MONDAY AND TUESDAY

I've been in Auckland for a day and night so didn't send out a post yesterday.

Richard (of RBB) kindly stepped up and wrote a post for me. You can see it: HERE

Now, it's not exactly riveting stuff being a bit derivative and lacking that acerbic edge that you know and love from THE CURMUDGEONS INCⓒ. posts but to give the old feller his due, he did make an effort. At least the grammar and spelling was on form.

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I went to Auckland to buy a car and trade in my old one. This went successfully with the Toyota dealers taking my old car and me giving them a bucket full of cash. I drove the new (ish) car home today and it went really well. I've been driving an old and underpowered car for the last four years so it's good to get behind the wheel of a newer, safer and more powerful car. It handled well in the violent storm that hit Auckland today - thunderstorms, high winds and very heavy rain.

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A surprise on the trip was buying another apartment. I hadn't expected to do this so soon but we looked at it and, as it's unoccupied made an offer which was accepted with settlement being the same day as the settlement for our apartment we've just sold - in two weeks. It's going to be a busy time organising the money, the paperwork and the move all before the 24th.

It's a really nice apartment but unusual in that even though it's a one-bedroom apartment it has two bathrooms. Richard would be really pleased with the ratio of 2 bathrooms with every bedroom as he could definitely have his own one and not let anyone else use it.

Apparently the current owner started renovations with a view to having two studio apartments each with a bedroom/living area and a bathroom but would have to share a kitchen. This patently wasn't going to work but meantime he'd created another bathroom (shower, toilet, wash basin - quite roomy really) so there is a large bedroom with a bathroom off it and a large lounge also with a bathroom off it and a kitchen. It has large windows and lots of natural light so The Old Girl will be fine using it during the week while she works in Auckland.

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Another surprise was getting the on-line Visa bill which was more than $10,000 than I expected. I checked all the transactions and found a whole lot totalling about $10,000 for hotel accommodation and other purchases in Amsterdam.

Bastards!

I don't know how this has happened as we haven't lost our credit cards but may have been skimmed somewhere. Either that or the various providers we regularly use and pay automatically on Visa card have been hacked. Companies like Uber, Genesis Energy, Fine Wines-on-line, Air NZ, Netflix, My Lotto, Apple, Intercity Bus, Ticketmaster etc. We will just have to stop paying these by card and organise direct debit. The bank has cancelled our cards and will reissue with new ones. They will also investigate the transactions and hopefully reverse them.

It's really shitty that scrotes go about doing this. Now we're old buggers but still managed to notice the fraud and hopefully will get it sorted but how many other people get spurious charges on their credit card bills without noticing it?