What are you all up to
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Lovely to read of folks "doings". Won't remember all that needs comments so global to one and all carry on enjoying.
Grey here this morning and cooler 17c bit of a shock to the system! Despite forecast of heavy rain we had very little at home by the look of it. Managed an outing to NGS garden arriving after a they'd had a heavy shower. Nice garden great cake 😉. Then onto Clare in Suffolk, after which my middle name was chosen, years since I've been and OH reckons he's never been! Find that hard to believe in 42 years! For anyone in the area lots of history, motte and bailey castle, museum, church, country park, lovely walks and of course antique shops similar to nearby Long Melford Lavenham etc. Another heavy shower whilst we were in the church and damp drive home. Nice change from my working in our garden 😉. I'm getting there and with it hopefully more paid help this week. I've cut back all the shrubs, reluctant to cut down perennials making the garden too bare, it is only September not November! So deadheaded and hope for new flowers 😉. Ground needs a good dig, turnover where there's bulbs but Essex clay to hard yet - got to catch it just right!
Wherenext thanks for asking OH doing OK thanks, needs a few incentives 😉. Let us know when you're around.
Enjoy your day folks daughter calling so haven't read through 😉 apologises if there are errors 😂
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Our bank has put out a notice to help those who've used T Cook, explaining about claims with credit and debit cards. I think our eldest daughter may have booked a special trip to the Caribbean next year with TC but I'm hoping she hasn't! Maybe there'll be better news if other travel companies take over some parts?
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B2, we arrived back to find all our hedges cut, more than expected as OH had already cut some but our local "lad" must have had other thoughts! The shrubs and flowers need a good hair cut and it looks a bit daunting on return. Sounds like you had a nice time re-visiting Clare.
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Surprisingly nice here this morning, after a shower overnight. Lovely sunny morning. OH has taken our Jeep back to dealer to have airbag recall work done, so we await whatever courtesy car they are providing. Could be another Jeep, or we might be slumming it in a Fiat (joking, some are nice little cars😁) I am on pooch duties, so his chariot will roll shortly to our nice local park, then it’s back to put last few bits and clothes into MH. Might even get into garden later, do a bit more.
Will have to look up Clare Bakers, I know we have never been, but if it has a Castle, sounds our kind of place. I know Lavenham is lovely.
Bad news for the TC staff, another old British name gone under. I read reports of some of the dirty tricks that were happening in Tunisia to visitors, so hope things get sorted out.
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It’s a bit of a detour AD certainly! Hope things get sorted for you. Some sad stories out there, but hopefully no one injured or hurt by things.
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We too have a holiday booked with TC for next March being paid for by DD so OH is ringing the bank this morning. I have got out the ATOL certificate and investigated online. The are asking that we hold back on our claims for couple of weeks as the CAA are prioritising getting the poor souls home that are stranded abroad. As TC is a local company we know some people who worked there and I fee so very sorry for all of them . They have families to support and mortgages to pay. It must be a nightmare for them.
Nice sunny day here today but cooler with an autumnal feel. Gardening and holiday washing for me today.
Your day out yesterday sounds wonderful Bakers2. I had never heard of Clare. I will do some investigating. I am pleased to hear that your OH is doing OK.
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I feel so sorry for all those caught up in the Thomas Cook debacle whether away at the moment, booked for future holidays or, indeed, staff affected. I remember that when we were looking for our holiday next week one possibility, though not with TC itself, was using a TC flight. Fortunately we decided on an alternative so all looks good and this time next week we should be in Lisbon. One thing I don't understand is hotels claiming they might not get paid - I thought one of the reasons holiday firms demanded payment 10 weeks in advance was so that those obligations could be met. Makes you wonder exactly where all that money paid in advance resides? The whole situation seems shambolic and if I were one of those chief executives who apparently have been paid several millions of pounds over the past few years I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror each morning.
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Another one here who had a holiday booked with TC. A group of us should have been going to Spain next Monday! Glad i held off buying Euros due to the press reports, at least i'm not stuck with a wallet full of them until next year.Never mind its ATOL protected so no problem there. Feel sorry for the staff.
Currently looking for a B&B near Wigan pier. Hear its nice in October.
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If there's one of thing that gets my blood pressure up when companies go under, it's the top executives crying all the way to their yacht in the Maldives while the rank and file employees are queuing at the Jobcentre and at the CAB for advice on their mortgage liabilities.
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Agree totally CY. Growing up, I always thought that if you bought shares in a company, your dividend was only paid out if the company did well. Nowadays it appears shareholders and senior executives are always at the top of the pile with customers and staff on a wing and a prayer! How many companies, firms large and small businesses have we seen founder in this way? Yet nothing ever seems to be done to break an obviously flawed business model.
It’s the same with other obviously broken models such as housing stock and BTL landlords, all though there are a lot of other aspects not helping such as the level of family breakdowns, job insecurity, and poor lifestyle choices early in life. It’s a minefield, but it’s manmade. It’s so ruddy obvious at times what the issues are, but no, we have to have an expensive half baked study, then very little is acted upon. The other issue of course is do we actually have anyone competent in a position where they can make a difference? Very sad.☹️
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Sadly companies listed on the stock market are at the mercy of their stock prices, that's the way most of our major companies work. This includes investment funds that pay our pensions etc. When TC stock prices took a tumble they lost funds to support the company. I've no idea about executive pay but I've read that confidence has dropped in holiday markets generally, climate and other factors have come into play. Sounds like a very difficult market to be in just now. Very sad for employees and the general holiday industry.
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Hmm, on a wetter note it's raining heavily here. We didn't do too badly in NW Scotland l. Hope the WNs are enjoying their break...ribs OK?
Millie, your holiday sounded good too. We had planned a short break in Norfolk later on, last one of the year, if we can make it!
Cross cat back from cattery, £9 a day and still doesn't understand the "luxury" surroundings, I suppose home is the best?
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My daughter in law used to work for Air Canada and when she went back to Brazil to visit her parents she used to fly from Heathrow to Canada and then onto Brazil. Being staff they were only on stand by so there were no guarantees which could extend the time a bit more! Her daughter now works for BA so they now have the luxury of flying direct from Heathrow, often with an upgrade
David
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I think it's called capitalism which is far from democratic but people are often reluctant to embrace the alternative which could take many forms. Perhaps I should say no more!
One thing I would change about Insolvency rules would be to make administrators give first priority to staff wages/pensions rather than creditors or at least give them equal priority.
David
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Unless insolvency rules have changed in recent years, staff come above other creditors in the list of who gets paid in the event of liquidation/winding up of a company. Needless to say, HMRC are at the top of the list.
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I should have said that after Secured Creditors, staff head up the list of Preferential Creditors. Banks and other lenders will be Secured Creditors only if the loans are secured.
I see that HMRC are now classed as Unsecured Creditors so are way down the list and that’s a change from my era in dealing with insolvency.
It makes interesting reading for some.
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Just home after a lovely 4 night break at Berwick Seaview club site one of our faves that’s the third time we have been there this year. Weather was good so managed a cycle and we cooked out on the Cadac a couple of times which is a bonus in September. Lindisfarne as always was beautiful and we visited the Grace Darling Museum which was excellent well worth a visit for those in the area and it was free entry. Nice easy 3 hour drive home today caravan back in its space on the drive not away next weekend as I have a sportsman’s dinner to go to but hopefully go somewhere the following week probably just LLocal.
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It is indeed sadly. Fully with you on protecting staff pensions, there’s been too many scandals these last decades, heartbreaking for many after they have put in long hard years and paid in expecting to have a comfortable retirement. Folks need a lot of help both ends of their working lives really.
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Completed our v short visit to Nantes today, taking in the castle and the cathedral before heavy rain showers closed play. Our plan to 'lunch' at McD's had to be abandoned as it had been wrecked a few weeks ago during the yellow vests riot! Instead we had gallettes in a small side-street creperie.
We sail from Calais a week tomorrow, so a few night halts on the way.
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Home for a short break
before off again Doctors/and Hospital appointments for us will fill most of the "break",even the grass does not require a cut yet, just as well as it has started to rain ,but pond needs it as it is about a foot lower than normal,ps Lots of activity at Lakenheath and Mildenhall when we came past ?
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Ribs are doing just fine Brue thank you. It's the muscle damage and the lung that are taking a bit longer. They had a good blow when Nellie visited about a week ago so I know how much more is needed.
Had an easy drive to our new CL just north of Boston for 4 nights. It's a very spacious place. We've commandeered the 1 H/S. Went for a stroll this afternoon in lovely sunny weather. Rain arrived about an hour ago.
I have thought about Clare for a call in on the way home. ( Hope she's in
). There was an article some time ago in a walking magazine I buy about Clare and it piqued my curiosity so we may well end up there.Keep going Bakers!
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As forecast for late afternoon and the coming days was for rain we started off today with doing the laundry, leaving it out to dry. Then it was off to Droitwich to stock up (Aldi & Lidl, virtually next door to each other) followed by a visit to Hanbury Hall. We didn't go in the house this time but had a good walk around the estate. Filled up with fuel at a Sainbury's garage and got back to van before rain started, and so all the washing was nice and dry. Our last night here before heading down to Forest of Dean.
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The Provençal weather has returned to normal, for the time of year, after heavy rain and thunderstorms last night. Today a nice pleasant sunny 25 and a cooler evening than of late. Sister and BinL visited us at the site for a BBQ lunch time, so plenty of local rose was consumed.😀Will probably move on after tomorrow, which is market day, always interesting in France.
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Our last night here before heading down to Forest of Dean. Enjoy the Forest of Dean Nellie. I think I have mentioned before that we had some good friends who lived there (in a village called Bream near Lydney) who are sadly no longer with us . We had some very happy holidays there with them when all our children were young. We continued going to stay with them (but without the children!) until about 5 years ago. Lovely area.
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Thanks, millie. We are staying not far from Lydney, up towards Coleford, on the commercial site recommended by Moulesy.
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