WAMT....what annoyed me today!

[Cobra]

There are a lot of them?

And many parking on pavements it seem

 

[JohnC6]

More of an irritation than a real annoyance ..

My pond pump is due for replacement, the expected life running 24/7 is 3 years.
And true to form, as per the last one, its on its last legs 3 years and a couple of months after I bought it.

Amazon £59.99 next day with prime
Manufactures web site £49.99 inc. delivery in 3-4 days.
That's OK I can wait and save a tenner.
Or so I thought...

I had an email today, they are out of stock from the manufacture,
it seems they were "over subscribed" when I ordered, and yet there we 10 available showing.

Amazon still have them next day delivery.
So in reality, am I paying a tenner for delivery, or is the company making an extra tenner selling through Amazon?

I was hoping you'd name the company maybe the same one but we've had two OASE pumps..£350 a time The pond holds 1900 gallons. The second one died and we have a friend who is one of these people who seems to know something about everything..I've never yet asked him a questioin he wasn't able to answer. Anyway, he said not to spend that much but buy a Swell pump.It's a good company, too.I paid £99 4 years ago and it's still going well..or should that be 'going Swell'

https://www.swelluk.com/swell-filte...MI3qetgJKd8gIV0uvtCh1pegqrEAAYASAAEgIZNfD_BwE

I've just looked at them in that link and I see it's still there at £99 down from £161.99 but it's out of stock. The 10500

It's sold on Amazon but with a filter. It doesn't filter, it just pumps.

 

[Cobra]

I was hoping you'd name the company

You just did, I'm hoping its gonna be swell
the last 2 were Jebao Eco.
And TBH I would have bought again had they been available.
25w / 2200L /hr they were perfect for my needs.
(2200L pond, the flow rate and filtration is spot on with that)

The Swell one, on order is 2300L/Hr
and 40w ( how does that work?)

Its good to hear that yours is still going strong at 4 years

​

 

[JohnC6]

When challenging the kids at the school where I worked about dropping litter (area of high social deprivation), they seemed to think they were keeping cleaners busy & gainfully employed.

I can believe that because I recall a Five Live phone-in about litter and someone called in to say that very thing. Nicky Campbell asked him if he was being serious and the caller said yes, absolutely.

 

[Box Brownie]

When challenging the kids at the school where I worked about dropping litter (area of high social deprivation), they seemed to think they were keeping cleaners busy & gainfully employed.

I can believe that because I recall a Five Live phone-in about litter and someone called in to say that very thing. Nicky Campbell asked him if he was being serious and the caller said yes, absolutely.

This attitude seems to be endemic though perhaps subconsciously for some.

What such folk ignore/fail to respect is that they are being crass and inconsiderate.....because, as mentioned above, do they drop rubbish in their own homes because there is someone else there to pick up after them.

Dropping rubbish deliberately is nothing more than laziness and an insult to strangers they share the public spaces with!

As for fly tippers.........the stocks are too good for them!

 

[JohnC6]

I’ve probably posted it before but they do that on my road (A class ) even though there are no parking restrictions, seems just force of habit .

They do it,Richard because they think they're being helpful to passing traffic when,infact they are risking having their vehicle hit , especially a wing mirror, because drivers will go past when there is another vehicle oncoming so three abreast whereas, had they parked fully on the road it's likely a vehicle on that side would have to stop to let an oncoming car past.

I've noticed more and more cars on our roads because of traffic hold-ups due to no more than the amount of traffic. Homes with a minimum of two cars on the drive is the norm and the streets in inner cities and towns often have them parked either side of the road and half on footpaths. Just 5 years ago it didn't used to be like this in our road but now, at the weekend, I can count 15-20 cars on the drives of about 6 houses. It's open plan. Standing at one end it looks like a car sales forecourt. Quite depressing.

I've just checked how many registered vehicles there are in the UK.

Number of Cars by Year	Great Britain	United Kingdom
2020	31,695,988	32,697,408

Some years ago a new estate went up a mile or so away..not cheap houses..£250-280,000 .. a lot more now...and whilst they looked very attractive many occupants had to park with half their car on the footpath because the roads, many were closes..were too narrow and the garage also too narrow. That situation could be stopped at the planning stage.

It's really hitting home just how overcrowded this country is. It must be great to live in countries like France approx 2.3 X larger and Germany...1.5X......this side of the Atlantic. I envy the Americans their space.

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

Yesterday actually.
At my neices wedding and during the best man's speech, which was being videoed by a separate videographer, the wedding photographers phone went off....

 

[Cobra]

Swell pump.It's a good company, too.

Addendum, John, the pump turned up earlier this morning.
Two surprises ..
1)supplied by Amazon. But it was delivered by RM.
No problem it arrived next day as promised, and a lot earlier in the day than had it been an Amazon courier ( usually around 8 pm - 10 pm )

2) but most surprising the pump is physically half the size of the one its replacing.
I guess this counts for the higher Watts, a much smaller pump will need to work harder
to deliver the same service.

 

[sphexx]

supplied by Amazon. But it was delivered by RM.

Yes, I had an Amazon (not 3rd party) package by RM recently. RM comes earlier in the day for me, Amazon is always afternoon or evening.

 

[JohnC6]

Just out of interest I Googled to see if there was an estimate of the number of businesses that Amazon, here in the UK, have caused to fold but all I could find was 'countless'. I want a map of Scotland for next year. We have the AA road map..it's easy to read at 2.5 miles per inch but there are times when I want to see the route from A > B without having to go from page 132 to 141 ,then remember that what location was at the top of page 132 is now at the bottom of page 141.Sometimes the very location you want is right in the middle of the looped metal spine. I'll go on the bus into town to Waterstones or WH Smiths on Monday.. Oh, no..hang on. Yesterday there were 72 new Covid cases in Gloucester . Positive tests. That brings the total from July 31st..ie..last Saturday..to 415 albeit a decrease of 4.4 % from the previous week. Between July 26th and August 1st ( last Sunday) 29 people were admitted to hospital..8 have since been discharged but of those still in five of them are in ICU on an oxygen machine. At least no-one has died for a month.

So..apart from that risk both on the bus and in the shop it's a bind parking the car and the bus goes 'all round the houses', as they say, so I'll just send the link for the map I want to my wife who will order it through her Amazon Prime account. Yesterday, we wanted another large kydney-shaped pond plant-basket to put three marginals in. It's an 18-mile round trip back to the garden/Aquatic centre where we bought the first one last Tuesday for £8 so I checked Amazon and they cost £12 for two identical ones. I do check reviews if it's a third-party supplier rather than Amazon and on occasions have gone elswhere.

Interesting facts about Amazon in the UK https://cybercrew.uk/blog/amazon-statistics-uk/

 

[Cobra]

Re-occurring fault with the BB from BT.
Late evening the service drops off several times, when it resumes its down from approx. 34mb/s to less than 10mb/s.
each time they send an engineer they find broken / decaying copper wire.
I tried to speak to a human. As I usually do, this time its text "HELP" to the number supplied and they will run checks ...

I got a reply, its seems that my line is fine, of course it is, you did something!
It didn't return to 34mb/s on its own now did it?

 

[Box Brownie]

Re-occurring fault with the BB from BT.
Late evening the service drops off several times, when it resumes its down from approx. 34mb/s to less than 10mb/s.
each time they send an engineer they find broken / decaying copper wire.
I tried to speak to a human. As I usually do, this time its text "HELP" to the number supplied and they will run checks ...

I got a reply, its seems that my line is fine, of course it is, you did something!
It didn't return to 34mb/s on its own now did it?

If you get the chance to see & speak to the Openreach engineer when s/he has to come out again that can sometimes pay dividends i.e. the difference between 'they have a works instruction' to fix a fault compared to a chat where you might get the engineer to work with you to resolve the matter more completely???

 

[Cobra]

to fix a fault compared to a chat where you might get the engineer to work with you to resolve the matter more completely???

The Guy that's been out the last 2 times is very throughout thorough he even replaced all the internal wiring for a "drink"
and reported it as an external fault.

Even he admits that the 50 odd year copper wiring from the exchange is "well past its sell by date"
So yes I have a good rapport with the engineer, he does what he can, until the next time a piece of wire fails...

 

[gjhill]

Seeing my schedule for tonight's deliveries
2 before 5 the nothing till 730
God I'm bored already

 

[woof woof]

Yesterday.

We live on what's been the driving test route for years but I think it's getting worse. Next door have four cars and very often leave one or two on the road and they're such a feature that the learner drivers reverse round them multiple times per day so of course sometimes they're there when I want to get out and this happens more times than you'd think.

Everyone has to learn. I understand that. The frequency of this and the fact that they often park up blocking the drive and have a chat is however irritating. I do think that part of the lesson should be not blocking other peoples drives, radical though that idea may be. To me to sit there blocking the drive while they have a chat just seems to be teaching them bad practice. Even if I reverse the car down the drive they persist in sitting there and the instructor will ignore me until I knock on his window and ask them to move.

Yesterday the learner was making a hash of it and was at an angle and completely blocking the road. The instructor waved me out but where he expected me to go I just don't know. Maybe they think I should just wait for them to move off in their own time... but I have places to be and I'm often on a timetable.

 

[sphexx]

Yesterday.

We live on what's been the driving test route for years but I think it's getting worse. Next door have four cars and very often leave one or two on the road and they're such a feature that the learner drivers reverse round them multiple times per day so of course sometimes they're there when I want to get out and this happens more times than you'd think.

Everyone has to learn. I understand that. The frequency of this and the fact that they often park up blocking the drive and have a chat is however irritating. I do think that part of the lesson should be not blocking other peoples drives, radical though that idea may be. To me to sit there blocking the drive while they have a chat just seems to be teaching them bad practice. Even if I reverse the car down the drive they persist in sitting there and the instructor will ignore me until I knock on his window and ask them to move.

Yesterday the learner was making a hash of it and was at an angle and completely blocking the road. The instructor waved me out but where he expected me to go I just don't know. Maybe they think I should just wait for them to move off in their own time... but I have places to be and I'm often on a timetable.

The fault is the instructor’s. Are the locally licensed? I’ve no idea but I guess one could complain about them. A road I used to use in London had a solid white line across every driveway -- you need something like that.

 

[Al1944]

Yesterday evening I received over 30 phone calls to my mobile number from 13 different numbers - some were trying to contact 'Abellio Control ' (which I found out later is a bus company based in London), some from a bus company located in Liverpool and some which I've been unable to trace. I had to switch my phone off at 10 pm so that we could get a bit of peace!

 

[Tringa]

Yesterday.

I do think that part of the lesson should be not blocking other peoples drives, radical though that idea may be. To me to sit there blocking the drive while they have a chat just seems to be teaching them bad practice. Even if I reverse the car down the drive they persist in sitting there and the instructor will ignore me until I knock on his window and ask them to move.

Agree completely. Except in an emergency there is no excuse for blocking someone's access to the road, even if temporarily. Isn't an understanding of road conditions and layout something that a driving instructor should be aware of?


Dave

 

[Topsy]

Agree completely. Except in an emergency there is no excuse for blocking someone's access to the road, even if temporarily. Isn't an understanding of road conditions and layout something that a driving instructor should be aware of?


Dave

It's illegal to block a drive that has a vehicle on it, oddly not if there isn't a vehicle on it although how anyone would know if my garage had a vehicle in it or not...........

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

It's illegal to block a drive that has a vehicle on it, oddly not if there isn't a vehicle on it although how anyone would know if my garage had a vehicle in it or not...........

The rule is actually that you mustn't obstruct the highway. In practice, this means that any enforcement only applies to "dropped pavements" and then only when a clear case can be made out.

If the driveway is empty there wouldn't be a clear case of obstruction, The way the law works, there wouldn't (apparently) be obstruction to a vehicle wanting to leave the road onto private land.

Also, the body responsible for handling the matter is the local authority that has taken on Civil Parking Enforcement duties and not the police.

This gives some idea of how these things work: https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q440.htm#

 

[Topsy]

The rule is actually that you mustn't obstruct the highway. In practice, this means that any enforcement only applies to "dropped pavements" and then only when a clear case can be made out.

If the driveway is empty there wouldn't be a clear case of obstruction, The way the law works, there wouldn't (apparently) be obstruction to a vehicle wanting to leave the road onto private land.

Also, the body responsible for handling the matter is the local authority that has taken on Civil Parking Enforcement duties and not the police.

This gives some idea of how these things work: https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q440.htm#

Thanks for the clarification. I was passing on what I had been told by my (then) neighbor who is a Police Constable as a result of me asking because someone had blocked my drive some years ago. I found tham and "encouraged" them to park elsewhere but the neighbor told me that they would only be able to act if my car was on the drive therefore I assume from what you have said the parked vehicle would be obstructing the highway?

 

[woof woof]

The fault is the instructor’s. Are the locally licensed? I’ve no idea but I guess one could complain about them. A road I used to use in London had a solid white line across every driveway -- you need something like that.

I haven't complained to the companies but you'd think the instructors would be getting the message... Years back they used to do the exact same thing to a guy over the road who's neighbour had a car permanently on the road and one day he just went mental with them but these days that side of the road is very often just solid parked cars so the opportunity to reverse park there is limited so they've now switched to our side which is usually clear or cars apart from next doors... so perfect for reverse parking.

As I said, I know people have to learn it's just that sometimes I'm a bit pressured for time getting a 92 YO with multiple issues dressed and out the door or when taking Mrs WW to school or some appointment or other. Also, being ignored is just annoying. On Friday I had to get out of the car and tell them to move, the time before that the instructor said "In a minute" and carried on with the conversation. This was followed by "Yes. In a minute" and again he carried on with the conversation, I had to say "No. Move. Now."

What I could start doing is taking pictures of them blocking the drive and showing them to the instructor with a curt "Do you think this is teaching your students good practice?" And as I said, this isn't just once in a blue moon, we're plagued with them during the week, multiple times per day.

 

[woof woof]

Yesterday evening I received over 30 phone calls to my mobile number from 13 different numbers - some were trying to contact 'Abellio Control ' (which I found out later is a bus company based in London), some from a bus company located in Liverpool and some which I've been unable to trace. I had to switch my phone off at 10 pm so that we could get a bit of peace!

Lets hope it's some system cock up which will be spotted and corrected.

Years back I remember issues with the governments internal system. On time I definitely kept pressing the right internal number for a DSS contact in the north of England but kept getting 10 Downing Street. The fix was to dial on an external line. These things were always fixed pretty quick.

 

[sphexx]

I haven't complained to the companies but you'd think the instructors would be getting the message... Years back they used to do the exact same thing to a guy over the road who's neighbour had a car permanently on the road and one day he just went mental with them but these days that side of the road is very often just solid parked cars so the opportunity to reverse park there is limited so they've now switched to our side which is usually clear or cars apart from next doors... so perfect for reverse parking.

As I said, I know people have to learn it's just that sometimes I'm a bit pressured for time getting a 92 YO with multiple issues dressed and out the door or when taking Mrs WW to school or some appointment or other. Also, being ignored is just annoying. On Friday I had to get out of the car and tell them to move, the time before that the instructor said "In a minute" and carried on with the conversation. This was followed by "Yes. In a minute" and again he carried on with the conversation, I had to say "No. Move. Now."

What I could start doing is taking pictures of them blocking the drive and showing them to the instructor with a curt "Do you think this is teaching your students good practice?" And as I said, this isn't just once in a blue moon, we're plagued with them during the week, multiple times per day.

Going mental is very effective, I’ve witnessed that in similar circumstances, a tractor with a fork lift was deployed, though not used . You could get a fork lift I suppose but it may inconvenience you more than them ,
I don't think parking across an entrance other than very briefly can ever be right.

 

[Sky]

Get a couple of cans of 'el-cheapo' shaving foam from your local pound shop and when they stop across your drive, just spray it all over their windscreen. It will do no damage, but will be a PITA to clear and word will soon get around about the 'shaving foam psycho' at number ten who needs to be avoided at all costs.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

from what you have said the parked vehicle would be obstructing the highway?

That appears to be the case. The main thing seems to be that it's no longer a police matter in all but a very few cases.

 

[Cobra]

That appears to be the case. The main thing seems to be that it's no longer a police matter in all but a very few cases.

Not near me thankfully, but opposite a relation, every morning and afternoon their road get blocked, drives get blocked parking on
double yellow lines etc, due to the ( middle) school traffic.
The police I guess are fed up with the complaints about dangerous parking, as they never do anything.
They could send a PCO down there with a book of tickets and make an absolute fortune on a daily basis.

The crazy thing is, its pretty much slap bang in the middle of the catchment area, and is in easy walking distance, from anywhere,
But I guess that's a whole new subject

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

They could send a PCO down there with a book of tickets and make an absolute fortune on a daily basis.

Well, as I understand it, it's the local council's enforcement officers who need to do the job and the money goes straight into the council's coffers. The question is, why are the eejits missing out on the revenue?!!!

 

[woof woof]

Not near me thankfully, but opposite a relation, every morning and afternoon their road get blocked, drives get blocked parking on
double yellow lines etc, due to the ( middle) school traffic.
The police I guess are fed up with the complaints about dangerous parking, as they never do anything.
They could send a PCO down there with a book of tickets and make an absolute fortune on a daily basis.

The crazy thing is, its pretty much slap bang in the middle of the catchment area, and is in easy walking distance, from anywhere,
But I guess that's a whole new subject

That's another issue here and when it's drop off and pick up time it's just bedlam with me needing to at times again tell people to move so I can get in or out of the drive. Years back the council created a parking lane on the parallel main road but go there at school drop off or pick up and I guarantee there wont be a single car parked there as it'd mean walking an extra few yards, 20 or 30 at the extreme most maybe but people just don't use it and instead park on the residential roads.

The comments I've had include "It's only for a few minutes" and "If you don't like it, move." Well, they start parking up to 45 minutes to an hour before pick up time as they're so desperate to get the closest possible parking space so it's not just "a few minutes" and we were here before the school. It's worse now as they've combined junior and infants schools on the same site.

Oh, and the fat pig parents and their obese offspring piglets constantly put sweet and crisp packets and coke bottles and cans in our bins on bin day which leads to snotty notes from the bin men.

 

[Cobra]

Well, as I understand it, it's the local council's enforcement officers who need to do the job and the money goes straight into the council's coffers. The question is, why are the eejits missing out on the revenue?!!!

Beats me Andrew !

Well, they start parking up to 45 minutes to an hour before pick up time

Yep that's pretty much the scenario there too lazy gits

 

[woof woof]

Beats me Andrew !


Yep that's pretty much the scenario there too lazy gits

I don't believe any kids who go to our nearby school live miles away so it's difficult to understand why some parents sit in their cars for up to an hour. I can't see why kids can't walk like we did. The infants school kids will need to be met at the gates but why not walk them home? In my school days I never once got a lift to or from any school I went to.

On another but maybe related note. Me and the Mrs took my MX5 to the garage for some work and went for a walk while it was in. Just near the nearby beach we met a guy and his dog and he was out of breath, we had a little chat and I asked him how far he'd walked, "Just from the car park" he said. That's maybe 100 yards. Me and Mrs did 16,900 steps according to her gadget without a problem.

Maybe parents are just so obese and unfit these days they just can't walk even 10 minutes to school to collect their kids. Many of them certainly look like that and sadly the kids might end up the same.

 

[Cobra]

I don't believe any kids who go to our nearby school live miles away so it's difficult to understand why some parents sit in their cars for up to an hour.

As above the school is in easy walking distance, within the catchment area, as are all the schools come to that, the furthest one away is approx a mile, the senior school that I went to.
I thought nothing of walking there and back every day.

 

[broc]

That's another issue here and when it's drop off and pick up time it's just bedlam with me needing to at times again tell people to move so I can get in or out of the drive. Years back the council created a parking lane on the parallel main road but go there at school drop off or pick up and I guarantee there wont be a single car parked there as it'd mean walking an extra few yards, 20 or 30 at the extreme most maybe but people just don't use it and instead park on the residential roads.

The comments I've had include "It's only for a few minutes" and "If you don't like it, move." Well, they start parking up to 45 minutes to an hour before pick up time as they're so desperate to get the closest possible parking space so it's not just "a few minutes" and we were here before the school. It's worse now as they've combined junior and infants schools on the same site.

Oh, and the fat pig parents and their obese offspring piglets constantly put sweet and crisp packets and coke bottles and cans in our bins on bin day which leads to snotty notes from the bin men.

I bet some of them leave their engines running to keep them warm/cool depending upon season. On a related note, why is it some diesel drivers persist in leaving their engines running when parked? I see it at the supermarket when waiting for Click & collect pickup, and many times in or near schools?

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

we met a guy and his dog and he was out of breath, we had a little chat and I asked him how far he'd walked, "Just from the car park" he said. That's maybe 100 yards.

Probably has "ze dickee teecker". Before I was diagnosed I couldn't work out why I suddenly found myself out of breath after a short uphill walk I'd done many times before. Running was, well, not a good idea. It can happen to anyone, even those of us who are of normal weight and thought ourselves relatively fit. With the right medicine and sensible behaviour the problem goes away.

 

[Cobra]

WAMT?

My pond pump was failing. I ordered another, slightly up rated as per l/hr & watts.
I spent 3 hours installing it, wiring it in to the control panel, burying cables etc.
And it looks like the damned thing is faulty Its pumping half what the lesser one did, when it was new and about the
same as it started to fail

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

WAMT?

My pond pump was failing. I ordered another, slightly up rated as per l/hr & watts.
I spent 3 hours installing it, wiring it in to the control panel, burying cables etc.
And it looks like the damned thing is faulty Its pumping half what the lesser one did, when it was new and about the
same as it started to fail

Could there be something blocking the hose?
Maybe the other one wasn't failing?

 

[Nod]

I take it the new pump doesn't need priming to work properly?

 

[Cobra]

Could there be something blocking the hose?

Hoses high pressure cleaned before the new install.

I take it the new pump doesn't need priming to work properly?

Just submersing and shaking about to make sure it full of water, when it sinks its done

 

[Cobra]

Thankfully I bought it from Amazon in the end, so I have about 4 weeks to return it,
I'll give it a couple of days "Justin Case" But i'm not looking forward to the uninstall if it comes to it

 

[seaodyssey]

The Guy that's been out the last 2 times is very throughout thorough he even replaced all the internal wiring for a "drink"
and reported it as an external fault.

Even he admits that the 50 odd year copper wiring from the exchange is "well past its sell by date"
So yes I have a good rapport with the engineer, he does what he can, until the next time a piece of wire fails...

How about cityfibre instead of bt, works a treat.

Pete