A visit to B&Q.

I visited our local B&Q yesterday, and having selected a few items I approached the checkouts. All of the tills were closed, so I was directed to one of the automated checkouts.

Firstly, I had several identical items, but it wouldn't let me scan one seven times; I had to scan each one individually, and place it on the scales before I could scan the next one.

Secondly, I had a curtain rail which wouldn't stand up on the scales, so I had to wait for a human being before I could move on.

Finally, I had a tube of Evo Stick. The operator had to be called again to check that I was over 18. (I am, by a considerable margin.) The lady explained that some people buy adhesives to sniff solvent, and that it makes them "completely out of it".

I would never, ever, condone solvent abuse, but just for s split second, at that very moment, sniffing glue seemed like a very good idea.

SB

My daughter has lost her clarinet a month before her grade 5 exam. After 5 days of frantic searching, I asked her teacher if she could borrow a spare beginner music service one while we keep looking. "It would be better if you found her clarinet" she says. AAAARRRGGGHHH! Why didn't I think of that!

Swellbox, I feel your pain, I hate self-service check-outs. They are no-service checkouts. I want to be served!

Had to get up early to take OH to the dentist and didn't get any caffeine beforehand, meaning I wasn't properly awake and spent most of the bus ride there with blurred vision and slurred speech - don't like looking like I'm drunk at 8am in public.

OH has to make decision between root canal or extraction for a tooth and dentist apparently isn't allowed to tell us what she thinks should be done because they have to give the options and let the patient decide. I'm all for patient-centred care but it can be frustrating when it's an area you really know nothing about so you don't know if you're making the right decision. Thankfully OH's mum is a dental nurse so we might be able to get a more definite answer from her.

What exactly does "root canal" mean ? I don't quite understand what your dentist wants to do. I have just been offered the choice of a crown if the dentist can manage to get the infection which made the original crown come off, a bridge, which means taking out the offending root, and mucking up the teeth on either side and will probably last about ten years- or an implant at just under 2000 euros ! but at leat my dentist explained it all and said the best option for the moment would be the crwn on condition she can clear up the infection. And she says that will be a long job but she thinks we should try.

How do you lose a clarinet?

Easy! I left mine on the school bus many years ago...
Mr Willobie left his on a train long ago - it was never seen again...

W

My last day in my current job is June 15th 2012. I need a new job and fast!

I had a pupil turn up today with her flute sections wrapped in paper towel and wrapped up inside a hand towel. She said that she had lost her flute case, but she knew it was 'somewhere in her bedroom'.

This is a layman's answer (there's bound to be a dentist on here somewhere!), but basically, a tooth has one or two roots which go deep into the gum. When the tooth dies (which can be for different reasons but usually means a lot of pain until the nerve serving that tooth dies) all the soft stuff inside starts to rot away and if nothing is done you will get an abscess and infection sets in in the gum. The alternative courses of treatment are to take out the tooth altogether, or to do a large filling which involves drilling out all the dead material right down the root canals (i.e. all the inside of the roots) and filling the cavity. This is a long drawn out process, but is usually fairly pain-free because the dental nerve has already died. It's more expensive than an extraction, and sometimes people elect to lose the tooth because of the cost in money and nervous energy entailed in root canal work.

At least you know her flute has been out of its case since the last lesson.

Yeah that's pretty much it, she's decided to go for extraction because the tooth actually grew in with a hole so it's already weak and her mum says the chances of it working for any real length of time are fairly slim because of that. Cost is the same (we have an NHS dentist thank goodness), though a future crown might be needed and that would cost a lot more. The dentist said she might need it taken out anyway if the root canal doesn't work so why not just cut out the messing around in between?

Dentists. Hmmm.

Once a tooth has gone it's gone! I suppose it depends on which tooth it is, but at least with root canal treatment you get to keep the tooth for as long as possible. I have had one (with a crown) for over twenty years. I would rather avoid dentists altogether, but 'whilst there is life there is hope'.

Once a tooth is extracted the only choices are an implant, a bridge, or a gap!

In younger patients (young teens) I believe the remaining teeth tend to shuffle along a bit to fill the gap, but I don't think that applies over the age of about 15.

SB

Oh I think it might

Strange how a discussion about dentists and dentistry should find itself in the Scream thread?

SB

Yes, that is exactly what the dentist said to me but she did also say that where I had a gap the next tooth had moved over a bit and that would have been well after my teens. Thanks to all for the answers to my question about root canal.

I think the discussion is well placed in this thread as aaaaaggghh is exactly what one yells when one has an awful toothache

Darn it, all this has reminded me I have to go next week

I mentioned on here a few weeks ago that I reported a gas leak, (under the drive, not in the house).

BG very promptly cut us off - for the two coldest days and nights of the winter. They told us that we were not old enough, and our children were not young enough to be considered a priority, so we had two days without heating or cooking.

SB

Having broadband probs... last worked on Tuesday evening (Hurray I hear you cry ). Couldn't get connected yesterday at all, failed this morning and now....

ISP provider said to a) run on BT test socket b) replace microfilters c) reduce length (i.e. change) cable from socket to router.

Have shifted bookcase and unscrewed plate to socket and plugged into test socket and it's working... at the moment...

Just had an email from my brother in England who works for a small family business making made to measure furniture - mainly for offices but also for homes. He has, along with his workmates, received a letter explaining that redundancies are very likely very soon.

Does anyone happen to know where he should look for legal advice about his situation? As far as I know no one in his firm belongs to a union and I don't really know where the employees of small businesses should look for advice about their rights and obligations.

Might be worth giving ACAS a call.

Thank you sboa. I don't know what ACAS is but I'll google it. I am not up to date with a lot of UK stuff.

My MIL had a stroke yesterday and is paralysed down one side. It is bewildering how quickly everything can change in a few hours.

Sorry to hear that, Tortellini.

Our son took his first driving test today and failed.

He had taken eight 90 minute lessons from a local instructor, but I felt he was teaching our son to pass his test rather than to drive safely, so I took over from there.

Anyhow, he was failed on two counts: (I was in the car throughout so I saw first hand what actually happened.)

Firstly, (on a busy road in a built up area) he turned left out of a road junction within sight of a white van at a perfectly safe distance (given the conditions). However, White Van Man took exception to this, rushed up behind, tried to overtake, flashed his lights and so forth. He was clearly speeding by some considerable margin throughout, and was giving hand signals that I have not seen in the Highway Code.

The Driving Examiner said that our son should have accelerated more briskly, so as not so hold up the van driver. However, apart from being in a built up area with a 30 MPH speed limit, there was a hump back bridge dead ahead, the lights were on red, and there was a queue of waiting traffic, so even if he had accelerated, he would have had to make an emergency stop to avoid running into the stationary traffic!

Secondly, the examiner criticised our son's road positioning, saying that he should stay closer to the kerb and parked cars, and to stay away form the white line. I cannot remember what my driving instructor told me, but when I took the Advanced test (both car and motorcycle), I was taught very clearly that road positioning was paramount, and that you should always position your vehicle so that you have the best possible viewpoint (consistent with safety and staying on the right side of the road), so that you can see and be seen. Driving in the kerb or close to parked vehicles was certainly not encouraged, as it gave very little chance of seeing dangers such as emerging vehicles, young children or doors being opened.

Discussing this with the examiner at the end of the test he acknowledged that the IAM recommended positioning the vehicle for the best viewpoint and visibility, but said that was not what the DSA looks for.

SB

That sounds absolutely ridiculous to me SB Seems like the rumours about pass / fail quotas may actually have been true. Would you have passed your son?

Bad luck for your son, Swell Box. It's tough enough taking a driving test without stroppy White Van Men adding to the ordeal. You would think that most drivers would be lenient if they saw a L-plate, and not give them a hard time. I'm sure he will get through next time.

That is indeed what the IAM look for when assessing Advanced Driving Tests, but to me (a Senior Observer and Final Assessor with the IAM) it is a basic skill and ridiculous that this is not taught at learner level.

Really sorry for your son SB.

Don't you believe it. I went out with my daughter, and the number of people who rush out from a side road so as to be in front of the learner, and not stuck behind them is unbelievable. The worst however, was when she had positioned the car in the centre of the road to turn right across traffic. Whilst she waited for the lane to clear, a bus was travelling in that lane towards us. A car overtook the bus and pulled a U turn in the middle of the road, narrowly missing being concertinered between the front of the bus, and the bonnet of our car

I found everyone very patient and considerate when my daughter had her L plates on, except in the city centre. She passed first time, but didn't feel completely ready to drive unaccompanied, so we have continued to supervise and she only does local quiet journeys that she is familiar with on her own. I think the examiners assess how you cope with the unexpected. Her examiner had marked something as a major error, but later changed it to a minor, after she erred on the side of caution when in the wrong lane on a roundabout and went round again rather than trying to change lanes suddenly.

Yes I would. I am not saying it was a perfect drive, (mostly the effects of nerves), but it was perfectly safe throughout. Clutch and gear control was also good throughout, which not easy in our Mk 5 Astra, whose clutch I feel would be better suited to a F1 car!

I don't particularly like being a passenger in any car unless I am 100% confident in the driver, and I must say I have no worries when our son is driving.

Oddly enough, a friend of ours who works for a bus company came with us recently to a recital at Durham Cathedral (when our son was driving.) He said he was impressed, and wished that their drivers paid as much attention to the road!



I was a volunteer instructor at our local IAM centre for a while (admittedly some twenty years ago), so I feel I have some experience in this matter. However, I searched out my Advanced Driving manual when I got home, and looked up road positing. (I don't think there is any such section in the Highway Code). Sure enough it said exactly what I thought; that you should always position your vehicle so that you have the best possible viewpoint, allowing you to see and be seen. This is especially important when riding a motorcycle, which I happned to take my first advanced test on. I just wish I had taken the book with me; not that it would have made any difference.

Talking to the examiner, he said that if you drive close to the white line you might meet someone coming the other way doing the same thing, (except you would see them), or that somebody might pull out of a turning on your right, (but again you would see them).

He quoted one particular instance when our son had moved out to the centre of the road (and slowed down) when passing a turning on our nearside where visibility is notoriously bad for turning traffic. There was nothing coming the other way, and there were no turnings on the right, so what was the problem?

But why would hazards only come from your offside? What happens if someone pulls out of a side turning on your nearside (which seems to be more common), if a child runs out from between two cars or a gateway, or if somebody flings a car door open? Does it not make sense to give yourself maximum opportunity to identify such hazards in good time, and to be seen by others?

I should make it clear that I am not angry because our son failed his test; that is just bad luck and he will soon get over it; but I am angry that he failed because he was following methods that, to my knowledge have been taught by the IAM and Police Driving Instructors for at least 30 years, and that makes no sense to me at all.

In effect, this means that he will now have to learn to drive in a less-safe way than advocated by the IAM in order to pass his driving test!

Indeed, given our experience today, I do wonder whether a Senior Observer and Final Assessor with the IAM such as Louise, or even a Class 1 Police Driving Instructor would pass the DSA driving test as it is today?

SB

I would like to think I would pass but in all likelihood I wouldn't, my IAM 'habits' are too ingrained, for example, signalling only when necessary and not every time you change direction or position as L drivers are taught, and straightening out roundabouts when safe to do so, another thing that would be frowned upon.

Very sorry about your son Swellbox and hope things go better next time.

It seems times have changed. I took my driving test in 1968, taught solely by my father who was a London bus driver. On the actual test I was hit by another vehicle while waiting to turn left. I had nosed out to see past parked traffic and a van driver (presumably van drivers are always in a hurry - perhaps to deliver their goods) bumped into me. I was stationary at the time. The examiner asked me what I was going to do. I knew the last thing I had to do was panic so I said "Park the car and get out and look at the damage." The van driver, had fortunately stopped. It was only bumper damage so we both agreed not to bother about it. The van driver apologised - I didn't tell him I was on my test; I passed - and I am quite sure it is only because I was fortunate in being hit by someone who was decent enough to apologise and not blame me and because I didn't panic.

S'funny you should say that. I do exactly the same.

Regarding the use of indicators; I can always remember our Police Instructor, 'Bomber Brown' asking "why indicate to the fairies? "

He would then go on to say, "if there is nobody there, why indicate to them? And if there is somebody there, why didn't you see them? "

He also used to say that there was "no excuse for being caught speeding on a Following Charge because you should have been using your mirrors properly ".

Wise words indeed.


SB

"Smart" bus cards - thank you very much bus company for completing ruining my day and stressing me out and making me look like a total idiot in front of everyone on the bus.

I am spending a day with my mother in London. I was hoping she'd decide it would be too hot but she didn't. She's just phoned to say she's running a few minutes late (haha, that's why I told her to turn up at the time she did, so we could get the train 40 minutes after that, because I knew she'd be late!)

Biggest problem so far - what to wear! I know, I know. We are going to one specific clothes shop, where she is going to buy me a belated birthday present. She likes the clothes there, although she doesn't like the style (it's layered and unstructured stuff; she deplores stuff that isn't fitted). I've been wondering what to wear all week. First things first, it's London, so shoes are crucial - ones I can walk around in all day. Best bet would be my walking sandals - which I could wear with jeans and a tunic. Except it's a bit hot for jeans. If I go with lightweight walking-style trousers, it won't go with the tunic and then I'll look thoroughly unsuited for the shop and mother will be...less than happy. Go the other way, I can wear a skirt, but then I start to look like I've just walked out of the catalogue for the shop which might be overkill. Gah, if only it weren't so sunny/hot then I could just wear jeans. Maybe I will anyway!

But you see, the above is illustrative of spending a day with my mother - I know this is a completely minor thing to get wound up over but the build up to the day makes me so anxious that I get wound up over tiny little things. Still, I should know by now. The day will consist of getting to London just in time to look for elevenses, go to a shop, then want lunch at about 1pm when the entire rest of the world will do as well, go to another shop, get afternoon tea, come home. Topics of conversation will be: moaning about my brother, moaning about her brother, moaning about her uncle, polite enquiries as to my health, and ultimately some sort of discussion on my weight.
The latter two topics I'd really wish I could find a way to get her to not ask about. My health because she doesn't want to know - not really. She asks because she 'should', then if I tell her e.g. I'm on medication, she immediately wants to find a way to get me off meds (medication=ill; no medication=not ill. Ill is apparently a Very Bad Thing). So I just tell her everything is fine

Phew, that's better, a bit, having got that out. Yes, I am going round in anxious circles, I know it. Hopefully we'll have a nice relaxed day...

Going to try a different skirt. Again.

Erm... have fun?

*hugs*

I can't think of anything worse than going out alone with the Mother-in-Law (OK she's not quite an "in-Law", yet but you know what I mean). Good luck Maizie and don't worry too much about what to wear, you're only going to see the woman for a day I take it? Mind you, I would be so tempted to "phone in sick" if I were you!!!

It's her mother, not the mother in law!

Some people have a thing about mothers -in -law. I thought that old joke was outdated by now.

Well it was interesting. She was very excited by it all, having not been clothes shopping with me for 20 years now! She was in a good mood and so we relaxed and got on with it, and she didn't moan about my brother at all, nor ask awkward questions nor do any of the things that I was dreading. We had a nice lunch and we were strolling round Covent Garden in the sunshine having a lovely time, thus proving all my anxiety just to be silly anxiety, because even when she does these things she probably usually only does one or two, not all on the same day.
And as we were watching a street performer, she fainted So we came home and had a quiet afternoon with less shopping than planned!
But she is ok and going to check with her GP (too much sun and not enough water in my unprofessional opinion)

Given that it was 27/28 in a rural area I dread to think what the temperature was in a built up city area today, so I suspect your opinion of heat and water are probably about right.

Well, I'm sorry your mother fainted, Maizie, and I'm glad she's ok now.

But it might have put her off shopping for a bit, so would save you these anxiety moments (which were clearly not necessary - one of those instances where one should listen to the wise old man who says not to worry about something that may never happen). Hope you got something nice for your birthday.

I'm glad you had a much better time than expected, but sorry to hear about the fainting. It was so very hot here yesterday. I was trying to do a bit of shopping, but had to give up in the end. Found myself a nice second hand book, plonked myself by the riverside in the shade, and read until it was time to get the train home!

It's all good today - I realise I'll be far less anxious next time (as I imagine it will be sooner than 20 years!) and if it is a hot sunny day we won't be going anywhere! We are due to go out as a family next Monday - six of us - and I realised what was so daunting yesterday was being just the two of us all day . Now I'm just hoping for cooler weather.

Today I have a huge list of things I'm meant to be doing, mostly in the garden. It is far too hot so I am not doing anything until much later on. Normally I'd be very stressed about having all this stuff to do and not being able to do it, but today is too hot even to get stressed. I think I'm "languid" today, and I'm pretty sure I've never used that word to describe myself!

Friends of ours are emigrating to Canada in July, so they are having a farewell party on 23 June, to which Misterjay and I have been invited.

Unfortunately it clashes with a concert I wanted to go to. So I won't be able to do that, as Misterjay has accepted on our behalf.

Even more unfortunately, Misterjay has seen fit to ask another mutual friend to stay with us to attend the party. Without checking with me first. I've just found out about it as the mutual friend has just phoned to confirm he'll be arriving on the afternoon of 22 June. That's the Friday.

The mutual friend in question (a) doesn't have his own transport (b) doesn't own a mobile phone and © lives a couple of hundred miles from either our house or the party. So the exact time he arrives is going to be a bit random on the Friday.

And then there's the minor issue of what he's expecting to do during the Saturday daytime. I hope Misterjay has some ideas for that.....

Being consulted first would have been good

I can imagine that you will have found something Very Important to do on the Saturday during the daytime, so that the job of entertaining friend will fall squarely on Misterjay! That would be the way I would be thinking.

I was asked this afternoon to go and run a day's training course in Saudi Arabia in September.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Why isn't there a 'fainting' smilie???)

If it were me, I think I might

Are you going?

Long way to go for a day!