Random Irritations

[Tashyboy]

Tbf Replacing fence posts can be a nightmare.

My knuckles and thumbs are testament to that, only advice I would give is to get a jigger pick.

 

[Pin-seeker]

My knuckles and thumbs are testament to that, only advice I would give is to get a jigger pick.

Did the mother inlasws other week.
Won’t be doing that again.

 

[Tashyboy]

Tbf Replacing fence posts can be a nightmare.

Did the mother inlasws other week.
Won’t be doing that again.

Posts are ok if you can get all the way around them. Predominately most of mine you couldn’t. What I have done with posting the posts that have gone in the past is to bolt 5ft concrete posts alongside the existing wooden posts. They should see my lifetime through. Next door neighbour changed all his slotted panels a month ago. Village idiots fitted them.

 

[RichA]

About 10 years ago the fence that's our responsibility in the back garden was wiped out in a storm. I got rid of the debris, dug a trench and planted a mixed hedge - blackthorn, hawthorn, dog rose, field maple, etc.
Just about the best thing I've done in our garden in the 20+ years we've been here. The wind just blows through it, it doesn't need staining, it's beautiful and natural, the birds love it, the hedgehogs love it.
It cost £140 and took a day. What does a new fence cost?

 

[Neilds]

About 10 years ago the fence that's our responsibility in the back garden was wiped out in a storm. I got rid of the debris, dug a trench and planted a mixed hedge - blackthorn, hawthorn, dog rose, field maple, etc.
Just about the best thing I've done in our garden in the 20+ years we've been here. The wind just blows through it, it doesn't need staining, it's beautiful and natural, the birds love it, the hedgehogs love it.
It cost £140 and took a day. What does a new fence cost?

You forgot to mention the cutting/maintenance of the hedge

 

[RichA]

You forgot to mention the cutting/maintenance of the hedge

Good point. It's barely half an hour, 2 or 3 times a year with the hedge trimmer. 10 minutes to clear up.
Unlike staining a fence it's actually enjoyable too.

 

[Hobbit]

On the morning of “Orgreave” I pulled into the carpark of the local pit strike centre/ soup kitchen. The odd thing was the carpark was nigh on empty. I soon found out that everyone on strike had gone to Orgreave For a big un. I didn’t have a clue where that was. A few seconds later a guy called Micky Trench turned up. Reluctantly I was given £5 petrol money to drive to Orgreave. Reluctantly because I had a 2 seater MG midget. And money predominantly went to cars with four seats. So I dropped £4s worth of petrol in the car and a quid in me pocket for a few beers. I financially was running on fumes. At that point I had paid board every week even though me dad worked at the Pit. I was due to pay the next instalment on the car and had no money and my wedding savings had gone.
So off me and Micky Trench drove to Orgreave. Our directions were “ head North and you won’t miss it”. So as it was a gorgeous day, I dropped the soft top and me and Micky had a lovely 56 mph amble up the M1 which was quiet. We got up to a junction on the M1 and saw lots of police activity. Turned off and saw rows and rows and rows of police mini busses parked bumper to bumper creating a wall. I drove down a hill and I have never ever seen as many police in my life, it was like an Army of black uniforms. It was a very very pleasant atmosphere. I stopped the car and asked a few coppers where I could park as we were there to picket. They were polite and pointed and asked me to drive through the rows and rows of police which parted as I drove through. We felt like royalty. When the last row parted we looked ahead and there was thousands and thousands of pickets. I remember thinking what the bloody hell. Me and Micky stared at one another open mouthed. We parked up and mingled with the crowd.
After half an hour we picked up what was going off.
There was two “ Lorry runs” to the coking plant. We had missed the first one and the second one was due later that day. We were informed that you could see the convoy driving across the top of the M1 and that’s when things would start. The atmosphere was quite relaxed with a vast majority of the miners with quite a few playing tag rugby. And a fair few watching the game.
However there were a few idiots launching rocks, and bricks into the crowd. An hour or so later a few “ snatch squads” suddenly appeared through the massed ranks of the police and chased after the idiots who had been throwing rocks. Apparently the police “ spotters” had been watching them and as soon as they were close enough they pounced. Some got away and it was like a scene from Benny Hill watching the police chase a guy, pickets chase the police and more police chase the pickets.
Next thing some folks started shouting “ there here”. Everyone looked up to the M1 and the second wave of Lorry’s appeared.
The atmosphere changed in a moment. If anyone has been to a massive football game and they talk about “ it was electrifying “. That’s the nearest I could describe it, but it was bloody terrifying. Missiles were being launched by the dozen predominantly at the lorry’s but seeing as I had seen them thrown at the police earlier am sure some folk didn’t mind where they went. The shoving and pushing back and forwards was something to be seen. How those at the front on both sides were not killed is something I have thought about on countless times. I remember thinking wtf is going off in England. The hostility and violence between the two sides was something unimaginable. As soon as the lorry’s had gone I said to Micky “ I am not staying around here am off”. We got to the car and came back.
When we got back to the strike centre we were talking to some of the lads who mentioned the police in the morning had been very physical verging on violent When the first lorry run went through that’s when the stone throwing started and continued. A big stone wall had been pushed over to try and block the road. After we had left the real war had started where footage showed the pickets being chased by police horses. By this point I seem to remember people were drifting away anyway.
A lot of the lads were shocked at what they had seen. Me in the 13 weeks I had been on strike I had never thrown a stone, raised a hand or been involved in any kind of violence. I was trying to persuade my family and friends in a pit village to strike. How could I threaten a pal with violence.
That night I watched the events on the news and it was shocking. The events totally seemed one sided that the pickets were the instigators in everything bad that had happened. No mention of violence towards the pickets. I saw the wall that had been knocked over and said to my brother who had been and stayed out on strike to the end “ that’s that wall that was knocked over”. My mother asked if I had been, when I said yes she exploded. After she had stormed off I went upstairs to get out of the road Me dad said “when you come home and upset your mum like that you either go back to work or leave home”. I wasn’t going back to work so spent the night at a pals house. My brother he went to another pals house.
That next week I did a lot of soul searching re what to do. On the Sunday I went to a big meeting in the strike centre. There had been an incident in our village where some pickets from Derbyshire had placed a concrete man hole cover in the rd. it was on its end and side ways on. An old guy called Austin hit it in his Austin Maxi doing about 60mph it nearly killed him. The old guy was lovely and I thought what the hell is going off. At that meeting the Derbyshire pickets didn’t give a toss what they were doing there thought prices was if you cannot persuade them, then we will use any force necessary to get them out. My mind was made up. The day after i started back to work. I lived at my sisters from June 84 til May 85 when I got married. I never went back “ Home” but made up with my mum at my wedding.
Re events at Orgreave, there’s more than a few random irritaions re that day.
If the mods see fit to start another thread so the random irritations thread don’t get side tracked again I don’t mind. As Orgreave only scratches the surface re my views and the miners strike.

This deserves more than a ”like.” Well done Tashy.

Around that time I played golf with a few old school coppers who went down to Notts, as did the brother-in-law. I’ve heard their version & the brother-in-law’s version. There’s good coppers, there’s bad coppers and there’s those that responded to the violence of SOME of the strikers.

But to go off at a bit of a tangent I’ll briefly mention the head of the union in Wales. When the taxi driver was killed by two miners who threw a concrete block off a bridge he went back to the union offices and burnt their battle plans for fear of incrimination. Draw your own conclusions.

The political side, which we can’t discuss, suggests major political issues on both sides, and with both hierarchies weaponising the troops they had, whether they be the Police or the strikers.

I think it’s so sad that communities were almost destroyed from the outside and from within.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

This deserves more than a ”like.” Well done Tashy.

Around that time I played golf with a few old school coppers who went down to Notts, as did the brother-in-law. I’ve heard their version & the brother-in-law’s version. There’s good coppers, there’s bad coppers and there’s those that responded to the violence of SOME of the strikers.

But to go off at a bit of a tangent I’ll briefly mention the head of the union in Wales. When the taxi driver was killed by two miners who threw a concrete block off a bridge he went back to the union offices and burnt their battle plans for fear of incrimination. Draw your own conclusions.

The political side, which we can’t discuss, suggests major political issues on both sides, and with both hierarchies weaponising the troops they had, whether they be the Police or the strikers.

I think it’s so sad that communities were almost destroyed from the outside and from within.

It wasn’t a good time for the industry in the UK , it was being ruined - cities up north were seeing their hearts ripped up because of the belief of London being a “money capital” - we know about the reported managed declines , the establishment were supposed to look at the whole country - not just the parts near their offices

Families ripped apart and some never to repair

It’s also why a public enquiry into those events will never happen

 

[ColchesterFC]

Mrs Colch!!!

Free to a good home. Or even a crap home. I don't care, but for the love of god someone please take her, she's doing my head in today.

 

[Hobbit]

Mrs Colch!!!

Free to a good home. Or even a crap home. I don't care, but for the love of god someone please take her, she's doing my head in today.

Yeah, but you love her really

 

[HeftyHacker]

Receiving an email this evening informing us that our Nursery may be closing down - causing a bit of a panic as all the other local decent ones are oversubscribed already.

Just been looking at getting my mum re-registered as a childminder. I'm sure she'd be thrilled at the thought of spending 3 days a week with the little scamps .

 

[SaintHacker]

Receiving an email this evening informing us that our Nursery may be closing down - causing a bit of a panic as all the other local decent ones are oversubscribed already.

Just been looking at getting my mum re-registered as a childminder. I'm sure she'd be thrilled at the thought of spending 3 days a week with the little scamps .

Same is happening all over the country, and it will only get worse if the govt go ahead with their plans to increase child to staff ratios

 

[PJ87]

Same is happening all over the country, and it will only get worse if the govt go ahead with their plans to increase child to staff ratios

Not to mention not fully funding the extra free hours. They already underpay for the current free hours

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Not to mention not fully funding the extra free hours. They already underpay for the current free hours

I heard the owner of a centre a few weeks ago on the radio. She was spitting feathers at the free places phrase. They aren't free, they don't cover the costs. She wasn't taking on children under the scheme as she would have lost money on each child.

She was fed up of parents demanding their free place, whilst understanding why they were making those demands (demanding was the phrase she used, apparently it frequently got feisty )

 

[PJ87]

I heard the owner of a centre a few weeks ago on the radio. She was spitting feathers at the free places phrase. They aren't free, they don't cover the costs. She wasn't taking on children under the scheme as she would have lost money on each child.

She was fed up of parents demanding their free place, whilst understanding why they were making those demands (demanding was the phrase she used, apparently it frequently got feisty )

100%. We just use the current "free" hours for the girls , some places wouldn't take them .. one said you need to pay 50 weeks a year, 7-7 so your "free" hours would cost you more than the free was worth

Luckily the nursery next year does the option for just "free hours "

Been wonderful for our girls

Either me or our parents do drop off / pick up

Until sept when they go to school and my wife works there so she will take them with her and back again

 

[Robster59]

RAIN! Please just stop for a few days!

 

[Slime]

RAIN! Please just stop for a few days!

I'm with you there.
I'm just about to go and do a 4hr gardening job!

 

[PJ87]

The attuide of some cyclists (not all)

Crossing road with 4 kids in Central London

Cyclist goes through red and round the kids forcing us to stop

I was like come on mate it's a crossing

"I went round you"

You broke the law. There is no excuse

 

[SaintHacker]

I had something similar yesterday, I stop at zebra crossing to let pedestrian cross, cyclist rides straight up my inside, doesn't look or slow down and nearly takes the pedestrian clean out.

 

[PJ87]

I had something similar yesterday, I stop at zebra crossing to let pedestrian cross, cyclist rides straight up my inside, doesn't look or slow down and nearly takes the pedestrian clean out.

I couldn't believe the neck on the guy when i was like come on man there's kids crossing

Nearly knocked out my 3 year old.

Imagine you did it in a car they would string u up

I'll add he wasn't even an Uber or delivery driver. They get a bad rep