Costumer service

What a difference! 

I lost my ticket to go to the toastmaster conference. Needed a replacement. Received a short answer: we do not do replacement. You should have looked for the ticket. Buy again. 

"David Prince, from Web Support Advisor, of First Great Western" did answer me not as one should treat a costumer. Short and not doing anything to resolve my problem. Not even trying to understand and in a harsh tone I felt all is my fault and they condemn me.

I also felt it was a machine and not human being answering. Not at all trying to help me.

I will never use them any more. 

Never buy direct from First 'great' Western trains directly!

Finally, I found an online service offering me cheaper tickets then the one I did buy more then one month ago in advance. And I am sure, they will offer when needed great service too.

This morning, a wonderful costumer service from Amazon, showed me even more the difference. 

I was looking yesterday at different options of a smartphone, I do not have one. Without intention, must have clicked without realising at the '1-click' (now disabled) and to my surprise send an email telling me I was billed for the latest iPhone, more then 500 pounds!  As if I decided to buy one, so expensive. 

I could not cancel it: already prepared to be send, will receive it today. No! No! I did not want is and did not find how to cancel it on the web.

 I had finally an on line chat before 8 am with costumer service, Muriel. She fast, very polite and efficiently resolved it for me, cancelling, not billing. Fast resolved. And with such nice words too. 

I will alway buy whenever I can from amazon.co.uk who offers wonderful costumer service.

From Bus: Spring And Winter Tree

Old and new buildings, old and new season, tree as in winter, bare and tree with the beautiful spewing green colour covered leaves. A bus going, comming. And all that taken by my camera from a bus!

Best or worst Holliday ?

My 'worst' holiday was as I was 40, the last one before my divorce.

Beautiful lake Granada, Italy and great swimming and good weather. One morning, we went rowing on the lake. He tried to make angry: as I realised he did try too hard, I did not. As we arrived on the shore, me all heated up by how he looked, beautifully bronzed, he told me. "I am going."

My husband suddenly, left us there, to go and be with his mistress in Romania:  "Will be back in a week" and he left us without a car, far from everything in a camping lot.

He arrived back after two weeks, just the day day before he had to work.

It was a beautiful holiday.

But I was left with sexual frustration in 30' after we went to 'boat' together, and that is when I really decided 'enough is enough'. A month later, I found a love letter on the floor and then it is I had the courage to tell. To ask divorce. To do it.

Well it was a great Holliday, my Italian friend in a caravan with her husband, near our tent, asking me every day: when your husband arrives back? Finally she did not believe I have one and they went away before he arrived back.

It was great to swim in the clear lake as we woke, it was great also that finally pushed me to free. To begin a new life. It was also one of the most miserable one as I was frustrated and felt trapped.

It helped me, pushed me, decided me to dare and begin a new life.

4 years ago I still loved swimming

I have to begin again.

I have no idea what happened to my red costume, the last good one I boiled too much, but I do have a new one fitted to my rounder figure.

Now, just an open pool, an relatively easy way to go in and in I'll go again.

From childhood on, was I two or three? I always loved water, and towards seven learned not only to dive but to,swim. At 13, I did 500 m, proudly and later swam in lakes with joy. I remember still the pleasure of it.

Have to try again.

Do not give up when it seems 'impossible'

Today, I think of Churchill who found the unforgettable phrase "an iron curtain fall in the middle ofeurope" understanding the seriousness of so many countries cut out, that fall more and more under the Communist Tyrany. I was there behind the iron curtain till I was 28, I know.

Today, I think of Margaret Thatcher, who met Gorbachev and his wife, and before 1989, felt something very important can be done and recommended to Regan to meet him. 

Today, I think that all who do not have to live any more under the foot of communist Tyrany in those, now so called 'east European' countries owe some thing to UK and its prime ministers, who did not give up to what seemed then and for long time 'inevitable'.

Do not give up. In memory of those who had shown, impossible is possible after all.

I did believe also I had to stay with my unfaithful husband. And did stay 7 years after I found out the first time. Did stay after he told me 'there is no love contract' and did not see out. When I made later the first step, when I was decided, help came from many sides. It become possible to have a new life. 

Julie Kertesz : keynote speaker

It is great to being invited and assist to a Creative Ageing day and be the Keynote speaker, it is nice to be paid and have all expenses of travel from London to Ayr taken care of. It is wonderful to meet with so many interesting people of all ages, this time mostly over 50. It is very rewarding to receive an appreciation like this for my work, stories and presence.

"Julie's Keynote was an inspiring and invigorating start to our Creative Ageing Day, with the stories and experiences which she shared successfully bringing a broad group of delegates on board to fully engage with the activities and sessions on offer. 

As a storyteller and speaker her wholehearted zest humour and creativity is evident as a driving force throughout her own life, work and latterly in her responses to the ageing process. This is the Kertesz 'touch' from which many of our delegates drew strength and encouragement to take some of their own creative risks!

Gillian Steel - Senior Cultural Coordinator, South Ayrshire Council"

Julie Flavia Simone

Here at the end of the Speech contest for the area 59 Toastmasters, me at left with the contest winner Flavia in the middle and our chief judge Simone.

I do not think it is by 'chance' that all three of us also told true stories the 4th of March at Canal Cafe Theatre with Spark London.

The storytelling workshop and working together, helping each other did bring us nearer, make us know each other better.

Made all of us more open and more willing and able to collaborate.

And it will continue.