grandadbob

Good morning all,

Grey start to the day here with some heavy showers, possibly thundery, forecast.  It should clear this afternoon with the chance of some late sunshine. 9°C rising to a maximum of 17°C.

Nothing much to report.*  My iced bun got eaten with no ill effects.  However I did have a minor mishap as when I went to answer the front door (mate Tim from over the road visiting for a natter)  I caught my arm on the latch of the lounge door and ripped some skin off and drew blood.  Bobby has done a GDB for the first time in ages!

My mate next door Russ is somewhat hacked off.  A couple of weeks ago he got a large chip in the windscreen of his Kuga which was too big to be repaired so new screen required.  Fitter no 1 turned up last Friday, got set up to do the job and got screen out of van but had the wrong one so away he went.  On  Tuesday fitters 2 & 3 turned up in 2 vans but it then transpired that neither of them had the screen on board!  Yesterday 2 fitters turned up in 1 van and fitted the screen.  However they also managed to scratch the paintwork on both sides  of the top edge of the bonnet.  Russ is not happy and I believe multiple Snottocalls made and Snottograms are being sent.

I too am not happy, new Sim card still not arrived although the first direct debit has now been taken (for too bloody match).  A(nother) lengthy phone call has been made and BT/EE are again aware that they have a very unhappy customer.  Apologies have been given and I've been assured that a credit has already been raised after my last phone call but I just want the issue sorted.  Is that too much to ask? 

* Hmm, a bit more to report than I thought, how good is that, nothing beats a bit of a rant.

Timetogettamoveon, (The Boss is calling me)

Have a good one,

Bob.

I'm getting really hacked off with people here banging on about bloody cakes.

Look what you've made me do now!!!

I'm going to have to go and have  a lie down in a darkened room ........when I've eaten it.  🙃🤪

Good morning all,

Dull start here and apparently it was very damp with thunder and lightning in the night which I didn't hear.  I did hear the  torrential rain and hailstones which woke me at 04.50 but I managed to doze off again for another hour.  5-6 hours sleep is the norm for me.  I do sometimes doze off for about an hour after lunch if I stay in the armchair.

A cloudy day is forecast with more heavy showers and the chance of thunder.  12°C rising to 18°C.

Bin lorries have already started their parade but no Ocado delivery this week.  We're using up part of the various supplies that were possibly bought for some sort of siege and will pop out for any fresh stuff required.

Still no Sim card.....it's in the post!!!  I did ask Nicki's fiance Darren  where it was (He's a postie) but for some strange reason he seemed unable to tell me.  🤪

Abbie and James are on holiday in Malta visiting his grandparents.  Their Instagram photos start early each morning with a shot of a gym and both of them in there.  This is followed by photos of sunshine, lots of drink and huge meals....that may be why the gym is being visited. 😁  Jealous? Moi?  The gym not so much although there was a time way back in the dim and distant recesses of my forgettery © ChrisF that I would have enjoyed such a thing.

Window cleaners have just arrived. They were due over a week ago but sadly the old boss and dad of the current boss died a few weeks ago so unsurprisingly they had more important things to deal with.

They've been doing our windows for about 20 years and changed from ladders to long poles and hoses just before the pandemic, the main reason given being the insurance costs.  Must admit I was sceptical to start with but they are good lads who do a great job and it saves me having to do it.  Better go and open the back gate for them.

Have a good one,

Bob.

A'noon all,

Well the morning did get slightly more exciting because when I arrived at the dental surgery to see the hygienist I was informed I was also seeing the dentist for a check up.  That was news to me but not to worry and nothing to worry about as everything was found to be in good order.

When I got home I decided to do some end of month admin work and was pleasantly surprised to find that the month hadn't consumed all the funds set aside for bills etc so a bit of wedge has found its way into the BB&MF.*

Feeling a bit left out of the LDC conversations because I haven't had much cake of any description for a while.  Trying to lose a bit of weight although TBH not trying very hard so have been stuck on 13stone13lbs for about a month.  At least it hasn't gone up.  Target is 13 stone 7lbs or even a bit less but we'll see.  More strenuous exercise would help but was advised to wait at least 3 months after my hernia op before doing press ups and sit ups etc.  That time has now elapsed but I haven't got a round tuit.  Certainly had no problems since the op and have been quite comfortable lifting stuff up to about 20kg** recently so it might be time to have a go.

Tonight I will be in air fryer mode and making a frittata type thingy as we have a surplus of eggs.  Not quite decided what else is going in it yet, depends on what I find in the fridge.

* Bob's Booze & Modelling Fund.

** That's just made me laugh when I think that in my (early) working life humping a cwt (50 kg) bag of cement or sand on my shoulder was not that difficult.  Don't think my old ravaged frame could take that now.

What I omitted to mention earlier is that I have an appointment with the dental hygienist at 10.30 so will leave here at 10.15 for  a slow hobble round the corner.   On the way back I need to visit Asda to collect some more milk.  Boy, isn't it exciting at the moment here in the Land of Sutt?  I can't contain myself!  🤪

Good morning all,

Sunshine and blue sky here again.  A dry and bright day is forecast along with the chance of the odd shower later in the afternoon.  10°C rising to 19°C.

No plans made for today yet so if nothing needs doing (Management hasn't appeared yet) I may  spend some time in The Shed.

Have a good one,

Bob.

We got a postal delivery today and as I'm still waiting for my new Sim card I got quite excited.  Should've known better, still no Sim however I was very lucky 🤪because what I did get from the cheeky barstewards was my "first bill" for the new mobile phone service starting from 24th April!  Needless to say a phone call was made and they were politely told in a very firm manner what they could do with their bill and I wasn't paying for anything until I got the goods and was able to use them.  Also said I was very close to cancelling the whole thing unless they sorted it PDQ.  A very apologetic person has  said that an enhanced  credit would be issued forthwith.  I've now told them that I won't be using the new Sims until the broadband service is also sorted and that won't be until 15th May.

Some domestic tasks have been dealt with but I managed to sidestep the gardening so no plants have been harmed today.

Also been trying to transfer a lot of photos from my camera to my laptop but it wouldn't work.  Looks like the problem is with the lead or the camera socket however I managed to do it eventually with an old card reader.

Good morning all,

Blue sky and sunshine here and it should be a mainly mild, dry, breezy and sunny day.  9°C rising to 16°C.

It would appear that my assistance may be required with some domestic tasks today.  Can't wait.  There may also be some gardening involved although the grass doesn't need cutting - it never does. I may vacuum it instead.  😂

Tea has been taken up to Herself so I expect she will shortly be on the rampage and advising me that it's "timetogettamoveon."

Have a good one,

Bob.

Good morning all,

Dull and very damp, seems to have been raining for hours.  More rain to come yet and it may be heavy and thundery. Chance of some sunny spells later this afternoon and it will be breezy.  7°C rising to 13°C.

@Barry O  Beamish was big enough in 2019 and we spent a day and a half there and walked IIRC about 12 miles.  Don't intend doing that again, don't think various joints would cope so buses and trams will be used.   A plan will be made and one or two things won't be visited, I certainly won't be going in the coal mine again, even that short distance in there walking doubled up was more than enough for my poor old back.  

Rugby watched yesterday and it was a great match.  Must have been a fantastic atmosphere at Twickenham with 60000 rugby fans enjoying the spectacle.  A couple of controversial refereeing decisions to the benefit of both sides but I think Quins possibly did better out of it and managed to secure a great win which they badly needed.  More rugby to watch this afternoon.  No surprise there then.

As it's Sunday a cooked breakfast has been offered so I will shortly be surrounding some eggs, bacon sausage etc.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Good morning all,

Dull and damp start earlier with more dullness and dampness forecast throughout the day.  6°C rising to a maximum of 14°C.

Much aching all over this morning, particularly in the back,  don't know why,  I haven't been exerting myself apart from the daily hobble.

@Barry O  We're heading to Beamish in a couple of months Baz as we enjoyed our visit so much back in 2019.  I think they were just starting the 1950s section then.  The Boss also wants to see The Angel of the North as we didn't last time we were up there.  Durham Cathedral is also a possibility.

Rugby watched last night, didn't enjoy it much as there was too much kicking in the first half.  Today Quins are playing Northampton at Twickenham, that could be a great match.  The way the latter have been playing Quins will have to be at the top of their game and then some.

The mobile phone Sim saga continues as mine still hasn't arrived. During a lengthy phone call in which "Dean" couldn't really explain what had (or hadn't) happened I was  put through to "Amelia" who started off by saying "I understand you've lost your Sim card."  Cue GDB almost exploding but I managed to keep my cool and asked how the hell I could lose something that I had never received!   Another one is now being sent....and breathe.

According to The Boss it's now timetogattamoveon, not quite sure why as nothing is planned....so far.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Ooops, sorry Dave, @Dave Hunt missed your birthday so belated greetings from me.

A brief walk via Asda has been undertaken, not even a mile today.  This is due to multiple complaints from The Hip and The Boss so I gave in.

Regrettably most of the "proper" shops have disappeared from around here so most of our shopping is from supermarkets.  We've still got a little baker but I avoid going in there as the cakes especially those with cream in are too tempting and too big!  Nearest decent greengrocer is a couple of miles away as was a really good butcher but the latter closed last year.  Another opened shortly afterwards but that didn't last long!  We seem to be surrounded by supermarkets, convenience stores, fast food outlets, barbers and lady's hairdressers, charity shops and empty shops.

30 minutes ago, polybear said:

 

Maybe why that's why the store is deserted - cr@p service?

 Yep and also depends on the manager and the example he sets.  Current one OKish I suppose as he did respond to my complaint.  The one before him was a scruffy individual (dirty shoes, shirt tail hanging out, tie askew)  who, if he was seen on the shopfloor was invariably on his phone and avoided eye contact with anyone.  The one before him (The Boss's old boss) was always immaculate and could always be seen and interacted with customers all the time.  He also made a point of going round the store talking to all his staff every morning and had a really good team. Sadly most of them are no longer there.  When he left the rot started to set in and I suppose the pandemic didn't help either.

Good morning all,

Greyish start but the sun has been trying to break through.  However a mainly overcast and wet day is forecast.  4°C now and it might reach 13°C.

Stacks of supermarkets within a couple of miles around here.  Rather surprised at the claims by Sainsbury's that everybody's going back to instore shopping but they must have the figures to support it.  Our local store seems positively deserted compared to pre pandemic levels of shoppers.  (Hardly any staff either now)  They've changed to mainly self service checkouts so the manned checkouts have reduced from 24 to 4 -6 depending on day of the week  The latter don't even open until 9.00 Monday to Thursday.  On one of our rare visits on a Tuesday at 08.30 when we discovered this I told the manager that we'd leave our shopping if that was the case and he got somebody to open a checkout for us.  Maybe it's an age thing but I can't stand the self service tills and will not use them which is why we're avoiding stores as much as possible and getting most stuff online now.  Seems to be the case with quite a few of our neighbours too as there is a daily procession of vans from Sainsbury, Tesco, Ocado, Waitrose and Asda around here.  For odds and ends or if we run out of anything we walk up to the little local and very customer friendly Asda.

The Boss is still feeling a bit carp and her arm is quite painful after the jab.   Weird how she's affected like that whilst I'm totally OK.

Stewart mentioned increased prices for Broadband and phone etc. Same here so I've decided to reduce some TV services which are not used and change from  BT to EE.  Hope I don't live to regret it but already they've only sent one mobile Sim card for Herself and not one for me although they claim it's been dispatched....so why the hell didn't they send the two together.  Plenty of other prices gone up and income tax too so a large hole will be made in our increased pensions but at least the latter have all gone up and should cover everything OK....he said hopefully.

Time to take some tea * to Herself so farewell for now.

Have a good one,

Bob.

*Too late, she's on the way down saying "Where's my tea!"

I managed to keep myself occupied on occasions whilst I was absent and spent some time in The Shed.  I'll just claim that I was decorating it and putting up some new blinds.  Anything else in the photos just happens to be there by coincidence.  😂  I better go and hide now.

Good morning all,

Dry start with patches of blue sky.  Sunny spells and showers seem to be on offer for today.  5°C rising to 13°C.

Yep, I'm back after a  bit of an absence although I have lurked but not felt like posting.   Unfortunately it looks like you'll have to put up with my drivel once more so here we go.

Thursday means bins, one lorry today and Ocado which leads me on to Ken's query:

3 hours ago, zarniwhoop said:

If I may, I'd like to ask a  question of anyone here who uses Ocado (I searched for fresh white asparagus - tess'co sometimes have it, but in very thin pieces which are hard to peel - and I see Ocado have it, with prices for that and blood oranges which make the purveyor of custard tarts look cheap ) - Are they reliable in providing what you ordered ?

 

TIA. ĸen

After years of using Sainsburys (The Boss worked for them for 38 years and still gets a discount) we got fed up with increasing substitutions and a decrease in quality so in January we switched to Ocado on the recommendation of other family members and friends.  Since then we've only had 2  subs which were perfectly acceptable and had no problems at all with quality.  Lots of M & S products available as well as their own and brand names and yes they are more a bit more expensive but we haven't got a problem with that.  They do do a price comparison with Tesco and most weeks we get a small voucher for those products that are a bit dearer.  (Varies from a few pence to 3 or 4 pound note coins).  The Boss was a confirmed Sainsbury fan but has no intention of going back to them apart from the occasional rare visit to the store for one or two of their products we do like...I have a particular fondness for their TTD Bitter Seville Marmalade.  Oh and she still has one or two old workmates there so likes to catch up with them.

Talking of Herself she felt really rough all day yesterday after our Covid booster and is still not firing on all cylinders.  I on the other hand am my usual "happy" self.  

Time to gettamoveon if I want some breakfast before Ocado arrive.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Good morning,

The Boss and I had our boosters yesterday (Moderna as well Tony) and Herself is feeling quite rough whereas yours truly is feeling fine, can't even feel the injection site unless I press it.  I've always been lucky and never had any real side effects but Chris always suffers.

Good morning all,

Dry and bright start to the day here. It will become cloudy later and there may be a few drops of rain this evening.  2°C rising to 8°C.

Yesterday I seem to have upset a nerve as I was getting a lot of grief in the lower back and down my leg so much hobbling occurred.  So far this morning it seems OK.

The Boss is off to visit a friend in the next road later so I'm in charge!  I think unspecified pottering is on the cards but there's always muddling if I feel so inclined.  There's also plenty to do in the garden and as I'm now 7 weeks on from my op  getting shot of Ernie the 'ernia I can't really use him as an excuse.  I'm perfectly capable of doing stuff out there whilst being mindful of not doing anything stupid......ah that lets  me off...I often do stupid.   🤪🙃

The boss is on the move and any minute now it will be timetogattamoveon.

Have a good one,

Bob.

Good morning all,

Dull and windy here, clouds may break up in the afternoon giving some late sunshine.  5°C rising to 9°C.

We spent an enjoyable afternoon and evening celebrating Abbie's birthday.  I was absolutely kernackered when I got home so unusually for me I went to bed quite early at 10.30 and didn't wake until The Boss brought me up a muggatea at 07.30.

Nottalot planned today apart from a visit to Sainsbury's to get a few things that "we" prefer from there.; Great!

Have a good one,

Bob. 

Good morning all,

Blue skies and sunshine here for now but the forecast says it will become very wet and windy later. 5°C rising to 10°C.

Late on parade today although I've had a light breakfast, just toast and marmalade.   Still feeling a bit full after last night's splendid meal out.  A very entertaining evening and we didn't get home to bed until after 2 am.

Yesterday's rugby went much as I expected so I won't dwell on that.  Another match today which will have be recorded as we're off out with close family to a birthday lunch for Abbie who has reached the ripe old age of 25.  It only seems like yesterday when I was holding her in the hospital a few hours after she'd been born.

More coffee needed and then apparently I needtogettamoveon.

Have a good one,

Bob.