Can you credit it?

Got a letter while I was away, from Bank of Scotland stating that my Scout Association credit card was being passed from BoS to MBNA.

This being the aggressive marketing kings MBNA "Oh there's no-one on the MPS of that name at that address" sort of thing.

I resignedly rang up to cancel, and was asked why. So I told the customer service assistant. Yes she said a lot of people were canceling their cards because
they were unhappy with the move to a disreputable company. "It's out of our hands". Now I regret not querying this. Did the Scout Association choose to switch to MBNA, not finding itself having the switch done behind its back by the two companies?
Or did she mean it was done by the bosses and not the people who actually have to speak to the customers.

I mean MBNA? We may as well have the uniform sponsored by Nestle and be done with it.

Update: I've been assured that it was a business deal between HBOS and MBNA, and not the Scout Association's choice.

I'm back

From 2 weeks of travel. OK here's a potted description of the Holdiay by modes of Transport.

Saturday 22nd Steeton-Manchester by car, spending the night at my parents.

Sunday 23rd Audenshaw, Manchester to Speake, Liverpool by car, Liverpool to Oslo Torp by plane, Oslo Torp to Oslo by bus, and train from Oslo to Halden, spending the night in Halden Youth hosten (very nice).

Monday 24th, walked down the hill, bus from Halden to Strömstad, then another from Strömstad to Kragenäs Vagskal, then a lift in a Swede's Jag to the car park.

Thrusday 27th, Reso and back by canoe.

Friday 28th lift from Graham P to Strömstad followed by the bus to Oslo. Stayed in the Anker Hostel overnight.

Sat 29th, Train to the other Oslo Airport, Flight to Gdansk, bus from airport to Gdańsk Główny, an hour in Gdańsk while I looked round the shops (6.5 zt for left luggage, with humourous handlers) then a Pospieszny train to Szczecin Dąbie. Met Sarah on the Platform and got the local train to Świnoujście.

Monday 31st, walked over the border to Ahlbeck, then got the train up the coast before getting a boat back from the end of the peir.

Wednesday 2nd, Train to the next polish town and 4 hour walk back. (The map claimed to be at 1:50000 scale, but plainly wasn't!)

Friday 4th, after the woman turned up late to collect the keys, mad dash to the ferry, just catching the train on time to Szczecin Główny. Juring the break we got the tram into and out of Szczecin. Then a train to the most boring place in the world in germany, followed by a regional double decker to Berlin. After a trip on Bus 100 from near the Brandenberg gate to Zooalogical gardens, the S-Bahn back via the Hauptbahnhof to the Airport. And then Easyjet back to Newcastle.

Dialog

Watched Brokeback mountain last night, found some of it hard to follow without subtitles!