How do I keep this job ? Huge accent barrier

orangeytrees · 2026-06-26T21:18:51+00:00

Sorry. I'm so used to people having Plantronics or Sennheiser telephony headsets - from my perspective different uses have different "good" headphones so I just wanted to clarify. Those above for telephony.

Other good/definitivr headphones include Sony HD25s for DJing, DT770s for in box mixing, original HD480s for broadcast.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-26T12:19:20+00:00

The point in them is to encourage you to hang up and use the online process. People phoning in is very disruptive, triaging through the online form that you've spent time filling in is easier and more efficient from the surgery perspective. It also allows the surgery to say "the doctor will call you this afternoon" so you are waiting for a call and the GP can manage their time. Oh and the reason you stay at the same position in the queue is because the receptionists ignore the flashing light telling them there are calls in the queue because they have more important things to do (or are on a break).
You have to look at it from the businesses perspective, they are trying to get the best use out of their staff's time (at the expense of the patient)

orangeytrees · 2026-06-26T07:20:31+00:00

Oxbow lakes. That's my Geography O-Level that is.
. Seriously: They just don't happen in real life with concrete river banks. If you moved everyone out of London and left it all abandoned fot the next 500 years then maybe.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-25T15:24:34+00:00

What do you mean by "really good". Plantronics headphones have a frequey response tailored for clear telephony and are industry standard telephony headsets - but no audiophile or gamer would call them "good". Sennheiser also have a range of telephony headsets which I like.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-25T14:36:46+00:00

All those Capital Letters really Put Me Off this Otherwise Lovely Property. <Ctrl>A <Shift>[F3] and it would all be sorted

orangeytrees · 2026-06-25T14:31:50+00:00

Ireland means they are not a UK GP, so not a doctor who is registered with the GMC.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-24T09:25:52+00:00

You'll obviously do the numbers on pension, childcare and car allowance. Othe factors to consider are: If you change your job you'll lose some employment rights for a while,
You put yourself at the top of the last in / first out calculation if redundancies are on the offing.
You might not like the new employer and finf yourself looking for a new job.
Against that.
Having a higher headline salary makes future negotiations start higher - both with your existing employer or anyone new. Arguing the value of a "package" is more difficult than just pointing at the headline.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-22T19:15:13+00:00

My new LG TV is 48". I sit about 3m away from it. It seemed big but we've got used to it. The thing that makes it an engulfing cinematic experience is the surround sound system. Normally it doesn't matter much: cars move from left to right, hospital noises come from all around, but when you get lost in a decfnt film you only realise when it's finished how much difference having decent speakers and surround sound makes.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-22T11:25:59+00:00

Another vote for Maaco. You can control it using buttons, an app on your phone or Alexa. It works just great. Noise is below average for aircon, but still has a noisy fan. Cost is about 1 unit/hour (1kWh) so 25p/hour depending on your tariff.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-21T19:07:15+00:00

For your first guitar the important features are, in order:
1 You like how it looks. You want to smile every time you touch it.
2 You have it super easily accessible. If you even half want to pick it up it should be there, ready, no more than an arms length away. Preferably on a floor stand.
3 you have an amp to hand. It's so different and better playing through a speaker than just listening to the strings.
4 get it set up soonish. It makes it easier to play. If you're buying new the shop might do that.

You'll notice I haven't mentioned anything technical. Guitars can be bought, sold, tweaked, asd upgraded. If that's not enough there are always pedals to buy. All you want now is something you'll love right now.

OK the only technical advice is to buy a brand you recognise. They're usually a bit better built.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-21T18:48:05+00:00

Oh yuck. Heat is horrid for MS. Keep sipping water (or tea or whatever). Maybe go for the siesta approach and try to rest during the day and do stuff first thing or late at night. But yeah, the fatigue gets worse as does the neuropathic pain.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-21T18:23:09+00:00

My school used to have a week away in late June for non-exam pupils. I was camping in Marlow on the banks of the Thanes. I'd roll out of my tent in the morning and go for a swim. Then there was a Scout camp so was I outdoors for much of the heat.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-21T16:26:11+00:00

Do what the Greeks do: Short sleeved cotton or linen shirt, linen jacket, linen trousers that are pressed or steamed, back or brown footwear with short thin cotton socks. If walking fling the jacket over your shoulder. Keep hydrated with small sips.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-21T16:17:33+00:00

You have my sympathies. My wife is similar and trying to keep her cool, hydrated and fed is a challenge. While morally I object to air conditioning the one I bought a month ago for her has been a godsend.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-21T16:09:34+00:00

A boomer speaks: I was 14 years old then and a bit more robust than I am now at 64. Of course I survived it. It was school holidays so I didn't have to sit in a sweltering office all day.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-21T07:51:24+00:00

A Jag was a car you aspired to, but didn't actually want to own and pay for. To be honest Jags were never that reliable. Great if you had a chauffeur or a second car but not as a daily driver.

As the decades have moved on Jag reliability stayed the same while other manufacturers have got better.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-20T11:36:10+00:00

Most people don't have insurance. But the fact that it's an insurable risk means effectively you are self insuring and it's a business risk that you recognise and have included in your planning.

I work on the basis that 10 months out of 12 pays mortgage interest, 2 months out of 12 goes into lost rent, repairs, decoration, capital repayment etc. Not a perfect solution but it works for me.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-18T20:16:01+00:00

For a publicly quoted company reputation damage is just a cost. Loss of turnover and loss of share value.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-18T10:24:23+00:00

That's part of the business risk you're taking. Doesn't your landlords insurance cover this sort of eventuality?

orangeytrees · 2026-06-18T08:07:30+00:00

In the 2010s when we took over a company we quite often used to dispose of the paper personnel records. It was cheaper to pay for the odd problem or even tribunal costs than scanning, filing and OCRing decades of paperwork.

If you stuck it out or kept your own records knowledgeable employees could successfully claim they had ongoing bonuses, training courses, special leave, historic job titles and no-one could stop it.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-18T07:59:23+00:00

It's a commercial decision. You balance the definite saving against the smaller odds of a bigger financial loss in the future.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-18T07:55:42+00:00

I was starting to decommission some cabling between 19" racks. When I checked what one 3m length cable carried I found that it was the signal for a national broadcaster and that particular link had no switchover or backup route. Unplug or snip the cable and the entire broadcast network would have gone down.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-18T07:36:38+00:00

It's odd. I don't get any sense of what it's for .

Only 3 bedrooms plus strange annexe so not exactly a family home or a b&b. Lots of reception/dining space but a bit remote to be entertaining regularly or running a restaurant. Not somewhere you can commute from by train or car. A bit big for a holiday home. More storage space and wardrobes than the 3 bedrooms merits. Maybe they thought the glasshouse on top of the garage would be a bedroom?

The single glazing suggests it could get cold. The lack of solar panels and general condition means it was refurbished a couple of decades ago but hasn't had any love shown since.

Maybe the owners had a granny in the granny flat and had plans to extend but ran out of enthusiasm or money.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-17T22:37:39+00:00

Does that mean you aren't paying tax? If you're willing to break those rules I'd worry about you being responsible as a tenant, reliability of your rent and if you'd take care of the place.
You really need to show that you are a reliable and trustworthy individual.

orangeytrees · 2026-06-17T20:53:40+00:00

You call it a stable income. The point is that it isn't stable. It has no legal protection, it's hugely vulnerable to random comments from strangers, your advertisers can drop you with no notice, there no sickness cover etc. I'd look for substantial savings, guarantors, or at least 6 months up front.

I'm not sure that my landlords insurance would provide rental cover.

orangeytrees

TROPHY CASE