Grannymar

The post yesterday brought my annual rates bill.

In Northern Ireland money for public services comes from a) our share of the UK’s central tax revenue and b) the contributions we make through the rates. The latter is again split into two parts, the reigonal rate and the district rate. In the year 2008/09, as in previous years the reigonal rate helps pay for services such as the health service, education and water (including sewerage). The proposed changes and addition of seperate Water rates take effect in April 2009. The District rates pay for services provided by the local councils such as leisure services, refuse collections, building control and environmental health.

With the bill were three items:

1) a booklet with information about the rate bill

2) a leaflet on how to get help for those on very low income

3) and this:-

The crest on the right is for PSNI (Police Service for Northern Ireland).

The idea is good to inform people on ways to protect their home and belongings, but I wonder how many little old ladies were unable to sleep last night?

Last night I spoke to my one and only offspring. Did you know I had an offspring? Elly is not a bad little girl really. The fact that she is now taller than me is by the way. I suppose I am now on the way down.

Well we had a good mother/ daughter chat. Sorry I am not going to tell you what we bitched talked about. We have our secrets!

She did tell me she got a letter yesterday. Now getting the odd letter is not unusual for me. My Elly however, lives in the modern world. The world of ether – no I don’t mean a funny substance, I mean the world of the airwaves, I mean the internet thingy stuff! Letters are a little ‘olde-worldly’ to her! The bills come in letters, but cute egg that she is; they all come addressed to George! I wonder at times how he got mixed up with her.

Well back to the letter. It came from the wee North. Yes, this part of the world where I live. It had a Royal Mail post mark (that’s twice in two days they got a mention here, but I am still better value)! The letter was addressed to herself and George.

St James’s Street tonight! Will you pick me up off the floor! It was a wedding invitation acceptance. “What is going on here”? You might ask. No wonder they have not come to see me so far this year. Is there something I am missing here? I thought that they were already well and truly married. I made the outfit. I gave her away. I made the speech. They must be married!

It was a wedding acceptance for the wedding that happened on 23 June 2007. Now I would like to know where the letter was all this time. Did it arrive in your post box? Did you have it sitting behind the clock on the mantelpiece?

Will we have to hold the wedding all over again?

Will I need a new hat?

Help!

The clatter of my letterbox is a sound that always pleased me. Today was no different. Yes, the postman had come early and left an A5 sized envelope. Emails are instant but it is still nice to get some letters. The sound of them dropping onto the floor tells me I am still alive.

The lone item today was my Phone/Broadband bill. Old habits die hard and I always go through the bill with a fine tooth comb. Sometimes in the past it was a reminder that it was time to phone a particular person again. With the modern day options that have the free evening and weekend calls, the numbers in ‘free-time’ do not show up.

The bill this morning had a surprise for me. Second item on the list of calls was: 20^th January at 13.46 Somalia, followed by a number.

Yes, I did say Somalia.

I don’t know anyone in Somalia. To my shame I can just about tell it is in Africa, but I am not sure whether it is north, south, east or west. Google maps here I come….

I have never phoned anyone in Somalia in my life and since I live alone who did? I know it was not Elly or my Sin-in-Law as they were at Barcamp South East that day. I know they were there because Elly was giving one of the talks.

There was only one solution for it, so I phoned BT. I followed option 1, followed by 4 and 5. I nice English speaking girl asked how she could help. I told her my trouble and she wondered if I had misdialled. I assured her that that was not the case. She was still sceptical and said she would check back over the past two bills. No sign of Somalia there she said. I knew that, so reluctantly she said she would have it deleted from the bill.

What I still want to know is who used my phone to call Somalia?

Was it you? Go on own up!