This might sound like a stupid question but if the extractor fan is working well, should there be any steam in the bathroom during/after a shower? I’m wondering if the fan we have fitted is a bit weak as the place fills with steam, droplets run down the walls and the room needs the windows to be opened if it’s going to clear relatively quickly.

*Sorry for the hijack!

Hmmmm. So getting companies to design, quote and provide designs in good faith, then going to another company online with the ‘borrowed’ design and getting all the bits for cheap after the legwork has been provided for free?

Yeah, cool 👍

I wonder why the design companies charge so much more… 🤔

I’d say that’s a fair reaction but yeah, actually in this instance it was ok imho: the plans came from the company who quoted £24k for the kitchen all in, and it was their choice to give us the plans for us to do with as we wished with no obligation. We did not ask for them, nor were we charged for them; they just left them with us. We then used their suggested layout to guide the designer from Kitchens Online who provided his own version of the plans in his own format which we paid for.

Do I feel guilty for using another company’s plans? Not even slightly, they said the plans were ours free of charge. Was I annoyed that they tried to charge us about £10,000 more than I actually managed to get the kitchen made, delivered and installed for using all local tradies? Yes. If they wanted my business they should have charged a more realistic price and not been so dismissive when I pointed out that their prices were astronomical in comparison to competitors. I’m happy to support local business but I’m not flush enough to give away £10,000 if I don’t have to.

I was about to write a long spiel but then realised that Robbie did what we did. We got loads of quotes from shops which could do the lot ranging from local companies through to Wren, B&Q etc. Somehow we managed to secure some plans from one of them. One company quoted us an astronomical figure for the kitchen we really wanted and fitting but we realised that we could get the same kitchen from Online Kichens UK for literally thousands less and then get someone decent to fit it for about half what the original company wanted. If the fitter knows what they’re doing, they’lll have their own preferred plasterers, sparkies etc. Spend some time getting the independent fitters in to quote for the work and importantly ask what problems they can foresee – it’ll give you an idea of the complexity of the job, plus a good idea of their competence or if they’re just bullshitting you. And if they’re available immediately then it’s a sign they’re not in demand! All the best tradies I’ve employed, I’ve had to wait for and book in advance.

Edit: I still wrote a spiel!

DAMNIT! You beat me to it Jambo. I got very excited just then!

A year spannering bikes in a shop in my mid twenties was enough to make me hate working on filthy bikes, which customers brought in.

As such, mine gets a quick wash after each ride. I hate having a filthy bike and not letting dirt, grease etc accumulate means it’s easy to keep clean. A really weak solution of Fenwicks, a soft brush and hose – minging bike to sparking in about 10 minutes. I’m in the WD40 then a light lube camp which seems to work for me. No dramas with chain or bearing life and I like to think I’m maintaining the re-sale value of my bike. Each to their own!

No idea if this is helpful but give the campany’s a big national firm, might the vehicle have dash cam footage from the view from the cab itself? I appreciate it’s in the possession of the company but if the police suspect a crime has been committed surely they can ask to review it?

‘Enfants’ is the equivalent of children; ‘gosses’ is more informal/slangy and equates to ‘kids’. It’s not regional as far as I know…though if you are Canadian then it might just not be that common amongst those with whom you speak French.

I echo the physio thing, though if you’re not convinced you’re making the correct progress then don’t be worried about seeing another. I’ve had sciatica/bad backs for about 5 years and have seen 3 different physios, 3 doctors and a chiro. It was only the last physio who arranged an MRI, identified a bulging disc which is squeezing my spinal cord, arthrosis in 2 of the vertebrae and a massive strength imbalance between left of right sides. Finally, focussed treatment and Pilates twice a week is making a difference.

Yep, personally I’d take these over the 2 pot XTs.

https://www.rosebikes.co.uk/shimano-deore-mt501-4-piston-rear-disc-brake-caliperdeore-mt501-4-piston-rear-disc-brake-caliper-2669652

£107 + postage for front and rear 4 pots?! What’s not to like! Granted the hoses are the wrong way round but they can be swapped and trimmed to length in half an hour.

My 5s died a few months ago but I didn’t want a large phone. Instead I got a second hand SE from CEX. 128Gb (so approx 1 year old) with a 2 year guarantee fir £180. Not bothered about running the latest IOS, though it works fine with 12. Its as fast as my wife’s 7 just at a third of the price.

My family are only here for Christmas Day, and the in-laws for Boxing Day but I want to go back to work already. I’ve been on holiday since Friday afternoon and relaxing it is not…the wife is stressed and the list of shit and pointless jobs I’ve been given is ridiculous. Lost track of the arguments so far. I just want to be up a mountain somewhere…

Merry Christmas.

Like I said, look at what the DEW on USS Ponce can do.

A quick bit of google-fu: https://www.janes.com/article/82347/uk-signs-for-drone-dome-c-uas-system

No idea if that’s what’s being used but it can’t be far off.

In this forum and in this day and age, I just can’t tell anymore! 😂

I say again, you’re not going to shoot down a drone with any conventional firearms…it’s hard enough to hit an aircraft that’s moving along a predictable trajectory, let alone something that’s tiny in comparison.

Something like Phalanx would work by putting up a wall of lead but that’s a terrible, terrible idea in a built up area! Im guessing the Brimstone/Stormshadow comment was tongue in cheek…but just in case, hell no! 😂 Best bet might be a DEW weapon system – google USS Ponce.

To everyone saying about shooting it out of the sky, it isn’t going to happen. There is no way a sniper is going to be in the right place at the right time and get a safe shot off – they’re virtually impossible to hit given their size, speed and ability to move in any direction. I know of trials of multiple GPMGs set up in an AD role unable to hit a relatively static drone…it was laughable. A shotgun probably gives the best chance of any firearm but then again it’s being in the right place, right time and the drone to be low enough. Best bet is to attack it via the control channels, or by targeting the GPS (jamming/spoofing/meaconing) though each of these has their own technical challenges dependent on the drone – ie parrot can be attacked differently to DJI.

Good luck to whoever’s in charge of sorting this; quite glad it’s not my responsibility!

That’s just for the ‘riding’ phase, to be preceded by the ‘pre-ride’ whisky and the ‘post-ride’ whisky….so yeah, three 👍🏻

This is what I told the wife.

Tippla

However it’s sold out so either she’s got it already or I’ve got to find another item to be given for Christmas that I neither want nor need. Apparently ‘nothing’ is not an option.

I’m in the process of switching to Octopus at the moment. They’ve been super quick to respond to my questions via email / messenger and very helpful too. Reason for the switch was that it cost the same with Octopus for the 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon offset for gas on a fixed rate as it did with my current supplier, EON. Although someone described it as turning up to an earthquake with a dustpan and brush, at least making the individual effort to support greener energy means that at the very least you’re turning up to help.

If anyone wants a referral code, PM me.

Then make it a slab of cake and a cuppa from the Filling Station near the Abbey! I’m up around there every now and again so I’ll see if you want to pair it with a bike ride.

Marko, presuming you work in a garage, which one? I grew up in Chepstow (prob rode bikes with you too if you were riding in that area in the 90/00’s!) and my parents are still there. When I visit next, if I can I’ll swing by with some beers/cake/biscuits.

Top work everyone.

£15 M&S chinos for the win! Just bought 2 pairs and they fit far better than anything I’ve had before.

Apologies if this has already been done before but 2 days ago on his ‘Leave Means Leave’ Facebook profile, Farage asked the following:

“IF THE UK WERE TO DECIDE TO HOLD A SECOND REFERENDUM ON OUR MEMBERSHIP OF THE EU. HOW WOULD YOU VOTE NOW KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW?”

After 530,600 votes the results stand at 37% to leave,  63% to remain.

And of course, the comments underneath feature Brexshiteers going apoplectic with rage! The oh so delicious irony…

Or if they like geeky stuff get someone in to talk about cryptography?

If you’ve got a Tech team, presumably they’re up to speed with developments in technology? I had cause to look at the IoT not that long ago and given it’s potential pervasiveness it could give rise to some interesting discussions about where the balance lies between increased connectivity and increased exposure to cyber attack. Imagine getting hacked via a hairbrush!

As above, that sounds fine to me. All of my old fox forks used to hiss out a bit of oil when you let the air out and they all had more stanchion than travel. 110mm showing on a 100mm fork sounds fine.

I’ve taken about 200+ recruits through basic training in the past and whilst some came from the background you describe (and several far worse) and were looking for a way out, it still took commitment on their behalf to get through phase 1 and 2…I’d definitely suggest looking at the forces, but if he does he has to genuinely want to do it otherwise he’s going to struggle*. For obvious reasons, it’s not something to be entered into lightly.

*Incidentally, probably the best recruit of all of them came from a truly rubbish background but was so desperate to get away that he worked like 10 men. I’ve no idea where he is now but I’d wager his career is flying.

Yeah, but what about those crystal clear blue sky days that are icy cold and beautifully dry? I know the only happen once in a blue moon but when they do…love it!

As for painting the floor, I think someone recommended just using a 10:1 water:pva mix, washed over the concrete and then left to dry overnight. It can then be painted. Cheaper and easier than doing it ‘properly’.

Or just get an old carpet!

Only suggestion I have is that if you replace the carpet in your house then use it in the garage. We replaced my little lad’s carpet and the old one went into the garage with the underlay. It’s made the garage warmer and it’s a much nicer place to be now. Plus it keeps the dust down.

Good lord this question makes me feel old! Chuck some some talcum powder inside the tyre and move it around so the whole inside is coated. Then try to fit the tube and it should avoid getting trapped by the bead.

6 YEARS?!

“…all the work I’ve put in over the years trying to keep everyone safe.”

Genuine question: what does this ‘work’ consist of? What results have you achieved? I presume it goes beyond just posting stuff on STW. I’m guessing you’re not MET/MI5/SIS/MI. So a journalist? Author? Campaigner? Political activist?

Like I said, that’s a genuine question: put some substance and background to your profile and people might take you a little more seriously and stop dismissing you as a crack pot who just reads stuff on the internet written by other crack pots who’ve read stuff written by other crac…you get the idea.

There’s a basic one behind Newgale beach but in my mind it’s great: bang next door to a pub, behind an awesome beach, and next to a coasteering/kite surfing place run by a top bloke called Oli. From memory it’s got a toilet/shower block too. I used to live just up the road in a village called Roch and it’s always busy I’d not rely on just turning up and crossing your fingers.

Donated….and keeping fingers and toes firmly crossed until September! #fuckcancer

G, the strength of character you have shown in your posts on here from the very start is startling. And now you aspire to help others by sharing your experiences. Frankly, chapeau my friend. I wish you the very best; far from failing them as you fear, your kids have got a great, great role model in you.

Like I said, my understanding is just based on a bit of reading. However, that link that greybeard posted above does contain the following:

“You don’t normally need permission to plant a hedge in your garden. And there are no laws that say how high you can grow your hedge. But you are responsible for looking after any hedge on your property and for making sure it’s not a nuisance to anyone else. You can help prevent a hedge on your property from becoming a nuisance by trimming the hedge regularly, both its top and all sides.”

To me, that suggests that if we deem it to be a nuisance, they are responsible for doing something about it.

As for talking to the neighbour, they were out today so nothing was achieved. However, talking to the lady next door to us about the hedges, she said that they have been arses about in the past and flat out refuse to let anyone touch them. On the flip side, the lady has offered to remove a fence panel to give the tree surgeon access to our back garden without going through our kitchen. How nice is that?!

That would seem reasonable but when my parents get their trees cut they get the tree surgeon to go round to the neighbours to get it done from their side too, or at least offer.

Irrespective, from the little I’ve read, it is the responsibility of the owner of the tree to ensure that it does not become a nuisance to others and that includes being responsible for keeping it trimmed on all sides and not too tall.

The previous occupants of our house clearly never addressed the issue and whilst they are partly responsible for the oversight, I have no legitimate claim against them. Personally, I would have no issues doing it myself but the extent of the work makes it prohibitively complicated and more to the point, damn expensive. In addition, we have no side access at our house so all cuttings would have to come through the kitchen. But it’s just been completely refitted a few months ago so I’m really reluctant to take risks I don’t have to!

@greybeard: thanks for that, I’d not seen that website but it’s got plenty of useful info.

As for amount to be lopped off, it’s probably about 3/5ths of the total width of the tree. They’ve clearly kept it trimmed on their side but not bothered with the rear. As such it extends over our property, including 2 wooden sheds, by about 12 feet. So yeah, it’ll be a sizeable amount to take it back to our border.

It also turns out that a fence we though was ours is actually theirs. It’s rotten through and leaning against our shed to stay upright. A quick check of the deeds and it’s definitely their responsibility to maintain.

I’ll be popping round this weekend with the good news so hopefully they won’t be knobs about it. If they are, I’ve got no issues in getting the council investigate and / or small claims court, especially if the works required creep into the thousands of pounds.