Exeat

I shall be incommunicado, or lying doggo as the missing Lord Lucan once infamously said, for a few days whilst we are basking up at Ulster's Sunshine Coast at Portballintrae in County Antrim.

Solied Tie Method Works!

The Soiled tie method I described on Wednesday has worked remarkably well for me. I used some detergent stuff called Bio-Tex with warm water in a Tupperware bowl; shook the mixture till there were suds; immersed the ties; and twelve hours later Hey Presto! Just follow the instructions for polyester ties.

My Old Brackenbrian tie, which is thirty-six years old, is now like new again.

Puncture Kit

I darted into Belfast this morning to buy a Tyre Puncture Repair Kit for the baby two-seater. It doesn't have a spare wheel so, although there is a breakdown recovery service included, I'm taking no chances; quite often I drive without my mobile phone.

I considered the repair kit good value at £9.79.

I phoned my insurer yesterday in order to transfer the motor insurance details and request a new certificate. They apprised me that it would be sent first class and I thought I'd receive the blasted thing today. No joy.

The car dealer also phoned to inform me that an accessory I'd ordered for the new car, the Chrome Pack, had not arrived yet. What a blasted nuisance - they've had almost three months to obtain it, haven't they?

There really is no rush; I may phone the dealer in the morning and tell them I'll take delivery of the new car next week; especially if the weather is good and we motor up to the Causeway Coast for the weekend. I'd hoped to reclaim four months' car tax; however, that puts a spanner in the works. The car tax works out at roughly £20 per month, so I'll be able to claim for only three months - they operate on whole months and we're into the month of June next week.

The dealer proposed that I take delivery of the new car; and, when the Chrome Pack arrives, revisit them to have the parts fitted. Any thoughts on that?

Soiled Tie?

I've just found this most helpful site with tips on cleaning polyester ties safely. I have followed their method with my blue National Trust tie - the one with the R marks.

Mind Your R*marks!

I received the three National Trust classic ties I'd won my bid for this morning. Although used, they are all in great condition except the blue one, which has a white letter R stamped right down the whole tie! I believe this indicates a reject.

I successfully managed to remove these marks by brushing them carefully with a nail-brush, using cellulose thinners.

The 90p stamp on the package wasn't franked, either; so I got a bargain.

I checked the item description and photograph again; and, although the illustration is technically correct, the seller did not alert buyers to the letter R marked on the blue tie. They were all described as being "in good condition". I did notice the mark on the tie, which was so obvious that I thought it wasn't literally on the tie; rather that it was a digital mark you occasionally get on digital pictures. Caveat Emptor!

Cognizant of this, my strategy has been to send a message to the seller, letting them know my views, but that I'd still give them positive feedback because the items were great value, delivery swift and their communication good.

The seller has apologized, saying that they thought the R mark indicated a National Trust property! I left positive feedback; however, I marked the seller down on the Description Accuracy column; and stated, in my comments, that I managed to tamp off the Reject marks with thinners. I wonder what others would have done? Given negative feedback? The bottom line is that I got the marks off and I'm delighted with these classic ties which are no longer sold.

All's well that ends well.

No Royal Warrant

I've been looking at tonic-water in the supermarkets. I usually buy their own-label stuff, which is tolerably acceptable at a fraction of the price of proprietary brands, viz. Schweppes.

Schweppes in Great Britain appears to be part of the Coca-Cola Company and holds a royal warrant. Accordingly, whether you are on a flight; in a bar or hotel; or simply at home, in the Mainland Schweppes products proudly display their royal warrant with Her Majesty's coat-of-arms.

Not so in Northern Ireland. And why would this be? A company called Coca-Cola Bottlers (Ulster) Limited "acquired the rights to bottle, market and sell Schweppes products in 1991". This is under license, so this would seem to be the reason why the royal warrant is omitted.

Even the miniature cans of Schweppes tonic-water sold in Northern Ireland don't display the royal warrant. I shall continue to buy supermarket own-label tonic-water! The curious fact is that some establishments in the Province sell Schweppes tonic-water in little bottles which display the warrant; which indicates, presumably, that they are supplied from the Mainland.

The Clever Rookie

Anyone reading my blog will be aware of my love of wildlife and, particularly, birds. I'm fond of all birds. I don't really discriminate at all. There are a few that I'm less enthusiastic about, viz. feral pigeons.

Nevertheless, I love 'em all. I can name at least seven species of crow: Jackdaw, Chough, Rook, Magpie, Hooded Crow, Carrion Crow, Jay and Raven.

The rook is undoubtedly an intelligent bird, as far as bird-brains go; much cleverer than, say, a pheasant, chicken or feral pigeon. The rook is not a handsome bird, with its long, grey hooter and its distinctive cawing sound.

New research suggests that rooks are as intelligent as monkeys. Here is a great article about them.