Month: February 2018

Shock

I arrived home after my walk today to a missed call on my mobile and the message light blinking from the landline. Looking up the number I recognised it belonged to MrS’s cousin. Oh that’s nice I thought, she must be coming to visit her friend and wants to  drop in on her way.

And so we listened to the message.

She’s dead.

I can’t really take it in. Whilst she was (so hard to write) in her seventies, retired,  a grandmother she was by no means old. And not ill. She was always full of life, walking travelling, keeping up with family and friends.  Both her parents lived into their nineties.

Now she’s gone.

It’ll be worse for MrS;  the cousins are the senior generation of his family. A chain of births stretching from the ’40s to the ’60s.  And now a link is gone.

We’ll talk about it later no doubt.  Remember.

But for now there is just shock.

And sadness.

 

Good Service

I’ve sent more time than I’ve liked these past weeks complaining to a Major Retailer about their bad service. It’s left me feeling generally discontented and anxious. I don’t want anyone to come to any harm following my complaints, I just wanted those at the top to know how they were failing their customers.  Anyway to offset that I thought I should in my own small way recognise good and great service.  So here for what it’s worth are “The Marinas”

My local deli * , we visit every week for cheese and other speciality items. But they really excelled themselves recently when I was outside and spotted a particularly seasonal item which only they stock. Problem? I had Bramble with me so couldn’t go in.  But my gesticulations, pointing first to the items and then to Bramble,  and MrS’s supplies were guaranteed. My items were brought outside and swapped for payment and we shall not be marmalade-less this year.

A small retailer with an online presence Lowie . I was introduced to them by a friend when I admired her frock.  I’ve since ordered items which suited, and others which didn’t.  Returns were handled efficiently and by an actual person. Great service. Thanks.

Online (mostly) retailer and designer Masato Jones I’ve never ordered a bespoke item but I’ve bought from them a number of times, packages arrive promptly, beautifully packed and with a lovely little drawing from Masato.  Oh, and they regularly support homeless charities with their sales.

Big Beasts Space NK and FitFlop which deliver on time and in the case of the latter deal with returns very efficiently.  I once had to call Space NK customer services and they were very and immediately helpful.

You may deduce from all this that I do a lot of online shopping. This is true of certain things but we buy all of our meat and eggs** from local suppliers, use our local store*** for sundries (and posting back those returns!)

And finally a call out to the many unsung heroines/heroes of the NHS like my big sister the GlamourPuss aka @KayMoggie , Medical Laboratory Scientists, who work the same long hours as all those ward staff you’ve heard of,  but rarely get mentioned.  Whenever you have a test done at your GP, clinic or hospital one of these will receive it, process it and get the result back asap. Thank you all.

And finally because this is all a bit too wordy, some pretty pictures.

 

(and a couple of me)

Until next time

Marina x

* Kitchen Garden, Oban

** Balvicar Farm Eggs

*** Balvicar Stores

We have lots more great local food producers. More on them another time.

OOPS! Update! Forgot to mention The Furniture Workshop, Oban. Did a wonderful job re-upholstering and generally rejuvenating some of our furniture and came to our rescue lending us a sofa when we were let down.