Snows a comin! & I Owe Legal Aid money!?

The temperature has dropped as predicted by the weather peeps and the papers are full of the usual dire warnings

The Express is at the forefront of these with its warning of gales and chaos - - - must be true then! 

Mind you here's a pic from a road camera in Finland that I use to check the weather there, ok sad isn't it! 

 They have had snow on the ground since the 16th October!  Strange effect around the Christmas tree lights? 

More doom and gloom for "the Church" as the Mail follows other headlines by indicating that the 

Church is on the brink of extinction  - - - good story I wonder if anything will come of it? 

The Road Charity Break wants to ban the use of Hands free phones according to this BBC story.  They propose hiking up the fines for texting or using a phone to between £500 and £1000.  That's all very well but its amazing how many people you see on any journey using their phones.  There needs to be some effective way of catching them before there's a move to stopping use of hands free phones.  

Nearing the end of my shift pattern and looking forward to an overnighter in the Lake District later in the week I wandered home to a cup of steaming hot tea and a crackling log burner.  Oh what's this! an official looking letter sits upon my PC keyboard.  

Engaging in some chit chat with Sally I multi task and manage to open the letter to see it is from "Legal Aid"  

Never having ever had legal aid I smell a rat and think the demand for money is a con.  

Reading the short missive I am informed that my,  "outstanding liability has now been referred to our "Debt Collection Agency"  

We quickly check the references of the letter and find it is more than likely genuine? 

I phone the Legal Aid Debt Collection phone number and am at least not "held in a queue" although the thick Slavic accent of the guy on the other end is difficult to understand. 

I give him the reference number from the letter and in a short while he mumbles that I have a judgement against me for costs which has not been paid.  

"When was this I ask?"  "1996" I here down the phone "it was at the time of your divorce".  He tells me someone will phone me "tomorrow maybe" to explain and we end the call.  

Incandescent with rage? No not really I have past that stage and am orbiting some distant planet in the galaxy!!!!!!!!  

I am totally unaware of this 17 year old Debt and have never been contacted about until now.  I do however know for sure that all the "bank breaking bills" from that era have been paid in full. 

There are the usual threats in the letter about payment in X days or else and I fire off 2 e mails one to Legal aid and one to "our Debt Collection Agency" telling them i have no intention of paying unless someone tells me what is going on.  

No doubt in the end I will pay but I shall get my moneys worth first! 

The amount owed? - - -  is the "princely sum of £31 and 73p - - - - - 

On a much lighter note - -- - I just spotted our resident Squirrel have a go at the peanuts! 

Talk about "hanging on for grim death!"  

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website
Or this one just to see  the streaming birdfeeder cam