Grumble Thread

[Pulcinella]

The green tops of my milk 'bottles' (semi skimmed) seem to have been abandoned, and they've become clear.
I wonder if this is a recycling issue.
I didn't check the red and blue ones, but I'll miss them all if the colour coding goes, as it was an easy and helpful way to distinguish which was which.

[Bryn]

The green tops of my milk 'bottles' (semi skimmed) seem to have been abandoned, and they've become clear.
I wonder if this is a recycling issue.
I didn't check the red and blue ones, but I'll miss them all if the colour coding goes, as it was an easy and helpful way to distinguish which was which.

https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/environment/why-are-milk-bottle-tops-white-caps-lids-colour-change-supermarket-milk-3974305

[Pulcinella]

https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/...t-milk-3974305

Thanks: not being a Waitrose shopper, I've only more recently become aware of this.

Makes sense if now the whole thing can be recycled.
And as the article points out, the labels are still colour coded.

[oddoneout]

Thanks: not being a Waitrose shopper, I've only more recently become aware of this.

Makes sense if now the whole thing can be recycled.
And as the article points out, the labels are still colour coded.

The carton packaging that Morrisons is now using for much of its milk range has white caps. The difficulty there is that the shoulders of the carton, which is the bit on show when stored in the door of my fridge (bottom of the door on a floorstanding fridge so looking down at the tops of containers) don't have enough identifying colour to see at a glance which is which. Not a problem if one has all the same but I have both skimmed and full fat, and it's not always the case that size of container identifies the difference. I have stopped buying the carton version now because of problems with off flavours developing after a couple of days so that has solved the cap problem.

[Serial_Apologist]

The green tops of my milk 'bottles' (semi skimmed) seem to have been abandoned, and they've become clear.
I wonder if this is a recycling issue.
I didn't check the red and blue ones, but I'll miss them all if the colour coding goes, as it was an easy and helpful way to distinguish which was which.

This was happening around Christmas here, and the pint in question went off within 4 days, leaving me to assume they'd acquired provisions from some dodgy supplier in the event of a temporary supply problem, especially as the green caps returned within a week.

[Joseph K]

Hmm seems my phone is starting to malfunction. Firstly, I've been trying to upload a video onto instagram but every time I tried all it does is upload the first 15 seconds. Now what it's doing is really weird - the audio of the first 15 seconds of said video is seemingly stuck on repeat, even though I exited the video - it's even playing it after the phone has 'gone to sleep' i.e. needs my password to get access to it again! I hope it's not on its last legs, it has served me well up until now.

[Serial_Apologist]

Real problems in the left shoulder blade department for the past 10 days, reaching a crescendo of pain today after returning home from cycling to the big Sainsbury's 3 miles away loaded up with a heavy back pack full of groceries. Some of the exercises demonstrated on a medical site have brought some alleviation (when cream rub ins promoted for muscular strains have been ineffective), and one only wants to resort to painkillers as a last resort. Posture while sitting here at the computer for lengthy periods may have something to do with it, although for goodness sakes I've been doing this for a long time without trouble. It could be this chair that is the problem - anyway, I'll see how it goes sleeping with a hot water bottle placed against the painful area.

The other problem is that "upstairs" has started having a complete kitchen makeover, so there are several weeks of screechings and bangings to look forward to with no escape other than the daily walk or ride - he'll be all right; he's moved out for the duration!

[EnemyoftheStoat]

The other problem is that "upstairs" has started having a complete kitchen makeover, so there are several weeks of screechings and bangings to look forward to with no escape other than the daily walk or ride - he'll be all right; he's moved out for the duration!

Feel for you, SA, back pain being no fun as I found in my 30s although it's only intermittently a problem now.

The upstairs neighbour thing was one of the factors that drove us out of our SE4 basement flat, in our case the combination of gym bunnies and lockdown. Post move we've been lucky with the almost constant lack of a neighbour to one side, and blissful quiet, but now the place has been sold so we're bracing ourself for what seems to be the standard operating practice in Salisbury, which is buy it and get the builders in...

My gripe here is the utter crapness of the rail service up to Waterloo, or rather back from there, the 22.20 seeming to be the last usable train on weekdays (or any weekday I have a late-ending rehearsal in town, it seems), there being nothing after that apart from a 23.40 that on said days would get me home after 01.00 but usually adds an hour by turning into a bus at Basingstoke. (I did attribute the rubbish timetable to Covid but after checking pre-Covid timetables I realised that late-evening services have always been crap: 22.20, then nothing until 23.40. It would help of course if money was invested in track improvements in advance rather than emergency repairs afterwards.)

[smittims]

I suffered from noisy neighbours for years, and from what I hear, it's so prevalent a problem that there really ought to be more stringent legislation, considering the misery it can cause.

I'm certain of one thing, though: 'do it back to them' doesn't work. The sort of people who make irritating noises just don't hear other people's noise and probably don't even know they exist.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I suffered from noisy neighbours for years, and from what I hear, it's so prevalent a problem that there really ought to be more stringent legislation, considering the misery it can cause.

I'm certain of one thing, though: 'do it back to them' doesn't work. The sort of people who make irritating noises just don't hear other people's noise and probably don't even know they exist.

Agreed on that; the best you'd be likely to get would be a blank - and possibly hostile - stare. I'm hoping the new incumbents won't be happy-twanglers; at least if I think my practice is going to annoy, I can head for the garage/shed at the bottom of the garden. Mind you, when the piano eventually arrives...

[oddoneout]

Just had an email from the energy supplier about prices increasing. So far so expected. But when I read the text I realised that in fact it isn't energy prices increasing(in fact the unit prices for both electricity and gas will be slightly lower) it's standing charges increasing - by almost 5p/day for electricity. There was also the usual defence about buying gas months ahead, and falls in wholesale prices therefore not feeding through quickly, and that if they do drop that might result eventually in lower prices etc etc, same old same old. I have always been very doubtful about the rapid rise in standing charges seen in recent times or so and this does nothing to change my view. As the weather gets milder and demand drops they have to keep up the "profits" and standing charge increases are the way they do it as far as I can see. In the grand scheme of things my annual costs are projected to change very little as a result of the price change but that isn't the point as far as I'm concerned, it's the sense that the charges are not a reflection of the costs involved but a manipulation to ensure maximum money extraction, to be put to uses other than the benefit of customers.

[Petrushka]

Just had an email from the energy supplier about prices increasing. So far so expected. But when I read the text I realised that in fact it isn't energy prices increasing(in fact the unit prices for both electricity and gas will be slightly lower) it's standing charges increasing - by almost 5p/day for electricity. There was also the usual defence about buying gas months ahead, and falls in wholesale prices therefore not feeding through quickly, and that if they do drop that might result eventually in lower prices etc etc, same old same old. I have always been very doubtful about the rapid rise in standing charges seen in recent times or so and this does nothing to change my view. As the weather gets milder and demand drops they have to keep up the "profits" and standing charge increases are the way they do it as far as I can see. In the grand scheme of things my annual costs are projected to change very little as a result of the price change but that isn't the point as far as I'm concerned, it's the sense that the charges are not a reflection of the costs involved but a manipulation to ensure maximum money extraction, to be put to uses other than the benefit of customers.

Exactly the same here, except my annual usage is projected to fall very slightly but the standing charge increase (why?) should about make up for it. They are nothing but a bunch of rogues and thieves.

[Serial_Apologist]

Exactly the same here, except my annual usage is projected to fall very slightly but the standing charge increase (why?) should about make up for it. They are nothing but a bunch of rogues and thieves.

Same as at my end.

[french frank]

but the standing charge increase (why?)

Believe it or believe it not, but this is one supplier's explanation:

https://www.goodenergy.co.uk/what-are-standing-charges-and-why-are-they-increasing/

[oddoneout]

Believe it or believe it not, but this is one supplier's explanation:

https://www.goodenergy.co.uk/what-ar...ey-increasing/

I am aware of various costs that the companies are expected to cover(green levies etc), and that the bailing out of failed companies would have an impact. There are questions to be asked about why some of those costs are borne by the customer rather than coming out of profits or government funding - but that's the way things are done these days. Expecting a functioning national energy policy (including all aspects such as reducing demand, increasing efficiency, sustainability and longterm view of infrastructure) is a vain hope, hence so many costs being dumped on the customer in my view. What does rile me is that the handouts to CEOs etc will not be reduced; all those currently profiting handsomely(which includes a large foreign shareholder contingent) will continue to do so.