I keep a small shelf of jars of jam and chutneys for sale, outside my gate, and last night at about 2am a Landrover pulled up and stole every last jar!! They got away with about 20 jars - I always expect to have the odd jar go missing, and if people are that desperate that they have to nick a jar of my homemade jam, then let them - however to steal 20 jars, and load them into the back of a new looking landrover is just plain theft and d**n mean at that!!
I was fuming this morning, and did a quick scan of the local bootfairs to see if anyone was selling the jam, but no luck - have calmed down now, but still upset at the cheek of some people - considering I am not able to work at present, and the only money I make in a year is from the sale of jams, chutneys and greetings cards, I just think it's mean! :-[
Kathi
didn't you get a look at them, prink..it makes me so mad..if it was someone desperate for food, i could understand it..I feel for you :(
Thats just nasty, probably drunks! but its possible that they might be back so might be worth keeping a camera close by.
Maybe you should take the items in every evening?
If you find them let me know and we can bash them together.
manicscousers - I did see one of them, I heard the Landrover door shut, turned on the big spotlight to the garden,( located in bedroom) and peered out, but could not see reg. no. of car, or really get a desciption - OH just slept through it!!
Cambourne7 - we left the produce out all last year, no problems at all, was intending to possibly take it in over weekend nights, but didn't really think about it last night - still learnt that lesson, just hope I've still got enough jams etc. for family and friends, have to have a sort out tomorrow
OH is thinking of installing CCTV to the gate/property entrance, we'll have to look into it now
Kathi
Really sorry to hear that, Kathi. Unbelievable what some people will do! >:(
I don't suppose the police would do much even if you had seen them.
Really sorry to hear that Kathi. There are some scunbags about, they couldn't even have been short of a few bob if they had a newish Landrover. My John has set up a camera at his workshop, he has had a bit of trouble with school boys throwing things, the other week he cought up with them and pointed out that he has them on camera, just the thought seems to have made them think again :)
Lorna
I'd agree with cambourne7, probably drunks thinking it was a good wheeze, like students pinching traffic cones. With any luck they'll have lost control of the landrover on the way home and ended up in a ditch and a copper feeling their collars.
Aren't there some rotten b******* about? I'm so sorry for you, Kathi.
Just to give you a smile - I often put a box outside with whatever bits of fruit & veg I don't need - and a bucket with bunches of sweet peas - and a notice saying 'please help yourself'.
A friend visited and said 'That's a good idea with the sweet peas - I'm picking armfuls every day - I'll do that'.
When I next saw him he said 'I tried that with the sweetpeas - and some bugger pinched me bucket'. ;D
Hope the ratbags who stole your stuff get what they deserve.
well how do you lot think they afford that newish landrover, stealing from other people you think of it 20 jars of jam probably £1 each in a supermarket not as good as home made but still a quid thats £20 towards whatever else they want >:(
Yep - it just seems a waste, but I love making jams and chutneys, and they won't put me off, going blackberry picking tomorrow, blackberry jam on Tuesday, be on sale by Wednesday - won't let the b****** grind me down!! ;D
won't let the b****** grind me down!! - that's the way Kathi ;)
A few months ago, like you I would not have bothered the police with such a minor matter.....but then.......met our new Sargeant from the Safer Neighbourhoods Community Policing team, she encouraged us (at the allotment) to report every single act of vandalism and theft. her point was that if these are not reported there is no way to monitor the area and direct resources.
The WIFM factor was that we now get more regular patrols outside and inside the allotments and the Probation Service are coming along with one of their community payback teams ;D ;D
Kathi, it probably won't bring back the stolen jam (I'm hoping that their fingers and other parts turn green and drop off) but reporting the theft and making contact with your neighbourhood team will put your house/area on the police's radar. You would be surprised at how effective they can be in joining up the dots - that landrover has probably been reported in other crimes..........
A landrover will also pull a caravan, I know you don't like pointing fingers but our travelling friends would steal the jars even if they were empty. I'm surprised they left the shelf.
Sorry to read about the theft of your jams and chutneys, Kathi; people can be so unkind.
I used to have a plant stool in my front garden. Most people would take the plants and leave the money; sometimes leaving more as they didn't have change and didn't want to ring the doorbell. One morning I looked out to see two smartly dressed ladies walking off with some of my plants. I thought that I would find the money on the table but when I went out there they had left nothing and there was no sign of the ladies.
A PIR security light attached to the house and pointing towards the entrance and your jam stall could deter anyone if the light comes on when they arrive. I believe some of the lights have a buzzer that can sound indoors when the light goes on.
You will have to come down here if you want some more plums. I made two large plum crumbles for the Christening yesterday and they went down a treat.
I used to know a family of travellers well; they wouldn't have stolen anything. You shouldn't jump to conclusions.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on August 13, 2007, 12:51:02
I used to know a family of travellers well; they wouldn't have stolen anything. You shouldn't jump to conclusions.
But, Robert, quite a few of them are out and out rogues, so the rest (justifiably IMHO) get tarred with the same brush.
Don't think that's a very logical or fair argument Quizzical - (try applying it to other things around you ??? ) but perhaps the word traveller is too broad a brush anyway.
The problem travellers in the part of Kent I originally came from are almost ubiquitously known as Pikies - and they are often certainly very bad news: beating up locals, setting fire to farm buildings because the farmer has turned them off his land, beating up farmers who've reported them to the police, stealing farm and garden machinery -just a few examples and the police are terrified of them. But they are known as Pikies to distinguish them from other travellers.
Quote from: quizzical1 on August 13, 2007, 13:13:31
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But, Robert, quite a few of them are out and out rogues, so the rest (justifiably IMHO) get tarred with the same brush.
You could say exactly the same about any group of people on this earth! Some people are rogues, fine. But what has this thread got to do with travellers? It could just as easily - probably more easily, given that travellers are a small minority - have been one of the people who own the vast majority of such vehicles in the UK, ie the white middle class.
In East Anglia, we find that there are the genuine Romany's and then you get the Diddi-coys. Travellers are a third group, who prefer the open road but do not belong to either of the other two groups. If left alone the Romany's and Travellers are reasonable. The "Dids" (of doubtful parentage) are the ones that cause the trouble, like the problem at Elm a few years ago.
I used to know a white middle class family, they would not steal anything. You should not jump to conclusions.
hmmmm.....jars of jam seemingly abandoned outside property at 2am? Prolly some lotmenteers nicking them - they needed the jars for their courgette chutney ;D
Quote from: ACE on August 13, 2007, 07:23:06
A landrover will also pull a caravan, I know you don't like pointing fingers but our travelling friends would steal the jars even if they were empty. I'm surprised they left the shelf.
Quote from: ACE on August 15, 2007, 05:58:26
I used to know a white middle class family, they would not steal anything. You should not jump to conclusions.
Ace, it was you who jumped to conclusions by quoting travellers!! You should not tar everyone with the same brush as there are good and bad in all communities. It's like saying all people from the Isle of Wight are stupid.
Oh, sorry, isn't that where you come from Ace. lol ;D ;D
I am perturbed by the comment made about the travellers. I work with them on a daily basis and I have ones I would not trust, and some I would loan anything to, This is exactly the same as all other folks I have met.
The one thing I have never heard anyone of them say is... those none travellers will steal anything.!!
For as long as comments are made about any race like this I have to object,it is racial prejudice and it is wrong. I have no right to suggest what one should think, but I am concerned to it being stated or written .
For as long as comments of racial prejudice go unchallenged, it will never change and problems will continue.
I am challenging the comments here, not judging the poster.
Evil flourishes when good men do nothing.
With respect.
Jeannine
Well said Jeannine. ;)