14/12/22

[Maik]

Today’s bank rates:
1 €UR = £0.8833 GBP
1 €UR = $1.0861 USD
£1 GBP = 1.1321 €UR
$1 USD = 0.9207 €UR

Based on Alpha Bank exchange rates, these are widely used by exchange agencies in Greece.
Other banks likely to offer a different rate which may be marginally higher or lower.
Banks and foreign exchange offices normally charge standard 2% commission.
You may get a better rate changing your holiday money in advance at e.g the Post Office.
NB: some f-ex agencies advertise "No Commission".
Invariably, they deduct commission before they (don't) advertise the rate.
Foreign exchange offices are businesses, not charities.

Ten day weather forecast for Kefalonia:
This is an overall forecast, due to the mountainous terrain the weather can be very localised.
Updated forecast @ weather.com

Day, Date   Hi°/Lo°   Wind sp   Wet   Forecast
Wed 14/12   18°/16°   19 km/h   80%   Light rain probable
Thu 15/12   20°/15°   09 km/h   21%   Sun & cloud
Fri 16/12   21°/17°   20 km/h   14%   Cloudy
Sat 17/12   21°/15°   24 km/h   24%   Sun & cloud
Sun 18/12   19°/13°   12 km/h   49%   Thunderstorms possible
Mon 19/12   17°/11°   16 km/h   24%   Sun & cloud
Tue 20/12   15°/10°   15 km/h   15%   Sunny
Wed 21/12   16°/12°   11 km/h   05%   Mostly sunny
Thu 22/12   16°/12°   13 km/h   09%   Sun & cloud
Fri 23/12   15°/11°   14 km/h   12%   Sun & cloud

[Maik]

Dogo Argentino shot dead my motorist in Attica after it attacked and killed a small dog

A Dogo Argentino attacked and killed a smaller dog in the northern suburbs of Attica, in Kefalari, and a motorist was forced to shoot and kill the large canine after the owner of the smaller dog cried out for help.

Due to the panic, a passing vehicle stopped and its driver got out to help. He too tried to save the pet from the teeth of Dogo Argentino but was attacked and bitten.

The driver, whose identity has not been released, was armed. He pulled out a gun and shot the dog, killing it. Then he disappeared.

The driver who shot Dogo Argentino is wanted by the Greek Police.

The Dogo Argentino is considered one of the most aggressive dogs.

In the UK, it is illegal to own a Great Dane without legal authorisation.

https://en.protothema.gr/dogo-argentino-shot-dead-my-motorist-in-attica-after-it-attacked-and-killed-a-small-dog/

Strange story but I heard of a bit of road rage in Patras recently where one driver threatened another with a gun.

[Maik]

What has Barclays done with my £50,000 after post-Brexit changes?
I kept the account when I moved to Greece, but the bank closed accounts held by non-UK residents

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/dec/12/what-has-barclays-done-with-my-50000-after-post-brexit-changes

I thought this was a one-off but allegedly others have had the same experience.

[HiFi]

I certainly got plenty of notice from Barclays - by letter, internet banking message and SMS texts.

[expat]

In the UK, it is illegal to own a Great Dane without legal authorisation and the maximum penalty is up to six months in prison.
 

[HiFi]

Probably meant to read Dogo Argentino........

[expat]

Whoof! probably.

[Maik]

Why delaying retirement now means you will pay tax on the state pension

Older workers who delay collecting their state pension by just two years now face the prospect of paying income tax on the benefit, analysis shows.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/pensions-retirement/tax-retirement/why-delaying-retirement-now-means-will-pay-tax-state-pension/

[Maik]

For info, not a recommendation: If you send loads of cards these charity e-cards costs less than printed cards plus postage and if you don't send many cards this might work out less expensive than other e-cards, as well as less than printed cards. Wide variety of cards / charities, I haven't used it (yet), still mulling over the T&C and Privacy Policy (they look fairly standard).

dontsendmeacard.com

      

[Maik]

Having mentioned T&C this might be of interest: the Terms and Conditions / Terms of Service on many websites are very long and difficult to understand and most people (including me) click to agree without reading them fully.

Terms of Service; Didn't Read provides a brief summary of the key points of a websites Terms and Conditions / Terms of Service. However, there's so many websites that it tends to concentrate on the most popular frequently used. Nevertheless, it might be of some use.

A browser extension is available for Firefox / Google Chrome / Microsoft Edge / Safari / Opera.

Alternatively you can Bookmark / Favourite the URL https://tosdr.org/en/frontpage#ratings and enter a website's name in the box where it says, "Search for a service here...".

On that page are ratings for Facebook, Amazon, YouTube, Paypal, Apple Services. Might be of interest to type in Google.com and see the rating, although it probably won't be any great surprise.

tosdr.org

[Maik]

Solihull: Six-year-old boy who fell into icy lake dies

A  six-year-old who was one of four boys to fall into an icy lake near Solihull has died, police have said.

The three others, aged eight, 10 and 11, who have also died were with the younger child at Babbs Mill Park, in Kingshurst, on Sunday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-63963835

[U4ea]

Why delaying retirement now means you will pay tax on the state pension

Older workers who delay collecting their state pension by just two years now face the prospect of paying income tax on the benefit, analysis shows.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/pensions-retirement/tax-retirement/why-delaying-retirement-now-means-will-pay-tax-state-pension/

State Pension counts against everyone's personal allowance. You will never have tax deducted from it, but it can result in tax on other income that puts one over the tax threshold.

Delaying state pension means the amount is increased, but if it pushes someone over the tax free allowance the tax still comes off the other income, not the state pension.

The article is very misleading.