45156

Afternoon All Apologies, but again, the house has defeated the web. Many pages missed, and no posts read. All I can offer is the usual greetings. 30747 reaches 66 next year, and will draw her state pension then - can somebody else advise whether she will qualify for her own winter fuel allowance, or do we split one between us. I'm sure that somebody can answer rather than my ploughing through the verbiage on the .gov websites. Regards to All Stewart

It does for me as well - though last time, I got soaked as I had to walk both ways (no driving) in the poiring rain.

Regards to All Stewart

Evening All So sorry that I have (again) been AWOL - apologies, and the excuse is the usual - decoration/paint/wallpaper. Many pages skipped, and not a lot of posts read. Today, we did Bedroom 3 - painted and one wall wallpapered - then the strange one - we put up the Parish notice board from the Ashton Carbonel village hall. 30747 bought it a couple of weeks ago in a jumble sale for a fiver, and we removed the metal grilles and the padlock, then rubbed it down, and did it with some teak oil as it had been outside for all of its life, then stained it and waxed it three times - took the old supporting straps off it, and put on a couple of glass plates, then used a couple of offcuts of the wallpaper which we had hung on the same wall. I was sceptical, but it worked, and it looks brilliant. However, during dinner (partaken at lunch time), the power went off - only ours. It reset as soon as I untripped it, and it seems that we had a pan of meat which boiled over, and some of the water went down the back of the cooker, and must have caused an earth leak. At least we know that the RCD works - but the number of devices that needed resetting was horrible. At least it hasn't happened ag

Video Killed The Radio Star - The Buggles

I'm Only Sleeping - that Liverpool band again

I Am The Walrus - guess who?

No there were new lights needed, as the old low voltage ones were both knackered and wrongly wired up - which is strange as the bathroom was professionally done five years ago.

Afternoon All From a very happy 45156. Today was another of these good days which seem to have been in short supply of late. But first, apologies for some skipping, and also generic greetings are on offer from Ludlow (or just outside it anyway). Supportive thoughts to Kelly are also on offer - just keep on with it all. So what was so good - well, I've found the rarest of things - an honest garage, which does not charge the earth. I've been having problems with the engine management light for some time, and took the car, just before the move, to my usual garage, and they diagnosed an 02 sensor - and said the car was safe to drive until I could get it sorted after the move - this was a bit odd, as the 02 sensor was changed about 4 months ago. What they did not really explain is that the Ibiza has TWO 02 sensors, though they did when I took the car back just before the move. Took the car to honest garage, who ran diagnostics, and came up with a faulty lambda probe - they changed it, and the light went out for about a day, then came back. Back to the garage, and they ran a diagnostic, and got another 02 sensor fault, and changed the offending sensor for a genuine SEAT part. Light came back again, after 24 hours, and yesterday they did a full emissions test in case the catalyst was faulty - God forbid. Emissions test was fine, and the diagnostics came up 02 sensor again and they checked everything, to find that the SEAT sensor thet they'd fitted was faulty - so they ordered a Lucas part instead, and fitted it this afternoon - they didn't charge for the work previously at all, as they had got it wrong, and the total bill was a fair bit under £200. They've got my business now for life (or until I move again). MOT and service will most certainly be done there. Next stage is to get the car valeted, now it is mechanically sound again. Also, Shawn the electrician came today, and I asked him to do a few jobs for us, as the last time he came, he got stuck with wiring the boiler, which was not what I booked him for. Today, we wanted (and got) three working lights in the bathroom, a working bathroom fan, the wall lights in our bedroom changed, and also a working PIR in the back garden. He did a complete rewire on the bathroom, rather than try to sort out the cat's cradle in the loft. He was here for about two hours, and his bill was £230 - quite amazing. To sort the PIR, he used my Henchman tripod ladder, which really impressed him, as it is so stable - he was ten feet up and had both hands free do sort the PIR - and there was me going to sell it on - no way now, it proved its worth again today. AND I won't have to pay a phone bill now for about three months. Days don't get much better. though yesterday came close. Regards to All Stewart

I Love To Love (But My Baby Just Wants to Dance) - Tina Charles - 30747 looked after her kid back in the 1980s.

I got done about seven years ago, due to a change to the speed limit a few days before, and a speed camera van out at 7 am, but that was no excuse, and I was only doing 35 - and opted to take a speed awareness course, where the specified limit plus 10% theory was totally decried by the course manager, and he illustrated this on two slides - the 30mph sign with a tick beside it, and a 30mph sign with +10% beside it, and crossed out. He also debunked many of the excuses proffered - one divvy who thought that the speed cameras were switched off at midnight, and a woman, who said that her satnav "told" her that it was 40 mph, and she got done - the guy then asked "how often do you update your satnav?" - "what - how do you do that" came the lady's reply.

Afternoon All Again, much skipping has had to happen, as I have been very busy yesterday and today - apologies, and also greetings, and I did notice the visit from Andyram, so welcome back, mate. Hope you can get that black dog firmly back in its kennel. Today has been one of the better days, as I managed to get the TV box installed yesterday, and it took only about an hour or so - I also cleared the old Manhattan box, and rang their (no)helpdesk, as it has been freezing, cutting out, and not downloading its hard drive - WARNING - don't buy this box it's cr&p. The technical person wanted me to take the BT box out, reinstal the Manhattan, and then fire it up. When I refused, he said (in very broken English) that I should "take it up with the supplier" - Argos!!! However, undeterred, I drove to Argos (3/4 mile) and spoke to the manager, explained the situation, and she said that even without the email, she could backtrack, as I had the date, and the debit on my credit card statement. The email was never received, as it came when my broadband had not been provided. I said that this was very different from what I had the last time when I wanted to return an item, and she said that the person who misadvised me "no longer works here", and promptly did her online checks, and refunded my £129 - even though I had a new card now. She also said that she had been having "issues" with this particular make of boxe. I also got a quite substantial credit on my phone account to compensate for my problems. And I started at Oxfam books as well. Oh, and the car has been checked out again, and luckily it does not need a new catalytic converter, but just the other O2 sensor changing. Back tonorrow, hopefully. Regards to All Stewart

Afternoon All Strangest event - there was a model railway exhibition at Ludlow racecourse today, and 30747 actually suggested that I should go - the quid pro quo being that we had to go to a car boot sale first, then a jumble sale - but I got there in the end. Not a lot more to report. Regards to All Stewart

Dare I Puppet On A String -Sandra Ann Goodrich

Afternoon All From a very irate Ludlow resident. First off, applogies for absence, and also generic greetings - I have skipped loads and loads of pages. House is getting somewhere, but not as fast as 30747 wants. However, the ire comes from my phone provider, who has STILL not managed to get my TV service in order, and managers don't call back at the promised times. Latest is that they've ordered the wrong TV box - I ordered a wi fi box to get all the promised services, and at a special price. I appear to be getting a standard box, not a wi fi one, and also not at a special price as "that offer has expired" - like h*ll it has, it's not my fault the orders with BT keep failing. that's been quite a few weeks, and still the saga is continuing. And my mobile provider, which is now linked tenuously to the beardy one, and used to be owned by my phone provider has just angered me even more. I had water damage to my Samsung Galaxy due to putting it down on a wet sinkboard. I couldn't afford another galaxy, as they have gone up to almost double, so I bought a Nokia. After 3 weeks, it went wrong, cutting calls and sometimes not ringing. As when we moved, it was the only thing we had, I lived with it. It died completely just after the landlone was connected, and I took it for a refund, and to buy a new phone so that we could still communicate, have the same no, and keep my contacts - no such luck, and I had no choice but to just buy the new phone, and have the sim transferred. This was the only choice to keep the status quo, and my mobile supplier will still not refund, and has actually replaced my three week at the time old phone with a USED Nokia of the same make and model - needless to say, there is an open complaint - it won't get me anywhere. In other news, we had a leak round the stopcock, which we had thought was actually due to Lily having a wee in the kitchen, until it came back when Lily had not been near. A quick phone call to Simon the plumber, and he had one of his plumbers with us in ten minutes - and no charge, as he didn't check that the stopcock was OK after shutting the water off to instal the dishwasher, and sort out the leaky taps. It just needed the gland tightened, and not a new stopcock. This one is on my current playlist. Regards to All Stewart

Yes, @Florence Locomotive Workshe repaired it at a cost of £320, and it is ticking and tocking on my wall, and keeping good time. It did need a lot of work including some recutting of wheels, and rebushing. He is based in Garstang, in Lancashire.

Evening All, Trip to Bewdley undertaken, and some chips consumed, no steamy things seen or heard, just a deedaw of a disiesel. Then home to erect a mini greenhouse which was impulse bought in Aldi while we were doing the weekly shop, and also a two riser set of steps. We know how to live. Sorry I'm late - I deferred all W10 updates during the move, and then again until I had a decent broadband speed, and today, they all came in - so PC was tied up for quite some time downloading and updating - and only finished a little while ago. Regards to All Stewart

I just had a close encounter of the Riddles kind - thanks to Saphos Trains - stop for water at Ludlow, and already 6 down, I suspect that the operator might be on for a fine, as the TFL service from Carmarthen to Manchester was RT at Leominster, and 16 down off Ludlow. And timed for a 175, with 100mph max, but OK restricted on this line, still going to lose time until the steamer is looped at Shrewsbury, or perhaps allowed to run to Crewe, which will have disatrous results for the 1W70. Excuse the images - the best I could do given the tight angle, and that they were taken on my old camera.

Afternoon All Electrician came and did a wonderful job on wiring up the boiler, nothing is actually visible, as he took the cables up into the loft where the plumbers were able to bring them down hidden into the bathroom. Boiler is now working, and visible so no more loft visits. Also the dishwasher is in and working - but the plumber won't be able to bill us for about a week, as he is now catching up after he and his two assistants, Ollie and Beth (who is a six year qualified lady plumber), all went down with the virus. Tonight, according to RTT, 1Z91 is due to stop at Ludlow for 18 minutes, and as a birthday treat, I'm being alllowed to go down to see it. Tomorrow is our weekly day off, and we are taking Lily to Bewdley, where I will not be allowed to visit any more steamy things running on tracks. Then another birthday treat, we got a coupon for a massive discount on a meal at The Squirrel, so we're going there for a scampi and chips and a tikka. Generic greetings are on offer to all, and apologies for not reading and rating all posts - in a few weeks, that should hopefully change. And it was my birthday yesterday, and Lily's is today. Here is her birthday picture - she's doing well for 10 - same in doggy years as I am in real years. Regards to All Stewart

Morning All Plumber and electrician today - and I have just completed another circuit of the sun - it's one of my milestones, I guess, as it's my 70th. How time flies. Regards to All Stewart

Little Does She Know - Kursall Flyers

I have a 100+ year old English Dial Clock, which died one night, with the fusee chain apparently having come off the drum - no such luck - it was a major problem, and my clock repairer said it was irrepairable. I managed to find a repairer locally, Barry Fitzgibbons, who is a very very skilled clock repairer, but as has been stated here, he is not getting any younger, and had no apprentice.

Afternoon All Today, the last of the guitars finally went up, as we started to tackle bedroom 3. 30747 tackled the little garden, and it is starting to look better - the turf has all taken, and will soon need to be treated to a high cut with the lawn mower. I took a couple of images to show you how it's come on - though small, she has worked on it, as have I, and it does look very different from what we bought. Plumbers tomorrow, putting in the dishwasher, and also sorting out a few minor matters, and moving the boiler - and electrician tomorrow evening to sort out a few matters, including the mains supply for the boiler, which will need to take priority. We seem to have fallen on our feet with the NHS - Doctor seems to be pretty good, and we have also managed to get an NHS DENTIST. Back on Wednesday, probably. Regards to All Stewart

Evening All Been shifting furniture - one of the wardrobes moved from Bed 1 to bed 3 - all was going well, til we got to the door, and found that the wardrobe was about a centimeter taller than the door - it must have been constructed inside the bedroom, so I had to get inside to take the four screws out that held the roof on - only to find that they were very long - in fact they were sticking out of the top - and also VERY burred cheap cross heads, which had to be slowly removed by a no 2 posidriv hand screwdriver - then it did go out, and had to be rebuilt but using some decent screws - simple job made complicaated - as jobs have a habit of doing. Been off for a few days with unfinished business, including 30747's leaving do, during which I was treated to a meal in the Gallico Lounge which was not too bad - her leaving do was at a local pizza place. Tried to post from there, but the wifi was a bit on the patchy side. And got back to find that I have FINALLY got fibre bb - now running at 57 meg. Seven times faster than I had - TV package should be comng on next week. Regards to All Stewart

North To Alaska - Johnny Horton