agent007 you got away with it because you were regulars and so you didn’t frighten the locals.

When you say regulars – you mean like about 6 times in a 2 year period? My mate normally went out in Llandudno where he has family and friends so hardly a true local either. Certainly not well known in the village.

until you walked in when they suddenly started talking in Welsh?

Well a lot of people in Wales are multilingual and frequently switch from English to Welsh (or a combination of both). Do you feel threatened when people is Spain speak Spanish for example? Quite a lot of paranoia going on there :roll:

Bethesda is fine, as has been said, perhaps not great for a stag do but if you arrive with an open mind then I’ve always found the locals more than friendly.

Ah good old Bethesda and like Blaenae Ffestiniog, the same old bigoted scare stories from those who’ve only ever driven through. Granted, probably not the best place for a stag do or to experience fine dining, but a friend of mine lived there for a couple of years and after a day in the mountains we regularly used to go out round the local pubs. Both of us are Southern English yet the locals seemed friendly and we didn’t see or run into any trouble. Yes we even played pool too, and beat the locals many times, yet somehow we can both still walk without the aid of crutches – it’s a mystery really!

Don’t buy or like all the scare tactics – Leave

So the existing car may cost a few hundred quid more to maintain over the next few years – you’re concerned about this! Yet you’re considering spunking several thousand quid up the wall on a newer car where depreciation alone every year will be in the £1000’s. That’s some crazy maths going on there!

+1 for the Lightening, that would get my donation for sure. Canberra, however historically important a bit bland by comparison. Sounds like a man who fancies a challenge – and there’s no bigger challenge than Concorde!

Need to ask why he wants to be a pilot? For me it was the travel. Not as glamorous as it used to be I’d say and due to all the regular testing and changes of procedure, one of the most stressful jobs you can do by all accounts.

I applied twice, once to the BA scheme and once to Oxford Aviation Academy. Unfortunately for me I wasn’t quite what they were looking for. There’s various aptitude tests which needed to be taken. I didn’t pass them all but it seems that those that did had spent an awful lot of time practicing on various simulators and online aptitude and hand/eye coordination and multitasking testing software beforehand. Most were also heavily into flight simulator software e.g. MS flight simulator. I wasn’t even aware you could practice this sort of stuff online, yes I know now though – doh!

Now have a job that involves plenty of international travel, and actually get to stay overseas in many unusual destinations for up to a week at a time, more than you get as aircrew probably. Being a frequent flier and seeing the work that aircrew do I’m not sure I’d now want to work the irregular hours of flightcrew. Quite glad I didn’t get into it actually. I do get flying though – passed my PPL on light aircraft a few years ago. Loads of fun and real flying, no computers to land the thing for you.

Sorry didn’t realise it had already been discussed. Not been that interested in the debate until recently.

Surely these attempts should be made more realistic by adding increasing amounts of self applied asphyxiation the nearer you get to your goal? Perhaps a pounding high altitude headache and altitude related stomach problems could be induced by consuming a couple of bottles of vodka and a Lamb Madras with extra chili the evening before your challenge? Maybe you could also recruit volunteers at different points on route to hurl large rocks at you? All challenges should of course be completed in midwinter on the coldest snowiest day of the year, in a thick high altitude down suit for added realism.

Just a thought ;)

It’s a disgrace! Mr Tombatuu the Nigerian businessman who contacted me the other week has been nothing short of honest, upstanding and courteous. He’s even offered to let me hold some of his money in my bank account. Shame more people aren’t like him!

IKEA? In Warrington too :)

t’s his fault – he’s turning right across the flow of traffic, the flashed light is irrelevant to his responsibilities to proceed with caution and be mindful of approaching vehicles.

Sorry but regardless as to whether he was flashed or not, looking at things with an open mind (as both a driver and a cyclist) I think both are equally to blame here. When the vehicle started his turn he probably looked but couldn’t see the OP because the OP was some way back hidden behind the cars but approaching quickly.

Traveling fast though the OP was soon upon the turning vehicle which by that point was already mid turn. Naturally the drivers attention at by point (having already checked on the left) would be looking down the road he was turning into, possibly to the right to make sure no pedestrians were crossing the entrance to the junction from his right. The driver of the vehicle could have exercised all due care and attention yet the OP might still have crashed into him due to the OP’s inappropriate speed approaching the junction.

What was the driver to do? Sounds like the OP was traveling way too quickly without the due care and attention required when approaching a junction with stationary traffic. Obviously OP please feel free to correct me if the above is totally wrong.

I believe the A483 has some lane closures and diversions recently, also sadly the bacon butty van we used to stop at en-route is now closed at weekends, also up at Llandegla, reports of some twigs falling onto some of the raised timber sections of trail causing problems, breeding squirrels causing closures after someone was badly injured by falling nuts, and a diversion in place due to people diverting wrongly off the trail as a result of not being properly informed of diversions and/or bad weather that were not either posted on the Llandegla website or could reasonably have been assumed by reading the BBC local weather report. Oh and to make things worse – the hard packed all weather trail centre trail has recently been lined fully with raspberry jelly to make things more bouncy for those without full suspension, and to provide a quick and tasty recovery meal for those lying face down on the trail who haven’t worn sufficient body armor whilst waiting for their mates to pick them up.

And also:

There is very little case law that deals with situations where cyclists have been injured whilst overtaking or filtering, however, some guidance can be taken from similar situations involving motorcycles. Cases such as Pell v Moseley (2003) and Hillman v Tomkins (1995), both of which concerned a motorcyclist involved in a collision whilst overtaking on the right, demonstrate that the outcome of such cases depends on the particular facts of each case; this is likely to be the case in situations involving bicycles as well. In both of these cases the judge found that the rider and driver were equally to blame, because, they both should have anticipated the actions of the other. Whether or not a driver or rider is to blame for any accident whilst filtering seems to depend on factors such as the speed of the vehicles and the bicycle, the parties’ knowledge of the local area and the location of the accident, e.g., was it near a junction? Although it is legal to filter on a bicycle, it can be inferred from the motorcyclist cases that where cyclists are found to have been filtering in a way deemed to be ‘bad practice’ when a collision takes place, there is strong chance of a finding of contributory negligence on the part of the cyclist.

From a cycle law website:

Rule 160 states that road users should ‘be aware of other road users, especially cycles and motorcycles who may be filtering through the traffic’ and Rule 88, in relation to manoeuvring, states that road users should take care and keep speed low ‘…when filtering in slow-moving traffic’. Furthermore, rule 211 says that ‘it is often difficult to see motorcyclists and cyclists, especially when they are filtering through traffic’.

Although Rule 211 states that drivers should ‘look out for cyclists or motorcyclists on the inside of the traffic’ which could be taken to mean that drivers have responsibility for looking for riders before performing a manoeuvre, it is important for cyclists to anticipate the actions of other road users and avoid risks at all times. There is no specific guidance in the Highway Code about when it is or is not safe to filter through traffic, however there are some basic pieces of safety advice that cyclists should have in mind when on the roads.

Perhaps the most important advice for cyclists contemplating filtering through traffic is to avoid doing so on the approach to a junction. This advice is echoed in Rule 167 of the Highway Code: ‘Do not overtake where you might come into conflict with other road users. For example, approaching or at a road junction on either side of the road’. Obviously the risk of doing so is that a car ahead may turn into a side road without warning, leaving the cyclist with inadequate time to brake or change direction.

It is also important to note that it is far more dangerous to filter on the left hand side of a vehicle, or ‘undertake’, than it is to filter on the right hand side, or ‘overtake’, this is the case even where there is a designated cycle lane on the left of the road. This is particularly true where the vehicle in front is a long vehicle, such as a bus or lorry, because cyclists on the left of such vehicles are likely to be in the driver’s blind spot. Being in a driver’s blind spot not only leaves the cyclist at a higher risk of the vehicle turning without warning, but also leaves them at risk even if the vehicle makes a slight movement to the left of the lane. Such situations could have fatal consequences for the cyclist as they will have no space between the vehicle and the kerb to manoeuvre. Filtering on the left hand side should only be done when the traffic is completely stationary and the cyclist is confident that it will remain so until they are safely past the vehicle.

It sounds like from the OP’s description, particularly in relation to:

I went absolutely flying

and the significant frame damage, that he was traveling at some speed. It’s highly possible that the driver of the car did look out for cyclists on the inside of the traffic before turning (as was his responsibility per rule 211), but stood no realistic chance of seeing the OP if the OP was traveling so fast.

Only the OP will know.

Playing devils advocate here but how would the driver have reasonably been expected to see you clearly if you were hidden by the traffic you were filtering behind until the very last minute? If there was a junction to your left, traffic stopped to your right and a gap in traffic had been left at the junction, perhaps you should have slowed right down and then checked all was clear before crossing the junction? From your description I’d say 50/50 I’m afraid. Not what you wanted to hear – sorry!

but that’s another 2 years, which in rental terms is about £1600/month on my street, plus fees, so say about £40k. That’s £40k less deposit.

Firstly unless they’re somewhere near central London, or perhaps a bit daft, I very much doubt that a potential first time buyer saving for a deposit is going to be spending anywhere like £1,600 a month in rent. So you’re implying that if they suddenly bought now rather than wait 2 years then they’d suddenly as if by magic have an extra £40k deposit? Where does that £40k suddenly come from? Are you forgetting that 2 years in the future is not the same as today? Would buying a home and paying mortgage interest be completely free over the initial 2 year period then?

Paying £40k over the odds for a house now could easily add another £40k onto your interest repayments over the lifetime of your loan. And interest rates at the moment are rock bottom – if they rise then you could be talking about a lot more than that. Buying a house that’s overpriced now and over stretching yourself is something that’s going to affect you over the long term, possibly the next 25-30 years.

I’m still saying that buying a house is good long term, just why risk buy now when things are looking so ‘peaky’ and displaying (IMO) all the classic signs of a bubble that’s bursting?

Ok then, what credible advice would you give to a 20something now looking to buy their first house? Not buy one?

Err probably wait a couple of years to see what happens, or if you absolutely must, do your homework, don’t overstretch yourself and buy with the expectation of a crash in values on the horizon.

Surely the massive queue of people waiting to buy houses as soon as they drop in price a bit (and I include myself in that category) precludes any significant correction?

Nope not at all, if the market is correcting (dropping) then why buy now when if you wait another 6 months the house will likely be £10k (for example) cheaper?

Round my parents way Surrey/Sussex border, prices are still rising at a bonkers rate.

Prices always rise the fastest just before a big burst.

fast forward a couple of years and we will want to buy a place together and our spending power means looking at 650k property

Or you could ‘make do’ with one at £450-500k, pay off your debts early and live a life free from debt, free from worry and with lots of foreign holidays?

68% of Brits own their own home, so falling house prices are very far from a good thing. The negative impacts on the broader economy far outweigh the “positives” for those looking to buy/upgrade.

Falling house prices are a good thing generally. The banks should be sufficiently capitalised and stress tested now to weather this storm. Lower house pieces = less debt required, more spare money in the economy generally to invest in roads, exporting businesses, NHS, schools etc, etc. Lower prices allow the young to rent, buy at a cost that doesn’t cripple them. If you’re looking to upsize then the gap between your place and a bigger place is less steep. Plenty more up sides too.

If you’ve mortgaged yourself up to the hilt and overstretched yourself financially to buy and as a result are in danger of being in negative equity, then really it’s your problem, no one else’s. No one forced you to borrow that money, and the fact you borrowed so much has just contributed to pushing prices up generally for the rest of us.

So your solution to the housing crisis is to advocate 100%+ mortgages again to people with zero deposits this time? And you’d do that in a falling market? If you’re over the age of 9 you might remember what prompted the last ‘bubble’ in 2007.

No, I just said it was an option and if the OP has borrowed sufficient sums of money that he’s going to struggle if prices drop 10, 15, 20% then he really hasn’t done his financial homework very well.

And there stems the whole problem, people wouldn’t need 100% mortgages if prices were affordable would they? Something a good correction in prices would address.

Sorry but if you’ve bought a house in the last few years (me included) and expect the prices to keep getting ever higher, and don’t expect things to crash from time to time then you’re living in the land of make belief.

Exactly. Lots of people, myself included have only just got on the property ladder. Any drop in prices would mean a massive loss and trap me in this house.

Trapped? Why, do you not like the place? Are you planning to sell in the next year or two? If you’re not then it’s just a loss on paper and shouldn’t really bother you. If you decide to move to a bigger place then you’d be a winner too since this would have fallen in value larger than the loss on your place.

There’s several mortgage companies now who have negative equity solutions, effectively offering a negative equity mortgage that will allow you to move house and take the money you owe on your old mortgage with you. If there was a crash, most other lenders would probably follow suit to take account of market conditions.

The top end of London prices are falling, significantly so.
But I wouldn’t necessarily assume that will ripple through the system as a whole (although I’d rather it did do so).

Wouldn’t be surprised, remember that old phrase, something like ‘when London sneezes, the rest of the country catches a cold’?

So does that mean you do agree with me then? They do drive well for a van, but not anywhere near as good as a normal car?

A T5 will drive just as nicely as a car, it’s not better or worse, just different. The better visibility (over hedges etc) makes journeys to the countryside a lot more pleasant. Similarly it’s far easier and nicer than a car to drive in traffic as you can spot hazards so much easier.

A higher powered T5 will easily keep up with most cars cross country, no it’s not physically as quick but the extra visibility you get allows you a much better view ahead resulting in increased momentum should you decide to press on. I also drive an RS4 but enjoy driving my T5 every bit as much. If you enjoy spirited driving then sometimes less is more and I can safely take my T5 nearer to the edge of it’s handling and performance envelope (allowing for traffic and road conditions), whilst remaining well within the speed limit. Can’t do that with the RS4.

The game now is to spot Osborne’s next stimulus that he tries to disguise as ‘helping FTBers and hard working families’

Hmm, yes he’s been an absolute muppet in this respect.

Still he appears to be finally listening to the younger generation, or if you’re a cynic you could say he’s seen an opportunity to rake in lots of extra tax from the BTL brigade.

As the baby boomers start to die off then politics will shift and if the voices of the housing ‘have-nots’ and the younger generation will have to be listened to for any future government trying to win a general election. You can feel it happening already.

Woooaaaahhhh there, before you condemn people, don’t forget that those young people that falling prices might help, are exactly the same as those young people who managed to buy 12months earlier.

I bought a place last year and for the greater good I’d welcome a big (massive) fall in house prices. Makes no difference to me as instead of like a lot of people, buying the biggest F-off pad I could stretch to, I bought well within my means and even with a big hike in interest rates, could easily afford the repayments.

High house prices encourage speculation in property, lack of investment in industry/exports and drains peoples incomes to the extent the economy and housing market becomes stagnant. The sooner people realise this then the better we will do as a nation.

Where I live, you can buy a flat for less than the price of a Ford Focus.

Well where I live a 1 bed flat is £160k, 2 bed flat £230k and 2 bed house £300k

Sustainable?

Mmmm, tis confusing isn’t it?

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/average-house-price-rises-record-070920484.html

Those are Nationwode figures, the new data I posted is from the Land Registry, the only data you can rely on I’d say.

1 month drop?

We’re doomed…

The first of many I’d say – dropped despite the lowest interest rates ever and the apparent rush of BTL’ers to get in there before the stamp duty hike, (something that should have actually pushed up prices).

But with a portable pressure wash, if it’s only 10 mins to clean after a ride, whilst the mud is still wet then why the hell wouldn’t you?

1) You aren’t always biking from the car
2) You have to remember to fill it and prepare cleaning kit

Cheap mains powered washers don’t get water behind seals either.

1) 95% of the time I am yes.
2) Cleaning kit already in bike kit box to go in car – filling washer takes less than a minute.

But with a portable pressure wash, if it’s only 10 mins to clean after a ride, whilst the mud is still wet then why the hell wouldn’t you? Saves having a car or house full of mud and crap, which if you have a nice car or house makes sense to me.

The likes of Mobi/Dirtworker etc are much lower pressure than a proper jetwash so good enough to clean, but no danger of getting water beyond seals etc. Even so, before the portable washer I used to jetwash my old bike frequently with a proper full pressure jetwash at the local garage – never any problems with suspension bearings, water in seals etc.

As for lasting longer unwashed then I suspect that’s BS – how would you know either way, you either wash your bike or not, it either lasts or it doesn’t? It’s not like anyone owns two of the same bike, one they wash, one they don’t to make a direct comparison between the two.

Santa Cruz and some others have a lifetime warranty on their bearings so why worry anyway?

Get a portable pressure washer that works from the car electrics, 10 mins later after ride a nice shiny bike, easy – no effort really. Quick lube before the next ride and you’re done :)

Plus sounds like counselling is maybe not the right way at this stage, he needs to talk to her before that and at least attempt to sort it out first. It takes two to make counciling work, his missus might be completely against the idea and trying to force this on her might not do much help. Only the OP will know this.

If you don’t trust your Mrs working late or staying at a mates I’d say you have no hope either way…

It’s not so much about trusting her or not at this stage, it’s about being smart, clued up, and aware of the possible warning signs of an affair. Constantly checking these things would be paranoia in a normal relationship, but as the OPs relationship has passed that point and is not going well, I think he now needs to go into this as switched on as possible.

One divorcee told me a saying ‘women don’t let go of one branch until they have a firm hold onto the next.

What, like a monkey?

Anyone heard from the OP, keen to know how it’s going?

OP has she had the opportunity to have an affair? Does she regularly work late, stay the night at a ‘friends’ house, gets protective over her phone etc, etc? Is she running, going to the gym, getting in shape etc to impress herself or perhaps someone else? Is she criticizing you a lot? Does she talk about a new ‘friend’ or a new ‘guy at work’? Has she bought (or had bought) new clothes or underwear? Is she taking more care in her appearance these days?

If not then I’d say it’s unlikely, but it does sound like she’s not sure about you or what she wants any more. She could have been feeling this way for some time. It’s possible she’s met someone else and been tempted but not gone through with anything, but that in the excitement and ‘newness’ of meeting this other person, it has made her question you and your relationship full stop? Maybe she feels stuck in a rut in your relationship?

Either way the process is the same, you need to see if she’ll talk. Don’t smother her with flowers, gift’s, I love you’s etc – it might be the very last thing she needs if she’s already feeling smothered.

Talk to her, ask her what the issue is, tell her you love her (if you do). If she doesn’t want help, won’t talk or is unsure how to go about making things better then just get on with your life and give her some space. Start a new hobby, go out and meet new friends, make your life exciting so she feels like she wants to be a part of that again. If she does then great, it’s a win win. If she doesn’t then you’re already a few steps further ahead in the break up and recovery process.

Great being a bloke isn’t it – even if both of you were to drunk and you wake up with her **** you, oh no, not rape thats sexual assault. But you technically raped her.

I guess the difference is is that most blokes would probably enjoy it, right, or even if they didn’t, just chalk it up as a funny story to make your mates laugh down the pub. Different for a woman, fully understand that.

So slip the argument round – lad goes to a police station and says I went back to girls houise last night. We were both wankered and I woke up with her bumping and grinding on top of me.

This actually happened to my best mate at uni, except he didn’t go to the police, he told us all the next day and we all had a proper laugh about it. Girl was pretty fit as well but still technically rape I guess since no prior consent.

No damage likely, possibly a little bit more treadwear towards the centre of the tyre than normal but I wouldn’t worry if I were you provided the tyre looks otherise okay. Under-inflated tyres far, far worse as they deform and heat up whilst vehicle in motion, leading to possible failure at speed. Your car will handle much better with a the correct tyre pressures now.

Something just doesn’t add up with all of this. Is the only way to make money in this country any more just to keep selling/renting over inflated property to one another?

Something has to give, suspect it’s not going to be pretty!

30k @ 7% growth and £200 added each month for twenty years is £250,000 which wont give you a brilliant annuity income but is still a substantial lump sum.

7% growth – where the hell did you get a fund that gives you that? Stocks, especially oil, have tanked this year. Started a pension last year, the £10k I put in over the year is still worth £10k. I make that 0% growth?

I’m with Grum, think I’ll take up base jumping when I retire. Always wanted to try it but still being young(ish), too much of a risk at this stage in life.

I think the biggest problem with the UK is not the politicians, the roads, the rich, the poor, the weather, the NHS, the Tories, Labour etc . . . . it’s the bloody media!

The media make people scared, make sensationalist stories out of even the most mundane of events, make people afraid of pedophiles, potholes, cash for crash, immigrants, the weather etc, etc.

Last time it snowed for example, the BBC breakfast team told us to watch out, terrible weather, terrible driving conditions, doom and gloom etc. In reality kids round here had the day off school, threw snowballs, got the sledges out, I worked from home drinking coffee and most of us had a fantastic day enjoying the snow.

Linking to another thread, no wonder some people feel the need to film everything these days with a dashcam – the media has made them scared to even go outside without a fear that ‘someone is out to get them’ or that ‘something might happen’.

Ditch the news, ditch the papers for a week and I bet you’ll feel a lot happier with life in the UK?