Trav Le Bleu

What's the problem (s) mate? As MPH says, feel free to PM me. Get it off your chest. Same goes for everyone else who feels they wanna talk. Christmas is a bleak time of year for many people and it annoys me that so many people think that it's just fun, fun, fun for everyone. That's not humbug, it's reality. Lastly, if you really want to talk (and actually vocalising your concerns), you don't have to be suicidal before you call Samaritans - they'll always give a hearing ear. Call 116 123. I've never used Samaritans, but I do appreciate that it's somehow different to actually talk it out verbally, because my wife is profoundly deaf and if I told her in sign language, it really doesn't feel the same as actually saying it. Peace and love to you all who are suffering through the bleak midwinter - enjoy what you can over the holidays. It's going to be very mild weather, so get out if you can, that really helps too.

Mrs P

Christmas - when Atheists across the country give lots of money to rich people to celebrate something they don't believe in, whilst lying to their kids that it was the work of a magic man from frosty climes.

Gonna bah humbug this if we lose.

Since she went away

Classic Izzy!

Basically - and I think this has happened with several large companies - during the Covid pandemic they were able to get by with less staff. But that's cos everyone was pulling up trees because a) it was really, really important then and b) we all thought that we'd be working 120%, but it's just going to be a few months and then it'll be all over, back to normal. Of course, it never did. The "new normal" was banded around a lot as covid died down, but it was probably felt most in the service industries who had worked through the pandemic. No one would drive their car with their revs constantly over the red line (not for long anyway), but that's basically what RM and some other big companies have done since 2020. My round is about 25% larger than it was then. RM will argue that there's a lot less letters and that is perfectly true. However, it not that simple, cos it takes as long to deliver 850 letters to 700 homes as it does 3000 letters. Furthermore, parcels take much longer to deliver than letters. Yesterday I was trying to deliver a parcel whilst my colleague was delivering letters in the same street. By the time I'd tried the 3rd neighbour to get it off my hands, he'd delivered to half the street, about 40 houses. Actually, during the pandemic, despite very high parcel traffic it was relatively easy. No traffic on the roads, practically everyone was in and essentially we were doing knock-door-run as we weren't supposed to be near to anyone else (not a rule that was observed in the sorting office btw), whilst the letters being delivered was the bare essentials. Certainly not thousands of pizza leaflets, Mecca bingo offers or holiday brochures. Personally, and this is across the board in the entire UK business landscape, I think customer service is a thing of the past. You'll get what you're given and be thankful for that! Sorry, rant over,

Is that book by Runciman about Italian islanders who ride scooters?

Am I right in thinking you're a postie too? Oh, and apologies to @isaidno

Maybe they've heard your jokes?

All the stories you hear in the news about being told to leave letters and get the parcels done, which RM leaders keep denying.... 100% true.

You should try working for them!

Sorry to self-quote, but wouldn't this old way of doing things go a long way to eliminating the very thing that clubs say they are trying to stop with their ticketing, i.e. touting?

A group of us have got to together to go carol singing, but anyone is welcome to join. So far it's just Dean, Don, Mary, Lee and I.

Is it cos County are in the illustrious list? Kind of depressing how since the founding of the EPL the number of new teams achieving this has slowed dramatically.

Christmas time and the suggestion of people doing something nice for those less fortunate is getting so much abuse.

I knew Brexit would be good for something. Get it sorted Mr Farage!

I miss the days when you could just turn up on the day and be guaranteed entry if you paid your money.

So (current position not withstanding), us then.

Attack, attack, attack!!!

You should definitely wash your hands.

Well I'm outraged.

I'm not sure anyone's going to listen to Danny Wallace.