34theletterbetweenB&D Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 Early start due to call out for MiL, stuck in narrow gap between bed and wall. But let's look on the bright side, we were up and fully awake for a trip to Waitrose for the 7am opening to pick up all the extra items my dear wife suddenly decided she required. They were actually open for our 0657 arrival. (Happens every year despite extensive planning and writing of lists and diligent advance purchasing: at the last minute Madam discovers more is required. I have learned to be patient about this, though it took over thirty years to achieve without any audible muttering...) Departed Waitrose at 0713, smiling benignly at the static queue trying to enter the car park (Gargantuan Merc static and diesel smoking copiously in the sole entrance lane). Back to in-laws and over their protests rearranged the bedroom so that the falling into the gap accident cannot be repeated. Yes, the night stand can go the other side of the bed without risk to humankind in general. Their daughters have been concerned about the accident potential of the previous (lifetime in the house) arrangement for a while, so it's a good job done, if not a good deed from the perspective of the occupants. Do we all become like this in late age, no change is acceptable even if it eliminates a proven potential for a problem? ...It always amazed me, that there is the great panic buy because the stores are closed for 1 day, When most people shop weekly anyway. It is utterly bizarre. Where do all these extra folk over the regular contingent who visit weekly - and who presumably eat something for the rest of the year - normally obtain their supplies? It is plainly not the retailer whose premises they are now cluttering up, because they are patently clueless about the store layout, and are proceeding in directions contrary to those of the well trained store users efficiently filling trolley on a mapped path for minimum distance between entry and exit. Well that's the game I play anyway, obtain all groceries and other items without entering any aisle twice by a route proven to have the fewest IGMWB specimens present. (Crisps, sweets and soft drink locations should all be avoided.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 What amazes me is the couple shopping where she has the trolley and he just stands there. He would rather not be there, on all honesty, and just succeeds in cluttering uni the aisles for the sake of it. This from one who does the shopping every week because it's so much better a use of time - an extra two hours for what SWMBO has to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 (edited) Morning all from the village. I managed to get some last minute shopping done yesterday but I have never seen so many people in Moreeasons who seemed to be in a world of their own. The lights were occasionally on but there was certainly no one at home. Most of them seemed to be just standing in the aisle's with their trolleys as if they were modelling for a Gormley statue. Anyway I managed to get round without pushing any of them over and sanity was restored with a good evening at the club when I actually powered up the panel I'm building and got some LED's working. The house is till nice and quiet but there is not much on the agenda for today.......Yet. Several magazines have arrived so much reading will be done and enjoyed. Regards to all. Jamie Yes, Jamie - popped down to More Reasons at around 7.30-ish for some bread and milk - Couldn't believe families were QUEUEING for breakfasts - are they incapable of cooking their own? But cockandhenwomblitis has struck here too - cock on one side of aisle by milk and hen (with rather large ar$e) on the other, discussing how many bottles of milk they should get - whilst other customers(including me) cannot get past, between her backside and the trolley as she keeps turning round to pick up and place another 2pint bottle into the trolley through the ever narrowing gap. Eventually said - having been completely ignored - "EXCUSE ME!" in a loud voice, and barged through, whilst shoving the trolley out of the way! After collecting my bread from father down the aisle, looked back to see they were still there - no idea why they HAD to take individual 2 pints instead of the larger 4 or 7 pint bottles! Thank heavens his lack of Viagra only lets SANTA come once a year! BAH! HUMBUG! Edited December 23, 2017 by shortliner Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium AndyB Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2017 I cannot understand the logic, a motorist car aimer who drives around on bright sunny days was this afternoon with visability down to less than 100 yards driing with no lights! Night awl There's no accounting for folk. <RANT ON> Mind you, why, oh-why, oh-why do people drive round with a barrage of fog lights on just because it's dark? If it was similarly dark late at night on a summer's evening, would they think "I know, I'll put my fog lights on"? It's just dark, people!! And what's with this design trend of making car LED side light strips to look like demented slity eyes. Are people trying to say "Hey, you might be in front of me, but I'm letting you know I'm right behind you and you really should get out of the way"? I'm sort of hoping for a string of red LEDs that I can wind into a suitable message sign and stick to the rear of my jallopy. <RANT OFF> Morning all. Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without a quick visit to wish you all Happy Holidays and a swift return to your usual waist size after it's all over... Catching up on ERs after just a couple of days is difficult, so after a couple of years... forget it! Suffice to say, I wish a swift recovery to all those who may be ailing. .... Again, Happy Christmas to all. Pete75C. Good to hear from Pete. Hope we may see more of him in 2018?! Congrats to the youngster on his A level results. 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohmisterporter Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 Got my wife's present and I know she will be happy with it. They say "Diamonds are a girl's best friend", and I bought her lots. They are a bit small but that's the only way they can compress them into rollers for her foot scrubbing machine. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 ...It always amazed me, that there is the great panic buy because, the stores are closed for 1 day, When most people shop weekly anyway... I'm waiting to see how much of that panic-bought food is wasted. Just waiting for the diesel to be retested. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 I'm sort of hoping for a string of red LEDs that I can wind into a suitable message sign and stick to the rear of my jallopy. This is much easier, although I fear it may be sinking to the tailgater's level... 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold grandadbob Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2017 (edited) My pet hate is the womble who sits at the traffic lights with his foot on the brake pedal at night blinding anyone unfortunate enough to be behind. It seems that more and more "drivers"are doing this. Do cars not have handbrakes anymore? Edited December 23, 2017 by grandadbob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2017 May I add the folk who park on the other carriageway, facing traffic, leaving headlights on dazzling all who approach? Drives me nuts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold BoD Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2017 My pet hate is the womble who sits at the traffic lights with his foot on the brake pedal at night blinding anyone unfortunate enough to be behind. It seems that more and more "drivers"are doing this. Do cars not have handbrakes anymore? The other night I sat behind a police traffic car in which the driver did exactly that. Perhaps it is the correct way to do it nowadays. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 I suspect some folk do it as so many cars today are fitted with electronic parking brakes rather than the Paddy Hopkirk variety! Talking of driving technique, I wonder if instructors teach 'engine braking' these days, I was taught this way and still use it when needed. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 The diesel has a ticket for another year, and I'm just after giving it a wash... 18 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2017 Morning from Estuary-Land. Overslept this morning, not awake until after nine, so not such a long soak in the bath this a.m. My pet hate is the womble who sits at the traffic lights with his foot on the brake pedal at night blinding anyone unfortunate enough to be behind. It seems that more and more "drivers"are doing this. Do cars not have handbrakes anymore? May I add the folk who park on the other carriageway, facing traffic, leaving headlights on dazzling all who approach? Drives me nuts. And not forgetting those who have to turn right starting from the left hand kerb. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2017 The diesel has a ticket for another year, and I'm just after giving it a wash... Steady on Ivan... or is it just raining where you are??? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbishop Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 And we had "there's a fast response car up my ar$e, oh sh1t" syndrome last night. Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2017 G'day all, First to Tesco, at 09.15 so the car park was fairly full and the shop was also full - with a continuing goodly quotient of cock & hen wombles who appeared to have not the faintest idea of starting to shop at one end and then gradually progress to the other. However one big improvement was seeing several with shopping lists in their hands and one or two who seemed to know which shelves the things they wanted were on Thence over to Pangbourne on generally cock/henwomble free roads, got a space in the car park with no trouble, and thence to the butcher's. Here a model of organisation - queue just out of the door when I arrived but progressing at a reasonable pace; plenty of folk behind the counter coming along and asking each customer what they had ordered then getting it and placing it on a shelf behind the counter where it was gradually slid along to be bagged and handed over to the customer who could then turn to their right and pay the cashier. Only trouble was, guess, Mrs Stationmaster who being terribly clever went and paid before she got the ticket for the stuff being packed - which meant she hadn't paid for the yuckberry cranberry sauce she'd added as our order progressed along the shelf so had to go back and pay a bit more Roads on return working entirely cockwomble free, honest. Various preparatory tasks in hand in the catering/'fridge reorganising dept which included me being handed a partially empty packet of slightly out-of-date bacon and told to get rid of it - I duly converted that into a couple of rounds of bacon sandwiches for myself. The vacuum cleaner has n't received much of a mention as yet but I know that isn't far off. Have a good day - particularly those who have yet to venture out or brave a supermarket melee and best wishes and positive thoughts to all who have health problems. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 G'day all, First to Tesco on generally cock/henwomble free roads, Roads on return working entirely cockwomble free, honest. They were probably busy clogging up the aisles inside the Supermarkets! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugd1022 Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 (edited) Utter chaos in our local Sainsburys car park at just after nine this morning, couldn't avoid going in though as I was collecting a pre-paid item, namely a new detail sander having killed the old one yesterday. I hate DIY! I shall be staying well clear of anything resembling the 'Queen's highway for the cockwombling brigade' until next weekend when the M40 beckons for a family visit to West London, good job I know my way around Hammersmith and Barnes! Cheery pip. Edited December 23, 2017 by Rugd1022 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TheQ Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2017 Afternoon Awl, Concrete laid, and a bit of finishing done on the post box. The sun came out!!!! I'm knackered. A constant stream of Audis and BMWs lost, doing turns at the road junction outside the house. SWMBO is out with Ben the Border Collie. Coffee with added grouse being consumed, eyelid inspection expected. 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 He means throwing a bucket of water over it Job jobbed. 12 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2017 (edited) My pet hate is the womble who sits at the traffic lights with his foot on the brake pedal at night blinding anyone unfortunate enough to be behind. It seems that more and more "drivers"are doing this. Do cars not have handbrakes anymore? The rise of brakelights at traffic lights is entirely coincidental with the rise in the number of automatic gearboxes. Automatics promote a different driving style. Also the preponderance of "hill start assist" makes people lazy with the handbrake. I turned it off in my learner cars. I suspect some folk do it as so many cars today are fitted with electronic parking brakes rather than the Paddy Hopkirk variety! Talking of driving technique, I wonder if instructors teach 'engine braking' these days, I was taught this way and still use it when needed. Engine braking is far less relied upon as the original idea was to protect your brakes from excessive use/overheating/brake fade. Especially with drum brakes. But brakes are far better and cheaper to replace than clutches/gearboxes as well, so most braking is done with the right foot. I too was taught engine braking, but "had" to primarily teach foot braking. My teaching philosophy is was a mixture of the two. One disadvantage with engine braking is that there is no way of telling the tailgater that you're slowing down. Especially when you lift the clutch dropping from second to first gear whilst doing about 20mph as my learners tried to do........ The diesel has a ticket for another year, and I'm just after giving it a wash... The car or the ticket? Cheers, Mick Edited December 23, 2017 by newbryford 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 23, 2017 Good Stupid-Saturday-Before-Christmas-Day Panic buying is in force here today. Three people together were seen in the village shop, not including Mr. Shopkeeper who was busying himself at the till instead of his more common pastime of standing in the aisle (there is only one) awaiting trade. If that sounds most unlike an outer London suburb then this place functions very much as a village and much less like suburbia. The Post Office (yes, we still have one) also sells basic groceries, is the local newsagent, dry-cleaner's and place-of-repose for those no-one-home white-van-man parcels. I suspect if anyone passed away they might also offer undertaking services. Seasonal greetings cards have finally been written and posted though will now arrive late. Please note that Delay Repay does not apply. I am reliably informed that a supermarket visit is required very soon. Whether or not a parking space can be found remains to be seen. Whether or not what ever SWMBO requires at this late hour remains available also remains to be seen. Tomorrow is fully assigned to other tasks. The village shop is open on Monday, though on reduced hours from 10am - 7pm (normally 6am - 11pm daily) but he isn't expecting any more stock in until Wednesday. Hire car company has not charged my account for the excess-reduction fee. It's been applied to the deposit as a gesture of goodwill and recognition of loyalty. If all goes well I get all of that back next week and if it doesn't I am only out of pocket by a very modest sum. Christmas Cockwombles are anticipated. It is the avoidance of their incompetence which marks the skilful and fortunate driver. In other news places to not be right now include around London Zoo where the news is not at all good. The fire there will have repercussions throughout the visitor-attraction world including for SWMBO. Best wishes to all. Back soon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emt_911 Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 200 miles and four stops later I've managed to return home unscathed. Many hundreds of cock/henwombles were encountered but one really impressed me. Driving on the motorway with only the windscreen and the small bit of the drivers door window so that he could see the mirror were clear. The rest was pure condensation. Time for a coffee followed by some modelling. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted December 23, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 23, 2017 Afternoon. Robbie's walk had the added bonus of being near a shop where Aditi was able to purchase some green leafy coriander required for the food for Enfield tomorrow. Benfleet shops seemed very quiet. The park was quite deserted. Tony 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted December 23, 2017 Share Posted December 23, 2017 (edited) Afternoon one and all..... Hope everyone is in fine fettle. Thought you may be interested in these well meant tips for your good ladies..... I'll chat them through with Mrs S over dinner tonight. Edited December 23, 2017 by gordon s 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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