Back to basics, London again

A few thank yous to a lot of different people rather than a big, subject, post.

I've called this back to basics as I'm remembering the initial idea for this blog; people who do their job with a smile; who bring something extra to the job and their day thereby making your day all the better.

So first of all, to Ann-Marie at Volvo in Swiss Cottage.  Thank you for always welcoming your customers with such a friendly chat and making them feel like they're coming over to a friend's rather than getting their car serviced or repaired.  

You always make it feel like there's time to sit down, have a natter and coffee.  Excellent, thanks.  

(This is where I would have put the 'thumbs up' but as of the last post, we're dropping that from the blog unless people want them back?).

picture courtesy
www.allinlondon.co.uk/images/

Next a couple of thanks without pictures for the moment but hopefully they'll get their own posts in due course.

To Rosey the hygienist who manages to make me smile and laugh while scraping my teeth. Thank you.  I'm hoping I might feature her in a later post with her lovely smiling face.

To the two armed police outside the Chinese Embassy on Portland Place the other day who were smiling and laughing with about twenty nursery school children walking past with their teachers.

And to Ellias of David's Deli Garden.  Ellias and his brother, Sam, run David's in West Hampstead and have now opened a branch in Praed Street.  I bumped into him in the Castle Chemist in Cricklewood Lane and was so enjoying chatting and catching up, forgot to think of the blog and getting a picture of him but he and his brother definitely deserve a post (see RNIB Black Lion Pub Quiz post here read-for-rnib-pub-quiz-thanks-and-photos), so again hope to feature them in a proper post with photos in due course.

Now to the last thank you of this post, it's to Le, Nba and Nimah of the Sensation Café in Fitzrovia.

Lunch hour midweek in the West End of London is fairly manic in all eateries, particularly places doing fast takeaway food for people in offices.  

However, you walk into the Sensation and you are greeted by three beaming smiles and calm descends. 

Le is behind the counter making up the food and taking the orders.  I had a seriously wicked Báhn mi (a Vietnamese sandwich in a baguette).

Lovely, (shy), Nimah was behind him on drinks and I had a good latte.  I think she thought I was mad taking their photos!

and then Nba (I hope I've got all your names right), is everywhere, serving, clearing, smiling and making sure everything's as it should be.  

An oasis of calm (good food) and smiles in the middle of London.  What can be bad?!

So thank you to everyone above and thumbs up for making all our (London) lives that bit better.

Do you want to say thank you to anyone?  Well this is the place to do it.

If you would like to write a post to thank someone or tell us something nice that happened just get in touch and we would love to hear from you and to spread the thanks.  You don't have to know how to do the formatting and stuff, we'll help you with all that.  We just need some words and preferably some nice smiley photos.  (don't forget to ask if you can take them).  This blog is for you, somewhere for you to have your say.  Thanks.

Back to the blog!

So it's been a while but....

Now I have a reason to do a quick blog and let's hope it's the first of a whole new stream of thank yous not just from me but from you too.

So imagine Embankment tube station at 11:30 pm on a Saturday night.  For those reading not familiar with London, not only is this a very busy train station at most times but on a Saturday night it is positively heaving with revellers and people wanting to get home after an evening of "on the town".

Drop into this Martin.

Martin was on the platform of the Northern line.  His job was to announce when the next train was coming, where it was going (the Northern line splits and you have to get the right branch to where you're going) and telling us to 'mind the gap'.

Most of the time one hears but doesn't hear these announcements or just ignores them but Martin had a very clever trick.

He did his announcements in funny voices making us all listen and laugh in equal degrees.

So thank you, Martin, and a thumbs upfor doing your job with a smile and taking us along for the ride too.

So to remind you or explain to new readers, if you would like to write a post to thank someone or tell us something nice that happened just get in touch and we would love to hear from you and to spread the thanks.  You don't have to know how to do the formatting and stuff, we'll help you with all that.  This blog is for you, somewhere for you to have your say.  Thanks.

A guest post by Sarah Stewart - 40 BEFORE 40

The inspiring work of Deb Gascoyne

Deb Gascoyne is looking for 40 people to sign up to the Myeloma UK Retail Therapy Walk on Saturday,11th May (2014) in London, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

http://www.myeloma.org.uk/get-involved/retail-therapy-walk/

Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow. There is no cure, but many effective treatments exist to slow down its progress and improve quality of life. I work for Myeloma UK, the only organisation in the UK working exclusively for myeloma patients. Our broad and innovative range of services cover every aspect of myeloma from providing information and support, to improving standards of treatment and care through research, education, campaigning and raising awareness. We receive no government funding and rely almost entirely on voluntary donations and fundraising activities.  Our fundraisers mainly consist of patients, family members and their friends.  I think they are amazing people who go above and beyond to ensure that we can continue our vital work (thumbs up to every one of those incredible people). They say it’s to give something back, but, in my opinion, the privilege is all ours.

One such fundraiser to whom I would like to give a resounding thumbs up is Deb Gascoyne, from West Wycombe, Buckinhamshire. Hard-working mum of two, Deb was diagnosed with myeloma at 34. Since then, she has become one of our most successful and devoted fundraisers. By the end of last year, she, along with husband Nick and friends, had already raised over a staggering £70,000 for Myeloma UK (a huge thumbs up for such a tremendous effort).  

I am continually impressed by Debs’ perseverance and positivity. You often hear people bemoan the big four-0, but, five years on from her diagnosis, Deb can’t wait to turn 40 - an age she didn’t know if she would ever reach. True to form, Deb is celebrating by taking on 40 challenges before 40 to raise awareness and funds for Myeloma UK. //debsjourneywithmyeloma.wordpress.com/40-challenges-b4-40

Her list of challenges is ambitious, but one of the things that I really admire about Deb is that she motivates people to get involved, including many she has never even met before. She managed to get over 40 people to donate to Myeloma UK rather than sending Christmas cards last year (thumbs up to all ); and a big thumbs up  to the over 40 fundraisers from Team #40challengesb440 who have just finished a Lent challenge, their fundraising collectively totalling over £4,500 //debsjourneywithmyeloma/challange-no-8-achieved. As well as Deb, I am amazed and humbled at the generosity of all the people and businesses that continue to donate and fundraise with her (thumbs up to all who continue to contribute).

If you’d like to help Deb with any of her challenges, you have plenty to choose from. A great one that is coming up in May is the Myeloma UK Retail Therapy Walk, a sponsored walk through London’s iconic fashion streets in aid of myeloma research. While Deb can’t make it to the walk herself, she is recruiting – you guessed it! – 40 people to participate. You can sign up here www.myeloma.org.uk/retail-therapy-walk-2014/ and remember to let Deb know; you can find her on Twitter (@debgascoyne) and Facebook facebook.com/40challengesb440 , or email fundraising@myeloma.org.uk and we’ll pass on the message.

Sarah Stewart is the Digital and Social Media Officer for Myeloma UK 

- @MyelomaUK ; facebook.com/myelomauk;  www.myelomauk.org.uk -

She is an Edinburgh-based kiwi who loves difficult books and large dogs.

From us, we'd like to give both Deb and Sarah a thumbs up each for their work on behalf of others.   If you want do donate, (and we really hope you do!!), another easy way is via our own justgiving page for the Myeloma UK Retail Therapy Walk http://www.justgiving.com/BrieForMultipleMyeloma #RetailTherapyWalk 

Don't forget, if you want to say thank you to anyone, just send us your post and we'll get it up in the future.

p.s. If you're trying to follow the blog, apologies, Google is having an issue with all blogger sites and the follow button.  We hope they'll resolve the issue shortly but if you want to complain, write to Google,  thanks.

 

Winter Smiles

As I suspected when I started this blog back in the summer, the quantity of smiles one gets during one's day greatly reduces as does the light and temperature.

With the grey, wet weather we've had this winter, I can't say I'm coming across as many smiles as I was back in July and August however, that does however mean the ones I am seeing, are all the more lovely for the sparsity.

Tuesday, 21st, (January), all too quick to get a photograph or a name, I'd like to give a nice thumbs up to the female bus driver of the number 13 who stopped and waited on the Llanvanor Road stop on Finchley Road for the lady running to catch it in the morning .

The other Tuesday thumbs up goes to Richard, a waiter in Carluccio's in St. John's Wood.  Although there were some problems with our order; our wine wasn't available, we didn't order the lemon Pelegrino or the tomato pasta, Richard made us laugh and feel like important patrons.  Thank you Richard, and a thumbs up .

In light of this blog, I am also taking the 100 Happy Days Challenge - if you don't know about this, check out http://100happydays.com  and the hashtag #100HappyDays on twitter, instagram and other social media sites.  The challenge is to yourself - no one else - to try and find something that makes you happy in your day for 100 consecutive days.  It can be a puppy wagging it's tail, a good coffee, a smile at a bus stop, whatever it is, big or small, try and remember it and "log" it.  Take the challenge!

So move forward a week, the weather is even worse with miserable cold rain everywhere, (although I shouldn't complain thinking about all the flooding in Somerset and surrounding areas, those poor people www.bbc.co.uk/news/), and a friend, the lovely Lauren from St. John & St. Elizabeth Hospital, and I are on the top deck - best seat in the house at the front - of a 139 bus in the West End on our way to see The Book of Mormon.  We're stuck in traffic on Oxford Street and on the bus in front we can see two inspectors really checking an empty top deck; under and behind the seats.

Lauren and I are chatting away, looking at the Christmas decorations, (still up), when suddenly right beside us are the inspectors from the bus in front.

Now this guy, who wasn't allowed to give us his name, couldn't have been more fun or nicer on a dark, wet, Monday night in January.  Regent Street seemed to just whizz by.  So Mr. Inspector, a thumbs up from us for the banter, thanks.

Another bus thumbs up ; this time to the driver of a 460 (unnamed/unphotographed - to protect the innocent) who allowed me to travel two stops without my pass and without paying as I was accompanying my mother.  Thank you, that was a lovely gesture.  

But it isn't all thumbs up to bus personnel this post: two thumbs down: Monday, 20th January, the bus driver who was at the stop outside Holland & Barrett in Swiss Cottage and knew I was there, that I knocked on the doors and said excuse me but still decided not to reopen the doors and drove off and also to a restaurant manager that when I told him we had a reservation, didn't look at us or smile, but instead answered a phone, walked off at the same time to adjust a pastry plate, carried on talking on the 'phone and the most we got was a raised finger .  You guys know who are you.

Now, you must be getting a bit bored of my voice by now so why don't you send us your guest post, (details on how below), and use this blog as your opportunity to say thank you to someone who made you smile, or something else?

Another London thumbs up or two

My first thumbs up this week goes to to Barnet Council recycling bin men; not people usually associated with "pleasant service" but Keith and Paul give a lie to this reputation.

For those unfamiliar with Barnet's (current) recycling policy (it is changing on 14th October in some ways), they give you a blue box and a black box.  The black box if for paper and glass while the blue box is for cans, some plastics and cardboard. Yes, you have to separate your paper and cardboard and woe betide you if you get this wrong as you get this "note from the headmaster" stuck on your boxes telling you off and that you must redo it.

Not yesterday.

I had been having a clear up of some old personal files and had been shredding like mad so I had two big bin bags just full of shreeded paper, way too much for the boxes.  I had left the boxes on top of the bags with hopes that even though there are strict instructions not to use bags, they would see that it was all paper and they would make an exception.

As it happened I was home when the truck came down the road so I came out in to the street to explain what the bags were.  I was greeted by Paul (on the right of the picture)  who just smiled and said no problem.  However, as I turned back to my boxes I saw another man, Keith (on the left of the picture) going for my stuff, so I explained to him what I had been explaining to Paul, and again, a lovely smile, a "no problem" and a couple of thanks from the two of them.  So, Keith and Paul, a thumbs up from us for service with a smile, thank you.

Later in the day, I was down in the West End and coming back on the bus with my mother, she thought she had lost her pass getting off the number 19 earlier, (pleased to say she has subsequently found it), so we got on a bus at Piccadilly Circus with some trepidation since often the drivers are so grumpy in the traffic and tourists of the West End that if you don't have the right ticket there and then, they'll just tell you to get off.

Not so yesterday.

We got Andy.  (He didn't want his picture here for company policy reasons).  Andy not only gave my mother a right to travel pass but he looked up the bus company that runs the 19 so she could call the right depot. 

We then watched Andy deal with the many tourist requests all the way along Regent Street and Oxford Street not just with patience and a smile, but with genuine assistance.  All those requests for "go to seldridge?" (Selfridges) "go to ford square" (Oxford Circus) and on and on were deciphered and answered with the same courtesy we had received.

So Andy on the 139, a big thumbs up from us and since I haven't got a picture of you, here is a nice picture of a 139 at Piccadilly Circus from Timitrius 

http://www.geolocation.wsv/W/File%3ALondon%20139%20bus,%2028%20March%202011.jpg/-/en

I'm afraid I also have to give one thumbs down this week, not to a member a staff, but to a member of the public dealing with a member of staff.

To the man being rude to the young woman on the bread counter in Waitrose, Finchley Road, at around 10:15am on Thursday, 19th September, .   Unnecessary.   You know who you are.

So, to end, as I always do, if you want to say thank you to someone or just tell us about a nice smile that made your day, this is your pin-board and we're happy to put up guest posts.  Just follow the contact details below.   Thanks.

Friday in London

So my first bit isn't really about "staff" but just a nice smile and I think, since it is my blog, I'm allowed to include it.  

After my yuchy West End experience earlier in the week, I had a nice one yesterday; met with a lovely German producer that I'd been corresponding with for years but never had a chance to meet before, at a cute coffee bar just off Carnaby Street in Lowndes Court, Speakeasy Espresso & Brew Bar. 

We got a great table outside where we could watch the world go by but away from hustle and bustle of Carnaby Street.  Of course the problem, or the upside, of sitting outside in the West End is that you are likely to be approached by various people wanting money, selling stuff, or just some eccentrics.

Yesterday,we were duly approached by this guy asking for money for food.  As I often do, if possible, I won't give money but I will buy food.  I asked him if he would like something to eat and he said yes so I suggested he just go inside the cafe and choose what he want on me.  I turned to look through the window and "authorise" this purchase and was very heartened to see that he was being served with all courtesy by the staff and not as if he was a "smelly tramp".     He chose an apple muffin and I was rewarded with the warmest, biggest smile from him so I felt on top of the world (for such small effort).

Then, my lovely German producer talked about the karma of the event and insisted on picking up the tab for everything thereby converting the karma to his.  It was a real win win situation.  

The smile really was a special one.  

Later on we met some friends from Dulwich at the Holly Bush in Hampstead, (our local).  Our Dulwich friends smoke so we wanted to stay outside.  Because of the licensing rules with the local neighbours, one must stay within the lines of the pub area if one is to drink so our only option was to stand near the tables as all the seats were taken.  

We didn't stand for long.  Nuno, a waiter there, (a waiter in a pub?), asked us if we would like some stools.  Errr.... yes, please.  He immediately rushed to get us four with a lovely smile. (the smile was on him not the stools in case there is any confusion).

Nuno is from Porto and even when one customer "cut up a bit rough" later, (more below), he never lost his sense of humour or equanimity.  So Nuno, thank you for your service with a smile and have a thumbs up from us.

So.... we sat down, we started chatting, and couldn't help noticing a gentleman in a small group beside us, kept necking some red wine from his own bottle inside a bag. 

He looked like a respectable sixties something Hampstead type until I caught his eye and he gave me a very loud "what" that made me think everything was not quite as it should be.

Our gentleman got up to go inside and Nuno stopped him in the doorway.  We thought this was because of the drinking of his own wine, but it turned out that he was barred.  This gentleman who was quite a bit bigger than Nuno, became very aggressive towards him.  Nuno stood his ground, politely.

Then John, the Door Supervisor, (never call him a bouncer or security guard, he doesn't like it!), came out to deal with him.  He reminded this gentleman that he was barred and after a few choice words from the "gentleman", he started to leave with his pint glass.  John asked him for it and when it wasn't handed to him, he took it.  The gentleman then kicked up a fuss about he paid £5.00 for that so John, got the barman to come out, give this gentleman £5.00 and asked him so politely to go and not darken their door again as they didn't want to call the police on him but he had been barred several times.

Now John is a laugh.  He says I remind him of his (favourite) form teacher, Mrs. Beardsley, but I had never seen him actually have to "deal" with someone before.    I have to say, like Nuno, he remained polite but in John's case, there was no mistaking that he was serious and you did not want to mess with him. 

So again, a thank you and a thumbs up from us for doing your job with a smile.

It was a great day of street drama in London.  Just what I love.

it's hard to be positive some days

Today was one of those days when one just hates the West End; there were far too many tourists, far too many children and, on top of that, it seemed the world was hell-bent on being rude and hitting me; no less than four times!

I got hit on the arm getting out of the tube, (bruise worthy), I got my heel trod on, I was run into by a child on a scooter and most painful, a man hit me in the breast with the corner of his bag.  Not one of these people even paused to check what they had done never mind dream of apologising.

However, this blog is not about focusing on the negative but to find those bright sparks in our day and today it came from Citibank in Hanover Square.  (picture courtesy of Google). 

I needed some Euros and since I was walking past, popped in.  What an oasis of calm and smiles.  Although I want to give a particular thumbs up to Simone (who didn't want her picture here) I really want to thank all the counter-staff who never fail to be friendly, efficient and helpful.  Thank you.



So just a mini post today, but remember guys, please do post, comment, follow and spread the word.  This is your pin-board.  
Thanks for reading.