Industrial Estates

Industrials Estates aren't known for their humanity so all the better when one finds some there, and not just from one person, but from three.

I was at Staples Corner, not the shop (and not Staples Centre in L.A.!) but the trading estate of that name at a hardware store, Toolstation for those interested.  Directly opposite Toolstation is a Safestore and then a few hundred metres away is a Big Yellow Storage.

Years ago, when I needed some extra storage during a move, I took out a unit at Big Yellow Storage it worked very well.  

Since then, there seem to be storage places all over the shop so I figured/hoped that they would be really competitively priced now.

Since I was already parked, I went over to Safestore  www.safestore.co.uk/staples-corner/ to enquire of their rates/deals and so on since I shortly might be needing some storage space again.

I was welcomed by three of the smiliest, jolliest people you could hope for; Ayolla, Karlos and Jamie, the Manager.

They turned getting a quote for a mundane thing (for a bad reason) in to a wholly enjoyable affair, so a big thumbs upand thank you to the three of them.

Fast forward, and it's now time to use the storage.  As well as speaking to Karlos and Jamie again, and a little wave to Ayolla, I was looked after by Mali, the Assistant Manager.  

Well obviously Safestore Staples Corner breeds lovely, friendly folk because Mali was also super and as well as a thank you and thumbs up for her help she also introduced me to Humans of London hmnsofldn.tumblr.com so thanks for that too.

Helping me move all my stuff I also lucked out,* using Adam and his company The London Man & Van Service, (no website but happy to give you his number if you ask).

Adam is from Iraq and he and Joseph couldn't have been more helpful or made the work easier.  They are based in North West London but happy to work all over, and indeed I used them for a pick up from Kingston-upon-Thames.  So a big thank you and thumbs up   To Adam and Joseph.

Also, while writing, a thank you and thumbs up without a name or pictures as yet again, I forgot until it was too late.

There is a small Tesco in Weedon, right at the junction of the A5 and the A45.  Normally the last place I'd stop for some really nice flowers for a present but we were en route for a last minute visit and there was no choice if I didn't want to arrive empty handed, (which I didn't).

The flowers on display on the Saturday morning were not inspiring and I feared the worse, thinking chocolates it might be, but I thought it was worth asking.  I found a girl stocking the dairy shelves and she couldn't have been more helpful.  Yes, they had had a delivery, no it was no trouble to go and see what was there and bring them all out.  Which was what she promptly did with so many smiles it was a pleasure waiting.

photo: Hazel Nicholson, used under a creative commons licence

Then to top things off, and remember this is a Tesco Express not a florists, she found some paper so that the bunches of tulips I had selected could come out of the fuel station plastic wrapping and all be put together in a lovely big bunch wrapped in paper.

Thank you and thumbs up kind person and if you see this and remember serving me, it really was appreciated.  Thanks.

As always, 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.  Thanks.

* have realised that "lucked out" means the opposite in the USA, here it means I was lucky so hope that makes it clear for our stateside readers.

Hospitals, supermarkets and thank yous

A couple of unrelated thank yous that reminded me why I'm doing this blog.

Twice over the last few weeks, when my head had been all caught up with our own problems, I was pulled out of myself by someone going out of their way to be helpful and I thought that's nice, but I was so wrapped up in myself that I forgot my own "mantra" of looking for positive and good and shining a light on them.

Luckily I was given an opportunity to go back and remedy my oversight so the first thank you is to Dawn and the help desk team at UCH.        

Anyone who has had to park at a hospital, or use a disabled Blue Badge at a hospital, will appreciate this story.

At the Royal Free, a wonderful hospital, they have a terrible parking problem and policy for disabled users.  The badge is for my car but for when I'm driving a member of the family, let's call them "Fred".  Now at the Royal Free you can have four hours free parking with a disabled badge and after that you have to pay.  But, this is where it becomes so difficult.  The actual person who is named on the badge, Fred in this instance, has to show him/herself at the desk to prove that I'm not abusing the badge.  

Now imagine you've got to be in hospital all day having, say a blood transfusion, the first or last thing you have to do now is attend a desk where you have to present yourself to prove you really are "ill".

Don't even get me on the part where you have to pay for the remaining hours and how difficult that is!  I suppose, while I'm doing this, I could give a thumbs down to the Parking Policy at the Royal Free.  Great hospital, bad policy.  May I suggest a little more trust?  Take a leaf out of UCH's book?

So, yes over now to UCH and our thanks and thumbs up; for those that don't know, UCH, UCLH and the Macmillan Cancer Center www.uclh.nhs.uk/ are all part of one of the major newer hospitals in the West End of London.  The Blue Badge parking scheme is a national scheme except in a couple of parts of London.  UCH is in one of those exclusion zones for the Blue Badge so I was very worried about how and if I would be able to park when taking Fred there.  I shouldn't have worried, UCH/UCLH have a totally different policy.

Their policy seems to be trust and assuming that if you're in hospital and are using a blue badge, you need it and to be at the hospital, so try to make it easier for you.

Enter Dawn, (and Wendy who was shy about having her picture taken).  I wasn't sure if I was taking Fred home the next day or the day after, depending on progress but whatever, I was going to be bringing Fred back the following week.  No problem; UCH gives you a pass for the time you need, a day, a couple of days, a week which you display with your Blue Badge in their own limited parking or on a couple of specially designated nearby streets.   So simple, so stress free but more importantly, for here, a big thank you to Dawn for making me smile and taking me out of my own head and a big thumbs up  

Now, my other thank you, has nothing to do with health, hospitals, or charities, which seems to have dominated this blog in recent months, whether my own or from guests.

This time to the lovely cashier, Irene, at a local Sainsbury's in Golders Green.  Irene

always has a smile for her customers and when the transaction has finished and the till prints out those multitude of bits of paper with offers, price matches, school vouchers and what not, Irene carefully goes through them and if there is something of worth to note, she makes sure she has pointed it out for you.

I asked Irene if I may take her picture, (I always ask first), but she declined thinking "it would look ugly".  I wish Irene could see the lovely smile all her customers see and realise how it is anything but ugly.  In any case, a big thank you and thumbs up to Irene.

I would add Irene is such a breath of fresh air in an otherwise not wonderful Sainsbury's - getting better but still a throw back to the nineties.  Management, take note, thanks.

That's it for now but as always, if you would like to send in a post to tell us something nice that happened or to say thank you to someone, just get in touch and we would have great pleasure in putting up your stories here.  Thanks.