Warning: May Contain Nuts

As a fussy eater, I'm used to going through labels constantly to make sure that whatever I'm getting doesn't have something I don't like in, I jokingly refer to myself as a 'Meatatarian' (note, not a proper word) because I don't like seeing those poor innocent vegetables getting needlessly slaughtered just for food. (note, this is only in jest, I eat some veg but I DO avoid alot of it, most times I end up being quite ill, this may be psychosomatic though, but i'm not talking about that here)

My quirks aside, I'm very lucky to not have any seriously life threatening food allergies, I'm still sensitive to food colouring for the most part and try to avoid most of it, I don't normally eat any nuts, but I've had some in my years, just not the biggest fan of them.

Recently UK supermarket chain Tesco has introduced a whole swarm of new labels to help consumers avoid any potential allergens, as most allergies can be life threatening, Tesco said they were listing products with May Contain Nuts if there was a possible risk of cross contamination, this could be seen as sensible.

(Source Twitter )

This is a picture of a bottle of 'Pure Apple Juice', note that it says May Contain Nuts, how the frig can Apple Juice even potentially contain nuts, this isn't the only example, Orange Squash, Cream Soda and Sliced Ham are just the tip of the iceberg, other people have noted seeing it on bags of potatoes, pizza and butternut squash.

There's being careful and then there is just being darned lazy!

I'm probably not the best person to speak of this but surely Tesco of all companies could examine their product suppliers (or get a outside agency to do so) and check out the factories to say it may or may not potentially contain nuts, I'm sure for mums this is a nightmare but when they speak up about this they just get shot down saying that they just want a excuse to sue Tesco or are just overreacting to nothing.

When your child could die from a nut allergy, shopping for them is hard and trying on the most steadfast and bravest of mums, they need clear concise labeling to make sure they can provide the food to feed their family and keep them safe, they're not overreacting, they're protecting their children.

I know one such mum, my twin sister Rachelle, she has a blog, her daughter has a severe allergy to Walnuts and Pecans, I'm pretty sure she would have a thing or two to say when someone says to her that shes 'overreacting', if we want the best for our children, listen to those who have children and take heed of the struggles many families face every day.

As for Tesco, I really hope they turnabout on this, they're a quite decent store chain, they should know better than this.

There's a petition going which asks Tesco's to stop using blanket allergen labelling. Go sign it.

This is clandestine, this is arcane, this is...

Broken Sword.

Good gracious I love this game series.

Cast your minds back all the way to 1996, we got a shiny Playstation for christmas, included with it is a disc called 'Demo 1' amongst demos for things like Wipeout 2097 it had a video for a game I'd never heard of 'Broken Sword - The Shadow Of The Templars'

I must've watched that trailer more than a few times, I remember much later playing a demo of it, played that to death too, I remember being able to play it properly and fully enjoying it, the cast, the story... the friggin' goat puzzle and I've enjoyed the series ever since.

Broken Sword 2 was also fantastic, I've played both Broken Sword 1 and 2 countless times, alas the later sequels 3 and 4 are not as good, so imagine my surprise to hear that they're Kickstarting a 5th game, naturally I was hyped, it was going back to it's older style, with the original (for the most part) voicecast, I hadn't backed it since I didn't have the means to at the time, it remains one of two kickstarters I wished I could've backed.

So it got released last winter, I've finally picked it up on a half price offer and I've just finished it after about 4 hours and at the end of the first episode I can safely say it's a great addition to the series,.

The puzzles are not too challenging if a little long winded but that was and still is the nature of Point And Click adventure games, I'll talk more at length about Broken Sword V when episode two is out and I've finished it.

I do like point and click adventure games, I've throughly enjoyed series like The Secret Of Monkey Island, even more recent titles like the brilliantly dark 'The Wolf Among Us' or the enjoyable 'Back To The Future' game, I always enjoy good storytelling!.

Got reminded of this, 'Yahtzee' talking about point and click adventure games and their decline in recent years, it's safe to watch if you don't mind one use of the word 'Bollocks'.

Drinking and me.

Warning, what follows is only my own views and opinions, nothing is aimed at anyone, if the shoe fits then by all means wear it but I'm as much entitled to voicing my opinion as you are enforcing your own.

So I'm 'Non Social', I sit in my room, playing on my computer and being a lazy fat shut in.

I'd like to say the otherwise.

In reality I'm still working my own life, I'm conversing with my boyfriend, my friends and family, I'm managing over many things, planning stuff, editing videos, working on personal projects, occasionally playing a game or just singing to music, so I don't draw myself out and drink myself into a stupor every weekend, I'm a fan of a drink now and again but I'm one who feels there has to be a time and a place for it, pushing myself into a crowded room, with music so loud you can't talk, does not appeal to me.

I like conversation, I like sharing a drink with friends, when you make it every now and again it makes the time so much more interesting and fun.

This is a picture which involves a incident which happened when I was out being 'social', I'll provide a tiny bit of context, I was heading to the bar with my friend (pictured right) and we where talking about this drink called 'Kalte Muschi' it's a red wine and cola mix, it's pretty nice, the joke being that in german 'Kalte Muschi' means 'Cold Pussy', us both being english had a good chuckle over that, so we get to the bar and another of our friends is there (pictured left), my friend walks to the bar and to the nice lady bartender asks for "two cold pussies", I burst out with laughter and thus a unforgettable moment was born.

The point I'm trying to make is that, I appreciate drinking but when it's not every week, it makes things much more memorable and for me a lot more enjoyable.

So don't label me as 'Anti Social' or 'Non Social' because I prefer having quiet nights in compared to every weekend out on the razz, I appreciate all the friends I have, doesn't mean I have to drink all the time to appreciate it all the same.

The Customer Isn't Always Right, A Retail Workers Nightmare

"Can I have a no-foam cappuccino?"

Wait... what?

In my time doing retail work I've come across some absolute blinders of things that customers have asked for or done, everything I quote here are things which I've personally encountered or to wit that I've been told about.

"Can I have Cash-Back?" "But you've paid cash" "yeah but I want cash-back" "that's not how that works..."

"Can you get salmonella from a creme egg?"* (*Honestly not sure if that was a joke or not but still, daft thing to say!)

"I've used up my quota for this month, can I use next month's?" "yes, next month"

"Can I have a skinny latte but could you put lots of chocolate sprinkles on top" (so whats the point in the 'skinny' part then?, it's like ordering a giant pizza with a Diet Coke)

"Can I have €100 cash back" "sure but you need to spend €1" "but I don't want anything, I only want the cash back" "but I can't just give you cash-back, you need to spend €1, get a drink or something" "but I don't want anything"

"Can I have 40 pounds cashback" *processes transaction, gives money in € as that is all we provide in cash* "I asked for £ not €!"

"We're forced to shop here" "No you're not, there is a shop 10 minutes walk away" "but I don't want to go there" "then you're not forced to shop here then"

"Can I have cash-back please?" "sure, how much would you like?" "I don't know"

As said most of the customers I get are polite and know what they want but sometimes, in -ANY- retail establishment you get the odd customer who just makes you scratch your head in disbelief, does brighten anyone's day though!

And now for our multimedia portion of our ramblings today, got reminded of this song and forgot I liked it.

'Got My Mind Set On You' by George Harrison