Old man rant

[Deleted User]

I drive less and less these days nothing to do with climate change, more about self preservation. Unfortunately at my time in life hospital appointments are unavoidable.  Had such an appointment today, a 20minuite drive usually but for the fact that was early morning traffic etc. I would estimate that 100% of my increased travel time 35/40min was induced by people failing to indicate at junctions and roundabouts! What the feck is wrong with them, its not hard to do is it? Sitting at a junction/ roundabout waiting to see which way the oncoming traffic is going is Purely guess work, then you have the people behind beeping. Feck off. Rant over.

uglymusic

Not saving energy on indicators, then? 

Docfoster

Excellent OP..

[Deleted User]

Continuation. Having re looked at this post and postulated, I realize its time to hang up the keys, "Kitchen and fire" sort of thing. I passed my driving test at the first attempt in 1967  a Mk7 Jaguar, for those that don't know this car its probably the size of modern transit van, google it and see, no power steering ,brakes, syncro gearbox ,around the streets of Ealing W13 , [yes you can tell I'm proud]  We are lucky ,doctors surgery and shops a 10 minuet walk away, so no real need for a car. Having said all that I am totally freaked out by other drivers who have simply no regard for other road users. I realize that times have changed and cars, traffic etc are different, just cant get my head around when people stopped being considerate.

uglymusic

Wow! The Mk7 Jag. I had to Google to figure out which one that was.

I sold my car a few years back because we are less than 5 minutes walk from the station, less than 10 minutes from the high street and 20 minutes from the seafront. My car was just rusting away quietly in the sea air. We do have my wife's car, though, but I hardly ever drive it.

cj66

My last habitual driving in the UK was around the very early 2000s.

On moving to Spain the drop in driving quality/consideration was very noticeable.

Having moved again to Thailand the standard is truly atrocious, to the point that it is commonly accepted that motorcycle/scooter riders are colleactively suicidal and car drivers homicidal. Then there are the minibus drivers, oh Lordy Lordy...

Thailand has one of the highest road accident and road death rates in the world. A driving license is issued without proper training and off you go, see how many you can kill before you yourself draw your last breath!

However, that's not the reason I no longer run a car but a scooter instead. Most trips are quite local, parking much simpler and in normal times filtering through heavy traffic is very useful.

I worked out the cost of running a car over a ten year period compared to hiring/taxis on the odd occasion it's needed. Ownership was around eight times the cost. I dare say in reality I'd use the car more if I had one but it would still sit rotting ( high humidity and sea air ) more than it would be used.

I do fancy a better ( read as a proper bike with a little more displacement ) bike though.

uglymusic

So you're suicidal, Chris?

cj66

Must be!

At least I've gone through the whole training and test thang for car and motorcycle, plus years of experience.

The loonies here are beyond belief...

uglymusic

Keep clear of the loonies!

AntiCrap

Here in London the stupid drivers are all mind reader/telepathic  fans no signals, but the most stupid are those in German cars and often drive the wrong way into one way streets (or is there way) and a few times on the Barking Road Pedestrian Pavements due to delay due other W-------r driving on pavements, yep in German car and driven by slave descendant  like the German car factory they support, and why do you need a Land Rover type crap heap and fuel eaters and road hogs all. To take the kids 100M down the road, and U turn clogging the road up, and jumping the right hand turn at the lights from the left straight a head line, The latest is to go under the underpass a right turn only and turn left to Dartford on the A13 and not even match speed crawling along no signal. 

I have applied for a Hand Gun Licencee I am going to shot the silly sods because it is attempted murder due to being thick and selfish .

OK my rant is over, just going to pop a few ex-slaves in German cars with my Magnum. 

AntiCrap

uglymusic said:

Keep clear of the loonies!

Hey what is wrong with us Loonies "EH" 

AntiCrap

uglymusic said:

So you're suicidal, Chris?

You do not have to be here it would be murder by German car.

uglymusic

But I don't have a German car

AntiCrap

No, I thought yours was Rushing, a Zanda type.

uglymusic

I have a Southern train, these days. How green of me.

quickie

AntiCrap said:

 the most stupid are those in German cars and often drive the wrong way into one way streets (or is there way)

Guilty as charged, though no German metal committed the crime 

AntiCrap

True Paul, but made from old Panzer tanks I suspect 

Simplemind

Like many I have just received my "new" energy quote. Whilst we don't overuse things I/we have switched of everything in the house that is not being used at this moment, fridge freezer exempt. You might say we should have before, fare enough, leaving the laptop plugged in, phono amp, amp on is no longer an option, neither is the C/H on idle? What a sad state of affairs. At 73 years old I have never experienced this amount of concern and bear in mind we lived through the interest hikes of the 70s? mortgage going from 5/6% to 11% plus. No longer able to go get work, and on a fixed pension, I cant imagine we will get through the coming winter without defaulting on one bill or another. Something we have never done in 40+ years. Not good.

uglymusic

I'm sorry to hear that. Have you shopped around for another quote?

AntiCrap

We use Octopus good price, give them a call. 

Simplemind

Yes have started looking, had a look on the Octopus site (thanks) but with the current high prices they are recommending staying with current suppliers. I think realistically we will just need to cut back hard on most things like many I suspect, however I will do my best to continue looking.

uglymusic

AntiCrap said:

We use Octopus good price, give them a call. 

So do we, I think.

Simplemind

I'm sure there prices and service are good. Unfortunately on going on to their site , giving my post code, the advice was to "better of with current supplier" and do not switch  or choose new tariff,  then it would automatically default to a tariff that is protects the government energy price cap. They have also said that they will  email me should this change.

uglymusic

Sounds like they're discouraging new customers.

Simplemind

Hmmm, you could be right, don't help me.

uglymusic

Nope.

AntiCrap

Just tried a simple reduction in energy, change the Kettle from a 2KW-3KW evil beast for a 800W Amazon special ok it hold water for two tea and takes 3mins to boil, but it is a reduction in energy. It is also insulated well so no burnt hands and second boil quicker.

Simplemind

My son got us a Vektra insulated kettle, we drink a lot of tea and coffee, you can boil it once and continue to make 2/3 cups without boiling again, even more if you're a coffee fan. Only probs is it's a bit heavy if you have failing hands like mine.

AntiCrap

Simplemind said:

My son got us a Vektra insulated kettle, we drink a lot of tea and coffee, you can boil it once and continue to make 2/3 cups without boiling again, even more if you're a coffee fan. Only probs is it's a bit heavy if you have failing hands like mine.

My hand shake at random and twice I manage to pour boiling water over myself and it hurts, 

uglymusic

Ouch!

Simplemind

What he says, fortunately?  for me my left hand was damaged many years ago as a builder, a pallet of bricks got dropped on it. Don't feel much, anything in my L/H index, second finger and thumb. Biggest problem is if the blisters or damage arrives and need treating, fortunately it doesn't hurt just looks, smells bad  So my wife tells me.

uglymusic

I'll say 'Ouch!' again