Grumble Thread

[Dave2002]

I find it really annoying when recordings are released with no identification of who played on them. I recently acquired a large number of CDs from a local ad onthe Facebook marketplace - including some SOMM Beecham recordings and some Organ records but amongst the remainder were some recordings put out by The Telegragh which, though quite reasonable sounding, list composer and work but no other recording information other than they made by DELTA. They will be finding their way to a Charity Shop in the area dreckly!

Does nothing show up when you put the CDs into a CD drive connected to an online database? That might be one way to find out what's on the CDs. Reverse engineering - which has been done before.

[cloughie]

Does nothing show up when you put the CDs into a CD drive connected to an online database? That might be one way to find out what's on the CDs. Reverse engineering - which has been done before.

Some have details of some tracks eg Die Fledernaus Ov by Various Artists!
Others just mention the Composer.

[french frank]

Had all my waste boxes ready to put out last night for today's collection (postponed by Eunice). In the end I decided not to put anything out as high winds were forecast. This morning, everyone else's rubbish has collected outside my house. All of it, seemingly.

Do I leave it and wait for the wind to start up again and blow it away or <sigh> get a black bag, pick it all up and put it in my wheelie bin? (I have done that in the past, grinding my teeth and thinking: "People probably think I'm getting paid for this.")

[Serial_Apologist]

Had all my waste boxes ready to put out last night for today's collection (postponed by Eunice). In the end I decided not to put anything out as high winds were forecast. This morning, everyone else's rubbish has collected outside my house. All of it, seemingly.

Do I leave it and wait for the wind to start up again and blow it away or <sigh> get a black bag, pick it all up and put it in my wheelie bin? (I have done that in the past, grinding my teeth and thinking: "People probably think I'm getting paid for this.")

I have a related problem inasmuch as others living in this block persistently put non-recyclables in our recycling bins, and I and another resident see fit to transfer the, mostly, plastic packaging and used food cartons to the non-recyclables. The council used to put reminder leaflets through our letter boxes, but I have a suspicion that even they have given up; I'm not even sure stuff actually gets recycled any more... there are rumours, whistle blowers...

[oddoneout]

Had all my waste boxes ready to put out last night for today's collection (postponed by Eunice). In the end I decided not to put anything out as high winds were forecast. This morning, everyone else's rubbish has collected outside my house. All of it, seemingly.

Do I leave it and wait for the wind to start up again and blow it away or <sigh> get a black bag, pick it all up and put it in my wheelie bin? (I have done that in the past, grinding my teeth and thinking: "People probably think I'm getting paid for this.")

Well if it's outside your house so that you have to see it/go past it then I would say take the grit your teeth option. Its presence will do nothing to improve your life so better to be rid, and would you really feel comfortable knowing that it's ended up somewhere else, still looking horrid, if you leave it. After all it's lack of thought and consideration together with laziness that's caused the problem in the first place and two wrongs don't make a right. I pick up rubbish that ends up on my patch, and have occasionally made pointed comments about how tiresome it is when rubbish blows out of the bins. When my immediate neighbours (both sides of the road) have overflowing bins I offer the space in my bins to try and prevent the problem occurring in the first place - which has the bonus that by adding weight it's less likely mine will blow over. They are all nice folk but seem to have a blind spot when it comes to picking up their litter, as if once it's out of their bin it isn't anything to do with them.
It's a bummer but so what else is new, especially these days.

[french frank]

Well if it's outside your house so that you have to see it/go past it then I would say take the grit your teeth option.

Already done, as a neighbour WhatsApp'd to ask if anyone was up for a 'litter pick' this afternoon and several of us responded. Annoyingly, I found I had no black bags left so had to keep filling small pedal bin bags. But the litter has gone.

Near neighbours tend to share their bins and boxes if someone just has one or two small things/bottles to put out.

[Serial_Apologist]

Well if it's outside your house so that you have to see it/go past it then I would say take the grit your teeth option. Its presence will do nothing to improve your life so better to be rid, and would you really feel comfortable knowing that it's ended up somewhere else, still looking horrid, if you leave it. After all it's lack of thought and consideration together with laziness that's caused the problem in the first place and two wrongs don't make a right. I pick up rubbish that ends up on my patch, and have occasionally made pointed comments about how tiresome it is when rubbish blows out of the bins. When my immediate neighbours (both sides of the road) have overflowing bins I offer the space in my bins to try and prevent the problem occurring in the first place - which has the bonus that by adding weight it's less likely mine will blow over. They are all nice folk but seem to have a blind spot when it comes to picking up their litter, as if once it's out of their bin it isn't anything to do with them.
It's a bummer but so what else is new, especially these days.

People may recall me recounting when a load of unwanted shop fixtures ended up dumped in our back yard, and what happened after we managed to find the source.

[oddoneout]

I've just had a letter from my energy supplier giving me the glad tidings that the prices have gone up. Not unexpected of course, even if seeing a near 50% rise in one fell swoop is something of a gulp moment, but what I am trying to work out is why the standing charge should go up by the same margin. Yes there will be some increase in costs of delivery and maintenance as a result of fuel price increases etc, but 50%? I've always had a gripe with them, and still resent that the company I used to be with that didn't have a separate charge was leant on by the competition which forced them (with Ofgem's help) out of business in the end. Looking back over several years worth of bills it's apparent that those charges are the ones which have gone up consistently whereas the actually gas and electricity costs haven't gone up as consistently nor, at a quick glance, by as much. Now call me suspicious but as most of the past 8 years or so I've been on a fixed tariff (which only fixes the gas/electricity cost, not the sc) I can't help thinking that the standing charges have been used for purposes other than what they are supposed to be used for, and this huge increase just adds to that suspicion.

[Serial_Apologist]

I've just had a letter from my energy supplier giving me the glad tidings that the prices have gone up. Not unexpected of course, even if seeing a near 50% rise in one fell swoop is something of a gulp moment, but what I am trying to work out is why the standing charge should go up by the same margin. Yes there will be some increase in costs of delivery and maintenance as a result of fuel price increases etc, but 50%? I've always had a gripe with them, and still resent that the company I used to be with that didn't have a separate charge was leant on by the competition which forced them (with Ofgem's help) out of business in the end. Looking back over several years worth of bills it's apparent that those charges are the ones which have gone up consistently whereas the actually gas and electricity costs haven't gone up as consistently nor, at a quick glance, by as much. Now call me suspicious but as most of the past 8 years or so I've been on a fixed tariff (which only fixes the gas/electricity cost, not the sc) I can't help thinking that the standing charges have been used for purposes other than what they are supposed to be used for, and this huge increase just adds to that suspicion.

I'm with you on that. The other thing that bothers me is whenever we are reminded of the massive forthcoming hikes in energy prices, we are always told that it is "the market" deciding - almost as if an act of God, like "the weather" - never who it is who is is actually imposing these increases. I think we're all being hobbed off.

[RichardB]

we are always told that it is "the market" deciding

This "market" must be done away with, and the sooner the better.

[oddoneout]

A dispiriting (and worrying) demonstration this morning of the dire state of health services locally. An unsatisfactory dental check-up reinforced that I just have to put up with the ongoing problems I have with two molars, until such time as extraction becomes the inevitable outcome - probably as an emergency. The practice has insufficient dentists, and many of them only stay for a short time and then move into private practice or to other countries. Not good for someone such as myself who needs continuity. In the 6 months prior to the first lockdown I'd needed 3 repairs, so now I try and avoid chewing on that side - which has brought back the painful jaw joint problems that had been sorted 3 years ago... In the course of the general external check of the face and neck area the dentist asked about what she referred to as a lesion, but which I have assumed to be a wart(one of the stalked variety) and told me I should get a GP to look at it straightaway. So called by the surgery on the way home to be told that sorry they had no appointments that day. I said I wasn't expecting that (appointments have always been weeks away, as I've never managed to get into the urgent/emergency category) but wanted to book one, to be told that they don't do that. All appointments are same day booked by phone, which in practice means sitting on hold from 8am until you get through to be told there are no more appointments that day, at a likely cost of several pounds in my case, as I don't have an inclusive tariff. They brought that system in last year to deal with excessive levels of abuse and antisocial behaviour to surgery staff, but I had assumed that they would have gone back to something more like the original system by now. There have always been problems at that surgery as they have had too few GPs for at least 8 years and have not, for some reason, thought seriously and with effect about alternatives such as Nurse Practitioners and more nurse led activity to help to fill the gaps.
Going private isn't an option for the dentist as there are none locally taking on new patients, and changing GP surgeries isn't an option as all 3 surgeries closed their lists to new patients some years ago due to numbers. If I was on the other side of the railway at the bottom of my garden I could go to the nearby village surgery, one of a group of 3 serving local villages, a couple of miles away where, although they do now have problems with GP shortage (all 3 retired the same year ) a much more intelligent and agile practice management means they continue to provide a good service - including bookable appointments.
I can't book a 6 month dentist checkup either - I have to wait until the 6 months is up and then phone to arrange - so another 2 months wait on top of the 6 months already gone probably.
And idiot management people moan about "inappropriate use of A&E".
Now I need to get out into the garden and think about something less depressing.

[cloughie]

This "market" must be done away with, and the sooner the better.

Wasn’t the original idea at the time of privatisation that the market and competition would make it cheaper for consumers who would shop around for the best deal!

[RichardB]

Wasn’t the original idea at the time of privatisation that the market and competition would make it cheaper for consumers who would shop around for the best deal!

I think the original idea of privatisation was to raise short term cash without raising taxes, and for ideological reasons to do with destroying the union movement. The predictable result was to maximise profit, consolidate wealth, fleece consumers while paying dividends to corporate stockholders, worsen working conditions and job security, etc., the whole Thatcherite package which we're still having to live with.

[teamsaint]

A dispiriting (and worrying) demonstration this morning of the dire state of health services locally. An unsatisfactory dental check-up reinforced that I just have to put up with the ongoing problems I have with two molars, until such time as extraction becomes the inevitable outcome - probably as an emergency. The practice has insufficient dentists, and many of them only stay for a short time and then move into private practice or to other countries. Not good for someone such as myself who needs continuity. In the 6 months prior to the first lockdown I'd needed 3 repairs, so now I try and avoid chewing on that side - which has brought back the painful jaw joint problems that had been sorted 3 years ago... In the course of the general external check of the face and neck area the dentist asked about what she referred to as a lesion, but which I have assumed to be a wart(one of the stalked variety) and told me I should get a GP to look at it straightaway. So called by the surgery on the way home to be told that sorry they had no appointments that day. I said I wasn't expecting that (appointments have always been weeks away, as I've never managed to get into the urgent/emergency category) but wanted to book one, to be told that they don't do that. All appointments are same day booked by phone, which in practice means sitting on hold from 8am until you get through to be told there are no more appointments that day, at a likely cost of several pounds in my case, as I don't have an inclusive tariff. They brought that system in last year to deal with excessive levels of abuse and antisocial behaviour to surgery staff, but I had assumed that they would have gone back to something more like the original system by now. There have always been problems at that surgery as they have had too few GPs for at least 8 years and have not, for some reason, thought seriously and with effect about alternatives such as Nurse Practitioners and more nurse led activity to help to fill the gaps.
Going private isn't an option for the dentist as there are none locally taking on new patients, and changing GP surgeries isn't an option as all 3 surgeries closed their lists to new patients some years ago due to numbers. If I was on the other side of the railway at the bottom of my garden I could go to the nearby village surgery, one of a group of 3 serving local villages, a couple of miles away where, although they do now have problems with GP shortage (all 3 retired the same year ) a much more intelligent and agile practice management means they continue to provide a good service - including bookable appointments.
I can't book a 6 month dentist checkup either - I have to wait until the 6 months is up and then phone to arrange - so another 2 months wait on top of the 6 months already gone probably.
And idiot management people moan about "inappropriate use of A&E".
Now I need to get out into the garden and think about something less depressing.

Regardless of whether or not the NHS is to some extent underfunded, many of the grass roots systems are simply not fit for purpose.

Hope you get things sorted out soon.

( I have had a foot problem, not urgent, but that might need treatment. They sent me a leaflet, and later an invitation for a zoom appointment. They aren’t doing face to face at the podiatry clinic “ to keep the surgery quieter”.
Sigh.)

[Cockney Sparrow]

.... the dentist asked about what she referred to as a lesion, but which I have assumed to be a wart(one of the stalked variety) and told me I should get a GP to look at it straightaway. So called by the surgery on the way home to be told that sorry they had no appointments that day. I said I wasn't expecting that (appointments have always been weeks away, as I've never managed to get into the urgent/emergency category) but wanted to book one, to be told that they don't do that. All appointments are same day booked by phone, which in practice means sitting on hold from 8am until you get through to be told there are no more appointments that day, at a likely cost of several pounds in my case, as I don't have an inclusive tariff. They brought that system in last year to deal with excessive levels of abuse and antisocial behaviour to surgery staff.......

I can't see how that system is consistent with the requirements of the GP contract:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/gps/gp-mythbuster-55-opening-hours

It doesn't seem that changing to a different GP practice is an option for you, which is a shame. I hope you manage to get that appointment.............