The grumpy thread

[MrDuke]

At least you can overtake when you're in a car. Try sitting behind said bimbling farts when you're driving a knackered Iveco Daily with a 56mph limiter on it, which needs at least half a mile of clear space to even attempt an overtake of anything faster than a tractor. If you're really lucky, they won't start accelerating once you're alongside.

[wuvvum]

Oh I quite frequently get the accelerating once I'm alongside thing.  The most recent was some tit in a newish Leon FR.  Fortunately for me, and greatly to the Seat driver's displeasure, the Rover is faster than a Leon FR.

 

 

Making me grumpy tonight is the cost of getting to and from airports.  I'm going to France for a long weekend next weekend to meet my new nephew.  Got the flights there and back for 40 quid all in.  Looks like the buses / trains to and from the respective airports are going to cost me at least double that.  Driving's not an option as I'm flying from Stansted and back into Luton, and the train and the bus from here to Stansted both come out at just under 30 quid for a single.  I can knock a tenner off that by getting the 7am Megabus to Stratford and then picking up one of the regular Stansted services from there, but that's four hours in a bus, a 5am alarm and quite frankly not worth the hassle. 

 

Getting back from Luton is even worse - National Express is 45 quid, train done "properly" (into London and out again) is 40, even being sneaky and getting the bus to Hitchin and picking up the Cambridge train from there is 35 once the bus is taken into account.  I've ended up deciding to go into London on the train and get a coach back from Victoria for £24 all in - coach into London would have been slightly cheaper but only 5 minutes between arrival and departure times so a bit too squeaky bum for me.

 

In France the companies that run the airport shuttles pretty much have a monopoly so charge through the arse as well. The net result being that the whole trip is going to end up costing rather a lot more than I'd budgeted for.

[Mr A Lawrence]

Nice drive out, though.

No such thing as a nice drive TO Wakefield.

 

The drive away FROM Wakefield is extremely pleasant though.

[alcyonecorporation]

Try overtaking in a knackered diesel Laguna

 

Cue flashing of lights and much horn use. Stopped a mile up the road to enquire as to the problem

 

"Bit dangerous overtaking innit?"

 

"You were doing 30 in a 60 and I can see for miles"

 

"You've got a brake light out"

 

"How did that impede my overtaking?"

 

"You've got a brake light out"

 

"....."

 

"You've got a brake light out"

Overtaking anything in my knackered diesel Laguna was hard. 

Mainly because it had 223k on the clock and the gearbox was fucked. 

 

Still is - but it still works. 

 

[AlabamaShrimp]

No such thing as a nice drive TO Wakefield.

 

The drive away FROM Wakefield is extremely pleasant though.

You sir have obviously never been to Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Bradford, Castleford or numerous other shit* towns in West Yorkshire...

[somewhatfoolish]

Oh I quite frequently get the accelerating once I'm alongside thing.  The most recent was some tit in a newish Leon FR.  Fortunately for me, and greatly to the Seat driver's displeasure, the Rover is faster than a Leon FR.

 

 

Making me grumpy tonight is the cost of getting to and from airports.  I'm going to France for a long weekend next weekend to meet my new nephew.  Got the flights there and back for 40 quid all in.  Looks like the buses / trains to and from the respective airports are going to cost me at least double that.  Driving's not an option as I'm flying from Stansted and back into Luton, and the train and the bus from here to Stansted both come out at just under 30 quid for a single.  I can knock a tenner off that by getting the 7am Megabus to Stratford and then picking up one of the regular Stansted services from there, but that's four hours in a bus, a 5am alarm and quite frankly not worth the hassle. 

 

Getting back from Luton is even worse - National Express is 45 quid, train done "properly" (into London and out again) is 40, even being sneaky and getting the bus to Hitchin and picking up the Cambridge train from there is 35 once the bus is taken into account.  I've ended up deciding to go into London on the train and get a coach back from Victoria for £24 all in - coach into London would have been slightly cheaper but only 5 minutes between arrival and departure times so a bit too squeaky bum for me.

 

In France the companies that run the airport shuttles pretty much have a monopoly so charge through the arse as well. The net result being that the whole trip is going to end up costing rather a lot more than I'd budgeted for.

 

Drive to STN then when you get back to LTN use the transfer bus, it's usually about £15.

 

 

[scaryoldcortina]

Eh, overtaking... I got the full on horns and main beam from a hyundai i10 that was doing 15mph in a 30 yesterday.

 

 

anyone who needs shit welding up and a mot straight after just has to shout, and get it here. No excuses about loud, I drove a Lt35 ALL THE WAY FROM YORKSHIRE to the south coast with the exhaust snapped at the downpipe and even stopped to recover a carlton for someone on retrorides along the way.

[The Moog]

Toothache and insurance.

 

Puma insurance is now £1400 (from £500) due to starlet stealage. Will have to be parked up at end of the month til I get a plan

[loserone]

I drove a Lt35 ALL THE WAY FROM YORKSHIRE to the south coast

 

Isn't Yorkshire basically the Mediterranean anyway?  Could only have taken you twenty minutes.

[Cheggers]

Toothache and insurance.

 

Puma insurance is now £1400 (from £500) due to starlet stealage. Will have to be parked up at end of the month til I get a plan

Are you declaring the toothache?

 

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

[Angrydicky]

At least you can overtake when you're in a car. Try sitting behind said bimbling farts when you're driving a knackered Iveco Daily with a 56mph limiter on it, which needs at least half a mile of clear space to even attempt an overtake of anything faster than a tractor. If you're really lucky, they won't start accelerating once you're alongside.

Oh yes, I'll never forget those awful things. Thank fuck I'll never have to drive them again now I've got a decent job.

[scaryoldcortina]

Isn't Yorkshire basically the Mediterranean anyway?  Could only have taken you twenty minutes.

 

I didn't start in yorkshire, that's just where the exhaust fell off.

[LostnotFound]

Oh I quite frequently get the accelerating once I'm alongside thing.  The most recent was some tit in a newish Leon FR.  Fortunately for me, and greatly to the Seat driver's displeasure, the Rover is faster than a Leon FR.

 

 

Making me grumpy tonight is the cost of getting to and from airports.  I'm going to France for a long weekend next weekend to meet my new nephew.  Got the flights there and back for 40 quid all in.  Looks like the buses / trains to and from the respective airports are going to cost me at least double that.  Driving's not an option as I'm flying from Stansted and back into Luton, and the train and the bus from here to Stansted both come out at just under 30 quid for a single.  I can knock a tenner off that by getting the 7am Megabus to Stratford and then picking up one of the regular Stansted services from there, but that's four hours in a bus, a 5am alarm and quite frankly not worth the hassle. 

 

Getting back from Luton is even worse - National Express is 45 quid, train done "properly" (into London and out again) is 40, even being sneaky and getting the bus to Hitchin and picking up the Cambridge train from there is 35 once the bus is taken into account.  I've ended up deciding to go into London on the train and get a coach back from Victoria for £24 all in - coach into London would have been slightly cheaper but only 5 minutes between arrival and departure times so a bit too squeaky bum for me.

 

In France the companies that run the airport shuttles pretty much have a monopoly so charge through the arse as well. The net result being that the whole trip is going to end up costing rather a lot more than I'd budgeted for.

 

Train to Stansted then purchase a Renault 4 to drive back from France. 

 

There is a chance this plan may not actually be cheaper.

[Timewaster]

On the knobs who speed up as you overtake, I was once a passenger in a Transit that was overtaking a car - the car sped up and we were running out of road.

The nutcase driving the Transit simply swerved violently to the left and as if by magic the car nosedived and dissappeard.

 

Not a recommendation but it was very effective.

[danthecapriman]

On the knobs who speed up as you overtake, I was one a passenger in a Transit that was overtaking a car - the car sped up and we were running out of road.

The nutcase driving the Transit simply swerved violently to the left and as if by magic the car nosedived and dissappeard.

Not a recommendation but it was very effective.

I get people speeding up an awful lot when I'm in the works van. I'm limited to 70mph so sometimes overtakes have to be well planned, but it's such an irritating thing when you pull out, get part way past and the fucking arse wipe your trying to overtake speeds up. It means I'm now stuck in the other lane with no chance of passing them and have to slow and get back in behind them. Usually by this stage there's some inbred cock in an Audi up your arse flashing or tailgating too. Once your back in behind they often then slow down again!

 

The other type of dick end that annoy me similarly are those who try to overtake you on motorways or dual carriageways who get halfway past or just about level with your arse end and then just sit there doing nothing. It's always when I'm coming up on a truck or slower vehicle and want to pull out and overtake myself but now can't because some twat is speed matching alongside!

 

My speed limiter being set at 70mph is a pain too. Nobody ever drives at 70mph anymore. You get all the HGV's and slow drivers in lane 1 doing 60mph (or less like the twat on the M27 the other day doing 40mph in a car!) and lanes 2 and above are filled with people doing 80+mph. It gets very stressful at times. If they'd set the limiter to say 80mph then it gives you that little bit extra 'just incase', and we're on trackers too so anyone caught doing 80 for long periods could then be bollocked for speeding but it just means you get a bit extra to do your overtake safely and move back over.

[DodgeRover]

Don't you get a bollocking for running on the limiter all the time anyway?

[danthecapriman]

Don't you get a bollocking for running on the limiter all the time anyway?

No. It's a Sprinter van so 70 is the limit for motorways anyway.

The trackers are always running and we do occasionally get bollockings for exceeding other speed limits as it's done through tomtom.

[Lord Sterling]

At least you can overtake when you're in a car. Try sitting behind said bimbling farts when you're driving a knackered Iveco Daily with a 56mph limiter on it, which needs at least half a mile of clear space to even attempt an overtake of anything faster than a tractor. If you're really lucky, they won't start accelerating once you're alongside.

I get this all the time. Some of our jobs consist of picking up and delivering vans for a couple of well-known supermarket chains. One of them have all of their battered Sprinter vans limited to 60. Driving those is painfully aggrevating. You can't overtake anything except for cars that somehow seem to be doing 50mph on a motorway.

[Eddie Honda]

I am a bit concerned about one of mine tbh Eddie: worried a dashcam warrior might send in the footage of me not getting back in before the double white lines.

 

In my (weak) defence: they weren't visible when I started 6 cars back. 6 cars that left no room between each other.

 

You'll be fine it that there Wales. I got collared by and unmarked car on a certain patch of Polis Scotland, long renouned as being the biggest bunch of .....  er, going.

 

In relation to your (weak) defence, I know of someone who apparently did similar and got a 3 month ban for Careless.

[AlabamaShrimp]

Wasted sodding ages trying to put new front brakes on my sons bike.

 

The twating things are like nothing I've seen before and were either on or totally useless, sorted now. Took longer as mini Shrimp, who's two weeks off being 8, was utterly useless at helping. Before we even started he said it was boring...

 

I know we can't alloke like everything but if you don't even learn the basics how you going to do anything later?

[Louise2cv]

You'll be fine it that there Wales. I got collared by and unmarked car on a certain patch of Polis Scotland, long renouned as being the biggest bunch of ..... er, going.

 

In relation to your (weak) defence, I know of someone who apparently did similar and got a 3 month ban for Careless.

Last time I did it (years ago and I don't make a habit of it) it was in the 2cv. Both times cutting in right as the lines start, rather than being the wrong side for ages (just to clarify) I got a TS20 3 pts. Everyone else thought a 2cv over taking anything was LOLs #originaljokes

[dave21478]

Wasted sodding ages trying to put new front brakes on my sons bike.

 

The twating things are like nothing I've seen before and were either on or totally useless sorted now. Took longer as mini Shrimp, who's two weeks off being 8, was utterly useless at helping. Before we even started he said it was boring...

 

I know we can't alloke everything but if you don't even learn the basics how you going to do anything later?

 

I worry about my 12 year old nephew with this sort of thing. He is proving to be.....I hesitate to use the word thicko, because he isnt but he just doesnt do well academically. He really needs to be thinking about a trade IMO, but barely knows which end of a scredriver he should be holding.

I thought about a session of fixing up his bike as its pretty knackered, but he would be bored with it after a couple of minutes....I dunno what to do. If its not on the fucking xbox, he isnt interested.

[JayW]

This is my life with my (nearly) 15 year old boy. Genuinely doesn't care and has zero interest in anything but his Xbox.

 

I have tried everything. Really.

 

My advice is for you to get on it now. Do something drastic, for yours and your boys sake. Be ruthless. Force him against his will to do something, a club, a hobby, after school activities, something, anything! When you're where I am with mine it's too late and you will only blame yourself, I know I do.

 

Anyone who says "he's fine, he likes his Xbox, it makes him happy", is wrong, they don't understand that happy now, means miserable later. Unmotivated, uneducated, selfish, single minded, unhealthy and immature is where the Xbox generation is heading. My boy and his peers are no different.

 

<edit: read it as your son, not nephew> Do your best.

[AlabamaShrimp]

^^it's the same. He'll watch shit for hours, play games or mess with Lego and isn't thick and can show intrest yet when it comes to actually doing stuff* he's worse than shit.

 

His worst thing is not engaging his brain. Like I'm trying to adjust the brake cable yet he pulls the lever...

 

I know it shouldn't but it proper winds me up how easily he just gives up. I know I should come back with some encouragement and help but I've tried that before now if he knows he's annoying and not helping then he knows it!

 

He has been going to cubs for the last few weeks (not sure he'll stick to it yet) as at least they do stuff in groups and it might make him motivated.

 

See when I'd finished typing this, as he's stood outside, I asked why he didn't help. Said I hadn't asked! As he was messing with a Frisbee he accidentally threw it in to next doors garden and now gone off in a sulk because I won't help him get it.

 

I can't describe how much I love him but he can be really annoying

[Cavcraft]

Yeah, I can see forcing kids to join after school clubs etc ending well. Kids are kids, just let them be it's a different generation now, they're happier sitting at home. My lad was glued to his PSXBOX360 thing, to the point of waking us up at 3.00am as he 'whispered' into his mouthpiece thing when playing his mates on line. He packed up football, wasn't that arsed about school or what he'd do after he left and you'd have had to have bombed his out of his bedroom.

He's 24 now: hard working, studious, motivated and most importantly an absolute credit to me and his mother, if I do say so myself. 

[JayW]

He has been going to cubs for the last few weeks (not sure he'll stick to it yet) as at least they do stuff in groups and it might make him motivated.

 

Some dad to dad advice: don't give him the option! If you think it's the right thing for him to do, make him do it, tell him there's no alternative. Tell him it's a requirement and there's no compromise.

 

Everything else he will want to do will be bad, this is modern societies will. It ain't like it was when we were kids.

[somewhatfoolish]

See when I'd finished typing this, as he's stood outside, I asked why he didn't help. Said I hadn't asked! As he was messing with a Frisbee he accidentally threw it in to next doors garden and now gone off in a sulk because I won't help him get it.

 

 

A good learning experience; leave him to solve that problem himself. Whether he does it the 'proper' way, knocks on the door and asks permission or leaps the fence without, will require initiative and thought.

[Cheggers]

Yeah, I can see forcing kids to join after school clubs etc ending well. Kids are kids, just let them be it's a different generation now, they're happier sitting at home. My lad was glued to his PSXBOX360 thing, to the point of waking us up at 3.00am as he 'whispered' into his mouthpiece thing when playing his mates on line. He packed up football, wasn't that arsed about school or what he'd do after he left and you'd have had to have bombed his out of his bedroom.

He's 24 now: hard working, studious, motivated and most importantly an absolute credit to me and his mother, if I do say so myself.

Well said. I know this place is inclined to take the view that nothing good happened after 1990, but we're writing kids off before they've even had a chance.

 

*can you tell this is a pet soapbox of mine?

 

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[Pillock]

My lad plays loads of Xbox but does well at school and at 14 has just started a motor vehicle engineering course at school working with Scania.

 

Still plays Xbox though. Nowt wrong with that. All the kids in the 70s used to go and play football or run around in the woods for hours, hardly any of them are professional footballers or Ray Mears.

[MrDuke]

If I'd had Minecraft when I was a kid, I'd have found it a hell of a lot easier (not to mention enjoyable) to grasp the basics of electronic circuits, wouldn't have needed to crib my way through any exams at college, and probably wouldn't have needed to pay other people to sort out any and every wiring issue with the cars I've owned.