My Valued Opinion

Several years ago I subscribed to Valued Opinions and have regularly been rewarded for surveys that I complete. 

The Valued Opinions website says this:

Your opinions count. It’s only through market research surveys that companies large and small can truly learn what people like you think, about everything from specific products and services to topics as wide ranging as fashion, film or global warming.Therefore it is true to say that we believe your opinion has a real value. And that’s why we offer you incentives that can build up to rewards, in exchange for completing surveys.  

It's certainly not a recipe for getting rich quickly.  On average, I probably qualify for less than a quarter of the surveys offered and the rewards are modest - usually 75p or £1 for 20-30 minutes' work.  It's surprising, though, how it mounts up over the years.  I've just been looking at my Reward History and see that, since I started, I've completed 469 surveys and earned £420 in Amazon or Boots vouchers.

If you fancy giving it a try, be warned that some surveys are carelessly written and will have you screaming at the screen.  For instance, a recent one asked:

   Can you hear this sound?..  yes, it's a cat

   Can you see this video?..  yes, it's a frog

   My gender  female

   My age  65

   My job category (if retired, select most recent occupation)  intermediate managerial 

   My income (I gave them a rough figure)

   In what area of the country do I live?  southwest

   Do I visit online betting sites?  no

   Sorry, but you have not qualified for this survey!

If they had asked the last question first, I would have been saved a lot of time and typing.  It's tempting, sometimes, to give the answers you think they may want but, on principle, I always try to answer honestly.  

I took this screen print during the consultation, as we
talked about furniture, carpets, etc that would match
the scheme.  (Manufacturer's details removed by me.)

Occasionally I land a gem of a survey, such as one I did last week.  A well-known paint company is developing an online design service.  I completed an initial survey, during which I diligently sang the praises of their paint - absolutely truthfully, as I've recently repainted our lounge, using one of their published colour schemes, and am delighted with the results. 

I qualified for the next stage and was invited to send them details of a room I wish to refurbish, and select a few possibly schemes that I liked from an online catalogue.  Then, last Saturday, I had a 40 minute online consultation with Sarah, one of their design staff.  Not only was this enormous fun, but Sarah came up with some brilliant ideas that I'd never have thought of.   But here's the best bit... when this service is launched it will probably cost about £60.  I got it for nothing and was rewarded for completing the survey! Not bad, eh?

Border towns

I've just spent a pleasant afternoon in Chepstow, which is a few miles down the road from my home. Trips to Chepstow are quite frequent as it has a large Tesco store where we do our monthly 'big shop' and it's where I go for my laser treatment.  Today, though, I just wanted to explore the town and take a few photos.

That's the beautiful Old Wye Bridge in the background.  It's single track, controlled with traffic lights, and must have been a source of great frustration until the 'new' bridge on the A48 was constructed in 1988. The elegant lamps once graced a street in Sheffield, until they found their way here in 1969.  Thank you, Sheffield!

I parked Bluebell near the old bridge and walked up a steep hill into the town.  One street has been pedestrianised and, I think, looks rather nice. The bow-fronted building, half way along on the right, with the large '7' on the wall, is one that I know well as it's where I'll be going in a couple of weeks' time for my next session of laser treatment. 

Further up the hill, in Bank Square, I came across this immodest fellow (below).  If you look carefully you'll see that he is anatomically complete.  Believe it or not, he's supposed to be a fisherman, though no fisherman I know ever went to sea like this.  But then, I don't know any Welsh fishermen.  I invite you to click the photo to enlarge it, not just for a better view of the guy's big dong, but also so you can read the name of the shop in the background.  Rather appropriate, don't you think?

Chepstow frequently reminds me of Launceston, in my homeland of Cornwall. They are both towns close to the border with England - one Welsh, the other Cornish.  And yes, the Cornish, like the Welsh, do consider themselves a race apart from the English.  But, as the following photos show, the similarities don't end there.

Finally, both towns have alternative ways of saying their names.  To Welsh speakers, Chepstow is Cas-Gwent (= 'Gwent Castle').  As for Launceston, well the English generally pronounce it Lawn-ston (never Lawn-cess-ton... dear me, no!) but to the Cornish it's Lanson.  Which goes to show that the Cornish are every bit as adept as the Welsh at confusing folk with their town names.  

Dragonfly

It was a beautiful summer's afternoon. Aunt Sarah, S- and I were relaxing beside the garden pond, eating olives and sipping Chardonnay.   "Ooo look!" says I, "a dragonfly."  The bright green creature circled the pond for while - swooping then hovering, then swooping again - before settling onto one of the pond-side stones.

For the next 20 minutes we watched, enthralled, as she laid her eggs in a mossy crag between the stones. In my ignorance, I thought dragonflies always laid their eggs in the water, but clearly not this one. Finally, she circled the pond once more, and was gone.

The following day we found her dead nearby, her life's work done.  I hope her offspring make it to the water.