I could swear!
I,m having great difficulty in leaving comments on your blogs,I don't know why but everytime it asks me to put the word thing in I do it and then it says its not excepted.
Dickiebo, yours seem alright!!! LOL
Bernard, I can't leave a comment on yours.
Sage, the same.
I haven't a clue what to do, as they say. but will try to sort it out.

I have just had a week off work and it has been lovely.The only dissapointing thing about it was the weather,a lot of rain. Still, it didn't really stop us from doing the things we planned.
The one thing I wanted to get my hands on was the garden.
On tuesday it was lovely, sunny and bright so out we go, or should I say out I go! We have a very small front garden which is easy to maintain, its the back one thats bigger and it can look a little over-run.
I mowed both the lawns and then weeded them. I love doing that, getting rid of all the weeds in the garden it looks so much better.Then went round and tidied up the flowers, beheading the old ones that had died.Then I got geoff off his chair (LOL) and he painted the fences with a spray painter, it didn't take that long really,and it looks so much better. He started to do the patio and ran out of paint, isn't that always the way?
So, off we went to buy some more at Focus. While there we say how empty the shop was, they are closing down. Many shop assistants had been working there for years, and now they will be unemployed as no-one could find another job. It was devastating. I really felt for them.
Anyway, we saw that they had halved the price of everything in the store to get rid of it, so we got paint for about £5.oo or so, and then we saw they were selling picket fencing. We thought they look great so we brought some.
They just needed painting so we brought some white paint but because of the weather we haven't had a chance to paint them yet but we will soon.
Apparently its thunder storms tomorrow!
Anyway, back to work monday, so I'll look forward to that (LOL!!!)

Re those emails, I have spoken to a friend, Frank,who is good on these things and sage is right.
When you receive these emails, and they are the ones without a heading, do not open them, right hand click on them and "block" them.
If I email you myself, I will always put a heading on it so you know it's from me.
I have been receiving those "postmaster........" meaning they could not send the emails notices in my email account and I said to geoff that I had not sent any.

Again, I apologise to all of you for this inconvenience, it is annoying tho, love to know who did this!

Anyone got a gun????!!!!!
LOL

I have received some emails from my friends saying they have received emails from me, but they are not from me.
I do not know whats going on, someone has got hold of my email and my list of contacts and sending these emails.They are rubbish ones anyway.
Please just delete them. I do not want them to get hold of yours, if they can, I do not know whats going on. Will try to sort this out.
My apologies to you all.

I wish I didn't think.
I get angry when I do, so many things going on and I want so badly to change it.
I have always said I didn't want this to be an "have a go at Asda" blog but I have told you a couple of things that have gone on, but what is going on now takes the biscuit.
Don't be surprise if I and many more leave that bloody store.
I,m not talking about jane, the one who phoned me at home and was so rude, because she's alright now, (well sometimes!!!) but nothing like she was. No, she is not the problem, the problem is Asda itself.
This has been going on now for some months, it's not new, and it's driving us all mad.
We have been told about the new "Happy to help" programme they have set up.
We must be over the top happy to help all customers.
This is how it is set out:
1. We must say Good morning/afternoon to every customer.
2. We must ask every customer if they have bags and do they need a help with their packing?
3. We must then ask them if they want any bags and if they do, do they want free ones or the "bag for life" meaning they 5p once and when the bag is damaged we will replace it free.
4. We must make conversation with them, whilst we serve them, and take an interest in what they say.
5. When we serve the next customer we must say "Thankyou for waiting."
You notice I say we must, because, you see, we are monitored. One of the girls from the office comes down with a pad and marks you.
I have failed twice.
They failed me because I didn't make any conversation with the customer so they say, I don't remember not talking to them.
Tuff!!!!!!!!! I don't bloody care.

I do 5 hrs a day 4 days a week, plus any over time,and you could serve between 10-15 customers an hour,depending how much shopping they've got, so can you imagine just how many times I say these things? So many times and always of course with a smile.
It is driving us all mad. Those words go round and round your head until you could scream.
I used to love that job but now it more like a torture chamber, and I'm not the only one to say this, we all are. It is totally unreasonable to expect us to say this over and over and over again.
Also, if we are asked a question by a customer,for instance if they cannot find a particular product, if we are not on a till, we then take the customer to the product they require and then ask them if we could help them with anything else.
Thats ok but it could be the "mystery shopper"
This person, will again monitor us and mark us, the store will then be told how many we have scored.
The scoring goes like this,
1. We must be wearing our name badge
2. We must always be polite and take the customer to the product they want or if we are not sure take the to the customer service desk so they can enquire about it.
3. Ask if we could help with anything else.
4. Just our manner and how helpful we are.
None of us know who they are and when they will come into the shop.They come once a month.
Whoever passes this is rewarded quite well by Asda.
You get your photo taken with the manager,Nigel,and you are invited to an free breakfast and that is the works by the way, egg, bacon etc. and an Asda card worth £20.00
Not fantastic but we appreciate it.
They mark us out of a hundred and we have passed it.
In fact I have passed it, believe it or not.
You must remember when geoff had his knee op, well, it took a few months before he could drive, and on this particular day I was taking geoff to hospital. I received a phone call from one of the office girls and she asked me if I was going to the breakfast, I asked what breakfast, and she told me I got a hundred per cent from the mystery shopper.
I didn't know, nobody told me.
I explained I was taking geoff to hospital so I couldn't go to it, which was a shame.
I went to work the next day expecting a least a word from my managers, but no, nothing.
Time went on.
The next week, one of the girls told me there was an envelope on the desk for me. We wondered what it was and made the usual joke about it being my P45. Everybody laughed.
I opened the envelope to find an Asda card.
It was the card worth £20.00 that you get when you pass the mystery shoppers 100%
I put it away and said no more.

It isn't that I wanted a great big cheer, or even my photo taken for that matter (I hate photos of me lol) but most people get a congratulations or a hand shake from the managers because it looks good for them and the shop so they are pleased.
All shops are monitored and there is a competition between us all and it is put up on the notice board which shop has the highest points.

Anyway, thats what I mean about not wanting to think.
I wish I didn't.
I just get angry.

Well, it was funny this time because of having two votes we had to have the local election votes today.(friday)
So, we arrived at the council house at 9.30am and luckily South Wythall was the first one to be counted.
Result as follows:

Annette Hulett....Labour..................83.

WOW, that meant I doubled the votes from last time.
Labour had 49 votes.

LOL!!!!

So, I won't be prime minister just yet then................

Osama Bin Laden is dead!!!!!
Not often I wish for this but in his case......................

I,ve just been canvassing around Wythall and yes..................it is def a Tory area!!!
I'll be lucky if I get 49 votes!!!

Well, it's official now,I have received my letter informing me I am now a labour councillor for Wythall.
Geoff and I went to Wythall and I couldn't believe how big the place was,and it was all farms.
I looked on the computer for the results of the last election and this was the result:
James Duddy (conservative): 516
Nigel Huggins (Independent) 165
Christopher Bloor (Labour) 49

So, as you can see, I have a lot to do.
If I could just get 50 or more that will help.LOL

Will let you know how it goes.

Things are begining to look interesting again, you see both geoff and I have been asked to stand as a labour candidate.
Geoff for Alvechurch where he was a councillor there once a few years ago now, and me for Wythall.
We are paper candidates really cause they are both conservative seats really.
I did stand for Hagley once as a paper candidate and I loved it. I loved meeting people and talking politics with them.
After the election I was told I did very well getting a few more labour supporters, they were pleased with me.
So, we will see how it goes.
It will be interesting.
I'll let you know how it goes.

Do you remember when I told you about the terrible telephone call I received from Jane (not her real name) our peoples manager when I couldn't get into work that one wednesday because of the snow?
How she accused me of letting Asda down and I should go back to work right then at 3 pm and when I refused, because of the snow, she said I had let everyone down and a few more terrible things as well.
Well, I made an official report to nigel, our GSM (general store man anger)and then we sat back and waited..... and waited to see what would happen if anything.
Time went on and nothing seemed to change she was still the same, thought she was better than you and almost looked down her nose at you and spoke to you like it as well.
But now, suddenly in February, she started to change, her attitude changed towards us and she actually became friendly. We weren't sure at first how to take this as it takes a long time to trust someone again, but now in March, she is so different.
She's happier, friendlier and you can talk to her about anything.
What a change, thank god.
So much better than before.
It's like having a new person around.
Nigel promised me he would look into this as he didn't like it at all.
I don't know what he had said to her but.................. it's worked.
Well done nigel.

Isn't it awful when you have one of those weeks when you find yourself in a foul mood every morning when you wake up, and even worse when you don't even know why.
Maybe it's a reaction to snowdrop being ill, but now she's home she's so much better.
I just feel so stressed out and yet, there isn't really one reason for me too.
This computer is going so slow, work is rather slow although you do get mad moments and I am getting a little tired of one woman at work who does nothing but swear, swear and swear again.
I will cheer up, I'm watching Hot Fuzz right now and that usually makes me laugh although I haven't laughed yet really.
I hate these weeks, but it will pass.
Next week should be better.

Snowdrop is home.
Thank goodness for that, we were so worried, we thought we Had lost her.
Murray the vet had to give her oxygen monday and tuesday night to see her through the night.
When the vet had the blood test results and showed she had been poisoned he started the anti-biotic straight away, and after 2 days she was well enough to come home.
She has lost a lot of weight and is feeling groggy at the moment.
But her appetite has come back a bit and she is eating a little more now, however, we have to give her a 6Th of an tablet 3 times a day. I know this sounds funny and I must admit I have never heard of this before but it is because they are so strong if you give her a whole one it would do more harm than good.
Little and often as they say.
So, now we can relax and enjoy having her home.
Thank god for that.

We know now what was wrong with snowdrop, she has been poisoned!
Rat poison to be percise.
She must have eaten a rat (yuk!) that had been poisoned.
Now that they know exactly what is wrong they can treat her for it. But the vet did warn us that it is a 50/50 chance if she survives.
So, it wasn't asthma or pnuemonia as the vet thought at one time,it's poison!
Let us hope she survives.

I had a weeks holiday last week and we decided to go away for a few days.
So, we booked to got to the Commodor hotel in Sandbay,which is about 5 miles from Western-super-mare.
We went for 3 days and it was a lovely break.
We love western and often go there for a day out, so we were looking forward to it.
The hotel was lovely and the food was delicious, although to be truthful we did eat out a couple of nights.
We arrived on saturday and went for a carvery in the hotel that night, and it was delicious I must admit.
Sunday we went for a chinese meal and we did so enjoy that!
Monday we went for an Indian meal and we do so enjoy that!
Tuesday, after a lovely breakfast we came home.
When we go away, we have a lovely neighbour who feeds snowdrop for us.
Everything was fine and we even popped down to Oxford on sunday to see the family.
When we came back snowdrop was fine and we gave her 2 chews that she loves, but she only ate one.
We thought it was strange, as she loves her food, but thought no more of it.
I got up monday morning and gave her her breakfast, but she only ate half of it. I went to work and she seemed fine.
When i got home about 2pm monday afternoon, geoff says he didn't think snowdrop was very well. I must admit I hadn't realised as I hadn't been home very long and was feeling tired.
However, we both noticed that her breathing wasn't quite right,by that I mean she was breathing very fast and although she wasn't actually panting there was something wrong.
I rang the vet and made an appointment for that afternoon.
Off we went and as soon as we walked in the vet, Murray, took her off us and listened to her heart,he said he wasn't happy with it and he was examining her everywhere but she didn't flinch which proved she wasn't in pain. He then took her temperature and that was normal.
We could not work out what was wrong with her and he kept asking us questions. When was the last time she had eaten,has she been sick.
No, was the answer to that.
He even asked us if it was possible she had been run over.
We know she hadn't been.
Anyway, he checked her teeth and gums and said they were pale and quite blue.
He said he wanted to keep her in hospital overnight to x-ray her and take blood tests this we agreed to willingly.
It was most peculiar to go home without her but we knew she was in good hands.
I rang the vets this morning and he said he was quite please with her and the x-ray was fine but still waiting for the blood tests results and he thinks she had had an asthma attack, although she is only about 4 years old and quite young to have this as it usually happens to older cats.
We felt better hearing that and said we would ring later to see how she is then.
We did ring about 6pm but unfortunately, she had deteriorated. Her breathing was fast and irregular and she was fighting for breath.
He was very kind but also honest with us and said he will keep her in hospital tonight as she is too ill to come home and hopes that she will be better tomorrow.
But he did warn us it could be tragic.
We can only wait now and see what happens.
I pray she gets through this.

I heard some sad news yesterday and I am so bloody angry.
Going back some years ago,when I lived at home in Oxford and when geoff and I first met in 1976,we used to go to the Cowley Workers club.
We loved it, it was a great club and everyone got on so well. We used to play snooker and bingo and we just had a great laugh.
Well, there was one man everyone avoided, he name was Joe.
Joe who then was in his early sixties, was a nasty little man who upset everyone (and he was little as well, he was just 5'ft tall and weighed about 8 stone) and he used to call everyone all the names under the sun, He didn't even say it in a quiet voice, he used to make sure they heard him.
Nobody took much notice of him and we used to laugh and just say, here he goes again.
However after a year or so,it did then start to get on your nerves and everyone got to hate him.
No matter what you said to him he was always ready with an insult.
"You fucking bastard....." was his usual remark.
Nobody understood why he was allowed back in the club, he should have been banned.
We know he lost his wife some years before and his daughter, sue, was looking after him.
But he did not appreciate it one little bit.
Sue worked full time and looked after joe, cooking, cleaning,and the usual housework things, and seven nights a week she drove him up to the club and then went back at eleven to pick him up.
She was shattered.
Sometimes at the weekend she used to stay with him, and what a grand night she had.
He was still the same, cursing, shouting.

Once we asked her why she stayed with him and got the obvious answer that he was her dad and he wouldn't know how to boil a kettle for a cup of tea let alone cook any food.She also said he was as bad as this when he was at home, swearing, cursing, about nothing in particular, just life.
Sue was a heavy smoker and we all knew why,having to put up with him.
About a year ago, Joe died quite suddenly, and nobody was sorry.
We all felt relief for sue because now she could relax and have a life of her own.
She had a boyfriend and ,of course, Joe did not like him, although he was fine really.
So, instead of getting married they just stayed as boyfriend/girlfriend.
Her boyfriend could not live with sue and her dad. Nobody could.
My mum told me that she had found out that sue had not been well but did not know exactly what was wrong with her.
A friend of ours then told us that sue had got lung cancer.
We couldn't believe it.
After all she had gone through with joe, the absolute hell he put her through.
She was told she only had a few months to live.
My mum phoned me yesterday and yes, you're right.
Sue had died.
Luckily, her sister and her boyfriend was with her when she passed away.
But what is making my blood boil is that joe was not just a nasty little man and upset many, many people, he also killed sue.
That nasty little bastard put sue through so much stress and strain she had a very unhappy life.
If she wasn't under so much stress with him for so long she may have not smoked, or, if she did, she probably would not have smoked so much.
She would not have got lung cancer and ended her life so early.
She was 56 years old.
R.I.P Sue.
At last she can rest.

Astronomers have discovered one of the most fantastic disclosures of all time, in fact ever since life on this earth came into existence.
They are not sure yet when it will happen but sometime this year we will have two suns.
The reason is because a dying red super-giant star called Betelguese, will finally blow itself into oblivion.
When it does the explosion will be so bright that even the star in the Orion constellation, which is 640 light-years away, will shine so bright it will turn night into day and it will appear that there are two suns in the sky.
This will happen for a couple of weeks.
This has never happened before and it will be fantastic to see.
I can't wait for it to happen.

I am fuming.
You must all remember the snow we've had,I say had because it's gone here now, and apparently we are not going to have anymore, or so they say.LOL
Well, the week before christmas, on the wednesday, I could not go into work because of the amount of snow that had fallen.
Asda opened an hour earlier christmas week, 7.00am instead of 8.00a.m. and I agreed, along with many others, to start work an hour earlier.
So, on monday, I got up at 4.30 a.m. and at 5.00a.m. I was out getting all the snow of my car and just preparing myself for the days work.
I left at 6.am. and arrived at Asda at 6,45a.m. it is only two miles away, so you can imagine what a dreadful drive that was.
Tuesday is my day off and it did nothing but snow all day. So I new what to expect on wednesday.
Wednesday morning, I got up at 4.30a.am. and at 5.30a.m. I was getting the snow off my car, it took me a good half an hour.
At 6.00a.m. I drove off to go to work, or at least I tried.
I had to reverse out and the car was going everywhere, slipping and sliding and no matter how hard I tried I could not get the car out.
Eventually , I managed it and drove off, straight into the curb, because my car just slid into it. I persevered and got it, very gently I may add, to the end of the road. It was then I turned back and drove home.The snow was so deep.
My car just would not go straight, slipping and sliding everywhere. This was on fresh snow and it was dreadful.
I told geoff and even tried to go in his car but no, it was as bad.
At 7.ooa.m. I phoned into work and explained what had happened and told them I could not make it that day. They were very understanding and said not to worry about it as others had got the same problem, they were many of us that could not go to work that day.
The day went on and about 3.oop.m. I received a phone call from Jane (thats not her real name) Jane is the Peoples mananger or personnel manager if you like.
She started saying about not turning up for work and I started to say how terrible it is, however, I never got a word in.
She continued to TELL me to come back to work NOW. I told her I couldn't because of the snow.I explained that it was actually snowing while she was talking to me.She asked me in a very demanding way whether I was REFUSING to come to work, I was so irate by this time I said YES!!!!! I wasn't refusing to go back to work for any other reason other than the snow problem.

She also said that my husband could drive me to work(very kind of her) I tried to explain that geoff had tried too but he couldn't do it. However I could not get a word in.
She started to raise her voice and told me I had let Asda down and that it was sunshine and blue skies.
There was more to this but I have cut it down because it was so dreadful, all she kept telling me was that I had let Asda down.
Eventually, her last words to me were, in a very sarcastic manner:
"DO HAVE A LOVELY AFTERNOON ANNETTE, DO HAVE A LOVELY AFTERNOON ANNETTE, DO HAVE A LOVELY AFTERNOON ANNETTE"
To which my reply was:"I will."
And I put the phone down.
She does keep repeating her sentences, I don't know why, she just does.
What concerned me was the fact there was no concern from her, she didn't care how anyone was going to get to work as long as we did.
Thursday morning came and the it was a little better. I managed to get the snow off the car and I did drive to work but it took me nearly and hour.
When I arrived at work everyone was in bits because they too had had a phone call from her and it was just as bad, in fact she had had some in tears.
We all went down and clocked in and I went straight to the GSM General store manager, told him I wanted to make an official complaint about the phone call I had received the day before. The first thing he asked me was , "did she ask you to come back to work?"
I said "yes, and more!"
He could see I was mad and we went upstairs to an office.
I told him excatly what I have told you, how long it took me get the snow off the car and how I had tried to come to work. I also reminded him that I had worked here for 20 years and NEVER have missed a day for this reason.
Then I told him about the call, what she had said to me, letting asda down, geoff could drive me into work, and that it was bright sunshine and blue skies although it was snowing at the time.
I couldn't understand why she had said "blue skies and sunshine" actually,and I said I wasn't sure what planet she was on because it wasn't this Earth!
It was that night we were on Midlands Today about the amount of snow we have had!
He was very good actually, he listened patiently, rarely spoke,(probably because he couldn't get a word in!!!) and was very professional.
He wrote a few things down as well.
At the end he said that I deserved an apology and that they do not expect any manager to speak or behave in that way.
He promised he would look into this but asked me to be a patient as it was christmas and new year,because the shop will be closed for a few days,I willingly agreed to this.
However, that is not all, Jane has come down onto the shop floor and yelled at some of us,even in front of the customers,not me I must add, and she has been very, very abusive.
Two others have now made official complaints about her behaviour,and everyone has told the manager about their phone calls they recieved and even what she has said to them on the shop floor.
So he knows the full picture now.
Jane is a young lady (??) about 30ish and very attractive actually,so why she has to behave like this god knows. No-one has ever had a cross word with her first. Nededless to say she is not liked, which is a shame.
Anyway, we will see what happens, but everyone asks me if the manager has done anything yet and I have to remind them that it has only been a couple of weeks and you have to give him time.
I really think she's in the wrong job as I have never known a peoples manager who doesn't like people.
I will let you know how it goes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

MERRY CHRISTAMS TO ALL MY FRIENDS