I woke up this morning to the news that the Muslim terrorists have been at it again. This time it was in Barcelona.  What a bloody depressing and horrible world!

So to cheer myself up,  not that anything can really make one feel better after horrific events such as the atrocities carried out by jihadists this morning,  we decided that we should go to a movie. We chose one that would be “a feel good” sort of thing, one that would not cause more angst.

Quite frankly, I don’t really know why I chose “Hampstead’. The reviews of the movie were not good, but they sounded  patronising.  “The older members of society would probably enjoy a film like this” was the theme of most of the reviews. I interpreted these reviews as the oeuvre of some millenials with the shaved haircuts and torn jeans, so I jacked up and muttered.

“I refuse to be patronised by these twits!”

And that’s where I went wrong.

Alas, I should have heeded the warnings, patronising or not. Those reviews were correct.

“Hampstead” is so boring,  poorly cast,  predictable,  badly scripted and overacted that I think it should be compulsory viewing for those terrorists in Barcelona when they are finally caught. Make them watch “Hampstead'” over and over again until they beg to be shot. And then refuse to put them out of their misery, and set the film on continues play

Normally,  the Weinstein Company produces good cinema. Normally, Diane Keaton chooses sensible roles. Normally, James Norton would demand an impressive role such as he plays in “Grantchester”,  “Happy Valley” and “War and Peace.”

I cannot fathom why this film was released. Worse still, why any good actor accepted a role in it.

On October 17th 2015 I complained on my blog site that Woolworths is second to Coles in service, especially in the Deli section.

That is why I used to prefer shopping at Coles rather than in Woolworths

Now I’m happy to write that Woolworths has made a concerted effort to increase its sales by improving service and lowering its prices.

Some of its supermarkets have been renovated and I have to say it’s  a pleasure to  shop in our local store now. In spite of this supermarket not being larger  the aisles are wider, the products are extremely well displayed and the choice of products is extensive. I enjoy the selection of imports from Europe which give the supermarket a cosmopolitan feel.

Frankly, the store has become more classy and compares well with those specialist food stores where one can buy something a bit more interesting.

Surprisingly for such an upmarket store the prices are often cheaper than those in Coles, so good on Woolies for being more competitive and often on a par with Aldi’s prices.

Woolworths is now my favourite supermarket.

My, how editing standards in reporting have gone down the drain.  Sue Dunlevy is the National Health Reporter for the News Corp Australia Network.  She really screwed up on June 10.

So where did she go wrong?  Well, she only gave us the incorrect facts about the Valpam (Valium)  recall from Arrow Pharmaceuticals.  The Valpam recall follows the earlier Valium recall by Roche. Dunlevy wrote that “Valpam in 55mg tablets sold in blister packs was being recalled by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.”

Notice her grave error?  55mg tablets!  How misleading is that mistake on her part!

People who possess 5mg Valpam would think they are safe,  and in my opinion, Dunlevy’s mistake is a very dangerous one.

We are talking about drug substitution and recall by the company.  So the least she could do is get her facts right.

I have often walked around our supermarkets and been amazed by the ridiculous number of products which are basically the same but take up so much room on the shelves.

How many varieties of  deodorants and shampoos and toilet paper do we really need?  Entire double aisles are taken up with pet food.  Organic,  gluten-free blah blah dog and cat food. It’s absolutely disgraceful  that we spoil our pets,  or more truthfully,  the pet owners to such an extent while many of the hungry people in impoverished countries  would be grateful to consume  the packaged processed food that we provide  for our pets.

Aldi has fewer lines and is doing very well in the real world. And now, mercifully,  so has Coles who have just announced that they are cutting down on superfluous lines such as multiple varieties of garbage bags and pasta sauce.

And guess what?  As a result of some sensible decisions by Coles sales in garbage bags and sauces have actually increased!

I applaud them for that decision. Not only do they limit conspicuous consumption but they also make life easier for those of us who are fed up with the paradox of choice.  I have often found,  when faced with a plethora of choices,  that I keep on walking past them unable to decide which of the products to buy.  Let’s face it,  there’s no benefit to all this variety when most of those products are pretty much the same stuff anyway  in different colour packaging.

Here’s hoping Woolworths follows suit.

Today we walked past the GP Studio hairdressing salon at the Chadstone Mall when my husband said  “Have a look at the sign in the window.”  It was advertising the prices for certain categories of clients and charges for services.

Ladies

Females over 65

Men

Males over 65

We drew this notice to the attention of the lady hairdresser inside who agreed it was puzzling and she would talk to her boss about it.

I wonder when one becomes too old to be a lady and yes, I’ve heard the joke  “That’s no lady…….”

I confess that I was probably never much of a lady and have to agree with Frank Sinatra that I do get too hungry to have dinner at eight.