The reason I've not done any updating here for ages is that I had a baby. He's a dote, as they say over here in Ireland. A lovely little boy who is sitting next to me now kicking me with his legs. I'm taking a break from journalism for a while, seeing as I seem to have given birth to my brain and I'm forgetting words and sentences, but I'll be back... possibly writing about babies... who knows...See you soon...xx
My absence and lack of updating on this site can be explained in one word: pregnancy.I'm up the duff!It's all been a bit exhausting and mind-numbing. But thankfully, the fog is finally lifting and my tiredness is abating. Only six months more to go before the little parasite screams its way into the world and turns me into an insomniac. Only kidding. Tom & I (and puppy Jerry) are all thrilled. It's our next big adventure...
Have you ever spent 20 minutes trying to choose olive oil only to have it smash in your face as soon as you got home? I did the other day. With so many permutations: olive oil, extra virgin, with added herbs, with added spices, 50% extra free; for an average of €6 average, it's the hardest thing I've had to buy in ages.Finally I opted for a vintage Italian oil - not the cheapest but not the dearest. It was about €7. I paid and bought a carrier bag - it's a Government tax over here at 15cents, which I am very much in favour of. I normally take my recycling bags, but on this occasion, seeing as it was something of a whim to buy oil and bread, I forgot. Needless to say, the bag burst as soon as I'd walked about 10 paces with the bag. The ridiculously expensive oil smashed into 1000 pieces across my kitchen floor and the oil smeared everywhere. It was like something of a slapstick sketch for a while as I struggled to catch the puppy as he and I slid across the floor. Peeved that it took several hours to clean up, not to mention the loss of my valuable bottle of oil, I decided to revisit the customer service counter in Tesco, Midleton the next day. Armed with receipt, the still sealed bottle top and the offending carrier with the hole in it, I trundled along expecting to be given a replacement. Their response: "Once an item leaves the premises it's no longer our responsibility."Me: "Fair enough. But as you can see, the bag was not capable of carrying anything - it only had a bottle of oil and bread in it."Tesco: "Sorry. You can complain to head office if you like."Me: "So how come the bag wasn't fit to carry a bottle? They've definitely got smaller and thinner in the last few months."Tesco: "Don't know. It could be a deliberate ploy to discourage people from using the bags."Conclusion: Tesco is charging 15cents for shit bags - the type you would normally put a couple of apples into. Yes, it's great that they have effectively got rid of their plastic bag mountain in Ireland but on the rare occasion when someone forgets a recycled bag and has to use flimsy plastic bags, they should at least be able to carry some bloody groceries. Is this another reason why Tesco is creaming off more than £2bn in profits every year?!
