. I've got one last lot to pick in the greenhouse this week and then it will be clear out time. We've had brilliant tomatoes this year, they obviously loved the early good weather we had. July and August not so much!
      My scam catch out was an online bra company. Don't get me wrong, they did indeed send me the bras but when they were no use to me, they fought tooth and nail not to give me my money back. They eventually reimbursed me for one of them and the other was half price and to be honest between dealing with them and the credit card company I gave up on the smaller amount. The credit card company weren't exactly a joy to deal with either! The internet has created some real monsters hasn't it.
      Sounds like you've found a nice gym to go to. I wouldn't go to a gym if you paid me but I can see why people do go!
      I see that spaceship in the clouds! I love seeing 'shapes' in clouds lol. I used to play find the shape in the clouds with the kids when they were small on car journeys! I still do it - them not so much lol.
      Enjoy your late summer sunshine. xx

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    3. I don't understand why we can't get good tomatoes round here because we certainly get good enough weather. Maybe it's the pressure from the big supermarkets to produce the aesthetically "perfect" but tasteless tomato, who knows. Even the organic ones aren't that great - except for mine of course. And I remember your bra story. My sister has brought quite a bit of stuff from a large online seller (and been happy with it). BUT they're based in China and I have heard complaints from people about trying to get their money back. As for the gym, I quite like the machines. I'm happy he's given me a programme and shown me how to use the machines properly and that he will then leave me alone to get on with it - but he'll always be around if I have a question. I went once years ago and the guy made me do all the exercises (including the treadmill) and I hated it. This guy did encourage me to try to go at least twice a week though, rather than once, if I want to see results. We'll see how that works out I guess!

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  4. I'm fairly certain I know which machine you're talking about, a lot of the women at Planet Fitness use it... and your coach is right. And the damn hackers are everywhere, there as bad a robo calls peddling fake insurance.

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    1. Well once this guy showed me exactly how to position myself on the various machines (I knew my hand positions were wrong on a couple of them), I could feel which muscles they were working and he's right about the "thigh cruncher" of course. As for the scammers, I no longer answer my house phone unless they leave a message, which they inevitably don't. I do get quite a few through on my one email address though (I have a separate email address for important stuff). They're forever trying to put $10 million into my bank account or sell me a product to enlarge my penis - I haven't thought of a good enough comeback for that one as yet!

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  5. We have a phone scam here that involves our social insurance number and if we don't do as they say we will be sent before the magistrate, which we don't have. They get really pissy when you confront them too.

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    1. The thing is, while we're compus mentis we can just laugh at these people, but anyone older and maybe not quite as with it as they might have been can get stung so badly by these bastards can't they!

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  6. Well don't order a very nice looking gardening stool that pops up on Facebook. I think it would have been great if I ever got it. The company name was unfamiliar Chinese sounding but the reviews were positive. I did pay through PayPal because because I think that gives me some protection (they don't have my credit card #). So never got the stool, I first got some Fiskar blades for ? (That I'm sure someone was waiting for) and when I complained nothing for months, filed a PayPal claim, then I got a weird tool belt holder (all the packaging labels, notes were Asian so no clue) and then PayPal closed my case cause cause the Company had evidence of a delivery (two actually :) despite my communication of what I got and didn't get. So only out about 27.00 but will only buy from known companies now.

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    1. Sorry but that made me laugh. I once ordered a disposal unit for my kitchen sink (although why my ex insisted on having one I have no idea as I never used it). I paid €400-ish for it and it never arrived. Life was particularly hectic at the time so I never followed it up, but I wouldn't let that go again now. Many years ago I also saw a charge of around $600 on my credit card "in Singapore". Trouble was, it was my husband that had supposedly charged and since he was three sheets to the wind more often than not I never found out if it was legit or not. Again, never again!

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