Meldrew Moments: Grumpy Old Men
Join Date: Oct 1998
Location: Kalgoorlie, W.A. , Australia
Age: 82
Posts: 458
Many of you will have realised that the pronunciation of Marham was dependent on the number of fingers you had and wether your toes were webbed.
Been to Windum recently?
Been to Windum recently?
Last edited by Pom Pax; 13th Mar 2018 at 03:30. Reason: Posted by a dislectic Fen Tiger
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: last time I looked I was still here.
Posts: 4,509
Tratt-or-ri-a?
Tratt-or-ria?
Slight drift, but it made me grumpy in Italy. The same goes for Pizzeria. You choose the wrong one and you have come down from Mars. Lots of handing waving and eating gestures; the locals look at each other is total bewilderment. Are they taking the urine? Then some bright spark has a light bulb go off and offers the correct pronunciation and a round of giggles explodes.
Then the arm waving starts with directions how to go to the 'mangeria'.
Tratt-or-ria?
Slight drift, but it made me grumpy in Italy. The same goes for Pizzeria. You choose the wrong one and you have come down from Mars. Lots of handing waving and eating gestures; the locals look at each other is total bewilderment. Are they taking the urine? Then some bright spark has a light bulb go off and offers the correct pronunciation and a round of giggles explodes.
Then the arm waving starts with directions how to go to the 'mangeria'.
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Midlands
Posts: 186
Looks like the nations bean counters ant to get rid of the 1p coin - not before time. Why on earth do retailers believe that having every price ending in 99p will convince us that we are getting a bargain. And that old story about ensuring sales assistants rang in every purchase was absolute wallop of cod. They should also legislate against garages selling fuel priced in 0.1p increments.
I feel better now.
I feel better now.
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: uk
Posts: 880
Tone I'm with you all the way on that. Do these retailers really believe that we are taken in by pricing 1p below a round number? Of course we aren't and it's an irritating, stupid insult to our intelligence to think that we are.
The worst offenders are the fuel sellers; how brain dead do they have to be not to understand that no-one would ever buy less fuel if the price is 1p more? Or 0.01p more (As in 119.99p vs 120p)?
Behind all this c**p there'll be an MBA with a spreadsheet who knows everything but understands nothing. He probably calls himself a "Consultant".
The worst offenders are the fuel sellers; how brain dead do they have to be not to understand that no-one would ever buy less fuel if the price is 1p more? Or 0.01p more (As in 119.99p vs 120p)?
Behind all this c**p there'll be an MBA with a spreadsheet who knows everything but understands nothing. He probably calls himself a "Consultant".
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: South of Old Warden
Age: 83
Posts: 1,376
Went to the docs this afternoon. All parking spaces full except for bay for two cars.
Parked slap bang in the middle is one car. I felt very violent feelings towards the perpetrator of it’s mindless driver. Sat in the waiting room looking around, wondering who it could be. Nobody noticed me, all on their bloody iPhones!
Parked slap bang in the middle is one car. I felt very violent feelings towards the perpetrator of it’s mindless driver. Sat in the waiting room looking around, wondering who it could be. Nobody noticed me, all on their bloody iPhones!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lincolnshire
Age: 77
Posts: 16,744
Onb, ah but would the price go down?
Mind you, ignoring motor way prices, 5p a litre difference is psychologically a big difference, but say 40l is only £2,
Mind you, ignoring motor way prices, 5p a litre difference is psychologically a big difference, but say 40l is only £2,
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: The Smaller Antipode
Age: 86
Posts: 25
... a big American car pulled up alongside: the driver asked for the way ...
E.g. Kaikohe, Kaitaia, Whangarei, Whenuapai, Paraparaumu, Pauanui, Whakatane
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: last time I looked I was still here.
Posts: 4,509
Tone I'm with you all the way on that. Do these retailers really believe that we are taken in by pricing 1p below a round number? Of course we aren't and it's an irritating, stupid insult to our intelligence to think that we are.
TV advert the other day caught my eye because the retail price was £199.96. It then went that 4 payments of £49.99 were also possible. The mind boggles. Presumably there as a committee discussion at the manufactures or advertisers, that tossed the discussion back & forth of these figures or £200 & 4 x £50. The numpties won the day. And we worry about school education. It's the adults we should be worried about.
TV advert the other day caught my eye because the retail price was £199.96. It then went that 4 payments of £49.99 were also possible. The mind boggles. Presumably there as a committee discussion at the manufactures or advertisers, that tossed the discussion back & forth of these figures or £200 & 4 x £50. The numpties won the day. And we worry about school education. It's the adults we should be worried about.
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: uk
Posts: 880
Behind all this c**p there'll be an MBA with a spreadsheet who knows everything but understands nothing. He probably calls himself a "Consultant".
I wish to make it absolutely clear that in referring to the right of people of either, trans or no gender to be morons I have the utmost admiration for morons, who are indeed represented at all levels of society especially politicians, large compoany CEOs and minor members of the British Royal Family. (Other Royal Families may be equally afflicted among their lower ranks; I just have no evidence of that.)
To expiate my sins, I would by now have burnt myself at the stake, but the Health & Safety representative at the Approved Self-Burning Facility refused to allow me to keep my matches on entry so the attempt never got off the ground.
Last edited by old,not bold; 14th Mar 2018 at 20:07.
Avoid imitations
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
Posts: 13,022
Our small street didn't get its fortnightly household (non recyclable) wheelie bins emptied on the Thursday of the recent "big freeze". The bin lorry went right past the end of the road. Fair enough, the weather was poor and the council put no road salt down here. We were advised by the local council that any missed bins would be emptied very soon. But they weren't, not even after over a week - the street was still lined with wheelie bins, some of them by then overflowing. I sent a message via the council's website that my bin had been missed; the reply came back almost immediately, advising me to leave my bin out by 0630 the following day. There was no option to let them know the whole street had been missed.
Two days later it was still untouched (and tbh, stinking). Third day after my message it was emptied so I put the bin back up the driveway, tucked behind its retaining wall. Fifth day wife came back home in her car to be met by a bin man dragging the by now obviously lightweight wheelie bin back down to another dustcart, where it was hoisted into the air to be emptied...of nothing.
Silly bu&&ers had come back two days running! And tomorrow - guess what? Bin day - green bin again. Today I got a message to say my bin had been emptied....
I hate to see my council tax being wasted by incompetence.
Two days later it was still untouched (and tbh, stinking). Third day after my message it was emptied so I put the bin back up the driveway, tucked behind its retaining wall. Fifth day wife came back home in her car to be met by a bin man dragging the by now obviously lightweight wheelie bin back down to another dustcart, where it was hoisted into the air to be emptied...of nothing.
Silly bu&&ers had come back two days running! And tomorrow - guess what? Bin day - green bin again. Today I got a message to say my bin had been emptied....
I hate to see my council tax being wasted by incompetence.
Resident insomniac
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: N54 58 34 W02 01 21
Age: 76
Posts: 1,863
I have to say that, despite expectations, our council (County Unitary despite the overwhelming referendum vote to retain our District Council) has performed as one would wish over the recent adverse weather.
I live down a steep cul-de-sac, so it was no surprise that our (recycling) bins weren't emptied two weeks ago. In fact no attempt was made, as 'bin men' (I have never yet seen a bin woman) were diverted to spread salt (and remove snow) from urban footpaths (selectively - they concentrated on steep or narrow paths, bus shelters and other obvious public congregating areas).
This activity continued daily throughout the snow period, so no bin collections were attempted.
The County Council website explained what they were doing, and stated that two (clear or green) sacks (available from council offices) would be allowed (it was recycling - normally collected from black wheelie bins) and that is what I have done and expect them to collect the contents tomorrow morning at 7am.
I live down a steep cul-de-sac, so it was no surprise that our (recycling) bins weren't emptied two weeks ago. In fact no attempt was made, as 'bin men' (I have never yet seen a bin woman) were diverted to spread salt (and remove snow) from urban footpaths (selectively - they concentrated on steep or narrow paths, bus shelters and other obvious public congregating areas).
This activity continued daily throughout the snow period, so no bin collections were attempted.
The County Council website explained what they were doing, and stated that two (clear or green) sacks (available from council offices) would be allowed (it was recycling - normally collected from black wheelie bins) and that is what I have done and expect them to collect the contents tomorrow morning at 7am.
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: The Fletcher Memorial Home
Age: 55
Posts: 302
Originally Posted by hiflymk3
Or Wheretheheckarewe?
Was there not a tale of an American aviator reporting his position as "just over Looga barooga". After some triangulation he was found just past Loughborough
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Budapest
Posts: 1
Originally Posted by ShyTorque
Our small street didn't get its fortnightly household (non recyclable) wheelie bins emptied on the Thursday of the recent "big freeze". The bin lorry went right past the end of the road. Fair enough, the weather was poor and the council put no road salt down here. We were advised by the local council that any missed bins would be emptied very soon. But they weren't, not even after over a week - the street was still lined with wheelie bins, some of them by then overflowing. I sent a message via the council's website that my bin had been missed; the reply came back almost immediately, advising me to leave my bin out by 0630 the following day. There was no option to let them know the whole street had been missed.
Two days later it was still untouched (and tbh, stinking). Third day after my message it was emptied so I put the bin back up the driveway, tucked behind its retaining wall. Fifth day wife came back home in her car to be met by a bin man dragging the by now obviously lightweight wheelie bin back down to another dustcart, where it was hoisted into the air to be emptied...of nothing.
Silly bu&&ers had come back two days running! And tomorrow - guess what? Bin day - green bin again. Today I got a message to say my bin had been emptied....
I hate to see my council tax being wasted by incompetence.
Two days later it was still untouched (and tbh, stinking). Third day after my message it was emptied so I put the bin back up the driveway, tucked behind its retaining wall. Fifth day wife came back home in her car to be met by a bin man dragging the by now obviously lightweight wheelie bin back down to another dustcart, where it was hoisted into the air to be emptied...of nothing.
Silly bu&&ers had come back two days running! And tomorrow - guess what? Bin day - green bin again. Today I got a message to say my bin had been emptied....
I hate to see my council tax being wasted by incompetence.
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: The Luberon
Age: 69
Posts: 919
Originally Posted by goudie
Went to the docs this afternoon. All parking spaces full except for bay for two cars.
Parked slap bang in the middle is one car. I felt very violent feelings towards the perpetrator of it’s mindless driver. Sat in the waiting room looking around, wondering who it could be. Nobody noticed me, all on their bloody iPhones!
Parked slap bang in the middle is one car. I felt very violent feelings towards the perpetrator of it’s mindless driver. Sat in the waiting room looking around, wondering who it could be. Nobody noticed me, all on their bloody iPhones!
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Out in the sticks in DE56
Age: 82
Posts: 553
Originally Posted by sitigeltfel
Sometimes I arrive at a car park to discover that somewhere up the line someone has parked askew, causing everyone else to do the same. I dread that if I also do the same, and all the others around my car leave before I return, I'm the one who gets the blame!
Decided to throw myself at the mercy of the magistrates (knew some of them) and sure enough, the case got laughed out of court: one of them said he regularly parked there himself. Essentially the young PC who wrote the ticket was told to get himself a sense of proportion. (wish they'd say that to som eof them today...)
