Non-motoring > Trying too hard. Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Old Navy Replies: 34

 Trying too hard. - Old Navy
The DIY checkout at a big supermarket that is not doing too well at the moment just wished me "Happy Christmas".
 Trying too hard. - tyrednemotional
....aye, sentient checkouts are next year's new big thing.........

Then they take over the world.

 Trying too hard. - Old Navy
>> ....aye, sentient checkouts are next year's new big thing.........
>>

They must be totally insensitive as I have been known to swear at them. Why do the various supermarkets use different hardware and software? ATMs all seem to be similar to use but the banks share the system.
 Trying too hard. - Ian (Cape Town)
I hit the local mall this morning. Bought a few books and other bits and pieces.
(If I ever meet any member of Boney M, I will kick them hard, several times.)
Fortunately my purchases were all made by 11am, allowing me to pop home, offload, park the car, then wander down to the local, and consume a few pints.

 Trying too hard. - Focusless
Quite fun watching the live car parking info for Reading - both Oracle car parks (total capacity 2280 cars) showing negative spaces available at the moment :o
www.reading-travelinfo.co.uk/car-parks.aspx

EDIT: when it's not saying info unavailable
Last edited by: Focusless on Thu 24 Dec 15 at 12:56
 Trying too hard. - legacylad
I walked through a local supermarket car park at 10:30 this am en route to exercise. It was fulll. Cars queuing to find a place. Off dog walking now. Then early doors for a few bevvies...might call in small supermarket just b4 they close at 6 to see if any cheap cheese to Go with home made mincies.
Last edited by: legacylad on Thu 24 Dec 15 at 13:43
 Trying too hard. - Runfer D'Hills
Just been to our local Sainsburys to buy from scratch everything required to cook for, provide drinks for and otherwise host a family Christmas tomorrow. Plenty of parking spaces, shop busy-ish but no more so than any normal day, plenty of stock, got everything we needed and more of course...

No shortage of turkeys, beef joints, chipolatas, sprouts or anything much really. Only thing I couldn't find in fairness was a cucumber strangely enough, but it won't spoil our Christmas if we have to go without cucumber for a day or two.

;-)
 Trying too hard. - sooty123
The village butcher has been manic the last few days. Every time i go past they are about 15 people queuing, almost out of the door. By all accounts he's been opening at 5.00 am at some mornings and not shutting until 8pm.
 Trying too hard. - Runfer D'Hills
Does anyone actually like turkey? I mean, it's ok I suppose but...

;-)
 Trying too hard. - zippy
I took my daughter Christmas shopping the other day and she wanted to get her mum some Pandora trinkets. I was shocked to see that they are so busy that they had to implement a queuing system - there must have been about 100 people waiting to get in to the store (in Maidstone)!
 Trying too hard. - sooty123
I don't mind it in a sandwich, apart from that not too bothered. Its okay in a curry as well.

What meat do you get from sainsburyd for tomorrow rdh?

We've got some wild duck not long shot. What are we all having?
Last edited by: sooty123 on Thu 24 Dec 15 at 15:22
 Trying too hard. - zippy
>> Does anyone actually like turkey? I mean, it's ok I suppose but...
>>
>> ;-)
>>

I like a bit of leg!

:-)
 Trying too hard. - CGNorwich
We've had a reprieve. Family get together has been cancelled at last minute due to sickness of various parties.

Just been out and bought a couple of sirloin steaks and a decent bottle of claret for Christmas lunch.

Enjoy the turkey.

 Trying too hard. - Clk Sec
>>Just been to our local Sainsburys to buy from scratch everything required to cook for, provide drinks for and otherwise host a family Christmas tomorrow. Plenty of parking spaces, shop busy-ish but no more so than any normal day, plenty of stock, got everything we needed and more of course...

I wouldn't normally venture into any supermarket after about 9am on Christmas Eve, but remembered a recent post of Runfer's when he mentioned that all his festive fodder is bought PM Christmas Eve. Anyway, I've just returned from picking up a few bits, that we could easily have lived without, from our local Waitrose and nearby greengrocers, neither of which were busier than I would have expected on any Thursday afternoon.
 Trying too hard. - Robin O'Reliant
>> Just been to our local Sainsburys to buy from scratch everything required to cook for,
>> provide drinks for and otherwise host a family Christmas tomorrow. Plenty of parking spaces, shop
>> busy-ish but no more so than any normal day, plenty of stock, got everything we
>> needed and more of course...
>>
>>>>
I went into Morrisons today to use the toilet (Nice clean toilets and somewhere to park while you visit) and spend the £5 cafeteria voucher Mrs O'Reliant got the other day (Prawn and mayo sandwich, piece of apple tart with cream and a Latte and I only had to add another quid). As you found the place was no busier than normal and I didn't have to fight for a seat in the café either.

Bought a few last minute bits and bobs in various non food outlets and as shopping goes it was a stress free experience. Best time to Xmas shop, on the eve itself as the nutters have done all theirs before then.
 Trying too hard. - Crankcase
It could have gone either way in Cambridge today. It went the way of utter utter gridlock by lunchtime. As I elected to sneak out at lunchtime instead of hanging on til the bitter end tonight, I had to fight my way past the queues to get out of town. The car park was long since stuffed to the gunwales. I dread to think what the shops were like.

Luckily I did my last minute bits at 8:30 this morning and it was quiet enough then.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Thu 24 Dec 15 at 16:21
 Trying too hard. - Runfer D'Hills
I got a turkey for those who see it as sacrilegious not to have it and some beef for those who enjoy food. Some cheap wine to give to her mother who will put lemonade in it and some decent stuff for the others ! Some cheap whisky for my brother in law who will put ginger ale in it and some good stuff for the others...

Merry Christmas all, not long till it's over now...
;-)
 Trying too hard. - NortonES2
"some beef for those who enjoy food." Like that! Chicken here, because when we've prepared a tasty beef in red, one of our number nearly had tears in his eyes because he preferred turkey…I don't mind chicken but turkey is beyond the pale….
 Trying too hard. - sooty123
Sounds like a nightmare, I ended up doing all mine online and a few bits and bobs on the village. Much better than fighting your way into town and out.
 Trying too hard. - Ted

Not been out today, 'cept to have a cupotea with me mate Ali at the Post office. Got me out of the chores for an hour. Took CW to Morrisons at Cheadle Heath yesterday for veg shopping. It was a feeding frenzy of pensioners. Can't be doing with them ! Knuckledraggers gazing openmouthed at 500 tins of beans trying to select which one is best. Arghh. We got a disabled space in the car park...which was good.

Just hung around today, washing cooky things up and trying not to get in the way. Must have done OK as she's not castigated me for anything.....yet. CW and grand-daughter setting the table atm.......12 eating tomorrow...like a royal banquet. I swear they've got a ruler to set the cutlery out !

Possibly fish and chips tonight for a change. The extension looks like the Gaumont Long Bar in it's heyday. I think I'll be drinking mostly red wine this year !

Can't wait 'til it's over and I can get the whole thing washed up and cleared away so Boxing Day morning will look as though it's never happened...apart from the decorations. Footy on Saturday afternoon so hope we don't get invited anywhere.

Your, antisocially,
Seasons Greetings to all on here.
May your day go well.

Ted
 Trying too hard. - sooty123
CW?
 Trying too hard. - Ted

CW....Current wife.
 Trying too hard. - legacylad
I'm setting off soon to do my shopping. Closes at 6 . It's a 20 min walk. Pork & black pudd sossidges, Wensleydale cheese, blueberries for my Xmas morning pancakes, a few bottles of Sierra Nevada to toast my friends skiing ( in metre deep pow, Telluride goddam) then v short walk to local for early doors, unless it's rammed with part time drinkers and holiday visitors to t'Dales.
Feeling quite righteous after morning exercise, sauna then 3 hour dog walk in the hail over the tops.
Merry Christmas one and all
( and in case you're wondering Dog, I wish I was elsewhere! Beach volleyball, warm sun & salty swimming is sorely missed here).
 Trying too hard. - Dog
>>in case you're wondering Dog, I wish I was elsewhere! Beach volleyball, warm sun & salty swimming is sorely missed here).

I checked out the wev today at 1:00pm = purrfect! .. loads of *Turtles about too ( from the Turtle Waltz)

If one of your ex's decide to leave you all their money, you could book into a decent hotel:

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotels/12049497/The-best-all-inclusive-Tenerife-hotels.html

*Tourists

Here's wishing everybuddy a very Happy Yuletide.
 Trying too hard. - tyrednemotional
>>... in Cambridge today. It went the way of utter utter gridlock...

...In my experience, it doesn't need Christmas for that to happen.....
 Trying too hard. - Crankcase
Concur. It's not getting any better, and with thousands upon thousands of new houses being built now on the edges, it's never going to improve until the £500 a year workplace parking charge and the £10 a day congestion charge kick in, which is looking more likely, alas. These figures are not fixed but have been bandied about.
 Trying too hard. - tyrednemotional
I was out at Cherry Hinton a couple of weeks ago, and it was quicker to walk into and out of the City Centre, and catch/leave the bus well beyond the railway station, walking the intervening mile or so.

So, workplace parking levy like Nottingham, then?
 Trying too hard. - CGNorwich
All of our ancient cities are struggling under the weight of too many cars. I struggle to understand why the fit cannot walk or cycle a couple of miles and the less fit catch a bus.
 Trying too hard. - Crankcase
In our case, CG, the bus is so expensive it's very very much cheaper by car, and the bus lanes don't exist in the centre. So all that happens is the buses get stuck in the same jams.

So I can sit on a very expensive bus with all the drawbacks that entails, and sit in a jam anyway, or get in the car, with all its advantages, save a fortune and sit in the same jams.

Until the nettle is grasped, not just here, but everywhere with the same problems, and city centres are closed to all but public transport (and the obvious exceptions), it will be forever thus.

What's Norwich like?
 Trying too hard. - CGNorwich
"What's Norwich like?"

Increasingly sclerotic. Can take half an hour to drive the two miles form my house to the city and then the chance of finding a car park space at peak times is slim. I seldom drive to the centre. I live two miles away and walked to work and back for 20 or so years except when I need to go to other offices.

I still walk whenever I need to go to the city. Get the bus back if I have a large amount of shopping


The council have a policy of increasing pedestrianisation and have just announced a series of further road closures in the new year. I think the plan is eventually to stop through traffic completely so basically you will need to go out the way you came in. There is a lack of car parking in the centre although they are building a large new multi storey. People are moaning that it is a 400 year walk to the shops though.

Interestingly I went to Bruges recently where there is very little traffic in the old city. Most people seem to cycle or walk leaving their cars on the outskirts. Car parking is very cheap by our standards. Left my car in an underground car park in the centre for 3 days and it cost me £19. Would have been a three figure sum in Norwich.


 Trying too hard. - Duncan
>> "What's Norwich like?"
>>

>> People are moaning that it is a 400 year walk to the shops though.
>>

The trouble is that nowadays many people have been spoiled. Although I suppose I can see that a few people might think that was a little excessive.
 Trying too hard. - sooty123
>> All of our ancient cities are struggling under the weight of too many cars. I
>> struggle to understand why the fit cannot walk or cycle a couple of miles and
>> the less fit catch a bus.
>>

I would imagine most in cars in the town centres are travelling more than a couple of miles. As to why, it's more convenient, quicker, cheaper etc, if it wasn't they wouldn't do it.
 Trying too hard. - Runfer D'Hills
Twenty-odd years ago I lived in central Bath. Very congested city even then, goodness knows what it's like now. I used to arrive home from work ( some hour's drive away ) park up at home and until I needed to go outside the city I'd use my bike or walk.

It was just easier.
 Trying too hard. - Dog
Truro in Cornwall was an oasis of calm it seems:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3373245/Winter-Wonderland-Truro-turns-chaos-families-crushed-overcrowding.html
 Trying too hard. - MD
Sheep. Lemmings. Call them what you will, but thick people will always be thick. The real worry is that they are allowed to vote and have Children.
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