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

[ian]

Ah, British Gas, when you're not sending me the wrong bill because you evidently think cubic feet is an artistic movement and not a bizarre imperial measure, you're smashing my brand new driveway wall with your clumsy driving. Now, apparently, the driver claims he didn't, but he 'hit a rock'. There are no rocks at the bottom of my driveway. It's not a fucking beach or the surface of Mars. Oh, but he didn't damage the van, she says. Well, that's nice, but it's not your van I'm worried about, it's the £200+ quid to rebuild, render, and paint the damn wall you knocked over.

[Moultonaught]

Chiltern Railways have very kindly provided a track pump built into the bike racks at my local station.

Unplanned use of the cross bike - as the commuter bike was out of action. Having deflated the cross bike's tyres for some genteel off roading, I thought I should pump them up for the, albeit brief, on-road commute.  Oh the joy of watching the track pump handle rise skyward as it tried, fairly successfully, to suck all the air out of my rear tyre, until i engage my brain and disconnected the pump.  I'm sure that's not meant to happen!

A mile ride home on a very squidgy rear tyre keeping my weight as forward as possible and avoiding potholes.

The only reason that this is a grumble and not a rant is that it would seem churlish to rant, when at least they'd tried, by actually providing a track pump. 

[SteveC]

I hope none of said morris dancers were blacked up.  Bad karma!  Just ask The Lizard King David Cameron.

You have looked at my avatar, haven't you?

[Ruthie]

I love the Border Morris! 

Cameron should've just refused to have his photo taken, can he not think for himself what would be made of it?  What a div.

[Guy]

Just had a phone call from a nice lady Sergeant. She's coming to pick the bike up on Friday* arternoon. If not claimed in 28 days I can have it back.

Man down pub said it's not been nicked from round his way that he knows of.




*That's four bloody weeks since I first reported it

[mcshroom]

Big National chain of furniture and DIY products, If you send me nice text messages when I order saying you will text me my delivery time the evening before delivery, wouldn't it be a good idea to actually do so?

I'm now stuck waiting to see if the courier actually turns up today instead of being able to plan your delivery window into the rest of my day and be able to do other stuffs.

[PeteB99]

Just had a phone call from a nice lady Sergeant. She's coming to pick the bike up on Friday* arternoon. If not claimed in 28 days I can have it back.

Man down pub said it's not been nicked from round his way that he knows of.




*That's four bloody weeks since I first reported it

You need to move to Cheshire

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=31801.msg1756766#msg1756766

[T42]

Fall back: checked or adjusted 15 devices so far, still got a few to go.  Dogs clamouring at door for their 11 o'clock pee promenade. What price daylight saving versus a cracking bladder?

Simpson & Galton had it right: Lady Don't Fall Backwards.

[Andrij]

And the rockets' red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there; it's the period between Diwali and Bonfire Night.

[Wowbagger]

When I first started teaching I summed up the autumn term as "Conkers - Fireworks - Christmas".

The first two have receded in the past 40 years.

[Ruthie]

Melted my shifter hood by leaning the bike against the radiator.

 

[andrewc]

Dear cold germs,  please to be buggering off.  Or, if you insist on staying , please move from my ear canals to somewhere the clag can more easily drip/be expelled from.

[hellymedic]

Dear cold germs,  please to be buggering off.  Or, if you insist on staying , please move from my ear canals to somewhere the clag can more easily drip/be expelled from.

And kindly do the same for David, who reminds me every ten minutes when he can't sleep...

[Kim]

Mine appear to have migrated from my middle ears to my lungs.

[Moultonaught]

The bloke espousing this world view in an irritatingly loud voice behind me in the train carriage

I'm only getting key words but so far it's

In the last 20 mins we've had:
Smoking in pubs
Having a drink after work
Benefits
Credit
Divine right of kings
French revolution
Suffragettes
When I was young....

.... Save me....

[clarion]

That's a wide spread of issues.

[Mr Larrington]

Long lack of use has turned the strap of my head torch into a non-stretchy thing.  It is an annoyance to have the damn' thing slip over one's eyes when making the seventh attempt to put Tab A into Slot B while lying on the floor groping at arms' length and repeatedly tolchocking one's gulliver on the shelf supporting the Anbaric Distascope.

Bah!

[L CC]

Melted my shifter hood by leaning the bike against the radiator.

 

How hot are your radiators???

[Pickled Onion]

I've just worked out why my train delay compensation has gone down recently.

They've changed the calculation for season tickets, so if you have an annual ticket they assume that on average you go to work 5.5 days a week¹ for 52 weeks a year. That's clearly not the calculation they use when they sell them, or no-one would buy them, but would also be completely illegal & against the WTD. I can't believe there's even one person that uses their ticket 572 times in a year² on a long distance service, let alone it being any kind of average.



1. i.e. you go M-F every week and a weekend day once a fortnight
2. ok, maybe some lonely train buff enjoying the ride.

[hellymedic]

Long lack of use has turned the strap of my head torch into a non-stretchy thing.  It is an annoyance to have the damn' thing slip over one's eyes when making the seventh attempt to put Tab A into Slot B while lying on the floor groping at arms' length and repeatedly tolchocking one's gulliver on the shelf supporting the Anbaric Distascope.

Bah!

We can thank the latex-allergic for that. Old elastics were made of rubber, which lasted much longer than new-fangled Lycra. Rubber does perish eventually but Lycra degrades more quickly.

[mcshroom]

Why are bicycles banned from the P&O Liverpool-Dublin Ferry? It would be by far the most convenient way for me to get there for a tour.

[rafletcher]

Why are bicycles banned from the P&O Liverpool-Dublin Ferry? It would be by far the most convenient way for me to get there for a tour.

I guess because they want to limit the number of "leisure" passengers - these are updated freight ferries, taking cars as freight traffic falls. They don't allow foot passengers either, so I guess "cyclists" are considered an extension to that. You could always fly Ryanair.....

[mcshroom]

If I'm touring it will be the Holyhead-Dublin option. You can book through rail tickets from Whitehaven to Dublin for £36 I discovered. It would just be nicer to go via Liverpool rather than training it all the way to Holyhead (including changing at Crewe).

[rafletcher]

I did realise Holyhead was an option for the ferry (Irish Ferries I guess, no more fast cat services?) but it's a right trek to get there 

[mcshroom]

No idea which ferries it is (Takes 3h25). I get the same option using 'Dublin Ferryport' or 'Dublin Port Stena' in nationalrail so it sould be either. Overall if I go it will be over 11 hours travelling.

Another grumble is that though there's Railsail fares for Belfast on Nationalrail, but there don't seem to be the same options for Larne. I'm thinking about riding up the coast from Dublin to Larne next March, having not been to Ireland since I was a toddler.