Do you have a secret trick?

Green_hopeful

Katiehound said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

Those instructions made me properly giggle Green_hopeful  

Something makes me think this item comes from........ China???

Yes although I am not sure what google translate was trying to translate. On a brighter note all three cats can open the door from the outside and one can open it from the inside so hopefully they will all learn. We also have two cats coming for Christmas so they will need to learn as well. 

London_1

I have visions of you lining them all up to teach them  

My little tip to make my life easier as I'm not good at standing for too long doing the veg. I sit every Sunday morning with the wireless on listening to The Archers while peeling my veg for the week I have a long green Tuppaware box I've had since the 1970s and it gets half filled with water and as I peel the spuds ,carrots etc they get put into the water ready for me to use during the week.

 A one hour programme always sorts out my veg and once in the fridge I only have to change the water every two days.for fresh. results are no backache for me and a boring peeling job is done and dusted while I'm listening to the goings on in Ambridge .

Once the veg is peeled I then move on to any apples and do them and poach in a little water with a dollop of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon.If I'm making them to eat as a pudding or pie then they are ready ,but if not then they are portioned up and once cold put into soft soup bags and frozen . If the fresh broccoli has (as it often does at time ) long thick stalks they get trimmed off, wrapped in a little tinfoil or cling film and frozen for use in soups or casserole Nothing goes to waste if I can help it. In fact cabbage stalks or cauliflower ones get the same treatment . Even if there is a small amount of uncooked cabbage  left I will shred it and freeze in a small bag.
To me if its edible then it either goes in my tummy or gets frozen for later definitely never gets binned .food is far too expensive to throw away

JackieO xx

Green_hopeful

I have posted this on the tax page but thought it might be useful here. I have found a way to get through to a human at HMRC. 

I am waiting for a tax refund. I tried the web chat and the phone number but couldn’t get a human.  I found on the HMRC customer forum that if you type adviser in the web chat it transfers you to a human instead of the robot. Very helpful. She was able to tell me what has happened to my application and when I might get the payment. 

Ringing people like the HMRC makes me stressed before I even pick up the phone so to get through and get an ‘answer’ feels like a success. 

Bridlington1

Green_hopeful said:

I have posted this on the tax page but thought it might be useful here. I have found a way to get through to a human at HMRC. 

I am waiting for a tax refund. I tried the web chat and the phone number but couldn’t get a human.  I found on the HMRC customer forum that if you type adviser in the web chat it transfers you to a human instead of the robot. Very helpful. She was able to tell me what has happened to my application and when I might get the payment. 

Ringing people like the HMRC makes me stressed before I even pick up the phone so to get through and get an ‘answer’ feels like a success. 

I've found it's the same with many of the banks too. Just type "speak to human" and that gets you through to someone. Occasionally the robot will tell you that it can help with many queries but typing "speak to human" again will make it transfer you to a human. I've done this with HSBC, Santander, TSB, Nationwide, Natwest, RBS and Ulster in the past and it's worked every time. 

EDIT: Also whilst we're on the topic of customer service if you have any issues with customer service at the banks make sure to complain as they'll often give you some free money as an apology. I've had £75 from TSB after I suffered several weeks of technical issues, another £30 from them when they failed to ring me when I had a phone appointment with them, £25 from HEBS after they took several weeks to update my nominated bank account and charged a fee from my account in error, £25 from Monmouthshire BS after they sent one of my letters to somebody else and £100 from Barclays after they closed my account without giving notice.

Eldi_Dos

£25 from the BS, you let them off lightly I would have wanted more, when you think of the possible consequences if that had fallen into the wrong hands.

YoungBlueEyes

That's brilliant. I'd never have thought of telling the chatbot to get me a human.

I agree with Eldi_Dos, £25 isn't enough for that tbh. 

Brie

And if you are on a phone call and are getting the "press 1 for ...  " carp try pressing zeros as in 000000000. Doesn't always work but sometimes that will put you through to a human too.

Rosa_Damascena

Brie said:

And if you are on a phone call and are getting the "press 1 for ...  " carp try pressing zeros as in 000000000. Doesn't always work but sometimes that will put you through to a human too.

Or asterisks as in ********************. That confuses the system enough to connect you with hom sap.

YoungBlueEyes

I'm not sure if this is a 'secret trick' exactly, but I mentioned it on another thread so thought I'd share it here too. Very quick and tasty tomato soup recipe - 

Into a big pan tip 2 tins of tomatoes and a tin of baked beans. Whizz it up with a stick blender. The end.

It's nice with a wee bit of wholegrain mustard stirred into it, or brown sauce. And always with a good grating of cheese on top. Yum  

joedenise

@YoungBlueEyes - if you add a big pickled onions to it and a tin of carrots before whizzing it up it tastes exactly the same as the Heinz tomato soup!!!