19 Mar 2016

19th March 2016 Lies, damned lies and Danish supermarkets special offers.

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Saturday 19th 32-47F, 0-8C, even thicker mist and overcast. Calm with 10C, 50F and some sunshine promised. Waiting for forecast sunshine in Denmark is like waiting for a live football match overrun to end. So I could watch the advertised BBC programme I have waited literally weeks to see. If I had all the wasted time back again I'd still be waiting for my pension!

I never tire of the sight of the solitary ash guarding the steep rise to the woods. The track has dried out but the verges have been rather torn up by the huge tractors decorating the soil with white granules.

The DMI's new Cray supercomputer is being built in Iceland so that Iceland gets the CO2 blame and the electricity bill. If they'd built it in a Danish village they could have used it for free district heating. Why are district heating bills so high that many use wood stoves in Danish cities or suffer the cold every winter? The daily weather forecast is always the first thing I look at online and often causes some mirth in the Head Gardener's household. Sometimes the daily forecast is so inaccurate that the DMI's weather archives should probably be listed under children's fiction.

As I walked towards the woods the mist lifted from 50 yards to 500 in only a few short minutes. I glanced back to see half a dozen, well furnished stags resting in a deep hollow by the marsh. They were much too far away for a photo without a really long lens. Later, just as I was about to exit the beech woods, a herd of females dashed away across the field. The trees were hailing overnight hoar frost though none was visible on the branches. The air is full of bird song again. Mostly from Chaffinches but sparrows and Great tits like to do their bit. I soon had to take off my hat and gloves despite the gentle headwind.

A solitary Heron and a Shelduck crossed purposefully overhead as I walked back along the road. Though there were no noisy geese or Hooper's swans flying today. I often wonder what purpose talking loudly to itself has for a lone, flying goose and what does it think it is saying? "Ow me arms hurt! Ow me arms hurt!"

The mist has now gone and it is brightening steadily as the promised sunshine looks almost a certainty. It has just reached 40F @ 10.30 and the wind has picked up. A local wind turbine has broken down again. Not a common sight these days by any means. It is not until you see the maintenance van parked at the base of the tower that the true and colossal scale of these things, is fully brought home.

Yet again a supermarket had no stock, for the third time in succession of an advertised, everyday food product on the first day of a special offer. Lies, damned lies and Danish supermarket's special offers. The manager tried to argue that they have had stock of the item. Damned lies! I was there on every single previous occasion and they had no stock every time. Lies, damned lies and Danish supermarket's special offers. Last week I came home from one shopping trip with 5 special offers missing due to a complete lack of stock. Let me repeat that just for clarity: Lies, damned lies and Danish supermarket's special offers.

When is never having any stock of special offers deliberate fraud? They entice shoppers into their shop to buy advertised special offers, often travelling from a distance, only to find no stock. [Again and again and again!] Of course they have their legal-ooze get-out clause: "While stocks last." I have deliberately arrived at opening time on the first day and still they had no stock. Then the legal-ooze get-out clause becomes: "We were let down by our suppliers."

It's odd that Denmark has no trading standards office or officers. Nor even a token, toothless, consumer affairs minister who never bothers to turn up for work. Then the supermarket's third, legal-ooze get-out clause might be put to scrutiny: Several varieties available means nothing of the kind! It ALWAYS means ONLY the SPECIFIC items seen in the illustrations in the lies, damned lies and Danish supermarket's laughable "special offers" fantasy comics. NOT available at a store near you! If having a conscience had value then all politicians would be living well below the poverty line! Only 16 miles. 

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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2 comments:

  1. Just to let you know that I read your diary every day. I just love your colourful descriptions and could almost imagine being there in your beautiful countryside. :-)

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  2. Praise indeed from Jane Austin herself. ;-)

    Thank you for your kind comment.

    Chris

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