Telephones, continued

Today a local bank branch reminded me of my latest journal entry on my doubts about telephones being the chosen means of communicating with customers. For my appointment I was shown into a side room where the personal banker soon telephoned somebody else and had me speak to them instead. The line was crackly and my interlocutor was in a noisy call center so it was difficult for me to hear them. We eventually managed to communicate my home address so when they then asked to where I would like money to be transferred I told them to mail me a check instead: I would have been happy to provide bank details in writing but certainly not over such an awkward interface.

Simnel cake update

The Cake Academy's Simnel cake, my favorite, has again failed to turn up on local grocery store shelves. Why such lovely foods might be expected to appear before the end of Lent I do not know but there are probably more pancake-gobblers than subsequent abstainers.

This year I tried the Simnel cake from Booths, made in Cumbria, which was pleasant enough but the fruit cake mix tasted fairly generic to me. I also tried Greencore's which at least tastes strongly of citrus but still seems to me to fall short.

Other favorite foods sometimes disappear: for example, it is some time since I saw Sharwood's lamb biryani which used to make for a pleasant and cheap ready meal.