The grumpy thread

36,434 · April 28, 2020

I was a reasonably regular platelet donor at the world famous Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. I haven't been good enough at finding the time to go but, with things a bit quieter now, decided to pick the phone up to book an appointment today.

Because it's been two years and two weeks since I last made a donation, I no longer qualify. Instead I have to donate blood - have ANOTHER platelet test (which takes 8 weeks to come back) and then stop giving blood again to become a platelet donor again.

The guy on the phone was as fucked off as I was, especially when I declined the offer of a blood appointment. It's bizarre - one day your phone rings saying "can you please come this week, we're desperate" and then the next day you're completely ineligible. Your body, apparently, completely changes.

With any luck, a human will look at it and realise it's a bit daft.

In the meantime I'm going to donate some Guinness to my gut. Charity begins at home, lads.

2,451 · April 28, 2020

Closure of my local ‘specialist’ shop due to covid and then this...

bugger. I’m either going to have to buy expensive and wait from Amazon, or see if anyone else has something similar to quell my addiction.

5,314 · April 28, 2020

Father FL has been having health issues for the last 12m, been talk of the big C but not able to find it, just kept getting infections which resulted in hospital treatment, a few weeks ago his specialist confirm it was cancer and there was talk of 12m without treatment which would be chemo as its inoperable. They've had a letter today stating likely to be more like 6months, hes already knocked off his feet and only able to stay out of bed for short periods.

Realisation has only just dawned on my stepmum and she's broken as youd expect, I'm just a bit numb.

Was hoping to get him to the FOD and some meets this year but now not looking good.

Toughest bit not being able to give them both a big hug, we've been round and talked to them whilst sitting in the garden with them in the conservatory but not the same..

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39,939 · April 28, 2020

On 4/27/2020 at 4:17 PM, Slowsilver said:

It's like torx screws. I can see no advantage over normal screws or hex bolts. They seem to be used purely to try and discourage owners from doing it themselves in the hope that they will take it to a dealer. But all the tools are available to buy for £nottomuch, it just means, as you say, more expense and even more tools to store / lose.

Torx fixings can be driven harder and faster without rounding the heads out. This is why modern cars use them as on the production line as it saves not only a lot of time but also prevents fastening damage if an operator is a bit kack handed. Not just modern cars either, a lot of mass produced electronic goods use them for the same reasons too. They are so much better fastener than a Allen head bolt or standard Philips headed screws. Both of which can easily round out and even worse to try removing when their heads are all rusted up.

As for not having a set? If you want to work on any modern European car, a set of Torx and a mix of metric sockets is all you need for the vast majority of jobs. Hardly expensive and will get extensively used if that is what you work on.

It would be like going out to buy and own a pre 80s British car now, then moaning about needing to own a set of AF sockets and feeler gauges to be able to work on it....

27,195 · April 29, 2020

My mum was 80 a couple of weeks ago,she lives in a care home due to a stroke a few years ago. She has been pooly for around a week now,with a high temp and a cough. Today they have tested her for c19,results wont be back for 24-48 hours.

18,091 · April 29, 2020

9 hours ago, Roobarb said:

Closure of my local ‘specialist’ shop due to covid and then this...

bugger. I’m either going to have to buy expensive and wait from Amazon, or see if anyone else has something similar to quell my addiction.

our local B&M stores have been selling "monkey tea" cheap, if that helps?

33,388 · April 29, 2020

6 hours ago, DVee8 said:

My mum was 80 a couple of weeks ago,she lives in a care home due to a stroke a few years ago. She has been pooly for around a week now,with a high temp and a cough. Today they have tested her for c19,results wont be back for 24-48 hours.

Fingers crossed chap, I hope she is going to be OK.

36,434 · April 29, 2020

3 hours ago, MarvinsMom said:

our local B&M stores have been selling "monkey tea" cheap, if that helps?

Monkey Tea sounds Half Partridge / Half Racist.

26,869 · April 29, 2020

9 hours ago, SiC said:

Torx fixings can be driven harder and faster without rounding the heads out. This is why modern cars use them as on the production line as it saves not only a lot of time but also prevents fastening damage if an operator is a bit kack handed. Not just modern cars either, a lot of mass produced electronic goods use them for the same reasons too. They are so much better fastener than a Allen head bolt or standard Philips headed screws. Both of which can easily round out and even worse to try removing when their heads are all rusted up.

As for not having a set? If you want to work on any modern European car, a set of Torx and a mix of metric sockets is all you need for the vast majority of jobs. Hardly expensive and will get extensively used if that is what you work on.

It would be like going out to buy and own a pre 80s British car now, then moaning about needing to own a set of AF sockets and feeler gauges to be able to work on it....

I bought a nice set of e-torx and torx bits when amy had the vauxhalls, and most of the citroens I've had use them as well. They've taken a life of being hammered into/over stuff well too!

Starter motor on the xsara uses them

22,342 · April 29, 2020

4 hours ago, MarvinsMom said:

our local B&M stores have been selling "monkey tea" cheap, if that helps?

I think Roobarb lives in one of the colonies so unless we can get the Red Cross to do a mercy flight it's not going to help

22,962 · April 29, 2020

Bloody weather. Flooded the garage.

Phil

28,443 · April 29, 2020

Disclaimer before rant: My ASD makes being forced to do things in a very inefficient manner make me want to hurl things through windows.

How I survived working in local government for nearly nine years I'll know...

Not being able to just pop round to Toolstation/Halfords to grab what I need (a drill bit and M12X1.5 wheel bolt) is making me want to scream.

It would take me 20 minutes. However looking like it will be the start of next week before they get here.

No, it's not essential to keep me mobile, so I'm not about to go breaking lockdown and putting myself and others at risk, that would be selfish beyond belief. It's just pissing me off. I know it's all for the greater good and that it's a good thing..., if anything it should have been implemented sooner, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating.

I've got an ever growing list of stuff I had pictured getting done during this lockdown period which is waiting for stuff to arrive from elsewhere now. Currently I'm waiting on a lower control arm and full exhaust for the Xantia, injection parts for the Jag, a load of cavity and underbody wax for the van (which has been in transit now for nearly a month, so goodness only knows what Yodel have done with it), and this latest round of stuff for the Invacar. Oh, and a bunch of air fittings for the compressor.

Trying to keep myself busy outside the house as far as possible as it's like living in a bloody call centre here just now.

26,869 · April 29, 2020

2 hours ago, PhilA said:

Bloody weather. Flooded the garage.

Phil

Oh I love the gentle soothing jangling your wind chime is making...

28,443 · April 29, 2020

2 hours ago, PhilA said:

Bloody weather. Flooded the garage.

Phil

Impressive...I have found my enjoyment of a proper storm these days has diminished exponentially since becoming a homeowner....now I'm immediately thinking "oh wonderful, what's the damage going to be this time?" as soon as it arrives...

22,962 · April 29, 2020

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

Impressive...I have found my enjoyment of a proper storm these days has diminished exponentially since becoming a homeowner....now I'm immediately thinking "oh wonderful, what's the damage going to be this time?" as soon as it arrives...

Yeah, I kept turning around with every CLANK to the garage, hoping not to see the sky...

Once it had passed, out with powerful flashlight to inspect the roof of the garage and house, as there is a large volume of small to medium tree debris everywhere.

(After the second wave of storms hit this morning had passed, due more tonight)

Phil

62,528 · April 29, 2020

Tempra has FTPd at Tesco again. Poxy thing.

22,962 · April 29, 2020

5 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Tempra has FTPd at Tesco again. Poxy thing.

If it only does it at Tesco, don't bring it there. They might have a 5G transmitter it something that makes it go all Italian.

9,265 · April 29, 2020

Talktalk e-mail is down and has been for the last 24 hours. Waiting for e-mails, vital e-mails, eBay purchases no less!

62,528 · April 29, 2020

43 minutes ago, PhilA said:

If it only does it at Tesco, don't bring it there. They might have a 5G transmitter it something that makes it go all Italian.

Well I went to rescue it with the other Fiat (Scudo) and that was fine. Although it does have a French engine to be fair.

Tempra battery is reading 11.94 volts with the engine off. So that might be fucked. I'm going to stick a gallon of diesel in it tomorrow and take it for a proper drive to see if that brings it back to life, but if not it's going to need a new one.

4,279 · April 29, 2020

I'm not entirely sure why but the title of this thread really winds me up. It's so irritating it makes my teeth itch.

Anyway, as you were.

22,962 · April 29, 2020

5 hours ago, beko1987 said:

Oh I love the gentle soothing jangling your wind chime is making...

I just spent an hour picking up debris from my yard- there's nothing else anywhere on the street, just right here which makes me think (wife agrees and she's seen a fair number) that this was actually a baby tornado because it's all very localized. You can see the wind has a fair bit of randomized spin. I also found plastic tubs and crap that were under the other side of the garage on a shelf pulled out from under the roof and thrown 80 feet away sideways to the main direction of the wind to the other side of the yard, and straight line squall doesn't do that, even against a fence.

Fun times. I hate pine cones. Prickly bastard things.

4,500 · April 29, 2020

1 hour ago, philibusmo said:

I'm not entirely sure why but the title of this thread really winds me up. It's so irritating it makes my teeth itch.

Anyway, as you were.

i thought i was the only one :lol:

12,056 · April 29, 2020

4 minutes ago, jamiechod said:

i thought i was the only one

You’re not.

5,314 · April 29, 2020

Weekly checks anyone?

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/police-stunned-state-cars-tyres-18160974

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12,993 · April 30, 2020

Fucking wankers. Deserved it. ^^^

Our cars are shite but they're looked after and there'll be none with baldy tires.

56,314 · April 30, 2020

6 hours ago, Floatylight said:

Weekly checks anyone?

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/police-stunned-state-cars-tyres-18160974

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"Buy" the most expensive car you can. Spend as little as possible on maintaining.

It's the modern world.

12,993 · April 30, 2020

Zoe ball on radio6 and she's playing coldplay fffs.

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33,388 · April 30, 2020

TUI have now bumped me for £900. We cancelled our holiday to Crete on 17th March due to the impending Covid crisis. We were told that we would get £900 of the £1500 I had paid so far, which was fair enough.

My wife booked it so she chased this 2 weeks later online and was told the refund would arrive soon.

Fast forward to last Wednesday, my wife managed to get through to them on the phone. The girl was very helpful and although she admitted my refund hadn't been processed, she confirmed she was processing this now and would be with us in a few days.

As of today, still nothing.

If she had said that TUI are struggling financially and we might not get our money back, I would be frustrated but would understand. But to tell a barefaced, slimy little lie just to get my wife off the phone has put me out my fucking bin, to the point where I am up in the night fuming about it.

ATOL won't help as we initiated the cancellation.

Being bumped for money is one thing but I can't tolerate being lied to.

Unfortunately I'm just going to have to suck it up.

10,736 · April 30, 2020

Did you pay on a credit card at all?

If so I think you can claim against the credit card company.

33,388 · April 30, 2020

I paid it from my savings using my debit card.

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