Ox is for Oxford, Fam is for family. Ox Fam. Geddit?
Anyway, so we went recently to Oxford to surprise Gemma's cousin Laura who recently turned 18. Gemma's mum and sister also went, travelling down after us and almost managing to arrive after midnight.
We stopped, as usual, at her parents spacious home, and with the sun out we were able to enjoy the garden.
We got to stay an extra day, and on the Bank Holiday Monday we went for a walk, via South Park...
...to Magdalen College, where Bernard currently works. We got to walk through the private grounds, before having a look round some of the buildings, including his room, and the chapel.
By the way, the surprise was well executed, with me and Olive detaining Laura in a children's park on Cowley Road just long enough for her family and friends to muster themselves in the kitchen.
It seems hard to remember that we had a spell of really quite reasonable weather at the end of March. We both took the day of on Gemma's birthday and drove up to the Dales, soon arriving at Jervaulx Abbey. Here we enjoyed a picnic, surrounded by the crumbled remains of the 12th century monastery, itself nestled within a setting best described as being like the kind of country roads with which postman Pat would be familiar.
We drove home across the Dales. We stopped to let some farmers and their dogs heard a few score sheep from one field to another, and spotted the smoke of a fire drifting over the top of one of the hills, before pausing at Kettlewell for a cup of tea and a paddle in the chilly Wharf.
Back home that evening, I sketched a reminder of the day for Olive as she enjoyed a much-needed bath.
The newly developed and much anticipated City Park opened in Bradford a couple of weeks ago. We went there with the Viponds. I didn't see the 'tallest fountain in any UK city' (a fairly qualified boast, that), and the vast throngs obscured and indeed paddled in the mirror pools. After straining and ultimately failing to hear the brass band, we repaired to the relative calm of the Media Museum.
We stayed over, and the next day they took us to a lovely little spot called St. Ives, near Bingley. We'd not heard of it before, but it was a beautiful area on top of a hill to have a spot of lunch and a stroll, followed by a go on the park (for the kids) and a go on the ice creams (all).
Luv xxx. Hi guys I am writing this sat in the schorching (sic) sunshine it has been over 102°F. I have only been here for one night and have already vowed never to drink again!! And just to make you all jelous (sic) I have been diving through a hoop while you can splash in puddles.
Hi! We got wrecked last night & Emma was singing Leeds United songs in a pub; & banging out table [sic]!! We like Prague as beer is cheap, the stew is good, oh, & the buildings are also nice. Bye, bye x.
The first pram we bought was a Quinny, a Buzz 3 model. Olive has long-since been upgraded to a stroller-style pushchair, and it has recently been on loan to Deb, Neil and Lucas.
Whilst in their custody the mechanism to raise the height of the handle failed. We've now had the Quinny back but plan to loan it out again soon, this time to one of Neeley's expecting friends.
So, we've looked into getting the handle repaired. Gemma found that the manufacturers would charge us £72. But, as Daddy Pig would say, I'm a bit of an expert at fixingthings. So I thought i'd give it a go.
After removing the plastic cladding on the handle I immediately found the cause of the trouble: cable breakage. I also established that I would definitely need to detach the whole handle to gain access to its inner workings, but even this apparently simple procedure proved confounding. It was only when I searched online for help that I stumbled across the following vital assistance:
Handle now removed, I found that the end of the cable featured a bespoke end-piece to secure it in its fixing. So I fired of an email to Quinny, in the hope that they might be willing to sell me a cable in return for money. I received the following miserly reply:
I'm afraid the cables inside the handle on the Quinny Buzz are not available therefore the complete handle will need to be replaced.
As your Buzz is not covered by any warranty there will be a charge of £72 for a full safety inspection and replacement of the handle at our repair centre based in Suffolk which includes the collection of the frame from your home address and also the return. In order to make arrangements for this, please contact our customer care team on 01284 413141 between 8.30am - 4.30pm Monday thru Friday. An advisor will take full details from you and the £72 charge and provide you with a reference number. This needs to be clearly marked on the outside of the box that the unit is being returned in so that when it arrives the engineers can match up your unit with the computer record created and get it inspected, repaired, and dispatched back to your address as promptly as possible.
With kind regards,
On behalf of the Quinny team, Becky Smith
Uh-huh. I understand. You're a business, and your model includes making profits from out-of-warranty repairs to your products. Fine. But don't forget, I'm a DIY 12th dan, a repair ninja, with a masters in mending from the University of Recycling, Reconstruction and Restoration.
I sourced a new cable of appropriate thickness and a pack of 'Crimp Connector Butts' (me neither) that I figured I could use to join two cables together; remember, I would need to use the good end of the existing cable.
I took one of the Crimp Connector Butts and threaded the two cables, which I then cut, allowing sufficient spare length at both ends to make adjustments in case of measuring error. When I was happy with the positioning of the cables I squeezed the Connectors with the wire cutters on my pliers. This created a permanent connection between the two cables.
It was only when I put the handle back together that I found my 'new' single cable to be exactly 3mm too short. This tiny error meant that the catch was permanently depressed, and therefore the handle could only be used properly in its lowest position.
I decided that I would need to buy a second new cable and start again the next day. Fast forward 24 hours, and taking a little more care with my measuring, and I was rewarded with a perfect fit.
After testing, I popped the handle back onto the frame of the pram, and adopted the slightly smug glow of a man who has eaten a little too much Ready Brek.
So, £2.99 spent, £72 saved. Net saving: £69.01
And, as a final action, I have sent a link to this post to Becky Smith. If she reads this she might learn that business is a two-way street, where post-purchase customer care and, dare I say, gestures of goodwill, are important. For want of sending me a part that costs no more than a couple of pounds (a price I was happy to pay), she has most likely lost any future custom we may have considered putting in the direction of Quinny.
Hello you lot, I can't really be bothered to write, I will tell you all about it when I get back. By the way, it wasn't my idea to go to Lands End, I was forced into it! Oh, and I paid for the stamp - unlike some people! Love from Newquay. See you on Monday...
A week or so ago we took ourselves off to Center Parcs for a long weekend, post Christmas / New Year break.
We weather was damp and cold, but that didn't matter. Olive went horse riding and we made plentiful use of the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. One morning, I spotted four red squirrels in quick succession, and when we go back later this year (with Gemma's mum, Neeley and Alex) I reckon we'll make up a wildlife list for Olive to tick off.
