The grumpy thread

[wuvvum]

3 hours ago, barefoot said:

Do you mean an ichneumon fly?

Nope, cellar spider.  One of these cunts.

[Metal Guru]

1 hour ago, Wibble said:

Crikey, I didn’t know daddy longlegs were capable of that. I’ve spent many hours in fields in Ireland, with my Dad, catching them for trout bait. Two per hook was the norm.

They can kill spiders that can potentially kill or seriously harm humans. Because of this it was thought their venom must be particularly nasty but they couldn’t kill humans due to really weak fangs. 
However it turns out their venom is actually harmless to humans (at least in the dosage they can inject you with). 

[barefoot]

8 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Nope, cellar spider.  One of these cunts.

My father was bitten by one of those. He had a sore thumb for a surprisingly long time. 

[myglaren]

10 minutes ago, barefoot said:

My father was bitten by one of those. He had a sore thumb for a surprisingly long time. 

Found one in the washing up yesterday.  Drowned as the cup was full of water+soda crystals.

[Dyslexic Viking]

We're having the first really hot day of the year and I'm hotter than Madonna in the 80s and I hate it.

[LightBulbFun]

11 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

We're having the first really hot day of the year and I'm hotter than Madonna in the 80s and I hate it.

just pay @mat_the_cat to install some air conditioning in the Mercedes 190D, problem solved  

[lesapandre]

6 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

just pay @mat_the_cat to install some air conditioning in the Mercedes 190D, problem solved  

From the 1950's on there were Mercedes options to fit air-con to some of their cars - particularly for the US market. Original units may come up for sale from time to time - like this very battered one.

Tricky to fit and to get to work though  - even if one can be found.

[dozeydustman]

We’ve had a couple of lovely days away in Salisbury for the wife’s birthday. Driving back to our digs last night there was a small squeal from o/s front brake on application. Then it didn’t come back.

On way back on A27 just after Portsmouth the squeal came back. Then went again. By the time we got to the Bognor road (A259) the squeal was there even without brakes applied. Felt the inner face of the disc and there’s a great big groove in it.

I reckon I’ve picked up a bit of grit or there’s a defect in the pad.

So that’s another day tomorrow of me not doing MoT jobs on the Peugeot.

[Imhotep]

Before anyone says I know this is a stupid reason to be grumpy but I’ve had an email from Sony asking me to verify my age for my PlayStation account, to prove I’m over 18.

 

My account is 19 years old. And also the age verification system doesn’t work. 

[High Jetter]

Is it really from Sony?

[Imhotep]

54 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Is it really from Sony?

It is, did check email address and website and they did announce they were doing age verification. But I made the account when I was 12. I’m 31 now, it’s a 19 year old account!

[Sunny Jim]

FFS...

[dozeydustman]

And now my diagnostic laptop has conked out. HDD FAILURE. I’m hoping it’s SAT and not IDE as I have a couple of small capacity SSDs lying around

[DavieW]

F*cking Kwik Fit. Oue lease cars have to go to KF for tyres. I had a vibration coming for the back tyres about 25-30mph start on Monday (vibration through the seat and floor so definitely not fronts). Patronising git comes out with tread gauge, has a look and says they're not deformed and the lease company won't change them as they have about 5-6mm of tread left. I felt like saying, "How the F do you know they're not deformed by bending down and looking at them?" but kept my mouth shut. 

"Best I can do is balance them" he says. OK, so that'll sort a warped tyre then, maybe check the tyre first?  Knob.

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

Local tree hugging councillor ms something or other  is pleased to announce they finally got the parking on pavements solved in Sheffield .

Yippee more parking spaces etc ? 

Nope we've now copying London by finally being able to issue £100 fines. Ah so the solution is to fleece the cash cow motorist again ,rather than spend money on a solution.

What other social problems are solved by fines in the once great city , hmm vandalism, druggies & drunks wandering the streets hassling all & sundry, uninsured motorbikes, yobs on e scooters nah to much like hard work to enforce.

[ETCHY]

Is it just me or do folk seem to lie more these days?

If i say I'll do something I do it, if I say I can't do something I'm telling the truth. If i fuck up i admit it & own it. Tons of folk now  don't seem to get this concept.

I bloody hate liars & bullshitters.

 

[Metal Guru]

8 hours ago, DavieW said:

F*cking Kwik Fit. Oue lease cars have to go to KF for tyres. I had a vibration coming for the back tyres about 25-30mph start on Monday (vibration through the seat and floor so definitely not fronts). Patronising git comes out with tread gauge, has a look and says they're not deformed and the lease company won't change them as they have about 5-6mm of tread left. I felt like saying, "How the F do you know they're not deformed by bending down and looking at them?" but kept my mouth shut. 

"Best I can do is balance them" he says. OK, so that'll sort a warped tyre then, maybe check the tyre first?  Knob.

 

Try a different branch. Our local KF is shite, absolutely stereotype that people think of,  but I’ve come across some really good ones too. 

[calebaaront]

This has just happened to the S-Type, I’m assuming it’s the transmission oil pan? It still drives but sounds like a diesel and the shifts are rough.  

[robt100]

8 hours ago, calebaaront said:

This has just happened to the S-Type, I’m assuming it’s the transmission oil pan? It still drives but sounds like a diesel and the shifts are rough.  

 Quite impressive damage! Cracked pan? I daren't ask how long you drove on it like that, but you might get away with a new pan and new oil, thats still a good hundred or so just to know if its dead 😬

[Boycie]

On 19/04/2026 at 13:11, wuvvum said:

For a good couple of months now I've had a smallish house spider (about an inch across) living in a corner of my bathroom ceiling.  It just sat there minding its own business, occasionally coming out into its web but mostly just chilling in the corner.  I came to admire its persistence - I've not known a spider to stick around for that long before - and when the weather was decent I took to leaving the bathroom window open to increase its chances of getting a nice juicy insect for lunch.

I went into the bathroom earlier to find that it had been attacked and killed by a daddy longlegs, which was busy eating it.  I'm afraid the daddy longlegs got sprayed, and I'm now sat here wondering what the fuck is wrong with me for getting attached to a bloody house spider...

House spiders are a bloody good pet , they kill plenty horrible shit , rip spider 2025-2026

[Yoss]

On 19/04/2026 at 13:11, wuvvum said:

For a good couple of months now I've had a smallish house spider (about an inch across) living in a corner of my bathroom ceiling.  It just sat there minding its own business, occasionally coming out into its web but mostly just chilling in the corner.  I came to admire its persistence - I've not known a spider to stick around for that long before - and when the weather was decent I took to leaving the bathroom window open to increase its chances of getting a nice juicy insect for lunch.

I went into the bathroom earlier to find that it had been attacked and killed by a daddy longlegs, which was busy eating it.  I'm afraid the daddy longlegs got sprayed, and I'm now sat here wondering what the fuck is wrong with me for getting attached to a bloody house spider...

 

32 minutes ago, Boycie said:

House spiders are a bloody good pet , they kill plenty horrible shit , rip spider 2025-2026

I once had a spider set up a web in the window of my garage. Not a particularly big one. One day I opened the garage door to hear a right racket going on and found a massive hornet stuck in the web. This was much much bigger than the spider and the web was quite badly damaged with the hornet flapping about. The spider was in the corner watching. 

I thought this isn't going to end well, it seemed inconceivable that the web could hold the hornet and I didn't want to be around when it got free so I left. 

I came back a bit later to find the hornet motionless, wrapped up in silk and the web repaired. And the spider just sitting in the corner again. We'll done spider. We definitely need less hornets in the world as they eat the bees we need for life on Earth. 

[Zelandeth]

You know that rule I generally have of replacing any fuel line that I've not personally fitted with proper Cohline stuff (from here so I know it's actually genuine - Linky) on sight?

This is why!

This got missed when I was doing a bunch of work in the area because I didn't have any 6mm line in stock so what was on the car was left on the car.  I didn't make a point of writing down that it still needed to be done, so promptly forgot about it.

It was just gently weeping and running down the side of the carb until I poked it - it looked like the carb was overflowing.  Several metres of proper hose has now been ordered.  That screen filter is getting binned as well - there's already one in the fuel valve coming out of the tank and if it's all new hose having additional filtration at the carb is just redundant and additional potential leak points.  New proper hose clamps will be going on at the same time.

Goodness only knows how long that has actually been weeping.  Because it's a gravity fed system and I switch it off every time I stop the engine it could have gone unnoticed for a long time.

[Popsicle]

My Passat has taken another plastering of bird shit.

I'm beginning to wonder if it is bird shit, look at the size of some of it.

[sheffcortinacentre]

Pterodactyl 

[Soundwave]

Ever wondered what happens when a lawnmower kicks up a rock and launches it at Mach Jesus towards a patio door?

This, apparently. Discovered the hard way this afternoon.


 

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, Soundwave said:

Ever wondered what happens when a lawnmower kicks up a rock and launches it at Mach Jesus towards a patio door?

This, apparently. Discovered the hard way this afternoon.


 

It's good that you found out accidentally! Shame about your DG unit tho

[beko1987]

Lost our yellow budgie on Saturday 😢 she suddenly went lethargic and puffy (was going to do a vet run this morning) but Saturday morning she fell from her perch, landed on the bottom of the cage (which isn't very tall) but had fucked something. She lasted another 20 minutes in my daughter's hands until she passed.

The remaining budgie is now making very sad noises as she calls for her friend who will never be coming back. Might have to get a 2nd one soon so she has company (but not another yellow lutino. She's always been sickly and was fairly ill not long after I got them. It must breed all the strength out of them as the other  bird has been fine

[loserone]

Sorry to hear that Sam.  Hope it wasn't avian flu.  Our hens are only just allowed outside again after another winter of months undercover 

[beko1987]

2 minutes ago, loserone said:

Sorry to hear that Sam.  Hope it wasn't avian flu.  Our hens are only just allowed outside again after another winter of months undercover 

I hope not, although they've not been outside in a couple of years (I have an outdoor aviary but they didnt go near it)

Whatever it was hit her fast, now I have to listen to Peanut calling out for a bird that won't answer again 😭 Tempted to wfh tomorrow too so she's not alone

[Supernaut]

In the same vein, we're down to one horse these days.

On Saturday evening the ancient Shetland pony called Maisie went very quickly downhill with a bad bout of colic and the vet was out to put her to sleep at half past midnight. She was 38, admittedly, which is good going.

 

The 17 year old Welsh Cob, Kyrie, will likely need a companion at some point. She looks a bit lost right now.