[themilkybarkid]

UPDATE ON DAILY UK LIFE THAT YOUR ALL MISSING OUT ON!!!!

I'm just reminded today how well protected we are here in the UK from the ever present daily risks and dangers we all face from terrorists and evil criminals who lurk on every corner ever watching waiting to strike - but we are all stepping up our game and are ever vigilant - it's a wonderful place the UK.

The levels of care reached new areas today. - My son recently left home and has gone up to Newcastle to get a job. A letter arrived for him the other day so my OH crossed out our address, wrote on our son's address (in Newcastle) stuck a first class stamp on and posted it. Hey Presto! We have a wonderful and efficient postal system -he'll get the letter the following day!

But guess what it came back today to us. Weird? Magic?

It had a formal warning sticker on it in bold black type face surrounded by a box in red. The letter hadn't been posted because the sticker explained:

THE HOME OFFICE IDENTITY FRAUD STEERING COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT TO REDUCE THE RISK OF IDENTITY FRAUD YOU USE ROYAL MAIL'S REDIRECTING SERVICE :clap :raebanana

How kind of them not to post our letter but instead to return it to us and to protect us from the ever present risks and imminent dangers of modern UK life!!!

Now then shall we pay Royal Mail to redirect... shall we change all our bank accounts because we've made ourselves vulnerable to Identity Theft ... another sleepless night mulling over the risks and dangers I never even contemplated. Funny old life here in the UK.:yes

[JandM]

Oh, for heaven's sake...

[Genie]

Earlier this year I was rather pleased and pleasantly surprised to be selected for a job interview, in my local library. Great so far? It was then I looked at the list of items to bring to the interview....my passport!

Gosh, thought I, maybe they have branches in other countries. Perhaps I could get a job and move with my employer to NZ??

Sadly this isn't the case. :no It was due to identity theft and being able to tick a box against which ethnic origin I am. All for a part time job stacking library shelves:roll

[themilkybarkid]

Earlier this year I was rather pleased and pleasantly surprised to be selected for a job interview, in my local library. Great so far? It was then I looked at the list of items to bring to the interview....my passport!

Gosh, thought I, maybe they have branches in other countries. Perhaps I could get a job and move with my employer to NZ??

Sadly this isn't the case. :no It was due to identity theft and being able to tick a box against which ethnic origin I am. All for a part time job stacking library shelves:roll

LOL - you have to laugh!!

Don't worry soon that bulky Passport wont be needed for jobs stacking shelves - we'll all have our neat credit card sized ID cards to carry with us wherever we go!!!

[CJ22]

Into my cold dead hands.

[Mrs TW]

... anyway we've got shops, money and central heating!! :clap

Stop it now all of you - 3 large babies down the line my pelvic floor won't take any more.


Anyway beat the lot of you........we've got shops, money, central heating AND double glazing!!!! What more could you ever want!:D

[benandclare]

Don't worry soon that bulky Passport wont be needed for jobs stacking shelves - we'll all have our neat credit card sized ID cards to carry with us wherever we go!!!

Oh I long to show my ID and ID would be nice........

Had occasion to go into my bank yesterday to set up my new credit card pin, armed with my passport and driving licence, guy at the desk welcomed me with broad smile, how dare he, took my card swiped it asked me to enter my pin and job done :nice1

And then to add to my frustration I was only able to park right outside the Sky office to pay my subs, where's the 20 minute route march I was used to in UK to keep me fit cos there's no parking :exit

[James 1077]

I totally understand where you guys are all coming from.

It was only this morning when I was sunning myself up on the outside deck of the ferry coming into work, a ferry that I paid the astonishingly large amount of $115 a month to use, with the knowledge that once it arrived I had a whole 5 minutes walk through Viaduct Harbour with all the yachts to look at to get to my office; that I thought back to my commute in the UK.

What I would give to go back to the 90 minute drive along the M25, paying ₤60 a week in petrol and ₤200 in road tax for the pleasure of sitting in huge tail backs under the constant surveillance of speed cameras should, somehow, you manage to find an open stretch of road.

When we arrived here our neighbours were all so demanding that they came over to introduce themselves within a few hours of us arriving and wouldn't leave until they had lent us at least one item of furniture to help make things more comfortable for us until our container arrives. Even now my wife finds it difficult to walk down to the local shops (where is that Tesco when you need it) without being disturbed and people asking probing questions about her personal life (like, "how are the children?", "how are you settling in?" etc).

Oh for London where you were able to live on your street in total privacy.


Life really is terrible here!

[Amy]

Glad you are enjoying yourself. This is encouraging. I'm looking at a June or July arrival to Auckland.

[Moorf]

Who do I complain to about bad service? I was at the village bakery at lunchtime and the woman behind the counter, who knows me very well, gave me a FREE CAKE! I mean, the cheek of it.... obviously I declined her obnoxious offer and vow never to return.. tsk... :no

I hear ya re parking Ben, maybe one day I'll have to drive more than 2 levels up on a Saturday to park in the middle of town... I do miss having to go all the way to the top... :wah parking right outside is just so damned annoying...