What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?

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What's made you not grumpy but not smile either today?

There was lots of noise outside yesterday, sawing, hammering, etc. Didn't really look out to see what or why.
This morning, looking out, I see a neighbour has partially built a new shed. This appears to be a 8'x6' shed, in a garden about 15' wide and 30' long, so quite a lot of garden lost to a shed. Not a summer house, just a shed.
More puzzling is the height mismatch between the sides and and ends. The tops of the sides are about an inch above the tops of the ends. Surely, they need to be the same, or when the roof panels are placed on top, there'll be a triangular gap from apex to side.
It looks like a prefabricated shed. If mine, I think I'd be asking serious questions of the supplier.

More activity later yesterday. First half of roof fitted, and fixed. Then tried other half, to find a gap at the ridge - oops! Much activity to remove and reposition first half, then both fitted ok, not good, but ok. Side pieces of roof cover the gap, but still strange that shed sides are higher. Roof felt was laid over, and fixed around the edges with nails.

This morning, lots of hammering. He's adding more nails across the roof to secure the felt. Nails into the slopes of the roof, I think will add potential leaks later. My smaller shed has the felt glued on, with nails only on the vertical edges.
 
Finished my semi-annual Contractors Rail Safety Test today. Meh.
Test has not changed in almost 20 years. After all the eyes are crossed and the tees are dotted, I get a fancy ID with my mug on it. The fancy ID card must be produced while on railroad property when requested by railroad authorities. In the almost 20 years I have been required to have this fancy ID, I can count the times the card has been requested on zero fingers.

What bothers me about the card the most is that I don't go on railroad property unless I am asked by the railroad to be there. Less than 10% of my time is anywhere near rail. Most of the time it's in a shop or along the ROW. Many of the rail guys I deal with know me and have known me for almost 25 years. One guy I played American football against when we were in school. That was a heck of a lot longer than 25 years ago.

The fact that I had to test again for a 2 year card when I'm retiring in 6 months resulted in another sigh. Sigh.
 
The fact that I had to test again for a 2 year card when I'm retiring in 6 months resulted in another sigh. Sigh.

Never let common sense get in the way of due process.

A few weeks ago I carried out some driver training with a guy who retired 2 days later. Before the report would have been delivered.
 
Never let common sense get in the way of due process.

A few weeks ago I carried out some driver training with a guy who retired 2 days later. Before the report would have been delivered.

A lot of this stuff happens though as people expect the higher ups to know everything about them and take a personal interest in what they are doing.

The reality tends to be they'll get a message telling them employee number whatever is reaching the end of a certification. They then act on that to arrange a course, there is a good chance if the gentleman you trained had pointed the above out he would actually have been pulled from the training. It would have saved them your day rate and got an extra day of work from him. Probably arranged by a training department that wouldn't have had access to his employee file and didn't know him personally (GDPR n'that).

So basically either or him or his manager had no common sense. He probably just fancied a day out and kept shtum.

I have to do 15 hours of mandatory a year...for my betterment you understand however it's generally the same every year and unrelated to my job. But obviously if I want to complete an 18 hour online course in something I use everyday..I need to do that in my own time.

But the reason for that is simple...they bought a system that allows them to automatically fulfil CPD requirements to the letter...if not in spirit very cheaply. If they were paying outside training contractors for their time in a similar way it wouldn't happen.
 
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In my case, even the muckity mucks are required to have this ID. They all have the same experience of never having had to show the card. My opinion was that it is a scam run on behalf of the railroads but one of the major players has dropped out this go round. Maybe they are getting wise about an unnecessary layer of middle management.
 
YouTube front page today showing two headlines.
BBC News: "Covid spreading faster in India than anywhere else"
The Telegraph: "India: Thousands gather for Hindu festival despite Covid"

Indeed, India the extremist religion (in my view) will kill you through over crowding if the COVID doesn’t. I take no pleasure in this at all. Almost suicidal, very sad.
 
You can always rely on the bbc to give you the whole story. [emoji52]


My personal opinion is that the BBC brown-noses the far left; and anything centre/right isn't permitted.

Make your mind up, or does your views on the BBC fluctuate based on your own *cough* views of the story at hand.
 
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Not felt too great the last week..

So decided a trip to Hospital was in order

Called their switchboard to ask advice..

So transferred to 111
an hour and a half later.. the GP on call said next time dont waste time just go to A+E

Ahh well Im here now.. and gave my mums old Merc a trip out :)
 
Not felt too great the last week..

So decided a trip to Hospital was in order

Called their switchboard to ask advice..

So transferred to 111
an hour and a half later.. the GP on call said next time dont waste time just go to A+E

Ahh well Im here now.. and gave my mums old Merc a trip out :)

I hope your feeling better, or at least diagnosed and treatment planned.
Are you in Oxford, or Wales? If I can help, please squeak, although I'm working tomorrow afternoon.
Best wishes.
 
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