The grumpy thread

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Just now, artdjones said:

I seem to remember my brother saying that the info was known. In Ireland in Kerry and Cork there's huge illegal hillside fires every year, which get started under the mistaken belief that it improves the grazing.  No-one ever seems to get caught for them, though the pool of suspects must be fairly small. That is, people who have commonage rights in the affected area.

I know people will continue to cut peat in the boglands, despite any environmental bans!

[artdjones]

Yes, but again people have cutting rights on the bog from a long time back. It's like Germany, somehow they keep their enormous opencast brown coal mines operating, while every black coal mine in the UK shuts down.

[artdjones]

Who's doing the most environmental damage?

[High Jetter]

Turf wins on aroma every time though! I really miss that when visiting.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

10 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Turf wins on aroma every time though! I really miss that when visiting.

Yes, it's a bit like trying to imagine Amsterdam without the smell of weed....

[cort1977]

27 minutes ago, artdjones said:

I seem to remember my brother saying that the info was known. In Ireland in Kerry and Cork there's huge illegal hillside fires every year, which get started under the mistaken belief that it improves the grazing.  No-one ever seems to get caught for them, though the pool of suspects must be fairly small. That is, people who have commonage rights in the affected area.

In Scotland it's legal because it may make slightly better habitat for game birds.  For people to shoot.  Never mind the rest of the environment being an effective desert.

I would love to see Scotland properly rewilded with bears and wolves controlling the deer population and the forests allowed to regrow.  Would make going for a hike much more interesting...

[artdjones]

2 hours ago, cort1977 said:

In Scotland it's legal because it may make slightly better habitat for game birds.  For people to shoot.  Never mind the rest of the environment being an effective desert.

I would love to see Scotland properly rewilded with bears and wolves controlling the deer population and the forests allowed to regrow.  Would make going for a hike much more interesting...

 

Yeah, sounds like great fun.

 

[GrumpiusMaximus]

1 hour ago, cort1977 said:

In Scotland it's legal because it may make slightly better habitat for game birds.  For people to shoot.  Never mind the rest of the environment being an effective desert.

I would love to see Scotland properly rewilded with bears and wolves controlling the deer population and the forests allowed to regrow.  Would make going for a hike much more interesting...

May also help control the endemic of posh people going North of the border to shoot every year.

[somewhatfoolish]

6 hours ago, cort1977 said:

In Scotland it's legal because it may make slightly better habitat for game birds.  For people to shoot.  Never mind the rest of the environment being an effective desert.

I would love to see Scotland properly rewilded with bears and wolves controlling the deer population and the forests allowed to regrow.  Would make going for a hike much more interesting...

Only if open carry is allowed for protection! Nae chance under Nanny Knows Best.

[Zelandeth]

Finally got around to properly investigating the siezed up valve on the shower in the en suite bathroom.  It's been knackered for ages so we've just used the shower in the main bathroom - but we're about to have a friend staying with us for several weeks while their house is being renovated...and five people to one shower doesn't sound like good math.

After the best part of an hour of swearing got the faceplate off.  Oh look, they installed it and then tiled over everything.  Wonderful!

Hoping that - if it can even be removed given the amount of scale present - replacing the cartridge in both valves will solve the problem without having to disturb the actual valve body.  Not holding my breath though.

Also there seem to be a plethora of different types...and they're expensive. 

Seriously considering just calling a plumber for this one - if I can find one who doesn't declare the job "Not worth getting out the van for" like last time anyway...

[brownnova]

My garden is in two halves, the half beside the house which we use, and the half behind which this year I left to go meadow-like to promote pollination.  But as my little one has had a cold go to her chest, resulting in a covid test  (it’s not covid, but because it’s a cough the doctor won’t do anything until covid is ruled out) and therefore isolating I decided to get mowing.

The grump is that my self propelled petrol mower will not run. It’ll start on the primer but won’t stay running for more than 3 seconds. Much fiddling and I still can’t get it going. Which means I’ve been mowing for several hours now with the electric mower... which is becoming very tired of this job. (It’s past my knees in places.) 

I really need a ride on mower, but bloody hell they’re expensive!! 

[Stanky]

8 minutes ago, brownnova said:

My garden is in two halves, the half beside the house which we use, and the half behind which this year I left to go meadow-like to promote pollination.  But as my little one has had a cold go to her chest, resulting in a covid test  (it’s not covid, but because it’s a cough the doctor won’t do anything until covid is ruled out) and therefore isolating I decided to get mowing.

The grump is that my self propelled petrol mower will not run. It’ll start on the primer but won’t stay running for more than 3 seconds. Much fiddling and I still can’t get it going. Which means I’ve been mowing for several hours now with the electric mower... which is becoming very tired of this job. (It’s past my knees in places.) 

I really need a ride on mower, but bloody hell they’re expensive!! 

Briggs & Stratton engine? Replace the carb diaphragm and it'll be good as new. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333993936746?hash=item4dc397076a:g:UBwAAOSwCa9glqhd

[Sham]

Sounds like you need a brush cutter and not a mower.

But, what 'e said about the carb. 

[brownnova]

1 hour ago, Stanky said:

Briggs & Stratton engine? Replace the carb diaphragm and it'll be good as new. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333993936746?hash=item4dc397076a:g:UBwAAOSwCa9glqhd

It’s a Ryobi, not sure what engine. I’ll do some research. Thanks for the tip! 

56 minutes ago, Sham said:

Sounds like you need a brush cutter and not a mower.

But, what 'e said about the carb. 

I do have one of those! No petrol in it, and not allowed out to get any... 

Mes_brownnova thinks we really need a 1950s/60s tractor to pull some kind of mowing attachment around... I’m not inclined to argue. 

[3VOM]

On 6/2/2021 at 6:24 PM, Zelandeth said:

Finally got around to properly investigating the siezed up valve on the shower in the en suite bathroom.  It's been knackered for ages so we've just used the shower in the main bathroom - but we're about to have a friend staying with us for several weeks while their house is being renovated...and five people to one shower doesn't sound like good math.

After the best part of an hour of swearing got the faceplate off.  Oh look, they installed it and then tiled over everything.  Wonderful!

Hoping that - if it can even be removed given the amount of scale present - replacing the cartridge in both valves will solve the problem without having to disturb the actual valve body.  Not holding my breath though.

Also there seem to be a plethora of different types...and they're expensive. 

Seriously considering just calling a plumber for this one - if I can find one who doesn't declare the job "Not worth getting out the van for" like last time anyway...

You would normally tile over it and just leave a small gap for the shower taps. Try https://www.showerdoc.com/ for spare parts if you just want to try swapping the insides.

[High Jetter]

6 hours ago, brownnova said:

Mes_brownnova thinks we really need a 1950s/60s tractor to pull some kind of mowing attachment around... I’m not inclined to argue.

Funnily enough, I just re-watched the Car Sausage with the Fergie tractor that ended up with a mowing deck.

[Remspoor]

On 6/2/2021 at 10:09 AM, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Yes, it's a bit like trying to imagine Amsterdam without the smell of weed....

Or in London,  the Smell of Diesel form an old RT

[Tadhg Tiogar]

2 hours ago, Remspoor said:

Or in London,  the Smell of Diesel form an old RT

Actually in London, it's often the smell of weed as well!

[chaseracer]

5 hours ago, brownnova said:

Mes_brownnova thinks we really need a 1950s/60s tractor to pull some kind of mowing attachment around... I’m not inclined to argue. 

@Talbot's yer man for obscure mowing contraptions...

[Tadhg Tiogar]

5 hours ago, brownnova said:

...Mes_brownnova thinks we really need a 1950s/60s tractor to pull some kind of mowing attachment around... 

I look forward to ploughing competitions at the FoD.

[wuvvum]

Maybe @Mrs6C would loan you the 1958 Massey Ferguson?  Would be great fun* driving that back to Wales from the FOD at 19mph.

[Talbot]

8 hours ago, chaseracer said:

@Talbot's yer man for obscure mowing contraptions...

You do NOT want a mower I've designed.  Well, not anything like the Mk1 anyway.  Maybe a slightly* safer Mk2 perhaps.

[Wack]

People like this really boil my piss , if that were me I'd be making a claim on her insurance , what a cunt of a woman 

[goosey]

Cant replace just the worn bearings in my washing machine, have to replace the whole Drum.

Oh bother

[Jerzy Woking]

On 6/3/2021 at 6:47 PM, brownnova said:

Mes_brownnova thinks we really need a 1950s/60s tractor to pull some kind of mowing attachment around... I’m not inclined to argue. 

Local farmer/bloke with a tractor cleared the garden to the side of my house with his old tractor and some cutting attachment.

The shrubs, bushes and weeds growing were so thick they were resisting my attacks with a steel bladed brush cutter.

Took him 90 minutes to clear and cost me €70. Brilliant, and I didn't even break sweat.

Worth seeing (when you can get out) if a local farmer wants a bit of cash to run a tractor and cutter around your meadow.

[High Jetter]

58 minutes ago, goosey said:

Cant replace just the worn bearings in my washing machine, have to replace the whole Drum.

It might be physically possible to replace them, if you can extract them without the (probably) plastic drum cracking. They will be stock bearings, with their number on them. Finding the replacement seal(s) though could be a whole world of pain and frustration.

[Talbot]

2 hours ago, goosey said:

Cant replace just the worn bearings in my washing machine, have to replace the whole Drum.

Oh bother

There are various videos on youtube of people who have modified their welded plastic drum to be bolt-together and have successfully changed bearings and seals.  The bearings (as High Jetter has mentioned above) will be very cheap standard bearings.  The seal (which is almost always a single-lip gartered oil-seal fitted backwards to "face" the water side) will also be a bog-standard unit available from any bearing supplier over the internet for a couple of quid.

It'll take you a few hours, but probably well worth it compared to £100 for a new drum.

Edit: if you can be bothered while it's all apart, a weep hole drilled between the water seal and the first bearing out to the outside world (just like in an automotive water pump) would save the bearings from the very slight water that will always get past the seal.  The bearings would probably last forever if you did that.  Especially if you "splash out" for sealed bearings. (the ones with an integrated rubber seal either side of the rolling elements)

[Fumbler]

And the high of today's fixing has been lowered quite a bit because I've just been told my grandmother next door is now struggling to breathe. Convenient, as my parents (gran's on the maternal side of the family and is rather ill and we're essentially her carers) have just left to embark on a narrowboat holiday. There's literally only myself and my brother to help at the moment and gran has heart palpatations along with a myriad of other health problems.

As her daughter (and main carer) has just left to go and trundle around a canal for a few days to escape it all, my brother and I have a feeling this breathing stuff is all psychosomatic. Gran always has a turn when my parents go away for a spell of time, leaving us to deal with the fallout.

She dialled 111 earlier today and has now got a friend over to take her to hospital. She hates hospitals after losing a son and daughter to hospital failings 50 years ago, so that's understandable. I have yet to call my mother to tell her what's going on. She's having a lovely time with my dad and extended family, boating on a canal. I'm questioning whether I should tell her and potentially make her worry for the whole trip, destroying what it was meant for: a time where she needn't worry. We know why my gran is doing this, it's to make my parents guilty for going away for a while. She loves to control people in this way and is growing ever more grumpy as she's gradually losing control over herself. Why can't family living be just uncomplicated for once?

[High Jetter]

i.e 6204-2rs, the rs referring to rubber shields. Rather essential, IMHO

[Fumbler]

And off to hospital my grandmother goes. At least we won't need to come in every 5 minutes to make sure she hasn't collapsed or died. Calling this stressful is an understatement.