The grumpy thread

[puddlethumper]

Or her. Woops.

[Volksy]

Today I did mine and my octogenarian Mothers weekly shop at my local Supermarket, which over recent weeks has become a less chaotic experience due to less bulk buying/hoarding and the general populous getting used to the idea of the 2m social distancing rule.

Today was carnage.

As a family we have been directly affected, like most, by the Covid 19 pandemic; which has resulted in the tragic loss of my Father, the inability for my family to have a proper funeral, retraction of employment offers for me, loss of business for other family and friends – need I go on..

Standing patiently in the queue for the supermarket I suddenly realised a huge change in the demographic of those with me in the waiting line. I would say that 75% of the people waiting were over the age of 70, many with walking aids and one would assume the kinds of underlying health conditions that would make them very very susceptible to this terrible virus.

As a family we have stuck to the original instruction given to us by Mr Johnson.

Having had a direct experience with the death of my father, I was allowed to attend the hospital in his last few hours, which whilst a small comfort for me, is not an experience I would wish on anyone. My poor Mother has not left the house, where she lives alone, for three months. This is to keep her as safe as she can be. Which in my opinion is the best option. We as a family will continue to do this until such a time as we feel that we are in a situation where the risk is low.

Overheard whilst waiting to enter the store, the topic of conversations around me through the waiting queue was along the lines of:

“Ooh hello, not seen you in ages”

“Yes, it’s nice that we’re allowed out again”

“Well it can’t be that bad, as that MP hasn’t really got into trouble” etc etc.

Once in the store, things got far far worse, the older generation – through no fault of their own, have, in my opinion, not the slightest concept of social distancing, only about 10% were wearing masks and as they move at a slower pace bottlenecks appeared all over the place. Now this may be that that generation have just now immerged back into society, and may soon get used to the new etiquette that most are now adopting. However I fear that it won’t be the case.

Now, please understand that I’m not saying that our parents, grandparents and older members of society should be locked down indefinitely, as the psychological damage would be immeasurable. But I think that the recent events at the core of our governing party, and the subsequent public perception of the guidance given, coupled with, again in my opinion, the abuse of that guidance by prominent figures has caused a new danger to this part of our society. Culminating in a Laissez faire attitude in those that we are so desperately trying to protect. I personally believe that a far more structured emergence for those ‘at high risk’ should have been in place. Rather than the ‘up to you and your perception of risk’ guidance we have been given.

I appreciate that things are improving, with infection slowing and thankfully the mortality rate also reducing. I truly hope that this continues and a second wave does not happen due to the ineffectual and deliberately vague, and easily manipulateable advice given to our society.

I shall not be visiting the Store at peak times from here on. As I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I indirectly caused another family to experience what my family have been through.

Stay safe please and keep those others safe around you.

[Jerzy Woking]

Got my recently purchased Avensis on my driveway at the back of the house. Not had a car on the driveway since I sold my Saab in December.

Son of the woman next door insist on parking half on and half off the marked driveway (about 10 feet further back than in this photo). Made it a bit difficult reversing onto my drive as couldn't give it the full swing. This is what I mean:

I don't know why he parks like this EVERYDAY.

He must hate the Avensis as when I went out to my garage early this morning, this is what I see:

Yep, right across my driveway. He had nothing parked behind him at all, just parked it way forward of the driveway. What the hell does he think he is doing?

Still, I'm going out at 4 am tomorrow morning, so I'll knock at his door then and politely tell him I can't get my car off of the drive, and so can he move his?

As he is moving it, I'll drive off in my van parked out the front. It will serve the fucker right.

[xtriple]

Washed the SuLK the other day and every day since the car has been covered in bird shit, no other car nearby has any but mine is proper splattered. If I see the budgie what's doing it it's going to get its tail feathers set alight.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

  On 28/05/2020 at 21:25, xtriple said:

Washed the SuLK the other day and every day since the car has been covered in bird shit, no other car nearby has any but mine is proper splattered. If I see the budgie what's doing it it's going to get its tail feathers set alight.

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Are your neighbours surreptitiously spreading breadcrumbs over your car when you're not looking?

[RayMK]

Pigeons sit on our TV aerial, splattering the roof and sides of whatever car I've parked in the shit space underneath.  The sun then bakes the stuff to Aruldite strength .  The irony is that I have not used the TV for at least two years, and when lockdown boredom caused me to switch it on a few weeks ago it would not work!  At least I've removed the tree whose berries enabled pigeons and jackdaws to turn their Aruldite poo red.  The aerial will have to go.

[outlaw118]

Re: Birds shitting on cars; Fatha_Outlaw once said it's something to do with shiny cars looking like water. So SWMBO's silver Rio, yeah, perhaps, but Megamoose is black.

Still, someone on the interweb agrees, so it must* be true.
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-birds-poop-on-cars-Is-there-evidence-that-they-do-it-on-purpose

[dozeydustman]

Hayfever. Dishwasher has packed up. Stomachache again. Wife fed up with working from home. Suzuki now has 2 slow punctures.

Today can get stuffed.

[myglaren]

Spent hours digging through 'my files' ? for the insurance certificate.  I usually get a reminder in the post a couple of weeks before it is due but it becomes due on the 7th.  Spent ages online trying to get some  sense of it the realised I only had the documents as .pdfs, looked in the email heap and got the certificate number, went to phone and the queue is huge but I can renew online.

Put the certificate number in then as i went to put the renewal date in realised the it is due in July, not June.  Oh well

[Lord Sterling]

Not grumpy, just sad ?

Was on my way back from the IoW. I called to a mate and former trade plater colleagues house to see is he was Ok. I'd been trying to phone him for the last month or so to no avail. I called at his house as I was taking Ma_Sterling back home, as I knocked the door, a council workman was sitting in a van outside on the road pipped his horn to get my attention. He explained that about a month earlier, flowers were left outside the house and that occupier may have passed away. It was then I googl my mates name and found out that he'd died last month:

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/appeal-trace-army-mates-much-18117667

He was the chap who owned the Blue Vectra V6 in the right-hand side of this picture:

I contacted the newspaper who put the story up and asked them to please give my contact details to his son so I can pass my condolences ?

[mitsisigma01]

  On 29/05/2020 at 13:36, myglaren said:

Spent hours digging through 'my files' ? for the insurance certificate.  I usually get a reminder in the post a couple of weeks before it is due but it becomes due on the 7th.  Spent ages online trying to get some  sense of it the realised I only had the documents as .pdfs, looked in the email heap and got the certificate number, went to phone and the queue is huge but I can renew online.

Put the certificate number in then as i went to put the renewal date in realised the it is due in July, not June.  Oh well

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25 days before renewal due date is apparently the optimum date for getting quotes (Martin Lewis says so) I personally think insurance companies are all cu..., just like utilities companies that have better deals but won't offer them upfront and some won't even let you go directly through them having to use a comparison site ?

[Pieman]

Re bird shitting on cars: last year I went to a party at a country hotel somewhere in Leicestershite and I parked too close to the trees.  I don't know what kind of birds were living there, but next morning my car was COMPLETELY covered in huge black bird-turds, which I couldn't even pressure-wash away and had to practically chip them off the car with a trowel.  Amazingly my paint wasn't damaged.

[myglaren]

  On 29/05/2020 at 15:22, mitsisigma01 said:

25 days before renewal due date is apparently the optimum date for getting quotes (Martin Lewis says so) I personally think insurance companies are all cu..., just like utilities companies that have better deals but won't offer them upfront and some won't even let you go directly through them having to use a comparison site ?

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Mine has been reducing significantly year by year and always cheaper than the meercat -type quotes.

Too much of a pain to go through all that hassle if I can avoid it.  I was concerned about being uninsured - I haven't used the car in at least ten weeks but my son uses it most nights for work.

[busmansholiday]

My grump is that had it not been for covid 19, I'd currently be chucking the suitcases in the back of the car for the trip over the hills and the orange and white bird taking me to Crete.

[Roobarb]

Well, most of you have probably seen the news about Minneapolis. 

We’re set for another night of unrest, with the national guard being brought in - with as many as 13,000 national guard possibly turning out.  Curfew at 8:00pm tonight.

Yes, there are bad pockets. Yes there has been violence and a very unfortunate cause to this, but it isn’t a reflection of Minnesota or Minneapolis usually. So many of those arrested are from ‘out of state’. Those who follow trouble. 

Don’t let the news over hype this. There are issues, but there are also inflammatory elements trying to make this worse by looting and destruction. Also the media trying to eat up airtime on this issue by sensationalization of the violence and destruction.  

Minneapolis is a great place to be. Yes, I would like to come home to the UK one day, but that’s just because the UK is home. Please don’t think that America or Minneapolis is as bad as you might see on the news. It’s a great place to be and I love living here. 

[omegod]

Was re-felting my in laws shed today and inexplicably fell off, 7 foot fall onto concrete so now bumped and scraped to hell , you have to laugh though don't ya 

[chaseracer]

Hope you're OK.  Been checked over?

[omegod]

  On 30/05/2020 at 17:43, chaseracer said:

Hope you're OK.  Been checked over?

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Yeah i'm ok thanks, thought i'd cracked my wrist but was able to finish the job so must be ok, no head bump 

Self medicating with a drop of wine in anticipation of being v sore tomorrow 

[Tamworthbay]

Any dentists on here? A lump has appeared on my gum above a tooth. It’s squidgy but not overly painful. If I squirt mouthwash around that tooth I get an odd taste in my mouth. Could this be an abscess?

[Chas4545]

Sounds like an oozing abcess, with a way out for the puss ,so pain will be much less than if it was not " leaky ".  Call doc rather than dentist, get antibiotics. No need for a visit.  Remember to only brush and floss the teeth you want to keep, as most dentists would say.

Brush, floss brush floss repeat repeat repeat.

 

Legal note  .... not a dentist.   Speaking  from experience.

Edited May 30, 2020 by Chas4545
Legal note

[Tamworthbay]

  On 30/05/2020 at 18:13, Chas4545 said:

Sounds like an oozing abcess, with a way out for the puss ,so pain will be much less than if it was not " leaky ".  Call doc rather than dentist, get antibiotics. No need for a visit.  Remember to only brush and floss the teeth you want to keep, as most dentists would say.

Brush, floss brush floss repeat repeat repeat.

 

Legal note  .... not a dentist.   Speaking  from experience.

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That was what I thought, in the spirit of ‘what’s the worst that could happen’ I gave it a good squeeze and could taste the same bad taste. I am at the docs Monday for a blood test so will ask them then.

[outlaw118]

They call it Scumtree for as reason.

Looking out for a cheap mountainbike for the grand-daughter, hoping for one with suspension, also not fussed about it being a ladies frame with the different crossbar; it's likely that when eldest grandson visits Outlaw_Junior, he'll ride it.

Everything in quotation marks are verbatim quotes.

This morning, one popped up in Maldon, about 30-40 minutes away, looked ideal, described as good running order, blah blah. Posted ad at 10:00, I messaged at 10:25 to enquire as to wheel and frame size, as not mentioned in the ad. 10 minutes later," full size frame 26" wheels". I replied straightaway "Thank you, I'll have this please, would you like cash or paypal, I can collect this morning, or anytime today, thanks". 

RADIO SILENCE

14:30 rang the number on the ad, and no reply.

17:05 message "It's sold"

 

MOTHER FUCKER.

 

Outlaw_Junior had his eye on another in Forest Gate, East Lahndahn. Messaged him, he's replying, making all the right noises, bike in "used but ok condition, no faults". So as he's got Micro_Outlaw, LittleMiss_Outlaw & Puppy_Outlaw with him, we set off in two cars. 

Should have noticed the Uber Eats rucksack in the hallway really.... The lad takes it for a little run up the road; he's a regular cyclist, and he knows what he's doing. Bike won't go into gear, the chain came off, there's no block on one side of the front brake. 

"oh, it's never done that before, perhaps the chain needs adjusting"

"L8RZ M8"

TL:DR Wankers.

[Neil clark]

  On 30/05/2020 at 17:55, Tamworthbay said:

Any dentists on here? A lump has appeared on my gum above a tooth. It’s squidgy but not overly painful. If I squirt mouthwash around that tooth I get an odd taste in my mouth. Could this be an abscess?

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Thats how mine started, got bigger and bigger until I wanted to cut my head off, pushed tooth up and out the socket by a couple of mm, it burst leaving mouth full of green puss BUT it felt soooooo good to be in no pain, got tablets and tooth out

[Tamworthbay]

  On 30/05/2020 at 19:11, Neil clark said:

Thats how mine started, got bigger and bigger until I wanted to cut my head off, pushed tooth up and out the socket by a couple of mm, it burst leaving mouth full of green puss BUT it felt soooooo good to be in no pain, got tablets and tooth out

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The joy* of a tooth abscess is something else. When I had to have a series of spinal injections the consultant said after that he bet it was the worst pain you have  ever experienced, I made him laugh when I replied that I have would five sets of them before one tooth abscess. If the worst comes to the worse I will just get the wife to lance it for me.

[myglaren]

In the absence of anything from the doctor, a mouthwash of warm salt water is fairly effective if not very pleasant.

[paulplom]

I've lanced them a few times and squeezed the puss out. Eases it for a short while. Proper tooth ache has to be up there with the worst pain you can get.

[Royale80]

Think I'll get rid of the Royale and Senator. Getting parts is a right fucking pain. Was on the lookout for a set of rubbers for my Royales master cylinder-brakes iffy (got a new set of pistons thanks to Angry Dicky), asked on ANS forum-ABS parts secretary replied that he had a 2nd hand master cylinder and a few other bits i wanted, replied within 2 hours of his email last sat-heard nothing-asked again today only to find it's all been sold to another member who's a trader and will most probably appear on his ebay shop.  Fuck paying £30 next time for membership-no point-the club even sells spares to non members via faceache. This has boiled my piss- MG fucking B next.

Rant over

 

Steve

[Bren]

Looking at facebook this morning you would think we had never put man in space before.

[Bren]

  On 31/05/2020 at 11:45, Stevebrookman said:

Think I'll get rid of the Royale and Senator. Getting parts is a right fucking pain. Was on the lookout for a set of rubbers for my Royales master cylinder-brakes iffy (got a new set of pistons thanks to Angry Dicky), asked on ANS forum-ABS parts secretary replied that he had a 2nd hand master cylinder and a few other bits i wanted, replied within 2 hours of his email last sat-heard nothing-asked again today only to find it's all been sold to another member who's a trader and will most probably appear on his ebay shop.  Fuck paying £30 next time for membership-no point-the club even sells spares to non members via faceache. This has boiled my piss- MG fucking B next.

Rant over

 

Steve

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Why I am no longer a member of any clubs. It goes pete tong once money is involved. Dont get rid - just bear with it Steve.

[warch]

  On 31/05/2020 at 13:10, Bren said:

Looking at facebook this morning you would think we had never put man in space before.

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I think the issue is that if the Americans* aren't doing something then as far as they are concerned it isn't happening. Notwithstanding frequent rocket launches from Russia and Kazakhstan in the interval between the last Space Shuttle mission. I did find it quite interesting, especially the very 2001 esque spacesuit, and wellington boot combo modelled by the astronauts on board.

*I know Elon is a saffer but you get my meaning.