The grumpy thread

[mitsisigma01]

30 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

CHI-CHESTER

I just can't be arsed to write Chichester 😬

[myglaren]

2 hours ago, richardmorris said:

It was pronounced CHI-CHESTER by my gran and mum when the lived in Chichester street in chester. Is it pronounced that way down there too?

The one in South Shields is, usually abbreviated to just 'chi'.

[HillmanImp]

Pronounced 'Chai' on the south coast but only people who pronounce the 'h' in Littlehampton. 

Every one else calls it Chichester. 

[MikeR]

holiday prices , just looked at Centre Parcs for the Feb break just out of sheer interest ..  and yes the prices go up for the school break .

Whinfell , 3 adults and 1 child for 4 nights , 1449 notes , sold out !!  , or go to 2 grand ....for a 4 bed .... 4 Fin nights , plus grub ,entertainment and booze on top of that !

thank F***  we have the tin van ..

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Oh that's not too bad... oh shite.

It's so I can finally have a working and poppable fuel filler cap on my wee red czech nugget, but this is the cheapest I can get it at the 'mo. Think I'll harass some breakers for some bits. Haha.

[AnnoyingPentium]

4 hours ago, Yoss said:

Full of the latest technology. 

Less to go wrong. Until the handle snaps off or something odd like that.

[PhilA]

17 hours ago, Richard_FM said:

I heard after Hurricane Katrina residents of New Orleans were told to tape up the doors of their fridges & freezers & leave them outside to be disposed of as most would be impossible to clean out.

Yup.

Particularly as this is a very seafood area. You just put a ratchet strap around it, haul it to be taken away and go buy a new one.

[Rab]

To Jim Flowerdew..(L)..my best mates Dad who left us on Xmas Eve. A Dr. and Gentleman and with an astute taste in cars. RIP Sir.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

15 hours ago, Yoss said:

I walked out to load the van today and found this. 

This is the second  puncture I've had in three weeks. What are the chances of that, or is somebody out to get me? 

One of the advantages of having many people off with the plague is that we have a few vans spare. In normal times I'd have to wait for somebody to come up from the garage. It's only five miles away but even if you phone them straight away you can be waiting a while. 

I got given this wee beastie. 

Full of the latest technology. 

Though at least it had a CD player. Not that we have time to worry about such things but we have some 08 reg Combos that still have tape players which must be some of the last tape players sold anywhere. 

Royal Mail are running up to 14 year old vans? Bloody nora. I'm sure they lasted four or five years a couple of decades ago. 

[C1am]

15 hours ago, richardmorris said:

It was pronounced CHI-CHESTER by my gran and mum when the lived in Chichester street in chester. Is it pronounced that way down there too?

Small world! I rented a flat round the corner at Lorne Street. 

[Metal Guru]

13 hours ago, MikeR said:

holiday prices , just looked at Centre Parcs for the Feb break just out of sheer interest ..  and yes the prices go up for the school break .

Whinfell , 3 adults and 1 child for 4 nights , 1449 notes , sold out !!  , or go to 2 grand ....for a 4 bed .... 4 Fin nights , plus grub ,entertainment and booze on top of that !

thank F***  we have the tin van ..

 

I went there when it first opened in 1999 I think it was ( when it was Oasis) and again in 2014. Apart from a new ( very cheap) carpet being put in seconds before we arrived, the place hadn’t been touched in 15 years apart from cramming as many cabins as possible onto the site. The “showpiece “ swimming pool complex was dilapidated and could have done with re- tiling in most areas.

Cycling on site ( advertised as Mountain biking), consists of the paths between cabins with so many people on them you stop every 20 yards.

Apart from the pool, every activity is an expensive extra.

In it wasn’t for the trees, it would be a large housing estate with some expensive leisure facilities, and the prices they charge take the piss.

 

[cobblers]

Aye, horrific prices to stay on basically a council estate in the woods with a couple of harvester grade pubs and a swimming pool. I just don't get it. 

[tooSavvy]

13 hours ago, MikeR said:

Centre Parcs:

Whinfell , 3 adults and 1 child for 4 nights , 1449 notes , sold out !!  , or go to 2 grand ....for a 4 bed .... 4 Fin nights , plus grub ,entertainment and booze on top of that !

thank F***  we have the tin van ..

 

Ahh..... I used to go there (fixing cash registers/cash drawers/epos) and always thought *on the rainy days....

Butlins +added Mud 🤐

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, cobblers said:

Aye, horrific prices to stay on basically a council estate in the woods with a couple of harvester grade pubs and a swimming pool. I just don't get it. 

You summed it up better than I did!

[Bren]

2 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

I went there when it first opened in 1999 I think it was ( when it was Oasis) and again in 2014. Apart from a new ( very cheap) carpet being put in seconds before we arrived, the place hadn’t been touched in 15 years apart from cramming as many cabins as possible onto the site. The “showpiece “ swimming pool complex was dilapidated and could have done with re- tiling in most areas.

Cycling on site ( advertised as Mountain biking), consists of the paths between cabins with so many people on them you stop every 20 yards.

Apart from the pool, every activity is an expensive extra.

In it wasn’t for the trees, it would be a large housing estate with some expensive leisure facilities, and the prices they charge take the piss.

 

Every year I complain about the site fees for our static. But not now - given what two weeks holiday in the UK costs.

[Yoss]

3 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Royal Mail are running up to 14 year old vans? Bloody nora. I'm sure they lasted four or five years a couple of decades ago. 

Yep, you're right there. Not even that long when I started, though that was 32 years ago. That's the difference between a private company as we are now or effectively an arm of government when I started. 

Having said that, I moan about my Pug quite a lot but I don't think a 1990s Sherpa, or probably  a Maestro is closer to what I have now, would fair anywhere near as well. The main problem is the 'risk of (DPF) filter clogging' message comes up at least twice a year but that is down to the duty I do (around seven miles in four hours) being totally unsuitable for a diesel. 

[Markeh]

Center Parcs has definitely gone downhill over the past 10 years. I believe they got bought by another company and cost cutting started big time.

My mother worked as a villa cleaner in the late 2000s at Sherwood. The perks were pretty decent back then, she could take people in for day visits to the facilities like the pool and spa, we could book unused chalets with a week or two's notice for something crazy like £50, any household stuff that was left behind could be kept - in 5 years we never had to buy toilet roll, washing up liquid or dishwasher tablets. Anything alcoholic or decent had to be handed in but if not claimed in x amount of time could be had. Big hampers of stuff at Christmas, invites in for events like fireworks shows and that sort of thing - Nothing like that now, I'm led to believe!

I stayed at the Woburn one which is reasonably new just before covid kicked off - it was nice, probably because it was still new, and they did bend over backwards to help two people with mobility issues in our party, but £600 for a 2 bed "executive" for a weekend in January seemed steep! The maths only works out if you're going off-peak with a group of adults and are splitting the cost I would say. It's mad the amount of local people who go there for a holiday as well - I don't understand how you can go on holiday somewhere that's a 15 minute drive from your house. For the money, I'd rather go abroad.

[AnnoyingPentium]

5 minutes ago, Markeh said:

For the money, I'd rather go abroad.

It was cheaper for us to book a lakehouse down towards Windermere than what it is for Centre Parcs, mind you that was nearly 14 years ago. Cala Gran Haven nr. Blackpool wasn't bad for us, it's a holiday, and that's all it needs to be. The prices weren't too bad there the last time I checked. 

[artdjones]

44 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Yep, you're right there. Not even that long when I started, though that was 32 years ago. That's the difference between a private company as we are now or effectively an arm of government when I started. 

Having said that, I moan about my Pug quite a lot but I don't think a 1990s Sherpa, or probably  a Maestro is closer to what I have now, would fair anywhere near as well. The main problem is the 'risk of (DPF) filter clogging' message comes up at least twice a year but that is down to the duty I do (around seven miles in four hours) being totally unsuitable for a diesel. 

It was about 8 years back in 1988 when I worked there but an 8 year old GPO Sherpa was pretty  well finished off by then.

[Markeh]

20 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

It was cheaper for us to book a lakehouse down towards Windermere than what it is for Centre Parcs, mind you that was nearly 14 years ago. Cala Gran Haven nr. Blackpool wasn't bad for us, it's a holiday, and that's all it needs to be. The prices weren't too bad there the last time I checked. 

Even better if you can grab it on a S*n £9.50 deal like most of the big chain caravan sites. And even better than that if you find the codes posted on social media so you don't even have to buy the bloody paper in the first place!

[AnnoyingPentium]

41 minutes ago, Markeh said:

Even better if you can grab it on a S*n £9.50 deal like most of the big chain caravan sites. And even better than that if you find the codes posted on social media so you don't even have to buy the bloody paper in the first place!

That's fine because I think I'd spontaneously combust if I had to touch that newspaper.

[MikeR]

the phone gps is wank around Stoke on Trent ,

seems my car likes to block the signal with its heated screen , and this phone just struggles at times .....in Stoke on Trent !!

nothing worse than seeing the sat nav losing its arse , in a area you dont know , in the dark ........

must try a new position for it or change the car .

[Mally]

6 hours ago, Markeh said:

Center Parcs has definitely gone downhill over the past 10 years. I believe they got bought by another company and cost cutting started big time.

 - I don't understand how you can go on holiday somewhere that's a 15 minute drive from your house. For the money, I'd rather go abroad.

The problem with abroad is the constant rule changes in requirements, and peoples fear of being ill with Covid whilst abroad.

I flown several times. Some planes are half empty,

I've had rule changes whilst on holiday. curfews, return plane flight cancelled.

You often get 'pinged' because someone on the plane tested positive on day 2.

It's a bit easier now they have removed test before return, but the hassle and fear still puts many off.

Lots of people lost money in the early days, UK is seen as a safe bet.

I used to stay Sunday nights in Blackpool £25 bed breakfast. evening meal. Lately it's been £87. Just dropped to a more palatable £62.

No names, but it's a place you'd have Breakfast at ...

[Metal Guru]

10 hours ago, Markeh said:

Center Parcs has definitely gone downhill over the past 10 years. I believe they got bought by another company and cost cutting started big time.

My mother worked as a villa cleaner in the late 2000s at Sherwood. The perks were pretty decent back then, she could take people in for day visits to the facilities like the pool and spa, we could book unused chalets with a week or two's notice for something crazy like £50, any household stuff that was left behind could be kept - in 5 years we never had to buy toilet roll, washing up liquid or dishwasher tablets. Anything alcoholic or decent had to be handed in but if not claimed in x amount of time could be had. Big hampers of stuff at Christmas, invites in for events like fireworks shows and that sort of thing - Nothing like that now, I'm led to believe!

I stayed at the Woburn one which is reasonably new just before covid kicked off - it was nice, probably because it was still new, and they did bend over backwards to help two people with mobility issues in our party, but £600 for a 2 bed "executive" for a weekend in January seemed steep! The maths only works out if you're going off-peak with a group of adults and are splitting the cost I would say. It's mad the amount of local people who go there for a holiday as well - I don't understand how you can go on holiday somewhere that's a 15 minute drive from your house. For the money, I'd rather go abroad.

 

10 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

It was cheaper for us to book a lakehouse down towards Windermere than what it is for Centre Parcs, mind you that was nearly 14 years ago. Cala Gran Haven nr. Blackpool wasn't bad for us, it's a holiday, and that's all it needs to be. The prices weren't too bad there the last time I checked. 

Crazy thing about Centre Parcs Whinfell, is that it’s 10 miles from the Lake District but 90%+ never leave the site once there. 

[Yoss]

11 hours ago, MikeR said:

the phone gps is wank around Stoke on Trent ,

seems my car likes to block the signal with its heated screen , and this phone just struggles at times .....in Stoke on Trent !!

nothing worse than seeing the sat nav losing its arse , in a area you dont know , in the dark ........

must try a new position for it or change the car .

Is it just me that can't help but hear the Homes Under The Hammer theme tune whenever I hear somebody say Stoke on Trent? Mrs Yoss started doing it, now it's a Pavlovian reaction. I know they go to other places but at least once in every program they seem to be in the Stoke/Derby area. Usually with Dion Dublin, he must live local. 

This post does not apply to anyone reading it in Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand etc... 

[anonymous user]

11 hours ago, Mally said:

 

No names, but it's a place you'd have Breakfast at ...

Wetherspoons?

 

 

[Dyslexic Viking]

Is 5 days without a working car now. Have talked to them and the coil has been ordered, so I hope it comes and is replaced quickly. I hate this not being in control of something, and not having a working car and most of all I hate phone calls. So this is a sign that I need more cars or a car transporter or both.

[Datsuncog]

37 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I need more cars or a car transporter or both.

The true spirit of Autoshite , right there.

[Jazoli]

1 hour ago, anonymous user said:

Wetherspoons?

 

 

https://tiffanyshotel.co.uk/?utm_source=google-ads&utm_campaign=sem_brand_uk&utm_agid=91501631665&utm_term=tiffanys hotel blackpool&creative=504908257106&device=m&placement&gclid=CjwKCAiAz--OBhBIEiwAG1rIOozBftTx1yKJHjGPu8opGfD-8U21Vp05QCFipzTNziwUm3R6Tv14xRoCBRgQAvD_BwE

[sierraman]

I’ve stopped in the £25 type B&Bs before in Blackpool and they were grim, gloss paint over anaglypta and the fire doors propped open.

Center Parcs, we used to go regularly in the week when it was cheap but last time we went we found a pair of shitty knickers under sister in laws mattress (they weren’t hers by the way...). The reception didn’t seem fazed by this.