WHAT ATTRACTED YOUR ATTENTION TODAY?

[David Whipp]

Big Kev's road closure?



And Big Kev's pipe?

[Tardis]

I use Virgin. £21/month for my phone (plus all the rest of the calls & texts) and I get 3.5 gigabytes/month included. It is an unlimited tariff, but above that I have to start paying for more. I have yet to attach it to a Playbook and download stuff through it.

I don't pay for TV and the BBC app doesn't work on BlackBerry

I think BT saw you as a chicken ready to pluck. Good riddance to them.

[LizG]

Just popped in to say I have received THE LETTER! My right Phaco and IOL is at 4pm a week next Tuesday. Can't wait!

The waiting is over. Yeah!!!!!

[Stanley]

Kev, I have a Freesat box as well, I think it was the first in Barlick so it's old! A lot of progs like C5 have dropped off and some of the others give no signal. Menus can be very slow at times. Is this normal in your experience or am I suffering through having an old box. BBC HD progs can stagger a bit as well. Do you think it's time I got the aerial engineers in to have a check or simply get a new box.

[Big Kev]

Kev, I have a Freesat box as well, I think it was the first in Barlick so it's old! A lot of progs like C5 have dropped off and some of the others give no signal. Menus can be very slow at times. Is this normal in your experience or am I suffering through having an old box. BBC HD progs can stagger a bit as well. Do you think it's time I got the aerial engineers in to have a check or simply get a new box.

Might be worth checking the signal strength from the dish and force a software download, just in case it needs updating and hasn't picked up on an automatic one. Mine is 3 years old now and all seems to be OK, no issues with any of the HD channels, there's currently 5 of them BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 and some obscure news channel.

[Stanley]

How do I do that Kev? (Force an upgrade)

[Big Kev]

How do I do that Kev? (Force an upgrade)

In one of the menu screens there will be an option to manually download software, by default the box should be set to do this automatically. You should also be able to see the signal strength the box is receiving.

[Stanley]

Had a look Kev and yes, I found the option automatic/manual but changing it didn't seem to do anything. Signal strength and quality are 75/80% is that OK?

[Big Kev]

Had a look Kev and yes, I found the option automatic/manual but changing it didn't seem to do anything. Signal strength and quality are 75/80% is that OK?

Mine is currently 85% strength and 60% quality so you have a better signal than me.

[PanBiker]

Did you actually do the upgrade or reset or just change the option from auto to manual?

Be aware that if you reset to factory or force an upgrade it will usually overwrite any recording schedules you may have set up and any favourite channels you have. Nothing to lose though before making a decision about a new box. Your signal strengths are typical, I have about the same on mine with no problems.

[Big Kev]

Big Kev's road closure?



And Big Kev's pipe?

The hole is filled in and the back street is now open again. 1 hour's work yesterday and 1 hour today comes in at £925 an hour, I'm in the wrong line of work.

[Thomo]

The mind blowing stupidity of some of the "motorists" who now use the roads and streets in Barlick as their own personal racetrack. This is most noticeable at school opening and closing times, and I have just seen motorists completely ignoring the lollipop ladies doing their best outside Gisburn Road School. Despite proud boasts that there is now a Police presence, the drivers who use our roads as a "Rat Run" are completely undeterred in their efforts to save a few precious seconds. The volume of traffic through here is still increasing, as is its overall speed, the attendant noise levels down here have become even more noticeable, and the importance of this rat run is emphasised by the amount of gritting done if there is even the remotest possibility of frost. This has gone from being a peak time problem to a constant menace as the peaks appear to have merged into one endless stream of inconsiderate, lawless and ill mannered drivers from HGVs on down. I can understand why the people of Earby are concerned about the proposed Colne Foulridge bypass bringing even more traffic into our Towns, and they are on an "A" route, we are not!!!!

[Big Kev]

Big Kev's road closure?



And Big Kev's pipe?

The hole is filled in and the back street is now open again. 1 hour's work yesterday and 1 hour today comes in at £925 an hour, I'm in the wrong line of work.

They've got to come back, water pressure is lower now than when it was "branched" from next door, useless...

[Stanley]

It sounds as though you are on a common private pipe with your neighbours and if that's the case the water board have slipped up. Did they guarantee you higher water pressure? Sorry to say it sounds like a right cock-up to me. Someone should have realised that this could be the case.
There are many common supplies like this and they are a minefield. Perhaps one of the questions that should be asked when buying a house is whether there is a direct connection to the main. I hope they find there is another reason for it.... Courage mon brave!
Less than a week to go 'til my second eye op......

[Nolic]

A news article on the BBC website about the pressures that social workers are under. There are more children and young people under the care and supervision of childrens services that at any other time in the past 30 years. Frightening. Nolic http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24999826

[Julie in Norfolk]

I have a "Grandfather" interview at work, interesting concept as my last grandfather died in 1969. Spooky really.

[Stanley]

Comrade, when do 'they' start to realise that the cuts are going too far and are going to cost us dear in the future?
Julie what does a Grandfather Interview involve?

[Big Kev]

It sounds as though you are on a common private pipe with your neighbours and if that's the case the water board have slipped up. Did they guarantee you higher water pressure? Sorry to say it sounds like a right cock-up to me. Someone should have realised that this could be the case.
There are many common supplies like this and they are a minefield. Perhaps one of the questions that should be asked when buying a house is whether there is a direct connection to the main. I hope they find there is another reason for it.... Courage mon brave!
Less than a week to go 'til my second eye op......

New connection is to the 110mm main in the back street. A lump of sand and a few bits of blue paper spat ot of the tap this morning, a slight improvement but still takes longer to fill the kettle than the "old" connection. Contractor is back in the morning to check it out.

[Stanley]

In that case you should be able to get your full flow. Perhaps a proper flush out of the pipe will cure it, I hope so....
I didn't know what to expect when I logged on this morning but found I was still on the old platform.....

[Julie in Norfolk]

Comrade, when do 'they' start to realise that the cuts are going too far and are going to cost us dear in the future?
Julie what does a Grandfather Interview involve?

Interesting concept is a Grandfather interview. Your manager's manager interviews you for a different perspective on what goes on at work. You also look at personal development and whether the role "fits" you. Actually it was a good experience and notes were made and at least one comment was fed back immediately (a suggestion I had been mulling over for a couple of days).

Generally this is one aspect of modern management that I found positive, I think that the person interviewing was prepared and knew what he was doing and that makes an immense difference. I have experienced the opposite recently.....

[Tizer]

I remember having an interview like that but didn't know it was called a grandfather interview. We had a new top man come in from ICI and take over. At the interview I told him his secretary had too much power - a bit risky really but he smiled and said "I had noticed that". She lost some of the power but then seemed to be happier in her job and got on better with the staff!

More talk about safety of cyclists on the roads this morning with increasing numbers of injuries and fatalities, and I'm glad they're now pointing out that it isn't just in London. I don't know about towns - most of my driving is on winding, between-town, country A roads and I can't see how cyclists and motor vehicles can exist together safely on such roads. The speed difference is so great even when the motor vehicle is going at 50mph, and many are much faster. Articulated lorries, gravel trucks etc are thundering around the bends on these roads. I wouldn't dream of cycling on them, I'd be scared stiff. Even on the country lanes the cyclists are in danger because so many `cars' are now very wide and the white van men use them as rat runs. So we wouldn't cycle on those roads either.

[Big Kev]

It would appear that 10lt/m flow rate is within acceptable limits for water. Well worth the £1850

[Thomo]

We were warned 6 weeks ago that National Grid are going to replace the gas pipes on our patch. This week we had a visit from one of their surveyors and we will be getting a new pipe right up to the meter, the original being iron, and we got an assurance that the crazy paving to the rear will be replaced as it is now. We will see!! A bonus here is that there will be 4way traffic lights out here, that might slow the idiots down a bit.
The switch from BT to TT is now underway and I am awaiting the go ahead to connect all the new bits and pieces, could be an interesting afternoon!!

[David Whipp]

The switch from BT to TT is now underway and I am awaiting the go ahead to connect all the new bits and pieces, could be an interesting afternoon!!

Given your experience with the lightning, I hope you don't end up with broadband connected to your oven and vice versa, Peter.

It would appear that 10lt/m flow rate is within acceptable limits for water. Well worth the £1850

Irony alert in order?

What are your neighbours getting Kev? If there's poor flow in your area, there may be descaling or other work that would improve flows?

Complaint to Ofwat?

[Big Kev]

It would appear that 10lt/m flow rate is within acceptable limits for water. Well worth the £1850

Irony alert in order?

What are your neighbours getting Kev? If there's poor flow in your area, there may be descaling or other work that would improve flows?

Complaint to Ofwat?

Neighbours have exactly the same, there's 25lts/m at the chamber by the outside stopcock, pressure may be a bit better once I fit the new kitchen sink, the tap will only be 3ft from the inside stopcock, that was giving 14lts/m.