Did you know that Thatcham is in the Guinness Book of Records?   Yep, it’s in there because it is the oldest, continuously inhabited settlement in the country.

Thatcham has be occupied since the Mesolithic era – or, put another way, since about 7,500 BC!!

So – pretty old then!!

OK, before you all start hollering at me, my moan this week is not about all checkout staff.  It’s about the ones who are having a conversation about last night/the recent boyfriend/their dinner etc, with the other checkout girl – whilst you are standing in front of them, waiting to be served.

When they finally acknowledge you, they add insult to injury by giving you that look that says ‘how dare you disturb my conversation’, before they start to put your shopping through the till, whilst continuing to chat with their colleague!  Then, when they’ve finished putting your shopping through, you have to stand and wait for them to stop chatting so you can enter your pin number to pay!

Hello – you’re in a customer service position – quite frankly, the customer doesn’t give two hoots about what you had for dinner, or what you did last night and with who.  THE CUSTOMER JUST WANTS TO BE SERVED PROMTLY AND TO GO HOME!  Finish your chat in your break time or when you’ve finished your shift!

So, supermarket checkout girl – if I’ve hit a raw nerve – good!!  Now please can you get on with doing your job efficiently and promptly, so your customers can get on with their day!!

If you’re looking for a good Chinese takeaway, you can’t really go wrong with Kings Chinese Takeaway.  They offer a wide range of Chinese and Peking food, at reasonable prices.

The staff are always friendly, efficient and polite – whether on the phone or in person.  The food portions are generous (there is always enough in a portion to share between two people) and they are usually quick at turning your order around (10 minutes is usual).

Check out their menu at http://www.kingschinesetakeaway.co.uk/

As the title above suggests, my moan this week is about dog owners.  Now, before you all start shouting at me – I am myself, a dog owner – my problem is actually with something a lot of dog owners seem to be doing lately.

You only have to walk along the footpath, that goes behind the Moors estate and on towards the railway bridge and towards the canal, to see first-hand what this moan is about – Poo bags!! 

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The other evening me and the family decided to try a different Indian takeaway, we opted for Thatcham Tandoori.  You can order for collection or delivery – which we were advised would be 45-55 minutes.  As the family were starving, we opted for collection. 

I went to collect at the required time – I did have to wait, as they’d had a sudden rush on – but the staff were apologetic, explained what was going on and were incredibly polite.  After putting in the free extras, we took the steaming hot food home to sample.

What can I say, the food was lovely.  The portions were of a good size (the rice and curry had enough in them to share between two people).  The Peshwari and plain Nan breads were huge and cooked to perfection, the Bombay potatoes were of a decent size and both curries had huge chunks of chicken in them.

I can’t rate the Thatcham Tandoori highly enough – try it at the next opportunity you get!  Check out the menu at www.hungryhouse.co.uk/thatcham-tandoori