30th October, 2011
One of the problems with our new apartment is poor mobile reception. Over the years, Pauline and I have had spells with O2 / with 3 and, currently with Vodafone. Unfortunately, there is no Vodafone signal at all inside and only a poor one outside. That is not acceptable. Today, I cancelled our contracts and obtained a migration code to port our numbers across to a new provider. The only provider with a useable signal in our apartment is TMobile. They are now owned by Orange so one gets the best of both signals. Fortunately, TMobile will give us a nice, new smartphone free with unlimited free internet and an hour’s free international calls a month in addition to our any time/any network minutes.
Had to get to Gatwick Airport for 1.20 pm to pick up Phyllis & Colin returning from a week in Spain. They were on Easyjet and the flight landed 25 minutes early. Fortunately, they were held up in Baggage Reclaim for quite a while which meant we were there on time. They arrived to find a temperature here of 17C.
31st October, 2011
One day before November and 17 – 18C is forecast. We have clerical work to do in the first half of the morning – contacting Woking Council to get them to collect the bed base we no longer need. Apparently, the cost of collection is £26.00 unless one is aged 60+ when it becomes half price. Doesn’t seem fair, really. Does it?
1st November, 2011
Happy November! I’m still wearing short sleeved Tshirts. Today we are meeting the Sky engineer at the apartment. He has an appointment time frame of 8.00 am – 1.00 pm and actually arrives at 1.00 pm. When he does, it takes him five minutes and he is off. Fortuitously, just as we are leaving the Taylor Wimpey ‘snagging list team’ arrive unannounced and begin to address all the little niggles that we have asked to be addressed. They were excellent.
The Greek situation is spiralling out of control. Papandreou has been forced to offer a referendum at the eleventh hour when it appeared Europe had found a solution. It could all come crashing down around our ears.
2nd November, 2011
Another day of shopping. Lovely mild day and quite sunny. We went to Guildford to shop for bathroom furniture. We also were looking for ceiling lamp shades and standard lamps. We left the house at 10.30 am and returned at 2.30 pm. I was absolutely shattered. I really don’t like shopping.
When we got back, I cooked prawn risotto while Pauline arranged for my anti-coagulation test. We are really pleased to have a system that will work while we are in Surrey and in Greece. Watched Manchester City tonight easily beat Vila Real. Quite boring really.
3rd November, 2011
We went to the doctor’s surgery to try to sort out diabetic eye and foot checks and a diabetic clinic. It turns out that everything is done on one site which makes life easier. They gave me yet another urine sample bottle so that, when I go to the surgery on the 24th and 28th November, I have to take two urine samples to the same nurse for different purposes. She will take two blood samples and test them separately for different purposes. That really is taking the ….Michael. I’m going to be walking round with an empty shell of a body.
4th November, 2011
To get a new mobile phone contract, we have to go through a credit check. Our new-build address is causing a problem with that. Either companies do not list it at all or they have it listed in a different form. We have companies telling us that we’ve got our own address wrong. Today, I have to contact TMobile because their credit rating agency have rejected us. Pauline has to contact the company selling us oak furniture on a buy-now-pay-in-12 months basis because they have rejected us. Both companies believe it is because of our unestablished address.
5th November, 2011
My first chance to watch Sky Sports football in High Definition and in my own home today. Newcastle against Everton could be quite a good match.
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