Do you ever wish you had a £ for every?
By dungy
10 comments
Evening all,
WOW what a hot one its been here today,
Ive been outside all day and enjoyed the fresh air,
When i was living in the uk i had the contract for looking after the police & court building in prestatyn north wales,
Well today i got a letter from a friend who told me the building is now empty of police workers and is up for rent,
He also went on to tell me the company my wife worked in for 27yrs has been sold to another company,
I also looked after the gardens for that concern,
after i’d finished reading the letter i couldnt help but think two things really,
(1) how many people these days sit down and write a hand written letter?
(2) How many people who worked in a building or in gardens for the same company for over 20 years wished they had a £POUND, for every time they walked down those corridors, or worked in the same gardens for this sort of length of time?
How much do you think you’d have in your hand now?
I remember talking to a friend of mine who looked after gardens for the more wealthy folk,
He had a full work load as he was honest and a very good gardener, one you could trust to get on with the work and peoples pets seemed to love him.
He worked alone and having worked pre his own garden care company he was head gardener for the British steel company.
I asked him if he ever had any problems with customers?
And it was then he told me about one customer he’d lost due to her returning to the south of england and her “HALL” being sold and the new people not understanding gardening or trust.
It worked out that after only 6 weeks of these new people moving in to the hall the owners husband said he wanted the drive to have flowers on bothsides for an evening function he was having in two weeks,
The gardener pointed out the daffs wont flower for another 3/4 weeks,
Cant you do something to hurry them along?
A further week passed and the Halls husband asked why is it you spend so much time in the potting shed?
My wife said you we’re in the shed for most of the morning,
It was explained that he was potting up urns etc for the evening function in a weeks time as asked,
Who asked you!
You did,
The gardener gave notice and then opened his book of people wanting him to take on their gardens,
some had asked as long ago as three years but one phone call and the “Hall’s” empty space was filled,
The previous “Hall’s” Owner heard about the way the gardener had been treated and contacted the new owner and really was annoyed at the treatment given out,
Six moths had gone by and the gardener was coming out of a store in chester when he was approached by the new owner of the “Hall”
He was full of “sorry” it was a misunderstanding and when could he expect the gardener to return?
The gardener asked if the owner still did the gambling thing? “Chester races etc”.
Oh yes im pretty good at it? Was his reply
Really said the gardener as he took a 50 pence piece out of his pocket,
He said I’ll toss this coin, heads i win and i never return,
tails you loose.
It’s a good lesson both in a really good gardener is worth his/her weight in gold,
A bad customer for what ever reason wont keep a gardener for long.
And only gamble “if you know what your doing”
5 Jul, 2013
2 likes
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Comments
Very interesting Dungy, as gardener I've had a bit of experience like that. Non gardeners haven't got a clue!. They seem to think the nursery area just takes care of it's self. While I worked repotting and sorting in the nursery area one day the man of the house asked what are you doing over there. I just answered repotting. Enough was said. He knows better than to rile me.
If i had a $ for every rude or insulting comment I've heard or read anywhere I'd be rich.
Truly unkind words are so uncalled for. Most especially on this page. If one doesn't like a persons blogs they should just not read that persons blogs. I try to follow the motto of if you can't say anything good don't say anything at all.
All the best.
5 Jul, 2013
I love dungys blogs. If he doesn't want replies he should use facebook.
5 Jul, 2013
I quite agree with you Angieindergar ..
5 Jul, 2013
A little anecdote to help you sleep after a hard days potting
Aye an' a bit of Mackeral settler rack and ruin
ran it doon by the haim, 'ma place
well I slapped me and I slapped it doon in the side
and I cried, cried, cried.
The fear a fallen down taken never back the raize and then Craig Marion,
get out wi' ye Claymore out mi pocket a' ran doon, doon the middin stain
picking the fiery horde that was fallen around ma feet.
Never he cried, never shall it ye get me alive
ye rotten hound of the burnie crew. Well I snatched fer the blade O my
Claymore cut and thrust and I fell doon before him round his feet.
Aye! A roar he cried frae the bottom of his heart that I would nay fall
but as dead, dead as 'a can be by his feet; de ya ken?
...and the wind cried Mary.
Truly remarkable words written by Robert the Spruce on the eve of Banockburn after he had thinned out the carrots.
5 Jul, 2013
I had the same thought about letters yesterday, Dungy. I had to hunt high and low to dig out a writing pad and envelope to write a covering letter (I was very reluctantly returning my old paper driving licence) and then find out how much the postage was going to be. I still post Christmas cards with a brief message enclosed to long-standing friends but I haven't written a letter in yonks. most written communications these days seem to be emails or forms. Doesn't it make one feel old to realise that one has joined the ranks of the senior citizens and notice so many more changes in the modern world? I don't think of myself as a day over 30 but ......... Lol.
6 Jul, 2013
I agree with you Angie, don't be spiteful, keep it zipped if you can't be nice!
We don't all like the same things but if we all stopped to wonder if our blogs were interesting enough for everyone, the site would be bare. I love the stories and anecdotes, long may you all keep them coming.
6 Jul, 2013
Thanks for the vote of confidence, plenty more to come from me.
6 Jul, 2013
Scrumpy
Ok I must be blunt! It's your dribble that is unwelcome not dungy! Quit or go away, please. You really don't know what Face book is about to imply that Dungy should write on FB. Please stop your insults as there doesn't seem to be anyone that agrees with you here.
Dungy is an excellent writer and I happen to love the way he writes. I think that his blogs have a gardening & country theme to them and are very informative. If only you could write half as good and kindly you'd be a nice kinder person.
Sorry to lower myself to your level for a moment, but there are time when one must fight fire with fire. Enough already! Ok!
7 Jul, 2013
I thought facebook was where people told their friends everything they did.
Never used it myself. Haven't got any friends.
7 Jul, 2013
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I very rarely ever write a hand written letter these days, it's so much easier to email!
Next month I'll have worked in the same set of buildings for the same company for 30 years!! I've seen a lot of changes over that time and have known a lot of people for decades now. It's become a kind of surrogate family. I suppose though that I have got a £ or so for walking those corridors etc, in that I've had 30years pay which funds my lifestyle, so I'm very grateful for that.
Interesting story about the gardener, by the sound of it he had plenty of good customers he could work for so no point working for people who have no understanding of what gardening is about!
5 Jul, 2013