Hooray Hall - Adventures of a Handyman Part 2

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Hi all, just before Easter my Amazing Ex Feral Cat Shadow passed away suddenly. She was fit one moment and gone the next. I could and plan to write a whole chapter about her, but have refrained so far as I blame myself in part for what happened even though we have no idea what caused her death.

We are / were in dire need of a resident mouser. I have looked at the rescue and RSPCA websites. Most of the cats needing homes are with the proviso that they go to homes without dogs.

This was where fearless Shadow came into her own. My 4 dogs were in awe of her, with Lady H's 2 terriers she knew to give them a wide berth. When we had the hunt here I locked her in the barn not for her safety but to protect the Hounds

I have seen her take on and beat a dog fox.

Today I got a call from our local Vets. They had a stray cat handed in to them a week ago. As I had made enquiries with them, was I still looking to give a cat a home.

Say Hello to Millie



She's about 3 and a little smasher. Friendly and confident.
Already Cassie the youngest terrier has a new friend. Millie has spent the evening exploring and has claimed the stairs as her own. She can sit with her head between the spindles and keep look out on what's going on in the sitting room.

That's when she wasn't on the sofa curled up on Mrs Handy's lap.

Things are going to be interesting for a while until my menagerie gets used to one another. I will give it about 3 weeks before she starts going walkies with the dogs.

Regards all, Handy

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Hi Clever, why do crooked tradesmen always assume everyone else is thick as they are.

Plumbers seem to be amongst the worst. Like the council guy who was sent to commission my late Ma in Laws new central heating system.

I was obvious that he was used to finishing at 3.30. He said I will have to come back next week as someone must have put an extra isolator on the gas pipe, I cant get any gas to the boiler.

I looked at the pipes to the boiler for a moment and asked him to crack the pressure relief valve on the boiler, which he did. So what was the point of that he said. I replied that I was always embarrassed to tell a fellow tradesman his job but if he was now to go and undo the union at the gas meter he would find that he had just injected a gallon of tap water into the gas meter.

Within 10 minutes we had every Charge Hand Foreman and Manager round at the bungalow trying to armour plate their asses.

It's a shame that more folk don't do the right research before employing a so called professional.

The young especially don't seem able or willing to even attempt even the most simple of tasks. Remember when everyone's father would service the family car. It takes little skill or equipment to change the Oil, the Filters, Plugs and check Tyre pressures.
Even Brake Pad replacement is simple.

I could go on about how much money folk could save and calories they could burn doing a few more simple jobs for themselves, not to mention involving their offspring thus preventing a few more couch potatoes but that would be another whole chapter.

Well done for sticking it to another couple of Bodgeit and Scarpers.

Regards, Handy

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

I was once quoted over £180 for parts and fitting that only cost me £70 and took 1/2 an hour to fit.

I decided it was worth taking the car off the road a couple of days until I got the bits at the right price, rather than have a Dick Turpin done on me.

Likewise, but with a simple job of replacing a domestic, hot water cylinder.

My late father called in the local plumbers, Strainer and Buggerit, to fix a small leak in the join where the indirect heating pipe entered the cylinder. Strainer strained and, after some effort, he managed to bugger it up completely - the small leak had become appreciably worse! So he left, saying that he'd get back to us with a quote on a new cylinder - and presumably very happy with the work he'd been able to create.

That afternoon, I took a call from his partner in crime, who had a quote for the new cylinder - fitting, etc would be extra. He wanted £250, explaining that it was a large cylinder and that it was foam lagged adding, "and because you've got a big house, it has to have a special one inch coil in it; that's what puts the price up!"

I'd checked the prices of cylinders the previous night at B&Q, so I knew that he was vastly overcharging. "The price is because of the coil, is it?" I asked.

"That's right,"said the would-be con man. "It's got to be specially made with a coil of one inch pipe inside it because you have a big house."

That was enough.

"I've looked at the D-I-Y sheds," I replied, "And I can get a cylinder of the same size with a 25mm coil for much less."

"But that's not a one inch coil," he blustered.

"No, it's not," I conceded. "But if you are trying to tell me that the extra 0.4mm or 16 thousanths of an inch will make any difference in heating ability, you're either deluded or a flim-flam man!"

I fitted the B&Q cylinder myself and, of course, the 'slightly smaller coil' made not one scrap of difference.

Strainer & Buggerit's shop is now occupied by a bookmaker.

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Hi SC good luck with the new bike. Somewhere nearer the ground sounds better. It will also be a lot easier to keep the bike safe as I can only imagine the problems getting it up the steps if the lift is out

To all my other mates, I will try to get an update in tomorrow.
I meant to do it tonight but I got carried away on the car problems thread

Regards all, Handy

[Johanino]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

And yes the great house hunt begins tomorrow....need to get lower than floor 15 it's just not safe and want a balcony and a to be nearer my veggies....

Any of the praying types....pray...

And am getting a new bike on Thursday (don't mention the OD LOL)

Something like this -



Figured H* weren't worth the monies (I mean is a £300 bike from there really worth £300? Exactly

SC

[Johanino]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

I know.......put sawdust in the router

Or terrier pee ........



SC

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Who does Lady Hooray use?

And for broadband?

She moved from Squawk Squawk before last Christmas.
I had been having problems before that including getting billed for her directory enquiries?.
I wonder how many other folks find spurious charges on their bill, one of the reasons we left BT was the competition line calls made when the house was unoccupied Their opinion was that it was recorded on our line so we must had made the premium rate calls. (Who the hell want's to phone Dickinsons Real Deal )

Regarding the directory calls Squawk Squawk were reasonable and gave my 3 months free for my distress.

On the last 3 phone numbers we have had over the last 10 years we have had this problem with more than one provider?
Imagine slipping £2.00 or £3.00 extra charges on a thousand bills per month. Nice little earner for some one?
Maybe we should run a survey? as I know this happened to my Mother and Mum in Law as well, who checks every charge on their bill when they are old and not too sharp?


Lady Hooray's use of the interwobble only amounts to a few minutes a week as after hours of tuition she still can't retrieve her emails without my assistance

She sometimes doesn't check her inbox for 2 - 3 weeks at a time.
She thought she had lost her connection as well but it turned out she had turned her WiFi off (again ).

As for your first comment Clever, you really know how to put one off his supper

Regards, Handy

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Hi all, Broadband is back on... Hopefully it's normal service resumed at the Hall for a while.

Who does Lady Hooray use?

And for broadband?

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Hi all, Broadband is back on. But I'm not putting any money on it staying on, not after the last week or so.

Hopefully it's normal service resumed at the Hall for a while.
I will be around later for a catchup.

Regards, Handy

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Hi all, cheers for the info Clever. I am running my mobile phone as a dongle again in order to get on line, it's slow but at least it is a reliable connection.

I have lined up BT to take over at the start of May. Till then I can only hope that they will get it fixed, but as I'm leaving Squawk Squawk I won't be holding my breath.

Thinking about it I am connected to the web using my Squawk details
over the Vodafone network. So the problem needs to be between the exchange and their server?

I suppose the benefit is I am also charging my phone as I am writing this

So off to check my emails now, lets hope that they load faster than the 5 minutes it took last night.

Regards all, Handy

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Of the service providers available, I would avoid PusNet Plusnet <spit> as they may still have appallingly dreadful customer service. Eclipse seems to charge about average prices. I'd also avoid SkyNet, if only because Rupert Murdoch is the spawn of Satan. Orange looks good.

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

From samknows.com for Handy's exchange:

[IF]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

It is very odd Handy, hope you get it sorted soon matey

[CleverClogs (RIP)]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Go to samknows.com (link) and check out the broadband options in your area or from your nearest exchange.

[Handyman]

Re: Hooray Hall. Adventures of a Handyman pt2

Well Broadband was still on this morning! I have just come off the phone with the BT Engineer who told me he did find a fault on the line, but not one that would have affected the Broadband!

His parting words were "you have a bogeyman, someone is pissing about with your connection at the providers end"

Then low and behold the interwobble goes down again!

I am getting really paranoid now.

Handy