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106

General Discussion Area / Kitchen project

« on: 14 February 2014, 17:34:25 »

Has quietly been underway for a week plus some preparatory work before that  - moving radiators putting in French doors and refurbing a spare room to take all the crap out of kitchen to create space.

Quiet until today that is......3 plasterers arrived at 8 am sharp and they are still here - singing loudly, swigging tea, laughing and joking..... Bit of a contrast to joiner, electrician, plumber and general builder

107

General Discussion Area / Today I have mostly been visiting the National Cycling Centre/ Velodrome

« on: 09 February 2014, 00:03:08 »

We are up in Manchester regarding my mother's operation (she is doing just fine btw), and my cyclist fanatic nephew from Truro pitched up. So we met up at the Manchester cycling complex next to the Etihad.

Quite an experience to see both the BMX and Velodrome stuff at close quarters. Riding at the top of the banking of the Velodrome is an amazing sight close to.

The display of bikes through the ages also interesting.

Best of all .....it was free!

108

General Discussion Area / Sack Lancaster

« on: 01 February 2014, 18:54:24 »

Those unforced replacements were total nonsense. He needs to go. Tactically inept.

109

General Discussion Area / Dressing bricks

« on: 31 January 2014, 13:00:46 »

Always the case - one brick splits off mortar clean in 2 blows with lump and chisel and next one clings like when STEMO has a problem with his bed linen. I hate inconsistency.

Going to block in one door having had French windows installed elsewhere. Rain has held off so far.

I am a grandad again as of yesterday - 8lb grand daughter. All doing well. Will visit again later when rain starts.

110

General Discussion Area / Throwing out phones, electrical and computer stuff

« on: 30 January 2014, 22:46:18 »

I am sat here with boxes of old gear and cannot bring myself to throw it:

Box of iPod leads, fm transmitters, iPod Dock, iPod remote etc etc all circa 2005 and before I suspect. USB cables, headphones, adsl filters, telephone splitters.

Cannot believe it is worth diddly squat.

Tempted to box it and hide it but rather if went somewhere constructive and not the dump.

111

General Discussion Area / He's back

« on: 28 January 2014, 12:39:32 »

wouldn't you know??

112

General Discussion Area / Letters to Council

« on: 28 January 2014, 00:10:55 »

Just clearing out some old papers and came across a response to me from the Chief Officer at Bracknell Forest during the snow falls of Dec /Jan 2010.

His reply reads

"I refer to your letter of 5th Jan. For the purpose of clarity, and in response to your question, I am responding as my earlier letter says, to your call to our Customer Services centre on 22nd December. This is the one where you enquire about "the bunch of muppets" and "incompetent inept buffoons" ........

Happy days of road gritting failures when I had to walk home.

113

General Discussion Area / Asus Vivobook Windows 8

« on: 27 January 2014, 17:46:24 »

Had a go at PCworld and Asus regarding a colleague's Asus X202E. You cannot remove battery from these.

Basically when you disconnect power lead the screen goes off and yet there is plenty of power and green lights are still on showing all components other than screen are working. Proof is that after disconnecting power for a time you can reconnect and it does not need to reboot.

Started it in bios mode and screen stays on even without power lead so it is only when entering windows that screen goes blank.

PCWorld and Asus want to charge and it is only just out of warranty.

Any  thoughts. Hardly worth having it repaired at what you can bet is a minimum of £150 to £200.

Have tried messing with power settings and any adjustment will not save.

114

General Discussion Area / More shit - Npower again

« on: 22 January 2014, 14:01:29 »

Just this minute dropped through door is a packet of 3 bills from Npower for gas from the date of my fathers death in March last year to October 2013. The house is empty but we use it from time to time and keep wall heater on medium 24/7 in Winter.

When my father died I said to Npower I would pay the bills ongoing - but no account opened. They then opened an account and closed it and opened another but still no live account I could put data into. They said they would sort out in May last year. Gas supplied but no contact no bills no nothing and they even messed up my late father's bills to the date of his death - they were told to waive these by some recovery agency they had appointed who agreed with me that I had done everything and Npower's admin had messed up.

What to do with this latest lot. I cleverly moved gas supplier back end of last year so I assume they cannot interfere with new arrangement now. I suspect I will have a bit of fun with them and maybe get some Ombudsman involved. £400 is owed which is not a problem but it could have been in other circumstances.

115

General Discussion Area / Today I am mostly ......

« on: 22 January 2014, 12:24:23 »

....getting potentially tucked up with Karndean flooring companies. Great floor prep is necessary I understand well but £1200 to fit 25 sq metres seems to be taking the p*** given that does NOT include the Karndean itself!! Anyway another company called in - had the wife on all fours (long time no see) to chip off the high spots left by old floor tile adhesive....kango will be needed and then get away with one later of latex to level.

116

General Car Chat / Traffic Jams explained

« on: 20 January 2014, 22:45:55 »

http://www.smartmotorist.com/traffic-and-safety-guideline/traffic-jams.html

117

General Discussion Area / Shit happens

« on: 20 January 2014, 22:37:43 »

All going well with plumber draining down boiler, removing two radiators, preparing pipe work ready for new verticals in different locations to the one's removed, electrician working alongside moving sockets etc,  brackets for new radiators on walls fitted, valves fitted to radiator one then.......at 5pm valves for radiator 2 do not fit.

Strangely needs special adapters 3/8 to 1/2 inch for under radiator mount (I have confined space so side mount valves cannot be used), no one realised at supplier and I took their word for it. Rang manufacturer in Basildon who will Fedex out tomorrow - so no central heating (not worth refilling system and discharging again tomorrow). Then 25 year old gas fire is pressed into service which promptly had problem with ignition and thermocouple - so stripped down twice but now working.

Then start to clear dust and Dyson 25 loses suction - stripped down and found dodgy hose - luckily now all ok.

If Fedex doesn't arrive we am have issue with plumber who has to start big job on Wednesday.

Ho hum - what started as well planned ended up as character forming....

118

General Discussion Area / Central heating - room stat and boiler control

« on: 12 January 2014, 14:58:13 »

http://www.draytoncontrols.co.uk/Digistat3ProgrammableRoomThermostats.aspx

Anyone used one of these. Have been weighing up wired v wireless and decided to stick with wired I think.

I appreciate you cannot control hot water from this as well.

119

General Discussion Area / Windows 8.1 and Xbox One and Nokia Lumia

« on: 10 January 2014, 19:41:54 »

Surprised myself a bit that I have set up and integrated this lot in pretty quick time!!

120

General Discussion Area / Tree roots and drains

« on: 08 January 2014, 23:35:36 »

As usual I have a load of stuff going on 24/7 but one sort of got resolved in part today.

At the house up north there are huge trees in public footpath outside property. Noticed drains were blocking so had a camera inserted and amazing incursion of roots through gaps in clay pipes. Tried to blame Council who told me to bugger off as the drain must have problems if allowed roots to enter in the first place.

So had a go at insurance who have now agreed to pay. But the interesting lesson was how one of the 2 companies I had to get quotes from approached the issue. They quoted the cheapest price which the insurance company loved until it became apparent that they were setting themselves up for all the extras that they would have been coming back for (lining costs not included, cute hourly rate system). Luckily insurance company listened to me and agreed that it would be cheaper to lay new drain in plastic to replace the clay drain.

Hopefully work will be done in Feb.