The grumpy thread

[artdjones]

3 hours ago, Jerzy Woking said:

Where I live you have to get a fire licence from the local council, which is free. I could only have a bonfire between sunrise and 13.30 hours on Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Other areas in the town have the same times, but different days.

I said could because no fires are allowed between 1st June and 16th October (which was extended to mid November last year due to the dry summer).

 

I was on the Costa Blanca a few years ago in May when someone in the country decided he needed to burn rubbish. Later that day we watched from about 4 miles away as fires burned across a cast area of hillsides. According to my brother, the perpetrator could expect jail time.

[Bren]

In the gym on Thursday - felt a twinge at the bottom of my back. Stopped what I was doing.

I am in a lot of discomfort - painful back and hips and numbness in left leg.

I have a good mind to stop doing all my exercise - once you approach your fifties it seems tk do as much harm as good.

[PhilA]

Nuts.

I had to special order these. They came in, 2000-odd miles from Brooklyn.

I could understand something specialty but 5-40 brass nuts? Sheesh. Nowhere locally carried them. Everybody has 6-32 or 4-40. 

 

I was cheered up slightly by the appearance of a single sunshine mimosa by my mailbox, which the mail van promptly ran over.

 

That and it's too bloody hot

 

[Jerzy Woking]

3 hours ago, artdjones said:

I was on the Costa Blanca a few years ago in May when someone in the country decided he needed to burn rubbish. Later that day we watched from about 4 miles away as fires burned across a cast area of hillsides. According to my brother, the perpetrator could expect jail time.

Although I had a lot to burn, all tree and shrub cuttings, I keep the fire small and just keep adding to it bit by bit from the cuttings heap about 10 yards away. I have the pool backwash hose close by.

I do this exactly because of what your brother said. I'm was not going to take the risk of ending up in the slammer over an out of control bonfire.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

3 hours ago, artdjones said:

I was on the Costa Blanca a few years ago in May when someone in the country decided he needed to burn rubbish. Later that day we watched from about 4 miles away as fires burned across a cast area of hillsides. According to my brother, the perpetrator could expect jail time.

Did that not depend on the Guardia Civil actually finding the fella?

[artdjones]

9 hours ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Did that not depend on the Guardia Civil actually finding the fella?

I seem to remember my brother saying that the info was known. In Ireland in Kerry and Cork there's huge illegal hillside fires every year, which get started under the mistaken belief that it improves the grazing.  No-one ever seems to get caught for them, though the pool of suspects must be fairly small. That is, people who have commonage rights in the affected area.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Just now, artdjones said:

I seem to remember my brother saying that the info was known. In Ireland in Kerry and Cork there's huge illegal hillside fires every year, which get started under the mistaken belief that it improves the grazing.  No-one ever seems to get caught for them, though the pool of suspects must be fairly small. That is, people who have commonage rights in the affected area.

I know people will continue to cut peat in the boglands, despite any environmental bans!

[artdjones]

Yes, but again people have cutting rights on the bog from a long time back. It's like Germany, somehow they keep their enormous opencast brown coal mines operating, while every black coal mine in the UK shuts down.

[artdjones]

Who's doing the most environmental damage?

[High Jetter]

Turf wins on aroma every time though! I really miss that when visiting.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

10 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Turf wins on aroma every time though! I really miss that when visiting.

Yes, it's a bit like trying to imagine Amsterdam without the smell of weed....

[cort1977]

27 minutes ago, artdjones said:

I seem to remember my brother saying that the info was known. In Ireland in Kerry and Cork there's huge illegal hillside fires every year, which get started under the mistaken belief that it improves the grazing.  No-one ever seems to get caught for them, though the pool of suspects must be fairly small. That is, people who have commonage rights in the affected area.

In Scotland it's legal because it may make slightly better habitat for game birds.  For people to shoot.  Never mind the rest of the environment being an effective desert.

I would love to see Scotland properly rewilded with bears and wolves controlling the deer population and the forests allowed to regrow.  Would make going for a hike much more interesting...

[artdjones]

2 hours ago, cort1977 said:

In Scotland it's legal because it may make slightly better habitat for game birds.  For people to shoot.  Never mind the rest of the environment being an effective desert.

I would love to see Scotland properly rewilded with bears and wolves controlling the deer population and the forests allowed to regrow.  Would make going for a hike much more interesting...

 

Yeah, sounds like great fun.

 

[GrumpiusMaximus]

1 hour ago, cort1977 said:

In Scotland it's legal because it may make slightly better habitat for game birds.  For people to shoot.  Never mind the rest of the environment being an effective desert.

I would love to see Scotland properly rewilded with bears and wolves controlling the deer population and the forests allowed to regrow.  Would make going for a hike much more interesting...

May also help control the endemic of posh people going North of the border to shoot every year.

[somewhatfoolish]

6 hours ago, cort1977 said:

In Scotland it's legal because it may make slightly better habitat for game birds.  For people to shoot.  Never mind the rest of the environment being an effective desert.

I would love to see Scotland properly rewilded with bears and wolves controlling the deer population and the forests allowed to regrow.  Would make going for a hike much more interesting...

Only if open carry is allowed for protection! Nae chance under Nanny Knows Best.

[Zelandeth]

Finally got around to properly investigating the siezed up valve on the shower in the en suite bathroom.  It's been knackered for ages so we've just used the shower in the main bathroom - but we're about to have a friend staying with us for several weeks while their house is being renovated...and five people to one shower doesn't sound like good math.

After the best part of an hour of swearing got the faceplate off.  Oh look, they installed it and then tiled over everything.  Wonderful!

Hoping that - if it can even be removed given the amount of scale present - replacing the cartridge in both valves will solve the problem without having to disturb the actual valve body.  Not holding my breath though.

Also there seem to be a plethora of different types...and they're expensive. 

Seriously considering just calling a plumber for this one - if I can find one who doesn't declare the job "Not worth getting out the van for" like last time anyway...

[brownnova]

My garden is in two halves, the half beside the house which we use, and the half behind which this year I left to go meadow-like to promote pollination.  But as my little one has had a cold go to her chest, resulting in a covid test  (it’s not covid, but because it’s a cough the doctor won’t do anything until covid is ruled out) and therefore isolating I decided to get mowing.

The grump is that my self propelled petrol mower will not run. It’ll start on the primer but won’t stay running for more than 3 seconds. Much fiddling and I still can’t get it going. Which means I’ve been mowing for several hours now with the electric mower... which is becoming very tired of this job. (It’s past my knees in places.) 

I really need a ride on mower, but bloody hell they’re expensive!! 

[Stanky]

8 minutes ago, brownnova said:

My garden is in two halves, the half beside the house which we use, and the half behind which this year I left to go meadow-like to promote pollination.  But as my little one has had a cold go to her chest, resulting in a covid test  (it’s not covid, but because it’s a cough the doctor won’t do anything until covid is ruled out) and therefore isolating I decided to get mowing.

The grump is that my self propelled petrol mower will not run. It’ll start on the primer but won’t stay running for more than 3 seconds. Much fiddling and I still can’t get it going. Which means I’ve been mowing for several hours now with the electric mower... which is becoming very tired of this job. (It’s past my knees in places.) 

I really need a ride on mower, but bloody hell they’re expensive!! 

Briggs & Stratton engine? Replace the carb diaphragm and it'll be good as new. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333993936746?hash=item4dc397076a:g:UBwAAOSwCa9glqhd

[Sham]

Sounds like you need a brush cutter and not a mower.

But, what 'e said about the carb. 

[brownnova]

1 hour ago, Stanky said:

Briggs & Stratton engine? Replace the carb diaphragm and it'll be good as new. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/333993936746?hash=item4dc397076a:g:UBwAAOSwCa9glqhd

It’s a Ryobi, not sure what engine. I’ll do some research. Thanks for the tip! 

56 minutes ago, Sham said:

Sounds like you need a brush cutter and not a mower.

But, what 'e said about the carb. 

I do have one of those! No petrol in it, and not allowed out to get any... 

Mes_brownnova thinks we really need a 1950s/60s tractor to pull some kind of mowing attachment around... I’m not inclined to argue. 

[3VOM]

On 6/2/2021 at 6:24 PM, Zelandeth said:

Finally got around to properly investigating the siezed up valve on the shower in the en suite bathroom.  It's been knackered for ages so we've just used the shower in the main bathroom - but we're about to have a friend staying with us for several weeks while their house is being renovated...and five people to one shower doesn't sound like good math.

After the best part of an hour of swearing got the faceplate off.  Oh look, they installed it and then tiled over everything.  Wonderful!

Hoping that - if it can even be removed given the amount of scale present - replacing the cartridge in both valves will solve the problem without having to disturb the actual valve body.  Not holding my breath though.

Also there seem to be a plethora of different types...and they're expensive. 

Seriously considering just calling a plumber for this one - if I can find one who doesn't declare the job "Not worth getting out the van for" like last time anyway...

You would normally tile over it and just leave a small gap for the shower taps. Try https://www.showerdoc.com/ for spare parts if you just want to try swapping the insides.

[High Jetter]

6 hours ago, brownnova said:

Mes_brownnova thinks we really need a 1950s/60s tractor to pull some kind of mowing attachment around... I’m not inclined to argue.

Funnily enough, I just re-watched the Car Sausage with the Fergie tractor that ended up with a mowing deck.

[Remspoor]

On 6/2/2021 at 10:09 AM, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Yes, it's a bit like trying to imagine Amsterdam without the smell of weed....

Or in London,  the Smell of Diesel form an old RT

[Tadhg Tiogar]

2 hours ago, Remspoor said:

Or in London,  the Smell of Diesel form an old RT

Actually in London, it's often the smell of weed as well!

[chaseracer]

5 hours ago, brownnova said:

Mes_brownnova thinks we really need a 1950s/60s tractor to pull some kind of mowing attachment around... I’m not inclined to argue. 

@Talbot's yer man for obscure mowing contraptions...

[Tadhg Tiogar]

5 hours ago, brownnova said:

...Mes_brownnova thinks we really need a 1950s/60s tractor to pull some kind of mowing attachment around... 

I look forward to ploughing competitions at the FoD.

[wuvvum]

Maybe @Mrs6C would loan you the 1958 Massey Ferguson?  Would be great fun* driving that back to Wales from the FOD at 19mph.

[Talbot]

8 hours ago, chaseracer said:

@Talbot's yer man for obscure mowing contraptions...

You do NOT want a mower I've designed.  Well, not anything like the Mk1 anyway.  Maybe a slightly* safer Mk2 perhaps.

[Wack]

People like this really boil my piss , if that were me I'd be making a claim on her insurance , what a cunt of a woman 

[goosey]

Cant replace just the worn bearings in my washing machine, have to replace the whole Drum.

Oh bother