The Phone Saga

How frustrating is it trying to deal with large companies, like your Telco. Back in the days when we still had a business, we were with Telco A. When mobile phones were introduced I entered into a contract with my Telco on a twelve months term. But the reception was so bad where we live, we used to have to walk down into the street if a call was important and we didn't want to lose it. I wrote to the company explaining the problem we had. They investigated and wrote us a letter saying they realised there was a problem but they had no immediate plans to rectify it.

A friend of ours a couple of streets away had the same problem with the same Telco and told me he'd switched to Telco B and had now good service. So when our twelve months was up, we too changed to Telco B and no longer had a problem. We stayed with this Telco for about eight years, until February last year well after we sold the business and retired. We were no longer on a contract and only paid for calls we made.

Well! In February last year, I got a call from Telco A telling me that their records show that I haven't got a mobile phone yet. I told them, yes, we had in fact two mobile phones. I'm sorry, the man said. Our records show that you haven't got a mobile phone. I ask you! The arrogance of this company! When I told him that our mobile phones were with another Telco and the reason why, he got very excited and offered us new phones as well as the same charges we paid Telco B. He also assured me that the problem regarding reception had now been fixed.

Unfortunately they called when I had a weak moment and I fell for it and agreed to switch back, after he told me we could get our landline, Cable TV, broadband and the new mobile phones all on one bill.

Well, now it's nearly twelve months later and guess what! Firstly, my new phone wouldn't work in the car, so after much arguing with them AND involving the Telecommunications Ombudsman, they gave me a replacement phone and some credits but now we're getting two individual bills for our new mobile phones as well as the bills for the other services.

We recently spent a whole morning on the phone to them telling them that both mobile phones were in the same name and should be on the same bill. For some reason, they claim that the mobile phones cannot be on the same bill, as they have different owners. NO THEY HAVEN'T!

Arrrrrrrghhhh !!!

No doubt the saga will continue....

Switzerland from a Train

I have new titling software for my Casablanca-KRON digital editing machine. So to try it out, I re-edited the Swiss leg of our last European trip. At the same time, I found a couple of LPs of the Swiss Radio Light Orchestra from my old radio days, which my mate Paul converted to CDs.

In part 1 you'll see me and my old school mate, Roland, pretending to ring the bells in the Thun church, something we did every Sunday morning in high school. Today, the bells are automatic.

Here is part 1:

About 4 minutes into part 2, we're actually traveling in Italy, on the Centovally train back into Locarno in Switzerland, on a narrow-gauge train through a great valley.

And here is part 2:

New Year's Eve Concert

We went to the New Year's Eve Concert with the Queensland Pops Orchestra at the Performing Arts Complex in town with a group of friends. The concert started at 9.30PM and finished at midnight. Unfortunately we booked a little late so we ended up in the balconies at the back but the music was still great.

Queensland Pops conducted by Barry Gott

The program included such favourites as Russian and Ludmilla (Glinke), Habanera from Carmen (Bizet), Tritsch Tratsch Polka (Strauss) and my favourite Oh Mio Babbino Caro (Puccini)

Diane is enjoying herself up in the nose-bleed section

Photo George Jacobson

La Belladiva, six sopranos sing Oh mio Babbino
Photo George Jacobson

We first met at Paul and Helen's with George and Ann, for a Chinese take-away which was delicious, then we walked to their local railway station (about 15 minutes) and took the train to South Brisbane. After the Southbank fireworks display, which we mostly missed. we returned back to the railway station and caught a packed train back to Salisbury about 2AM. Needless to say, we saw some disgusting behaviour on the train coming home. After another 15 minute walk back to Paul and Helen's for a delicious cup of tea and bisquit, we got into our cars and drove home for a well deserved sleep.

Happy New Year Bloggers

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!
So now I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year!

Merry Christmas Bloggers

Merry Christmas

Everyone

Our latest effort in Lebkuchen

This was a combined effort. I made the Lebkuchen and Diane made the icing. I cannot do it properly, I guess I haven't got the patience.

Christmas time is "Lebkuchen' Time

In Switzerland, "Lebkuchen' (ginger bread in English) is tradition at Christmas. For many years I have missed Lebkuchen, then I was thinking. It can't be too hard to bake my own after all it's just like a bread, so I went looking for recipes on the internet and found a few. The secret seems to be the spices which can be purchased in stores in Switzerland already mixed, called Lebkuchen-Spices. Again I did some research and found the names of the spices, which are all available in shops here. Armed with the recipe and the secret of the spices, I had a go:

First I placed 50g of brown sugar in a bowl

Then I added an egg

Then I added 50g of honey

Then I added 20g of margarine and whisked

it into a smooth sauce

Then I added the rind of an orange

and mixed that in as well

In a clean bowl I placed 200g of flour and added

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

Then I mixed the spices

(tk=tip of knife)

2 tk ground ginger

1 tk Allspice

1tk ground Nutmeg

1 tk ground Cinnamon

1 tk ground Cumin

1 tk ground Cardamom

1 tk ground Coriander

I then added these spices to the flour and sifted it several times

The liquid was then added quickly to the flour and

mixed into a playable dough

I then rolled the dough between 2 pieces of baking paper

And shaped it into the sizes required

In this case I made two about 18cm X 10cm

These were placed into a pre-heated oven and

baked at 180ºC for 18 Minutes

While the pies were baking, I mixed a solution of

icing sugar with a little water. This solution is then

painted onto the pies when they come out of the oven

I then beat an eggwhite stiff so that it won't run

if you turn the bowl upside down. To that I added

icing sugar to make a fairly thick paste

This paste I placed into a plastic bag and cut a very small

corner off the bag

I then used the bag as a piping tool decorating

the Lebkuchens

Here is one. The swiss cross and an S

as it is going to my daughter Sonya in

Sydney.

The other one I took to my mate Martin who is in hospital. Martin is a Swiss Master Pastry-chef and Diane thought I was very game, bringing an amateur Lebkuchen to a professional chef. That I am!