Saturday 23 September 2017

Just Too Technical ...plus other stuff

I mentioned that we had to have a new heating oil tank as the one here was very old, not bunded (double skinned) and too close to the garage for modern regulations. New oil tanks come with a transmitter that tells a plug in sensor indoors the amount of oil left and  if someone is stealing your oil. Unfortunately this little bit of technology can go haywire and emit a LOUD alarm even if your tank is full and nobody is there nicking it.
Don't you just love technology.
So many things that didn't need electricity now have lights or clocks, heavens know where all our electric will come from when we all have to have electric cars.

 We had a phone call, with just one days notice, to go to Addenbrookes so that their ENT department can check that he really doesn't need a sinus operation before his donor stem-cell transplant which is what Ipswich ENT decided after tests there two weeks ago. Ho Hum, and our little car is in the garage where they are trying to sort out what the whining noise is so we had to take the Hyundai which uses more fuel, but we took a pack up lunch of course so saved that expense. The Hyundai is going to fail it's MOT in January - the sub frame or something so we need to sort out another car soon. Serious illness with only one car won't work.
Hopefully by the time we see his consultant  at Addenbrookes  in early October they'll have made a date for him and the donor to go in and he can get started on the bumpy road to recovery.

We stopped at Tesco's  for milk on the way home from Cambridge   and I saw they had chocolate oranges on offer......Buy 1 and get 2 Free, how weird is that. So I did and they will be added to Christmas gift hampers. Buy the look of the huge almost empty box on the pallet, everyone will be finding chocolate oranges in the stockings this year!




Back Monday
Sue

29 comments:

  1. Most unusual buy one get two free!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hate cars - black holes in which to throw money yet so necessary in this modern age. I hate the most that I cannot fix them myself any more - too complicated

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hate having 2 cars but with so much hospital stuff going on if one is off the road we are stuffed!

      Delete
  3. Chocolate oranges have become tradition in our stockings for decades {we have satsumas as well, and coins come in real and chocolate too}
    Was thinking along the same lines about technology. It's a double edge sword.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Real coins sounds best! Choc orange too sweet for me

      Delete
  4. Puzzled about the two car thing. We had a chocolate orange Christmas tradition in our family too when it was a big treat to have something special like that. Now it is a little bit more taken for granted and what is a treat these days, not sure. As for the oil tank, too many things to go wrong. I think I would have asked for a basic tank with a visual side gauge, please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They don't do tanks with gauges anymore as all tanks have to be double skinned. Lot's of new regulations since the old tank was fitted just 15 years ago.

      Delete
    2. I'll go back to dipping with a cane then!

      Delete
  5. I have an oil sensor Sue and it stopped working altogether. Luckily my neighbour has one too so he came in, plugged it into another plug and rebooted it. Now it works again - quite beyond my capabilities to understand. I am more of a peer into the top of the tank or poke a stick in to see how much oil is left.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've got instructions for re programming it now although turn off and turn on again worked this time. The alarm was just so LOUD it would be a shock in the middle of the night!

      Delete
  6. We have an oil tank and the gauge is broken so we have to use a stick, pretty basic but it works. May have to get a new tank next year.
    As someone said technology is a double edged sword, good for some things but surplus for others, methinks.

    Joan (Devon)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think a clean stick sounds a sensible solution!

      Delete
  7. Chocolate oranges are a tradition at Christmas time here. My husband, son, and daughter all get one, but I prefer chocolate covered cherries. -Jenn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not keen on choc oranges - bit too sweet for me.

      Delete
  8. We've just had new gas central heating fitted which was an unforseen expense which put a dent in our contingency fund! I love my wee Hyundai and when it needs changed in a few years time, we will hopefully buy another one. Good luck to Col and of fourse to you as you embark on a long road to recovery. Catriona

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our Hyundai was bought when we had to tow trailers etc on the smallholding - its quite large and the tax is a lot for a second car. Hate having 2 cars.

      Delete
  9. Sue, we were told recently by someone who OH trusted and had been having our car serviced regularly by that the sub-frame had gone. We asked them to do specific work which they did not do and then charged us £300 for the privilege saying that it would need to be hooked up to a diagnostic machine. We had trouble with locating and people getting back to us but eventually managed to get booked in with a little family garage just outside of Peterborough. He sorted the diagnostic thing out very simply and also had a look at the sub-frame. It had not gone there was just a little rust on the sub-frame which has been cleaned but otherwise there is nothing wrong with it. For a new subframe for our car it would have cost over £1,000 without any labour. Old fashioned helpful service where the mechanic will do his best to find a solution to the client's circumstances and not solely profit related. We had to have another expensive part as a result of the initial reason that we had taken the car in but he got it as cheaply and as quickly as he could and then only charged minimum time for fitting it. As a result of this the original person we used has lost a heck of a lot of business and will certainly not be getting our trade again. OH has also recommended the new garage to all his friends as well. It may therefore be worth a second opinion, but the first chap was in effect trying to rip us off. I know that this may not be the same for you but just mention it to give you an option. Take care. Pattypan x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for that info. The hyundai is also much bigger than we need now anyway.

      Delete
  10. funnily enough we were discussing the planned push to electric cars this morning , i dont think they will be able to make it work rurally , simply because they built 4 more houses here and now the lights are all dim when you switch them on and you cant cook at teatime because it can take an hour to cook something that should take 10 minutes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just too many cars on the road for everyone to suddenly need electric charging - daft idea. That problem with electric in your area sounds a pain - the joy of country living... with have the same problem with water pressure here.

      Delete
  11. Great buy on the chocolate oranges! Yum!

    I hope everything works out with the car and with Col.

    ReplyDelete
  12. We have one of those sensor things on our oil tank....luckily it hasn't gone off yet.

    Good luck to you and Col on this next leg of his treatment. I will be keeping everything crossed.
    Hugs-x-

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love the one with the crispy orange on. Yum.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have a hybrid - doesn't need to be plugged in and is much easier on the gas.
    Love chocolate oranges (okay, I love ALL chocolate!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I am glad we don't have an oil tank, we considered it along with toying with gas but went for solid fuel instead, I couldn't be doing with alarms going off scaring me witless, hope all goes well in the coming month for Col.

    ReplyDelete
  16. We have a plug in thing to tell us how full our tank is. It's not an alarm, it just goes in any socket in the house and after about 10 mns it registers how much oil is left. Chocolate oranges always used to be £1 at our Tesco, but now the offer is on they cost £2!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I also partook of that chocolate orange offer. We dont do presents for everyone at christmas we pick a name from the hat and for that person you buy for only. I am organising our christmas dinner again this year, the favour on each place setting will be a chocolate orange like it or not. I couldnt turn it down could I! It worked out as 67p -ish. Bargain and the expiry wasnt until August 2018. I have been caught out by expiry dates on offers before!

    ReplyDelete