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

[Mr Larrington]

Today is a Saturday, thus there are no builders with their noisy power tools to wake me up.  Nor are Tea Requirements to be fulfilled.  Therefore I do not need to be awake at audax o'clock.  So should you send me further inane txt msgs at 06:54, Miss von Brandenburg, your cats will go to bed without any supper

[Cudzoziemiec]

There were, however, garden tidiers with noisy, stinky leaf blowers here.

[Beardy]

It’s cold, rainy and windy here s9 no irksom gardening activities in progress. And better still, no expectation by the lady of the house that I will indulge in such ungentlemanly behaviour either.

[The Family Cyclist]

Apparently fairly skinny people like me wear out clothes or just cloth recycle, or wear very skinny jeans which im not pulling off at 40. I've normally done pretty well at getting trousers from charity shops but have been trying for ages to get some replacements for my verging on indecently worn ones from charity shops but nothing. Went to a big industrial unit charity shop today, they had maybe 6 pairs of 32" and most were hideous or skinny jeans

Ended up having to buy some new ones

[Mrs Pingu]

I've just discovered you can no longer add non Amazon links to one's Amazon wish list (without the aid of Alexa), which is annoying as that's where my family used to put stuff for Xmas pressie requests.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Apparently fairly skinny people like me wear out clothes or just cloth recycle, or wear very skinny jeans which im not pulling off at 40. I've normally done pretty well at getting trousers from charity shops but have been trying for ages to get some replacements for my verging on indecently worn ones from charity shops but nothing. Went to a big industrial unit charity shop today, they had maybe 6 pairs of 32" and most were hideous or skinny jeans

Ended up having to buy some new ones

Ignore the size on the label, it bears no relation to real measurements. If you're looking for 32" jeans they may be labelled 30" or 34". Last week in a small charity shop I tried on three pairs of jeans all labelled 30" waist. One pair probably had a genuine 30" waist or maybe smaller, couldn't get them done up. Another was loose on me. The third was a decent fit at the waist but the supposed 34" leg actually stopped a couple of inches above my ankles. The surprise was that the tight pair were Wrangler, the larger two were cheaper brands. (I bought the short pair, cos that makes them decent cycling-around-town jeans, at least in summer, with less chain entanglement, as well as being suitable for sacrificial tasks like wallpapering.)

[T42]

I've just discovered you can no longer add non Amazon links to one's Amazon wish list (without the aid of Alexa), which is annoying as that's where my family used to put stuff for Xmas pressie requests.

Yeah.  I get complaints from everyone in the family that there's nothing in "my" wish list, as if Amazon should be able to supply everything a human bean could wish for and then some.

I also need a "Please don't get me this" list, for things like music that suits their taste but not mine (e.g. minor composers who have written unlistenable-to dirges for guitar and glandered camel).

[Kim]

I also need a "Please don't get me this" list

This should be a thing.

[Deano]

Yes, it's perfectly sensible to have a torch while walking your dog through the unlit park, but please stop shining that thing in my face.

[rafletcher]

Yes, it's perfectly sensible to have a torch while walking your dog through the unlit park, but please stop shining that thing in my face.

Ah yes, my morning drive out of the village frequently encounters a several of dog emptiers thus equipped, some with an additional head torch.

[Mr Larrington]

Just taken the Fast-Appreciating Future Classic in for its MOT.  Walked back to the Schloß.  Wish I'd begged Charlie the Builder to accompany me so as to give me a lift back

[andrewc]

Woke up feeling a little bleary eyed this morning.  A glance in the bathroom mirror shows my left eyelid is rather swollen.  I look like I've been sparring!

[Mr Larrington]

TV's Louise Lear appears to be presenting the weather forecast wearing trackie bottoms.  Whatever happened to standards?

Tchah.

[ian]

TV's Louise Lear appears to be presenting the weather forecast wearing trackie bottoms.  Whatever happened to standards?

Tchah.

Aboard my old mothership we used to have a crazy marketing lady who once turned up at the office in a tiger print onesie and gold platform trainers. I think I was left staring open-mouthed. She was like 'are you looking at my boobs' to which my only response was 'I don't know what I'm looking at.' It certainly wasn't her boobs.

Then my boss appeared behind me and commanded 'it's designer, ian" like I was the most stupid person in the world for evidently not recognizing this obviousness.

[liam_whippet]

TV's Louise Lear appears to be presenting the weather forecast wearing trackie bottoms.  Whatever happened to standards?

Tchah.

Well, to be fair, she did seem to be presenting the weather from Hull, which I think probably Explains Everything...

Black and white trackie bottoms, I would point out, not red and white ...  Yet more evidence of BBC bias, I'm afraid ...

[T42]

TV's Louise Lear appears to be presenting the weather forecast wearing trackie bottoms.  Whatever happened to standards?

They went to hell with the move from 405 to 625 lines.

Tchah.

Indeed.

Aside: Boy! Fire up the camel, I'm going to pigstick a few wallahs.

[Pickled Onion]

I’m sure there have been grumbles here about the newday John Lewis credit card, but today it seems they really don’t want me as a customer any longer. They’ve sent an email telling me my limit is being halved and it was already half what I’d like.

So is there a link or number to call to decline this offer? No. About 90% of the email is instructions on how to close my account if I don’t like the change.

It’s true I don’t spend thousands on groceries every month, but I’d really really like to be confident that if I had an emergency or even just a single large purchase I could use my card without worrying about hitting the limit or denting my credit score.

[Jurek]

I’m sure there have been grumbles here about the newday John Lewis credit card, but today it seems they really don’t want me as a customer any longer. They’ve sent an email telling me my limit is being halved and it was already half what I’d like.

So is there a link or number to call to decline this offer? No. About 90% of the email is instructions on how to close my account if I don’t like the change.

It’s true I don’t spend thousands on groceries every month, but I’d really really like to be confident that if I had an emergency or even just a single large purchase I could use my card without worrying about hitting the limit or denting my credit score.

John Lewis (sadly) appear to be a sinking ship.
The current CEO is leaving their post after the briefest time in office of any of their previous CEOs.
Its a shame as I'm unaware of any other retailer that comes close to JLP's (previous) level of customer service.

[robgul]

I’m sure there have been grumbles here about the newday John Lewis credit card, but today it seems they really don’t want me as a customer any longer. They’ve sent an email telling me my limit is being halved and it was already half what I’d like.

So is there a link or number to call to decline this offer? No. About 90% of the email is instructions on how to close my account if I don’t like the change.

It’s true I don’t spend thousands on groceries every month, but I’d really really like to be confident that if I had an emergency or even just a single large purchase I could use my card without worrying about hitting the limit or denting my credit score.

John Lewis (sadly) appear to be a sinking ship.
The current CEO is leaving their post after the briefest time in office of any of their previous CEOs.
Its a shame as I'm unaware of any other retailer that comes close to JLP's (previous) level of customer service.

Agreed on points 1 & 3 but the lady departing is the Chairman/Person/Woman - not the CEO of the group - John Lewis & Waitrose each have a CEO.  Being chairman of the board she is somewhat remote from day-to-day reality (and had no background in retail, she was a civil servant). 

. . . and yes, my wife found the change to the new card provider a complete PITA with the way it all worked - although her transfer went through and the credit limit remained the same.   

It does seem that the new provider's client base of "store card merchants" is a bit down-market . . . perhaps they charge John Lewis less per transction.

[T42]

Posted a pic to FB, and one of my chums commented with a GIF. Now you can't look at the pic full-size without bloody clapping hands twitching your eye away from it.

In other news, the berk who installed the now-duff convector in our kitchen led the flex from it into a hole in the panelling then brought it in through 6" of wall sideways and into the back of the junction box. instead of going in directly. Not too difficult to remove but why, Ô Lord, why???

I'm now thinking of doing the same thing so that the next occupant of this heap will have the same conundrum.

[Pickled Onion]

Wizz Air! Don’t tell me the flight is “boarding” when we can all see full well through the big windows that it’s only just landed and the passengers haven’t got off yet.

And while we’re at it Tirana Airport! €29 for a bottle of bog standard Capt Morgan’s does not qualify as Duty Free. Not by any stretch.

[Beardy]

I do love my family, i do. And it’s always very nice when some of them come and stay, it really is. But why do they have to make so much noise and why do the residents of this dwelling feel the need to compete?

Five minutes peace now they’ve all wandered off into town. I’ll let them do some shopping and then go and join them in a pub for a Sunday lunchtime snifter

[Mr Larrington]

Cats!  While it is a Good Thing that you are outside taking the crisp autumn air rather than moping around the Schloß trying to persuade me that it's time for MOAR cat fud I need to go out.  Get your act together, you furry hellspawn

[Beardy]

Cats!  While it is a Good Thing that you are outside taking the crisp autumn air rather than moping around the Schloß trying to persuade me that it's time for MOAR cat fud I need to go out.  Get your act together, you furry hellspawn

Me thinks you protesteth too much Mr L. I think you are rather enjoying your spell of cat sitting. 

[Mrs Pingu]

I do love my family, i do. And it’s always very nice when some of them come and stay, it really is. But why do they have to make so much noise and why do the residents of this dwelling feel the need to compete?

Five minutes peace now they’ve all wandered off into town. I’ll let them do some shopping and then go and join them in a pub for a Sunday lunchtime snifter

That's a lot of shopping they're going to do if you're not meeting them in the pub til tomorrow...