Amazon exiles discussion
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I've wondered the same and haven't ventured yet.
I've bought quite a few things from Etsy, never had a problem.
Don't know whether to laugh or cry presently. Yesterday the shower (a first for this house) and sink (yeah we had one of those before) were plumbed in but.... we still got no floor - and looking where the new toilet, sink and bathtub are, there was no bloody need to rip up the tiled floor in the first place. Especially since it was my work. : )Also the decorators haven't put in a showing yet despite being slotted in for Wednesday; nobody at all came Wed or Thurs. It's like "Ok put your life on hold for two or three weeks because expect us on any day at any time. : (
On the plus side, I was a P&D-er in a former life so maybe we just tell em to - to quote Grandpa Boswell - "Piss Off!" and finish the rest meself. I mean they're gonna put lino down when they eventually get round to the floor (ripped up my bit o' best tiling for lino!!!) so maybe it would be better that way. They'll probably not go for it tho; even tho it would save em the trouble of getting off their backsides, they also have to cover said posteriors in case my work's not up to 'standard' - yes that's a laugh n a half.
Big plus, nobody's antagonized Dust and that I am pleased about. I know what some may be thinking - 'What the hell kinda upbringing has that dog had to be nasty with strangers and such?' Well it's not really rocket science. He was Mother's dog and in those last couple of years when her dementia got a lot worse, it must have been an awfully confusing time for him. No wonder he got so protective is what I say. Toward the end she wasn't really up to looking after him but no way could we take him away from her so we all just did our best by em both. If we weren't living next door I'm not sure how it woulda gone down.
Am I being paranoid thinking that folk would judge me/us on our dog having a bit of devil in him? Maybe I dunno. Always feel the need to clarify matters, me, one of my many problems. Overthinking shit.
Blastronaut wrote: "Don't know whether to laugh or cry presently. Yesterday the shower (a first for this house) and sink (yeah we had one of those before) were plumbed in but.... we still got no floor - and looking wh..."Commiserations, Blastro. I think, maybe, some (not all) of the tradespeople aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer and some just have a "strip it all out" mindset. We had a tiled floor, set on a concrete base, in the flat, and I asked why they couldn't lay the new tiles on top. "Ooh no, can't do that, won't be level." Well, the noise and mess from getting the old stuff up had to be experienced to be believed ... and the new tiles aren't perfectly level, anyway, the mop catches in two or three places. I just couldn't face the bother of getting it sorted, in the end. 🙁
I'm sure we all understand it's not the dog's fault or that of his carer(s) in this instance. He will have been cared for to the best of your and your Mother's ability but he is probably still getting used to his new circumstances. We had a German short-haired pointer for 12 years (she was a rescue dog from the RSPCA) and she never warmed to men other than Mr H and my son (and even that took time) and she wasn't keen on anyone other than family coming into the house. Not that she would be vicious in any way but she would bark enough to let them know they didn't belong!
Post Soviet wrote: "Any tried to buy from Etsy website? Is it reliable?"I bought a wrought iron plant stand for my Mum, on Etsy. He made them to order. Delivered just when he said, really good experience.
I'm only just learning the ropes of dog etiquette. I meet people who immediately start profusely apologising for their dogs doing what I consider entirely normal behaviour like sniffing butts, chasing or minor lunging; so long as they and I are aware of potential real problems and exercise clear control or mitigation (as you have with keeping yours away and warning the workers of likely trauma should they enter the dog's space) then fair enough. Minnie's always up for a chase, even with much larger dogs (she's fast for a little un and can turn on a dime as they lumber past) but she does growl a little and will use her mouth without biting to urge the other dog on to greater lunacy. What I can't understand is people who go to spaces where it is guaranteed there will dogs off-leash but exhibiting normal dog behaviour yet they are clearly overly fearful of them or where they have a pampered little ball of fluff that's never let off; one family had a presumably autistic son who started screaming as Minnie approached as she always does with anyone as she's so people-oriented - they were OK and I enlisted the dad's help to grab her harness or if I did it it would just enhance the 'game' for Minnie, another bloke who gave off so much fearful vibes a then 7 month old Minnie barked incessantly at him with him threatening to kill her if she got nearer to him as he approached her with a big stick(!) and a family who had decided to bring a picnic breakfast to one of the tables situated right by the path with a young son who presumably had a far of dogs because the mum kept manically running round the table shouting and waving her arms at Minnie which predictably had the opposite effect and excited her more. With most people her attentions are welcome as she sidles into the midst of their towels on the beach and promptly rolls on hr back for bellyrubs - then I have to apologise for taking her away. You can't win! You also don't know the stories of the dogs you meet, that's up to the owner to deal with as you have Blastro. I know I'm very lucky with Minnie who has minor quirks rather than serious issues.
Well, it's a rather difficult one this, Mr B - but, to be absolutely open and honest with you, I have to say that I strongly disagree with you over quite a lot of what you have said in the above Post.My own perspective is that Public places are there for everyone to enjoy sharing and being in - and that I believe that any Dog of mine should be kept within my own responsibility and kept within my control, my guidance, and also my protection as well as always being within my full sight and hearing while out and about anywhere.
I would no more let my Dog run off or run directly towards any other people than I would ever let a very young child just race off and do the same thing. The etiquette amongst most Dog Owners tends to be that people are respectful when approaching each other while walking with Dogs and most people will usually ask first if it is alright to stroke and to make a fuss of a Dog before doing so.
I've been around Dogs all of my life but I would never dream of letting one just run loose and free anywhere except for in a very safe-looking wide open space where there are only just a couple of other Dogs and their Walkers around. Our Dogs always stay on short Leads and close to Heel on Paths and usually do most of their walk on Extender Leads that can be immediately retracted should anyone suddenly come into view ahead of us.
I am not a parent myself, but I do actually fully understand the intensity of parental instinct to want to see off and to potentially protect a young Child from a strange Dog that just comes racing right up to them. They don't know the Dog at all? - or whether it wants to play or is in attack mode? - and there have sadly been far too many Dog attacks on Children as well as on other Dogs in public places all over the UK over recent years.
The other awful issues that a Dog Owner has to bear in Mind these days is that a Dog that is out of your reach and your control might suddenly be grabbed and made off with. And then there are also certain areas that occasionally develop extremely dangerous environmental issues such as the dreaded Blue Green Algae - and it's vitally important that Dog Walkers get to see it first and to know about it being there before their Dog has already raced ahead of them and become fatally exposed to such terrible toxic dangers.
I know that this will most definitely not be the response that you will be expecting or are looking for - and especially not one coming from a lifelong Dog Owner either ... but I'm afraid I can't share in and agree with your perspective and opinion on this particular issue.
Oh dear. Wasn't looking for a response, I was giving Blastro one. Minnie is never out of sight or earshot, she doesn't "just come racing right up to" people but rather sidles up tail wagging, bum wiggling, tongue lolling out and play-bowing for all she's worth; no-one could (nor does unless they're utterly paranoid) mistake it for anything other than the ultra-friendly dog she is. She's also pretty small, if she was a husky or a doberman it would be different. Then there's the places I let her off-lead; mainly in the country park in which signs clearly state dogs only need to be on a leash during organised events like the park-run so if you go there expecting every pooch to be on a short leash then you're being unreasonable, verging on delusional IMO. Blue-green algae in the lake is an issue but the designated dog swimming area is fenced and gated so if your dog is affected then it's your choice to take them there and allow them to swim amongst it. Getting the dog nicked is fairly unlikely since park access is on foot and most dogs are taken from gardens or outside shops by men with vans? Outside of the park or the beach and coastal paths Minnie is always on a lead and I cross the road if a dog is coming our way on the same side. I encounter some highly reactive dogs but their owners are by and large aware of the problem and deal with it so I'm relaxed about meeting them again.My point remains that there are some highly sensitive and dog-phobic people out there who seem to have unreasonable expectations; they may also think you should be able to wander home inebriated and underdressed late at night through deserted parks but most of us wouldn't do it. Most people who have encountered Minnie are utterly charmed by her and remember her and look forward to seeing her again knowing that she will come to them for a fuss.
Yes, I do agree with you that there are some folk who really do not like Dogs at all, under any circumstances, and they do sometimes get very agitated and stressed whenever they are around them - and there are also people who are allergic to them and people who, for personal or for religious reasons, do not want to come into any kind of close physical contact with them as well.Quite a few people who are out and about here in all of the Public Areas are very conscious too of still wanting to be Covid distancing and to be avoiding any un-necessary or extra forms of contact with anyone else - and they do not want to be coming into any contact with other people's Pets for that added reason now as well. We, in turn, also don't want for anyone to just come up close to my Mum while out and about or to try to make any full contact fuss of Mitzi for similar reasons.
Here we have sadly had a considerable number of Dogs stolen out of Public Park Areas by folk who operate in small groups. Dog Walkers have been taken completely unawares by means of some deliberate distraction or by sudden physical assault - and it is something that has come to worry me much more these days whenever my Mum takes (what were once considered to be perfectly safe) shortcuts when walking around and through some of the Side Roads around here or decides to take an occasional wander over the Fields near our Home with Mitzi.
I do get what you are saying about wanting to be able to walk reasonably freely in Public places and about wanting to allow your Dog to also enjoy her freedom when out and about - and it may also be too that because we are from very different backgrounds and lifestyles and live in different parts of the Country that we have a different perspective on allowing our Dogs to have much more freedom to roam off Lead when out walking in Public Park Areas.
I live in a mostly rural area that is mainly made up of Countryside around many quite vast Country Estates where the Farmers and Estate Workers are well within their rights to shoot at any Dog on sight if they ever see one off their Lead and seemingly not being kept under control ... even if the owner is walking along behind or in front of them and is actually quite close nearby. We have many large areas dedicated to Deer and Sheep and Cattle that need to be respected and to be left well alone by any Walkers and their Dogs.
Also our Local Vets sent out a warning over this last year that several cases of Alabama Rot (Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy) has been found to be responsible for the shockingly horrific fatal illness of a few Dogs in our area - and there are currently parts of several Country Estates nearby that have shut down some of their Public Walking Areas after toxic Fungus was spotted in the Woodland Areas and Blue Green Algae has once again re-appeared in their River Areas.
I have always had extremely responsive and very well-trained Dogs throughout my life - ones that I have enjoyed being able to place quite a huge amount of trust in while they are off Lead - but nevertheless we have still managed to have quite terrifying and entirely unexpected mishaps over the years that have led me to always been that extra bit more aware when out with a Dog.
One Dog was so badly spooked by a loud noise suddenly going off nearby that she shot off like a Rocket through a Woodland Area, across a vast Field Area, and right through several Hedges without even stopping until she ended up on a busy Road! - where she was thankfully stopped and held safely for us by a passing Van Driver who had very nearly caused an accident to himself and his Van through having to swerve to avoid her and hold up the other Traffic to get a hold of her before anyone else accidentally managed to hit her!
Another Dog made a quite understandable and yet a really terrible error of judgement by suddenly deciding to step out just to one side of M&D onto a thick and solid-looking green verge area on a Path ... and she immediately disappeared right through the thick covering of green weeds into a Canal! My poor Mum was on the verge of getting herself undressed all ready to dive in after her(!) and Dad came very close to having another Heart Attack just through waiting (for what seemed at the time like forever) for our Dog to come back up to the surface again! ... and it was several years before M&D could bear to walk any Dog of ours anywhere close to any Waterway again after that particular nightmare.
These things have obviously all come together to make a considerable difference over the years to us and as to how we, as Dog Owners, continue to still walk with our Dogs around here ;o>
Post Soviet wrote: "Any tried to buy from Etsy website? Is it reliable?"Only once Post, item arrived late and it wasn't what I should have received.
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Well, it's a rather difficult one this, Mr B - but, to be absolutely open and honest with you, I have to say that I strongly disagree with you over quite a lot of what you have said in the above Po..."Hear hear!!
I've been buying off Etsy for years now and I love using it ;o>It's my 'go-to' place for sourcing beautiful handmade and unique designs of Greeting Cards.
one of the twins has been selling handmade jewellery on Etsy.
Anita wrote: "one of the twins has been selling handmade jewellery on Etsy.":-D
My very first thoughts on reading your Post, Anita, was is there really any demand out there for very long strings of Sunflower Seed, Dried Pasta & Puffed Popcorn Necklaces? ... LOL!!! ... and then I remembered that the Kids of today are all far more sophisticated and they also have much more Pocket Money and access to the right kinds of Jewellery making equipment and materials than my childhood generation ever did ... HA HA HA HA HA!!! ;o>Ahhh those ohhh so simple and innocent days of trying to make up Rose Petal Perfumes for our Mums - scents that only ever lasted just a day or so before they turned into a horrible brown and gooey mouldy sludge and smelt absolutely disgusting! ... yet every Summer we still kept on with spending so many hours in trying to perfect the Jam Jar & Tap Water process of making it up! ... ;o> ... ;o> ... ;o>
Hmmm? ... did anyone else try to stick those rock hard Silver Ball Cake Decorations to their Ears just so that they could pretend they had pierced Ears with fancy Studs in? ... or was it just something delightfully daft that me and my best friend Tracey came up with? ;o> We actually tried using Butter and Golden Syrup first, then tiny bits of Chewing Gum, and even a drop of Garden Bench Varnish before we finally thought about trying to use some Classroom Glue!!! ... but nothing that we tried worked and, being as they are made of Sugar, they always kept on dissolving instead of ever sticking to anything! - LOL!!! ;o>
Isabella - Agreed, some are certainly not the sharpest and just wing it.... while some are quite able to do a good job but prefer to cut every possible corner so as to move on to next job; either that or to chill out with a cob and a flask in the van. Painter actually arrived today. Quite a pleasant fella and reminded me a bit of Mario (of Nintendo fame) but Mario is a plumber rather than P&D-er. Looked enough like him to give me a giggle tho. Here comes the gripe - Upon finishing he packed his stuff and left us with not the greatest of jobs. He'd obviously not prepared neither plaster or woodwork that he then went on to paint. Now I realize that preparation for painters is very monotonous with the old sandpaper and such but.... well it still has to be done! Nah he din't bother. Also splashed paint over various areas and didn't bother to wipe it off. At least there was no runs in his work so I'll be thankful for that and move on and leave old Mario to bounce on mushrooms or whatever he does. : )
Val/Brass/Suze - I would love to say we're making a little progress with Dust but I don't wanna jinx it. Too late I guess. I can now take him out without the muzzle but when doing so, there's only certain places I can go with him. Narrow pathways and especially jitties must be avoided at all costs. There was a time when he jump at anyone who didn't give him space. I mean if you're walking toward someone with a dog, and they're winding the lead around their arm so as to have more control and are then stood still between yourself and said dawg.... if you're a regular decent sort you'd give them a little space wouldn't you? Sometimes ya get folk that deliberately don't do that.
As far as being outside, as long as nobody gets right in his face nowadays I think we're ok. He's usually more interested in smelling 'messages' that other pooches have left - and of course, leaving his own. And speaking of other dogs, he's fine with smaller ones but anything his size or larger he seems to see as a threat and throws a bit of a wobbler. He seems to have a particular dislike for German Shepherds. I tend to stick to the same rule with all dogs large or small and do as Brass mentioned earlier - just cross to t'other side of the road.
Can't really even think about letting off of lead on the fields at the moment tho I'd love to see him proper stretch his legs. I kick a ball around for him to chase and catch on the back lawn most days but it's not quite the same.
Yes, he got some nasty in him but also so lovable. Literally my shadow - follows me everywhere, even when just going into kitchen for a drink or a bite to eat, he'll follow me in and lay down waiting for me to complete what I'm doing and then back we go. Rest of family tells me he howls whenever I leave the house without him. Means world to me bless him.
I got Daughter B to take a couple of pics of Dust and meself t'other day; I shall put one up when I receive them.... assuming I don't forget of course...
Blastro - do not forget!!!! We want to see Dust!
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Hmmm? ... did anyone else try to stick those rock hard Silver Ball Cake Decorations to their Ears just so that they could pretend they had pierced Ears with fancy Studs in? ... or was it just somet..."Can't say I ever did anything like that Suzy but plenty of other daft things. Using gentian violet as a hair rinse to get that silver blonde look. Ironing one's hair under brown paper to get it dead straight - usually resulting in a stiff neck and burns on ears. Sugar melted in water made a good hairspray substitute but it did tend to attract flies!
Hey Suzy! Look who's here:
Blastronaut wrote: "Isabella - Agreed, some are certainly not the sharpest and just wing it.... while some are quite able to do a good job but prefer to cut every possible corner so as to move on to next job; either t..."Ah, pity you're not in Cardiff, we do have a good P&Der, a really conscientious man who does a great job but I know he's in such demand locally that there's no chance of getting him to your neck of the woods. 😕
Hiyah Blastro ... x ... Yep! - just like Val - I'd love to see Pics as well ;o>
Val wrote: "Using gentian violet as a hair rinse to get that silver blonde look"That reminds me, Val, that we often used to streak our Hair with freshly squeezed Lemon Juice in the Summer Holidays so that we would get lots of blonde Highlights - LOL!!! ;o>
Helen The Melon wrote: "Hey Suzy! Look who's here: "Ooooooooh? - I wonder who it could possibly be?!! ...
Helen The Melon wrote: "Ta-daaaah... "Ohhh WoW!!! ... HA HA HA HA HA!!! ... ;o>
Hmmm? - is it just me? - or does He/She have THAT look that says I'm up to no good and I've already made a mess somewhere that you haven't seen yet!!! - LOL!!! ;o>
It is M&D's 58th Wedding Anniversary today and so I've done the usual and ordered in a massive Bouquet of Flowers from our favourite Local Florists and a Meal from our favourite Chinese Takeaway.I've been able to hear them arguing pretty much all day long even though I'm always upstairs while they are downstairs - but that's also usual for them as well - and Mum seems to be feeling happy enough in herself otherwise ... so, all in all, it's not been all that bad a day here today ;o>
Just enjoying a favourite family special occasion Treat now ... a very generous slice of a Waitrose Tarte Aux Fruits served up with Ice Cream ... and a very large and long Port & Lemon to go with it ... Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ;o>
I wonder if it will count towards my 8 A Day if I set aside another piece to enjoy having with my Tablets during the Night?! - LOL!!! ;o>
Homemade Eldeflower wine, tonight. Not bad atall, and there's fecking bottles and bottles of the stuff to get through!Trying to lay off the Red Gooseberry Wine, which is absolutely lethal.
;0
Might come in handy when used as Paint Stripper next year? ;o>
suzysunshine7 wrote: "Might come in handy when used as Paint Stripper next year? ;o>"To be honest got a bit rough on the homemade wine. Ended up falling into bed at 8pm.....ha ha.....lightweight....
Bit delicate the next day :0
Put up a pic of Dust on me profile but I plan to change it as soon as I can get a good un of him. I want a pic of him looking all friendly-like but he has his tabs back in the pic (and the others that were taken have him looking in all directions) which does him no favours. Am determined to get a good un of him but he's not a sit still kinda dog.... well not when yer waving a phone/camera at him he's not. Shall persevere.
He's a good-lookin' lad ...... and the dog's OK too! Collies can be a bit of a handful and need copious exercise which is a bind given his reactivity?
I've added a couple of new ones of Minnie in her favourite positions; on her back, legs (sorry Lez) akimbo, and snuggled in the crook of my arm. Note the big cock ...... on my Rev Peyton's Big Damn Band t shirt.
I am back! My bloody ********** imac got ******. Two weeks, TWO ******* WEEKS!! without internet, yep - stubbornly still not buying smartphone. Got some nice Lithuanian bloke in NI to get it fixed, firstly he desperatly tried to reboot mac in all possible ways as I begged him not to lose my files (most importantly photos, I saved only part of them til year 2016 incl). In the end he convinced me the only way was to replace old and faulty hard disc (losing of course my photos, ebooks etc). ah well... Butt - my mac goes twice as fast now, and it cost me only 120 euros, half for hard disc, half for labour. Maan, I was in hell, now I know what heroin addicts feel without shot. Nothing, you hear, NOTHING! can scare me now...
Passed most of my life without the internet but just you dare take it away now ...😢😡
Hello folks...okay i'm back too! :)Got lots of lovely photos of me holiday...and I've worked out how to upload the short movies I've filmed, up on to my YT account. One of them is 15 minutes long, taking in Chirk Aqueduct and the longest tunnel on the route, straight after it. Looks really scary, especially in sound! At least you'll get here what i sound like anyway! ;-D
So folks, where's Suze at? Doesn't seem to've been around for a while. I mean I don't spend enough time online to visit 99% of the threads presently (so can't say I've checked around) but when this one sleeps for a week or two I do start to wonder.
Blastronaut wrote: "So folks, where's Suze at? Doesn't seem to've been around for a while. I mean I don't spend enough time online to visit 99% of the threads presently (so can't say I've checked around) but when this..."You just pushed me in to sending Suzy an email. I've been thinking of it but just didn't get round to it. Hope she's just taking one of her little breaks. 🤞
Post Soviet wrote: "I am back! My bloody ********** imac got ******. Two weeks, TWO ******* WEEKS!! without internet, yep - stubbornly still not buying smartphone. Got some nice Lithuanian bloke in NI to get it fixed,..."Glad you got it sorted, Post. ☺️ Thought our iMac was humped yesterday when D couldn't even get it to turn on. 50 button presses and a socket change later I finally got it working. We've now set it to go on each morning and turn off at night meaning no footering around with what appears now to be a dodgy power button. . I have a lot of pictures and music stored on ours and although it's around 8 years old now, we're not ready to replace it just yet. Everything else is working fine (🤞) so hopefully it'll last a good couple of years yet.
Welcome back post,I wrote to Suzy,and had an email,I think she is ok just taking it easy and resting at the moment.
Isabella/Anita - I messaged Suze about a week ago and haven't heard owt back which's unusual. Maybe she's just not been on the forum for a while then. I resort to such tactics meself when I'm not in the right place if yous know what I mean.
Hello Collette, not seen you around for yonks! How yer doing?
Amazon exiles
Books mentioned in this topic
Ten Poems about Snow (other topics)And So This is Christmas: 51 Seasonally Adjusted Poems (other topics)
The Tiger Who Came to Tea (other topics)
The Quangle Wangle's Hat (other topics)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Christina Rossetti (other topics)John Keats (other topics)
Joan Aiken (other topics)
I’ve bought through them a few times, never had a problem. I suppose the test would be how they handled it if something did go wrong though.