What have you been doing today?

[Harry Bloomfield]

I had my RSV jab on Friday. I managed to miss the first round of injections, a month or two ago - missed the invite, and happened to make an enquiry, at just the right time. Chatting with the 'jabber', it costs the NHS £158, and it's a trial. to see if the jabs expense, provides worthwhile benefits. I barely felt the needle, no sore arm, no after-effects what-so-ever.

 

[securespark]

But each group took photos so they could show the others what they missed??

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

We've been installing this today - https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/fencing-screen.637762/

Along the back, was our repurposed chain link fence, which I put up some 40+ years ago, as a way to keep trespassers out of our back garden, behind that an older railway fence, then just beyond that a new, very robust railway metal fence - with beyond it a wide area of unused railway property. To help disguise it, we fitted bamboo canes, or a roll. That was until earlier this year, when they decided to turn the unused land, into an electrification depot, using bulldozers, to clear the land, pushing it into enormous piles, just beyond our rear fences.

The new screening, was a little taller than the existing supports for the chain link, so I spent yesterday, making up some bolt on supports, to increase the height. Then ran 4mm earth wire along the top, pulled taut, to act as the upper suspension, for the new screen. It all looks much better now, hides the fences, and almost hides the piles of earth at the back.

 

[Mottie]

Tracking the Police! Just had the police helicopter circling our area so I tracked it with an app. Tracked it all the way back to Stansted where I suppose it must be based unless it’s just gone there to fill up?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Tracking the Police! Just had the police helicopter circling our area so I tracked it with an app. Tracked it all the way back to Stansted where I suppose it must be based unless it’s just gone there to fill up?

Best if they do sky-writing

 

[Mottie]

Ran the scooter up to the workshop to smash some wheel nuts off my mates Transit and replace with new. While I was there, I decided to replace the perished tyre valve on the front wheel of the bike as it was an advisory on the last MOT.

I no longer have my tyre changing equipment but as it was only the valve, I left the wheel on the bike, unbolted the vice from my bench and used that to break the bead on the wheel. Then, using a pair of welding mole grips, I squashed the tyre enough to be able to pull the valve out and popped a new one in, snapping that into place using my pin nosed mole grips. Job done!

 

[fillyboy]

That's definitely perished mate. Good job.

 

[Mottie]

That's definitely perished mate. Good job.

Yeah, you definitely don't want a sudden deflation on the front wheel of a bike when you’re doing 70mph!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

While I was there, I decided to replace the perished tyre valve on the front wheel of the bike as it was an advisory on the last MOT.

How was that even managing to hold any air?

 

[Mottie]

How was that even managing to hold any air?

they have a metal tube moulded inside the rubber outer that the valve fits into. I have had them pull out before now when I tried to inflate the tyre.

 

[Mottie]

Been on the phone to British Gas today with a major complaint. They supply the electricity to the workshop. It doesn’t help when the bastards cut you off after 40 minutes either. I had the smart meter changed at the workshop a good few months back and had over a couple of hundred quid credit on it. Last time I was up there a few weeks ago, I checked on the smart thingy on my desk in the office. Had nearly £80 left. Today, I had two messages. 1. I was £6.50 into 'emergency credit' and 2. There was a 'change of user'. Added to that, I had two letters to the workshop address, one welcoming a Mr Nwabueze to British Gas and another letter containing his top up card. When I phoned them they told me I had left and this new bloke had taken over on 1st November. Either he or they had put a wrong address into the system. They admitted that when new people take over a meter, they remotely wipe all previous credit on the meter and set it to zero. As them 'new' person hasn’t topped up any credit, the daily usage from zero had put it into emergency credit. They are supposed to be putting it back in my name and sending me a new top up card and will be reinstating the credit they wiped off of it. I can see that going wrong - trouble is, I have something like £3.50 emergency credit I can still take but once that’s gone, (being used by the alarm and cctv) the electricity will go off, the alarm will run for a while on its internal battery but when that’s depleted, the battery in the bell box will set the alarm off as it will think the power has been cut! A total fùck up!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Been on the phone to British Gas

There lies the issue, they are an absolutely hopeless company. They still think, like they are, the company they were.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Good luck with Sh*tish Gas. Had recent dealing with them recently re. bills going back couple of years on Old Man's rental flat. Had to deal with two departments - one for their old system, other for new. They keep blaming each other sending bs bills with silly amounts on. Every time they say they will sort it, they send a bill with another large total plucked from the air. Absolutely hopeless.

 

[Mottie]

There lies the issue, they are an absolutely hopeless company. They still think, like they are, the company they were.

Good luck with Sh*tish Gas.

Yep. They were supposed to phone me back with an update last night confirming that my missing credit had been replaced. No such call came. Going to get back on to them today. Of course, it would help if the people in the 'customer care' department of British Gas could speak clear English!

 

[Mottie]

Yep. They were supposed to phone me back with an update last night confirming that my missing credit had been replaced. No such call came. Going to get back on to them today. Of course, it would help if the people in the 'customer care' department of British Gas could speak clear English!

What a faff about! Another half an hour on the phone and finally got to speak to someone with half a brain cell plus a reasonable command of Eengliish. Got my account reopened, my credit refunded - £78.63, plus a tenners worth of credit for my troubles. Wowser!