WAMT....what annoyed me today!

[woof woof]

One last annoyance from me today.

I ordered a couple of watches and they came today. Before ordering I was particularly pleased to see that both had conventional watch straps rather than some metal contraption. Anyway. One was fine but the other had a fastening mechanism that I just couldn't initially work out. I thought I'd check the booklet for instructions but of course the strap wasn't covered at all. It took me a good 10 minutes to work out what came apart and how and what didn't and how this contraption works and this is a watch strap. Why? Why do the makers think we want something so convoluted? And this is a watch, something which I think it should be possible to put on and take off with one hand.



Why? Just. Why?

 

[JohnC6]

I've just had the same experience with a Tissot. I had to Goggle (Youtube) on how to do it. It still didn't work. The jeweller has asked me to take it in. It seems you have to be quite forceful. They're called 'deployment clasps' and the reason is that on expensive watches come expensive regular leather straps and over time the putting on and taking off wears them out, they don't look good anymore.

I'll see how I go but I can see me wanting to change it for one of their regular leather straps like the one I had on my previous Tissot which has just given up after 18 years. I also find this deployment clasp bulky on the underside of the wrist . Unfortunately, the other one will cost £80.

 

[JohnC6]

The cynic in me says that it was a returned item and unchecked by the 'returns' department?

In regard to such returns.....I was under the impression that they put them into the "Amazon Warehouse" sales channel.

I hope you get a refund or a correct replacement.

PS My OH bought a metal Thermos flask from the Trespass store about 4 weeks before they closed down, a 500ml (0.5l) one and IIRC out of the box the lid was screwed onto to the flask.

This is re the mini Thermos flask with the wrong top. My post #15,314. It was collected for Amazon yesterday and my wife was refunded to her Amazon Prime..my money, though..lol). I thought they would have just sent out another one.

So..I asked my wife to order another one. I'd paid £17 for the one with the wrong top and this one, which arrived today with the right top, was...£11. It had gone on offer in the meantime.

 

[woof woof]

ebay... It's a lottery.

Just received a lens adapter which is coming apart and a lens described as being in super working condition which is badly decentered. What a waste of my time.

 

[Pixbarmy]

ebay... It's a lottery.

Just received a lens adapter which is coming apart and a lens described as being in super working condition which is badly decentered. What a waste of my time.

I sold an old watch tool, fully detailing its condition (lots of wear and tear, bits broken, etc.) and expected to get a tenner for it. It sold for £75 and the buyer was delighted! I guess it works both ways!

 

[woof woof]

I sold an old watch tool, fully detailing its condition (lots of wear and tear, bits broken, etc.) and expected to get a tenner for it. It sold for £75 and the buyer was delighted! I guess it works both ways!

That's a nice surprise and at least yours was accurately described.

I can't really understand how someone can sell a used mount adapter which literally rattled as its two halves flapped against each other. The lens issue I suppose could go unnoticed if someone never looked at their photographs and only the bottom right quarter was awful but even that is difficult to understand as it was just so obvious and lead me to do a decentering check but at least in the UK we do have a reasonable chance of being able to return faulty goods for a refund. Mrs WW is having problems buying on line in Thailand as it seems to be impossible to send anything back for a refund on their hateful zero customer rites Chinese run on line market place.

 

[Cockney]

I think with online markets you sometimes get people selling things of deceased relatives. I know if I went, my family wouldn't have a clue what half my gear was, let alone what its worth. Having said that, you can usually spot when thats the case.

 

[woof woof]

I think with online markets you sometimes get people selling things of deceased relatives. I know if I went, my family wouldn't have a clue what half my gear was, let alone what its worth. Having said that, you can usually spot when thats the case.

I did think of that but both sellers where active and repeatedly selling photography related things over a long time period. These weren't just out of the blue things... Like me selling a ladies hand bag would be

 

[Box Brownie]

Well, our bin day is Thursday and last one was supposed to include the garden waste collection.

Checked online yesterday and it showed that for whatever reason, that bin was not scheduled for collection this time round .....so I brought the bin in again.

Lo & behold, before you could blink the lorry came round this morning and emptied the few bins still left out by neighbours.

Oh well, ours was not too full on this occasion

 

[Cockney]

Since the safe distance when overtaking cyclists has been a big topic, why do drivers now think they have right of way when on the wrong side of the road?
Lost count of the number of times I've had to slam the anchors on because some muppet is overtaking a bike.

 

[woof woof]

Well, our bin day is Thursday and last one was supposed to include the garden waste collection.

Checked online yesterday and it showed that for whatever reason, that bin was not scheduled for collection this time round .....so I brought the bin in again.

Lo & behold, before you could blink the lorry came round this morning and emptied the few bins still left out by neighbours.

Oh well, ours was not too full on this occasion

In November 2021 we bought a compost bin and Mrs WW also uses a couple of bags to compost in and we haven't needed to put any of our own garden waste out since. I have had to fill our green bin with leaves from trees not on our property and cuttings from next doors Triffids which overhang our driveway but that's only once a year or so. I've been surprised how much garden waste we can cope with with just the one compost bin and a couple of bags.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Since the safe distance when overtaking cyclists has been a big topic, why do drivers now think they have right of way when on the wrong side of the road?
Lost count of the number of times I've had to slam the anchors on because some muppet is overtaking a bike.

Bicycles are often ridden far too fast to be allowed to mix with pedestrians. They are often ridden too stupidly to be allowed to mix with powered vehicles.

The recent changes to rules 66 and 213 of the Highway Code, largely at the behest of groups like "British Cycling", have only made matters worse, in my opinion. The idea that cycling two abreast on a road is sensible seems to me completely wrong and I strongly suspect it will lead to more harm rather than less, as drivers become ever more frustrated with selfish cyclists.

There are many sensible cyclists on the road (and even on shared pavements) but the rules need to be written for the worst case, not the best.

 

[Mozthecat]

Well, our bin day is Thursday and last one was supposed to include the garden waste collection.

Checked online yesterday and it showed that for whatever reason, that bin was not scheduled for collection this time round .....so I brought the bin in again.

Lo & behold, before you could blink the lorry came round this morning and emptied the few bins still left out by neighbours.

Oh well, ours was not too full on this occasion

Ours have a habit of quietly ignoring any garden waste bin that is less than 1/4 full... Great fun when you are planning to tackle a big project and want it empty before you start

 

[Pixbarmy]

Bicycles are often ridden far too fast to be allowed to mix with pedestrians. They are often ridden too stupidly to be allowed to mix with powered vehicles.

The recent changes to rules 66 and 213 of the Highway Code, largely at the behest of groups like "British Cycling", have only made matters worse, in my opinion. The idea that cycling two abreast on a road is sensible seems to me completely wrong and I strongly suspect it will lead to more harm rather than less, as drivers become ever more frustrated with selfish cyclists.

There are many sensible cyclists on the road (and even on shared pavements) but the rules need to be written for the worst case, not the best.

Had a whole group of cyclists in matching gear (team?) all riding two abreast on a Norfolk country lane, this week. They were waving their arms, weaving around and being a general nuisance to those sensible car drivers, trying to get on! If they had been in single file, they would have been easy to pass.

 

[nog]

Had a whole group of cyclists in matching gear (team?) all riding two abreast on a Norfolk country lane, this week. They were waving their arms, weaving around and being a general nuisance to those sensible car drivers, trying to get on! If they had been in single file, they would have been easy to pass.riding 2 abreast the group is half the length

Riding 2 abreast the group is half the length of a single file group, as you need to give a minimum distance of 1.5 meters when passing you need to use the oncoming lane to overtake in many circumstances anyway. If riding single file on side of the road many “sensible” drivers take the chance and squeeze pass without using the oncoming traffic lane- not much chance of them scratching their pride and joy and the cyclist will be ok won’t they, probably.
Weaving, waving and a general nuisance eh- no idea why unless you were too close?

 

[woof woof]

Riding 2 abreast the group is half the length of a single file group, as you need to give a minimum distance of 1.5 meters when passing you need to use the oncoming lane to overtake in many circumstances anyway. If riding single file on side of the road many “sensible” drivers take the chance and squeeze pass without using the oncoming traffic lane- not much chance of them scratching their pride and joy and the cyclist will be ok won’t they, probably.
Weaving, waving and a general nuisance eh- no idea why unless you were too close?

Or the cyclists were just entitled angry people looking for a confrontation? Both scenarios are equally likely.

My own experience as someone who drives little and walks a lot is that there are waaaay too many cyclists who seem to believe they have a right to ignore the highway code and even common decency with impunity and are all too ready to react with aggression if you dare even look at them.

Just last week I was crossing a quiet road near a crossroad, lights were on red and there was no traffic from the other direction when when a cyclist who came through a red light and was on the wrong side of the road screamed at me because I wasn't on a crossing. The absolute entitlement of some cyclists is just staggering and it is IMO way too common probably because they know the chances of any consequences for their antisocial behavior are pretty much nil, plus they get to wind up car drivers and shout abuse which must be fun for them. Whenever I see a cyclist I expect some idiocy and I'm often proved right. Yes, car drivers can be idiots too but the chances of consequences are much greater.

 

[Pixbarmy]

Weaving, waving and a general nuisance eh- no idea why unless you were too close?

That was before I even set off, behind them. Just a group of "enthusiasts" with no thought for others. The car immediately behind them sat well back, waiting for an opportunity to pass. Even tractors pull over into laybys on that road but they were just thinking about themselves. Herd instincts!

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Or the cyclists were just entitled angry people looking for a confrontation?

Entirely possible.

You don't notice sensible cyclists, who make up the majority. It's the minority of fools whose bad behaviour incites foolish behaviour among some drivers. I wonder if all cyclists should be required to wear industrial style hi-vis jackets and helmets, with an on the spot fine for any who fail to comply. After all, it's for their own health and safety and several already do...

 

[nog]

Had a whole group of cyclists in matching gear (team?) all riding two abreast on a Norfolk country lane, this week. They were waving their arms, weaving around and being a general nuisance to those sensible car drivers, trying to get on! If they had been in single file, they would have been easy to pass

The Norfolk country lanes must be wider than the country lanes in North Wales if you can have a car passing a bike and leaving minimum of 1.5 metres gap
Majority of cyclists are also car drivers, some drivers and some cyclists are inconsiderate. One of the problems is some car drivers think it’s ok to just squeeze past the cyclist to save a few seconds in their busy life, it is pretty scary and annoying if you are on the bike.

 

[Box Brownie]

Not cyclist but any two wheeler is vulnerable by close overtakes....

Back in the 70's a work colleague friend was skittled over by a very large tipper truck who overtook with minimal space on a London road. She suffered life changing and scarring injuries.....suffice to say her skid lid was split by the impact of being thrown across the pavement & hitting a wall. The Police Traffic Unit requested that could they retain the helmet for their teaching & museum purposes as they had never seen such an incident and the way the helmet saved her life!

 

[Pixbarmy]

You weren't there. I was. No more to be said. Goodnight!

 

[JohnC6]

I use this 'oil' on our patio bench and table each year. It used to be £10-12 but after Googling it re Amazon I see it's £18. I looked elsewhere. Whilst Googling, this article by a restorer, Paul Sellars, came up.

Finishing With Danish Oil

I’ve used a wide range of so called Danish oil products made by different manufacturers. The one thing they all have in common is the Danes had nothing to do with it. There is no such thing as Danish…

paulsellers.com

Here are some points taken from it. Written on the tin is.... "a superior blend of natural oils and resin"

First off. My bold. How can this be re the Trades Descriptions Act ?

"I’ve used a wide range of so called Danish oil products made by different manufacturers. The one thing they all have in common is the Danes had nothing to do with it. There is no such thing as Danish oil as an oil, and there is no recipe that constitutes Danish oil. If I took two or three liquids, oil or not, and called it Danish oil, I could sell it without misleading you. But I hope I do have a moral compass to steer by.There are many wood treatments out there sold as “oil” finishes that have no oil them at all.

A copy/paste not my bold:
The Trade Descriptions Act 1968 (c. 29) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which prevents manufacturers, retailers or service industry providers from misleading consumers as to what they are spending their money on.

 

[andya700]

Riding 2 abreast the group is half the length of a single file group, as you need to give a minimum distance of 1.5 meters when passing you need to use the oncoming lane to overtake in many circumstances anyway. If riding single file on side of the road many “sensible” drivers take the chance and squeeze pass without using the oncoming traffic lane- not much chance of them scratching their pride and joy and the cyclist will be ok won’t they, probably.
Weaving, waving and a general nuisance eh- no idea why unless you were too close?

When I was in a club and we went out on clubruns, the person at the very back of the group would shout out when there was a car behind and we would get into single file. It is up to everyone to make the roads a safer place - cyclists are not exempt from this.

 

[woof woof]

Amazon!

The item is in stock and it will be delivered tomorrow so I placed my order and the email says.... Delivery on 10th July. What? I double checked and yup... Tomorrow is there on the items page. Oh well... Just another annoyance.

 

[Gremlin]

People with pushchairs staring at their phone screens in busy town centres
Three times this morning | was almost run into and glared at when I moved out of the way to avoid being hit !!!!!
This seems to happen regularly these days

 

[LCPete]

People with pushchairs staring at their phone screens n busy town centres
Three timers thus morning | was almost run into and glared at when I moved out of the way to avoid being hit !!!!!
This seems to happen regularly these days

Same here they also wander across the road without looking

 

[Sky]

I hate 'em - bloody phone zombies. They're always walking into my wheelchair or trying to trip over the dog's lead - tossers!

There's rarely a day goes past without me giving someone a telling off for not looking where they're going . . .

 

[JohnC6]

Maybe get a bell or a horn,Trevor. When you see them a few metres away engrossed in their phones give them a heads up....

 

[Sky]

Good idea John. Maybe a set of air horns like some had in their cars in the seventies. That would wake them up.

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

I think these are people with social problems. Perhaps the 'phone has become the only way they can interact and feel personal worth. I suspect they feel genuine withdrawal symptoms if deprived of it.

 

[ancient_mariner]

Stoopid drivers (again). Inside lane of the motorway coming up behind a slower vehicle. I slow down to let a van past so that I can pull out when he's gone by, but he slos down to box me behind the slower car. In the end I have to brake and pull round, where upon he then accelerates away. What a ladypart.

 

[Mozthecat]

I hate 'em - bloody phone zombies. They're always walking into my wheelchair

Pushed a relative in their wheelchair for less than a mile in Central London on Thursday lunchtime and lost count of the number of them....

 

[Tringa]

I hate 'em - bloody phone zombies. They're always walking into my wheelchair or trying to trip over the dog's lead - tossers!

There's rarely a day goes past without me giving someone a telling off for not looking where they're going . . .

Reminds me of someone who had been to a wedding where a small group of people were taking photos on their tablets. The person said it looked as if the bride and groom were being attacked by zombies.

Dave

 

[JohnC6]

I think these are people with social problems. Perhaps the 'phone has become the only way they can interact and feel personal worth. I suspect they feel genuine withdrawal symptoms if deprived of it.

I absolutely agree with you re that last sentence. I'm sure deprivation of their phone is akin to psychological torture..

There's a school not far from us for kids of up to 16 and a group of them, four girls and two lads, walk past our house at 8.15 am. each morning. I never went to school so early. 8.50 was my time. Maybe a couple of them would be talking to each other but the others are always engrossed in their mobiles.After school, when they pass on their way home, often in pairs or on their own, it's the same..heads down into their phone. I see people walk along the wide grass verge across the road with their dog on a long lead, talking into their phones and some, who let their dog run freely, not seeing where their dog is because they look down onto the ground, for whatever reason.

Quite often, when I've been doing some weeding in the front garden, it's open plan, I look up when I hear someone talking expecting to see a couple of people about to walk by but no, it's someone on their phone having a conversation. I also see cyclists on their phones as they ride by. My wife insists on me using one of her old phones ..a pass-me-down..lol..as she upgrades, when I go down town or to Slimbridge WWT or to photograph a steam loco but the rest of the time it sits in the kitchen draw....dead. Before going out I always need to charge it. She had to input our home number and her mobile number and show how me how to access it if I needed to 'phone home'. It doesn't bother me atall being without one. When her phone is in the kitchen or the living room I hear it 'pinging' quite often .She tells me that it's... 'just messages'. I was down town one day, before my wife gave me a phone ,not that it would have made any difference ,and a young lady stopped me asking me to donate to some cause. On and on she went about it and then asked if I wanted to contribute. Yes, I said, give me a leaflet and I'll sort it out when I get home. No leaflets. She said I could pay via my phone. The look on her face when I said I don't have one was something to behold...Lol. I'd clearly lost any street-cred I'd had with her.

 

[JohnC6]

Stoopid drivers (again). Inside lane of the motorway coming up behind a slower vehicle. I slow down to let a van past so that I can pull out when he's gone by, but he slos down to box me behind the slower car. In the end I have to brake and pull round, where upon he then accelerates away. What a ladypart.

I'm sure people like that do it on purpose just to aggravate. In that moment they have the power to do so.

 

[Dave Canon]

Stoopid drivers (again). Inside lane of the motorway coming up behind a slower vehicle. I slow down to let a van past so that I can pull out when he's gone by, but he slos down to box me behind the slower car. In the end I have to brake and pull round, where upon he then accelerates away. What a ladypart.

One of the problems of trying keep to the inside lane unless overtaking. If the motorway is very busy as most are now, then it is hard to pull in from the middle lane to the inside lane without being regularly trapped. I try to make a judgement as to whether it is worth moving back to the inner lane if I will have to pull out again after a very short time. It is frequent now that the busiest lane is the outside lane. I do recall when our motorways first opened and you could drive with no one else in sight in any direction.

Dave

 

[Jelster]

One of the problems of trying keep to the inside lane unless overtaking. If the motorway is very busy as most are now, then it is hard to pull in from the middle lane to the inside lane without being regularly trapped. I try to make a judgement as to whether it is worth moving back to the inner lane if I will have to pull out again after a very short time. It is frequent now that the busiest lane is the outside lane. I do recall when our motorways first opened and you could drive with no one else in sight in any direction.

Dave

The "twenty second rule". If you are going to have to pull out again within 20 seconds, stay where you are, unless the car behind you is going excessively fast, then get out of the way and then pull back out again. Of course, this requires you to use mirrors, something that seems lost on many these days.

 

[ancient_mariner]

I'm sure people like that do it on purpose just to aggravate. In that moment they have the power to do so.

One of the problems of trying keep to the inside lane unless overtaking. If the motorway is very busy as most are now, then it is hard to pull in from the middle lane to the inside lane without being regularly trapped. I try to make a judgement as to whether it is worth moving back to the inner lane if I will have to pull out again after a very short time. It is frequent now that the busiest lane is the outside lane. I do recall when our motorways first opened and you could drive with no one else in sight in any direction.

Dave

The frustrating thing is that I'd done my 'arithmatic' about their speed, and if they had just kept going it would have been fine.

 

[Dave Canon]

Another related issue is tailgating. I try to drive at a sensible distance from the car in front relating to the conditions and the speed. However, some motorist drive within a few inches and expect you to pull over on the basis that if you are not tailgating then you are too slow.

Dave

 

[AndrewFlannigan]

Another related issue is tailgating.

Agreed.

I try to keep two car lengths from the car in front, so if someone wants to overtake they have a space to get into,

Unfortunately, some people have been known to get silly about others trying to drive with care and politeness.