The A-Z of good customer service, the importance of gut health and getting back into a routine

Sliding back into my routine is the best, like wearing a comfy old pair of slippers

Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

Hello and welcome!

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When my husband and I returned from Paris to London on the last leg of our Swiss train holiday, we were exhausted. If you missed the posts, you can read them here.

And here.

There had been a security alert (official wording for bomb scare, so as not to panic the passengers) at the Gare du Nord Train station in Paris. Apparently, a woman had left a bag on the platform and couldn’t be located. A full-scale bomb alert ensued, complete with an army of sniffer dogs and armed police. Thankfully, it turned out to be a false alarm, but the chaos that it caused was unbelievable. Queuing for three hours and the subsequent delay was the last thing that we needed, but obviously appreciated that the security staff had to do what they had to do.

Good customer service

When we finally reached London, it was nearly 19:30 instead of the expected arrival time of 16:30. All we wanted to do was go back to our apartment, kick off our shoes and have a bite to eat. And possibly a glass of wine to celebrate being back home in one piece. We could have stopped off at any number of eateries: a pub, a Yo Sushi, a bright, modern restaurant, but we were so tired, we decided to pick up a takeaway and a bottle of wine instead.

Most cities are open 24/7. But not in the UK. London is pretty vibrant and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of places to eat, drink and socialise. But shops close at 17:00 or some stay open later until 19:00, depending on what they sell. We headed to M&S, but the main store was closed. In the distance, we could see bright lights on a corner nearby and assumed it was an M&S Simply Food. Brilliant! When we got closer, however, we discovered that it was an Amazon Fresh store. Living in the middle of nowhere, we were surprised, as we had never heard of Amazon Fresh. We were delighted when we got inside, because there was everything you could possibly need for a speedy grocery shop.

We chose our meal, selected a very reasonably priced bottle of wine from the walk-in chiller cabinet and paid at the self-service check-out. Some very helpful staff were on hand to make sure that we had everything we needed. We left feeling thrilled that we had picked up just what we wanted and applauded Mr Bezos for his forethought in introducing what is yet another brilliant concept. I know that Amazon is like Marmite; you either love it or hate it. But one thing is for sure, you cannot help but admire this man’s vision for the empire that he has built, at the heart of which is brilliant customer service. I cannot fault Amazon for its fantastic customer service. It’s what we all crave, so hats off to them for delivering this to their customers 24/7, along with their millions of parcels every day of the week.

I work in an office, in a busy law firm, and customer service is so important. If I tell a client I will call them back, I make sure that I do, even if I don’t have any specific news. It lets them know that they haven’t been forgotten and that somebody is dealing with their question. Customer service is so important. I will always go back to a company if I have had a good experience. Conversely, if I have had a bad experience, I will not do them the favour of returning with my custom. It’s a tough world out there, and companies have to stand out in the crowd. Amazon most definitely does that.

How important is gut health?

As a sixty-six year old (I can’t believe it myself most days, mind) I pride myself on not taking any regular medication. I take Vitamin D and calcium tablets every day, together with a probiotic capsule to keep my gut healthy. My daughter, who is a nurse, put me onto these, and I have to say, when I stop taking them, I feel different. Not physically, but mentally. I feel a bit down in the dumps and out of sorts. I don’t know if it is psychosomatic or not, but either way, I take one every day and feel on top of the world. If it keeps me happy, then I will keep taking them. Imagine my surprise when I Googled, ‘How important is gut health?’ and AI came back with this:

Gut health is incredibly important for overall well-being, impacting everything from digestion and immunity to mental health and even chronic diseases. It's often referred to as the "second brain" due to the complex network of communication between the gut and the brain.

Well, what do you know? There it is. Mental health is connected to good gut health. I guess my daughter, who is a mental health nurse, knows what she’s talking about. Not that I doubted her for one second, but I was astonished at what I found out when I further researched good gut health and how incredibly important it is.

Regular exercise has also lifted my mood

After returning from our holiday, I have really appreciated slipping back into my routine. Waking up early, doing some gentle stretching exercises and doing my daily ten-minute workout with Lucy Wyndham-Read and I feel A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I have never been one for regular exercise, but I actually look forward to working out every day with Lucy. It only takes ten minutes, or, if you prefer, seven minutes. She targets different areas of the body, such as your waist or hips and even has a routine to drop a dress size in seven days just by exercising just seven minutes a day! She is incredible; a real little exercise dynamo. If you check out her website, she has lots of great information on healthy eating as well as exercise routines and other fantastic advice.

Improving everyone’s mental and physical wellbeing is my goal - having some fun along the way is an essential ingredient!! Lucy Wyndham-Read

What I am reading this week

If you enjoy a good cozy murder mystery, as I do, then you will love this novel by Jane McParkes.

I am about a quarter of the way through and am completely hooked! It’s brilliant and I am enjoying every page. Jane’s other book, Deadly Treasures, was nominated for the Romantic Thriller category of the RNA Novel Awards 2025. The awards celebrate excellence in romantic fiction, and she has also been nominated for the Wishing Shelf Book Awards for her novel A Deadly Inheritance.

If you would like to read more on Rosy’s Ramblings, head to the home page and have a browse!

In the meantime, I hope you have a brilliant week, and I will see you back here next Sunday.

Take care,