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

[andytheflyer]

I need a new conservatory.  It's 29 years old, the plastic roof has sagged to buggery and a real cloudburst now causes drips (once a full blown flood, which amazingly didn't damage the laminate floor).

What's the going rate for a 4 x 3m lean to conservatory on an existing base and dwarf wall?

We have one, similar size, but the 'Victorian' style, rectangular, with the corners cut off - so 5 sides in all, with 3ft high brick dwarf walls and double full height external doors.  Hardwood, with triple skin clear polycarbonate roof. Cost IIRC about £10k, some 20 years ago.  Faces north, built over the French doors to our lounge, and has an electric night storage heater on Economy 7.

The side widows rotted out because there were no drain holes at the base of the windows.

Had these replaced with new hardwood frames and Kappafloat glass by local joinery company about 5 years ago, @ about 5k IIRC.  They fitted the sides under the old roof.

Eventually decided to go the whole hog and had the plastic roof panels replaced with more Kappafloat glass a couple of years ago.  IIRC these were about £6k.

So, the walls, external double doors and their glass are now new, and the glass roof is new  Roof timbers are original.

Not cheap, but looks really good and I use it every day, all year around, as my music/computer room.  Well worth the cost but very disappointed over the short life of the orignal (~15 years) due to poor design.  New one looks like new and I expect a long life out of it, longer than I'll need to worry about it anyway.

[Ham]

Some time ago I lashed out on some mig welding equipment, with a view to doing some - surprisingly enough - mig welding. Unfortunately, a lot of life has got in the way; today was the first day I was going to have the time to get it going and play. I've been rather looking forward to it, consoling myself that it was all sitting there in the shedde waiting for me.

So. Set it up, connect up. Wire, cables, gas bottle. Oh. I have to turn the gas on now, don't I? It wouldn't have hurt either the supplier of the welder or the gas, both of whom knew I was a novice, to suggest that a gas bottle key for less than a fiver would be required.

Bum bum bum.

Medium size adjustables did service.

[hellymedic]

 We are rather disappointed with the quality of the wood you used when you replaced our garden fence in spring 2016, The posts are fine but the wood has shrunk, opening gaps. There are holes where knots have fallen out. We paid a considerable sum and expected the fence to last many years. It seems the wood was not well seasoned and has shrunk considerably as a result. The attached photographs were taken before the heatwave this summer.
I would welcome your suggestions as to how best to remedy this situation.

[Pickled Onion]

Ride organizers who send you down a hill from A to B then up a hill from B to C when there's a dead flat road from A to C should be flogged.

And whoever designed the road I was on today that went up the side of the mountains for several km, at 12% in places, then down a series of hairpins when for the whole time I could see the rail line happily following the bottom of the valley.

[essexian]

It looks like we are about to have a new cat (Snowflake) and a number of kittens....

We seem to have added a new stray queen to our "out door cats" who we believe is pregnant  It seems that this will be her second litter: the first was taken in my a local low life who sold them as they were all pure white but as soon as the kittens had gone, threw the mum out. Of course, not being "done" she seems to be pregnant again based upon the size of her belly and the amount she is eating (we had a pregnant queen previously and she is showing all the same signs).

We have no issues feeding her but simply can't take on any more kittens so I spoke to the local Cats Protection who are willing to rehouse the kittens and have the mum done (I am more than happy to pay for that myself) but don't have anywhere she can give birth... they suggested we tried to get her into one of our outbuildings but I can't see Elma (our head Queen) allowing that. They also knew this cat and had tried to take her into care but the above mentioned low life refused to allow them to....scum.  Oh, our Postie was also aware of the cat as he sees her on his rounds looking for food.

I then phoned the RSPCA who said that as she wasn't sick or injuried there was nothing they could do until the kittens were born.

So, it looks like we are going to have to look after her until after the birth. I hate the idea of her giving birth in a hedge but that is what might happen 


 

[hellymedic]

Sympathies! BTDT of a fashion.

Last year's hedge-born litter did fine (CP think she'd been turfed intact by locals) and FOAF managed to get Walthamstow CP to find a birthing place for pregnant Queenie, who had another 6 the week after rehoming.

[essexian]

Thanks Helly. She has just been around for her lunch and is quite a friendly type.

Sorry, I am on a roll today with grumbling.....


DERBY ARENA.... your website is a pile of crap.

So, last week I decided I would like to try a riding on a velodrome while on leave. My choices are either Derby (40 miles away) or Manchester (around 60 miles away) and yes, I know there are outdoor velodromes in Birmingham and Newcastle Stoke. As Derby is closer and easier to get to, I thought I should go there. However, for all of last week their Website wouldn't let you sign up as new member: there was a 503 error whatever that is. Finally, it allowed me to do so today 

Thus, membership number in hand, I tried to book a session..... only to find that there don't seem to be any. I might be wrong but the search engine was so poor that despite trying every day for the next month, nothing came up.

It looks like I am going to have to go to Manchester now.... that means either a horrid drive up the M6 before getting lost as I always do in Manchester, or spending £30 to £40 getting a train.  Frankly, I might not bother now.

[Pedaldog.]

Ian, "Teh Wunder of teh Internetz" seems to be so overpowering! I would have thought to use a "Magic telling bone" to make sure appropriate sessions were available?

If you decide to do Manchester, lemme know and I'll come down and shout at you, as you go round. I might Stop shouting if you buy me a KOFFIE or BEERE.

[hellymedic]

TfL, MP, AM

I am a wheelchair user who lives on Stag Lane, Edgware, close to the Holyrood Gardens bus stop.
I have a Pay As You Go Oyster card, registered to my email and my address, as well as a Freedom Pass.

I have relied on Route 305 to take me to Kingsbury and Edgware Stations, which have step-free access to the Underground.

This service is to be withdrawn as of tomorrow. I received an email informing me, timestamped 16.40 on Friday 31 August for a change the next morning.

This change follows a consultation I never received. https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/routes-125-303-305/user_uploads/colindale-bus-service-changes-consultation-report.pdf

It seems apparent to me, from the map of respondents' addresses, that few people on the route of the 305 will have been aware of the proposals. I do not think the consultation was valid as I live on the route and receive multiple contacts from TfL via Twitter and email but DID NOT receive anything about this.

Changing buses is difficult and time-consuming for a wheelchair user so the fact the 302 still serves Stag Lane is scant comfort. Every station on the 302 route has a staircase!

I will now be obliged to use more taxis before, which will not improve London's air quality or congestion.

Please tell me how I can have access to the Tube in future.

[barakta]

If you haven't sent it, ask them how TfL complied with the duty to "pay due regard" to the needs of disabled people with provision of level access bus transport in their consultation and consideration of this decision as per Section 149 of the Equality Act (Public Sector Equality Duty).

[bludger]

Horrendous. I made a complaint to TFL a while ago when their bus information boards started lying to people about timings (a bus route was cancelled but the boards were displaying one was a few minutes away). I ended up waiting at a stop for 30 minutes before social media alerted me to the cancellation. If I'd beena wheelchair user or a pregnant woman it'd have been a nightmare.

Are there any good campaigning groups for wheelchair users? Disability Rights UK looks like the most prominent to me from google.

[hellymedic]

If you haven't sent it, ask them how TfL complied with the duty to "pay due regard" to the needs of disabled people with provision of level access bus transport in their consultation and consideration of this decision as per Section 149 of the Equality Act (Public Sector Equality Duty).

The buses themselves are level access, no problem.

The issue is none of the stations served by the only bus that now passes my house are step-free. The 305 served Edgware (step-free Northern Line) and Kingsbury (step-free Jubilee Line) stations. The 302 Serves Thameslink, Northern, Jubilee and Overground stations, none of which are step-free.

I feel it's too much to ask my pushers to wait at multiple desolate bus stops and haul me up and down ramps for short hops.

I never received the consultation, which by rights both David and I should have received by different routes.

[barakta]

Transport for All is the best campaign group for London transport issues, they're politically sensible and well connected.

Disability Rights UK is one of the massive charities which can be good but can end up politically compromised cos of their networking position.

Helly may well want to contact Transport for All about her bus issue as they may have ideas, advice and be able to chase too. They appear to have an info line and be able to give official advice.

http://www.transportforall.org.uk/about/

[hellymedic]

Thanks!
To be fair, I probably only used a bus about once per month, which would hardly justify the route financially.

David referred to the 305 as our 'Taxibus' as we were frequently the sole passengers on the late night southern end of the route.

From what I can see of the consultation documents, they seem very Barnet slanted. We live in Brent.

[Ham]

A little grumble at others on here. Not on the thread in question, because that would be self defeating.

Please.

Do not feed trolls.

Yes, sometimes you might think you can't possibly leave "that" unchallenged. But really, you can. Well known fact, trolls starve without food.

[TheLurker]

We have trolls? Oh dear, that is unfortunate.  Do Rentokil "do" trolls or do we need to contact more specialized *cough* contractors? 

[T42]

Paging Mr. Gruff... (someone had to say it).

Meanwhile, me own grump is at road works contractors who put up "road blocked at 3000 metres" signs and send you on long diversions up hill & down dale when the road is only impassable for 4-wheeled traffic.  I did one such yesterday that added 5k to my trot, then said bollocks to the second one and breezed straight through with only a short patch of - saving your presence - rough.  Looking at the map now, the approved route would have added another 5 or 6.

[chrisbainbridge]

Paging Mr. Gruff... (someone had to say it).

Meanwhile, me own grump is at road works contractors who put up "road blocked at 3000 metres" signs and send you on long diversions up hill & down dale when the road is only impassable for 4-wheeled traffic.  I did one such yesterday that added 5k to my trot, then said bollocks to the second one and breezed straight through with only a short patch of - saving your presence - rough.  Looking at the map now, the approved route would have added another 5 or 6.

I now routinely ignore all such signs.  Even if I have to walk through a field fo 50 yards it is almost always possible to get through

[T42]

I usually ignore them too, but wonked out at the thought of going downhill for 3 km and then back.  Chums of mine ignored a "route barrée" sign in the Corbières range: they did ~5 km over a col and down the other side only to find a landslide across the road with their destination in sight about half a km beyond.

[hellymedic]

milkandmore emailed me at 22.30 to inform me they  have cancelled this week's deliveries because they have tried and failed to get payment from my credit card three times.

They could have let me know after the second attempt failed so I had a chance to get my milk tomorrow.

My credit card does not expire until the middle of next year. My bank informed me they were replacing it sooner but no replacement has arrived yet.

I have made successful payments with my CC to Worthy Causes within the last few days.

Another £5.67 will not exceed my credit limit. I suspect a rather zealous Fraud Department see this as a potential 'priming payment' from a scammer.

I always have emergency milk in the freezer...

[LittleWheelsandBig]

HK has just reported the same milk availability problem.

[CAMRAMan]

BBC: It is not headline news that an obnoxious twat is leaving his job at the end of the year. Kthxbai.

[T42]

Bosch (though I suspect it's all of them):  0° from the vertical probably covers 99° of table-saw cuts, so why mark it on your scale with a 1mm-thick line and index it with a 1mm-thick needle so as to give a 3mm margin of uncertainty?  And why make it necessary to tilt the blade to 45° to remove the blade guard/riving knife, so that it can't be checked with a real try-square?  Could it really be that you don't give a shit about the dumb fool that bought the thing?

[hellymedic]

HK has just reported the same milk availability problem.

As soon as I read the email, I changed my payment card for my milk account and took an emergency milk out of the freezer.

David insisted on putting out the milk bag, which I thought was futile.

This morning, I receive an email apologising for failure of their payment system.

David went out and found two bottles in the milk bag.

There is now too much milk in the fridge...

[essexian]

The fact that I have just seen my first Christmas Ad of the year is sufficient to get me grumbling.....  Christmas should be restricted to, at most, a week towards the end of December when most of us have a holiday and not before. In the 56 (soon to be 57) years I have been on this planet (and no, I have not spent much time off of it) I am struggling to think of a time when Christmas was "fun"....whatever that is.

And secondly: this is a two for the price of one grumble. Neighbour.... about 6 years ago I promised to kick your dog into the middle of next week if it chased my cats again: The dog had cornered Posie. It was weeks before she was calm enough to go out again. Well, I have just told you I'll will do the same to both you and the dog if I find that you have simply opened your front door to let it out to empty itself on my front lawn again... that the third lump of poo I have found this week. Cleaning up other peoples dog emptying's is not something I should need to do if their dog was controlled correctly. I seriously dislike this neighbour/ dog.