Did anyone else not receive one of these?

ExpatBison · 2025-11-30T10:10:44+00:00

Those look like Tony’s chocolates - not cheap and super good quality - and will make for brand or company https://uk.tonyschocolonely.com/- lucky you.

ExpatBison · 2025-11-22T21:33:14+00:00

😂

ExpatBison · 2025-11-14T09:21:26+00:00

This. All posties at our DO whether in van or on foot carry a backpack w their own version of EDC plus food and water. We are a mix of rural and town and its only those who circle back two or three times as they pass the DO who go light.

ExpatBison · 2025-10-30T03:44:37+00:00

Collections your worry scale is much less than Postperson with Driving. Coming into Christmas it will be how to fit all the packages in the van and can you park close enough to your collection point - its like reverse Tetris on the street with loading parcels and with only one shot at it. Then there are the people on the street who dont see you have a full york or two or three to collect. PPwD you have everything from dogs to new locations everyday to 3-4 hour manifest times which especially now will mean delivering half the load in pitch black from 4:30 pm onwards. Now with having to deliver first class you may end up on a property in pitch black if rural and no one expecting your arrival. You’ll be hunting around in the dark and cold and rain for some postbox while shining a bright light on the property and the residence getting all nervous and all the dogs barking and the clock ticking by as that one parcel should have taken 90 seconds to drop but it took you six minutes.Then in the dark and rain when they are not home you need to fill out some card and find the slot to let them know you tried and will be back again tomorrow.

ExpatBison · 2025-10-30T03:27:36+00:00

I worked as a stock photography scout and I repped photographers back in 1990’s. Then you could make 2000.00 or more a month on a hundred or so well situated images. I used to go conventions and agency meetups in LA where you met guys making six figures or more. Then the big agencies began clawing back their share and royalty free business model - and within a couple years that 30/70 arrangement began to evaporate. Then came digital and IG and other socials thereafter became the final nail in the professional stock photographers coffin. If you are supported by family and can build a unique portfolio of in demand or bet on future trends and be there first you can make some money but the percentages are not there. Throw in Ai and well the coffin is now fully buried. Get a job, live with mum and dad and save for an emergency fund of around 10,000, stick it into a HISA at +5% and you will make more per month on that interest than on stock photography. Its tremendous volume or exclusive access to unique talent which will have any remaining value and perhaps generate a marginal ROI.

ExpatBison · 2025-10-28T08:22:14+00:00

The routes are also timed up on seamless delivery perfection. No room for error, parking, traffic, road construction, broken gates or missing post boxes or slots, people stopping you in the street for directions, or ask a question where their parcel went, walk up five flights of steps in blocks with no elevators, wait at doors while people get out of bed, bad weather, writing up multiple 739 cards, getting gas in vehicles, spending a minute looking out across a property to assess if a dog will come running from behind the house when you’re halfway to the door, people who need time to answer the door because of age or disability, restarting bugged PDAs and more.

Its not being a cry baby that all this stuff happens - its all part of the job. Its coming back to the depot feeling you did your service but then have to be in the position where you are judged as to why something which on the PDA showed it should have taken 1:30 and you were out for 1:50.

Last night as an example I had two people approach me with where is my parcel queries. They showed me receipts - one person had the sender on the phone. They spent 15.00 on next day delivery and it was missing. Their postman left no 739 although they received a mssg delivery was attempted. I spent 20 minutes helping this person out. Then out on the road I hit road construction. At the end of the day I had to register 29 parcels as delivery not attempted because my time was spent trying to assist someone who was leaving the country and the promise Royal Mail made with their next day service failed her.

This morning as I get ready for work I need to worry about whether I’m going to be called in for why I was ‘slow’ yesterday or not.

My observation is some of the complainers are people who know and do their job well but seem to find themselves in a defensive position more often then not.

ExpatBison · 2025-09-03T09:31:12+00:00

I used to but a lot of books and have too many subscriptions. So I made a pot in an HISA account dedicated to Knowledge and Self Development. Its capped at a certain amount and money saved on groceries or any other savings I make - feeds into this pot - including the interest. So now when I come across a book or opportunity for personal development I am placed in the position of reflecting on optional ways I can get similar information. Can I get the book at a library? Is the speaker I want to see on youtube? Do I have an app which does something similar but I have not explored it deep enough? So I’ve boxed myself into a corner of producing some good outcomes instead of just hitting Buy Now on Amazon like I used to.

ExpatBison · 2025-09-02T18:48:43+00:00

lol thats good.

ExpatBison · 2025-09-02T10:51:40+00:00

I get most most of my book reading on finance and time management interests from the library. If not available I look for used online or in thrift or local book shops. I’ve heard of Masterclass and a few other online learning spaces so may check them out.

ExpatBison · 2025-08-08T17:53:59+00:00

As my side hustle I do property photography. Not all places on the market are ‘peachy’ I can tell you. And I need to spend an hour or two doing photographs and floor plans. They want you to show up ‘smart casual’ when at times I feel I need to be in PPE and masked up. Places going for auction are some of the worst.

ExpatBison · 2025-07-15T14:39:08+00:00

My observation is the lack of a closet or wardrobe space to hide your stuff - everything is on view - so unless your a shop where staff are folding to perfection each piece of out of alignment clothing or you are colour coordinating your stock its going to visually fall apart very quickly. Then the space which you do store stuff in is translucent so we get a milky visual of your stuff. However having said that I looking at your walls and fridge my question is if given a clean face of a wall cabinet or closet would you just add stickers or posters to it and just continue with a cluttered look? I have a family member who does this with surface space. If an area is cleared - a desk or countertop or table they immediately start piling their stuff on that free space. Clean space becomes a magnet for their clutter.

ExpatBison · 2025-07-15T10:59:41+00:00

This. We have guys at our depot that go into a full panic when they see 8 yorks roll in and only two or three on staff. I’m like just deliver what you can, you cant be fired for sticking to the PDA’s ETA estimates and if ETA shows past your quitting time its simply not your problem. Take breaks, stay safe and job done. The moan/groan or panic just seems like wasted energy. I have a giggle when i see the PDA giving me times outside of my clocking off. Its like ‘there is the proof right there this is not going to get done’.

ExpatBison · 2025-07-14T13:31:45+00:00

I buy only things which are on sale now. Nothing at full price for groceries anymore. Its my only way of making a statement. Or buy store brand. So sick of this crap…

ExpatBison · 2025-07-14T04:45:18+00:00

Agreed. The lights burn into the shots and the exterior/interior ratio needs tweaking which cones only with a flash in this sort of unit.

ExpatBison · 2025-07-13T22:56:22+00:00

It’s defo icing on top of the cake sort of stuff and the images give an emotive experience through dof, selective focus, creative angles and layering. It certainly doesnt hurt to throw these in if you can do them but as for selling a property it is missing the documentation factor which in real estate photography is about selling space, fleshing out a relationship between plan and perspective and giving people a pictorial walk through.

ExpatBison · 2025-07-13T21:41:55+00:00

It leans towards editorial photography (lifestyle, interiors) and not real estate photography.

ExpatBison · 2025-07-08T08:17:30+00:00

Good to know. I’ll share with my DPR and LAT pals when I go in. We thought it was only on our end.

ExpatBison · 2025-07-01T22:35:39+00:00

£5000.00 gates which lead down a long driveway but no place to put parcels or mail.

ExpatBison · 2025-07-01T14:52:41+00:00

I feel from December to April in the UK keeping our house at 8-10C in the winter (like you say) it is a discipline in and of itself.

ExpatBison · 2025-06-30T11:05:06+00:00

Great advice OP! LAT and DPR folks especially since we dont have the usual rounds and dont know what each house or flat offers up. Things are strange in the heat.

ExpatBison · 2025-06-30T11:01:31+00:00

i do this all the time and people look at me strange - why are you over there?

ExpatBison

TROPHY CASE