I don't know whether they are still in use or not but I spotted these old-fashioned petrol pumps at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre at Ruddington early last week. It set me thinking about when pumps like this were commonplace and garage hands actually came out and filled your vehicle's fuel tank for you. Those were the days when "customer service" meant something and the term was not just a pseudonym for "Complaints Department".
In many cases these days I've found that "customer" would be better replaced by "lip" for if you dare to complain about something, then you are often made to feel the guilty party. My judgement has probably been clouded by the fact that I lodged a complaint at a local superstore some fifteen months ago and despite following up several times since, I have still not had a response from the management. I'm not saying which store but a little acknowledgement would have been appreciated because as we all know, every little helps.
Always render more and better service than is expected of you, no matter what your task may be. - Og Mandino (1923 - 1996)
You'd normally expect to see dust covers on library books but the whole of Ilkeston's Library is covered at present. I'm not sure what's going on under the covers but no doubt all will be revealed in due course. In the meantime, as we've had more than our fair share of wet weather this summer, it looks as though the library has donned waterproofs.
Back in April this year we were warned that there was a 65% chance of a heatwave and we should look forward to a 'barbecue summer'. That 65% chance turned out to be 100% wrong and although there was one hot spell and there have been plenty of fine days, the original forecast was not that good. Later in July it was revised to say that the unsettled weather would continue until the middle of August so we await the next couple of weeks with bated breath. Weather forecasting by its very nature cannot be an exact science but when these short term forecasts for a couple of months ahead are often incorrect, it's no surprise that people are sceptical about the dire warnings of climate change and the impact it will have 40 or 50 years from now. And have you noticed that the term 'global warming' has been dropped in favour of 'climate change'? Of course the climate is changing and the globe is warming - it has been doing since the last ice age! The human race may not be helping the situation and it will take a global change to make a difference and it may take those 40 or 50 years to achieve it. I'm not saying we should ignore the evidence the scientists put before us - but it would be nice if now and again all the prophesies were not so doom-laden.
Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation. Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)
I spent some time behind bars in a custody cell at Ilkeston Police Station this weekend - but they let me out again! I wasn't charged with anything although as I was wearing a purple shirt and a yellow sweater, it was suggested I had committed a Crime of Fashion (that's 'fashion' not 'passion').
It was an open day where residents had a chance to learn more about the Derbyshire Constabulary and to find out more about their local police team. With much to keep visitors to the event busy including operating the various warning sirens on a parked police car and controlling CCTV cameras, 'prisoners' could also have their mug shots and fingerprints taken whilst being given a guided tour of the building. Having spent a little time behind bars though, it is not something I want to make a habit of.
The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear. - Aung San Suu Kyi (1945 - )
