Monday 3 July 2017

The joy of growing Stinging Nettle

We have some out of control patches of Stinging Nettle in our garden at the moment. It used to be kept under control but since the CEO has stopped gardening I haven't been able to keep on top of it.



However last week I had a run in with Australia's largest Telco whose name I won't mention and who we pay a fortune to each month for their services and needed to 'vent my spleen' on something so started attacking the three huge patches of nettle before it covers the whole 1/2 acre. 




 
This is the third and last patch that needs attacking.




 If I lose my motivation all I have to do is go into the local store of Australia's largest Telco whose name I won't mention and I will soon need to 'vent my spleen' again I am sure so will get that patch cut down in no time at all.

 One wonders why personal service is so lacking these days and why staff can't deal with issues in stores anymore and tell you to ring their overseas call centre. While the people manning the overseas call centre are pleasant I can't always understand their accent and they often can't understand what I am talking about as I need to actually show someone what the issue is...like the cut NBN cable that runs from our old fashioned phone connection in the hallway then goes underneath a mat and into the modem in another room which was sent by Australia's largest Telco whose name I won't mention and the cable has the nasty habit of getting in the way when the door is shut as it is winter after all. However, that isn't a problem that the staff could really help with as I needed to ring the overseas call centre didn't I? Hello...with what phone???.. as the phone will now only work when it is plugged into the modem which came in the mail.

After I was finally able to find a solution I went to my appointment with the Optometrist and mentioned that I was stressed as I had just been into the store of Australia's largest Telco whose name I won't mention and she spent the first ten minutes of my appointment telling me of her recent experience with the same company.

That afternoon I took my son to an appointment and while I was waiting I went into a little coffee shop for a drink until he was finished and I said I needed a latte and to sit and relax as I had been to the store of Australia's largest Telco whose name I won't mention in the morning. She said you need more than a coffee ....you need a hug!!!! I nearly burst out crying. What a lovely lady she is and what wonderful service she and her staff provided as they were so helpful and were all so pleasant and had smiles on their faces as if they actually enjoyed their job. I will definitely be going back there.


 

 Back to the nettle...I won't dig it all out as that is an impossible job anyway but will infuse some in olive oil for a batch of nettle soap down the track. Next time I make it I will colour it with green clay or spirulina as it did lose some of its green colour after a few weeks. There as so many uses for nettle and it is worth having some in your garden if you can keep it contained which is difficult obviously.





We have had some cold mornings recently but the days have been warm. 



I came across these blossoms down the back today which brighten up a winter's day no end. They are much prettier than nettle aren't they but don't have any medicinal purposes as far as I know so nettle is the winner.

I am getting into holiday mode and am starting to think about what to take with me to the beach where I think it might be a tad warmer than here. Have a great week everyone!


15 comments:

  1. I'm sorry that you've been having problems with your phone service Chel. Many large companies now have horrible customer service. They rarely think out of the box to help customers.
    Hugs to you xx

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    1. It is a shame, Nil. They should have the staff available to look after their customers.

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  2. Oh the staff in that coffee shop sound like gold. Hugs just for you.
    Kylie

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    1. They were wonderful, Kylie and I will definitely go back there.

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  3. Cant help but laugh a little each time you talk about Australia's largest Telco whose name you won't mention! I feel your pain. I hope its all sorted out soon for you. Ours is so dodgy too, same company probably, but I'm worried that if I call them about the service they will have some cheeky monkey to make it even worse and then I have to switch to the more expensive version of something..... good luck :)

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    1. Clarissa I was going to switch providers when the NBN came in but I had a feeling I might have to ring the call centre to do that and I wasn't in a good enough mental state to cope with the frustration at the time. LOL!

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  4. We don't even mention NBN in our house for fear of having our mouth washed out with soap!
    I feel your pain.

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    1. Ha ha Janine. I am so pleased I am not the only one. It is just so frustrating I find as you feel like you are going around in circles.

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  5. I feel your pain with the run around that some large big businesses give their customers. We are about to change Telcos and my guess is it is to the one you use. Thankfully it is DH task to deal with technology at this household. Ruth

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    1. Ruth my hubby wouldn't be able to cope with the Telcos at all :-) That's why I do it.

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  6. Does Australia's largest Telco, whose name you won't mention, happen to start with a "T", by chance? Our Telco starts with an "O", and they are virtually impossible to get ahold of. I used to be with "T", and while they might of had their problems, "O" was much worse.

    So just know, if you are with that particular company, starting with a "T", you're probably doing better than with their competitors. I don't think we have NBN, available where we are. The lines go through the small villages, nearby, but we're higher on the mountain where no telecommunications company, would want to dig. We have ADSL though, which is far superior to the dial-up speed we had prior.

    Hasn't the winter weather been wetter than normal for winter? No deluges, but raining gently, nearly every night. Which your nettle patches would be loving. The chickweed loves it here for the same reason. So do the chickens we feed it to.

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    1. Yes it is the big 'T', Chris. I had heard that some of the smaller companies had Australian call centres and was tempted to go with them but haven't so far. That's not good to know that 'O' is worse.

      I don't think we have had rain most nights where we are. It was wet this morning though. Apparently having so much nettle growing is a sign of good soil. There are hundreds of ute loads of horse and cow manure on this 1/2 acre.

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  7. I hear you. I recently had a similar ongoing saga with Australia's largest postal service and I came to suspect that they were intentionally being difficult. Either way they definitely were not providing me any useful service. As for the nettles... soap and tea! They are supposed to be very good for you ;)

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  8. Oh, I've had a good old chuckle at "Australia's largest telco whose name you won't mention!" I think their chief and primary job now is to cause as much undue frustration as is practically possible. And for this I believe they should receive an OUTSTANDING award. On to nicer things ... it's going to be quite warm down here in Brissy today, Chel, 25C is forecast and it was 23C yesterday. The beach might indeed be quite balmy! Meg:)

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  9. The blossoms are beautiful Chel. Gardening is a great way to "vent your spleen", and I imagine that removing stinging nettle is quite arduous. Great exercise though. We are expecting NBN toward the end of the year. Life could get very interesting then. Best wishes,

    Pauline

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