No going back now.......................

[Raven Black]

Indeed, ha ha, wd never have one, yet another way of spying, controlling technology.

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by FLYING BANANA

No, they were wanting to install the SMART meter in my old flat. It did need re-wiring, it was last done in 1972.
.

Well, as said the internal wiring has no relevance to the smart meter or the electricity supply company. There should be no need to rewire, providing the installation met the regulations in 1972 and is undamaged.

[FLYING BANANA]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

Well, as said the internal wiring has no relevance to the smart meter or the electricity supply company. There should be no need to rewire, providing the installation met the regulations in 1972 and is undamaged.

Believe me it needed redoing. The consumer box was in fact the old style fuse box. That had the wire fuses. In 48 years the fuses only blew 4 times. National Power wanted to condemn it to the scrap heap. But I moved before any work was carried out by them or me.

[guru]

Deffo a spam call, I've had a few. It looks like a database from a few years back has been leaked and scammers are using it to make calls and try to sound official. In my case they used an address we haven't lived at for 4 years and that we never ordered a smart meter for!

The genuine installers would not know or care what the internal wiring is like, it's not their job. When we had ours installed last year they did all the work outside and didn't even set foot in the house to check.

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by FLYING BANANA

Believe me it needed redoing. The consumer box was in fact the old style fuse box. That had the wire fuses. In 48 years the fuses only blew 4 times. National Power wanted to condemn it to the scrap heap. But I moved before any work was carried out by them or me.

I can only repeat - the condition and age of the electrical installation, has absolutely nothing to do with the installation of smart meters. The smart meter installers only replace the old meter, with a smart meter - they have absolutely no interest or responsibility beyond fitting the meter. They certainly would not be ringing you and pestering you to have a rewire. They were scam callers and maybe made a lucky guess that you had originally needed a rewire.

They are very, very good, can be very convincing indeed, but it was none the less a lucky escape from a scammer. They can claim to be whoever they like over the phone, they can even spoof the phone number, so the call appears to be from the company they claim to represent, even your banks number, so it shows up on your phone as NatWest ringing you if they are in your contact list.

[FLYING BANANA]

......................................... it was very emotional.

We arranged to meet at Exeter Services at the bottom of the M5 yesterday. Plenty of open spaces to sit and chat should the weather be kind, and it was. Plus we would bring our own picnic with tea/coffee. They were going to be in a Ford Galaxy MPV and I took the Bear, too far to risk Banana having another hissy fit. Allowing for them driving down from South London we agreed to meet a 1pm. It's roughly an hours drive for me but I left at 11.30 and got there 1 hour later. I drove round the heaving car park, full of caravans, looking for the Galaxy.

Found a space and parked up. Sat in the car for about quarter of an hour gathering my thoughts and letting the excitement to cool off. I didn't pay much attention to what was going on about me. But then someone was knocking on my window, Oh! My. It was Roger. They had parked behind me, what was the chances of that?

I got out with tears rolling down my cheeks, to hell with the Coronavirus, as we hugged both crying. We must have looked a sight. i was lost for words but managed to say hello. Roger led me back to the Galaxy where his niece, Richards daughter, Elizabeth was waiting along with her partner Tim and there baby Edward were waiting. Once the tears stopped we stayed at the Galaxy, as the services were packed and virtually no one had a mask on.

I have no idea where the time went but it was approaching 16.00. So much to say but too little time to say it all. No time even to eat our picnic or drink the tea. Last time I saw Roger, according to him, was about 25 years ago when he came over to attend his father's funeral. I thought it was longer than that. Not seen Elizabeth for about 5 years, and I have never met her partner Tim. Baby Edward was born almost 9 months ago and obviously our first meeting.

We might be meeting up again as Roger has no idea when he can return to Brazil as the Coronavirus has taken a tight grip there. Rogers family are safe and virus free. They were hoping to fly out to their holiday home in the Caribbean but flights out are limited. If they can get to there holiday home then Roger will fly out to be with them.
So we may meet up again but this time I will do the bulk of the driving and meet up in Surrey at a location to be arranged.

And with that it was time to part. More tears. But before we parted Roger gave me a package. This was my gift from Richard's will. Roger said not to open it till I got home. I had a present to give to Elizabeth and said to her she was not to open it till she got home. It is a photo of her and Richard that I took about 16 years ago. I had it framed a couple of weeks ago.

My drive home was a bit of a pain with all these tourists and there Wobblies, aka caravans. But I kept my mind on the drive and not our meeting. Took about 90 minutes to get home, longest hold up was on the approach to the Tamar bridge.
But parked up an I let my emotions calm down. Indoors and kettle on, my package I put on the unit. Just could not bring myself to open it. Decided to have a salad n steak dinner. So I busied myself with getting the dinner on. Lovely chunk of rump steak from the butchers. Boiled up some new potatoes. Went out into the garden and picked the last of the strawberries, for my dessert.

Then the memories just rolled down my cheeks, bucket loads. I could have watered the garden with the amount of tears. Not just the memory of Richard but Val as well. I think of Val every day, and wonder what she would have thought about the meeting today. I know I would now be holding a large malt rather than the mug of tea I had in my hand.
The cooker timer brought me to my senses, the steak needed turning under the grill and the spuds were done.

I sat down to eat my dinner, and the package sat there waiting to be opened.
Well, it sat there till about 22.00 before I decided to open it. It was the first ever camera that Richard had owned given to him by me for his 10th birthday. A Hanimax Vef Zoom with a detachable flash gun. Takes a 110 cartridge. No case or strap or lens cap, but well used. Just when you thought there would be no more tears, well there is a reserve tank.

I also gave him two 110 cartridges and two batteries. By the time I left the birthday party he had used up all the film in the two cartridges. But when the photos were developed we all knew we had a champion photographer in the making. Not a single photo was out of focus, all perfectly taken.

So there you have it. I am so wanting to meet up again, hopefully before Roger flies out.

When we parted Rogers words to me was,

Yesterday can never be undone, Tomorrow is the future and it will always there. Today we live for the day.

Thanks for reading.

[coolguy]

Hope you paid for the parking Bob. There was only a free period of 2 hours when I was there in May last year. It would take that long to get served in any of the eateries!

[FLYING BANANA]

Originally Posted by coolguy

Hope you paid for the parking Bob. There was only a free period of 2 hours when I was there in May last year. It would take that long to get served in any of the eateries!

Parking paid for for both cars.

[FLYING BANANA]

............................ emotional phone call from Elizabeth. Like me she had delayed opening the parcel I had given her. She finally opened it yesterday. It took her all day to calm down and string two words together in between the tears, not of sorrow but of joy.

Once she had calmed down on the phone to me this morning she said that she had no idea that the photo existed till yesterday. Elizabeth had sat her nursing exams and had passed all the exams with flying colours. There was a party and the icing on the cake was when her dad Richard made a surprise entrance. He had been filming out in Africa, but made the trip back. He told me to be at the party and to get a few special photos.

The photo is of Elizabeth and Richard hugging one and other. There were others I took which I passed on at a later date. The one that I passed on last Friday was originally going to be a wedding present from me when she married Tim. Should have been this year, but what with one thing and another it was postponed till next year.

And to round today’s phone call off Elizabeth asked me to give her away on her wedding day. She had discussed this with Roger and her husband to be.
Oh! My! Or words to that effect was my answer. Never had the honour of giving a bride away. I of course said yes. Oh! My! Oh! Gosh! Oh! Wow!
We chatted for almost an hour about various things, past and present. I cannot repeat on here what she thinks of her ex-mum. Best left unsaid me thinks.

Thought I would share with you all my phone call.

Many thanks for the pm’s and kind words.

Catch up with you all real soon.

[FLYING BANANA]

................................. up to my standard is hard work, well it is for me. But we are getting there. The back garden has so much colour, along with the side garden.
I have started on the front garden, its split in two by the path. But rain has stopped play today.
So I went shopping in Tesco's in Callington, took Banana to give her a run. Usually get my shopping on a Friday but what with the tourists towing their tin snails, holding up the traffic has forced the change of day.

Now back on the ground after my surprise phone call on Sunday. It still has not sunk in yet. Yes I know it's sad but I tried my suit on yesterday to see if I still looked OK in it.
Debbie cut my hair on Tuesday, first cut this year well, first cut since last November. She found a lost comb and 2 biro's in the thatch. I'm now virtually bald. But more streamlined. so I should be able to move quicker. Ha! Ha!

Allen & Val popped round yesterday for a chat. Val had a look at the new shower unit and remarked that the chap had done a good job. They left and I carried on gardening after they both pointed out to me what I thought was a lovely flower, turns out it is an aggressive weed. It is now dug out at the front and trimmed at the back garden. Too many flowering plants around it to dig it out for now.

Anyway here is a few photos of the gardens.