Mixed blessings, (or how to look a gift horse in the mouth)

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CanucksTraveller

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Location
Hertfordshire
I found myself blessed with fortune and yet feeling mildly deflated yesterday. I'd pulled out a shopping trolley from the shelter at the supermarket, and there, in a once in a blue moon occurrence, was a sealed half case of house Shiraz staring up at me, clearly paid for by someone but left behind in error.
Yippee! 30 quid or so of free booze! The angel on one shoulder said "hand it in, someone's missing that..." The devil on the other side of course said "put it in the boot, Mother Theresa".

Except I really hate Shiraz, and so does everyone I know, I literally couldn't have given it away. I took it inside to Customer Service, where even the man on the desk turned his nose up at it. He said he'd hold on to it and see if the owner came back.

If it had been something properly nice like Chablis then I think that would have been a hugely memorable day, but on the face of it I felt short changed by the Gods. Hell, even Pigot Grigot would have been alright.

Has Lady Luck ever smiled on you similarly, while sneakily farting in your slippers and giggling?
 
You turn down Shiraz and want a medal???
 

Cathryn

Legendary Member
I found myself blessed with fortune and yet feeling mildly deflated yesterday. I'd pulled out a shopping trolley from the shelter at the supermarket, and there, in a once in a blue moon occurrence, was a sealed half case of house Shiraz staring up at me, clearly paid for by someone but left behind in error.
Yippee! 30 quid or so of free booze! The angel on one shoulder said "hand it in, someone's missing that..." The devil on the other side of course said "put it in the boot, Mother Theresa".

Except I really hate Shiraz, and so does everyone I know, I literally couldn't have given it away. I took it inside to Customer Service, where even the man on the desk turned his nose up at it. He said he'd hold on to it and see if the owner came back.

If it had been something properly nice like Chablis then I think that would have been a hugely memorable day, but on the face of it I felt short changed by the Gods. Hell, even Pigot Grigot would have been alright.

Has Lady Luck ever smiled on you similarly, while sneakily farting in your slippers and giggling?

Well done on being honest...?
 
OP
OP
CanucksTraveller

CanucksTraveller

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Location
Hertfordshire
You turn down Shiraz and want a medal???
Well done on being honest...?

Oh God no, this is not a "how virtuous am I" wallow, it's quite the opposite.

Let me highlight my point:

"Has Lady Luck ever smiled on you similarly, while sneakily farting in your slippers and giggling?"

In other words, when did you feel lucky initially, and then realise you hadn't been as lucky as you thought?
 

RoubaixCube

~Tribanese~
Location
London, UK
Sainsbury's house Shiraz. Possibly grown in Burnley.

That kind of reminds me of the Peckham Spring episode from only fools and horses :laugh::laugh:
 

snorri

Legendary Member
Has Lady Luck ever smiled on you similarly, while sneakily farting in your slippers and giggling?
Errr, yes:sad:.
I bought a raffle ticket from a charity at a trade show many years ago, as did the guy I had travelled to the show with. Some time after I received a communication from the charity asking me to phone them to confirm my identity and was informed that I had won a video camera. I told my travel partner and could see he was a little suspicious and possibly though that he should have won the prize.
The charity informed me that due to the fragility and high value of the video camera they could not post it to me and gave me their office address from where I could pick it up during office hours on particular days of the week.
The location was 175 miles from my home , so a round trip of 350 miles with seven hours of driving. Clearly I would need to find some other reason to justify the journey and pay for overnight accommodation, but hey it was for a video camera when video cameras were expensive items.
Another few months elapsed before I was able to organise the pick-up along with some other activities. Now this office was out on a limb which would entail a fifty mile diversion from the direct route to my other place of interest, but off I set to pickup my prize. On arrival at the location I found an empty office but was informed by a neighbour that the charity had moved to another location some ten miles away. After navigation problems in an area I had had no reason to visit before I eventually arrived at Location B which proved to be where the charity was now based. There was only one person in the office, a young and very shy young lady who said a few words almost as if from a script prepared earlier as she handed over my prize. I thanked her and proceeded towards my preferred destination but stopped off in a layby to eagerly open the box.
I really couldn't understand how the device would work but repacked it for closer inspection when I got home.
On arrival home I read the instructions and came to the conclusion that although unused this was a fairly ancient video camera which would require the purchase of a separate video recorder and portable power pack with leads etc. in order to get any results. It became obvious that even if i could locate compatible items the cost would be quite high and I would then be the owner of a rather dated piece of electronic wizardry.
I didn't complain to the charity, they had acted in good faith, but I did wonder somewhat angrily about the type of person who would give the impression that they were donating an item of value to the charity as a raffle prize.:sad:
 

Dave7

Legendary Member
Location
Cheshire
Errr, yes:sad:.
I bought a raffle ticket from a charity at a trade show many years ago, as did the guy I had travelled to the show with. Some time after I received a communication from the charity asking me to phone them to confirm my identity and was informed that I had won a video camera. I told my travel partner and could see he was a little suspicious and possibly though that he should have won the prize.
The charity informed me that due to the fragility and high value of the video camera they could not post it to me and gave me their office address from where I could pick it up during office hours on particular days of the week.
The location was 175 miles from my home , so a round trip of 350 miles with seven hours of driving. Clearly I would need to find some other reason to justify the journey and pay for overnight accommodation, but hey it was for a video camera when video cameras were expensive items.
Another few months elapsed before I was able to organise the pick-up along with some other activities. Now this office was out on a limb which would entail a fifty mile diversion from the direct route to my other place of interest, but off I set to pickup my prize. On arrival at the location I found an empty office but was informed by a neighbour that the charity had moved to another location some ten miles away. After navigation problems in an area I had had no reason to visit before I eventually arrived at Location B which proved to be where the charity was now based. There was only one person in the office, a young and very shy young lady who said a few words almost as if from a script prepared earlier as she handed over my prize. I thanked her and proceeded towards my preferred destination but stopped off in a layby to eagerly open the box.
I really couldn't understand how the device would work but repacked it for closer inspection when I got home.
On arrival home I read the instructions and came to the conclusion that although unused this was a fairly ancient video camera which would require the purchase of a separate video recorder and portable power pack with leads etc. in order to get any results. It became obvious that even if i could locate compatible items the cost would be quite high and I would then be the owner of a rather dated piece of electronic wizardry.
I didn't complain to the charity, they had acted in good faith, but I did wonder somewhat angrily about the type of person who would give the impression that they were donating an item of value to the charity as a raffle prize.:sad:
That reminds me of when, in the 80s car phones were just coming in......they were like bricks and hard wired in.
A Volvo dealer nearby started to offer...... a free car phone with every new car.
It was only when the "lucky" customer tried to use it that found they had got just that!! a phone with no connection and no way to use it without spending serious money.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
In the 90s when i used to smoke I was shopping and spotted a packet of fags on the floor. A nearly full pack, 18 or 19 still present.

This should've been brilliant news, but they were one of the really cheap and nasty makes that were full of loft insulation, or at least tasted like they were. Being the Marlboro red smoker that I was I was only interested in the smooth strong flavour of a real ciggie, so left them on a bench for some less discerning soul to enjoy.
 
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