The grumpy thread

[Pillock]

What, "ruddy gigantic"?

[Station]

Jesus, and worthy of the big pic! Is this alongside the M6, or is that another place? Is it even there anymore (replaced by 'luxury apartments').

 

There's a nice, quiet (in the day) coastal town near me called New Brighton. OK, it gets it's share of chavs and boy racers, but I've walked the dog there many a time, and it's quiet apart from the the odd clang from the factories across the river and squawk from seagull. They're now building a Tesco's on it, as it doesn't have enough business. FFS, it's nice down there, stop fucking building corporations everywhere because it's not generating enough coin, because it hasn't got a Tesco's on it. There's a reason why it's quiet, that's because people like it that way. The councillors are in the pockets of developers, I'm 100% certain of that. EVERYTHING is Neptune Developments, etc etc.

[Lankytim]

Fort Dunlop is on the M6 in Brum near spaghetti junction, between J5 and 4 on the north side IIRC.

 

Developers wanted to demolish it but it was listed so they were forced to completely refurb it. It was gutted to a bare shell and turned into posh offices. It does look very nice. Inexplicably they also built a giant blue travelodge on the side.

 

Dunlop aero tyres are still next door, and round the back theres the Castle Brom Jag factory, which is scheduled to close by all accounts

[Angrydicky]

At least it wasn't flattened like most buildings like that are. Looks quite nice, and it has been given a new lease of life.

 

Anyone remember EKCO radio? Their headquarters, offices and factory were in Southend up until a couple of years ago when the lovely art deco admin block along with the massive factory at the back of it was demolished. What a beautiful building, I am still angry about it to this day. It should definitely have been listed.

 

To make matters worse, due to the property slump the building was demolished then the massive site was left standing empty, "waiting for the market to pick up" I suppose.

[Guest]

VOC forum members and their tragic use of comprehension in a buying context.

 

Here is a step by step guide about how to enquire about items, VOC forum style.

 

1. See item that you would like. Think 'I'd quite like that'.

 

2. Forget you saw the item and watch said article drop off the for sale listings on to the second or third page.

 

3. Suddenly remember 'I still quite want [said thing]'. Do not bother to view for sale post again accessible by clicking on '2' or '3' (depending on age) at the bottom left of the forum navigation. This is too hard and will impinge on question time which is very important because the advert which definitely isn't still there doesn't mention anything about price, pictures or intended function of components portrayed herein.

 

4. Contact vendor [me]. Ignore everything previously posted with helpful points of assistance like 'pictures' and 'asking price', and ask pointless questions like 'any pics?' and 'price?'. These are clearly marked in the advert post which was viewed and forgotten about. The pictures haven't changed and neither have the price.

 

5. Offer idiotic \ insulting price \ ask for the items to be trailered to the arse end of beyond \ leave a phone number expecting the vendor to call you up on a mobile number and do all the work \ expect a massive drop in price because you haven't got any money (blah blah non original mirrors dribble bling blah).

 

6. Infuriate vendor by continuing to ask the same questions already answered in the post and by PM in a single line sub literate fashion. Ask one question per PM over several days when one message with three paragraphs would have covered all the salient points.

 

7. Seller [me] gets annoyed and responds in kind.

 

Repeat ad nauseum causing vendor to repeatedly take breaks from posting on said forum lest it brings on another one of those tension headaches that causes everything about interior doors to lose their hinges and fly through the air and nothing to do with the extreme mental lethargy of 90% of Amazon owners on the VOC forum.

I feel a tension headache coming on.

 

This bloke is now taking the piss, I'm certain of it. Bear in mind this is a NARDI steering wheel hub adaptor. It's listed as such, and the word 'Nardi' appears several times in the text. Which he might have read, but might not. He asks me the following question:

 

OK thats fine, so it will fit a nardi steering wheel.

This is bleeding obvious question #5. No, it'll fit a Momo Fiorvanti Secura off a fucking Miura! Strewth.

 

I can't be arsed selling it to him now actually, I might just ignore him and see if he gets the message.

[Lankytim]

Just ignore the spaz, Wat. The chances of him actually buying the item appear to be slim anyway.

 

This isnt a grump, more of a plea for advice. The nice eMac Cavette gave me is now online and giving sterling service. The only problem is I cant get onto certain web pages, Hotmail for example. Facebook and e.bay end up being non functioning squashed up messes- Youtube crashes the whole computer!. Im guessing its an out of date web browser or something. Any ideas on if/how I can remedy this situation? Ive tried to download Google chrome, but it didnt work.

 

Luckily most of my fave forums work!

 

P.S, looking at that old pic of Fort Dunlop, the M6 is built where the muddy ground is in the foreground. Its all elevated on concrete pillars so the roads on the pic are probably still there.

[Polystratus]

At least it wasn't flattened like most buildings like that are. Looks quite nice, and it has been given a new lease of life.

 

Anyone remember EKCO radio? Their headquarters, offices and factory were in Southend up until a couple of years ago when the lovely art deco admin block along with the massive factory at the back of it was demolished. What a beautiful building, I am still angry about it to this day. It should definitely have been listed.

 

To make matters worse, due to the property slump the building was demolished then the massive site was left standing empty, "waiting for the market to pick up" I suppose.

I have one those EKCO radios - they made some really nice art deco style radios in the 30's, it's the same with Derby bus station that had nice art deco building at the front, that was demolished for the new station and more apartments (At £500 a week rent or similar, of course given that it's all pretty much minimum wage stuff in that area they are going to get snapped up).

[Lord Sterling]

EVERYTHING is Neptune Developments, etc etc.

I know exactly how you feel. There is a local Tesco Express/Petrol station not far from my house, next to it is an RSPCA Dogs home. The Dogs home is to move to bigger premises, and to replace it? Sainsburys FFS

 

Everytime I go down to Longbridge all I see is St Modwen this etc......

[lancashireclamper]

Fort Dunlop is on the M6 in Brum near spaghetti junction, between J5 and 4 on the north side IIRC.

 

Developers wanted to demolish it but it was listed so they were forced to completely refurb it. It was gutted to a bare shell and turned into posh offices. It does look very nice. Inexplicably they also built a giant blue travelodge on the side.

 

Dunlop aero tyres are still next door, and round the back theres the Castle Brom Jag factory, which is scheduled to close by all accounts

Wasn't it Castle Brom factory where they made spitfires (of the aeronautical rather than Triumph kind) in the war?

Heard a rumour that builders doing some work on an outbuilding roof found the entire structure was propped up by a Spitfire wing,

wonder if that was risk assessed by a professional health and safety bod?

[Angrydicky]

"BOVIS HOMES - Land Acquired - MORE land required"

 

"ANOTHER site acquired by INNER LONDON GROUP"

 

"thegarrison @ shoebury. An exciting new development"

 

Just a few that have sprung up around here.

 

Oh and there is yet another Tesco destined for the old B&Q site in Southend Town Centre - and another Sainsburys destined for the Southend United football ground...

[Lord Sterling]

I think in about 5-10 years time, England is going to be one big 'new-build' housing estate with Tescos/Sainsburys every few meters if this carries on......

 

Asda has almost taken-over Halesowen town.

[Pillock]

I live in a town of about 25,000 people. For 25 years we've had a Co-Op, and then a tiny little Kwik-Save at the other end of town. Nice. Was all we needed.

 

In the last five years they've built a Tesco Express, a Londis, there's an Aldi going up, and they're flattening the rather small Co-Op to build a gigantic Morrisons. Tesco actually applied for permission to build a proper Tesco over the fucking road from the Express. Lord knows how but it was turned down. Quite soon there'll be more shopping trolleys than people in this place.

 

I quite like the Tesco Express in that it opens late, but then it annoys me that it's a combined Petrol Station/Supermarket - a subject covered every ten pages or so on this thread.

[seth]

Wasn't it Castle Brom factory where they made spitfires (of the aeronautical rather than Triumph kind) in the war?

A roundabout by the factory has a fantastic aeroplane sculpture in the middle of it. It features in the book"Roundabouts of Great Britain" and looks even better when you see it for real.

[Pillock]

Oooh ooh and my grump for the day.

 

I was sat at work, and my colleague asked if I had Office 2007 as someone had sent their CV in that format and he needed it converting. I did, so he chucked it over and I sent it back, converted. Meanwhile, the original is still on my screen.

 

It was a page of A4, and had at least two spelling mistakes on every line. Some were understandable, some were clear "haven't bothered to read over this" issues. Missing letters, that sort of thing. He spelled Curriculum wrong for a start....

 

My grump isn't with him - not everyone can be a world class countdown champion after all. Maybe he could have realised what all the squiggly red lines were trying to tell him, but meh. But I'm grumpy for the fact in his qualifications he listed a B for GCSE English Language.... either he's a crap liar, or GCSEs really do mean fuck all these days. Is it one of those things where as long as you get your desired meaning across, you can spell like shit and USE TXT SPK INNIT M8?

[warren t claim]

Jesus, and worthy of the big pic! Is this alongside the M6, or is that another place? Is it even there anymore (replaced by 'luxury apartments').

 

There's a nice, quiet (in the day) coastal town near me called New Brighton. OK, it gets it's share of chavs and boy racers, but I've walked the dog there many a time, and it's quiet apart from the the odd clang from the factories across the river and squawk from seagull. They're now building a Tesco's on it, as it doesn't have enough business. FFS, it's nice down there, stop fucking building corporations everywhere because it's not generating enough coin, because it hasn't got a Tesco's on it. There's a reason why it's quiet, that's because people like it that way. The councillors are in the pockets of developers, I'm 100% certain of that. EVERYTHING is Neptune Developments, etc etc.

With all the development work going on are they still holding the New Brighton Sprint this year? It would be a great time and place for a north west shiters meet if it is.

 

For all of you southerners here is a taste of one of the very few motorsport events in Britain held on closed public roads.

 

 

Edit: Yes it is! http://www.wallaseymc.com/

[pogweasel]

Oooh ooh and my grump for the day.

 

I was sat at work, and my colleague asked if I had Office 2007 as someone had sent their CV in that format and he needed it converting. I did, so he chucked it over and I sent it back, converted. Meanwhile, the original is still on my screen.

 

It was a page of A4, and had at least two spelling mistakes on every line. Some were understandable, some were clear "haven't bothered to read over this" issues. Missing letters, that sort of thing. He spelled Curriculum wrong for a start....

 

My grump isn't with him - not everyone can be a world class countdown champion after all. Maybe he could have realised what all the squiggly red lines were trying to tell him, but meh. But I'm grumpy for the fact in his qualifications he listed a B for GCSE English Language.... either he's a crap liar, or GCSEs really do mean fuck all these days. Is it one of those things where as long as you get your desired meaning across, you can spell like shit and USE TXT SPK INNIT M8?

I get sent about 10 CVs a week by generally hopeless fucktards who I would never want to employ, the standard of spelling & grammar in them is generally appalling. Idiots.

And they are clearly all from braindeads who couldn't think for themselves if it was a choice between wiping their bums or sitting in poo - so you've been working in McDonalds since you qualified with much better academic talent to do the job than me... I've worked hard at this. That's why I have the big spinny chair, I would like to see at least a bit of bloody effort on your part...

 

[that said if anyone local to me is interested in some fairly menial & poorly paid work, do write in to the usual address...]

[Polystratus]

I live in a town of about 25,000 people. For 25 years we've had a Co-Op, and then a tiny little Kwik-Save at the other end of town. Nice. Was all we needed.

 

In the last five years they've built a Tesco Express, a Londis, there's an Aldi going up, and they're flattening the rather small Co-Op to build a gigantic Morrisons. Tesco actually applied for permission to build a proper Tesco over the fucking road from the Express. Lord knows how but it was turned down. Quite soon there'll be more shopping trolleys than people in this place.

 

I quite like the Tesco Express in that it opens late, but then it annoys me that it's a combined Petrol Station/Supermarket - a subject covered every ten pages or so on this thread.

Well in the next town, Tesco want to flatten Homebase and the ex-Aldi place which is now a cheapo furniture store, and the industrial units at the rear, forget factories and offices - this country is turning into one massive supermarket site.

[Pillock]

The sad thing is we've had 3000 applicants for 150 places, so I'm sorry but not being arsed to read through the CV you've just hammered out before sending it - instant fail. This guy had a mobile number one digit short so couldn't invite him for an interview if we wanted to!

 

I can do menial work pog - do you want my CV or just a promise that I'm not in any unions and I have no idea what a 'taxman' is?

[Pillock]

Well in the next town, Tesco want to flatten Homebase and the ex-Aldi place which is now a cheapo furniture store, and the industrial units at the rear, forget factories and offices - this country is turning into one massive supermarket site.

Yeah, I read that.... didn't realise it involved the units behind too. So in half a mile from the A38 you'll have a 24hr Tesco, a new Aldi, a Lidl, and then a 24hr Asda just in case you forget anything. Nice. Our forthcoming Aldi is three miles by road from the existing one in Sutton.

[Angrydicky]

 

[that said if anyone local to me is interested in some fairly menial & poorly paid work, do write in to the usual address...]

Whereabouts are you located? My mate (in Rayleigh Essex) is looking for work, he's a decent and intelligent guy who wants to get off his arse and work but there's nowt out there at the moment

[Angrydicky]

Grump 1:

 

The internet connection in this house is a fuggin disgrace. I usually sit in the study with my laptop on my knee (right next to the router) and the connection is ok. HOWEVER tonight I have dared to take the laptop into the kitchen with me and the internet keeps cutting out, saying I've got no signal and I have to go back into the other room to get my posts to send. FFS.

 

Grump 2:

 

There is a cockroach hopping around on the kitchen floor next to me as I type this. I thought it was an escaped stick insect at first, but....ARSE

[Albert Ross]

Things that annoy me today? People who have a study:P

[Angrydicky]

Things that annoy me today? People who have a study:P

Well, to be fair, it does double as a spare room.

[Albert Ross]

And a spare room too.

 

I live in Yorkshire. There's 38 of us sharing a septic tank on a rubbish tip. Every morning we have to get up at 11pm and then eat two bits of cold gravel, washed down with sulphuric acid, pay the Mill owner for permission to go to work, and when I get home my Mam and Dad cut me in two with the bread knife, and jump on my grave, singing Hallelujah. Of course, you won't believe me.

[Tayne]

.

[autofive]

This isnt a grump, more of a plea for advice. The nice eMac Cavette gave me is now online and giving sterling service. The only problem is I cant get onto certain web pages, Hotmail for example. Facebook and e.bay end up being non functioning squashed up messes- Youtube crashes the whole computer!. Im guessing its an out of date web browser or something. Any ideas on if/how I can remedy this situation? Ive tried to download Google chrome, but it didnt work.

 

sounds like a flash player problem

 

failing that download firefox, its free and quite small

 

 

Grump 2:

 

There is a cockroach hopping around on the kitchen floor next to me as I type this.

if you have one cockroach - you have many cockroaches - act fast

[Albert Ross]

Reference my previous post.

 

 

Ner.

[Claypole]

I've been saddled with dog sitting my parents dog this week... Went to Rother Valley Country park this morning for a wander, £3 to get in... robbing bastards it's a park not Alton Towers ffs.

[Pete-M]

Chap I spent a lot of time with in the last few years, but who fell out with me a few months ago over one of my tasteless remarks (wasn't meant to be tasteless, but he took it the wrong way) died yesterday.

 

Top bloke, he'd got a lump on his neck a couple of years ago which he was told wasn't cancer. The lump came back at the end of last year. At the time I was spending a lot of time with this chap and didn't want to think that it might have been cancer, after all, he'd had the lump before and the Doctors had said it was something dating back to early in evolution. Something related to gills or summat. One in a million weird thing, but it was gonna be ok.

 

At the same time, I was going through a lot of shit regarding work and, well, I'm a bit of a self-absorbed wanker on occasion so I bored him and his girlfriend senseless about my shit for days on end... Just to try and sort the shit out in my head. My mates thing on his neck looked like it was getting better, and he seemed chirpy enough.

 

Until one day when he tore a strip off me, rightfully so, for not asking about his neck. Tough one this, as he didn't really like to talk about it, but I was going in and being a wanker about my job all the time. I should have given him a chance to tell me about how he was. Turned out he had to go for a biopsy on his neck, and he was scared, as you would be. So he basically told me to fuck off. Which I did.

 

After a few days I went back and apologised, and he was fine about it. We got on fine again, but there was that storm cloud hovering above and a feeling of unease which we ignored. He'd been diagnosed with cancer, might be 5 years, might be 15, might be gone tomorrow.

 

Still got on for a few weeks and then I said the wrong thing, cracked a very poor joke which went down very badly indeed. He went postal, properly flipped. Frustration built up in me because what I'd joked about was meant another way but the damage was done. He'd fallen out with me and I thought he'd be better off with me out of the way because out of sight, out of mind.. Keep his stress levels down. Hope for the best, but I properly felt like a bastard for saying what I'd said. I'd not thought that it would be taken the way it was, but in retrospect I'd been a c**t.

 

Next day he rang me up to tell me precisely that. Still furious, ringing me at 9 pm to tell me what he thought of me. I don't think it helped that I agreed with what he said, that yeah, I'm a c**t.

 

That was the last time we spoke. Last time I saw him. Other than one message on facebook, end of.

 

Mates passed messages to me about how he was, how the cancer had dug in, how he wasn't going to last long. How he was still furious with me. How ill he was looking. How he'd had a few long, long operations and how he was on tons of medication and seriously ill.

 

Weekend before last I saw his girlfriend and said I was sorry about what I'd said, and her reply was "Yes, I know you are".

 

Last night I got the phone call from a friend, telling me he'd died.

 

Well, I know this isn't the place to do this, but I'm gonna miss the guy, and I'm gonna feel forever shit about what happened.

 

R.I.P Dude.

[Lankytim]

Wasn't it Castle Brom factory where they made spitfires (of the aeronautical rather than Triumph kind) in the war?

A roundabout by the factory has a fantastic aeroplane sculpture in the middle of it. It features in the book"Roundabouts of Great Britain" and looks even better when you see it for real.

The castle brom aero factory was the other side of spitfire roundabout to the jag factory. It was demolished in the 50's/60's and the site is now home to the shit Castle Vale estate. I think they built Stirling and Lancaster bombers there too. I bet they found stacks of stuff during construction.