Just a quick post....

....I know that some of you who read this are crafty types so hope you don't mind me putting out a bit of an appeal for the neonatal unit where I work ( I don't work in the neonatal unit but you know what I mean). They are asking for people to make 'memory' bags for the newbies that will be placed on the incubators for parents to place things like name bands and other bits and pieces in, as a memory of the time the baby spent in the unit, sadly some babies don't survive and for their parents it is helpful for them to have something to remember their littles by.

So what am I asking? Could you make a bag or two (amazingly we need about 500 a year) to help the unit out? Ideally they need to be about 9 inches square with a short drawstring along the top - like the slipper bags the kids take to school but smaller.

They don't need to be fancy - just a simple one colour/pattern fabric would do, perhaps a bit of appliqué if you feel the need, with a ribbon threaded through as the drawer string.

I'm going to have a go at the weekend and I'll share pictures then!

Thanks for reading, let me know if you can help!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My Vodafone woes - again

I know I haven’t written for a while and I come back with a gripe! Sorry…

At the end of February I took the brave step of upgrading my mobile to an i-Phone. Gulp. A big step but I had just about had enough of my HTC wildfire S so I thought it was a step worth taking.

As my contract was only a short while in, I had to ‘buy’ myself  out of six months worth of contract – and I had to do that before the change could happen. I duly paid over the phone and received my beautiful, shiny, gorgeous i-Phone.

Move on a few weeks and I get my first statement for said i-Phone. Which included, yes, you’ve guessed it, the fee I had already paid to Vodafone in advance of the upgrade. So I phoned them on 191 and spoke to somebody who clearly thought I was stupid. I’ll confess that I lost my temper with him – big time. Poor chap was probably working in a call centre on the Indian sub content – I did apologise to him, honestly.

Moving on I used my favourite tool of contacting those companies who have p’d me off – Twitter. Usual response, log on to the web site, send us an email, blah, blah, blah. So I did. The response came back addressed to Mrs Apkle which I simply grimaced at. Oh yes, you’ve been charged twice so we’ll arrange a credit back to your account and then refund to you back – simples? You’d think so wouldn’t you. This was on 2 April. I kept checking to see whether the money had been transferred but no, so back to Twitter/emails the response was it takes 7-10 working days which absolutely astounds me in the technological era we are now in. After many a rant I gave in and waited. Now, it was Easter at the end of that week so we lost two working days. I accept that so, being generous I thought it must be with me by Monday 16 April, or Tuesday 17 or – you get me? You know where this is going don’t you – yep, I still haven’t had my refund. I’ve Tweeted, been retweeted and emailed again this week. I think this is a totally unacceptable service – don’t you? I’ve now sent about 7 emails to get my refund all of which are replied to in a very patronising way. I’m now tied into this company for the foreseeable future as I can’t afford to buy myself out of my contract in it’s entirety.

Am I angry – you bet I am, watch this space! My next step is going to be a snail mail to their head office in Reading, maybe that might get a better reaction!

Anyhow, apologies for the lack of blogging, if their is anybody left out there to care! Matt is now home from his travels and firmly ensconced in his old bedroom. I did miss him. I didn’t miss the mess. That is all.

In the words of Arnie – I’ll be back!

By the way – I love my i-Phone, it’s the best, it truly is…….