Barclay of Towie

I SPOTTED A CLANS AND TARTANS POSTER IN THE SAVOY CENTRE.

I was intrigued to see that the logo for Barclays bank is actually an old Scottish heraldic symbol, and that there is a link to something called TOWIE, Obviously not The Only Way Is Essex, but nevertheless an extraordinary discovery.

[Click on picture to enlarge]

Child’s Improvised Anti-Theft Device

I WAS STROLLED THROUGH SHAWLANDS WHEN I CAME ACROSS THIS CHILD’S SCOOTER PARKED BY THE ROADSIDE.

Clearly the child was aware of theft and had taken measures to secure the scooter, using a cable and the church railings. It is clear that the cable was usually stored in the wee pink bag fitted to the handlebars.

So there it was all carefully locked up, except that it would extremely simple to remove the cable and take the scooter. My heart went out to this little girl who took a degree of care in parking and attempting to secure her wee pink scooter.  I do hope no-one actually does steal it.

Things are getting worse when such small children are even aware of theft, and I can only imagine that this little girl has some experience.  She does not want her scooter stolen, but, when you look at the scooter, there is very little that can be done to secure it.  She’s done her best, but really an eyelet ought to be part of the design.

Curved Ball

I WAS SAD TO SEE A NOTICE REGARDING A PREMISES IN SHAWLANDS ARCADE.

It was for Curves – a workout gym for women. The poor souls could not open for business due to incompetence from Scottish Power.

Read the notice for yourself. Click on the image to enlarge.

It states:

Dear Members

Scottish Power cannot fit out new meter until Wednesday morning. We have pleaded with them to fix it sooner without success.  They have given us a timescale of 8am – 1pm . We will open immediately on installation of the meter. We are sorry for this disruption to your workouts & thank you so much for your patience. Please call Curves Paisley: 0141 887 5222 for details of neighbouring clubs you can use.

Things are getting worse when businesses can be disrupted in this way, when people (customers) can be disrupted like this.  Why do we all — domestic and commercial — put up with such poor service?

Holiday Puzzlers

I LOVE GOING ON HOLIDAY, BUT I HATE LOOKING FOR HOLIDAYS.

The websites are rubbish because they let you fill in forms online and then tell you that there is nothing — and you are left to wonder what particular thing was wrong — was it the dates or times? Perhaps it was the Airport (Glasgow? so you try Edinburgh, Pretwick, Newcastle and so on), was it the hotel or detination.  It is a nightmare of complexity!

Even the local travel agency in Shawlands is confusing.  Click on the picture to enlarge.  I took this picture in the window to illustrate the point that you look at two prices and cannot help but compare them.  It looks like Majorca for £229 versus Kos for £297 — but that is not true; Majorca is based on FOUR sharing, while Kos is based on TWO sharing.

Why can’t the website and cheap airlines be simpler and clearer?  Why can’t the adverts tell you the price of the holiday or individual price? It doesn’t seem to me to be beyond them.

 

Cat Milk

I AM OFTEN STOPPED IN MY TRACKS BY WHAT I FIND ON SHOP SHELVES.

I came across Cat Milk recently, and wondered (of course) if it were milk from a cat (or cats).  It is more likely to be milk for a cat (or cats), but still, the matter was never made clear. The picture of the cat did not help.

Either way, Cat Milk cannot really be a serious proposition; it is not in national newspapers nor is it on TV or radio adverts (to the best of my knowledge).

I fancied buying a bottle to try it on my cereal, but at the last minute decided against it because it does not have any celebrity endorsement.

Things are certainly getting worse when Cat Milk is a possibility, don’t you think?

Same Flat Syndrome

IN THE WINDOW OF ANY ESTATE AGENCY ARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF FLATS FOR SALE.

Things must be getting worse because every flat is decorated in the same style! Notice the pseudo traditional sanded floorboards, fireplaces, couches and plain walls.

Perhaps the television make-over shows are to blame for all this, but it was never like this in the past; I quite enjoyed viewing flats for sale and browsing estate agencies, and the variety in décor was exactly what made house hunting fun. Things are getting worse when we all live in the same flat, or aspire to sameness.

Yo-Yo Diet Mags

I FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YO-YO DIETS.

It is a conspiracy between the slimming diet industry, the media and ordinary, gullible women. They tell you of the latest diet craze, even if it is the exact opposite of the truth, science, or even next month’s new diet craze.

Here’s a perfect example:

“THE CARB LOVER’S DIET”

(tick) Feel full and flatten your tum!

(tick) Lose 6lb this week

(tick) Eat crisps, drink wine!”

There is even a picture of a gorgeous young model tucking into a plate of pasta! Honestly!

This diet will definitely make you fatter, and so you will buy in to the next diet.

If you are interested in the history of dieting and manipulation, click here. If you cannot be bothered following the link or reading up, then let me just say that it is not a simple energy-in, energy-out equation; you can put AAA batteries in your car’s petrol tank, but it’s not the same effect as putting petrol in there. Sure, you put in a lot of energy, but it is the form that the energy takes — whether it is a carbohydrate, starch, fibre, sugar, alcohol, protein, or fat.

The only diet that has been scientifically proven to help you lose weight is one that reduces/ controls the available carbohydrates.  That flies in the face of the Carb Lover’s Diet!

People get exploited because there is a lot of confusion about health and well being goals.  Trying to lose weight is not the same thing as becoming aerobically fitter, stronger, or even healthier.  A healthy diet is not the same as the diet of an athlete or slimmer.  Things are getting worse when the gullible can be so easily exploited!

Free From Foods

IN MY LOCAL SUPERMARKET, A SIGN GRABBED MY ATTENTION.

It stated

“World Foods
Free From
Pasta”

Now, I am not sure it meant to read as “World foods free from pasta”, especially as there was a lot of pasta stocked there, it was the fact that — in this massive supermarket — there was a small allocated space for “World Foods”.  I was amazed by that as I assumed that their fruit and veg had been transported from the four corners of the known world, and that the entire enterprise was as far from “local” as you might imagine.

I was equally struck by the need to have a space allocated for foods that have ingredients OMITTED.  “Free From” is a food category! Have we taken leave of our senses? Things are getting worse when the reason you buy food is because it doesn’t contain something!

Note that the slimming diet foods and drinks were not included here, but then, they are seldom free from fat or sugar, they just have less than the “normal” versions.

Dress Decode

LIVE AND LET LIVE USED TO BE ONE OF MY MANTRAS, BUT NOT NOW.

I confess that I have become less tolerant of intolerance through old age, and I find that I am becoming impolite to people who are impolite. How can I be considerate of people, when they are inconsiderate and selfish?

The worry is that I become impolite, intolerant and inconsiderate — just like them, and we all have lowered the bar and reached a new low point, a cruder common denominator, and then things will have got worse.

My only hope is that my interventions may, somehow, make things better.

I cannot see any alternative, so I will continue into my advanced years to address this matter — and I recommend and encourage everyone to do the same.

So when I hear people on mobile phones in the children’s playground, swearing and shouting, I will ask them to stop.  When I hear teenagers swearing and talking in Macdonald’s, where there are toddlers in earshot, I feel I have to say something; a stand has to be made.

However, my big problem is about clothes.

How does one address the problem of inappropriate clothing?  I see Dads collecting children from nurseries and schools, and their tee-shorts have rude and crude messages (and images) on them! It was bad enough with FCUK and seeing the tops of their underpants, thong things or buttock cleavage, but it definitely seems to be getting worse.

The only thing I can think of is ot complain to the manager of shops that sell items that ought not to be worn casually in public; we have to make a stand.

Bas Relief Graffiti

MY SUMMER’S EVENING STROLL THROUGH SHAWLANDS CAUSED ME TO PASS BY THIS EXTRAORDINARY WALL.

I have never seen graffiti quite like it outside of Egypt!

Naturally I took several snaps with my trusty camera phone to share with my dear readers here.  Things are getting worse when graffiti has to be done to this extent — whatever happened to a can of spray paint or a chubby permanent marker pen?