Bee Orchid's most appreciated articles

The weather here has certainly been ‘exciting’ in that we’ve had high winds though not as bad as some parts of the UK (yet) and serious amounts of rain. It rained all day Thursday, in between the rain it poured it down, and over a 24-hour period, we’ve had 3 inches of rain. There are no drains in my half of the street, no idea why, and looking out of the bedroom window, it was like looking at a river running through our street. My car is partly on the kerb to allow traffic to pass easily, and I…

Yet again I’ve had a gas bill for over £1200, and yet again I made an official complaint. A manager called me, stated that it had all been sorted, but that for reasons known only to herself, someone had gone into my account and altered the meter reading back to the incorrect 5-digit reading. OMG! He’s sorted it all out, again, and it now seems they owe me over £150. I’m not sure about that though they state E-On provided the wrong readings in the first place. A meter reader is coming out next mo…

As someone who has lived most of their life in Wales, I do still follow events there even though I’ve moved away. This week, after spending at least £44M on a public inquiry and ‘other costs’ over the years, the Welsh government has now scrapped the idea of an M4 (motorway) relief road. It’s good news for the immediate environment as one of the relief road possibilities was through an area of natural beauty full of wild birds, however it’s bad news for commuters. As someone who used to live in t…

I have a sign on my door stating: No Cold Callers. Mainly this stems from having a man call not long after we’d moved in, ostensibly to check our gas and electricity meters. He’d flashed a badge, and stated they were old and should be renewed. He then spent over 10 minutes going through some online blurb, and it started to dawn on me that he was merely trying to get me to change provider. I’d already explained that we were new to the area, and renters, and I wasn’t sure I was even allowed to swi…

A busy week draws to a close. Thursday was a quiet day spent at home, just pottering about, and doing some laundry. Friday, we went to visit Mum. On the way onto the ward I saw an air bed in the corridor and joked that it was Mum’s and on approaching her room, I noted that her name had been removed from her door. My heart was in my mouth, when a nurse, seeing my expression, quickly told us Mum had been moved onto a ward with others. Phew! I was worried… Mum now shares a room with 3 others and sh…

It’s been about 5 weeks since our move, and we’re settling nicely; finding shops, a vet, GP and dental services. We have a new shower which is great, and we’re managing to work the old boiler (not me) at the house too. The rooms, especially upstairs, have ridiculously high ceilings, and I had hoped it would keep the bedrooms cooler, but no. Average night time temps here are 24C, even with the windows open, and my son’s room is even hotter as he has the room on the sunny side of the house. Sp…

After 2 hours of frustration and the network dropping, I’ve finally got my new computer up and running. Back in 2005, I bought a new computer with my first instalment of my student loan. It was expensive, and a great machine, and the staff in the computer shop installed everything for me. Not so anymore… My biggest complaint with Windows 10 is that it doesn’t come with Solitaire nor Mahjong preinstalled. Why not? I’ve tried a free version from the app store, but I hate it! Anybody know how to…

The weekend didn’t go quite as planned. The plan, was to travel down to my sisters on Saturday, go shopping in the city with her, then stay overnight. We would then pop over into England in my car, about 50 miles, attend a large country fair, and meet up with my brother. He would then take my sister home, whereas I’d have a 102-mile journey home on a very straightforward route. So much for plans. It’s not his fault, a friend of theirs had died recently, and understandably they didn’t feel like g…

This past week has been a good one. We had notice that we're being given a second pay rise from November; it's not a massive rise however every little helps. They're also going to bring forward our pay review to the spring, so hopefully that'll mean more money too, earlier in the year than the usual August date. We have 'new' contracts soon, and I've gone to great lengths to notify my manager that, in the main, I want to continue doing the job I was hired to do. Missives from the union lead m…

Expressions that defy logic: I can’t thank you enough – Did you even try? I’m speechless, I don’t know what to say, I’m speechless – Yet you keep talking. I can’t tell you how much I love you – Why not? Could you try? I don’t believe in guns – But they exist! They’re real! You’ve no idea how I feel – Then tell me, I’m not psychic. I don’t know how to thank you – Open your mouth and say thank-you. There’s no call for it – Yet here I am, asking for this item. Midlands dri…

Just over 5 weeks to go until I abandon Ship. I don’t have a firm date as yet, despite my asking, however it’s looking like the first week in June. I’ve alerted my scurvy landlord of the above, and maybe he can ‘bother’ them to get a firm date for me. So far, I’ve had an estimate over the phone, and 2 Scurvy Dogs come out to give me a quote on the move. Due to it being across country, I need to go with a large firm so that they have a big enough lorry. I knew moving wouldn’t be cheap, however th…

It would appear that I’ve jumped the gun regarding my eye surgery. I had initially thought I was having the surgery in early March, however the confirmation letter states this is simply an initial consultation. I’ve already spent close to 3 hours having tests, and checks done by the local optician, what more can they need to do? They further state that I can’t drive after the hospital check-up as they ‘may’ use the special eyedrops during the consultation. I’m able to get a bus directly to the h…

This week, I have been, mostly, shattered. I worked an extra 10 hours, making my weekly total 22 hours. It was hard work. I didn’t mind doing it, however the one day I was a tad miffed. It was a day I wasn’t supposed to be in anyway, I did a 6-hour shift, and even then, two people asked if I could stay extra. I apologised, but said no, I really wanted to get home, and I reminded them I was working 10 hours overtime this week anyway. Each day that I’ve worked 6 hours, I’ve fallen asleep in front…

Since being told 3 weeks ago, that we were due a House Inspection, I’ve been walking slowly through the house trying to clean or paint over any marks left on the walls by the removal firm; nothing major, just the odd small mark here and there. It only cost me two match pots and a little time. With the inspection due Monday gone, I spent the weekend dusting, vacuuming, and putting anything away in a cupboard that might make the place look untidy; my son wouldn’t fit, nor the dog LMAO. I washed th…

I was up early today, couldn’t sleep. Checked the news, and I’m flabbergasted! Despite making Lockdown rules, breaking said rules, then lying about breaking said rules, being fined by the police (a paltry sum) BoJo the Clown is still our PM. You couldn’t make it up! Is this really the best the Conservative party have to offer? A man who lies to his party and the public? Well, he got one thing right: We got away with it. My son suggests this is a good thing as now, he hopes, the conservativ…

This month the Ship has been beset by crawlers (ladybirds outside) fliers (tiny little flies outside) and now slithering sea beasties. The beasties have somehow found their way into the downstairs loo, and so far, this month, I’ve had to slash and burn (and even flush) 4 sea beasties. One was in the toilet pan! Okay, in reality we’re talking slugs here, but how they’re getting in is beyond me. If we keep seeing them, someone from the agents will need to see if there’s a hole or gap in the outsid…

The saga with my eyes continues. I was filling in a health questionnaire prior to my appointment a week from Monday, when I noted that the hospital listed on the letter is not the one offered me over the phone. Instead of being 3 miles away, this one is almost 20 miles away. I won’t be able to drive, nobody I know lives near to give me a lift, and it would take over an hour, each way, by train at goodness knows what cost. I phoned the ‘helpline’ and found the person to be very unhelpful, stated…

Since moving to the Midlands, England, some months ago, I’ve been called some names. They range from chick, hen, chook, duck, and darl which I assume is short for darling. They’re obsessed with fowl! Lol. Mind you, I feel it’s preferable to what they call people in South Wales which is: my love. I’m not sure if that’s a Valleys thing or that general area of Wales. I think I prefer the fowl, and yes, the title was a play on words. After our Chinese food attempts, we’d cut back on the meat for…

After recent heavy rain, thunder and lightning, Sunday dawned bright and clear. I got a load of washing out on the rigging, and using a stiff broom and a trowel, I emptied out the drains and channels for the forecast storms later today. The Deckhand walked the Ship’s Dog whilst I made porridge. It transpires we had no bread for toast, no milk for cereal, so Scottish-style porridge for us – salt rather than sugar/syrup. Later, I set out for a market town that I like. The roads were clear and I…

Whenever anyone asks my name, I never say ‘my name is Fran.’ For whatever reason, I always say ‘I’m Fran.’ It’s my name, though it’s also who I am. When I was younger I didn’t much care for my name. It’s longer than Fran and most people, back then, couldn’t spell it and there would be some weird and wonderful ways of spelling my full name that had never occurred to me! I also didn’t like that my Grandfather was Frank, in more ways than one, and my Mother’s name was an extension of that, and my n…