The grumpy thread

[Ghosty]

Further to the above my aunt is an awful driver - bimbling along deserted NSL roads at 45 despite saying she wanted to get to Devizes before it got dark.

Also she can't read signs and just keeps left at any 'get in lane' sign before cutting across any wrong lanes to get to her exit, and driving right down the middle of two lane A roads in the Wiltshire countryside, full of crests and blind corners, claiming she had a reason to do so (fuck knows what she won't tell me). Had to remind her to put her lights on too...

Oh and this Fiesta is fucking abysmal for comfort, even in the front. Glad my mum palms me off on to the train as much as possible when I'm down here.

[myglaren]

^ I went as a passenger on an 160 mile trip a couple of weeks ago in a Fiesta.

I know Citroen C5s are not highly regarded but I was very pleased to get back into mine.

[bramz7]

Well, was meant to be filling both days of this weekend with car related collections, but now I've had tomorrows plans almost certainly thrown in the bin. 

Proper miffed. 

 

And to top it off I just got a text telling me there will be a viewing of the room I am vacating tomorrow morning. It is in no state for a viewing....

[robinmasters]

Call the fuzz and then you can go through the MIB to get a payout if you're out of pocket thanks to an uninsured driver.

 

£500 excess for property damage claims?

 

It's all bollocks.

[Bianconeri]

I live on a private road, by that I mean the road is unadopted and the residents pay for its upkeep. Most of the houses have had the drives extended over the years so that there is extra parking afor our visitors adjoining the road. In my case there is room for a couple of cars at the front if the house. It's pretty easy to see where the 'drive' ends and the road starts. In my case block paving for the drive (wish we hadn't) and tarmac for the road.

 

Both my neighbour (builder) and I have had problems with the various tenants and visitors at another house parking on our drives, sometimes blocking all access. We've tried being nice about it.......

 

Today we have a BMW outside our house, parked on the block paving. As I came home I asked the driver not to park on my drive. The gist of her reply was that I could 'f*ck off because you don't own the road'.

 

Well in this case I do, and you're not parked on the road you're on my drive, and you're now going to find a Transit Tipper has parked 2mm from your bumper so you can't get out without damaging something.

 

I'm out until this evening, strangely so is the builder.

[myglaren]

Dying to hear the follow-up to that

[Bianconeri]

Dying to hear the follow-up to that

Wasn't any really. Builder and I were chatting outside just now when she came out shouting the odds about damaging her car. Builder told her he'd taken pictures and I told her she was on private property so maybe we should talk about what it costs to park there. Anyway, we are off out so see you later.

 

We let her F and blind for bit then builder moved the tipper back a foot. We stood watching her 93 point turn to avoid the tipper and my front wall.

 

Hopefully she got the point. Builder knows the landlords quite well so he's going to mention it.

 

Without wishing to sound snobbish this is the only house where the occupants think the rules don't apply to them. It's also the only rented house. There is room for about six cars on their drive but it's easier to piss other people off. I'll be glad when the owners come back.

[cort16]

I've hd a major Mojo bypass. I was making progress on the Cortina but I just can't be bothered with it. On the road Summer 2018 then?

[JeeExEll]

Not really a grump, might cheer someone else up though.

 

Spent ages this morning doing a serious clean of the kitchen. It's generally kept clean and tidy anyway. Even did all the appliances, cooker inside and out, top of the skirting boards, the whole lot.

 

Had one half clean bit of kitchen-wipe left so rather than just bin it I decided to give the kitchen clock a wipe, an ancient school-clock from the 1940s I'd converted to battery mechanism. Clock didn't really need cleaned but hey ho.

Managed to knock the clock off the wall and it fell onto the glass hob of our 6 month old cooker, smashing the hob to fuck.

Bastard. That'll be another new freestanding cooker then!

 

Then decided to finish the job by mopping the kitchen floor. When rinsing the mop in the sink I managed to push the long mop handle through the plastic diffuser for the kitchen ceiling fluorescent light breaking it too.

 

Is it Norman Wisdom Day today?

 

Ah well, never mind, lots of worse things have happened recently.

[Hendry]

Not really a grump, might cheer someone else up though.

 

Spent ages this morning doing a serious clean of the kitchen. It's generally kept clean and tidy anyway. Even did all the appliances, cooker inside and out, top of the skirting boards, the whole lot.

 

Had one half clean bit of kitchen-wipe left so rather than just bin it I decided to give the kitchen clock a wipe, an ancient school-clock from the 1940s I'd converted to battery mechanism. Clock didn't really need cleaned but hey ho.

Managed to knock the clock off the wall and it fell onto the glass hob of our 6 month old cooker, smashing the hob to fuck.

Bastard. That'll be another new freestanding cooker then!

 

Then decided to finish the job by mopping the kitchen floor. When rinsing the mop in the sink I managed to push the long mop handle through the plastic diffuser for the kitchen ceiling fluorescent light breaking it too.

 

Is it Norman Wisdom Day today?

 

Ah well, never mind, lots of worse things have happened recently.

 

Bad luck comes in 3s, if I was you I wouldnt leave the house today, or at least if you do, dont drive. 

[Bianconeri]

Dying to hear the follow-up to that

Bit of an update, having been out.

 

Builder needs* a couple of vehicles from work so we already have a humungous pickup parked right on the edge of his drive adjacent to the errant people. Another Transit will appear later.

 

Mrs BN has moved her car right to the front of our drive so we're full* and I've parked my modern "outside" so very litle room at the inn. Looking forward to BMW Chavette returning later.

[Guest Hooli]

Not really a grump, might cheer someone else up though.

 

Spent ages this morning doing a serious clean of the kitchen. It's generally kept clean and tidy anyway. Even did all the appliances, cooker inside and out, top of the skirting boards, the whole lot.

 

Had one half clean bit of kitchen-wipe left so rather than just bin it I decided to give the kitchen clock a wipe, an ancient school-clock from the 1940s I'd converted to battery mechanism. Clock didn't really need cleaned but hey ho.

Managed to knock the clock off the wall and it fell onto the glass hob of our 6 month old cooker, smashing the hob to fuck.

Bastard. That'll be another new freestanding cooker then!

 

Then decided to finish the job by mopping the kitchen floor. When rinsing the mop in the sink I managed to push the long mop handle through the plastic diffuser for the kitchen ceiling fluorescent light breaking it too.

 

Is it Norman Wisdom Day today?

 

Ah well, never mind, lots of worse things have happened recently.

 

It made me chuckle anyway.

[eddyramrod]

Bianconeri: are you in the Lake District?  Would you like a Cadillac parked outside?

[Bianconeri]

Bianconeri: are you in the Lake District? Would you like a Cadillac parked outside?

Alas no, down in deepest Wiltshire. That's a damned shame, is it pink with vast fins and several hectares of chrome?

 

Builder neighbour is really enjoying this I think. Pick up was moved and returned with a horsebox attached.

[michael1703]

Went to Snetterton to watch BSB, didn't put sun cream on............

 

Yes, it hurts!

[eddyramrod]

is it pink with vast fins and several hectares of chrome?

No, sadly: brown with relatively discreet fins and several hectares of battered and rusty chrome.  Just the thing to bring house prices down where you live!

[Noel Tidybeard]

Off to a wedding - over the next three days I have to spend a considerable amount of time in the back of the below Fiesta. The seats are shit, there's about 6" too little headroom, the ride is crashy and harsh, there's hardly any legroom, and I'm sharing it with my mum and my aunt who are both mentals to some degree. At least I get my own room in the Devizes Travelodge.

 

you are a grown up with an rover- why are you allowing this to happen?

[STUNO]

you are a grown up with an rover- why are you allowing this to happen?

 

Have you ever tried to drive while nursing a giant hangover and your mother and aunt in the car

[loserone]

No, once able to drive one's own car, that's the cue to squash the drinking and concentrate instead on lots of opportunities to drive around.

[chaseracer]

Arrange to do "something else" on the way - genuinely or not - and travel separately. 

[JeeExEll]

Have you ever tried to drive while nursing a giant hangover and your mother and aunt in the car

Just give them the car keys and go to sleep on the back seat in a haze of alcohol fumes. They'll be so pissed off with you they won't ask you to drive again. You'll forever be the outcast alcoholic son / nephew of the family.

 

Sorted. A total win.

 

Be sick on the floor for added effect (especially effective if there's yellow bile in the sick)

[Bianconeri]

No, sadly: brown with relatively discreet fins and several hectares of battered and rusty chrome. Just the thing to bring house prices down where you live!

The chavs are doing their best on that front. Thankfully builder neighbour tells me the owners of the house will be back by Christmas.

 

At times like this I wish I had a nasty, rusty old diesel that I could work* on outside. Something difficult* that needed the engine running.

[Noel Tidybeard]

The chavs are doing their best on that front. Thankfully builder neighbour tells me the owners of the house will be back by Christmas.

 

At times like this I wish I had a nasty, rusty old diesel that I could work* on outside. Something difficult* that needed the engine running.

 

after reading plenty of threads on AS i think that could probably be aranged

[Bianconeri]

after reading plenty of threads on AS i think that could probably be aranged

Something like an A60 diesel with a dodgy silencer, or maybe a Granada 2.1 Taxi or even an FX4 with the old Perkins engine? I suppose the FX4 has the added "bastard's running a taxi service from home" effect?

 

Mrs BN may have an opinion* on this. When she tells me it then I'll know what mine is too.

[Brodders]

Something like an A60 diesel with a dodgy silencer, or maybe a Granada 2.1 Taxi or even an FX4 with the old Perkins engine? I suppose the FX4 has the added "bastard's running a taxi service from home" effect?

 

Mrs BN may have an opinion* on this. When she tells me it then I'll know what mine is too.

I have a nasty 206 diesel that I need to get rid of. It also comes with the bonus of not having been run for a few years, meaning that a lot of continuous revving at 2am will need* to take place because (INSERT BULLSHIT BUT COMPLICATED REASON THAT WILL CONFUSE NEIGHBORS)

[Lankytim]

I've had a "warning" from ebay about completing a deal outside of the auction- I was selling a set of Minor front brakes and a guy messaged me with his phone number. To be fair I did ring him and he came round and bought them from me, but ebay don't know that, all the know is a guy sent me his number. I don't know what this warning even means but I guess my cards marked now and if I try to send an address or phone number via the messages they'll come round to my house and batter me to death or something.

 

The annoying thing is I let these brakes go cheap and before I cancelled the auction I had 4 watchers and a few messages. I recon they could've gone for a few quid more.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Can't phone members be sent as words or replacement symbols or do they look for that too?

[BavarianRetro]

They're apparently very, very strict on it now.

 

A pal of mine with a breaker's yard who pays in excess of £3000 per month in eBay fees (not including PayPal fees) had his account closed. Terminated. His crime? Sending an address so the guy could come and see the £3500 engine he was interested in running.

 

During the conversations with eBay about getting reinstated, he was advised that once you list something on eBay, eBay is the only place you can sell it. You can't sell it out with eBay in any circumstances, once it's listed there.

 

Any messages between buyers and sellers can be intercepted and read. The words "collection", "cash", "address", "phone" "meet" etc. all flag up on the eBay system.

 

To get contact details, you have to buy the item. No exceptions. No exemptions.

[Hertz]

Jeez 3k a month in fees!!! I was just about to say if you pay them a few quid in fees they will probably leave you alone! I haven't had my collar felt yet and I have ended quite a few auctions recently, my fees are around £20 - £50 a month. Looks like I will be getting an email soon...

[Lankytim]

How are you supposed to view an item before bidding? Are we all meant to buy blind now?

 

I pulled the auction while there was a bid on it, I got a message saying that eBay would charge final valuation fees on the bid even though it didn't sell, even if you have a valid reason for stopping the auction.

 

Greedy bastards.