Today I received a phone call from HHL about the updating of mine and other properties in the Putson district, it would appear that due to an admin error that I was one of a few tenants who did not  get notified officially about these works.  Had a lovely conversation where I was fully informed about why and when works were able to take place, and I was able to ask lots of questions.  All of this proved very helpful.

Without my original post on here which HHL picked up on, and via a little detection work tracked me down, none of this would have come about, so I am glad to have had a space where I could voice my concerns.

What did come out of this conversation was also interesting, though!  It would seem that they find it difficult to decide how to discuss future issues regarding HHL tenants homes with tenants, because past events haven't always proved successful.  For example when Ross Roads was due to have extensive works to the outside, they had open days where tenants could visit and discuss any concerns etc, over two days just 18 tenants went to the open day.

So whilst on this occasion HHL had made an error hadn't communicated with me, perhaps also we has tenants when given the opportunity should also where possible try and engage more with our housing associations.

Finally a public thank you to Lesley of HHL this morning, it was enlightening and much appreciated.

Wheezerweiner.

We had a presentation to the Council with the help of Councillor Jim Kenyon last December, which was discussed in our Traffic Lights Out Meeting topic here, since this time we have been working on our mission statement etc. The following letter was sent out to the Hereford Cabinet a few weeks ago but we have not received a response at all.

(I have also attached it in PDF format)

I have had many tenants approach me because some of the rendering on the walls of the Kilvert Road flats have become loose because of all the wet weather we have had, therefore it was removed. Tenants concerns is the flats will now become damp. I have had assurance from HHL that if that happened any damp etc would be put right regardless of the flats being part of the regeneration of the Oval.

I'm given to understand that young and vulnerable young women have been used and exploited in a Brothel in Commercial Road and the Police have raided the establishment,

That's the gossip and its all over the place. Because it is 'gossip' I won't name the premises but because of the concern of growing reports of Syphilis and other STD, I thought I'd add to the tittle tattle, rumour and innuendo and let you all know.

I live in one of the many Cornish Style Flats that are dotted around Putson in Hereford.  I have been here for 12 years and like many others see and live with the ups and downs of these type of properties.  Just two years ago Hereford Housing spent I imagine an enormous amount of money painting the exterior of these properties.  Those of us living on the ground floors were given a choice of a selection of colours available, and over a period of several months Long Meadow, Winston Road, Hoarwithy Road, the Homestead, Ridgeway Avenue and Holme Lacy Road, all received a make over.  And very nice too they all looked.

Just last week Hereford Housing recommenced work on the same properties starting in the Homestead re-roofing and installing new windows, fair enough the windows needed doing (I know mine do) and some people have been having problems with leaky roofs and we had heard that the properties were due to be re-roofed in 2014.  What I don't understand is why now when only two years ago all the properties were painted, are they now being rendered and insulated.  Yes it will hopefully improve the insulation values of these properties and improve energy saving values.  Which is a good thing for the tenants, but why did Herefordshire Housing waste so much money repainting them what is a relatively short time ago.  

I have tried to phone Herefordshire Housing about it, but no one was availabe to answer my questions.

I was further annoyed to today to receive a phone call from a window company today asking me if I was available to have my windows changed.  Whilst as I mentioned earlier in my post that my windows need doing I have received no official communications from Hereford Housing about what works are to be carried out on my home or who will be undertaking them.  I have the good sense to ring Hereford Housing to check whether this window company were legit.  But my concern is that with the fact that there are many people out there willing to take the vulnerable and abuse them, by using Hereford Housing works program to enter people's homes acting as bogus contractors.  I have rang Hereford Housing about this and expressed my concerns about their lack of communications with their tenants about the works programme.  They did sort of thank me for raising this point, and suggested that perhaps they should do a leaflet drop to tell their tenants about the works programme in this area.  For a housing association who claims to care about its tenants, I feel they are doing a very shoddy job.  

The Cabinet of Herefordshire Council met today to agree the terms of the dissolution of the company known as Hereford Futures (formerly known as ESG Ltd). The following were the recommendations of the report:

I would like to voice my concerns about the amount of cats which have gone missing in out around Saxon Court estate since 2008. My friends and I have counted over 60 since then. 20 of these have been since December 2013! (Mostly around Garrick Avenue).

Our cat died of anti freeze poisoning in 2010, which I believe was a deliberate act as three other cats on neighbouring streets died within weeks of him. At the time I went to Hfd Times and they ran an article about it. I also spoke to a councillor who told me that they were aware of a person nearby who might well be responsible.

Since then it seems that I can walk around our estate without seeing a missing cat poster. Cats protection league have also agreed that an unusually high amount of cats are reported to them as missing on/around our area.

I really think something untoward is occurring. The lady I spoke to on Garrick Avenue, told me that one family in her street had 5 go missing within the last 2 years!

The RSPCA have informed us that we need to put together some sort of case file regarding any cats poisoned with confirmation from their owners vets. I have also decided to collect any missing cat information and log it from now on to show councillors that this is an ongoing problem.

Ok he didn't get stuck in a pothole, but he was here. Very disappointed that I didn't know and get the chance to see him.

But I still bet he had problems with the roads and streets :P

.. it just took to get from The Victory to the Police Station. I'm getting so f$%**@g sick of this.

Consequently, the items that I had due for pick up from local shops have now been cancelled and ordered elsewhere online for delivery. I'm not ******* sitting through that again.

I really do pity those local trades people who have to drive around this **** hole on a daily basis.

You know what it's like.  You haven't woken up properly when you check your overnight incoming e-mails, deleting those viagra offers and 'learn the art of waterboarding your noisy neighbours' free trials?

The othe morning, there was the bearded one, grinning out at me at 6.15am, telling me there was a spare seat beside him in the first Virgin Rocket's trip to the moon.  "There's still time to enter this unique competition, Grid Knocker," he said.  Directly at me, peeps!  Just imagine having Richard Branson as your co-pilot all the way to the moon?  The mind doesn't just boggle, it positively coagulates.

But there was a catch.  Isn't there always a catch?  There in the small print at the bottom, in yellow text set against a pulsating yellow background it said: "I have read Virgin Rocket's terms & conditions and agree to receive details of promotional offers from Virgin Mobile, Virgin Trains, Virgin Records, Virgin Airlines, Virgin Holidays, Virgin Money, Virgin Caribbean Care Homes, Virgin Perfumed Trainer Liners, Virgn Skateboard Accident After-Care and Virgin Drain Unblocking.

Of course I didn't click the box, but now I'm scared to open the front door or even walk into town for fear he'll be lying in wait for me.  With his red clip board and that cheesey toothsome grin.  The postman's just brought our post: d'you suppose he might come disguised as a postie?  Or the man who reads the gas meters?

Having just driven down Edgar Street, around to Commercial Street and back.... Jesus Christ!

Have you seen how many more traffic lights there are now?

They are all over Edgar Street now, All down Blackfriars and another 2 sets on New Market Street.

And you can bloody bet that after sitting on red lights for people to cross, you'll catch the next set at the roundabout - a mere 10 meters in front - just as they fade from green to red and have to sit and wait some more.

TWO women police officers, dismissed for gross misconduct after producing deliberately inaccurate witness statements, wont be facing criminal charges!

At the conclusion of an internal hearing, the Hereford officers were dismissed without notice for behaviour amounting to gross misconduct.

Now if this was anyone else other than a police officer do you think there would be charges??

Full HT article

I received an email this morning from Nicky Geeson who has asked me if I will kindly circulate the following:

Quote taken from this article on the HereForHereford website

Herefordshire is some way behind with its provision of care for adults who have learning difficulties. At the end of last year, the council's scrutiny committee told Cllr Graham Powell to appoint an 'Advocate' for this group of vulnerable people. I was asked to take on this role and have been busy since then trying to understand how we in Herefordshire got so behind.

Until I retired recently, I was a care worker, and I also have a close relative who has learning difficulties so I have some experience.

I am currently visiting day centres, speaking to care providers, etc. I need the public, you, to let me know if you have come across any problems, if you have a relative who has learning difficulties and has experienced difficulties.

I am a great believer in communication and information gathering but if I do not know of a problem I may not be able to solve it. If I am to hold the council to account, and adults with learning difficulties to hold me to account for them, I need to hear from everyone one who believes they have a contribution to make. Hereford Voice is a great way to get information out, to hear people's views, swap ideas and get a feel for a situation. Hope you can help me help a vulnerable group of people who often get overlooked when budgets are set!

Did this story find it's way into the HT.  If so I must have missed it.  Should the Council manage to pick this ground up for a snip at a mere £1.00 what is it being earmarked for?

Full Story Here

After my exchange with Steve regarding 'Hell' I've been having a look at the book, titled, 'Hell. What a Dreadful Place', and in Paragraph six, subsection three it says that anyone who is an employee of the Hereford Council and they are simply carrying out the demands placed upon them by their political masters and their senior colleagues it says, and I bloody quote, 'they ain't going to hell and anyone who says they are has never read the book, 'Hell! What a Dreadful Place'. Which of course means that Tony Featherstone is not going to hell and Deirdre was completely wrong, which, given the circumstances, makes you wonder why anyone with any sense reads the Problem Page of The Sun in the first place.

Mind, Hell is a dreadful place. You'd be a fool to ever want to go there.

After failing my Eleven Plus examination in the sixties, I was dispatched to an All Boys Catholic School. There, you were certain of three things. Being buggered, getting the Latin and being told a great deal about God, earthly sins, which included masturbating and Lucifer, the Incubus and the Succubus.

No, you wouldn't want to go to Hell. You'd be an odd sort if that's what you wanted for yourself after your arteries became clogged up and you died in agony from a Heart Attack because your cholesterol had become sky high and you'd become more swine than human.

Basically, this is what happens after the Doctor says, 'good grief, he's **** himself, I can't find a pulse so he's dead.' Obviously you then whizz off downwards. Not upwards. Definitely downwards. If you find yourself going upwards then you ain't going to Hell, which might make you mutter, 'lovely Im not going to Hell'.

Once you arrive, you're met in the Reception area by Eva Braun who says in broken English, 'How nice to meet you. Welcome to Hell. Eat this custard slice and here's a tub of ointment to help your anus that'll be violated by the Succubus every fifteen minutes for the rest of eternity.

After you've completed all the administrative tasks, a bunch of Lucifer's Hand Maidens all rush in wearing skimpy nighties, drag you across the room, introduce you to the dark one, Lucifer who then pulls out a bloody sledgehammer and smashes it onto your right kneecap which immediately gives you a disability for the rest of eternity.

Then, still licking the cream off your lips after the custard slice, the bloody Incubus enters the room wearing one bloody boot. A huge monstrous thing constructed of the finest Portuguese Kid leather that has eighteen lace holes that secure this dreadful thing to his foot. He says, 'lads, this is the boot that'll kick your testicals every fifteen minutes of your time spent here in Hell'.

And that is Hell. Every fifteen minutes, not only are you sodomised, you get your testicals kicked as well. You'd be an odd sort if that appealed to you. And worse, there's no Bank Holidays and throughout your time in Hell they pipe one song into your pit of despair, over and over and over again. 'Billy Don't Be A Hero', by Paper bloody Lace.

You didn't know any if that did you? No! Because you ain't reading the right books. There, and anyone who says, 'what a load of tripe', I'd say, 'Yes, and there's plenty more where that came from'.

Might put my bike back in the garage.

A CAR and a cyclist have been involved in a collision in Hereford this morning.

 

Emergency medical treatment was provided to the cyclist who sustained a significant head injury.

 

 

... he had to be flown out by helicopter due to his injuries.

www.herefordtimes.com/news/11135534.UPDATE__Collision_involving_car_and_cyclist_in_Hereford_this_morning/?ref=var_0

What's with all the wood??

It always gets me why do developers use wood on new projects? I suspect they would argue in this case that it lets in more light for cars going up the ramp onto the roof top parking but they could of used similar materials to what they have used around the other side near to the new cinema, which looks a lot more modern and better in my view. It's obviously cheaper! However, in a few years time it will go grey or even black in colour and look terrible. Have a look at the Courtyard Theatre, they have had to replace some and that looks even worse!!

The relatively new Premier Inn next to Sainsbury's looks just as bad, do these developers not think of the bigger picture and how these buildings will look in a few years time? 

Mark my words and I will give it 3 years or less and it will look rubbish.