MY BIOGRAPHY. |
1. With spending time on the boat and of more recent times with the formation of the Preservation Society I have been quite busy yet never the less I have still managed to fit in and do many other interesting things. Well I find them interesting! 2. In the complex, where we now live, we initially had two public meetings a year with our landlords, the Corporation Housing Department, who would come along and fill us with twaddle and tell us how good they were and how lucky we were to have them looking after us and how generous it was of them, as individuals, to give up their time to attend these meetings and almost as an after thought and during the last ten to fifteen minutes ask us if we had anything to say or if we had any complaints. If the complaint was serious they would fob it off by saying they would look into it, which they rarely did and if it were trivial they would encourage those present to elaborate and extend and play on it until the available time for the meeting ran out or those past their bedtime started to nod off. A typical political ploy and one that never fails to infuriate me. So I would write to them and remind them of their promises and in advance of meetings I would talk to fellow residents and have a pre-prepared agenda ready to put to them. This would often result in my monopolising much of the time but the others always claimed they were happy about this as I had the capability of saying what of a lot of them were thinking but either didn't have the confidence to stand up and say it or they were frightened of retribution. Wimps in authority are aware of this and always have subtle ways of intimating those they believe might upset them and also take a dim view of anyone rocking the boat. They certainly don't intimidate me and I am happy to rock the boat if I think it justified and yet they were quick to take advantage of one meeting where, for the first time, a woman turned up, that I didn't know, and stated that she was fed up of listening to me, who had only been there for five minutes (meaning living in the complex) and thought I owned the place. There was a few moments silence until her mate, the woman sat next to her, added, 'And you have been nothing but trouble since you came.' The remainder shuffled to hide their embarrassment but undeterred I stated that I had nothing further to say; as it would appear that I did not represent the majority and so I would bid them all goodnight. (Yes, I spat my dummy out). A few days later I received a letter from the housing department stating that, at a recent meeting and in front of housing officers, two people had made a serious complaint against me, and as the complaint had been made by more than one person they were obliged to act on it. It went on to say that if I persisted in causing dissention among my fellow residents then they would have no alternative but to do something about it. I did nothing and waited for the next meeting. When it opened I asked for a show of hands to demonstrate to the officers that when I said something, either then, in the future, or had said something in the past, I was talking for and representing the majority but perhaps not all of the residents present and certainly not those who didn't bother to come to the meetings. They could represent themselves in whatever way they chose. It was unanimous and one chap added that he thought the corporation should write to the two women and tell them they were the ones causing all the trouble and ill feeling. That didn't stop someone, on another occasion, writing and complaining that my two dogs were fouling in the public rooms and to get action and something done about it, got a second resident to sign it along with them. This time we had a visit from the housing department and a dog warden. They had no proof and neither did the complainants, apparently, but they still said that if they got any more complaints, in the future, then they would take immediate action. I invited them to do just that but I was cross. My dogs never fouled anywhere inside and very, very rarely went into any public rooms. What these people didn't realise was that I had and still have, to a certain extent, some good contacts in and around Scarborough Council and it didn't take long for me to find out who was behind it. The sad thing is that those who did it were ones that I would, and a lot of other people would also, not believe could do such a thing. But I now know who they are, and they don't know I know, and my two dogs may have sadly gone, but these people are still around and my memory is long and my patience unlimited. My day will come. 3. The dog warden came on more than one occasion. A resident complained to the Resident Warden, who was hardly ever there as he had a second residence, in a village, some ten miles down the road, and spineless get that he was, we have another one now, didn't say anything to me but reported that our dog, we having only the one at this time, the other having died, had been fouling on the grass outside and we had failed to clean it up. Well again we always cleaned up after both our dogs, even before it became law, and they never fouled on the grass outside. I took the dog warden to inspect the offending 'turds' and simply asked her how a little dog, like mine, could leave a pile the size of those in question. She agreed and went away happy. As I have already said the resident warden and the pillock he was, has gone and the lady in question, who complained to him, has died. The majority, in the complex, are great people and we have some characters living in the place and it would not be fair to tell too much about them but let me end with the one who knocked on my door and accused me of being responsible for a large Aspidistra plant being stolen from outside his front door. I stood accused because my wife had left some surplus bedding plants, in a box, in the front entrance with a note saying, 'Plants - help yourself' and someone had gone through double doors, along a long corridor and round a corner and stolen his plant. Now this guy is a prat, for that and many other reasons, including insulting and calling my wife a slut and I haven't spoken to him in years. Neither have I forgotten everything he has done. That same person, at one time, got some sadistic pleasure out of waiting until we backed our car out of the residents car park and then he would park his car in the space we had vacated. He achieved absolutely nothing, daft senile sod, as there was more than enough room for everyone. He also rang his MP when someone put a settee out on the pavement awaiting collection by the refuse department, or he did according to his wife. 4. But were we not discussing Housing Meetings? We were, so sorry about that. Back to them! Suddenly they decided that they were not going to have anymore and from there on if we wanted representation and access to the corporation then we should form a Residents Association, draw up a constitution and register with them. I don't think they thought we would, but we did and the first thing we were told was that we did not qualify for any form of funding unless we were to include and represent all the other surrounding rural areas. To hell with that, we would stick to our own little unit and they could stick their funding, we would raise our own. The women, my wife being one of them, who formed the second committee were great and a coffee morning soon set the funding off. Note I said the second committee? Armed with our constitution and the terms laid down by the corporation, we called a meeting, which was well attended and from that meeting received nominations and elected a Chairman and committee. I had already made it clear that due to my other commitments I wanted no elected office but would chair the inaugural meeting and thereafter help and assist in any way I could until they got up and running. A letter was sent to the corporation informing them of the elected officers who would, in future, be dealing with them. The first committee meeting was arranged and I went along as promised. When the meeting was called to order the Chairman asked me to leave as I was not an elected officer and that they could manage without me. Fair enough! The following day the lady who had been elected secretary came along and asked if I could help with the drafting of some letters and notices etc. I said that I did not feel that I could as I had been unceremoniously kicked out but she said that if I did not then the whole thing would collapse as the whole committee had resigned at that first meeting and the Residents Association effectively did not exist anymore. I said I would take over on the understanding that it was for twelve months only and that I would elect my own committee and call meetings only as I felt circumstances warranted it. I have been the re-elected chairman ever since and the system we operate works fine and any surplus funding, from our own fund raising efforts, of which there has been quite a bit, is handed back to the residents in the form of Social Functions, Christmas Boxes and handouts at Easter etc. 5. We have had a few brushes with the corporation but so far everything has worked out and with not too many compromises. One of the biggest problems was over the warden service we are entitled to, but did not get. However, after a long struggle, that has been resolved and things are presently going smoothly. 6. My wife involves herself in numerous local activities, looks after her dad, who is now elderly, the best she can and in general keeps herself well occupied. This suits us both as it leaves us free to do our own thing, not that we need to, but it makes a change from always being in each other's pockets as we were throughout our working lives. I do the boat and it won't be long before it is due for its annual pull out of the water to be cleaned, anti-fouled below the water line and completely repainted and varnished above. Then there is the Heritage Society of which I am not only the Chairman but at the current level of support I am also the acting Secretary and then there is the current love of my life, my computer. I am into everything, computing wise, but have a fondness for Web Designing, the Internet and e-mail and all that entails and at the moment I am well on the way to proving, to myself at least, that it is impossible to make money on the Internet. Some may make money; some may make a lot of money but not the likes of me as a single loan PC owner. We are the suckers; if we don't watch out, that the big boys feed on and everything they offer to share with us is just so much unadulterated bullshit, believe me, I know and it has cost quite a bit to find out. 7. We have a mobile phone, bought as a present and used with top up cards and we can just about dial and receive calls on it but nothing else as the Grandkids demonstrated everything else so fast they left me way behind. Anyhow who wants to send or receive for that matter, text messages and have fancy phone ring tones and I was so put off the whole thing, by a woman I sat next to on the bus, one night, coming home from Scarborough. The first thing she did was pull out a phone and ring three people to tell them she was on the way home. She then rang someone, the forth, whom I gathered was her husband, to ask what time he was coming home and what did he want for his tea? Then she rang someone else to tell them to go to the shop and what to get for the tea and where to find the money. She then settled down. A few miles along the road and a phone started to ring and she delved into her handbag. The phone in her hand was not ringing and so she looked round to see who it might be while it continued to ring and no one answered. Then without warning she emptied the contents of her handbag out onto her knee and sure enough one of the three phones that fell out was ringing. She answered it by telling someone not to ring her on that phone and stuffed the whole lot back into her bag. If that is cell-phones and modern communications then leave me out. 8. We also have Sky Television and that is not boasting. To start with there is no way we could afford that but once again due to the generosity of family, who pick up the monthly bill, we sit and watch it. 9. We still get mixed feelings of amusement and disgust at what we call 'coffin chasers.' The complex we live in is for elderly people and some of them end up lonely and because they have no immediate family they can end up without any outside support and it is amazing how quickly that can be rectified. Some, who come along, perhaps from the local church, are well meaning while others who latch on are not quite what they should be. It starts off with offers to go shopping and collect prescriptions, then a bit of cleaning, collecting pensions and paying bills and a key to get in and out. Then if they have to go into hospital it is visits and look after the flat. If and when they die who is in the flat before they are even cold and any known relations can be contacted, our coffin chasers and don't they do well out of it? We have known executors allow them to take out bags full, and even furniture and pictures that were all claimed to have been promised by the deceased. I wonder if on these occasions, any money or small valuables are ever found in these flats by legitimate claimants or the executors? It should be stopped but how can you when on many occasions the executers don't really care? A true but very sad fact of life and one you become very conscious of when you are close to it. 10. On a lighter note; a DHSS Inspector called a couple of years ago to check up on information received that I was earning undeclared money, from working on the boat, whilst receiving state benefits. I assured him I was not and he was free to check with Claud, if he wished. He said he already had done so and had been shown the books and he was satisfied but he had to follow up the complaint. When I asked him who had complained he said he was sorry but he could not tell me, but on his way out said I must have been upsetting a few people in the harbour. That is how low that lot will stoop. |
CHAPTER 57. Also. |
MY BIOGRAPHY. |
