Insignificant/ Significant things that BYP or just wind you up a little

[Mr. Dazzle]

And also plumbing in general.

[KungFooBob]

DIY plumbing.

In fact, DIY in general.

Amen.

[gremlin]

DIY plumbing.

In fact, DIY in general.

Amen.

To emphasise that sentiment, I've just taken delivery of 5 x 4m lengths of skirting board. There's the weekend's entertainment....

Still, it will distract me from the plumbing bollock drop, which (hopefully) I've found a way around. Went to my excellent plumbing merchant this morning, and when they all started shaking their heads, I knew I was in a bit of bother. Fingers crossed my solution will work, else I'll be cutting a shit load of wall out to reposition the shower wall plate, which I really, really don't want to do or even know if I want to attempt.

[Count Steer]

I wouldn't mind plumbing so much* but they always put it in inaccessible bloomin' places under stuff and behind stuff or buried in stuff. It's bad enough dealing with all the origami of taps, doublesink drains, washing machine, dishwasher etc but burying it under the sink in a cupboard is a PITA.

If I designed my own place I'd go for 'industrial chic' and have all the services easily accessible.

* proper stuff with a blowtorch - compression fittings can do one.

[MingtheMerciless]

Microchip cat flaps that only let your cats in...allegedly.

This is my cat flap, but that ain't my cat . Much cat growling and general cerfuffle ensued at 3AM.


Screenshot_20240410_071645_Ring.jpg

Cat hacked!

[Count Steer]

Microchip cat flaps that only let your cats in...allegedly.

This is my cat flap, but that ain't my cat . Much cat growling and general cerfuffle ensued at 3AM.


Screenshot_20240410_071645_Ring.jpg

Cat hacked!

Security camera on the cat flap!

[Mr. Dazzle]

Its just a ring camera we moved their temporarily, we're curious to see when they were coming and going.

They're proper creatures of habit! Out for a morning patrol at 5AM without fail.

[Count Steer]

Its just a ring camera we moved their temporarily, we're curious to see when they were coming and going.

They're proper creatures of habit! Out for a morning patrol at 5AM without fail.

The cat study at Shamley Green showed that the cats on a patch have time slots! (I assume so that they avoid bovva cats and only meet chums or, indeed, avoid all of them ).

[Count Steer]

Ooh me heart! Ooh me wallet!

Just taken a pair of curtains to the dry cleaners.

£92!

(+ I had to sign a disclaimer should they shrink, fade, dissolve whatever).

[Sunny]

Microchip cat flaps that only let your cats in...allegedly.

This is my cat flap, but that ain't my cat . Much cat growling and general cerfuffle ensued at 3AM.


Screenshot_20240410_071645_Ring.jpg

We have the magnetic version. At our old place our cat's mate would turn up at 3am and headbutt it trying to get in, he was so loud it woke us up

[Mr. Dazzle]

I've just caught interloper cat in the act!

Heard it banging the cat flap trying to gain entry so I switched on kitty cam. Said beast is tapping the flap with it's paws to make it bounce, then hooking a paw under the flap when it's part open and pulling it fully open in the 'out' direction. It only locks in the 'in' direction so as not to inadvertently trap stray animals that somehow gain entry.

I'm actually mildly impressed

[DefTrap]

<Sigh>.

Car vandalised overnight. My assumption but quite likely. Big impact to OS upper windscreen, not repairable, plus a windcreen wiper has gone missing and the arm is twisted. Happened sometime between my missus using it yesterday afternoon and 10a:m this morning.

Les dibbles came round pdq and quizzed me. They were armed and severe - parked their car right in the middle of the street and left it there because clearly this is important shit and so are they. "Does it run?" (Bloody cheek) and "Have I made any enemies?" (I think that's what they were implying). . I don't think so but who the feck knows? Maybe I sneered at a baguette or talked too loudly at the local bar? (quite likely ). Plod warmed up a bit in the end and advised me to report it (I thought that's what we were doing right there right then?) and suggested I should fix it.
It's all a bit perplexing because this village is deader than a dead thing from 8pm onwards, even at the weekends. No packs of roaming youths or drunks staggering home in the wee hours, especially on a Wednesday. No other vehicles nearby were similarly vandalised.

It's only the moighty 406 but even so ...

[Count Steer]

Do you usually park in that space? Some people get possessive about these things. Has it got Fronch plates on? It does look a bit of a drunken effort.

(I assume it's not a disabled space like the one next to it and you've not been hit by a wheelchair vigilante!).

Pain in the arris whichever.

[mangocrazy]

I wouldn't mind plumbing so much* but they always put it in inaccessible bloomin' places under stuff and behind stuff or buried in stuff. It's bad enough dealing with all the origami of taps, doublesink drains, washing machine, dishwasher etc but burying it under the sink in a cupboard is a PITA.

If I designed my own place I'd go for 'industrial chic' and have all the services easily accessible.

* proper stuff with a blowtorch - compression fittings can do one.

That is one of the (if not the only) advantages of ripping out all the old stuff and doing it yourself from scratch. We've been pretty much forced down this route in France and it means that I've been able to make stuff accessible and fit stop cocks/valves to every major component that might need attention. Both hot and cold circuits operate off a 6 way manifold, so any circuit can be shut down without impacting everything else. This is the hot water manifold, fed straight from the HW cylinder.

DSC_0833a.JPG (679.87 KiB) Viewed 738 times

The pipe is what known as 'multicouche' (multilayer) and has its own jointing system, employing lots of clamping pressure allied to o-rings. I've not had one leak yet. But for copper, I'm with you all the way - give me soldered joints every time. Compression fittings are used only when there is absolutely no alternative.

[DefTrap]

Do you usually park in that space? Some people get possessive about these things. Has it got Fronch plates on? It does look a bit of a drunken effort.

(I assume it's not a disabled space like the one next to it and you've not been hit by a wheelchair vigilante!).

Pain in the arris whichever.

It's just roadside parking - there's about eight spaces there (some out of shot) but none of them designated other than the single disabled bay. My car is always in one of them, along with primarily the same set of other random neighbours who have too many cars, and various others that come and go for the bakers, church, graveyard etc in the proximity. Ours is a familiar village fixture (it's on google maps FFS - the vandalism happened where the blue car in the background is parked) as we've had it for yonks as it's good for airport runs, going to the dump etc and refuses to die. Yes, it's got Fronch plates.

It does smack of targeted villainy. I've wandered about but I can't see any windscreen wipers lobbed in hedges.

[mangocrazy]

Cats. Pen has 3 cats and when she goes on her regular trips to UK, they often bugger off for a few days.
She's been away 2 weeks and the ginger one has been missing about 5 days.
Nothing strange, it'll come home soon as usual.

But council workers tidying up our front verge found him in some bushes.
When I picked him up to put in a sack, he was stiff so been there a while.

Had to phone Penny. No answer so rang her mum's landline.
Told her mum and she'll break the sad news.

She'll be devastated. It's getting to me much more than I thought. He was a funny cat.

Poor Frankie.

Sorry to hear about that. I'd be distraught if I found my cat dead in some bushes. I'm nervous as hell if he doesn't come home before dark.

[Yorick]

Expensive beer

No large beers . OK, dos canas.

Fark . €5

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[Taipan]

Expensive beer

No large beers . OK, dos canas.

Fark . €5

20240412_134259.jpg

Its the plastic cups that would kill it for me. I cant drink out of those kids cups and would probably have gone without or a bottled beer, if they'd let you drink out of the bottle?

[Yorick]

Expensive beer

No large beers . OK, dos canas.

Fark . €5

20240412_134259.jpg

Its the plastic cups that would kill it for me. I cant drink out of those kids cups and would probably have gone without or a bottled beer, if they'd let you drink out of the bottle?

Being a good boy. Only having one.

[Taipan]

Expensive beer

No large beers . OK, dos canas.

Fark . €5

20240412_134259.jpg

Its the plastic cups that would kill it for me. I cant drink out of those kids cups and would probably have gone without or a bottled beer, if they'd let you drink out of the bottle?

Being a good boy. Only having one.