View Full Version : Pet Hates........or FFS
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Nothing wrong with your toilet, mate. Perfectly clean!:cool:
Marco.
My toilet’s a disgrace
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180717/a5c9b7ff80f93e5516f6548e63564eb1.jpg
My toilet’s a disgrace
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180717/a5c9b7ff80f93e5516f6548e63564eb1.jpg
Clearly there are some benefits to be had from a 'backed up' toilet that has dried out.
Pigmy Pony
17-07-2018, 20:00
Lol... Although I love a bit of toilet humour, it's just a giggle. I/we (Del and I) have very high hygiene standards, especially when it comes to toilets and kitchens!
Marco.
Hi Marco, is that a bottle of hand cleanser in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me? :D
Nothing wrong with high standards, I consider my own to be reasonable, although compared to Mrs. P I would seem a total slob.
Sometimes I get a gift from a customer, and if it's something sealed and new, she's fine, but if I brought home-made cakes or jam or marmalade into the house, or other food items which are not factory sealed, she wouldn't touch them with a barge pole (more for me!)
I went to a barbecue a couple of summers ago, and while the host was flipping the burgers, his wife was shovelling dog shit off the patio flags. That fell short of my standards, although I still had a couple of burgers. Missus wouldn't eat anything, and we didn't stay long.
I don't know whether any studies have shown that high standards of hygiene could escalate into a germ-phobia, but that would be bad. For anyone with a hygiene obsession, the world would seem a pretty hostile place.
Taking your own hand cleanser everywhere with you, might be the point where hygiene becomes an obsession!
I went to a barbecue a couple of summers ago, and while the host was flipping the burgers, his wife was shovelling dog shit off the patio flags. That fell short of my standards, although I still had a couple of burgers. Missus wouldn't eat anything, and we didn't stay long.
That's quite bad. Obviously not enough to outweigh the lure of a char grilled burger though. Assuming it was char grilled. They weren't using one of those gas things were they? I'd be getting my coat if that was the case.
Never been one of these obsessives about cleanliness. I recall going to a schoolfriend's house and being surprised to learn that their cats were not allowed on the kitchen worksurfaces. Ours were up on them all the time, they used to kip on them and no-one ever batted an eyelid. If you'd tried to shoo them off it you'd have got a bollocking for disturbing them.
Lol - we live in very different worlds... Why on earth would I inconvenience myself like that when I can wash at home? To do so at work, simply to save a few pence, for me would be an anathema, not to mention plain weird. No-one I know would do that!
Now that's different. They're not doing it because they're too mean to pay for the facilities at home!:D
However, I've never taken showers at work, simply because when I worked for companies, there were no such facilities. Simply a sink in the communal toilet. Also, I always either drove to work or took public transport.
Marco.
Showering at work could be due to the kind of work you do. Factory workers who work around chemicals may be required to shower before leaving. I worked at an office of a grocery distributor, sounds ordinary enough, but it’s a company that runs 24 hours a day. When problems arose we may have been required to stay as long as it takes to get things running again. Personally I never stopped to shower on a two day crisis, but I don’t sweat much.
Then there was the exercise club, they built a gym in the warehouse you could join, with all the latest exercise machines, weights and aerobics classes, it was pretty much expected for one to shower before returning to work.
But I’m like you Marco, I much prefer my own bathroom and shower. While my house may not be the pantheon of cleanliness, I keep the bathroom spotless.
Russell
Beobloke
17-07-2018, 20:20
Never been one of these obsessives about cleanliness. I recall going to a schoolfriend's house and being surprised to learn that their cats were not allowed on the kitchen worksurfaces. Ours were up on them all the time, they used to kip on them and no-one ever batted an eyelid. If you'd tried to shoo them off it you'd have got a bollocking for disturbing them.
Nope, sorry, cats should never be allowed on work surfaces - appallingly unhygienic.
As to hotel towels, I love the selection you’re given. What puzzles me though, is the advice card they now give you telling you that, if you hang up the towels, they won’t replace them that day, in order to save washing powder/water/polar bears.
I’m fine with this, so always hang mine back up to be re-used and.......they go and change them anyway!!
I use hand gel a lot. Always when I come out of shops etc as the trolley handles are germ magnets especially in winter Ive been less likely to catch bugs since
That's quite bad. Obviously not enough to outweigh the lure of a char grilled burger though. Assuming it was char grilled. They weren't using one of those gas things were they? I'd be getting my coat if that was the case.
Never been one of these obsessives about cleanliness. I recall going to a schoolfriend's house and being surprised to learn that their cats were not allowed on the kitchen worksurfaces. Ours were up on them all the time, they used to kip on them and no-one ever batted an eyelid. If you'd tried to shoo them off it you'd have got a bollocking for disturbing them.
I remember when visiting a friend's house and being surprised to see a cat's food bowl (and a cat feeding from it) on the kitchen dining table. In principle there was nothing unhygienic about it, it was just that my parents who had a cat as a pet always kept the cat basket and the food bowl in the utility room next to the kitchen.
As to hotel towels, I love the selection you’re given. What puzzles me though, is the advice card they now give you telling you that, if you hang up the towels, they won’t replace them that day, in order to save washing powder/water/polar bears.
!
That's it. They give you a dozen towels and, if it is a classy joint, a couple of bathrobes too whilst telling you that if you dare to use them in a less than sparing manner Bambi will die horribly. What is that all about?
Hi Marco, is that a bottle of hand cleanser in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me? :D
Nothing wrong with high standards, I consider my own to be reasonable, although compared to Mrs. P I would seem a total slob.
Sometimes I get a gift from a customer, and if it's something sealed and new, she's fine, but if I brought home-made cakes or jam or marmalade into the house, or other food items which are not factory sealed, she wouldn't touch them with a barge pole (more for me!)
I went to a barbecue a couple of summers ago, and while the host was flipping the burgers, his wife was shovelling dog shit off the patio flags. That fell short of my standards, although I still had a couple of burgers. Missus wouldn't eat anything, and we didn't stay long.
I don't know whether any studies have shown that high standards of hygiene could escalate into a germ-phobia, but that would be bad. For anyone with a hygiene obsession, the world would seem a pretty hostile place.
Taking your own hand cleanser everywhere with you, might be the point where hygiene becomes an obsession!
Lol yeah, it's not a matter of being obsessive, as that's not good, but rather simply ensuring an adequate standard of hygiene. We don't mind a little bit of dust and dirt here and there [and we don't bleach our house to buggery, like some folk], but we insist on a reasonable level of tidiness and cleanliness, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
Remember the discussion we had recently about chopping boards, and using separate ones for meat, fish and veg?
Well, in the bathroom, one of the quickest ways of catching someone else's germs is to wipe your hands on the same towel they've used... There's a good reason why I'm hardly ever ill or catch colds!;)
Marco.
Hi Russell,
Showering at work could be due to the kind of work you do. Factory workers who work around chemicals may be required to shower before leaving. I worked at an office of a grocery distributor, sounds ordinary enough, but it’s a company that runs 24 hours a day. When problems arose we may have been required to stay as long as it takes to get things running again. Personally I never stopped to shower on a two day crisis, but I don’t sweat much.
Then there was the exercise club, they built a gym in the warehouse you could join, with all the latest exercise machines, weights and aerobics classes, it was pretty much expected for one to shower before returning to work.
All that's cool, although not something I've personally experienced or would desire myself. Outside of washing my hands in the sink, after having used the toilet, I'd never dream of washing myself at work, least of all for reasons of economy.
I can't believe Martin was serious when he wrote that. When I'm washing myself, I like to be in my own environment, surrounded by all the creature comforts I've become accustomed to! Here are some pics we took of our bathroom when we were doing it up:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/922/WmKvEM.jpg
View from the bog seat [when 'pressing one out' :eyebrows:]...
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/923/nfjstA.jpg
'Bin lid-sized' stainless-steel shower head:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/924/8LCbvL.jpg
Nice large roll-top enamel bath:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/924/svRUpv.jpg
So, I'm sorry, I wouldn't thank you for performing my ablutions in some manky, sub-standard works toilet:nono: I have certain standards;)
When I worked for various companies (largely sales organisations), I liked to arrive at work freshly showered and in clean clothes, and stay that way until the end of the day. The thought of cycling to work, and arriving there all hot and sweaty, so that I'd need to shower when I got there, doesn't exactly fill me with joy!:rolleyes:
But I’m like you Marco, I much prefer my own bathroom and shower. While my house may not be the pantheon of cleanliness, I keep the bathroom spotless.
Indeed.... Having a house that's a "pantheon of cleanliness" is usually the domain of obsessive/compulsives, or folk who don't have a life! So no, a cleanliness obsession is just as unhealthy as any other obsession, but as you say, when something needs to be clean, it's clean!:)
There's a healthy balance to everything in life. But even if I were a single guy, I still couldn't live in a midden, as some do. It'd really get me down.
Marco.
Hi Russell,
All that's cool, although not something I've personally experienced or would desire myself. Outside of washing my hands in the sink, after having used the toilet, I'd never dream of washing myself at work, least of all for reasons of economy.
I can't believe Martin was serious when he wrote that. When I'm washing I like to be in my own environment, surrounded by all the creature comforts I've become accustomed to! Here are some pics we took of our bathroom when we were doing it up:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/922/WmKvEM.jpg
View from the bog seat [when 'pressing one out' :eyebrows:]...
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/923/nfjstA.jpg
'Bin lid-sized' stainless-steel shower head:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/924/8LCbvL.jpg
Nice large roll-top enamel bath:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/1024x768q90/924/svRUpv.jpg
So, I'm sorry, I wouldn't thank you for performing my ablutions in some manky, sub-standard works toilet:nono: I have certain standards;)
When I worked for various companies (largely sales organisations), I liked to arrive at work freshly showered and in clean clothes, and stay that way until the end of the day. The thought of cycling to work, and arriving there all hot and sweaty, so that I'd need to shower when I got there, doesn't exactly fill me with joy!:rolleyes:
Indeed.... Having a house that's a "pantheon of cleanliness" is usually the domain of obsessive/compulsives, or folk who don't have a life! So no, a cleanliness obsession is just as unhealthy as any other obsession, but as you say, when something needs to be clean, it's clean!:)
There's a healthy balance to everything in life. But even if I were a single guy, I still couldn't live in a midden, as some do. It'd really get me down.
Marco.
You’ve got a classy looking bathroom there! Having such things makes you want to keep them clean and neat.
Russell
Pigmy Pony
18-07-2018, 06:37
Is that the door you recently "done up"? Goes very well with an already classy space.
Couple of questions: had you recently had visitors? Cos someone's nicked all your towels! And do you normally leave the door ajar when laying logs? Is this so "the help" can wipe yer botty afterwards? And that plant on the windowsill looks a bit unhappy but I suppose it has a lot to put up with. :D
I do wonder though sometimes if the world we live in (first world) can be getting a little too sanitised. When my grandson was little his mother took those antibacterial wipes everywhere with her, probably persuaded by the horrors of the adverts by Dettol. Although Archie's health is as robust as anyone's I wonder if it has more to do with genetics or diet/lifestyle, leading to a better immune system.
And taken to the extreme, I also wonder if completely removing children's exposure to germs may set them up for a sickly adulthood.
Crackles
18-07-2018, 07:12
When my son was younger I used to take anti-bacterial gel everywhere because he was always picking up all sorts of crap and messing with everything.
I'm a bit of a germophobe like Marco. I hate touching toilet door handles (I use my sleeve) or anything that contains other people's arse germs.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Pigmy Pony
18-07-2018, 07:20
I personally don't see anything wrong with using the wash facilities at work or wherever, providing they are of a standard acceptable to you. Not all company wash rooms are shitholes. Free up money for the fun things!
I once saw this C5 benefits programme about people who used to have good jobs but had fallen on hard times. One of these people, a young woman, had the bright idea of using her local gym for her ablutions. Membership was only £12 per month (she had off peak membership as she could go whenever she wanted). Every day she would go to train or swim, and shower there afterwards. All for a cost of 40p per day.
Hopefully that kind of lateral thinking would have landed her a good job by now.
And taken to the extreme, I also wonder if completely removing children's exposure to germs may set them up for a sickly adulthood.
When I was a nipper, our doctor would let his two toddler children crawl around the floor of his waiting room (his surgery was basically his house. and the waiting room was a converted sitting-room). When one woman asked if he wasn't afraid that his children would catch something, he said 'That's the point; I want them to catch something while they're young, to build up their immunity'. These days, when everything's sanitised to buggery, there's loads more nesh people around who are 'allergic' or 'intolerant' to certain things, and 'can't eat' certain foodstuffs. A bit of crawling round in the dirt when they were small would have done them the world of good.
You’ve got a classy looking bathroom there! Having such things makes you want to keep them clean and neat.
Yeah, Russell, that's a good point. If it looks like a bollox, it's liable to stay like a bollox... Whereas if it's nice, you're more motivated to keep it that way:)
Marco.
Is that the door you recently "done up"? Goes very well with an already classy space.
One of them, mate. Just adds a bit of colour to the black and white:)
Couple of questions: had you recently had visitors? Cos someone's nicked all your towels!
:lol: That's funny, and also a very good point! Yeah, we took them all away to make the bastids wipe their hands on their keks!:D
No...the towels were removed for visual reasons (for the picture), so you could see the heated towel rails properly.
And do you normally leave the door ajar when laying logs? Is this so "the help" can wipe yer botty afterwards? And that plant on the windowsill looks a bit unhappy but I suppose it has a lot to put up with.
Yeah, it wilted in all the arse-gas!:D
It's fine - just the type of plant it is. Lol@ "the help", now *that* is an idea:bulb: As for the door, it's never locked, as there's only Del and I in the house, and after being married for 28 years, neither of us have anything to hide from each other!
I do wonder though sometimes if the world we live in (first world) can be getting a little too sanitised. When my grandson was little his mother took those antibacterial wipes everywhere with her, probably persuaded by the horrors of the adverts by Dettol. Although Archie's health is as robust as anyone's I wonder if it has more to do with genetics or diet/lifestyle, leading to a better immune system.
And taken to the extreme, I also wonder if completely removing children's exposure to germs may set them up for a sickly adulthood.
I think that's a very good and relevant point. I'd argue that the more you obsess over every germ and bit of dirt, and attempt to 'sterilise' your home, the lower your resistance to infection from germs becomes, thus in the process weakening your immune system. Joe's post, above, is spot on.
That's why we keep things reasonably clean, but don't bleach/Dettol the place to buggery!
Marco.
I'm a bit of a germophobe like Marco. I hate touching toilet door handles (I use my sleeve) or anything that contains other people's arse germs.
Thing is, I don't see that as being a "germophobe", simply taking reasonable precautions to ensure adequate standards of cleanliness. Like Grant, I also use hand gels a lot, when in public places, especially in and out of hospitals, or after I've touched door handles and handrails in shops, pubs, etc.
You wouldn't believe how filthy some of those things/places are, so why contaminate yourself if it can easily be avoided?:)
Marco.
I personally don't see anything wrong with using the wash facilities at work or wherever, providing they are of a standard acceptable to you.
Me neither, *if* there is no other option. I simply can't get my head around doing it deliberately, to save £2 (or whatever) on your water bill, when you can easily afford it. Each to his or her own, but being a generous person by nature, I simply can't relate to the skinflint mentality.
I once saw this C5 benefits programme about people who used to have good jobs but had fallen on hard times. One of these people, a young woman, had the bright idea of using her local gym for her ablutions. Membership was only £12 per month (she had off peak membership as she could go whenever she wanted). Every day she would go to train or swim, and shower there afterwards. All for a cost of 40p per day.
Yup, but that's a totally different set of circumstances, where you're doing what you have to do to survive. Like you say, respect for her lateral thinking!:)
Marco.
Firebottle
18-07-2018, 10:50
Eat worms when very young!
It never did me any harm :mental:
Pigmy Pony
18-07-2018, 12:13
When my son was younger I used to take anti-bacterial gel everywhere because he was always picking up all sorts of crap and messing with everything.
I'm a bit of a germophobe like Marco. I hate touching toilet door handles (I use my sleeve) or anything that contains other people's arse germs.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
I don't think that makes you a germophobe John, it seems entirely reasonable to me. There are some nasty things around. Hepatitis viruses can live on surfaces for weeks, and who wants a knackered liver? I also use a sleeve when leaving a public toilet, and use my foot to raise/lower toilet seats.
A few years ago we went to a Rock 'n' Blues festival in Derbyshire, organised by Outlaws MC, and one of the toilets was a 3 metre wide pit surrounded by a ring of urinals. One evening I saw 3 grown men frolicking in this pit, and sat in about 12" of undiluted piss pretending to take a bath. This too fell below the standard I considered acceptable. I don't know if they suffered any ill effects from this, but I felt ill just watching them. And I'm betting they slept alone that night.
When my son was younger I used to take anti-bacterial gel everywhere because he was always picking up all sorts of crap and messing with everything.
I'm a bit of a germophobe like Marco. I hate touching toilet door handles (I use my sleeve) or anything that contains other people's arse germs.
So how do you flush the toilet after using it?
I don't think that makes you a germophobe John, it seems entirely reasonable to me. There are some nasty things around. Hepatitis viruses can live on surfaces for weeks, and who wants a knackered liver? I also use a sleeve when leaving a public toilet, and use my foot to raise/lower toilet seats.
Do you then use the seat, or do what a friend of mine does: he squats over the seat to do his business?
How do you operate the soap dispensers, or the tap (if the latter does not have a movement sensor)?
None of that is an issue, Barry. You avoid what you can avoid, and what you can't help touching, afterwards you wash your hands thoroughly (normally these days there is an electronic hand-drier in public rest rooms), so there's no need to handle some manky towel, and then apply some antiseptic hand-wash to your hands afterwards.
What steps do you take, when out and about, to maintain good hygiene standards?:)
Marco.
after working on many building sites, you do get hardened to dirty toilets, but also become intent to keep your own in decent nick.
a little dirt generally wont hurt u, but try and avoid what its easy to avoid. cold, and flu virus germs, salmonella etc can often be avoided by being careful. nothing is guaranteed tho. no point in getting paranoid over it
Crackles
18-07-2018, 14:14
So how do you flush the toilet after using it?I cover my hand with my sleeve. But that's difficult at the moment while it's hot and I only wear short sleeves, so I have to just make minimal contact and then wash my hands.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Crackles
18-07-2018, 14:17
I don't think that makes you a germophobe John, it seems entirely reasonable to me. There are some nasty things around. Hepatitis viruses can live on surfaces for weeks, and who wants a knackered liver? I also use a sleeve when leaving a public toilet, and use my foot to raise/lower toilet seats.
A few years ago we went to a Rock 'n' Blues festival in Derbyshire, organised by Outlaws MC, and one of the toilets was a 3 metre wide pit surrounded by a ring of urinals. One evening I saw 3 grown men frolicking in this pit, and sat in about 12" of undiluted piss pretending to take a bath. This too fell below the standard I considered acceptable. I don't know if they suffered any ill effects from this, but I felt ill just watching them. And I'm betting they slept alone that night.Seriously? The dirty bastards. They must have been pissed or stoned out of their senses.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
None of that is an issue, Barry. You avoid what you can avoid, and what you can't help touching, afterwards you wash your hands thoroughly (normally these days there is an electronic hand-drier in public rest rooms), so there's no need to handle some manky towel, and then apply some antiseptic hand-wash to your hands afterwards.
What steps do you take, when out and about, to maintain good hygiene standards?:)
Marco.
I'm not at all fussy about touching door handles, lavatory seats or the flush handles (or push buttons). The only thing I check is to see that there is plenty of loo paper available.
Afterwards I wash my hands, and if there isn't a hot air dryer, or one of those paper dispensing units, will return to the cubicle and use the loo paper to dry my hands.
The only time I use an antiseptic hand wash gel is when I'm abroad (especially in parts foreign) and far from washing facilities, but it is only in the last ten years or so have I started using it. I've done a lot of travelling around the world, to places which are the back of beyond, and which have had the most appalling toilet facilities, but I have survived - probably because I got my 'peck of dirt' as a child.
Beobloke
18-07-2018, 14:49
To be honest, I fail to see what the problem is with regard to handling a toilet seat, flush handle or soap dispenser - if you’re going to subsequently wash your hands then it doesn’t matter.
Also, if you use your sleeve to operate a handle that has germs on it then, unless you wash your sleeves as well, you’re carrying those germs around with you all day. If you’d used your hand, they’d be washed off shortly afterwards!
Frankly, I’m detecting fair levels of germ phobia and OCD from some on this thread!
To be honest, I fail to see what the problem is with regard to handling a toilet seat, flush handle or soap dispenser - if you’re going to subsequently wash your hands then it doesn’t matter.
There's no "problem", as such. But, quite simply, why handle them if you can take simple steps to avoid it? And if you have to handle them, then just wash (and/or disinfect) your hands thoroughly afterwards. That's my view. There's no need for any drama!:)
Marco.
I'm not at all fussy about touching door handles, lavatory seats or the flush handles (or push buttons). The only thing I check is too see if there is plenty of loo paper available.
Afterwards I wash my hands, and if there isn't a hot air dryer, or one of those paper dispensing units, will return to the cubicle and use the loo paper to dry my hands.
The only time I use an antiseptic hand wash gel is when I'm abroad (especially in parts foreign) and far from washing facilities, but it is only in the last ten years or so have I started using it. I've done a lot of travelling around the world, to places which are the back of beyond, and which have had the most appalling toilet facilities, but I have survived - probably because I got my 'peck of dirt' as a child.
Fair enough. I am - especially in public places, as some can be disgusting and utterly filthy. Those in toilets in motorway service stations being a key case in point!:spew:
Points all noted and accepted in your last paragraph:)
Marco.
To be honest, I fail to see what the problem is with regard to handling a toilet seat, flush handle or soap dispenser - if you’re going to subsequently wash your hands then it doesn’t matter.
Also, if you use your sleeve to operate a handle that has germs on it then, unless you wash your sleeves as well, you’re carrying those germs around with you all day. If you’d used your hand, they’d be washed off shortly afterwards!
Frankly, I’m detecting fair levels of germ phobia and OCD from some on this thread!
Those were my thoughts as well.
Seriously? The dirty bastards. They must have been pissed or stoned out of their senses.
Animals, not human beings:rolleyes:
Marco.
Those were my thoughts as well.
So who would consider as being guilty of such? That question is directed at both Adam and you. We're all friends here, so can handle some criticism.
Personally, I haven't seen any evidence of OCD, simply a determination from some, more than others, to avoid germs where possible. It's a quite a leap from there to OCD!;)
Marco.
Seriously? The dirty bastards. They must have been pissed or stoned out of their senses.
They are frequently to be found posting in the 'three words daily' thread.
if you are carrying around your own anti-bacterial gell that's a step too far IMO.
If they issued specs which you could put on and see all the germs and contamination around you - a bit like in 'They Live', you'd realise it's an impossible task to avoid it.
Try not to put shit directly in your mouth if you can help it, otherwise forget about it. It isn't healthy to be concerned about these things.
Pigmy Pony
18-07-2018, 15:46
Seriously? The dirty bastards. They must have been pissed or stoned out of their senses.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
No doubt both. And they were probably rubbing shoulders with others in the bar later. :(
There always seemed at festivals to be an attitude of "It's festival time, lets give hygiene a holiday", and I'm sure the younger ones were the worst offenders, certainly they were generally more smelly to be stood next to. Perhaps they were just used to having mum standing over them, making sure they "wash behind their ears".
When having to live in those conditions I would argue that personal hygiene is all the more important. The toilets were always so dire that I would use the power(?) of my mind to enforce weekend-long constipation. They were only ever as clean as the dirtiest bastard using them. On the occasions when my "mental block" let me down, my stock statement when emerging was always "That in there wasn't me!"
walpurgis
18-07-2018, 15:46
if you are carrying around your own anti-bacterial gell that's a step too far IMO.
Easier to carry disposable gloves surely. Not that I bother with either.
if you are carrying around your own anti-bacterial gell that's a step too far IMO.
Why...? It leaves your hands feeling lovely and fresh/soft, and smelling nice afterwards. And I don't carry it, Del does (in her handbag, along with my car keys). That's what wives are for!!:D
Marco.
There always seemed at festivals to be an attitude of "It's festival time, lets give hygiene a holiday"...
...which is one of the reasons why I've never went to Glasto. The toilets are, erm, 'legendary'!! Personally, I'd rather piss/shit in a field (as nature intended) than use one of those mobile toilets, seen at such events, which stink of pish, where the floor is soaked with wee, and where the loos are clogged up with shite and bog roll:spew::spew:
Call me fussy, but I'd NEVER entertain that bollox in a MILLION years!!
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
18-07-2018, 15:54
Does anyone remember the advert for a certain make of soap dispenser a few years ago, which squirted liquid soap when you put your hand under it? "Never touch a germy soap pump again" went the slogan. The very next thing you do after touching that germy soap pump is wash your hands with the soap.
I wonder how many fell for that load of old shite?
No, but I do remember reading the (possibly apocryphal) tale of Winston Churchill using the facilities at the House of Commons, and leaving without washing his hands. A fellow MP said 'At Eton, we learned how to wash our hands after using the toilet', to which Churchill replied 'Really? At Harrow, we learned how not to piss on our fingers'.
Pigmy Pony
18-07-2018, 16:05
Not been to Glasto since early 90's, and as it's tea-time I'm not going to further discuss those bogs, but I will say that although I'd love to go to Glastonbury again one day, the toilets are a deal-breaker.
Maybe I could go in a motorhome?
You call Glastonbury 'Glasto'
You'd like to go there one day
After they put up the gun towers
To keep the hippies away.
HMHB: CORGI Registered Friends
So who would consider as being guilty of such? That question is directed at both Adam and you. We're all friends here, so can handle some criticism.
Personally, I haven't seen any evidence of OCD, simply a determination from some, more than others, to avoid germs where possible. It's a quite a leap from there to OCD!;)
Marco.
Not OCD, but verging on the fusspot.
Not been to Glasto since early 90's, and as it's tea-time I'm not going to further discuss those bogs, but I will say that although I'd love to go to Glastonbury again one day, the toilets are a deal-breaker.
Maybe I could go in a motorhome?
Sounds like a plan... I've always wanted to go, in terms of the vibe and music, but the thought of wallowing in mud or piss (depending on where you go), always put me off.
Marco.
Not OCD, but verging on the fusspot.
If that's your opinion, fair enough. I don't see it that way. Maybe if more folk were like me, and used antibacterial hand wash in public, less germs would be spread around?;)
Marco.
If that's your opinion, fair enough. I don't see it that way. Maybe if more folk were like me, and used antibacterial hand wash, there'd be less germs around?;)
Marco.
I think having children 'lowers the bar' somewhat wrt to one's disgust/germ awareness threshold. Several years of nappy-changing and you worry less about germs. Or I did, anyway.
Yeah, good point. I've never had to do that, although having three cats, and cleaning out their litter trays daily (for rather longer than a kid's in nappies), might be a close second!;)
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
18-07-2018, 16:30
Sounds like a plan... I've always wanted to go, in terms of the vibe and music, but the thought of wallowing in mud or piss (depending on where you went), always put me off.
Marco.
Ok, I'm going to make a couple of points which will be a decider for you.
1. Thousands of people eating, drinking and ingesting all kinds of weird shit, often to excess.
2. When the sun goes down, lighting is piss-poor.
3. The place is so crowded, getting to a toilet on time can be next to impossible. Much easier to squat where you are.
My brother has been several times in recent years, and tells me this is fairly common.
If you are back at your tent, the toilets can be quite far away. Shitting in the camping area is more convenient, behind someone's tent for privacy.
I emerged from my tent one morning, crawling out head first, and my hand landed squarely on a fresh turd, so fresh it squirted up between my fingers. I will never ever camp there again.
Oh FFS, you've just put me off for life! Plus, I've never been that into tents. Camping is ok, in warm sunny weather, in some clean, scenic countryside/seaside location, where you've got all the proper facilities you need, but otherwise no...
I'm more of a hotel type of guy! I like my 'luxuries';)
Marco.
Rent a luxury motor home and go in that. It'll cost a bomb but you have your own toilet.
Yeah, that'd be the way to do it, as long as a crowd of you are going and sharing the costs.
Marco.
Rent a luxury motor home and go in that. It'll cost a bomb but you have your own toilet.
you'd pull too...:D
Yeah, that'd be the way to do it, as long as a crowd of you are going and sharing the costs.
Marco.
But then if say 6 of you go there's still only one toilet between all of you. And it isn't even a proper toilet.
ww1 and 2 sub captains took morphine to stop them using the head apparently.. probably kept them happy too.... 3 days at a festival on morphia; you'd think there wouldn't be much shit:eek:
Beobloke
18-07-2018, 18:20
Does anyone remember the advert for a certain make of soap dispenser a few years ago, which squirted liquid soap when you put your hand under it? "Never touch a germy soap pump again" went the slogan. The very next thing you do after touching that germy soap pump is wash your hands with the soap.
I wonder how many fell for that load of old shite?
I quite agree. Pointless waste of money.
On the other hand when we moved into our current house, the owners left two behind and we’ve still got them as they are rather fun to use!
But then if say 6 of you go there's still only one toilet between all of you. And it isn't even a proper toilet.
I don't mind so much when it's folk I know, and they're clean!:)
Marco.
you'd pull too...:D
Martin's a sex God, so he's like a magnet to totty.
Marco.
When I was a carpenter, I worked in the dirt, used the Porta-Potty, handled moldy wood, none of it ever bothered me.
But after college I got an office job, and found that I was constantly shaking people’s hands. That made me want to wash my hands constantly. Maybe 4 times a day I’d step into the restroom to wash my hands. Especially after a meeting where we all shook hands.
And it wasn’t just paranoia, people were much sicker in the office than the construction workers I had known before. They send their kids to school, which is a freaking science experiment for germs! The kids come home, give it to their parents, who are sneezing and coughing into their hands, putting their hands to their faces constantly, and their arses, and then shaking your hand. I made an effort to not put my hands to my face, washed my hands often, and it helped keep me from getting sick. Or so it seemed. Then I’d come home and my kid would give me the flu.
Russell
Pigmy Pony
19-07-2018, 06:12
In my experience office types get sick more than the builders, but more to do with the fact that the paper clips were getting sick pay for their absences, while the builders only got paid for the days they turned up.
When we were organising going to a motorcycle rally a few years ago, and we had to set off on the Friday morning, most of us would lose a day's pay, while a friend's wife who worked for a big insurance company said "It's ok, I haven't had any sick days yet this year so I'm due one".
In the 44 years I've been in work, my day's off sick probably total about a month, much of it due to falling off my bike. But then we did eat a lot of shit as kids. :)
But after college I got an office job, and found that I was constantly shaking people’s hands. That made me want to wash my hands constantly. Maybe 4 times a day I’d step into the restroom to wash my hands. Especially after a meeting where we all shook hands.
Hence why bathroom towels are a prime source for germs, and why it pays to avoid touching those belonging to others. In the office environment you describe, antibacterial hand gel is your friend:)
Marco.
walpurgis
19-07-2018, 07:30
people were much sicker in the office than the construction workers I had known before
That's true. I experienced the same. Working outside in construction for many years, I was rarely afflicted by anything, but as soon as I became an 'office bod', there came an endless succession of colds and flu.
Being outside in the fresh air is always healthier than cooped up in an office. I couldn't imagine now having to deal with the latter, whilst wearing a suit, especially in this heat! Hell on earth....
Marco.
Beobloke
19-07-2018, 10:02
Well I’m cooped up in an office in this heat and had to bring a jumper in today as it’s bloody freezing in here. Sadly they let idiots who have no idea how air conditioning works control the air conditioning!
Then again, I suppose I shouldn’t moan, as the last summer before they installed the aircon was hell. 28 degrees outside in an upstairs office with a bare metal roof meant that it hit over 40 degrees in here most days. It was the stuffiness that was the worst, though - it was like breathing soup!
Nightmare about the air-con, although it'd have to be *really* freezing before I'd entertain putting on a jumper in July... No such issues here. It's bloody roasting (currently 26°C), in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt!
What you describe happened last summer (I know exactly what you mean about the air, as I've experienced it before), I simply couldn't have coped with, and would've had to have walked out. I doubt in terms of health and safety, it'd even have been legal.
Marco.
. I doubt in terms of health and safety, it'd even have been legal.
Marco.
Afraid not. There is a legal minimum temperature but no legal maximum.
Nightmare about the air-con, although it'd have to be *really* freezing before I'd entertain putting on a jumper in July... No such issues here. It's bloody roasting (currently 26°C), in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt!
What you describe happened last summer (I know exactly what you mean about the air, as I've experienced it before), I simply couldn't have coped with, and would've had to have walked out. I doubt in terms of health and safety, it'd even have been legal.
Marco.
Think yourself lucky that you worked for a commercial company obliged to conform to the Offices and Factories Act, regarding working conditions and the lower and upper temperature limits of the workplace. I worked at a research establishment, which owing to the nature of the work done there, was, in principle, exempt from such regulations. However this applied to the actual laboratories; the offices did offer a much more comfortable environment.
Afraid not. There is a legal minimum temperature but no legal maximum.
I see, well that's wrong. It should apply BOTH ways, as it's just as uncomfortable (and potentially as dangerous) being for long periods inside a greenhouse, as it is a freezer!
Heat stroke isn't funny...
Marco.
Think yourself lucky that you worked for a commercial company obliged to conform to the Offices and Factories Act, regarding working conditions and the lower and upper temperature limits of the workplace. I worked at a research establishment, which owing to the nature of the work done there, was, in principle, exempt from such regulations. However this applied to the actual laboratories; the offices did offer a much more comfortable environment.
Nightmare, Barry. If it was that bad, I simply couldn't have worked there. Ultimately, my health and well being comes before anything else!
Marco.
Afraid not. There is a legal minimum temperature but no legal maximum.
Even worse - the minima are only 'suggested' and not legally binding ... the only legal requirement is the provision of a 'reasonable' working temperature (within the realms of practicality and at the discretion of the employer)
I remember a (very short) meeting with HR some years back where they spelt it out to us.
Actually it was better than I implied, our offices were, eventually, air-conditioned. But research establishments are exempt from a lot of Health & Safety regulations, as strict adherence could interfere with the nature of the work done there. They do, of course, expect their staff to take reasonable precautions and to fence off and warn about any hazardous experiments taking place.
Martin is right - there is no current legislation on the workplace upper temperature limit. I had forgotten about this anomaly.
The situation can be even more bizarre in the Civil Service, as legal challenges could result in a 'Regina vs. Regina' situation, which obviously cannot exist.
Even worse - the minima are only 'suggested' and not legally binding ... the only legal requirement is the provision of a 'reasonable' working temperature (within the realms of practicality and at the discretion of the employer)
I remember a (very short) meeting with HR some years back where they spelt it out to us.
That simply isn't right. There should be a minimum and maximum temperature it is legal to work in, and if necessary enforced by unions. One of the reasons I stopped working for companies, and started up my own business, was because I was too militant/outspoken to put up with being trodden on by my employers.
There's no excuse in this country for folk not to be able to work in a comfortable and healthy environment, so that means rooms that are properly heated in winter, and correctly regulated, in terms of air-con, in the summer. Folk put up with too much from lazy-arsed, penny-pinching employers, and need to speak up!
Such employers also shooting themselves in the foot, as you simply can't get maximum production out of staff who are sweltering in hot, stuffy offices, or freezing in the same. In the long term, it's completely counterproductive. *BUT*, folks have to speak up and demand change, rather than simply meekly putting up with crap, because they're too scared of losing their jobs.
The fact is, if you're good at what you do, reliable, determined and hardworking, you'll always find a job. Have the gumption to set the agenda for yourself, rather than having it set for you, is my advice, as life's too short to be anyone's puppet.
Marco.
Beobloke
19-07-2018, 14:48
That’s all very well, but there are 20 - 30 people in my office and, without wishing to sound sexist, what the men generally consider comfortable, the women consider cold. When the temperature is increased to the ladies’ level of comfort, we blokes are moaning that it’s too hot! Sadly, everyone’s idea of a comfortable temperature is different.
And, yes, I do realise that me complaining of the cold lumps me in with the girls, but so be it... ;)
I'm sure if you are all reasonable human beings, you could agree on an acceptable working temperature, which is preferable to the current cold or hot extremes. In any case, my point still stands.
Folks these days put up with way too much pish, and would rather suffer in silence, than speak up and get something done to make things better!
Marco.
walpurgis
19-07-2018, 15:17
That’s all very well, but there are 20 - 30 people in my office and, without wishing to sound sexist, what the men generally consider comfortable, the women consider cold. When the temperature is increased to the ladies’ level of comfort, we blokes are moaning that it’s too hot! Sadly, everyone’s idea of a comfortable temperature is different.
I know exactly what you mean. It was even worse in winter, I'd spend half the day out on site in temperatures just above freezing and return to the office finding the female staff had been 'tuning' the temperature to their liking, usually around 27C. Like walking into an oven!! Of course the management weren't interested, as they didn't go out and were used to it. I walked out a couple of times. Nobody said anything.
Thank fuck my wife's not like that - she likes it cooler, just like me. Why do some women like to live in a bloody oven? There's no way I'd stand for that:rolleyes:
Our ideal temp indoors, is around 18C, which is what we try and keep it at. In the winter, that's easy, but not now!
Marco.
That’s all very well, but there are 20 - 30 people in my office and, without wishing to sound sexist, what the men generally consider comfortable, the women consider cold. When the temperature is increased to the ladies’ level of comfort, we blokes are moaning that it’s too hot! Sadly, everyone’s idea of a comfortable temperature is different.
And, yes, I do realise that me complaining of the cold lumps me in with the girls, but so be it... ;)
We have sort of the same issue in that the aircon does not cover the whole office equally. So some are too hot, some too cold regardless of the setting. If you put the blower on some people are sat in the draught so they complain about that. So the blowers are always off and it is stuffy regardless of whether it is too hot or too cold. And of course although two of the four walls are pretty much all glass, none of the windows are openable.
My previous company I was in a small office with no aircon, but you could open doors and windows. Only 5 of us in there including a couple of women who were 'at that time of life.'
It was always too warm for them. I came in one morning, minus 2 out, snow on the ground. The door and all the windows are wide open and they are sat inside fanning themselves with paperwork: 'Oooh, it's so warm I can't catch me breath!'
There was literally snow blowing in and forming a drift against one of the desks.
correct room temp is 21c for living areas and 18/19 for sleeping areas, which is hard to do as most folk sleep upstairs where heat rises.;)
I like it about 24 for the living room and about 10 for the bedroom. Don't like sleeping in a warm room.
We haven't got a room thermometer, so I've no idea what the temperature is. As long as we keep some windows open, it's cool enough most summers. My parents' house was like a freezer before they installed central heating (they cunningly waited until we'd all moved out). There was ice on the inside of the windows most winters, and no carpets on the bedroom floors. The only warm room contained the telly, which was only switched off when the parish priest came to call, so homework had to be done with some shite playing in the background, or in the sitting room which was kept 'for best' and was as cold as a witches tit.
My previous company I was in a small office with no aircon, but you could open doors and windows. Only 5 of us in there including a couple of women who were 'at that time of life.'
It was always too warm for them. I came in one morning, minus 2 out, snow on the ground. The door and all the windows are wide open and they are sat inside fanning themselves with paperwork: 'Oooh, it's so warm I can't catch me breath!'
There was literally snow blowing in and forming a drift against one of the desks.
Selfish old menopausal bints! I hope you (politely) told them to go fuck themselves, and promptly shut the window? I have no time for folk who care about no-one but themselves.
Marco.
I like it about 24 for the living room and about 10 for the bedroom. Don't like sleeping in a warm room.
Me neither, which is why it's been hard getting to sleep at night.
So how have you been coping for the last couple of months in this heatwave? No way has your bedroom been anywhere near 10C, during that period, unless you've been sleeping in the freezer!:D
Marco.
correct room temp is 21c for living areas and 18/19 for sleeping areas, which is hard to do as most folk sleep upstairs where heat rises.;)
Indeed, especially in old houses, with such thick sandstone brick walls (which retain the heat) as mine!:doh:
It's personal taste, but I'd only want it 21C in my lounge if it were -2 or 3C outside. 18/19C, at any other time for me is fine:)
Marco.
We open the bedroom windows and sleep under just a sheet. And if still too hot, will throw off the sheet.
If none of that works, we use an electric fan (set on the lowest speed).
Indeed, especially in old houses, with such thick sandstone brick walls (which retain the heat) as mine!:doh:
It's personal taste, but I'd only want it 21C in my lounge if it were -2 or 3C outside. 18/19C, at any other time for me is fine:)
Marco.
Older folk need it a little warmer. Lol
I lie on top of duvet and if hot a fan on ceiling going too. Although not super warm up here it stays warm indoorsto stop heating coming on
Selfish old menopausal bints! I hope you (politely) told them to go fuck themselves, and promptly shut the window? I have no time for folk who care about no-one but themselves.
Marco.
No, just worked with my coat on. The manager wandered in eventually and closed the door to stop any more snow coming in. I had too much to do in that job to be wasting time fighting about it.
Me neither, which is why it's been hard getting to sleep at night.
So how have you been coping for the last couple of months in this heatwave? No way has your bedroom been anywhere near 10C, during that period, unless you've been sleeping in the freezer!:D
Marco.
Just sleep with a sheet over me. Had an attic room once, that was during a hot summer, 1997. Was 40 degrees in there some nights even with the (massive) window wide open. Never stopped me from kipping.
No, just worked with my coat on. The manager wandered in eventually and closed the door to stop any more snow coming in. I had too much to do in that job to be wasting time fighting about it.
I'd have just walked up and closed the window. End of story. You're way too tolerant;)
Marco.
Just sleep with a sheet over me. Had an attic room once, that was during a hot summer, 1997. Was 40 degrees in there some nights even with the (massive) window wide open. Never stopped me from kipping.
So not exactly comfortable then, if you don't like a warm bedroom, and way over your preferred 10C. That was my point;)
Marco.
Like a warm room but not hot. Bedroom is warm and I'm stripped for it. Ner
Older folk need it a little warmer. Lol
Yeah, that's a point. Plus, I've always been the type who doesn't feel the cold. I wear t-shirts (and nothing else but shoes with jeans) even in the winter. I like to feel 'fresh' (hate stuffy atmospheres) and also as unencumbered as possible by clothing.
When we went up Snowdonia recently in the train, it was pissing with rain and the temp had dropped to 15C. I was the only one there in shorts and a t-shirt (and still perfectly warm), whilst the rest were wrapped up in coats and scarfs!:D
Marco.
Didn't mind cold when younger but I need it warm now. Dry too as cold damp weather doubles my pain
Selfish old menopausal bints! I hope you (politely) told them to go fuck themselves, and promptly shut the window? I have no time for folk who care about no-one but themselves.
Marco.
But surely by shutting the window Macca would have been demonstrating that he regarded his needs/wishes as more important than theirs?
When my sisters were small they shared a bedroom. One couldn't sleep with the window open, the other couldn't sleep with the window closed. One wanted the landing light left on, the other wanted it switched off. They used to argue all the time over stuff like that. It culminated in a massive fight when the younger sister tore down the elder sister's Beatles pictures, and in retaliation the elder sister tore down the younger sister's pictures of ponies. Me and my brother also shared a bedroom, and we never had a cross word. I don't think it was actually possible to open our bedroom window, so that prevented any disagreements, and there was no room for pictures on the walls, so we couldn't tear those down.
But surely by shutting the window Macca would have been demonstrating that he regarded his needs/wishes as more important than theirs?
Well, if the menopausal old bint in question had shown some consideration for others in the first place (by not leaving the window open with snow pouring in), freezing the office in the process, then there would've been no need to have reacted as I outlined. Such selfishness/inconsideration should always be challenged.
Now, on the other hand, if the window had been closed, and said menopausal old bint had politely asked if the window could be opened a little, because she was feeling warm, then I'd have gladly obliged!
Can you see my point? It's all about treating others with due courtesy/respect and not just thinking about YOU:)
Marco.
Well, if the menopausal old bint in question had shown some consideration for others in the first place (by not leaving the window open with snow pouring in), then there would've been no need to have acted as I outlined. Such selfishness/inconsideration should always be challenged.
Now, on the other hand, if the window had been closed, and said menopausal old bint had politely asked if the window could be opened a little, because she was feeling warm, then I'd have gladly obliged!
Can you see my point?:)
Marco.
I think there were two menopausal women rather than one, so Macca was in the minority. Plus, of course, if it's too cold you can always add clothes, but if you're too hot there's a limit to how many clothes you can remove and remain decent. But office temperatures are a notorious flashpoint. Where I used to work, there was a rudimentary airconditioning system. Unfortunately, when it was switched on it was, for some people, distractingly noisy, to the extent that they preferred the heat to the noise. For those sat further away from the aircon unit, the reverse was true. So the caretaker got a bollocking from one or other group depending on whether he switched the unit on or not. Fortunately, he was a carefree soul, who would just smile and agree with everyone, and ignore what they said. He himself sensibly occupied an office in the post room, and just left the back door open in hot weather.
I think there were two menopausal women rather than one, so Macca was in the minority. Plus, of course, if it's too cold you can always add clothes, but if you're too hot there's a limit to how many clothes you can remove and remain decent.
Two out of how many others working in the same office, with normal functioning metabolisms? I suspect they'd have been in the minority!
The point is, the "I'm all right Jack, fuck you" mentality is rife these days, and big part of what is wrong with modern society. All anyone cares about now is looking after No1, and anyone else outside of their insular little world doesn't exist/matter...:rolleyes:
I refuse to put up with it.
As for your second point, perhaps they (the menopausal old bints) should've dressed more appropriately, to cope with their condition, so that they could function in the same environment as everyone else? Or take a battery-operated fan into work.
Anyway, my point is clear: when you're working with other people in a confined space, *always* think about their comfort, not just yours.
But office temperatures are a notorious flashpoint. Where I used to work, there was a rudimentary airconditioning system. Unfortunately, when it was switched on it was, for some people, distractingly noisy, to the extent that they preferred the heat to the noise. For those sat further away from the aircon unit, the reverse was true. So the caretaker got a bollocking from one or other group depending on whether he switched the unit on or not. Fortunately, he was a carefree soul, who would just smile and agree with everyone, and ignore what they said. He himself sensibly occupied an office in the post room, and just left the back door open in hot weather.
....which takes us back to my previous point, and that employers should be made to ensure that working environments are comfortable and safe for all. Don't just sit there and put up with being treated like shit, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, and protest to the person that matters!
Marco.
We had an episode in our office of women running electric heaters under their desks. So many took to this that it was overloading the electrical system! The company had to ban these small space heaters, and even after that, had to go and remove them by force! The receptacles under the desks were on the same circuits as the computer and network systems, causing all kinds of havoc. The thermostats were locked, set at a company approved temp, which I never had any issue with. Seemed a bit ridiculous to me, here they are paying to air condition the building, and they are running heaters at the same time?
Russell
Just idiocy and mismanagement, Russell, as so often occurs in such places.
Unfortunately, too many folks these days grow up being 'mollycoddled' by central heating systems, and so have a low resistance to occupying any environment that hasn't been artificially heated to a certain temperature. They need toughening up.
It's no wonder that they're the first ones to catch any colds that are going about!:rolleyes:
Marco.
Minstrel SE
20-07-2018, 21:44
Yes well if youve ever worked in an office you realise how difficult it is to please everyone on heating and ventilation...well you realise what ****s some people are.
You want the window open and somebody else doesnt turns into a real downer. I put up with it when I was younger but I bloody wouldnt now. Its a basic right to feel comfortable at work and so many offices and shops are not designed with staff comfort in mind.
Stingy bosses that wont put air conditioning in :)
Folks need to rebel against it, mate, not just meekly put up with it. Bosses would get fook all done if every bugger just downed tools and walked out!
We need stronger unions in this country to force tight-wad employers to open their wallets and sort out their heating and air-con systems properly - as well as a host of other things!!
The French or Italians wouldn't put up with it, I can tell you.
Marco.
There was this big thing back in the 90’s about old office buildings with ventilation systems, in the US not many office buildings have windows that open, they depend on air and central heat. But after 30 years or so, the duct works are full of mold and dust, a collection of all the germs the sickly people have been coughing out. So they encouraged them to have a duct cleaning for public health. Well, that went nowhere, and they had to threaten them with legal action to make the tight wads pay for it.
Russell
Pigmy Pony
21-07-2018, 07:21
That old bollocks about us living in a civilised society is just that - bollocks. Most companies it seems will do the bare minimum required by law for their employees. And the unspoken message is 'if you can't put up with this shit, you know where the door is'. Not everyone is fantastic at their job, some are merely competent for whatever reason, but they deserve the same consideration as the superstars.
Same thing with Health & Safety legislation, it exists not to keep us safe, it's because everyone is frightened of being sued.
Pigmy Pony
21-07-2018, 07:29
Folks need to rebel against it, mate, not just meekly put up with it. Bosses would get fook all done if every bugger just downed tools and walked out!
We need stronger unions in this country to force tight-wad employers to open their wallets and sort out their heating and air-con systems properly - as well as a host of other things!!
The French or Italians wouldn't put up with it, I can tell you.
Marco.
They say 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'. But we're not in Rome. The French and Italians have their own crap to put up with, like having funny accents and driving on the wrong side of the road. And probably shit telly. :D
That old bollocks about us living in a civilised society is just that - bollocks. Most companies it seems will do the bare minimum required by law for their employees. And the unspoken message is 'if you can't put up with this shit, you know where the door is'. Not everyone is fantastic at their job, some are merely competent for whatever reason, but they deserve the same consideration as the superstars.
Same thing with Health & Safety legislation, it exists not to keep us safe, it's because everyone is frightened of being sued.
Indeed... However, I just don't get the mentality, which I'm almost certain will be counterproductive (and cost companies) in the long term, with folk being off ill, taking deliberate 'sickies', etc, simply to avoid working in crap conditions.
If I were an employer, I'd want to ensure that the conditions my staff were working in were comfortable, simply to keep them motivated and ensure maximum attendance and productivity. For me, it just seems the sensible thing to do, and which in the long term will pay dividends.
There's nothing worse than getting up in the morning and dreading going into work, so as a responsible employer, I'd seek to reduce that feeling and make things as pleasant as possible. I just believe that we should all make the time we have on this earth as happy and fulfilling as we can.
Maybe I'm just too sensible and nice?:hmm:
Marco.
They say 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'. But we're not in Rome. The French and Italians have their own crap to put up with, like having funny accents and driving on the wrong side of the road. And probably shit telly. :D
Lol... You're right about the crap telly!
However, in the UK I just think folk are too willing to be put upon by their employers, and just 'accept' crap, because no-one wants to rock the boat... Well, sometimes you need to stand up for yourself and say 'No more!', and if the boat needs rocked, give it a bloody good shove!!!
:exactly:
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
21-07-2018, 07:46
Indeed... However, I just don't get the mentality, which I'm almost certain will be counterproductive (and cost companies) in the long term, with folk being off ill, taking deliberate 'sickies', etc, simply to avoid working in crap conditions.
If I were an employer, I'd want to ensure that the conditions my staff were working in were comfortable, simply to keep them motivated and ensure maximum attendance and productivity. For me, it just seems the sensible thing to do, and which in the long term will pay dividends.
There's nothing worse than getting up in the morning and dreading going into work, so as a responsible employer, I'd seek to reduce that feeling and make things as pleasant as possible. I just believe that we should all make the time we have on this earth as happy and fulfilling as we can.
Maybe I'm just too sensible and nice?:hmm:
Marco.
No Marco I agree with you 100%. And this applies everywhere. I will always go that 'extra mile' for a customer who looks after me and values what I'm doing. And I've always had my own little theory: Nice customers have friends, who listen to their opinions, and this is where your future work may be coming from. Shit customers don't.
I certainly sign up to the theory that nice people attract nice people, and that nice people tend to have real friends and successful relationships, as experience bears it out.
As an employer, I'd just feel happier that my staff liked and respected me, rather than resented me, even though they may not show that openly, as I believe that in the long run that approach will be more successful than the opposite.
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
21-07-2018, 08:10
Lol... You're right about the crap telly!
However, in the UK I just think folk are too willing to be put upon by their employers, and just 'accept' crap, because no-one wants to rock the boat... Well, sometimes you need to stand up for yourself and say 'No more!', and if the boat needs rocked, give it a bloody good shove!!!
:exactly:
Marco.
I imagine 'standing up for yourself' has become a lot harder since Maggie broke the unions. Once all-powerful, these days they seem to do little more than send out a quarterly magazine full of adverts for funeral plans with member discounts.
I have on occasion walked off a job when someone or something has pissed me off, but even in my temper I was aware that I had some power there, that I would be needed back. I do feel sorry for those who for whatever reason do not consider themselves valuable enough to the company to risk 'rocking the boat'. That feeling of worthlessness also is often the mark of a shit employer.
You seem to have a bit of a business brain, and sound like the kind of employer everyone would want. There seems at the moment to be a big market for quality beds and mattresses. If you could move into this field, I'll come and work for you, and I'll be the best damn mattress-tester you've ever seen.
Lol - I'll bear it mind, but suspected you might like to get into something more toilet related:eyebrows:
An arse-roll tester, perhaps?
Marco.
IME it isn't usually company policy to treat employees like shit, it's almost always down to over-zealous supervisors and junior managers. The sort who have got the promotion despite being a bit thick, or perhaps because of it.
Never needed any union help, just take them to one side and have a quiet word, Easier if it is a bloke of course. Usually they get the message and back off. If not then they get a load of continuous grief until they do back off or they start going off sick. Or leave. Never fails.
Pigmy Pony
21-07-2018, 08:34
IME it isn't usually company policy to treat employees like shit, it's almost always down to over-zealous supervisors and junior managers. The sort who have got the promotion despite being a bit thick, or perhaps because of it.
Never needed any union help, just take them to one side and have a quiet word, Easier if it is a bloke of course. Usually they get the message and back off. If not then they get a load of continuous grief until they do back off or they start going off sick. Or leave. Never fails.
Of course, I'd overlooked that, that many (most) companies aren't just a boss and some employees, there is a management structure complicating things. You seem to have a handle on this though, perhaps you could write a book which Ladybird might then publish. 50 pages of taking no shit.
IME it isn't usually company policy to treat employees like shit, it's almost always down to over-zealous supervisors and junior managers. The sort who have got the promotion despite being a bit thick, or perhaps because of it.
I get that, but my view is that whoever is at the top of the tree should always have a handle of what's happening on 'the shop floor', and fix things that need fixing - that is if he or she *really* cares about their company and the welfare of their staff.
There's simply no excuse to take a blind eye, just because you consider yourself as 'too big/important' to bother about what the minions are doing.
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
21-07-2018, 09:32
Lol - I'll bear it mind, but suspected you might like to get into something more toilet related:eyebrows:
An arse-roll tester, perhaps?
Marco.
Hmm, I used to work for Andrex, but left under a cloud. They found out that I'd been feeding laxatives to the Andrex puppy, and posting my own "advert" on You Tube. Cost them a fortune, as filming their own advertising was delayed by a week. Andrex aren't big on toilet humour.
I get that, but my view is that whoever is at the top of the tree should always have a handle of what's happening on 'the shop floor', and fix things that need fixing - that is if he or she *really* cares about their company and the welfare of their staff.
There's simply no excuse to take a blind eye, just because you consider yourself as 'too big/important' to bother about what the minions are doing.
Marco.
Depends how big the operation is but IME the practical realities mean that the 'big bosses' do not have the time to spend on the shop floor listening to the concerns of the troops. And on the odd occasion they do the meeting will be dominated by people with petty issues that have no real solution and the whole thing becomes a waste of time.
Yes, often 'too busy' lying on a beach somewhere sipping cocktails!;)
I know, it depends on the size of the business. Obviously if you're talking about huge multi-national corporations, then I take your point, but otherwise with most small to medium-sized businesses there's no excuse for the boss not to take a proper interest in his or her staff and what's happening at ground roots level.
I'd certainly by my approach if I were running such a company now, because I know that it would ultimately reward me.
Marco.
I've never worked for a small company so I don't know what that's like. Smallest company I was ever at was 75 employees and that grew to about about 500 people after just a few months.
We had an episode in our office of women running electric heaters under their desks. So many took to this that it was overloading the electrical system! The company had to ban these small space heaters, and even after that, had to go and remove them by force! The receptacles under the desks were on the same circuits as the computer and network systems, causing all kinds of havoc. The thermostats were locked, set at a company approved temp, which I never had any issue with. Seemed a bit ridiculous to me, here they are paying to air condition the building, and they are running heaters at the same time?
Russell
In the UK (and elsewhere in western Europe) central air conditioning systems are designed to operate effectively when the ambient temperature is between +10C and +28C. I don't know who devised those parameters but they are "written." When the ambient is outside those figures, as it is this summer in most places, especially London, the air-con systems just don't cope, and people start to open windows, which makes it even worse. In the southern hemisphere cities such as Sydney, LA, Cape Town, Rio, systems are designed to operate with an ambient between +10C and +30C. In Scandinavia it's between -10C and +25C. I predict that in future, new installations in Europe will have to have different design specifications compared to those in use now.
I think most people have this image of big business, being run by well educated, very intelligent people who study the data, and do research to arrive at the best decisions and steer their companies in the right direction. But in my experience nothing could be farther from the truth!
Most companies I’ve seen are run by spoiled brats who have Ivy League educations paid for by their parents and fly by the seat of their pants, operating on whims and personal hunches. They are wrong more often than right, expend an excessive amount of company resources on themselves, and if it wasn’t for the hard working men and women at the bottom getting the job done the company would fold. And then, come review time, “there’s just no money in the budget for raises this year”, even if the company experienced record growth. They wouldn’t look out of their office door to see who is actually doing the work, but take their immediate subordinate’s word for what’s going on and who’s doing the work, even if they know they are being lied to. Not their job, can’t be bothered, too busy trying to set up a T time with the president of some other company.
You hear about it every day, some big company has gone out of business or gone bankrupt, or bought up cheap by some larger company. How could this happen? They were a big successful company? Poor management, is usually the answer.
Russ
I've never worked for a small company so I don't know what that's like. Smallest company I was ever at was 75 employees and that grew to about about 500 people after just a few months.
Small or medium sized companies, mate. Even with 500 people, there's no excuse for a switched on and conscientious owner not to properly consider the welfare of his or her staff, and care about what's happening 'on the shop floor'.
I'm afraid that I'm one of those people who's always put 100% effort into everything I've done, and looked after those who worked for me, especially when I was running my own small business, so simply can't understand why anyone else wouldn't do the same:)
Marco.
I think most people have this image of big business, being run by well educated, very intelligent people who study the data, and do research to arrive at the best decisions and steer their companies in the right direction. But in my experience nothing could be farther from the truth!
Most companies I’ve seen are run by spoiled brats who have Ivy League educations paid for by their parents and fly by the seat of their pants, operating on whims and personal hunches. They are wrong more often than right, expend an excessive amount of company resources on themselves, and if it wasn’t for the hard working men and women at the bottom getting the job done the company would fold. And then, come review time, “there’s just no money in the budget for raises this year”, even if the company experienced record growth. They wouldn’t look out of their office door to see who is actually doing the work, but take their immediate subordinate’s word for what’s going on and who’s doing the work, even if they know they are being lied to. Not their job, can’t be bothered, too busy trying to set up a T time with the president of some other company.
You hear about it every day, some big company has gone out of business or gone bankrupt, or bought up cheap by some larger company. How could this happen? They were a big successful company? Poor management, is usually the answer.
Russ
Spot on, Russ! If there's one thing that rips my knitting in business, it's gross ineptitude, especially those who've somehow managed to 'engineer' themselves into positions of authority, when they simply don't have the skills necessary to be there!
Marco.
Spot on, Russ! If there's one thing that rips my knitting in business, it's gross ineptitude, especially those who've somehow managed to 'engineer' themselves into positions of authority, when they simply don't have the skills necessary to be there!
Marco.
As the manager of the desk top computers, I was the one who worked on the executive computers. I got a first person view of how they conducted business, and frankly, many were complete idiots! Executive VP of purchasing for a $4.5 Billion dollar company, I could not for the life of me teach him to check his own email. But his secretary was damn HOT! Not that it gives him a pass. I could go on for hours on all of the mind bending episodes of ineptitude in the higher echelons of that company. And the millions of dollars that were squandered on failed projects that were so stupid from the start everyone involved knew it was doomed to failure before it ever began, and no one was man enough to tell the exec how stupid it was. And on the occasions I did speak up, I was labeled a nay sayer.
I’ve often thought like you Marco, if I were in charge I could have out performed any other competing company by simply using some simple common sense! And not being too smug to ask the experts what they think. Why hire experts if you don’t even ask them what they think? I’ve been out of corporate life for 13 years, and it still gets me riled every time I think back on it. While I was the very best at what I did, I was obviously not cut out for office work.
Russ
I’ve often thought like you Marco, if I were in charge I could have out performed any other competing company by simply using some simple common sense!
That does work especially in the B2B sector. Word soon gets about and you get swamped with business. There's only a few companies in any sector doing it right and they act like magnets.
Pet hates? When you try to open a bottle of wine only to find the cork is bad and crumbles as the corkscrew is inserted. Just made a complete dog's dinner trying to remove a cork of a 2008 Haut-Medoc. Regardles of whether a hollow corkscrew was used, or a solid-core jacking style corkskrew was used, all that happend was bits of cork crumbled off the cork. Eventually the remains of the cork could be pushed into the bottle, so the wine could be decanted (with difficulty) into a jug, filtered (twice) and then re-decanted into a clean bottle.
I shall be complaining to my vintner!
The gas ones are good for those corks
Pieoftheday
29-07-2018, 14:35
Pet hates? When you try to open a bottle of wine only to find the cork is bad and crumbles as the corkscrew is inserted. Just made a complete dog's dinner trying to remove a cork of a 2008 Haut-Medoc. Regardles of whether a hollow corkscrew was used, or a solid-core jacking style corkskrew was used, all that happend was bits of cork crumbled off the cork. Eventually the remains of the cork could be pushed into the bottle, so the wine could be decanted (with difficulty) into a jug, filtered (twice) and then re-decanted into a clean bottle.
I shall be complaining to my vintner!
I had trouble with a cork on a bottle of fizz a while ago, I pulled and pulled and tugged and tugged and the bulbous bit on the end came off in my hand:)
Pigmy Pony
29-07-2018, 15:45
Don't you just hate it when you try to take the top off a beer bottle with your teeth, and instead manage to snap off the neck of the bottle? Happened to me at a party and resulted in part of my bottom lip hanging off and a three hour wait in A&E to get it stitched.
My girlfriends ex was at the party and when she saw the state of my gob she thought the ex had punched me. Me and this ex actually got on great at the party and had a good laugh. I think she was a bit disappointed.
Don't you just hate it when you try to take the top off a beer bottle with your teeth, and instead manage to snap off the neck of the bottle? Happened to me at a party and resulted in part of my bottom lip hanging off and a three hour wait in A&E to get it stitched.
My girlfriends ex was at the party and when she saw the state of my gob she thought the ex had punched me. Me and this ex actually got on great at the party and had a good laugh. I think she was a bit disappointed.
I wouldn't dream of using my teeth to open a bottle of beer. I would put the edge of the cap on the edge of a hard surface and bang down on the top.
Actually I would use a bottle opener and take one to the party.
Pigmy Pony
29-07-2018, 20:49
Beers? Check. Fags? Check. Condoms? Check. Bottle opener? Sorry, It never occurred to me to take my one bottle opener with me, only to have someone nick it.
I wouldn't dream of taking my own bottle opener to a party, any more than I would take my own toilet roll. And I don't take my own utensils to a barbeque in case the host has nothing to flip the burgers. What kind of party would not have bottle openers?
That party was probably the first, and definitely the last time I did that. Nothing unusual in that - I'm sure most of us had moments of foolishness in our youth, which if we're lucky don't end in catastrophe. You brush yourself off, and think to yourself "Shit, I won't be doing that again".
Then forty years later, you post it on a forum and someone assumes you're just a walking human bottle opener, and you feel the need to explain yourself. And you think to yourself "Shit, I won't be saying that again".
Beers? Check. Fags? Check. Condoms? Check. Bottle opener? Sorry, It never occurred to me to take my one bottle opener with me, only to have someone nick it.
I wouldn't dream of taking my own bottle opener to a party, any more than I would take my own toilet roll. And I don't take my own utensils to a barbeque in case the host has nothing to flip the burgers. What kind of party would not have bottle openers?
That party was probably the first, and definitely the last time I did that. Nothing unusual in that - I'm sure most of us had moments of foolishness in our youth, which if we're lucky don't end in catastrophe. You brush yourself off, and think to yourself "Shit, I won't be doing that again".
Then forty years later, you post it on a forum and someone assumes you're just a walking human bottle opener, and you feel the need to explain yourself. And you think to yourself "Shit, I won't be saying that again".
My GF used to open bottles of beer with her teeth without incident, when she was younger - but then she's African and they all do that. If there were bottle openers at the party, why did you use your teeth?
Ever been to Thailand and seen how some of the entertainers in The Patpong Road (look it up) will remove the cap from a cola bottle (and I assume a beer bottle as well)! :eek:
Ever been to Thailand and seen how some of the entertainers in The Patpong Road (look it up) will remove the cap from a cola bottle (and I assume a beer bottle as well)! :eek:
Haha - is that where girls also do interesting things with ping-pong balls?:D
Marco.
Haha - is that where girls also do interesting things with ping-pong balls?:D
Marco.
So you've been there as well? I'm thinking of proposing it should be an Olympic sport.
Haha....It was in the Thomson's tourist guide, for Thailand, under 'traditional night time entertainment', so it was either that or watch some ladyboys perform 'Mamma Mia'.
Marco.
walpurgis
29-07-2018, 22:53
You've not heard about the goldfish variant then? No, I'm not going to elaborate.
Crackles
30-07-2018, 05:02
I wouldn't dream of using my teeth to open a bottle of beer. I would put the edge of the cap on the edge of a hard surface and bang down on the top.
Actually I would use a bottle opener and take one to the party.A mate of mine used to have a really nifty way of removing the top with a lighter. But there was also a lad I used to go to the match with who did use his teeth, and he did end up opening bottles for everyone else.
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk
Pigmy Pony
30-07-2018, 06:10
I obviously had my technique all wrong. There were bottle openers, but I was nineteen, drunk and probably showing off. Did anyone see the ping pong balls act in "Phoenix Nights"? Hilarious. (Where are they all coming from? She only had three!)
I had trouble with a cork on a bottle of fizz a while ago, I pulled and pulled and tugged and tugged and the bulbous bit on the end came off in my hand:)
You can open a bottle of wine by banging the base against a tree trunk - there's rarely one available in my experience though!
I pulled and pulled and tugged and tugged and the bulbous bit on the end came off in my hand:)
Mmm...Some kinky folks would pay damn good money for that!:eyebrows::D
Marco.
Beobloke
01-08-2018, 11:47
Why are you all over-complicting things? You can open a beer botle with a piece of paper...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00DWLkVLbd4
You can open a bottle of wine by banging the base against a tree trunk - there's rarely one available in my experience though!
Tree trunk or wine bottle?
Pieoftheday
01-08-2018, 17:20
Mmm...Some kinky folks would pay damn good money for that!:eyebrows::D
Marco.
;)
At a party when I was 17, someone, in an attempted act of coolness, bit into a beer can and ripped it in half. So my friend, not to be outdone, tries to do the same, and succeeds but about cut his lower lip off! So there I was rushing him to the emergency room. He was a sight with 60 stitches in his puffed up lip!
Many years later, I’m in the market and see some of my favorite wine, a Valpolicela, on sale at a ridiculously low price! So I bought a case. When I got it home I broke every cork screw in the house trying to get the cork out! All of the corks were as hard as oak! I used a Fostner bit to drill the corks out, except for the last bit, and dumped all the sawdust out before punching the last hole with a screwdriver. There’s more than one way to skin a cat! I’d have been upset, but I got the wine for 1/3rd regular price.
As a carpenter I learned to open a bottle with the edge of my stick rule. The same trick is easy with a BIC lighter. Same trick in the video with the piece of paper.
Russell
Pete The Cat
09-08-2018, 19:33
And another pet hate...
The way they keep changing sterling coins by issuing so-called limited editions, like "commemorative" 50ps and £1s. Is it any wonder there's so much counterfeit currency around when none of us can tell what a legitimate design really is any more ?
Pete
they're making a mint out of it.:D
Pigmy Pony
09-08-2018, 19:45
No change there then.
they're making a mint out of it.:D
It's Murray's fault
Pigmy Pony
09-08-2018, 20:20
I know some people get wound up by all these limited edition coins, but I don't give a toss.
I'm getting pissed off with the vending machine at work. There is only one and the selection is crap. All weird flavours of crisps, Worcester Sauce, Thai prawn, all that shit. No plain or smokey bacon. And there's Hula Hoops in there. Salt and vinegar and cheese and onion. It's an office block not a primary school!
Almost all the chocolate selection is nestles' sugary crap. Although I do still like a Drifter, that's the only ex Rowntrees product they didn't ruin. But typically there's none of them in there. I mean it isn't much to ask is it that in 2018 in an office block that is not in a war or plague zone that the vending machine would have plain crisps in it?
walpurgis
09-08-2018, 20:40
Bet the bags are smaller than standard and cost more too.
Pigmy Pony
09-08-2018, 20:42
I have a vending machine at home. It's called the cupboard. Has all my favourites in it. Always plain or Salt 'n' vinegar for me.
Bet the bags are smaller than standard and cost more too.
70p or a quid. Chocolate is 80p a hit. Right rob-dogs but you can sometimes get a two-for-one or even a three-for-one when they haven't packed it properly. So that sort of makes up for it. Even so the bloke who owns the company must have bought a boat off of me alone over the past 12 years. It costs so much to go to work it's hardly worth the bother.
Minstrel SE
10-08-2018, 05:03
Yeah vending machines are rob dogs with a naff selection because they know we are trapped and desperate.
I can now walk in to a hotel fridge room and see fresh blackberries cakes, fresh salmon and all sorts. I cant touch any of it though as Im only allowed a pre prepared sandwich :)
My main FFS today is people who produce Fake goods. I have just been sent a fake Casio and the originals are only about £6 so some robbing **ats have set about faking it and making it so inferior that it doesnt even work properly. The most annoying thing is whats the point as the clasp broke immediately and the hands loosely fell round the dial when you pulled the setting pin out.
The thing is so bad that it could only be passed off on a street sale if the seller does a runner soon afterwards
So they have produced a fake £6 watch which is being sold on an online auction site. The margins must be so slim its not worth risking a reputation. Luckily the seller saw sense and refunded immediately but they must know its a fake..shame on them :(
I dont even mind some copies as long as its marked as a different brand copy and is of reasonable quality for the money
Sherwood
10-08-2018, 05:38
I'm getting pissed off with the vending machine at work. There is only one and the selection is crap. All weird flavours of crisps, Worcester Sauce, Thai prawn, all that shit. No plain or smokey bacon. And there's Hula Hoops in there. Salt and vinegar and cheese and onion. It's an office block not a primary school!
Almost all the chocolate selection is nestles' sugary crap. Although I do still like a Drifter, that's the only ex Rowntrees product they didn't ruin. But typically there's none of them in there. I mean it isn't much to ask is it that in 2018 in an office block that is not in a war or plague zone that the vending machine would have plain crisps in it?
My school had a drinks vending machine donated by Peter Sellers who was a pupil for a brief period. I am convinced that it was an elaborate practical joke on his part designed to bring the school down. It was a 1960s device that added tepid water to powders. Each choice tasted vile and there was a lot of cross contamination (e.g. hot chocolate and oxtail; coffee and orange squash). The machine was constantly breaking down and each Friday the Head Boy, known as "Tufty" due to an elaborate bouffant, attended the machine to refund those who claimed to have lost money in the machine. I don't know how the machine was viable as every pupil and some teachers seemed to claim a refund. The fact that the machine would accept virtually any metal disc as legitimate payment did not help. I remember the 1970 Esso World Cup coins worked quite well. For snacks, we had a human vending system, a Tuck Shop located in a small cupboard. I never had a sweet tooth myself, but I recall Curly Wurlys and Marathon Bars being very popular. Crisps were available, but I don't recall any choices other than take them or leave them (Smiths Crisps with the little blue salt sachets)!
Geoff
Pigmy Pony
10-08-2018, 06:16
I remember when the salt provided with Smiths crisps came in a piece of twisted up blue paper. They were my favourite. Then in the eighties Smiths revived them, putting the salt in a sealed sachet, and they didn't seem quite the same. Maybe Smiths had changed the formula slightly to make them healthier.
On the subject of vending machine woes: In the seventies some clever soul discovered that if you put a small elastic band around the rim of a ten pence piece you could fool the cigarette machine into thinking it was a 50p. It was a free for all for a couple of days with our pubs fag machine until it was time to re-stock, and all these 10p's and elastics fell out. This must have been happening all over town
After that the bar staff watched us like hawks, but still lost a fair bit more until an engineer could get out and spoil our fun. :(
Beobloke
10-08-2018, 09:21
I mean it isn't much to ask is it that in 2018 in an office block that is not in a war or plague zone that the vending machine would have plain crisps in it?
Sorry, but plain crisps? Why would you bother??!
On the vending machine front, I remember the coolest one ever in Southampton Central Swimming Baths when I was a kid and it dispensed....freshly cooked chips!!
You put your 50p in and you could watch as it dispensed a portion of pre-cut chips into a basket, lowered them into hot oil and fried them for a pre-determined period.
It then lifted the basket, jerked it a few times to shake the oil off, then up-ended it and they came tumbling down a chute into a drawer at the front. You retrieved them from this and tipped them into a paper bag from a pile sat next to the machine. They were hotter than the surface of the sun but tasted great, especially after you’d been swimming.
The machine was out of order more than it was working but it was still amazing and I’ve never seen another one. I keep looking for one on eBay as I quite fancy one for the kitchen...
I like plain crisps that's why. Loads of people do.
The chip machine sounds awesome, I've never seen one of those ever.
It then lifted the basket, jerked it a few times to shake the oil off, then up-ended it and they came tumbling down a chute into a drawer at the front.
Ooooh lovely, dahling.... One could think of something else you could apply that 'jerking' process to, after which a back or 'front drawer' would be filled - and I bet some would pay handsomely for it, too!:eek::D
Marco.
Crackles
10-08-2018, 18:01
Sorry, but plain crisps? Why would you bother??!
On the vending machine front, I remember the coolest one ever in Southampton Central Swimming Baths when I was a kid and it dispensed....freshly cooked chips!!
You put your 50p in and you could watch as it dispensed a portion of pre-cut chips into a basket, lowered them into hot oil and fried them for a pre-determined period.
It then lifted the basket, jerked it a few times to shake the oil off, then up-ended it and they came tumbling down a chute into a drawer at the front. You retrieved them from this and tipped them into a paper bag from a pile sat next to the machine. They were hotter than the surface of the sun but tasted great, especially after you’d been swimming.
The machine was out of order more than it was working but it was still amazing and I’ve never seen another one. I keep looking for one on eBay as I quite fancy one for the kitchen...Never heard of one of them before.
I have to ask though, did it add salt and vinegar? It's a deal breaker.
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Sherwood
10-08-2018, 18:33
Sorry, but plain crisps? Why would you bother??!..
Sorry, we're talking 1970s Smiths Crisps here! They tasted of potatoes! The salt scrunchy was there to enhance the taste, not to disguise it! :popcorn:
I remember when the salt provided with Smiths crisps came in a piece of twisted up blue paper. They were my favourite. Then in the eighties Smiths revived them, putting the salt in a sealed sachet, and they didn't seem quite the same. Maybe Smiths had changed the formula slightly to make them healthier.
On the subject of vending machine woes: In the seventies some clever soul discovered that if you put a small elastic band around the rim of a ten pence piece you could fool the cigarette machine into thinking it was a 50p. It was a free for all for a couple of days with our pubs fag machine until it was time to re-stock, and all these 10p's and elastics fell out. This must have been happening all over town
After that the bar staff watched us like hawks, but still lost a fair bit more until an engineer could get out and spoil our fun. :(
I remember when we found the local chocolate vending machine (with twist handle) accepted plastic toy 10p's, had fun emptying that machine. Also on holiday we found a change machine in an amusement arcade that would change a 5p for five 1p pieces and gave the 5p back. Me and my brothers could hardly walk!
Pigmy Pony
10-08-2018, 19:22
I remember when we found the local chocolate vending machine (with twist handle) accepted plastic toy 10p's, had fun emptying that machine. Also on holiday we found a change machine in an amusement arcade that would change a 5p for five 1p pieces and gave the 5p back. Me and my brothers could hardly walk!
Probably as well that these things happened before computers. I'd hate to think our faces would be recorded onto a hard drive somewhere, so that one day AI can use them to track us down.
70p or a quid. Chocolate is 80p a hit. Right rob-dogs but you can sometimes get a two-for-one or even a three-for-one when they haven't packed it properly. So that sort of makes up for it. Even so the bloke who owns the company must have bought a boat off of me alone over the past 12 years. It costs so much to go to work it's hardly worth the bother.
Take crisps and chocolate with you. Cheaper and you get what u like.
Had a chop shop near our baths fortunately. Not a good one either but hot. Think the shop cat fell into the grease once but he still served the fish. Lol
Pigmy Pony
10-08-2018, 19:43
Sorry, we're talking 1970s Smiths Crisps here! They tasted of potatoes! The salt scrunchy was there to enhance the taste, not to disguise it! :popcorn:
Maybe it's a good thing that younger folk don't know how much better crisps used to taste. Certainly a good thing for the makers. And don't get me started on Walkers-ugh! I'm just waiting for Bugger-lugs Linnekar in a Santa hat to start with the Christmas pudding flavour crisps. :spew:
Probably as well that these things happened before computers. I'd hate to think our faces would be recorded onto a hard drive somewhere, so that one day AI can use them to track us down.
Thing is, an attempted Windows upgrade would probably wipe the lot.
I hate the happy world of Haribo.
Pigmy Pony
19-08-2018, 08:25
But them grown-ups are soo cute!
I hate the happy world of Haribo.
You're just jealous!
Pigmy Pony
19-08-2018, 08:41
You're just jealous!
Yeah, you've been eating After Eight mints too long, they've made you cynical.
And always late for somewhere you have to be at 20.00.
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
19-08-2018, 09:01
Yes, and turns up with bits of melted chocolate stuck to the front of his tracky top. Some people are never too old for a bib.
Pigmy Pony
19-08-2018, 09:09
And always late for somewhere you have to be at 20.00.
Marco.
Like your avatar Marco, how old were you in that picture? And did you find the old gender reassignment improved your listening pleasure?
Yeah, you've been eating After Eight mints too long, they've made you cynical.
I'm trying to wean myself onto Polo's
Pigmy Pony
20-08-2018, 15:34
Anita brought home a pack of Polo fruits the other day. Didn't know they still made them. Haven't had them in about 40 years. Still like them! On the lookout for 'Spanish Gold' sweet tobacco next, but I'm betting our nanny state will have put a stop to that one.
On the lookout for 'Spanish Gold' sweet tobacco next, but I'm betting our nanny state will have put a stop to that one. . If you find any, will you eat it or smoke it?
Pigmy Pony
20-08-2018, 17:22
I planned to eat it as sugary stuff doesn't seem to burn well. I once tried to light up a sweet cigarette (remember them?) and it smelled disgusting.
Was that before or after you did the same thing with your arse-chuffs?:D
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
20-08-2018, 18:14
Oh I wouldn't dare put a light to them! Talk about Napalm Death!
Heh-heh... I'm a fan of popping off a wet one in the bath. When the 'bubble' bursts, it seems to accentuate the pong!:eyebrows:
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
20-08-2018, 18:48
Oh yes, they're a bit special. I can almost hear Kylie singing 'Especially For You'...
I planned to eat it as sugary stuff doesn't seem to burn well. I once tried to light up a sweet cigarette (remember them?) and it smelled disgusting.
Sweet cigarettes. They were great. They even came in a sort of mini cigarette packet. They don't let you do that no more.
You can still get those still fruit drinks in the plastic cups, where you push the straw through the top. The offy by me sells them. You'd jam the straw through, take deep draught and then start coughing. God knows what is in them but I'm surprised it is still legal.
Touch screens with ultra-sensitive buttons, like this f****r, I spend about 10 minutes banging the button I want with absolutely no effect then my finger accidentally brushes (or even hovers near) something I didn't even know was a button and I'm immediately looking at an advert for dental implants or hair restoring gel......How do they know anyway?
Crap aren't they? I could have got one of those tablet things but I went for a laptop instead, one with a good keyboard. And I attach a proper mouse to it. Can't arsed using that fiddly thing they give you built-in.
Typing anything more than a few words on those touch screen is a right pain. And it feels wrong.
Pigmy Pony
20-08-2018, 19:18
Happens to me too - I'm looking for the nearest college that does flower arranging courses, and while tapping away at the screen, guess what comes up? 'Sticky Vicky from Blackburn is only 4 miles away and is dying to meet you'. Happens just as Mrs P is looking over my shoulder...
iPad is great. Big enough at 10 inches for typing easily and you can get an external keyboard too.
I use a mouse with my laptops too. The ones on them are bloody useless
Pigmy Pony
20-08-2018, 19:25
Sweet cigarettes. They were great. They even came in a sort of mini cigarette packet. They don't let you do that no more.
You can still get those still fruit drinks in the plastic cups, where you push the straw through the top. The offy by me sells them. You'd jam the straw through, take deep draught and then start coughing. God knows what is in them but I'm surprised it is still legal.
I think you can still buy those sweet cigarettes, although they won't be called that anymore. And to avoid confusion they've probably done away with the 'red end' too. FFS, what the world coming too? There was a time when you could buy a 'smoking baby' doll, good harmless fun...
It's about not teaching kids that smoking is cool or the norm
I think you can still buy those sweet cigarettes, although they won't be called that anymore. And to avoid confusion they've probably done away with the 'red end' too. FFS, what the world coming too? There was a time when you could buy a 'smoking baby' doll, good harmless fun...
To be honest - they were all a bit shit really. The only reason we bought sweet cigarettes when we were kids was because you could play pretend grown-ups (without all the wheezing and gut wrenching phlegm coughs)
As sweet treats, they were bland saccharine pulp that was actually heavily over-priced and a recipe for early caries .... they might as well have sold 'pretend working down a mine' kits with genuine silicosis symptoms and an early death guaranteed with every pack.
Minstrel SE
22-08-2018, 08:00
Yes they were bland highly processed sticks that appealed to kids for childish reasons. The crap I used to eat as a kid its a wonder I havent developed some sort of diabetes related condition.
I used to pile that bubble gum into my mouth that came with the stickers. Even I started chucking that away as I was buying so many novelty stickers.
Ive got a stick of it now thats 43 years old and it still looks about the same. :) Obviously I wouldnt eat it but its quite worrying that the stuff remains intact for that long :)
Anyone else notice Amazon actually seem to be delaying deliveries when you use the free delivery over £20 option? More often then not you'd get the item ordered within a day or two but these days it can be up to a week & the latest delivery estimate for an order I placed on Saturday is 1st September! I reckon it's a ploy to get you to try prime.
ive been with prime for a long time, but before it used to be about 4/5 days with free. its usually next day with prime but not always
Anyone else notice Amazon actually seem to be delaying deliveries when you use the free delivery over £20 option? More often then not you'd get the item ordered within a day or two but these days it can be up to a week & the latest delivery estimate for an order I placed on Saturday is 1st September! I reckon it's a ploy to get you to try prime.
Didn't some Yank say there's no such thing as a free delivery?
Didn't some Yank say there's no such thing as a free delivery?
Thought that was lunch?
Pigmy Pony
23-08-2018, 19:14
The Nile Takeaway near us does free delivery, dunno about lunch though.
So it's not just a river in Egypt, then?
The Nile Takeaway near us does free delivery, dunno about lunch though.
Is that where, at the end of your meal, the female owner does a 'turn' with a donkey, if you spend over £50?
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 05:57
Is that where, at the end of your meal, the female owner does a 'turn' with a donkey, if you spend over £50?
Marco.
Clearly been a while since you last went, it's £100 now.
A few years ago my daughter signed up for that 'Adopt a Donkey' charity. And guess which donkey she got? My word, the tales it had to tell! And the postcards she gets each year are not for the faint hearted.
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 06:05
So it's not just a river in Egypt, then?
I used to think it was, but I was just kidding myself.
The proprietor Mr. Rodgers, just sits behind the counter all day playing shit guitar and pining for his old pizza chef Bernard who passed away a few years ago. :(
Clearly been a while since you last went, it's £100 now.
£100??:eek: I hope she gets the ping-pong balls out too, for that!!
Marco.
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 15:18
Oh yes, and she's so good you can nominate a target. It was quite amusing watching it bounce off Mrs. P's head and into her cocktail. Added a bit of zest. She lets you put them back too.
Saga have since dropped it from their holiday brochure, but Club 18-80 have picked up the baton.
I'll be eligible for Saga very soon. I don't hate that but I'm not entirely happy about it either.
Remember when a mate turned 50 a few years back we gave him a Saga brochure as a 'present'. He was not a happy chappy.
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 17:24
Comedian Mickey Flanagan spoke of when he turned 50 and went on a Saga holiday with his dad. Describing himself as a 'Saga Lout', he was the youngest person there, and the object of desire for all the older ladies. He impressed them with his pool 'bombing' while most of the others couldn't even get off the sun loungers without help.
If you're looking to bag off with some older totty, you should be in luck there.
If you're looking to bag off with some older totty.
You know it's funny but I'm really not.
I'm now at the stage where I meet a woman and think 'she's too old for me' and then find out she's 5 years younger than me. It's broken, essentially.
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 17:30
I'll be eligible for Saga very soon. I don't hate that but I'm not entirely happy about it either.
Remember when a mate turned 50 a few years back we gave him a Saga brochure as a 'present'. He was not a happy chappy.
Tell your mate not to be so mardy - 50 is the new 40 you know. Understandable not being a happy chappy if he's doing a crappy in an adult nappy. Otherwise it's all good!
He's coming up on 60 now. I'd say he was losing his marbles but in truth he never had a full set to begin with.
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 17:37
You know it's funny but I'm really not.
I'm now at the stage where I meet a woman and think 'she's too old for me' and then find out she's 5 years younger than me. It's broken, essentially.
I can go for hours thinking like that, then I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and it's like a smack in the face. And not in a good way. It's got so I turn the shaving mirror away before I get in the bath. I'm not sure how this old age thing came about - it's like it's been stalking me for a few years, then suddenly jumped out at me from behind some bushes.
You know it's funny but I'm really not.
I'm now at the stage where I meet a woman and think 'she's too old for me' and then find out she's 5 years younger than me. It's broken, essentially.
i only chat up younger chicks :eyebrows:
walpurgis
24-08-2018, 17:40
I'm now at the stage where I meet a woman and think 'she's too old for me' and then find out she's 5 years younger than me. It's broken, essentially.
I do that, but in my case they're twenty years younger than me :).
Oh. And I can still "bomb" into the pool and use the springboard. Mind you, my brother can too and he's eighty (a very fit and strong eighty).
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 17:42
He's coming up on 60 now. I'd say he was losing his marbles but in truth he never had a full set to begin with.
I don't have many marbles, but they're all 4-ers.
walpurgis
24-08-2018, 17:45
I went into the chemist a few weeks ago to pick up a prescription and the woman serving said "who's this for?" I said 'me' and she replied "you can't possibly be that old" and her assistant agreed. I had to put them right :).
I can go for hours thinking like that, then I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror and it's like a smack in the face. And not in a good way. It's got so I turn the shaving mirror away before I get in the bath. I'm not sure how this old age thing came about - it's like it's been stalking me for a few years, then suddenly jumped out at me from behind some bushes.
Same here. Just in the last two or three years. If I want to read something close up now I have to peer over the top of my specs. That seemed to happen overnight. I remember me and my brothers taking the piss out of my dad for doing that. He'd have been about 46 or so then.
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 17:46
I do that, but in my case they're twenty years younger than me :).
Oh. And I can still "bomb" into the pool and use the springboard. Mind you, my brother can too and he's eighty (a very fit and strong eighty).
Do springboards still exist outside of TomDalyLand? I thought the fun police would have banned them all by now.
I went into the chemist a few weeks ago to pick up a prescription and the woman serving said "who's this for?" I said 'me' and she replied "you can't possibly be that old" and her assistant agreed. I had to put them right :).
Its all that hair on yer head that deceives em Geoff !
walpurgis
24-08-2018, 17:49
Do springboards still exist outside of TomDalyLand?
They do on private pools.
walpurgis
24-08-2018, 17:49
Its all that hair on yer head that deceives em Geoff !
Yeah. All 2mm of it. :D
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 17:54
I've been anti-satnav for years (I'm fine with me A-Z) but a while ago I was looking for an address, and it was after dark and I realised I can't see the piggin' street names anymore. :eek: Not going to be defeated though, I bought some cheapo specs to keep in the van.
walpurgis
24-08-2018, 17:58
I've been anti-satnav for years (I'm fine with me A-Z) but a while ago I was looking for an address, and it was after dark and I realised I can't see the piggin' street names anymore. :eek: Not going to be defeated though, I bought some cheapo specs to keep in the van.
I have the same problem. I now rely on five pairs of glasses. TV specs, computer specs, reading specs, driving specs and extra strong ones for working on intricate stuff.
I'll be eligible for Saga very soon. I don't hate that but I'm not entirely happy about it either.
Remember when a mate turned 50 a few years back we gave him a Saga brochure as a 'present'. He was not a happy chappy.
Lol.... At the end of the day, it's only a number!:D
The secret is not to LOOK or FEEL your age. I'm 53 now, but can quite easily pass for 40, which I've told folk before for a laugh, and they haven't batted an eyelid... And I don't feel my age either, as thankfully I have pretty good health, and so feel no different than I did 15 years ago:)
Lots of quality sleep, exercise, a healthy diet, and most of all, a lack of stress and feeling happy with life, are the key things to staying young!
Marco.
Got sat nav on phone if I need it which isn't often.
Wouldn't say no to a fancy dash one but not likely to happen. I do have a dash cam with gps tho
I have the same problem. I now rely on five pairs of glasses. TV specs, computer specs, reading specs, driving specs and extra strong ones for working on intricate stuff.
Thankfully, I still don't need glasses, for reading, driving or anything like that, but I know how much of nightmare it can be swapping from one set to the other, or always misplacing them, as my wife frequently has that problem!
I've only got a few grey hairs too, although the old barnet is receding somewhat!:eyebrows:
Marco.
Got a pair for reading and a pair for tv although I only use them if it's something like a bluray nature prog as my distance is still not bad. Don't need them for driving.
Got magnifiers that clip on for small stuff
Pigmy Pony
24-08-2018, 18:50
Convinced myself that I could do with glasses for driving, bought ones with React-to-lite' lenses that were so heavy they were painful after half an hour, so stopped wearing them. Never bought any more. That was 1991. Don't know what the legal requirement is, but I've just checked outside and I can read a number plate at about 60 yards or so. I think that optician saw me coming even without his specs. :(
If you are going to open an opticians have the outside signage done in a blurry font :eyebrows:
Need to be electronic so you can sharpen it up when they leave with new specs. Just push a button when they leave. Lol
Why are all on-line booking sites so useless?
Have just spent the last hour or so trying to book air tickets. You find a carrier you want to use (Air France), find the flights you want at a price you want to pay, then when you try to pay you find the price is not what was stated, or the system goes off to ask you if you want to book a hotel, or a car! :doh:
After the fourth time of trying - I gave up. Will go to a travel agent tommorow and speak to a human being.
Whenever flying is involved (as we usually go abroad to Europe by car), we always book our flights, and anything else necessary, through a travel agent.
It's simply less hassle that way, and crucially, in the event of any problems, you've got comeback available through a 'bricks and mortar' establishment. That peace of mind, for me, is invaluable.
For similar reasons, I like to book hotels direct, through the website of the hotel concerned, rather than via comparison sites, and deal with a human being that way, followed up with confirmation of the booking and the person's name who I've spoken with, via email.
We're all too lazy these days, and have gotten used to 'mouse-clicking' our way through life, instead of putting more effort into performing the task in hand, often with the type consequences you've just outlined:rolleyes:
Life's too short for such stress and inconvenience!
Marco.
I agree, and usually that is what would I normally do; for the exact same reasons. But it was for Happy, who is usually quite au fait and successful with on-line interactions. I have used on-line booking sites in the past, without problem, but in the last year or so the whole business seems to have become more complicated and difficult.
A pet peeve of mine concerning flying, is the way they force you to take connecting flights to save money? What the heck? You fly twice and far on two different planes to save money? Because if there is a direct flight on one plane, it costs twice as much? There’s something I’m not getting.
I was pricing a flight to Denver from Richmond VA, and they would fly me to Texas, or Florida, or damn near anywhere to lengthen the flight and force me to change planes at least once for the bargain discount ticket. But the flight that goes directly to Denver cost twice as much, even though I flew less than half as far on one plane! What a waste of fuel and time! I figured it was cheaper if I booked a flight to Texas, with the connecting flight in Denver, and just get off in Denver and not take the last connecting flight! I’d get a Direct single flight to Denver for half price.
The Direct flight to Denver was under 4 hours, but all economy tickets were 7.5 and 8 hour flights. Usually with an hour layover or longer in some place that wasn’t anywhere in between takeoff and landing points. What a waste of fuel and time? How can they sell you more for less, and less for more? I don’t get it, just offer the damn direct flight and charge what you must, this purposely inconveniencing you for saving money is lunacy. The government is all concerned about gas mileage of cars, forcing car companies to produce electric cars, worried about fuel consumption and climate change, while planes are flying around their ass to get to their elbow just for the sake of inconvenience? Literally using twice the fuel necessary to get you from point A to point B? I just don’t get it.
Russell
You going to the RMAF Russell?
Pigmy Pony
29-08-2018, 17:36
A pet peeve of mine concerning flying, is the way they force you to take connecting flights to save money? What the heck? You fly twice and far on two different planes to save money? Because if there is a direct flight on one plane, it costs twice as much? There’s something I’m not getting.
I was pricing a flight to Denver from Richmond VA, and they would fly me to Texas, or Florida, or damn near anywhere to lengthen the flight and force me to change planes at least once for the bargain discount ticket. But the flight that goes directly to Denver cost twice as much, even though I flew less than half as far on one plane! What a waste of fuel and time! I figured it was cheaper if I booked a flight to Texas, with the connecting flight in Denver, and just get off in Denver and not take the last connecting flight! I’d get a Direct single flight to Denver for half price.
The Direct flight to Denver was under 4 hours, but all economy tickets were 7.5 and 8 hour flights. Usually with an hour layover or longer in some place that wasn’t anywhere in between takeoff and landing points. What a waste of fuel and time? How can they sell you more for less, and less for more? I don’t get it, just offer the damn direct flight and charge what you must, this purposely inconveniencing you for saving money is lunacy. The government is all concerned about gas mileage of cars, forcing car companies to produce electric cars, worried about fuel consumption and climate change, while planes are flying around their ass to get to their elbow just for the sake of inconvenience? Literally using twice the fuel necessary to get you from point A to point B? I just don’t get it.
Russell
The direct flight has a 'convenience surcharge' levied, that's what they are doing. They are charging you extra for no other reason than that they can.
Over here the cost of flights to holiday destinations are always advertised as 'one way'. Makes no sense to me - surely most people going on holiday will be coming back, albeit reluctantly.
You going to the RMAF Russell?
I wasn’t thinking of that, but now that you mention it I very well could time it to attend the Audio Show! I’ve never been to one.
Russell
I wasn’t thinking of that, but now that you mention it I very well could time it to attend the Audio Show! I’ve never been to one.
Russell
From reading all the show reports and that it seems to be one of the best.
Pete The Cat
01-09-2018, 19:55
I wouldn't mind but it happens every time.
The scene - Starbucks. Today's episode - Gordano Services.
Me: A tall black filter coffee to go please.
Barista: Do you want room for milk in that ?
Me: No thank you.
Barista: Is that to drink in or take away ?
Me: Take away.
Barista: Do you want room for milk in that ?
Me: No thank you.
Of all the frappuchino / skinny this-and-that etc stuff they get asked for, you give them the simplest possible order and all the information on a plate and they just don't listen.
At least I wasn't asked for my name so that it could be mis-spelt on the cup (usually "Pit"). That would probably have resulted in an incident.
FFS.
Pete
Not sure when it became impossible to ask for 'A black coffee' and just be served it without any further interrogation. Late 1990s? Or maybe it was earlier than that.
Of course I still try:
'A black coffee please.'
'Black coffee? Do you mean an Americano?'
'I don't know what that is, is that a black coffee?'
'You can have it without milk'
'I just want a black coffee. if that's a black coffee then I'll have that.'
'So you want an Amerciano?'
'Yes, if it is a black coffee.'
'You can have it without milk.'
'You can have anything without milk, except for milk itself.'
'So you want an Americano?'
And so on...a bit like 'Who's on First?' it only ends when they want it to. I stopped drinking coffee a while back but now I notice that you can't even just ask for a black tea without confusing them. And they want two quid for a teabag, some hot water and a cardboard cup. I'm out.
I'm old enough to remember that even if you went in the café at the railway station there was proper china, linen tablecloths, and a waitress in a black dress with a white apron and doily thing would come to the table and take your order. And if you asked for a black coffee she just wrote down 'black coffee' and then came back with...a black coffee. Can someone explain to me exactly what was wrong with that and why it needed to change? Because I've got no god-damned idea.
Now if you want to get a hot drink at the station before catching your train get there really early because you will have to queue at a counter behind a bunch of wankers all asking for 'double latte skimmed egg froth toss with cinnamon' or some similar poncy shite that takes the bloke serving fifteen minutes to make each one and so the line is always out the door and half-way down the platform.
walpurgis
01-09-2018, 21:18
There's a little workman's cafe I take my grand daughters to and egg 'n chips x 3, two fruit juice cartons and a mug of decent tasting coffee comes to less than seven quid. Bargain! And it all tastes decent.
Charge a fortune for shit these places. I make my own or drink water.
Don't eat out either very often Like not for last few years lol
You can't fault egg and chips. The breakfast of champions. Eggs must be 'sunny side up' of course. It isn't easy to get that in this stupid country either.
Last time I asked for egg and chips - in an appropriately greasy spoon ofc - I asked them not to turn my eggs over. 'Oooh you don't want them turned over? Oooh are you sure duck? Hey Ethel! This gentleman doesn't want his eggs turned over! Can you believe it?' etc..
Charge a fortune for shit these places. I make my own or drink water.
Don't eat out either very often Like not for last few years lol
See a whole parade of them every morning going up to their offices with their four quid coffees. That's a £100/month habit. Why not buy a thermos flask and have an extra foreign holiday every year? Crackers.
Like Grant, I like *good* coffee, but good coffee doesn't need to be fancy or 'poncy'. I agree that there's too much bullshit now surrounding coffee, largely thanks to the ridiculous Americanising of it.
However, the only way I'll take black coffee is an espresso, as I enjoy the crema, and I like a strong coffee, not stuff that tastes like coloured piss-water. Putrid shite, such as you used to get in the 70s and 80s (Cona, etc), which for me was undrinkable. Much the same as most instant coffee, in comparison with a good espresso, made with quality beans, by someone with a decent machine who knows what they're doing.
Otherwise, I like milk in coffee, and in that respect there's nothing like a nice Cappuccino or Macchiato (espresso with a shot of frothy hot milk), especially with breakfast. Bear in mind, that we (Italians) have been drinking coffee that way for centuries, long before it became 'poncy'!;)
Marco.
Only drink latte these days with a little syrup in. Homemade Still enjoy making it after all the years as well.
Yeah... Remember that Cona shite, you used to get in the 70s and 80s? It would sit stewing on a hot 'stove' type thing all day, and tasted like watery black caramel/treacle?:spew:
Like this muck, which you used to see in cafes and restaurants all the time:
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/921/v2XsUI.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1024x768q90/921/eLmHjE.jpg
Thank fuck the UK coffee scene has DRASTICALLY moved on since then!
Marco.
Ive got one of those syphon coffee makers. A little spirit burner and a couple of laboratory bottles. Lol. It's fairly old and still works. The coffee is decent too but needs drink quickly.
Must try and look it out. Looks great.
Lol... Well, the ones pictured above represent my bad memories of coffee from the 70s, when coffee, sold in the UK, really was dire (watery tasteless shit), unless you went to a decent Italian cafe or restaurant.
'Poncification' aside, the general standard now is MUCH higher. Macca mentioned thermos flasks. Those are another throwback to the 70s/80s. Don't think I've used one since then! Mum used to fill mine with home-made soup, which during the winter months, I took to school as part of my packed lunch:D
Marco.
walpurgis
01-09-2018, 22:48
Macca mentioned thermos flasks. Those are another throwback to the 70s/80s.
Marco.
I use one on long drives. After maybe three or four hours on the road, a coffee is needed.
Lol... Well, the ones pictured above represent my bad memories of coffee from the 70s, when coffee, sold in the UK, really was dire (watery tasteless muck), unless you went to a decent Italian cafe or restaurant.
'Poncification' aside, the general standard now is MUCH higher. Macca mentioned thermos flasks. Those are another throwback to the 70s/80s. Don't think I've used one since then! Mum used to fill mine with home-made soup, which during the winter months, I took to school as part of my packed lunch:D
Marco.
Mine is similar to this
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180902/1e412c8f15c31e29e5e518a0361b25ea.jpg
I took a flask of soup to work or fishing or even a picnic. Tomato soup. It was traditional lol. Stewed coffee wasn't my cuppa
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