WAMT....what annoyed me today!

[woof woof]

If you're in a university town, maybe some "helpful" student has turned the sign through 90°. Not unknown here. They do traffic lights too.

Both printed signs.

I did see someone vandalising a sign in town. 2pm on bright and sunny afternoon and there's a scruffy hippy type happily vandalising a temporary traffic light sign with a marker pen. Gosh knows why.

 

[cambsno]

Corrie Mckeague: Mum's fury at bin safety years after airman death

Corrie Mckeague's mum says she feels sick after seeing unlocked bins where her son went missing.

www.bbc.co.uk

Really... whatever happened to being responsible for your own actions. How is this the bin companies fault!

 

[woof woof]

Corrie Mckeague: Mum's fury at bin safety years after airman death

Corrie Mckeague's mum says she feels sick after seeing unlocked bins where her son went missing.

www.bbc.co.uk

Really... whatever happened to being responsible for your own actions. How is this the bin companies fault!

It's a typical response. If someone gets drunk and falls into a river or off a cliff fencing is called for. If someone scalds themselves on hot coffee there's an outcry. If someone climbs into a bin locks are called for. We live in a world where there is apparently no personal responsibility no matter how idiotic, deranged, drunk of off their head on drugs people are.

This brought an incident at work to mind. A machine operator decided to test his strength against the machine. He lost. Blood flowed and he fainted and fell off his chair. Everything from his chair (I kid you not) through the machine and on to training records and supervision had to be investigated because one idiot took on a machine in a trail of strength.

 

[Jelster]

I've been suffering a very painful knee for a few days. Went to the GP today (called at around 9.15 AM and got an appointment for 1.50 PM). She seems convinced I have a "Bakers Cyst", which may have ruptured. Looks like I have to suffer the pain for another week or two and I hate taking painkillers, codeine does my stomach in....

I guess the good part is that i have to rest with the leg elevated. Feet up watching the TV then

 

[Pixbarmy]

Another local bank is to close. Trying to speak to a "real" person about your credit/savings/account etc., is becoming more and more difficult. I remember, not so long ago, calling into the bank to have a face to face chat about savings, investments, interest rates etc., where it was all sorted in a half hour (usually every couple of years). Try telling my 98 year old mum (almost deaf and blind) to go online or do her banking on a mobile phone or "t'internet" and she will just give you "that look"! Oh dear oh dear!

 

[wibbly]

Having to go back to work after 9 days away on holiday!

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

We live in a world where there is apparently no personal responsibility no matter how idiotic, deranged, drunk of off their head on drugs people are.

Agreed.

A certain amount of it is fueled by the "no win - no fee" madness that started in the 1990s. with adverts that effectively said "it's always someone else's fault". Of course, losing a child is always awful and grief makes people behave in different ways but someone needs to tell her that she has to accept that it's her son's fault and not the fault of anyone else,

 

[woof woof]

Every few weeks we have fish and chips from a shop in the high street and today Mrs WW announced that she wanted them so off I went.

I walked into the shop and the middle aged woman behind the counter was talking to a female customer. She looked up and saw me and smiled directly at me and I smiled back and back went back to her conversation. I thought she'd finish up and then take my order but no, a woman walked in a few seconds later (I'd now been in the shop maybe 20/30 seconds) and the woman behind the counter said to her "Yes love. What can I get you?"

Mrs WW schools me not argue and to avoid confrontation so I just left and went to another F&C shop. Thankfully there are three in striking distance.

Accident or deliberate? I've had invisible man syndrome strike before and the offenders seem always to me middle age women.

The one in the high street is up for sale so hopefully it'll be bought and new staff installed.

Oh, that reminds me. At the post office the other day a middle aged woman (again, it always seems to be) pushed in front of me in the queue. Again I thought of Mrs WW and kept my mouth shut.

 

[Jelster]

Re May post above. I received a call from Salisbury hospital at 3pm yesterday and I had as a scan at 9am this morning. Who said the NYS is broken?

Unfortunately, it's not a cyst, it's a DVT, and I'm now on a course of heparin injections until Saturday...... And my leg still bloody hurts!

 

[woof woof]

I'm fuming...

A week last Monday I rang the local Dr surgery to make an appointment for my mother. After the usual "We've nothing today" and further "We've nothing this week" I was given an appointment for her for 10:30 today. A few days later a woman called me on our land line to change the appointment to 15:45 and that's actually better for us as getting her up and dressed and sorted and there at 10:30 would have been a rush. We got to the surgery at 15:40 and the receptionist said our appointment had been at 14:25. I went through the story and we were told to take a seat. 40 minutes after the appointment time of 15:45 she still hadn't been seen so I went to the desk to ask when she would be seen as she was getting increasingly distressed, and she was. The receptionist disappeared and came back later but all she focussed on was that I couldn't remember when I'd been called and who by. So that's the problem. It's not that they screwed the appointment times up and left my distressed mother sat there for 40 minutes it's that I can't remember who called and when. I wonder how many people in the surgery have the responsibility for phoning patients and changing appointments?

With no answer at all to the question "Is she going to be seen and if so when?" we left.

The reasons I'm fuming are two fold, firstly that getting my mother ready and to the surgery is no easy task and she got increasingly distressed at the time she was waiting and seeing people come and go whilst she sat there wondering what was happening. Secondly all they focussed on was that I couldn't name who phoned me and when. That was the problem in their eyes.

I did say I'll complain to the practice manager but what's the point? All they'll do is be snotty with us or offload us. I will however be sure to note the date and time and the name of anyone I speak to and I'll do that every time from now on.

 

[JohnC6]

Every few weeks we have fish and chips from a shop in the high street and today Mrs WW announced that she wanted them so off I went.

I walked into the shop and the middle aged woman behind the counter was talking to a female customer. She looked up and saw me and smiled directly at me and I smiled back and back went back to her conversation. I thought she'd finish up and then take my order but no, a woman walked in a few seconds later (I'd now been in the shop maybe 20/30 seconds) and the woman behind the counter said to her "Yes love. What can I get you?"

Mrs WW schools me not argue and to avoid confrontation so I just left and went to another F&C shop. Thankfully there are three in striking distance.

Accident or deliberate? I've had invisible man syndrome strike before and the offenders seem always to me middle age women.

The one in the high street is up for sale so hopefully it'll be bought and new staff installed.

Oh, that reminds me. At the post office the other day a middle aged woman (again, it always seems to be) pushed in front of me in the queue. Again I thought of Mrs WW and kept my mouth shut.

Dear me. I think you need some lessons in assertion. Forget what Mrs WW says. The English are..were..renowned for accepting bad/rude service .If we lived nearer I'd take you out with me round the shops. I was in Debenhams one day..it,.along with many stores, has now closed..but the assistant was quite short with me..I said this. "I'm sorry you're having a bad day but I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't take it out on me or your day might just get worse" I didn't expect it but I got an apology.


The other side. One day I went into town and went to a couple of shops and spent a reasonable amount of money on items in both (this is part of the story) and had rude service by two assistants. I came away thinking it wasn't like this in my day when assistants were uber-polite. To cheer myself up a bit I went to a small cake shop and 'treated' myself to a small cake. Bit of comfort food,I suppose. The young lass behind the counter had the loveliest warm smile as she asked me what I'd like. She recommended this cake and that cake. I paid about 80p for it and she was still smiling thanking me as she handed it to me and I left. To this day I wished I'd acted on my instinct. To get here some flowers as a 'thank you' for being so pleasant.

 

[Cobra]

so I just left and went to another F&C shop.

I might have done the same, but not before saying I hope the staff in the one down the road aren't as rude as they are in here/

Dear me. I think you need some lessons in assertion.

But as you know, with old age, comes not only wisdom, but the ability to say what you think.
Yes I am that grumpy ole [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER] that lives on "your street"

 

[woof woof]

I'm not so sure I want to upset anyone who's selling me food so I'll just go to another one and hope there are changes when it's bought.

 

[Cobra]

I'm not so sure I want to upset anyone who's selling me food

But they aren't selling you food, you walked out

so I just left and went to another F&C shop.

 

[JohnC6]

I'm not so sure I want to upset anyone who's selling me food so I'll just go to another one and hope there are changes when it's bought.

I gave you a like,Alan because I thought ",oh well, you have to do what you feel comfortable with" but I'd have spoken up..nicely, of course. Make a joke. "Could I be served please or my wife will post me missing if I'm not back home soon"...

 

[Jelster]

I might have done the same, but not before saying I hope the staff in the one down the road aren't as rude as they are in here/



But as you know, with old age, comes not only wisdom, but the ability to say what you think.
Yes I am that grumpy ole b*****d that lives on "your street"

I’ve told people what I think for years. Run me into a few HR issues at one company, but the fact that the woman I told “You can’t do this job” was bloody useless at it was proof I was being nothing but honest, although harsh…..

 

[Suvv]

I’ve told people what I think for years. Run me into a few HR issues at one company, but the fact that the woman I told “You can’t do this job” was bloody useless at it was proof I was being nothing but honest, although harsh…..

That is a bit harsh.
I kindly told an engineer who was working for me that he had illusions of adequacy and had he thought of another profession.

 

[woof woof]

That is a bit harsh.
I kindly told an engineer who was working for me that he had illusions of adequacy and had he thought of another profession.

I’ve told people what I think for years. Run me into a few HR issues at one company, but the fact that the woman I told “You can’t do this job” was bloody useless at it was proof I was being nothing but honest, although harsh…..

At one time I ran some quite large contracts (multi £m) for a third party computer maintenance company and it would be fair to say that the engineers in the team had a wide range of levels of experience and ability. I was based in Newcastle and some of the more remote engineers in far flung corners of the UK were part of the team because there was no one else or in some instances because no one else wanted them on their team. I ran a number of familiarisation courses and produced help notes and disks (it was "floppies" in those days) with menu driven diagnostics and tools etc. plus I was at the end of the phone if they needed more help either before they attended a call or once there.

One thing I told them all at the start was that we could take complaints about being late to calls, missing parts or not being able to fix the thing first time but what we couldn't take was complaints about people as that could lead to someone losing their job. So no swearing at or otherwise annoying the customers. We had all the usual inter personnel, customer and company issues, a few guidance notes were sent out to everyone and I had a one to one chat with people on a couple of occasions but no one lost their job and no one ever got so much as a verbal warning.

I ran that team and list of contracts for 8 years and although we did have to ramp up from difficult early days once we were in the swing we consistently had the best service level stats in the group. When the main contract wound up and the team had to break up and be reassigned I got phone calls and cards from all over the country from customers and from the team with one phone call in particular from an older engineer thanking me and saying that being a part of the team was the best experience of his working life. Even after I'd left the company some kept in touch and one tracked me down at my new place for technical advice in his new job and I was glad to help. During 20 odd years as a supervisor or manager with various companies no one was officially disciplined and we only lost one to redundancy, a few moved on to better jobs or emigrated but that wasn't my fault

 

[Jelster]

This particular person was part of the project management team. She could not take instructions, wouldn't get back to customers, or keep our systems updated. When you walk into an account that has already lost trust in your business, and you take time to rebuild that trust, having people like that just pull you down. She ordered the wrong things at the wrong time, managed to get the pre-configured routers delivered to all the wrong addresses, and forgot to actually progress one order.

 

[Pixbarmy]

WAMT Folks on holiday in Rhodes complaining. It's a natural phenomenon that is unfortunate and unprecedented, so be satisfied that moving you out was to save your lives. The greeks are the most hospitable and caring people that I know! The holiday operators can't be blamed for something that doesn't happen that often.

 

[Cockney]

I have still not taken 1 'real' photograph this year.
There's always 'something'.

 

[JohnC6]

The rear windscreen wiper stopped working on our Octavia . No problem,I thought. I'll change the fuse..it's probably that. I had to check the manual to see where the fuse box is. There are two. One easily accesible in the engine comparttment..passengere side but the fuse in question isn't in that box but in the second box located.......behind the glove compartmnent I got infront of the passenger seat with a torch and just managed a glimpse of a couple of fuses. I Googled Youtube to see how to do it. Just diagrams. The manual states that if it's difficult then to avoid possibly damaging some part to get at it take it to the dealer which is what we'll have to do. Last week we extended the warranty but changing a fuse may not be covered..not the fuse..the labour. We'll see.

 

[JohnC6]

I have still not taken 1 'real' photograph this year.
There's always 'something'.

You've just taken a great shot of your Fender . I gave it a ..'cos I had a Strat myself, Fiesta Red 1958 re-issue.

 

[Dave Canon]

WAMT Folks on holiday in Rhodes complaining. It's a natural phenomenon that is unfortunate and unprecedented, so be satisfied that moving you out was to save your lives. The greeks are the most hospitable and caring people that I know! The holiday operators can't be blamed for something that doesn't happen that often.

I also had little sympathy either with the lady who had flown there with her husband and five children who obviously could not see that she is part of the problem.

Dave

 

[JohnC6]

WAMT Folks on holiday in Rhodes complaining. It's a natural phenomenon that is unfortunate and unprecedented, so be satisfied that moving you out was to save your lives. The greeks are the most hospitable and caring people that I know! The holiday operators can't be blamed for something that doesn't happen that often.

I depends on what complaints you've heard. The ones I've heard are not that there are fires and they had to be moved out of hotels but that the two main carriers from the UK TUI and Easyjet seemed to have left them in the lurch. One lady called one of them and was told to get in touch with the their hotel rep in reception but there was no-one..I've heard a couple of radio phone-ins about it and it seems holidaymakers from other European countries had the same issues with their carriers. What those stranded said was how wonderful the local residents were ,some taking them into their homes as one did with parents and two children.

This happens every time there's something like this be it fires,floods, whatever. People are left to their own devices until there's a media outcry back in the UK .One caller said one of the carriers was flying people in a day after the fires raged and people were being evacuated.The next problem will be getting refunds. I think the carriers are offering later dates (not possible for many) or vouchers.

 

[Mozthecat]

There was a column yesterday on the daily wail that 42 hotels are affected on Rhodes.
Looking at a random week on booking.com there are over 1500 to choose from….

last time we went we only saw a rep from Thomas Cook on the day the excursions could be booked as they were based a couple of hotels along the beach and covering several hotels (we where one of just two Uk couples in our hotel that week).

 

[Gremlin]

A friend of mine was due to fly out to Rhodes today, they managed to speak to the travel company on Sunday and were told they could cancel but would lose their money unless they waited until it was officially cancelled !!

Luckily they got a notificatan that this was happening Monday afternoon and then spent hours trying to find somewhere else,

As has been said for some it means losing their hoday totally in this case the Husband couldn't change holiday dates and couldn't afford to just book somewhere without either the vouchers or a refund

 

[Cockney]

You've just taken a great shot of your Fender . I gave it a ..'cos I had a Strat myself, Fiesta Red 1958 re-issue.

I had a Fiesta red from when they were only made in Japan.

Camera photos I dont consider 'real'.

 

[Pixbarmy]

I depends on what complaints you've heard. The ones I've heard are not that there are fires and they had to be moved out of hotels but that the two main carriers from the UK TUI and Easyjet seemed to have left them in the lurch. One lady called one of them and was told to get in touch with the their hotel rep in reception but there was no-one..I've heard a couple of radio phone-ins about it and it seems holidaymakers from other European countries had the same issues with their carriers. What those stranded said was how wonderful the local residents were ,some taking them into their homes as one did with parents and two children.

This happens every time there's something like this be it fires,floods, whatever. People are left to their own devices until there's a media outcry back in the UK .One caller said one of the carriers was flying people in a day after the fires raged and people were being evacuated.The next problem will be getting refunds. I think the carriers are offering later dates (not possible for many) or vouchers.

The holiday companies run to a budget. Often a very low one. Staff are at a minimum. If you divide the cost of the holiday by the number of days you stay, they often offer "5 star" hotels on half board for around £100 a day in July, including the air travel from the UK. I often have wondered how it is possible!

 

[JohnC6]

I had a Fiesta red from when they were only made in Japan.

Camera photos I dont consider 'real'.

My Strat was made in California. That was written on it . I had a VOX AC30 amp, too. The cream/wine red one and still have the Roland Echo/Chorus unit RE-301 ..an original..and I'd had the tape renewed. The Shadows had this one from 1980-1995 so quite late on..I drove to Bristol to get it from a chap selling his kit as he and his wife had just had a baby and he needed the cash. £300. https://soundgas.com/product/roland-re-301-chorus-echo-10/ There's one on Ebay for £2900. Another reduced for £2500 .

That was years ago, the M5 junction for Avon was being constructed. It was a Boxing Day,too. I spent three hours with him playing Shadows stuff.He played the lead. He also gave me a slip of paper that had a grid on it that he put together with Deer Hunter-Wonderful Land (my favourite,I think.) Atlantis, Kontiki and FBI on it along the header and went to the back stage door at the Hippodrome Theatre back in the 60's and somehow managed to get Hank Marvin to put crosses on the grid with the position of the knobs for Echo-Bass-Treb-Intensity-Mode-Speed -Reverb. I'm copying this off the chart as I write

Yes..I knew what you meant re a "real photo" but just wanted to re-affirm how much I liked the Strat photo.. It's rain for you for several days so no chance to get out to take a decent shot unless you get some flooding

 

[Cockney]

My Strat was made in California. That was written on it . I had a VOX AC30 amp, too. The cream/wine red one and still have the Roland Echo/Chorus unit RE-301 ..an original..and I'd had the tape renewed. The Shadows had this one from 1980-1995 so quite late on..I drove to Bristol to get it from a chap selling his kit as he and his wife had just had a baby and he needed the cash. £300. https://soundgas.com/product/roland-re-301-chorus-echo-10/ There's one on Ebay for £2900. Another reduced for £2500 .

That was years ago, the M5 junction for Avon was being constructed. It was a Boxing Day,too. I spent three hours with him playing Shadows stuff.He played the lead. He also gave me a slip of paper that had a grid on it that he put together with Deer Hunter-Wonderful Land (my favourite,I think.) Atlantis, Kontiki and FBI on it along the header and went to the back stage door at the Hippodrome Theatre back in the 60's and somehow managed to get Hank Marvin to put crosses on the grid with the position of the knobs for Echo-Bass-Treb-Intensity-Mode-Speed -Reverb. I'm copying this off the chart as I write

Yes..I knew what you meant re a "real photo" but just wanted to re-affirm how much I liked the Strat photo.. It's rain for you for several days so no chance to get out to take a decent shot unless you get some flooding

My Fiesta and Lonestar, which now live with my son.
My biggest regret is moving on my Custom shop Wolfie.
It went up to 11.

 

[Cockney]

My Strat was made in California. That was written on it . I had a VOX AC30 amp, too. The cream/wine red one and still have the Roland Echo/Chorus unit RE-301 ..an original..and I'd had the tape renewed. The Shadows had this one from 1980-1995 so quite late on..I drove to Bristol to get it from a chap selling his kit as he and his wife had just had a baby and he needed the cash. £300. https://soundgas.com/product/roland-re-301-chorus-echo-10/ There's one on Ebay for £2900. Another reduced for £2500 .

That was years ago, the M5 junction for Avon was being constructed. It was a Boxing Day,too. I spent three hours with him playing Shadows stuff.He played the lead. He also gave me a slip of paper that had a grid on it that he put together with Deer Hunter-Wonderful Land (my favourite,I think.) Atlantis, Kontiki and FBI on it along the header and went to the back stage door at the Hippodrome Theatre back in the 60's and somehow managed to get Hank Marvin to put crosses on the grid with the position of the knobs for Echo-Bass-Treb-Intensity-Mode-Speed -Reverb. I'm copying this off the chart as I write

Yes..I knew what you meant re a "real photo" but just wanted to re-affirm how much I liked the Strat photo.. It's rain for you for several days so no chance to get out to take a decent shot unless you get some flooding

AC 30 deceptively LOUD.

 

[JohnC6]

The rear windscreen wiper stopped working on our Octavia . No problem,I thought. I'll change the fuse..it's probably that. I had to check the manual to see where the fuse box is. There are two. One easily accesible in the engine comparttment..passengere side but the fuse in question isn't in that box but in the second box located.......behind the glove compartmnent I got infront of the passenger seat with a torch and just managed a glimpse of a couple of fuses. I Googled Youtube to see how to do it. Just diagrams. The manual states that if it's difficult then to avoid possibly damaging some part to get at it take it to the dealer which is what we'll have to do. Last week we extended the warranty but changing a fuse may not be covered..not the fuse..the labour. We'll see.

My wife took the car to Skoda where we bought it. It''s not the fuse. The wiper motor has given up. She told the chap that I'd tried to see if I could change a fuse. He said those days are gone and it's most likely the part the fuse is serving nowadays and he also told her not to try and get to the fuse box, behind the glove box because it would be too easy to cause damage.

We've just extended the warranty for 2 years (£800) that we got from new and it 's probably paid for the first year . The wiper motor costs £228 (reduced from £256) plus labour.
https://skodapartsdirect.co.uk/product/skoda-octavia-hatch-2014-2020-rear-wiper-motor/ It can't be done ,though, until August 29th

By the way. If anyone is wondering if extending the warranty 2 years is worth it we get two services free, two MOT's free and 12 months AA breakdown memebership free. A week before the original warranty expired the rear door remote locking failed and the doors kept making the locking/unlocking noise as we drove along so things go wrong even with a car that is consistently rated very highly for reliability.

 

[Cobra]

By the way. If anyone is wondering if extending the warranty 2 years is worth it we get two services free, two MOT's free and 12 months AA breakdown memebership free.

That sounds like a good deal TBH

 

[Cockney]

My wife took the car to Skoda where we bought it. It''s not the fuse. The wiper motor has given up. She told the chap that I'd tried to see if I could change a fuse. He said those days are gone and it's most likely the part the fuse is serving nowadays and he also told her not to try and get to the fuse box, behind the glove box because it would be too easy to cause damage.

We've just extended the warranty for 2 years (£800) that we got from new and it 's probably paid for the first year . The wiper motor costs £228 (reduced from £256) plus labour.
https://skodapartsdirect.co.uk/product/skoda-octavia-hatch-2014-2020-rear-wiper-motor/ It can't be done ,though, until August 29th

By the way. If anyone is wondering if extending the warranty 2 years is worth it we get two services free, two MOT's free and 12 months AA breakdown memebership free. A week before the original warranty expired the rear door remote locking failed and the doors kept making the locking/unlocking noise as we drove along so things go wrong even with a car that is consistently rated very highly for reliability.

As Chris says, sounds too good not to.

 

[Jelster]

Decided to fire up the little Raspberry Pi and do a bit of work on it..... Pop!! Oh b*******, smoke...... Time for a new monitor me thinks........

 

[footman]

Decided to fire up the little Raspberry Pi and do a bit of work on it..... Pop!! Oh b*******, smoke...... Time for a new monitor me thinks........

What went Pop, the Pi or the monitor?

 

[Jelster]

What went Pop, the Pi or the monitor?

The monitor. It was about 6 years old, now replaced with a shiny new one (P.S. Don't tell the wife!!)

 

[Cobra]

WAMT? and quite frequently TBH.
1) People never returning to their own threads to say "Thanks" that is very rude IMO.
I've stopped commenting on those threads.

Seperatly,
2) Slugs destroying a lot of my plants, despite the slug traps,
even eating the sunflower heads and chewing through quite substantial stalks.
I'm clearing up a couple of dozen each night.

I have Nematodes on order, the slugs won't know what's hit them.

 

[Sky]

It seems people have no manners any more. It's the same if they just click a 'like' instead of writing 'thank you' etc.

They only need to do it to me once - I won't ever help them again if I'm ignored.