Mint!

You may - or you may not - recall that I wrote the letter below to the manufacturers of Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Anti-bacterial Handwash.

Some doubters thought that would be the end of the matter - but lo! Today a very large box arrived and packed inside - with loving care - was the wooden box of goodies seen above! And a letter too which had be laughing all the way upstairs.

I cannot wait to get into the shower with this lot! But I must have my supper first.

And, of course, I will be writing a reply. I could not do otherwise. But that can wait till the morning.

Here is the reply:

Dear Mr Jeffries,

It is ever so wonderful to hear from you, thank you very much for getting in touch. Reading your letter gave us great pleasure here at Original Source HQ, so as a thank you we have sent you a few goodies to keep you feeling fresh, clean and free from anything nasty.

Your zest for life is exactly what we want our customers to feel every morning, even at the age of eighty five years young! We too are raring to go every morning, constantly exploring new and exciting ways to capture all the potency nature has to offer and pack this intense power into every bottle. A little like you in your garden, experimenting with the best conditions to grow your mint leaves and how many make the perfect sauce for you Lamb.

But now let us address your concern; we can't have you losing any sleep now can we! We only want to make you feel more energised and ready for adventure! The variety of mint we use is the wonderful Mentha Arvensis-chosen for its high yield. So now onto the million dollar question... YES there are indeed 3,203 Mint leaves in each of our Original Source Mint & Tea Tree Hand wash and 7,921 Minl leaves in each of our Shower Gel bottles. Hard to believe I know, but it's true! lt's this

amount of mint leaves that packed into each bottle that deliver that unique sensorial hitl

Sadly we can't invite you to join our counting helpers. Counting of the leaves is such a closely guarded secret that we can't reveal the details, even to such a good friend of Original Source as yourself. What we do know for sure is that we select the best Mint leaves from the plants of Mentha

Arvensis, from the Mint Belt of lndia. The Himalayan region in fact. Rather cooler and slightly more hilly than llford! But don't just take our word for it, see it for yourself. What we can offer you is the chance to WIN a trip to the source of our mint leaves, check out the details on the back of the pack

we have sent you for your chance to win an epic trip to lndia !

We hope that this has answered your questions and that you have no more worriesl We've included a selection of Mint & Tea Tree goodies for you to enjoy

o One of our new 50ml travel size bottles- for when you are on the go

o Our much loved Shower Gel - we hope you love the new pack as much as we do!

o Our brand new Foaming Gel Shower - we feel you deserve the ultimate Mint & Tea Tree

experience

. A post card-for your fridge - we wouldn't want you to forget about us

Thank you ever so much for your wonderful letter

Warm Wishes,

Team Original Source

On 30 Aug 2018, at 12:52, Ron Jeffries <ronjeffries@live.co.uk> wrote:

I have posted the following letter to The Managing Director, PZ Cuzzons (UK) Ltd., MANCHESTER M22 5TG for it does say on the bottle that they would love to hear from me.

Dear Sir,

For some years I have used your Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Anti-bacterial Handwash.

I enjoy the aroma and find it serves me well in keeping my hands fresh, clean and free from anything nasty. I am, you see, an eighty-five-year-old who enjoys life and wants plenty more of it, thank you very much.

But one thing intrigues me about your excellent product and I write to seek you help, for the matter has been giving me much concern over recent weeks, to the extent that I wake in the middle of the night and lie there pondering – which can be painful at my age, as you will appreciate.

On the front of the container you have inscribed the statement: ‘3,203 TINGLING REAL MINT LEAVES ARE PACKED INTO . . .” followed by the name of the product (and the capitals are yours, of course). How, I have to ask, can you be certain that there are precisely 3,203 tingling real mint leaves in each and every bottle? Who in your organisation counts the leaves? Is he or she a permanent member of staff? What is his or her job title? Are there occasional vacancies? If so, I would be happy to pop along to Manchester from time to time (for there is a good train service from the Metropolis), although this would have to be arranged when my daughter is available to feed Socks (who is my faithful sixteen-year-old cat, in case you wondered). Finally, which variety of mint is used in your product – I have grown about ten different strains in the past, but these days cultivate the garden variety

I am a keen gardener and you may be interested to know that my late wife enjoyed a cup of mint tea. These days I make my own mint sauce for the days when I enjoy a lamb chop or two. I have never counted the number of mint leaves I use to make mint sauce, but may do so in future if you think it is wise. Please advise on this point.

Please reply as soon as possible for the matter is a worry and at my age too much worry is not good.

Yours etc.

I will look out for the postman!

Regards

Ron

How about this!

I am back from my weekly shop. My grocery and general food bill reveals that there are only four items which cost me more than one pound - cat litter (£1.55) - not for me of course!, Stilton and Mature Cheddar (both £1.49), six Melton Mowbray Mini-Pork Pies (£1.59). The bill for cat food is 50% of the bill for groceries - and of course £1.55 of the grocery bill was for Socks. I would assure my readers (some of whom may be a bit worried by now) that I eat healthily and well - I went to the Farm Shop yesterday and spent over £10 on fresh fruit which is now all boxed and in the freezer for my dessert/pudding/afters/sweet (depending on which part of the country you are from).

A nostalgic trip

On Tuesday 18th I enjoyed a day in London. First to Ilford to the bank, then the 123 to Tottenham Hale and the 76 to Waterloo - watching the world go by is fascinating from a London bus especially if you are in the front seat upstairs. A wander round the South Bank and a sandwich, over the Thames footbridge to the Embankment and the 76 to St. Paul's for Sung Evensong with the choir back from holiday and a seat in the choir stalls, then home on the 26, TfL to Ilford and Radio Cars mini-cab - for my legs were just about to give up!

It was a nostalgic day as these photographs show. First, Sweetings in the City is still there! I was taken there for lunch by a broker from Willis Faber and Dumas in the 1950s. It is a fish restaurant and here for the very first time I tasted Chablis.

When I left home I had shaved, selected a blue check shirt with yellow stripes, a plain yellow tie and fawn trousers. (A security guard at St. Paul's remarked that I looked very smart.) From the top of a bus I observed city gents at lunchtime. If I said that one in twenty were wearing a tie that would be too kind. No wonder Tie Rack closed down. It was not like that in my day in the 50s and 60s when I wore a stiff white collar and tie every day!

On the South Bank I was pleased to see that the skate park remains. There were plans to close it down and kick the youngsters out with their skateboards when Yvonne, Marlon and I are there some 10 years ago - we all signed the petition and followed the story online - till the skaters won the day! And here they were - the only reasonable photograph taken shows a lad having fallen off his board!

It was here on the South Bank when Yvonne signed up to sponsor a child in South America with World Vision. I have taken over the sponsorship. This week I received a photograph and message from the current boy - we have had two earlier children who have now left school. I send photographs of Aldborough Hatch and write messages a few times each year. And it all began on the South Bank.

And so to St. Paul's . . .

In the genes!

An email on a Monday morning

Hi Family,

I believe there is something in the genes of the Jeffries Clan that makes them workaholics. 

My father, who died at the age of 51 in 1951, worked six-and-a-half days a week at times in the 30s in my youth, coming home at noon on Sundays to lunch and the garden. Then when we had two allotments in Seven Kings Park during the 1939-1945 War, he worked five-and-a-half days, spending Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday on the allotments - with me as his goffer, looking after the rabbits.

During my working life, I worked in the City first and every spare moment was then taken up with Scouting - more a full-time job than a hobby!  For the eleven years on SCOUTING magazine, I left home about 7.30am weekdays returning home after 9pm most evenings - and spent three out of four weekends away from home travelling the country speaking. On MILK INDUSTRY, it was nine to five - but then I freelanced, wrote books and articles, and was at court.. Retirement has been busy - I wonder how I ever had time work!

Graham leaves home early for the office and returns home late evening, going by train or air to offices around the country and staying overnight at times. I know he takes works home too. His weekends are busy by all accounts. Heather is on the bus at 6.45am and home to cook a meal in the early evening. Heather works on the buses and takes work home. Weekends are busy around the home and with work taken home. Richard leaves home early morning and works evenings and weekends in the garden and on the house. Both Graham and Richard share the cooking.

All the spouses live hectic, busy lives - which I will not dare to comment upon for I am only writing here about my kids! 

I was once invited to lecture at a Scout Association international seminar in Switzerland on ‘Leisure'. My friends thought it was a joke and laughed and laughed hysterically..

Just a few random thoughts to make you all smile on the Monday morning. Nothing serious. 

I must now boil the whites before washing them with Glowhite, then a full machine with coloureds! After all, it is Monday morning which was always washday when I was a kid. Every house in Church Road had a full washing line on Mondays when the mangle was taken from the garden shed to be put to good use - and some small child made to turn the handle.

Love

Dad/Ron/Granddad/Greatgranddad

PS This is NOT going on FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM

PPS Have a good day

PPPS And do not work too hard.

Community Memorial Garden

Saturday 15th September - workday in the Garden at St. Peter's 

Green!

The water feature in my garden has been a great success this summer. There is nothing like sitting on a bench in the sunshine, listening to the gentle tinkle of running water.

But there has been one problem. Green slimy stuff. 

I tried FOUNTAIN SAFE - the powder recommended by the suppliers of the fountain. 

Still green forming.

Then I went for ENVIL WATER FEATURE CLEAR. 

Still green.

Today Ashley showed me his water feature and told me that he uses MILTON STERILISING TABLETS from the chemists - I gather these are used for something or the other with babies. So I bought a pack - and we will see!  

Life changes . . .

I have a new iron - for ironing! The old one started to play up. First, it blew the fuse in the plug. Then it blew a fuse in the fuse box under the stairs. Then it stopped when Daphne was doing the ironing (I do the tea towels, the handkerchiefs and the pillow cases). I do not know how old the iron is for Yvonne had it before me.

Heather suggested I buy the same iron as she has - a Tefal Access Easy in red and cream. Very smart it is too. I started using it today and discovered that if I press a knob at the front it shoots water all over the thing being ironed. What fun! Furthermore, if I move one of the settings it allows steam to emit from the base. Even more fun! I cannot wait for the handkerchiefs to dry on the washing line in the garden.

If you had told me four years ago that I would have fun on a Monday morning with a new iron, I would have suggested you got lost! Sad really but life changes, with new challenges. My apple and blackberry crumble seems to be going down well locally. I must try one for myself for I have a good few in the freezer.