Carleen's Blog » Observations

Observation 4: False economy

Carleen — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:14:39 +0000

I’ll be darned if I can find it but quite a while back I wrote about my thoughts regarding the economy here. It was along the lines of believing that there is a definite false economy at work in this country. People living off credit cards to meet their monthly bills, while still using them heavily to buy a whole heap of junk they don’t need, in turn racking up more debt.

This morning I was watching an AM show that was talking just about this. Basically with the economic slow down happening here they are starting to look further past the housing prices (which just weren’t realistic). They seem to realise now that the average Brit has been struggling for a long time to keep their head above water. Doh, seriously where do these economists have their heads? I can tell you it is somewhere between their knees and their belly.

Another thought – I was listening to Star FM and they are doing a “greatest hits from the Thatcher years” day. Occasionally they put in memorable Thatcher quotes. Now I can’t say a lot about this lady’s politics but she had it going on when she said “It is not the creation of wealth that is wrong, but the love of money for its own sake.”

Observation 3: Autumn

Carleen — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:08:16 +0000

As this is the first “real” Autumn we have had (i.e. with visible changes) I thought I might write a few observations in regards to this.

1. Cold, cold and more cold. Will we survive Winter? I’m just praying that we have constant heat throughout Winter as I don’t fancy our chances without our radiator. Thankfully there has been little rain.

2. Oops spoke too soon – rain, rain and more rain. To be fair this is the 3rd day in about a month that it has rained. Not bad at this stage.

3. Stunning colours – burnt orange (thankfully not on a formica table), crisp reds, dozens of shades of brown (who knew there were “shades” of brown that are actually pretty!)

4. Darkness – dark by 4.30pm, too freaky

Observation 2: Smelly people

Carleen — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 22:59:41 +0000

In all the places that we have been to which includes Dubai at a cracking 43 degree heat, we have never come across so many smelly people in our lives. We are talking serious reflex gag action BO! The kind that “impregnates the material in the bus seat so years after the person has left the smell still lingers” kind of nastiness. It afflicts English men in particular but has been noted as applicable to some of the ladies as well. Why?
After long observation, discussions and hypothesis we have narrowed it down to the following: 1. lack of personal hygiene and of course deodorant (the obvious one) 2. slow drying clothes. As it is particularly damp, often the clothes from the washing machine can’t be hung outside therefore they dry quite slowly inside while drapped over chairs or airing racks while the heaters are on. This slow drying seems to encourage a particular bacteria that gets a bit woofy when the cloth heats due to contact with the skin. 3. Beer. The BO has a distinct yeasty smell which can only be surmised as coming from the excessive amount of grog they drink here. When the guys sweat they seem to emit this distinctive smell. Phewwwwww.
Anyway, that’s the gross out for this week. Yuck, yuck and again I say yuck. Obviously not a lot happening at the moment due to the rain!

Observation 1: Queues

Carleen — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 06:53:15 +0000

OK. So what’s with the queuing in the UK?
Waiting for my bus the other day of which there is a queue of people. OK, so I’ll go with the flow and queue as well so no one goes all “postal” on me for jumping in front. Bus turns up, queue appears to be moving. Bus LEAVES!!! If you are not queuing for that number bus, get out of the line right? Seems simple. Anyway, have learnt, don’t stand in the queue but hang back and observe, bus approaches, go straight for doors using All Black tackling technique. Not really, but you get the idea!