Thursday 12 July 2012

The joke's on me...

For some reason there are a lot of internet comparison insurance ads on British TV at the moment (I can count five in my head straight away, without too much thought) which have a couple of things in common – they all claim to be the quickest, easiest, cheapest and friendliest, and they all have annoying jingles. 

One of them, called Go-Compare, tries to grab your attention by means of a well-built tenor in a tail suit and a heavily waxed ringlet moustache who suddenly pops us and sings to people sunbathing on beaches, or in other situations (including historic) where they’re minding their own business, to tell them how they must visit the website when they want insurance.  "Go Compare!" features frequently in the lyrics.  The singer is clearly a professional but the tune seems to have been composed by a child and is unbelievably annoying.  His shuddering moustache is even more so. 

A billboard near the hospital where I work has appeared.  It’s near the traffic lights...


...and I nearly collided with the car in front because it made me laugh so much.

A few days later I took my camera into work and stopped to take this picture of it on the way, thinking how much I would enjoy putting it on my blog.

However, it was reported in the news some days later that it was all a spoof by the Go Compare company, and they had produced a whole series...








 ... backed up by TV ads in the same self-mocking vein.

I confess to feeling crestfallen, but I thought international readers might enjoy them anyway!

-oOo-

Update on Selina: Daughter of my friend Michèle about whom I've told you before.  She suffered a terrible car accident last October and was in a coma for several months.  She is now making a slow recovery.   (Previous updates are here, here and here).


Selina is now fully awake, and there have been many positive advances since I last updated you.  The physios, with whom she is a favourite, are assisting her to stand, and it won’t be long before her leg muscles are strong enough to enable her to do it unaided for short periods.  She can move her right arm slowly, and her sense of humour is definitely back – when given the shower head to help bath herself recently she drenched both her mother and the helper.  Michèle says she can’t move her face to smile yet, but her eyes were dancing and they knew she was laughing at them. 

When asked to identify the missing letter in a word she can write it, and identify the correct answer in a multiple choice history question. When her parents were discussing something in front of her recently, they had been debating whether some medication should be taken for one, two or more weeks, and suddenly noticed that she had been following the conversation and was gently pointing two fingers at them – and then they remembered it was indeed two weeks. She also understands the difference when putting two fingers up in the other direction, because it’s the only gesture of defiance open to her at the moment. She makes all the right moves to help the staff get her in and out of bed, and moves the zips up and down on her coat, so it’s all positive.

The other good news is that the other patient and her very difficult mother the other side of the curtain – they’re obliged to share the room – have departed to some other clinical establishment, and the new lodgers – an older woman and her carer-daughter have moved in and are good and considerate people. Michèle’s stress levels have gone back down again.

-oOo-

Photo Finish -
from Lonicera's digital archive


Some flowers from my garden

White camellia


Abbot's Pool, a very large pond nearby


Dwarf rhododendron (yakushimanum),
the only one which will grow in neutral soil.


Red camellia


This is the name of my house, called after
my favourite song from John's Clifton Town opera,
"The River Avon"  (see last posts before this one)

-oOo-

6 comments:

Sandy said...

Those ads are cute. And I guess we looked so they got the result of noticing. That is also good news about Selina. So glad things are looking up.

Joyful said...

So glad to hear about Selina's progress and the change in her room mates. I'm sure she is much happier now.

Lonicera said...

I realise it might look as though I was endorsing a product - I should have said I wasn't. I find it annoying enough to avoid anyway, and I think they've realised it too. Thank you both about your comments on Selina. She is happier, so her mother is too, though she's only just started to realise how much time has gone by without her knowing it, and has felt horrified by this.
Caroline

Coral Wild said...

The ads are funny - a pity they are part of such an annoying campaign:(
I am so glad to hear that Selina is making such good progress.....
and I love your flower photos:)

Vagabonde said...

The ads are funny and if they are annoying, then it is what the ad company hoped – people think twice when they see something that bothers then rather than a neutral ad.
It is such great news about Selina – her family must be so relieved to see some improvement. Your flowers are also very pretty.

Lonicera said...

Much appreciated Sue and Vagabonde, thank you!
Caroline

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