On my way to work this morning I stopped to fill my car up with petrol. I handed my debit card over but, much to my horror, it was rejected. I asked the cashier to try again as there were definitely sufficient funds in my account, but once again it failed. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I was told I couldn’t leave without paying. I offered to leave my driving licence as security while I went to a cash machine but the fella behind the counter was adamant that I was not allowed to leave. After much banter to and fro I went through my mobile contacts and rang my mate Kev who kindly paid over the phone with his debit card.

I fully understand the need to crack down on people driving off without paying for fuel. However, surely people should understand that there are occasions when customers genuinely forget their wallet or whatever. I felt like a criminal, especially as there was a queue forming and everyone was staring at me disapprovingly! If I was intending to steal fuel, I certainly wouldn’t have gone inside the shop so my card could be swiped and my face recorded on CCTV!

The whole episode made me late for work but if my mate hadn’t answered his phone, I could have been there all day! Incidentally, after I left I went to the nearest cash machine where I withdrew cash and confimed my bank balance was positive and well within my overdraft limit. So, BP, may I suggest you replace your obsolete electronics with reliable, working card readers? Failing that, how about training your staff to be a bit more compassionate? Considering your company values include “treating everyone with respect and dignity”, I think you should have a word with the jobsworth that served me this morning

Tags: BP,Kev,petrol
Categories: General
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I got back from Hamburg yesterday – what a fantastic place!

The Germans have done an amazing job as World Cup hosts this year. Their “Fan Fest” in the St. Pauli area was great. As well as the huge screen that I watched the England match on, there was an artificial beach complete with palm trees and sun loungers, the biggest table football game I have ever seen (about 30ft long), a goal scoring competition and more bars than you can shake a big stick at. The goal scoring thing was like the Soccer A.M. “Fans of the Week” shooting competition. Even in my big brown boots I managed to score two out of six and won €5 – and it was a pretty small target! And yes Kev, I am still banging on about my shooting ability

The night life was superb, especially on the Reeperbahn. This is a long street in the St. Pauli district filled with bars, restaurants and more than the odd dodgy sex shop. One of the most famous side streets off the Reeperbahn is Große Freiheit, home to “Indra”, the first club that The Beatles played in Hamburg back in 1960. The residents and tourists were treated to some superb entertainment when Kev and I did a set in the nearby “Thai Vase” karaoke bar that John, Paul, George and Ringo themselves would have been proud of

I have added quite a few photos to my gallery, so feel free to have a look at those. There are a few small videos from the Argentina v Ivory Coast game too.

Tags: England,football,Germany,Hamburg,Kev,World Cup
Categories: Sport, Travel
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Well, I finally got my Argentina v Ivory Coast tickets – the day before I fly out to Hamburg! I was getting a bit concerned but they’re here now, so panic over.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that they are in fact top-priced, Category 1, €100 tickets. I assumed that, being a freebie, they’d be in the €30 bracket.

All I have to do now is get the two punctured rear tyres on my car repaired before setting off on the 250 mile drive down to London Stansted. And stay awake – Kev and I are setting off at about 23:30 tonight! And buy an England shirt. And get a hair cut. And pack my bag. Hmm, maybe the panic isn’t over

Tags: football,Germany,Hamburg,Kev,World Cup
Categories: Sport
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Thanks to McDonalds and the Bacon Quarterpounder I had last night, I’m off to Hamburg next month with my mate Kev to see a World Cup match

The “Golden Arches” are running a competition until the end of the month where you get a 9-letter code with certain purchases. When you text this code, you are entered into an hourly draw to win a pair of tickets to a World Cup game.

I bought a burger last night around 6ish. However, I thought it would be quite cunning to wait until the early hours of the morning before texting, thinking fewer entrants = better chance of winning. This strategy seems to have paid off. I texted in around 01:07 this morning and got a call at lunchtime. The lovely Rachael congratulated me and told me I had won a pair of tickets to match 5 – Argentina v Ivory Coast!

As well as going to that match in the evening, we’ll get to soak up the atmosphere and watch England v Paraguay on the afternoon. So, thank you McDonalds and COME ON ENGLAND!

Tags: football,Germany,Hamburg,Kev,McDonalds,World Cup
Categories: Sport
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