The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant.

[tiermat]

[Stuffs that had me inhaling toast crumbs]

Blessed are the cheesemakers?

(Peers nervously around for the Python Police)

Remnds me of the Christingle service, last year. Sat there, in the church, Mrs Torslanda leans over to me and says "what did the vicar just say?" Quick as a flash I retorted with "Blessed are the cheesemakers" I thought Mrs Torslanda was going to keel over as she tried to contain her guffaws!

[trekker12]

A few years ago at a previous employer, we invited some Algerian customers to head office (My boss and I worked in a remote office). Due to requirements of Kosher meat and no pig product we simply asked the Managing Directors PA who organises the catering to go for vegetarian only as that avoids awkward questions.

After the presentation we all trooped out into the reception area to be confronted with the usual spread of sausage rolls, pork pies, chicken goujons with dip and various sandwiches on the same tray including ham and chicken.

After much apologising and re-arrangement of the buffet table so the salad was near the front our visitors saw the funny side which was fine until exactly the same happened on their next visit!

We honestly didn't think it would be that complicated just asking for vegetarian only.

[Guy]

What I find wheely wheely wheely odd is how milk doesn't seem to get any colder if left on the worktop

Again

[perpetual dan]

Dear LBS,
When fitting new mudguards to bike please to be fitting them so that they don't rub the tyre.


... The problem is a poorly bodged clip to deal with vertical hole in the seat stay bridge, so it's going back as I'm sure they can do better and I'm still short of time and energy.
(Mrs Dan's bike, she wisely realised that I wasn't going to get around to it last weekend.)

[Mr Larrington]

I have a mobile hanging from the ceiling of the Great Hall; 'tis a bunch of small wooden Viking ships which I purchased from the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde in 1998 and ferried back to Blighty in the tailbox of my Kingcycle.  Today I managed to dislodge it from its perch while titting about on a stepladder.  It fell on the floor and its strings got all tangled.

Four hours later it was nearly untangled.  Then I blinked.  The resultant new tangle had to be solved in an Alexander the Great stylee.  Tomorrow I are mostly trying to tie small knots in thread.  Arse.

[scott]

which I purchased from the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde in 1998

Git. That's one of the places in Europe that I most want to see.

<-- Might-have-been early-medievalist

[matthew]

In here for now but may be updated to a full blown RANT later.

Our favorite Telecoms Company (TM Kim) posted me out a router ready for the connection of the line at my new house. They stated this would fit through most typical letterboxes...

I get home yesterday to find no router but a card stating that the parcel wouldn't fit through my letterbox, I don't think this letterbox is unusually small. Fortunately RM redeemed themselves as the depot is open from 7am and local to me so I could collect it on route to work.

However I believe that when I get home I will find that it does fit through my letter box. 

[HTFB]

Dearly beloved stoker: if you are finding it so hard to get going in the mornings that you're getting in late to work, and if you know this is because you are overtired, is the answer really to set our alarm twenty minutes earlier to give yourself more time to wake up in?

[Mr Larrington]

which I purchased from the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde in 1998

Git. That's one of the places in Europe that I most want to see.

<-- Might-have-been early-medievalist

Dr Larrington is an early medievalist who seems to spend a lot of time doing Viking-related Stuffs.

The 1998 European HPV Champiosnhips were in Roskilde; Miss von Brandenburg (then wearing her "Mrs Larrington" jersey) and I had a nice tour over from Esbjerg and an equally nice one with other BHPC types back afterwards.  There's a write-up somewhere on the Intertubes.

At the Mossø.  Miss von Brandenburg impersonates the Little Mermaid.

[trekker12]

To the shop assistant in my local Waitrose. Think 25 applies both ways. I may be short in stature and I may look young for my age but I certainly don't look younger than 25 let alone 18 so take a proper look at the person buying the nice expensive bottle of red (and consider that as part of the context) before you blithely ask for my ID which I haven't carried for 10 years because apparently once you have asked the question there is no going back despite the fact you know you were wrong to ask and now leave us both looking silly.

I left the bottle on the counter and walked off to save her further embarrassment!

[Bledlow]

which I purchased from the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde in 1998

Git. That's one of the places in Europe that I most want to see.

<-- Might-have-been early-medievalist

I believe it's still there, although I haven't personally verified that by visiting it since Easter 1977.

[Mr Larrington]

I have not yet mended the mobile because spoons.

Also, the BBC, did you have to put to put Bonio and Evans on my AD without even a warning before the programme started?

[matthew]

In here for now but may be updated to a full blown RANT later.

Our favorite Telecoms Company (TM Kim) posted me out a router ready for the connection of the line at my new house. They stated this would fit through most typical letterboxes...

I get home yesterday to find no router but a card stating that the parcel wouldn't fit through my letterbox, I don't think this letterbox is unusually small. Fortunately RM redeemed themselves as the depot is open from 7am and local to me so I could collect it on route to work.

However I believe that when I get home I will find that it does fit through my letter box. 

Fair does to royal mail, it don't quite fit, therefore BT lied as my letterbox is not abnormally small.

[scott]

I believe it's still there, although I haven't personally verified that by visiting it since Easter 1977.

It's definitely still there. Unfortunately, now that our kid is old enough to handle serious time-zone changes, the fares for transatlantic airfares are unaffordable. There are several places Over There that we want to go, but $3,000+ just for the airfare (for three) is not happenin'.

[Mr Larrington]

Hurrah!  My Vikings are once more Voyaging to Vinland, albeit with the aid of some non-period sticky tape

[CAMRAMan]

In here for now but may be updated to a full blown RANT later.

Our favorite Telecoms Company (TM Kim) posted me out a router ready for the connection of the line at my new house. They stated this would fit through most typical letterboxes...

I get home yesterday to find no router but a card stating that the parcel wouldn't fit through my letterbox, I don't think this letterbox is unusually small. Fortunately RM redeemed themselves as the depot is open from 7am and local to me so I could collect it on route to work.

However I believe that when I get home I will find that it does fit through my letter box. 

Fair does to royal mail, it don't quite fit, therefore BT lied as my letterbox is not abnormally small.

I'm afraid it must be, as I deliver a good few of those and they do go through the majority of letterboxes and it's a rarity to have to take one back to the office...

[matthew]

In here for now but may be updated to a full blown RANT later.

Our favorite Telecoms Company (TM Kim) posted me out a router ready for the connection of the line at my new house. They stated this would fit through most typical letterboxes...

I get home yesterday to find no router but a card stating that the parcel wouldn't fit through my letterbox, I don't think this letterbox is unusually small. Fortunately RM redeemed themselves as the depot is open from 7am and local to me so I could collect it on route to work.

However I believe that when I get home I will find that it does fit through my letter box. 

Fair does to royal mail, it don't quite fit, therefore BT lied as my letterbox is not abnormally small.

I'm afraid it must be, as I deliver a good few of those and they do go through the majority of letterboxes and it's a rarity to have to take one back to the office...

It's a recently built house with a typical front door, however the letterbox must be slightly short top to bottom as the parcel was about 4mm taller than the slot.

[Kim]

Is there a standard size for letterboxes?  It's the sort of thing that would be a good idea, and therefore thoroughly un-British.

[hellymedic]

I thought there was, to make the life of a postman simpler. Whether this 'archaic' system has fallen by the wayside is another matter.
Will Google.

[jsabine]

There isn't even a standard size for postboxes. Large (well, not small) greetings cards and C5 envelopes (A4 sheet folded once) have to be bowed in the middle to squeeze into the one that's closest to the house.

[hellymedic]

Seems there were standards but these were voluntary and not kept up-to-date...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_box

[Mr Larrington]

Seems there were standards but these were voluntary and no kept up-to-date...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_box

That, on the other hand, is thoroughly BRITISH

[Mr Larrington]

When charged with the pukka Nokia charger in the Scullery, my phone displays "Battery Full" when, er, the battery is full.  When charged with inferior USB voles via a wall wart in the Great Hall it doesn't.  What's THAT all about, eh?

[T42]

Dastardly government plot to sow FUD.

[CAMRAMan]

Anyone with a new door or a new-build house with a low-level letter box thoroughly deserves to have their post folded over and creased. Not that I would approve of such an action, no, not me.

Anyone with an external letter box (normally a good thing) that barely has room for one sheet of tracing paper, but nothing thicker, deserves to have to traipse to the sorting office to collect their mail.