My uncle died at the back end of last month after a courageous 4 year battle with advanced prostate cancer. He was always into running and eventially triathlon, setting up the tri club in Malmesbury and qualifying for age group GB. His son, my cousin, is also a talented triathlete and has entered the Nice Ironman with the intent of raising money for the Dorothy House Foundation who assisted greatly throughout my uncle’s battle. So, instead of the usual tat, I’ll be asking anyone who might contemplate buying me a present to spend the equivalent amount of cash as a donation to my cousin’s fundraising.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/thomas-riches?utm_campaign=pfp-share&utm_content=Thomas-Riches&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=9RJmK9848

Have you got dogs? I’ve heard of chalk markings on gates/fences before to mark houses with dogs that are worth nicking…chalk it up, come back later.

The boot thing is weird though. I presume it’s based on the fact that if the boots are gone when the tea leaves come back it means you’re coming and going reasonably frequently?

I wear Lowa Elite Light boots daily and they’re bloody brilliant. Lightweight like the renowned Altberg Sneaker but with a full leather tongue so properly watertight. Fantastic boots that feel like slippers.

Or for heavier duty/colder weather/more robustness look at the Aku Pilgrim GTX.

Jeez, you’re dealing with so much right now. Keep posting on here and engaging. No matter how much you are struggling, you are doing everything in your power to mitigate a bad situation and that’s all that can be asked of you. Keep going, good luck and try to remember to take at least some time to look after yourself.

Reading this thread lying in my 6yo’s bed. He’s just fallen asleep after a story and has one arm round my neck and the other round his teddy. Kinda don’t want this stage to end…

My 3yo son has never been a great sleeper but the evening cuddle back to sleep has become one of my favourite daily events. Same as him waking me at 6am daily to give me a hug and tell me that we’re best friends. It makes my heart swell…I don’t know what I’ll do when it stops

Andy – I was about to say that replacing the battery is easy but then realised yours is glued in. Looking at the ifixit guide, sod doing that myself!

<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Retina+Display+Mid+2014+Battery+Replacement/90276</span&gt;

If your mac is not yet ‘obsolete’ then I would get Apple to do it. My 2011 MB’s after market battery from Newertech (generally regarded as one of the best non-Apple providers) was ok at the start but only lasted 2 years before piling in. I’ve now cannibalised another battery from another broken MB.

If your old one lasted 5 years, I’d get Apple to replace it and you’re set for another 5. It’s not cheap but it’s worth it.

She’s a fair bit older than me but the mum from Topsy & Tim gets a thumbs up from me! Kids are spoilt for good TV nowadays.

Catie and Grace – meh. Top gear for kids.

Maddie – I fully appreciate her educational angle so I make sure she’s my son’s staple diet when I’m in charge of the TV remote. Clearly entirely for his benefit.

We spent ages going through all the songs we liked but couldn’t settle on any one in particular. My wife wanted Westlife as she’s a huge fan; I vetoed that. I wanted Foos but decided it didn’t mean much to my wife. We found a song by one of the Westlife guys that was really nice and almost chose that but then realised that our guests would have no idea what it was so we moved on. Anyway, we both loved the Lion King as kids and had a honeymoon to Tanzania booked, plus one of the reasons I met my wife was because of her love of lions. So we went for ‘Can you feel the love tonight?’ by Elton John but got the band to prepare a cover. It took a few seconds for our guests to recognise the song when the band started playing but they then immediately broke into laughter and then song; so whilst it might have been a bit cheesy/clichéd, when 120 people sang their hearts out for our first dance it was absolutely bloody awesome.

I’ve not been there for years but it always struck me as having plenty of potential.

Howver, as formerly one of those ‘exercising troops’, please, please, please make as much effort as possible to stay away from those on exercise. It’s a proper PITA when someone walks/rides through your planned attack lane, especially if the serial is already in full flow and has to be stopped. I’ve even had an argument with someone who rode through a location as 30 blokes were digging in for the night and got garotted by cord tied between trees as markers for the harbour at night 🤦🏻‍♂️

Have you tried contacting saddleback? I spoke with them at Bespoked and they were very helpful and offered to sort out my CKs for me.

Another vote for Cala d’Or here. We went in June and had a great time; plenty of little family friendly beaches with plenty of snorkelling. Unfortunately I got whacked by one of the mauve stingers mentioned above but no lasting damage done!

Also, if you’re there and looking to eat I highly, highly, highly recommend the vegan restaurant called ‘Treff’. We went simply as it looked interesting – the food’s amazing, well priced, beer’s good (Mallorcan organic wheat beer?!) and staff are really friendly too. 👍🏻

Another local here. Heading up Chapel Hill will Take you though lots of lanes and decent sized roads as you wind your way through to St Arvans. Just keep an eye on the contours as it certainly isn’t flat! As for the main road, it’s a reasonably busy A road but I’ve ridden it plenty of times. It’s also less hilly then going via Chapel Hill.

I’ve collected a variety of shock pumps over the years and pressure readings vary a lot between them. I’ve got a Schwalbe air max digital gauge I picked up for about £10. Although it’s not calibrated it gives a more definitive reading than some tiny gauge on a pump and it means I don’t have to remember which pump I used last.

Xander is awesome! The wife and I actually turned to each other and commented at how proud his parents must be given how confident, articulate and knowledgable he is. I love seeing kids taking an interest in nature!

Jambo – Exmoor Adventures is my mate’s company I was talking about!

Excellent, thanks guys. I’m after a big day out away from trail centres as I’ve been given an all day pass! I’ve not been properly into the hills for far too long…hopefully this will scratch the itch! Don’t fancy the Gap, it’s a classic but that box has already been ticked.

Anyone?!

My mate runs an outdoor activities company which includes guided MTB rides, uplifts and/or bike hire. Based on Exmoor. He may be able to sort you out. If you’re interested, ping me a message and I’ll put you in touch.

Loving the suggestions in here for a lovely gift. Personally, I’d go with getting a rescue dog (provided it works for you). My 2.5 year old dotes on our mutt and I can see them being great companions for years to come, plus she (the dog) is a massive part of our family. Obviously that wouldn’t cost £3000 so I’d consider a nice watch for the 18th birthday.

Managed a 7am blast around an area in the south Cotswolds this morning. 10 miles of exploring any trail I could find including a wealth of short DH/jump lines and a load of steep and loose trails. Best bit is that it’s only 20 minutes from my house and can be linked to a stack load of other trails for an all day epic – get in!

Thanks for the cycle store code: just got some 2FO 1.0 flat shoes for £53. Get in!

@whitestone: I remember doing an enduro at Afan way back (2007?) when ‘enduro’ meant riding for a long time as opposed to a stage race. Conditions were awful and although my bike was fully prepped and checked in advance, a set of pads were destroyed about 2/3 of the way round meaning I did the last 20km or so just on my front brake.

Since then I’ve carried a single set just in case and I’ve had to use them once. That said, a set is the size of a postage stamp and weighs practically nothing so I’d rather carry them just in case.

Over the years what I carry has been refined to the following:

Small hand pump (plus obligatory gaffs tape strip) carried loose in my bag.

Packed into a small zip up pouch to get thrown into my bag:
2 x CO2 cartridges & valve
Tyres plugs
Tyre boot made from toothpaste tube
2-3 quick links
Lezyne multitool (V10)
Zip ties
Small tube of lube
Self adhesive patches
Small penknife
Brake pads

Spare tube is held on the frame/beneath saddle.

I also carry a 1st aid kit which consists of a couple of bandages, a few antiseptic wipes, small roll of tape, ibuprofen/paracetamol, spare contact lenses and for when it’s all gone tits up, a whistle. All in a small pouch in my bag.

In the car, I carry a more comprehensive st aid kit.

I went with Octopus over Bulb as although they offered similar rates, Bulb was variable and recently their prices have been creeping up; in contrast Octopus is fixed.

I’m actually paying more or less the same as my previous supplier but that’s because I opted for the tariff where all electricity is from renewable sources and gas consumption is offset by the purchase of carbon offset certificates.

As for customer service they’re superb – a quick Facebook messenger chat message and you get a really useful response within a few hours. It also means you can send photos etc. That said, I’ve had very few problems so far…far fewer than with Eon.

PM me for a referral code if anyone wants.

Thanks everyone, plenty of routes to investigate in your suggestions. I’ve been off work today as couldn’t face the commute so have been trying to gradually stretch more and more and I’m making progress. Off to see a masseuse this evening too in an attempt to loosen my overly tight legs. Fingers crossed I’m able to sleep tonight! Maybe the brandy and Valium will help…

Hmmm…Valium and brandy, that could work!

I’ll see what I can do at work – we have a hot desking policy and it’s a pain in the arse so there may be some reluctance to get me my specific desk. But I can only ask!

I’ve just spoken with another physio who suggested a deep massage to try to loosen up my hamstrings/glutes/hip flexors to provide some short term relief. It costs about the same as althe bottle of brandy required for the same effect so I’ll give it a go!

Failing that I find four fingers of brandy helps.

I can see this costing me a lot of money….

Thanks for the support everyone. Work has taken me from a really active job (organised PT 4 times a week) to primarily a desk job at the moment and until recently my commute was 100 miles a day. That’s now stopped but I’m still desk bound for much of the time. Whilst I’m still generally fit, I’ve let core strength slide and my glutes are really weak with tight hamstrings and hip flexors. It was trying to address this issue with my physio which has caused the flare up…basically I think I reminded my glutes & Piriformis that they exist and they sh!t themselves on the spot!

Sounds like I just need to take it easy and slowly build back up to stretching and core work. Christ, I hate getting old…I’m only 36!

Kettleballs?! Jesus…just the thought of that makes me wince!

I’ve tried the pillow thing – no joy I’m afraid.

Frosty, his claim that having AV is enough is really poor. How do the kids not have access the drop box files if they’re using the same account as you?

I used to do IT audits of companies ranging from tiny subsidiaries up to massive enterprises. In all cases I can think of, if a computer account was being shared by more than one person and it had access to company files or could in any way shape or form influence the financial data of the company is was a straight up fail. If employees were found to be sharing account log on details it was a fail.

I’m no longer doing that kind of work but where I am now, sharing log on details is a disciplinary offence. He needs to get his company’s IT sorted out as he’s being really careless.

You’re doing the right thing in raising it in person and then following it up in writing. If he can’t be arsed to protect his company then you need to protect yourself for when it all goes tits up.

A Greek immigrant has just won Masterchef.

Gaaaaarrrrgh!!! Where was the spoiler alert?!

I’ve just picked up a second hand crumpler super boomer xl off eBay for £25. It’s virtually spotless, feels mega robust and can carry a ton of stuff. There were several others available so I’d take a look. They seem cheaper than the Timbuk2 equivalent as well.

Forgot to mention, mine’s a 19 inch frame. I’m 6’2 so needed a long seatpost so it should fit you fine I reckon.

Ive built up an old road bike into a hack about commuter for a 22 mile round trip. I try to do it at least a couple of times a week but have failed miserably over the winter; spring is now fully in the air so I have no excuse.

Why get a new bike? There are plenty of quality second hand ones out there for a steal.

Why? Bike fitness. With a toddler, any riding is good riding. It takes the same time on a bike as it does in the car on a good day and I don’t get stuck in jams. Reduced cost in petrol and wear and tear on the car. Also, it’s better for environment (one less car etc). The only genuine downside I can think of is you’re more exposed in traffic and you breathe more exhaust fumes. But both can be mitigated by picking a less busy route.

Luckily the vast majority of my family on both sides are remainers, though when my dad revealed he voted leave he got told in no uncertain terms that as far as I was concerned he had jeopardised his only grandson’s future and that he should feel ashamed. I didn’t disown him but he got my opinion straight. However, his reasoning was based on the economy/finance and he genuinely doesn’t object to immigration or other deeper seated objectional views.

In your circumstance, it’s difficult but if I had a load of family who were racist, bigoted morons who refused to listen to reason or even entertain the possibility that the Daily Mail might have an ulterior motive, I’d cut them loose. You don’t need toxic people in your life, family or otherwise.

@samuelr: Quite simply, they’re great old skool bikes. I had a 97 Kona Cindercone for my first ever mountain bike and I still have the frame languishing in my garage. I rebuilt it a few years ago and had a disc brake conversion done by Argos Cycles, powder coated etc etc. The full project is here:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=187958

I’ve sold almost all of the components now less the Thomson seat post and seat collar. It’s never going to get built up by me again so I really should let it go at some point. Drop me a line if you’re interested; I’d love to see someone else getting some use out of the thing! I’m in Bristol if that makes any difference.

I’ve got a Raceface rip strip in which I can cram a phone, car keys, multitool, pump, random spares (i.e. links, tubeless repair, zip ties etc etc), some first aid stuff and also a 600ml bottle of water. As it sits so close to your body it barely moves and you forget it’s there. A spare tube fits nicely into my frame out the way.

That said, I’m tempted to get a Lowe Alpine Mesa 6 so I can carry a small waterproof, a small bladder and a bit more first aid stuff. At less that £25 its worth a punt I reckon.