The grumpy thread

[Vin]

The shit about idiot young drivers on BBC3

 

I'm about a fortnight from my 21st birthday

 

WHOA. Back the truck up...Surely you mean 31st birthday at least.....

 

There is no way a 20 year old turned up to 'Shitefest'TM 2012 in a Hyundai Pony Tropicana....is there

 

I thought you were just an old bloke who looked a bit younger....

[philibusmo]

The shit about idiot young drivers on BBC3

 

I'm about a fortnight from my 21st birthday

 

WHOA. Back the truck up...Surely you mean 31st birthday at least.....

 

There is no way a 20 year old turned up to 'Shitefest'TM 2012 in a Hyundai Pony Tropicana....is there

 

I thought you were just an old bloke who looked a bit younger....

 

Nope, I am pretty damn certain that I mean 21st birthday. It's either that or there is a 10 year gap in my life that I have completely forgotten after inhaling the fumes the Toyota Cressida with borked carb used to belch out when started.

 

I get this quite a bit. People either assume I'm 30 or 17. Not that I mind particularly.

 

By the way A. Dicky, I am loving that radio. Many a time it has severely bothered me that the original radio is in one of my cars and looks great but is knackered or only picks up longwave and medium wave which these days is as good as useless. That is just about the perfect solution you have there.

[vulgalour]

The exhaust has started blowing at the manifold on the Princess. We all know what that means. Sigh.

[Lankytim]

I'm sat outside Stoke station picking up the buyer of the Saab. Is he here? No he isnt. His phone is off too. Have I been stood up?

[philibusmo]

How hard can it be to find a set of in ear headphones that fit my ears?

The over ear jobbies are too bulky and get right on my nerves as they are not easily pocketable. The little squidgy ones that go into you ear pop out of mine about once every 3 seconds.

 

The only headphone I have found that fit are the ones supplied with iPods and iPhones. They fit my ears really nicely (if worn left one in right ear and right one in left ear) but the sound quality, whilst acceptable, isn't great and they deteriorate remarkably quickly. This style seems to have gone right out of fashion, but is the only thing I can use day to day.

 

BAH! Such a tortured existence I lead!*

 

*other more tortured existences are available. Please contact your local DPRK or Syrian embassy for more details.

[retrogeezer]

You could try some of these Phil, very good reviews and if you wear them correctly as shown in the pics (cable going over your ear and down the back) they seem to fit well. I struggle with the small earbud type but these are great. They were a bit cheaper a couple of weeks ago mind:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007 ... UTF8&psc=1

[Lankytim]

Yes I have been stood up. THANKS.

[retrogeezer]

what a w4nker...

[Lankytim]

Should I swear vengance?

[retrogeezer]

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IVQ-UP8yyY

[Cavcraft]

Should I swear vengance?

 

Yes. One million percent YES.

 

Minor grump from me: Won the listing for a bike, had all bloody afternoon to collect it and no word yet from the seller. Obv. he may be out but it means arsing about in the week now.

[Lankytim]

Funny, he doesn't look like a 16 yr old wastrel.

 

 

He's obviously a VERY FUNNY GUY though*

[shedvan]

Small petty grump this but:

 

THE WORD IS BUSH OR BUSHES YOU SOFT-SHELLED MORON!!

 

Not 'bushings' this is not Carry On Abroad and you are not Peter Butterworth

[mattblack]

Had the today all planned out... take my mum shopping this morning, fit the new fuel tank on the Cortina this afternoon.

 

Got back to mum's house from the supermarket, she says "have you got the keys?"

"No, I locked the door and gave it back to you"

Drive back to supermarket, I said I would go back in and ask if anyone has handed them in as she has a dodgy knee.

"They're on the XXX keyring, aren't they"?

"yes"

Go to customer service desk, there is a set of keys, but not on an XXX keyring.

"No, it's not them" I say

Drive back to her house, trying to think of a way to get in. She tells me my sister has a spare key. She lives/works about 20 miles away. I ring her, yes she has the spare key with her at work.

Drive over there, get the key, drive back.

Get into house.

Mum says, "I'll sort out the spare keys" and produces them... on an XXX keyring.

"I thought you said the ones you lost were on an XXX keyring?"

"Oh no, they were on a XYZ keyring"

You've guessed it, THEY WERE THE ONES AT THE BLOODY SUPERMARKET!!!

 

Got home about 2.50, started on the Cortina tank swap. Realised that I only had one petrol can at home, other 2 are in the lock up. Realised that I would be faffing about all day trying to empty the tank with my little syphon pump after I'd got 5 litres out, decide there wasn't much fuel in it anyway so I would pour it into my 20 litre jerrycan when I got the tank off. Jack up car, get it on stands. Disconect pipe from sender, pipe on sender unit twists and comes loose in sender body. wire brush/WD40 threads on strap hangers, they both snap off anyway when I try to undo them. It starts to rain. Get tank off, take sender unit out to see what's going on with pipe. Still loads of petrol in tank, start to pour it out of filler neck into jerrycan. Pour fuel over floor/leg.

 

So I was wet, stinking of petrol, the Cortina is up on stands with no fuel tank in and I need to get a new sender unit now.

 

BUMCAKES.

[warren t claim]

The Claim family run a small property development company renting homes out in the local area, not a very big concern with about a dozen properties. We're certainly not slumlords and definitely not Nicky Van Hoogstraaten, we just rent out family homes to decent people on a long let. I don't normally take a big interest in the business as cars are my thing but I was recently asked to help remove an 18 year old tenant placed in a 3 bedroom house by a care company. We had recieved a few complaints and the gas safety man had told us to head over as a matter of prime importance. This is what I found, now please bear in mind that this was that particular properties first let and had been gutted and decorated from top to bottom only 18 months previously.

Living room

Hall

Stairs

Landing

Bedroom

Bedroom

Outside featuring makeshift "gazebo" heated by detatching a piece of drainpipe and attatching it to the central heating boiler exhaust!!!

Now this picture I found is somewhat disturbing, it's a photograph of several children that he's used as a dartboard, if you look closely you'll see various points awarded to hitting each child.

This bag of mysterious white powder might have something to do with his mental state.

It's unheard of for me to have to go in and do a "hard" eviction, normally I'd choose to go in through the back door as it's generally easier to secure afterwards, not in this case though as he'd thoughtfully put through the door himself...

Today I've had to rent a trailer and spend the day clearing the place out. The estimate for putting good the damage stands at £4000 and counting.

[ruffgeezer]

Still, at least you didn't happen upon his hoards of milk bottles full of shit...

 

...yet.

 

 

Today's grump is due to the useless breakers around here, I want a few bits for my van, they insist on removing them themselves, only they haven't, it's been over 3 weeks now.

 

Does anyone on here have a decent (cheap) scrappy nearby with a Dispatch/Scudo/Expert van in it?

[Lacquer Peel]

What do you need? I know of one with a phase 1 Dispatch in it.

[Negative Creep]

THe infuriating thing is that they'll find him somewhere else to live at our expense, and having done my sums I don't think I can even afford a one bedroom flat. On that note someone downstairs had their £600 bike stolen from the shed. I never even knew he kept it in there, and given its location and lack of force3d entry it looks to be an inside job. At least I know where my missing post went.........

[ruffgeezer]

What do you need? I know of one with a phase 1 Dispatch in it.

 

Erm, 3 cheap headrests, the bung for the sliding door shuts, probably more when I look at it a bit more closely, I've binned the idea of second hand shocks off as (A) they couldn't be arsed and ( new ones are cheap anyway.

[warren t claim]

THe infuriating thing is that they'll find him somewhere else to live at our expense, and having done my sums I don't think I can even afford a one bedroom flat..

 

He's been rehomed in a flat around the corner already. He was homeless for less than 12 hours.

[eddyramrod]

THe infuriating thing is that they'll find him somewhere else to live at our expense, and having done my sums I don't think I can even afford a one bedroom flat..

 

He's been rehomed in a flat around the corner already. He was homeless for less than 12 hours.

 

He should be homeless for ever.

[Parky]

I'm a bit pissed off today. Took Parky jnr to his gym class today and during the session this particular girl kept pushing him and generally being an arse. He wisely left it.

 

At the end he was In line to use the trampoline (his favourite bit) and this girl finished her turn, and immediately pushed into the queue in front of him. He pushed her out reminding her there was a queue and her response was "ladies first". To which he replied " that's a bit sexist don't you think?" Parky jnr is a bit too smart for his own good sometimes.

 

Anyhow, afterwards this irate woman (this girls mother) starts berating me for my sons "rascist and sexist behaviour which he obviously learned from somewhere" which I was frankly taken aback by. I asked him What he had said and it was as above. Not rascist or sexist in any way. I refused to apologise for his comment which I thought was totally justified (he could have used his three years of jujitsu training had he wanted), and she walked off in a huff muttering about taking it further, saying her daughter didnt know words like my son did so he must have an awful home life. she knew rascist though interestingly.

 

But the thing that pissed me off the most was as they walked away, the girl turned around smiling as if she enjoyed causing the trouble. I hate it when kids fight and get the parents involved, especially when it's always over stupid shite.....

[vulgalour]

@warren: That's just appalling. You have PM.

[eddyramrod]

Parky: totally seconded!

 

In other news: my ultra-shite work van broke down today, two weeks after passing an MoT that I thought it would never scrape. Pulled up in a yard to back into place for a delivery; didn't touch the handbrake, but when I put it in reverse, it felt like the back wheels were locked solid. Tried first, exactly the same. Did my delivery anyway (half the van, involving extra walking of twice the length of the van with each tray of loaves) and called the boss (popular move at 0700 when he likes a bit of a lie-in on a Saturday!). Last I saw he was trying to get a local garage to do a callout. Yeah, on a Saturday, good luck. Been telling you for months these two vans need replacing. Anyway, I'm off till Wednesday now, that should be enough time to get it sorted. I'd bet money I'll be coming back to the same old Citroen Relay....

[Angrydicky]

The Ivecos at work do that from time to time. They really are fugging shit, and lack of motion is usually accompanied by 'GEARBOX FAILURE' on the dashboard. Switching the engine on and off a few times will usually clear it. Useless.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I've been reviewing my electricity consumption. It seems very high- averaging 7 kwh per day for one person with gas heating, low-energy lamps (even the spotlights are 3W LEDs), and no TV/desktop PC/sound system, plus my fridge is new and rated A+++++++++++++++++++++ TOP EBAYER!!!1!11 I don't even use the cooker (I have a little combination microwave/convection oven which is ideal when you don't prepare food for loads of people)- the only high-consumption device I've got is the electric shower which gets used about 5-7 mins per day on average.

 

However, it's still probably not high enough for me to be able to summon the landlord and/or energy supplier to have a proper look.

[STUNO]

It might pay to check that piece of cable going through the wall towards your neighbours place

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I will be out all day Tuesday, so I guess I can check that out as long as I remember to have a look at the meter in the morning.

[Lankytim]

No press? no problem! I'll just knock this bearing out with a few hammer blows....

 

 

Errr, this hub carrier is now dead. Anybody breaking a Xantia?

[ruffgeezer]

What flavour Xantia is that from Tim?