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Current Issues / Police chat logs
National Issues / President Sarky
Looking for Local Tradespeople / Where can I buy these odd-sized washers?
Your Pics / Save Our Post Office March
National Issues / The Budgie 2008... sorry, Budget.
Current Issues / Post Office Protest 1230 Friday

This page is about things around Weston-super-Mare and Kewstoke. (This description last updated 2007-09-02)

Warning: may contain unconsidered opinions and stuff I've just plain not thought through properly.

I couldn't get into the last police chat because it's Flash-only and I don't have it enabled, but they published a transcript on their site. Nice to see Quadron being named and shamed for their mobile phoning drivers... and is the Ebdon Arms really rural?

What do you think of the other topics raised?

Posted/permalink: 2008-04-02T15:19:00Z

National Issues / President Sarky

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is about to arrive at Windsor Castle and I heard the following comment this morning:

Quote

"The French want their president to be working hard underneath, but look graceful, like a swan. They worry that Sarkozy is a swan upside-down, appearing to thrash about, but going nowhere and drowning."

Well, ignoring the generalisation, it still made me smile.

Posted/permalink: 2008-03-26T12:32:00Z

Looking for Local Tradespeople / Where can I buy these odd-sized washers?

Long-time readers may remember that I struggle to find good plumbers so when our tap started dripping, it was decided to try DIY. It seems like we have a ceramic disc cartidge tap (Angel Black Base I think) and it was the disc retaining washer which was leaking. Where the devil can you buy new washers like that?

Levers didn't have anything the right size, not even in the mixed boxes. All the centre holes are too small, really. According to 0800handyman, CDCs aren't standard sizes. As a temporary fix, we flipped the washer and it's worked for now, but I expect it will fail again soon. I don't want to junk the whole cartridge as it's likely to get replaced with a single lever mixer tap (a tilt-and-turn or 3D tap, if you prefer) before long, so where can I buy these odd-sized washers?

"quick and cheap way of saving water" indeed!

Posted/permalink: 2008-03-22T19:49:00Z

Your Pics / Save Our Post Office March

I'm back from the protest march from Kewstoke Post Office to Milton Post Office with some pictures (click through to full post to see them).

The first photo shows about 50 of us setting off from Kewstoke Post Office at 1230. Monks Hill was pretty busy with traffic, scattering the walkers at various times, like shown in the second picture. Most people walked up the 25% gradient road instead of the (even steeper) footpath because the footpath steps are very wet and slippery just now, as shown in the third photo - top left shows the steps up the wall, which looked lethal. I walked up the main steps to see what state they were in: green and slippy with moss (top right), some of them washed away (bottom left) and others had animal poo on them (bottom right).

About 1310, 24 walkers arrived at Milton Post Office, shown in the last picture (District Councillor Ian Porter (Con) in the centre there). So, that's 40 minutes for 50% of people, which means a round trip for a simple transaction will take about an hour and a half and only the able will do it in that. It wasn't even particularly bad weather today, so that just isn't a reasonable journey for most people and even less so for those who rely on the Kewstoke village Post Office for financial services and parcels. Closing it will clearly make it take much more time or make people poorer from using buses or cars to get to the alternatives, or paying parcel companies to collect. Shame on Royal Mail!

I got a lift home in an LPG vehicle with three others. I have to go to Milton again now, as the shop I needed was closed for lunch. (I visit it about once a quarter, so not as often as the Post Office, no. Travelling to Milton for something once a quarter is tolerable.)

Posted/permalink: 2008-03-14T15:34:00Z

National Issues / The Budgie 2008... sorry, Budget.

Colourful and pleasing to the eye and ear at first, but fairly useless, expensive to keep and poos on your floor. Maybe it should be called the budgie and not the budget?

Anyway, here are some comments from around the net:-

Posted/permalink: 2008-03-13T13:04:00Z

Current Issues / Post Office Protest 1230 Friday

The Murky reports that protestors will be seeing how long it takes to walk from the under-threat Kewstoke Post Office to the next nearest in Milton at 1230 on Friday. While it's under two miles, it involves a 25% gradient 100+m hill.

Conservative MP John Penrose will be there. The Murky also reports Lib Dem candidate Mike Bell's campaign which points out Weston is losing more Post Offices than Bristol, proportionately. I suspect that's related to the above-average number of pensioners and the Government taking services away from the post offices.

Posted/permalink: 2008-03-11T11:47:00Z

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