Grumble Thread

[Petrushka]

Disappointed to be travelling back to Brum right now, owing to the piano recital I was going to being cancelled because of Ian Pace's back problem. Also won't be able to make the rescheduled date because of the train strikes.

On the bright side, the train strikes may be averted at the last minute as they often are. Does the bus offer a solution if not? Where there's a will there's a way!

[Joseph K]

On the bright side, the train strikes may be averted at the last minute as they often are. Does the bus offer a solution if not? Where there's a will there's a way!

They might, but I like to buy and plan these things ahead. TBH, this fiasco today has already cost me a fair amount. I'm loath to spend more again, especially with the uncertain situation. Oh well.

[Bryn]

They might, but I like to buy and plan these things ahead. TBH, this fiasco today has already cost me a fair amount. I'm loath to spend more again, especially with the uncertain situation. Oh well.

Though I only live about 30 miles away from the venue, I am hit by the same problem. There is a bus service but the last bus back requires a connection at Slough which has a window of only 5 minutes. With a rail strike on, traffic delays are pretty much bound to make that too risky.

[Bryn]

Disappointed to be travelling back to Brum right now, owing to the piano recital I was going to being cancelled because of Ian Pace's back problem. Also won't be able to make the rescheduled date because of the train strikes.

There is no actual strike planned for the 24th, tough disruption from the previous day's strike will have knock-on effects. Hopefully, such disruption will clear by the afternoon of the 24th. I will wait until the day to decide whether to risk it or not.

[Joseph K]

There is no actual strike planned for the 24th, tough disruption from the previous day's strike will have knock-on effects. Hopefully, such disruption will clear by the afternoon of the 24th. I will wait until the day to decide whether to risk it or not.

I know there is no strike on the 24th - it would be getting back the day after for me which would be the issue.

[Bryn]

The concert will be over by 9 pm. Surely you could get back to Brum on the 24th, or is it the other end that you are worried about?

[Joseph K]

The concert will be over by 9 pm. Surely you could get back to Brum on the 24th, or is it the other end that you are worried about?

True. It would be getting from Brum to Redditch which would be the issue. I'll think about it.

[teamsaint]

True. It would be getting from Brum to Redditch which would be the issue. I'll think about it.

Bad luck JK, hope you are able to make it work somehow. The strikes are a pain for travellers , whatever the rights and wrongs.

My weekend plans (running a half marathon on Salisbury plain today, and seeing Public Image tomorrow night) in shreds due to having the Covid. Luckily I hadn’t paid for the concert.

I guess I am just part of the 7th wave, or whatever it is !! A nice walk round Martin Down this afternoon should help ease the disappointment.

[Joseph K]

Bad luck JK, hope you are able to make it work somehow. The strikes are a pain for travellers , whatever the rights and wrongs.

My weekend plans (running a half marathon on Salisbury plain today, and seeing Public Image tomorrow night) in shreds due to having the Covid. Luckily I hadn’t paid for the concert.

I guess I am just part of the 7th wave, or whatever it is !! A nice walk round Martin Down this afternoon should help ease the disappointment.

Sorry to hear this, TS. Enjoy your walk.

[oddoneout]

Recently I replaced the top couple of inches of compost in a large pot tucked into the niche between the bay window and the front door which is home to a miniature climbing rose. When I came back from town this morning I noticed that a quantity had been hoicked out and scattered on the gravel and ground cover on which the pot stands. I gathered up what I could, muttering to myself and was just about to level out the hole in the pot when I realised that the culprit had been a cat - fortunately just before I tried to break up what I thought was a lump of compost... The contortions that it must have entailed - given the lack of space, the height off the ground, a flexible pot rim, and stems armed with vicious thorns ( I hope some of them made contact on the rear end), beggar belief, not least given the adjacent area of gravel that makes up my small front "garden" which in the past has too often been a cat toilet.
There is a new kit on the block, after a couple of years with only a couple around which haven't caused problems, which I'm certain is responsible; its other activities include leaving clumps of feathers on the lawn (pigeon I can accept, blackbird not) and spraying the pots beside my back door so I get eau de catpee every time I open the door and will have to move them and have bare concrete.

[Frances_iom]

...
There is a new kit on the block, after a couple of years with only a couple around which haven't caused problems, which I'm certain is responsible;..

cats appear to be the chosen pet by those who don't want any responsibility for the nuisance they can cause away from their home turf - I often think cat protection societies are looking at the wrong party to protect.

[french frank]

The contortions that it must have entailed - given the lack of space, the height off the ground, a flexible pot rim, and stems armed with vicious thorns ( I hope some of them made contact on the rear end), beggar belief, not least given the adjacent area of gravel that makes up my small front "garden" which in the past has too often been a cat toilet.

I gave up trying to grow vegetables in my small back garden - narrow border surrounding flagstones with pots. Similar cat problem in the front area. I have two sonic cat deterrents, one front, one in the back where they have identified easy access. And a sort of narrow trampoline netting all round the surrounding fence. Seldom a bird to be seen - even a sparrow - as they make themselves scarce with so many neighbourhood felines. I've had peace for some months now through my various devices, though expensive lion poo failed, as did a bird house with a big picture inside of tiger eyes glaring out.

[oddoneout]

I gave up trying to grow vegetables in my small back garden - narrow border surrounding flagstones with pots. Similar cat problem in the front area. I have two sonic cat deterrents, one front, one in the back where they have identified easy access. And a sort of narrow trampoline netting all round the surrounding fence. Seldom a bird to be seen - even a sparrow - as they make themselves scarce with so many neighbourhood felines. I've had peace for some months now through my various devices, though expensive lion poo failed, as did a bird house with a big picture inside of tiger eyes glaring out.

I will carry on with my veg growing - I have to use a lot of netting to keep pigeons off leafy veg and that reduces cat issues - so long as territory marking isn't involved. If the new arrival is keen on hunting I'm hoping it might deter the furry pest that's taking away my strawberries again; last year I lost virtually all the fruit - stalks cut through and whole thing taken away, ripe or not. This morning there were 3 abandoned (unripe) fruits on the ground suggesting an interruption. I don't bother with netting against the blackbirds as they go for ripe fruit one at a time so if I pick promptly the losses aren't too great - I'm not feeding a family. Likewise the currants and gooseberries until a couple of years ago but I now have to net to stop the pigeons(how I hate those big fat destroying poo machines) crash landing on the bushes, breaking the branches, ripping the fruit off whether ripe or not (and only eating some of what they pull off) and then leaving great dollops of excrement on anything that might have escaped their ravages. They took all my just set plums - about small cherry size - earlier in the year (the morning after I'd taken down the cat's cradle of strings that were starting to damage the newly emerged leaves) but at least this time they didn't break any more branches - last years's toll was 3 out of the 6 the tiny tree has...

[Old Grumpy]

G2 Pass Notes on this topic:https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...-cats-at-night

[Dave2002]

cats appear to be the chosen pet by those who don't want any responsibility for the nuisance they can cause away from their home turf - I often think cat protection societies are looking at the wrong party to protect.

Cats are really bad news - particularly for rare birds. Too many people think they're cuddly, and don't consider the notion that they can kill many small animals in a radius perhaps of at least a mile from a home. They can also survive in the wild for quite a while, as we discovered with one cat (not ours) which didn't realise it was supposed to move with its owners, so disappeared from its new abode and turned up at their previous home quite a while later - a distance of 4-5 miles if I remember.