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Post by tyrednexited on Dec 14, 2019 17:45:02 GMT
....I ordered some hardware online yesterday lunchtime. Delivery was 2-3 working days by Hermes (I know....), or for a couple of notes more I could have next-day * by DPD. * (not Saturday) As it wasn't urgent, I went with the cheaper, Hermes option, expecting it to arrive mid-week next week. As of 09:00 this morning, I used Hermes' tracking system, which told me they had picked up my parcel, and they would update as and when it was out for delivery. Left the house at 09:15 to walk down to the village, returning at 09:43 to find a Hermes card through the letter box. I also had an email, timed 09:26 telling me they would be delivering between 9 and 11! Subsequently, the tracking was updated at 09:47 with the failure to deliver, and saying two more attempts would be made, on the next two working days, before returning to sender. So, is Sunday a working day this close to Christmas (as it seems Saturday is)? It looks like the house is going to have to be manned (probably womaned given current circumstances  ) all day tomorrow just in case. The next-day delivery would have been most impressive if it hadn't been for their crap systems. |
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Post by Humph on Dec 15, 2019 9:01:15 GMT
Happens all the time, with most of the courier companies. Annoying though.
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Post by tyrednexited on Dec 15, 2019 9:01:47 GMT
....well, it appears that Sundays before Christmas are working days, at least for Greek Gods.
Just had a message (rather better timed than the last one) that it will be delivered between 9 and 11 today.
We shall see....
(I'm intrigued to see if it is delivered by one of the ladies I regularly pass on the way to the village, stuffing parcels into two separate cars every morning).
Edited to add:
Well, it's here, and it was!
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Post by tyrednexited on Dec 15, 2019 14:17:09 GMT
When the wind was cold and blowing on the back of the house last week, I could feel a distinct draught on the back of my neck. I don't usually sit in "my" chair in such conditions as, by the time I sit down, it is evening, and the curtains are closed. The two top-opening windows (uPVC double-glazed) behind me both had significant gaps at one end. The rubber seal is "tired", but not so tired that a replacement seal would/did do the job. Web research gave the very widespread opinion that replacement hinges were required. It's not clear to me why, as they have no adjustment, and showed no sign of wear, but 10" hinges are cheap as chips, so I thought it worth a try. The hardware delivered today was two sets of 10" hinges (and one of 24" for a larger, upstairs window with the same problem). I could have bought from Toolstation or Screwfix, but the ones I ordered came with "spacers" in case I needed to adjust the mounting depth (there are a number of standard depths, but you can't measure until you take the things off). They also, unlike the TS/SF ones, appeared to be specified with the same mounting hole positions as the existing ones, despite being a different design. Only a penny or two difference in cost, even taking into account delivery. So, having sorted out the geometry (there are LH and RH hinges, and you can end up reversing either of them as you "fan" them out, meaning you can end up very confused - and I did), off came the first, surprisingly heavy, small window, on went the hinges, and up it went. (Then it came down as it didn't correct the issue and I subsequently reversed the hinges such that LH and RH were correct  ). Second time; absolutely perfect fit. Second unit removed and refitted (this time I'd sussed the geometry, but still had trouble opening the hinges correctly so that they fitted). Again, perfect result, and all the same screw-holes. At £12 for the two widows, I are chuffed. The other window will have to wait until No1 son is back, since it will be much heavier, and will mean one of us being on a ladder. Fixing stuff like that means I will be happy for a week (or at least until the one-armed bandit finds something else that needs fixing ) |
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Post by Humph on Dec 15, 2019 14:53:21 GMT
How are your berries holding up? I'm having a lot of bother with mine this year.
I don't normally drink much, but I'm sure there's some decent whisky somewhere.
Medicinal.
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Post by tyrednexited on Dec 15, 2019 15:13:09 GMT
My berries are well up, thankyou.
I think it's the cold weather.
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WDB
Full Member
Posts: 7,355 
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Post by WDB on Dec 16, 2019 5:24:16 GMT
At £12 for the two widows, I are chuffed. I can imagine. But is Mrs T&E? |
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Post by tyrednexited on Dec 16, 2019 9:11:22 GMT
At £12 for the two widows, I are chuffed. I can imagine. But is Mrs T&E? ...well, she's "hors service", and widows are cheap as chips up North. (I wondered who's be the first to notice - as I scanned the couple of posts above yesterday, my eye was strangely drawn straight to it, but of course, it was past editing). |
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Post by EspadaIII on Dec 16, 2019 15:22:02 GMT
Are you a ghost???
In other news I ordered some unusal size LED light bulbs from Amazon last night. Arrived at my office 40 minutes ago by a smart courier in a new and clean panel van rather than a bag lady in a beaten up car which is how our passports seem to arrive....
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Post by Humph on Dec 16, 2019 15:34:59 GMT
Have to say E3, you don't look at all well on your forum pic...
😉
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Post by EspadaIII on Dec 16, 2019 19:54:42 GMT
Ah I need to sort my avatar....
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Post by EspadaIII on Dec 16, 2019 20:01:32 GMT
That's better...
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Post by tyrednexited on Jan 2, 2020 21:42:31 GMT
...it never rains....... There are a few things that need doing around the house that have been building up for a bit. Being largely grounded has given me the time to sort a number of them out, but......... ......I'm having difficulty catching up with the new ones. First there were the windows already mentioned above (the third one was a failure, as, once unscrewed, it refused to unmount like the smaller ones, and being on the top of a ladder with a heavy window isn't the best position to figure out an alternative method. Think I can do it, but it will require some thought and experimentation. Then, on the night before New Year's Eve, the bathroom pull light switch failed. Bad enough at the best of times, but I was in the pink and crinklies, and it failed "on" at 23:30. I didn't fancy taking out 6 recessed downlights, nor having the lights on all night (or no lights at all upstairs as a result of removing the fuse). I decided I'd have to isolate the electrics, remove the switch, and then insulate the bare wires before replacing the fuse. Then I realised that right next to it was a second pull-switch, installed by the plumber (bless him) that did the bathroom some years ago, as he prefers to have the extractor fan on a separate switch from the lighting. Removed them both, and transferred the working one to the lights and insulated the fan wires. Job's a good 'un, even if it was beyond midnight. The switch was well and truly borked, but Screwfix had an almost identical looking one (important as there are two in close proximity). As they opened a 07:00 on New Years Eve, all was fixed before 09:00. Next, the kitchen tap (which is relatively new) developed a drip. It's not unknown round here as the water is very hard, and even ceramic valves suffer. It's a monobloc mixer, of which there are a gazillion generic types (just about all made in Italy, and badged with every trade name you can think of). To go with this variety, there is almost as many designs of ceramic disc valve (I found a supplier with literally hundreds of types in the small selection thrown up by my major design criteria). Good luck with deciding whether a particular dimension is either 23 or 22mm  . Not only that, but it appeared that I needed a very thin (probably 14mm) box spanner to remove the valve, which was hidden in the depths of the tap body. It took some time to dawn on me that the seemingly one-piece tap body was in fact three pieces, and that the valve covers sticking out each side were in fact "screw off". (You really wouldn't know if you hadn't found a description of a similar tap like I eventually did). Easy to get a standard spanner on then........but the valve is screwed into an extension collar inside the tap, and as it was screwed harder into the collar than the collar was into the tap......both came out! It took some careful effort with mole grips to remove the valve without damaging the collar. Anyway, I've now got all the valve dimensions (to within a mm, which might be good enough...  ) and after a good soak in descaler, the valve is now back on duty, and so far not leaking (it won't last!). A replacement pair is going to cost me £40, which is a bit more than I'd like to take a punt on (size being critical) and I could replace the tap for not much more than double - decisions, decisions. At least I've avoided the cost of a box spanner set. |
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Post by Humph on Jan 2, 2020 21:53:25 GMT
Oh dear, if you need any help with all that then please don't hesitate to ask, as you know, I am somewhat of a whizz with plumbing and electrics. Just one condition mind you, I wouldn't be comfortable with doing it naked. 😬
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 2, 2020 22:01:02 GMT
Christmas Eve when all the shops have closed at around 2pm the mixer tap on the flexi-hose in the main kitchen sink decides to start throwing water out through the body while on which runs down to the shelf under the sink over the top of the bins. Replacement delivered from Amazon via DHL on Friday 27th.
I always have to play plumber on Christmas Eve in this house. Thankfully, my old man was a plumber.
Re: missed deliveries: the local shops, tabacs, whatever act as collection centres if a delivery is missed. No problems, just rock up with your passport/ID card and jobs a good 'un but you can't do that in the UK for some reason.
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) all day tomorrow just in case.
). Second time; absolutely perfect fit. Second unit removed and refitted (this time I'd sussed the geometry, but still had trouble opening the hinges correctly so that they fitted). Again, perfect result, and all the same screw-holes.
. Not only that, but it appeared that I needed a very thin (probably 14mm) box spanner to remove the valve, which was hidden in the depths of the tap body. It took some time to dawn on me that the seemingly one-piece tap body was in fact three pieces, and that the valve covers sticking out each side were in fact "screw off". (You really wouldn't know if you hadn't found a description of a similar tap like I eventually did). Easy to get a standard spanner on then........but the valve is screwed into an extension collar inside the tap, and as it was screwed harder into the collar than the collar was into the tap......both came out! It took some careful effort with mole grips to remove the valve without damaging the collar.
) and after a good soak in descaler, the valve is now back on duty, and so far not leaking (it won't last!). A replacement pair is going to cost me £40, which is a bit more than I'd like to take a punt on (size being critical) and I could replace the tap for not much more than double - decisions, decisions.