De-clutter update, calculators and credit card fraud

I've now taken one lot of clothes to the charity shop, and what's more, Mr A sorted out some of his unwanted clothes so I could take them too. I've listed 15 items on ebay, and three of them now have bids, with one standing at £3.50 with under two days to go. Who'd have thought that the most wanted item would be the travel version of the game Rummikub?

The de-clutter revealed an old calculator with its soft case and instructions, dated 27 Sept 1980. That must have been bought for my A levels, and it almost works except the seam between the back and front has split at the battery compartment so you have to hold it together to make the battery work. I must have stopped using it after A levels, because I've been using another calculator which must have been bought for my degree the first time round. That one has a whole corner broken off, but it still works too. I thought I would treat myself, though, and I splashed out on a new one. The main advance in 28 years is that now they come with a hard protective cover. Given the state of the other two, this seems like a good idea.

I had an automated call from my credit card company this morning. It asked me to call another number urgently, and because it used my real name I thought on balance that it was more likely to be real than a scam. I did call the number, but I was still highly sceptical and ready to hang up if it turned out to be some Spanish lottery or member of a Nigerian royal family.

It was real; my credit card details have been stolen, and probably because of buying fuel in a Shell garage in Stockport. Apparently there has been some publicity about dodgy card readers in some Shell garages, but I don't remember hearing about it. Anyway, no harm done, no money has been taken, and I'm grateful to the bank for having systems clever enough to pick up the problem so quickly.

These photos were taken in the Temperate House in Jephson Gardens, where I met a friend last week, and had a cup of tea and a cake in the cafe. I love being on holiday!