Author Topic: The Grumble Thread - No energy for a full on rant. (Read 1626000 times)

hellymedic · « **Reply #7675 on:** 22 May, 2016, 09:43:16 pm »

Didn't the Cambridge dons prohibit the construction of bridges when they first allowed the new-fangled railway into their ancient city?

ian · « **Reply #7676 on:** 23 May, 2016, 09:35:32 am »

It's very true. Both Oxford and Cambridge have awful train stations, and having spent too much time in both, I've pondered the same thing. Did they once have nicer stations that got knocked down the Euston 'upgrade' era?

ElyDave · « **Reply #7677 on:** 23 May, 2016, 09:50:52 am »

If you look at Cambridge it seems pretty old as railway stations go judging from the brickwork, but obviously shunted out to what was then the outskirts of town with little thought given to station upgrades as the town grew around it. The extra platforms have reduced congestion, but not done anything to alleviate the wind-tunnel effect or improve the ambience. Hasn't even got a decent pub.

Bledlow · « **Reply #7678 on:** 23 May, 2016, 01:42:48 pm »

Oxford used to have two stations next door to each other, as in Reading. The colleges resisted them to start with, & when they gave in insisted on them being out of town. The old GWR one was replaced in the 1970s.

The LNWR/LMS one (Rewley Road) was closed in 1951 & converted to other uses.

The Said Business School is now on that site. The old station building was dismantled in 1994 & re-erected at the Buckinghamshire Railway centre.

Jakob W · « **Reply #7679 on:** 23 May, 2016, 01:54:37 pm »

TBF there are at least two good pubs within about 10 minutes (5 at a rush) of Cambridge station; it's just you have to go by the timetable rather than the 'sit in the pub until you see your train pull up' approach that a station pub ideally allows...

ElyDave · « **Reply #7680 on:** 23 May, 2016, 03:23:59 pm »

true.

The best I've come across was Cleethorpes, very good station pub, serving proper John Smiths Magnet. I wonder if I looked like a CAMRA member then as well?

tiermat · « **Reply #7681 on:** 23 May, 2016, 08:32:34 pm »

Lurgy, just FRO, ok?

Guy · « **Reply #7682 on:** 25 May, 2016, 09:16:58 am »

There's a Bank Holiday weekend coming up.

Fluorescent green viscous leakage from nose... Check
Grey-green solid lumps coughing up from chest... Check
Assorted amphibians in throat... Check

Bah

T42 · « **Reply #7683 on:** 25 May, 2016, 09:59:09 am »

^^^ Dang.

Kim · « **Reply #7684 on:** 25 May, 2016, 11:21:35 am »

Rudely awakened this morning by an electrician who didn't have a parcel for me. Turns out that Gasman Hipsta had flagged some sort of issue with the earth bonding, and he'd been dispatched to sort it out. This was the first we'd heard.

He'd better not be wanting to run a line all the way back to the meter...

matthew · « **Reply #7685 on:** 25 May, 2016, 11:33:29 am »

you mean that not only did your landlord get a gas safety check done but he has then instigated for a tradesman to attend to remedy an identified fault without you having to raise a finger. *falls off chair*

Kim · « **Reply #7686 on:** 25 May, 2016, 12:07:21 pm »

Quote from: matthew on 25 May, 2016, 11:33:29 am

you mean that not only did your landlord get a gas safety check done but he has then instigated for a tradesman to attend to remedy an identified fault without you having to raise a finger. *falls off chair*

Apparently so. But there's plenty of rotting window frames, flaking paint, a disintegrated fence and so on that have been quoted for several times without action to make up for it.

TBH, I'm mostly annoyed that the gas man said everything was fine, and then flagged an issue without it getting back to us. Though I expect it's one of those "yeah, it doesn't comply with the current regs but it's not going to kill anyone" things, else it would have been picked up previously.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #7687 on:** 26 May, 2016, 09:59:29 am »

No how matter how barking the high-echelon Nazi windbags of the Vril Society were, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have been driven to meetings with fellow loons in RHD Austins. Nor would they have lit their fags with Swan Vesta matches. The people behind the "reconstructions" in rubbish documentaries on the Nazi Channel should take note.

Guy · « **Reply #7688 on:** 31 May, 2016, 12:47:21 pm »

This half-term holiday week is a swizz. By having it on a bank holiday week I only get 4 days of no school-run instead of 5.

benborp · « **Reply #7689 on:** 31 May, 2016, 02:15:48 pm »

channel4.com/news

News: as a word it doesn't have the most opaque etymology. Surely something has happened of interest since you last posted on your homepage four days ago?

ETA: And almost immediately they take the wind from my sails with the astounding announcement that it is chilly for the time of year.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #7690 on:** 01 June, 2016, 08:43:18 am »

Bloody Yanks and their stupid bloody paper sizes.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #7691 on:** 01 June, 2016, 08:48:07 am »

PC LOAD LETTER!

hellymedic · « **Reply #7692 on:** 02 June, 2016, 12:43:36 pm »

Dear Mrs Jones,

A letter addressed to you was delivered to us today. Our addresses both start with ** Sta, which is where the similarity ends. I have found your postcode and will arrange to repost your letter.

All the best,
Me

(Mrs Jones' postcode starts with PR8, which is a LONG way from me in HA8...)
This is what can happen if you don't put a postcode on an otherwise well-addressed envelope!!!

Tim Hall · « **Reply #7693 on:** 02 June, 2016, 01:31:42 pm »

Quote from: hellymedic on 02 June, 2016, 12:43:36 pm

Dear Mrs Jones,

A letter addressed to you was delivered to us today. Our addresses both start with ** Sta, which is where the similarity ends. I have found your postcode and will arrange to repost your letter.

All the best,
Me

(Mrs Jones' postcode starts with PR8, which is a LONG way from me in HA8...)
This is what can happen if you don't put a postcode on an otherwise well-addressed envelope!!!

More post code fun:

I was filling in an online form last night.

Enter postcode, hit search. Form returns options for complete address
17 wibbly road
Crawley

Computer then sa
We have more than one "Crawley". Did you mean Crawley, West Sussex, Crawley, Oxfordshire or Crawley Hampshire

Umm, I think I meant the one attached to the RH postcode that I just entered.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #7694 on:** 02 June, 2016, 01:42:10 pm »

We are going to have post fun soon.
Across road from us there are new houses being built. The development will be called 'Holgate Mews'. There will be a 5 Holgate Mews. That will have the same postcode as my house, which is also number 5.

geraldc · « **Reply #7695 on:** 02 June, 2016, 01:46:06 pm »

This grauniad article made me laugh http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/jun/02/my-year-of-buying-nothing-six-months-in

Apparently only spending money on bills and food and cycling everywhere is opting out of the consumer rat race. There have been times when I've done that. It's called being skint.

T42 · « **Reply #7696 on:** 02 June, 2016, 01:48:30 pm »

Writing an article about it for the Graun makes it opting out. The skint are those who can't/don't/won't.

Kim · « **Reply #7697 on:** 02 June, 2016, 01:52:50 pm »

It's very easy to opt out of buying stuff when you've already got plenty of stuff. This is what all those politicians who claim they could easily live on $smallnum for a week are carefully handwaving, and those angry idiots who complain about benefits claimants having $expensive_items overlook.

Bledlow · « **Reply #7698 on:** 02 June, 2016, 02:04:46 pm »

Yeah. When my income crashed a few years ago, I owned a full wardrobe, a few bicycles including a nice new titanium one, a car (shared with Mrs B), a full set of household utensils & the usual consumer durables, furniture, etc., & a house to put it all in. Even if I'd not had savings & Mrs B, I'd have been vastly better off than someone with the same income but who owned little more than the clothes on his back.

hellymedic · « **Reply #7699 on:** 02 June, 2016, 02:35:12 pm »

Being broke is much more expensive than being comfortably-off.