Stockport
Best thing(s) – I can ride into the Peak District on lovely roads or off road with about 2 miles of tarmac in total between my house and Edale. The River Goyt is just down the road, ace for kayaking.
Worst thing(s) – 1970's architecture and the councils desire to paint everything it owns an awful colour green.

As requested in your post, you have email.

I have two of their t-shirt swadeys. The cotton is lovely. Soft but not almost see through like Alpkits. I'm very happy with the quality and the sizing is spot on. 38" chest and medium fits nicely but not tight. The arm length is a little short for me but that's because I have a tattoo on my arm that I despise so I'm very fussy about arm length on clothes.

Other people on the receiving end could be a god send for him. If they collate evidence and back each other up, I'd have thought their evidence would stand up better to scrutiny

"Are there are any good tracks to loop it from Betws-Y-Coed?"

There's a lovely little track about half way round the Marin that leads in to Penmachno, You can then do Penmachno and come back to finish the Marin. It makes for a really good ride. I had the map on my PC before it crashed and I seem to have lost it from my back up disc. I'll try and retrieve it again and post it up. I know the route when I'm there but it's virtually impossible to describe. You have to go a way off of the Marin to get to the linking section.

A couple of loons people who frequent this site have an unofficial competition to see who can ride Bwetsy-Coed, MarinTrail, Bwetsy -Coed, Penmachno Trail, Bwetsy -Coed (using the A road) in the quickest time. I believe Terrahawk has just pipped me on the last attempt but I'm going back for more.

Employment Solicitor with as much info as possible as soon as possible. He'll need to start a diary of events sharp'ish if he hasn't already. As much hard copy proof as he can possibly get his hands on and any disciplinary meetings he needs to take (and is entitled to) another person such as a peer of his choosing assuming they're willing to sit in to witness and minute the discussion
I often see Citizens Advice Bureau being touted on here as the place to go. Now, while they do the best job they can, they're almost exclusively staffed by volunteers with minimal training who have access to upteen legislation manuals and they grab the relevant one and start leafing through it as soon as you mention your issue. As I say, they do their best and are great for advising on how to register a noise nuisance with your local council and that kind of thing but far from ideal with issues such as constructive dismissal.
I deal with CAB staff day in day out in my two jobs. In one job trying to work with them for the client (emergency relocation and housing) and not quite against them but trying to put them right when delaing with council tax and benefits. Sometimes, I worry for the people sitting with them.
Wow, a rant about CAB – where did that come from?
A solicitor needs to be urgently instructed I feel.

Jesus wept, that must have been one hell of a wedding reception or you have Manchester's biggest cherry blossom tree. I bet that's an arse to clear up every spring, isn't it?
The house looks lovely though but the wrong side of Manchester for us.

It'll never be me Jules but thanks for being concerned for us. Nick tried moving to the other side of the world remember and I still found out where she was :-). We need to go for a bike ride, it's been ages!
The lady involved (Nicky's friend) is convinced everything will be agreeable and any problems that might arise can be talked through. It's interesting to see that it can be done for £65 via the internet.
As they'll both need to buy somewhere new for themselves, they're trying to keep hold of as much capital as they can. I don't think they'd gone through pensions and stuff though.

Thanks for the pointers, I'll pass them on. Happily it's not me involved.

3.
Specialized – Propero for road
Met Veleno for off road
Boardman XC for off road (brand new, unused and for sale for not much money)

Not this time big boy (or girl) 😀

I'm reassured that I'm not the only person on this thread who experienced horror at the mention of Ron Hills 😯

Shame she's left her flies open.

hahahaha – excellent!

I've had an email response form our Sustainable Transport Officer. Other than putting a bit of distance between himself and the scheme (its administration when it's open for 6 weeks per year is an absolute nightmare apparently), he reckons the government quietly dropped the proviso that the bike was to be used mainly for getting to work in favour of encouraging all and sundry to own (and hopefully use) a bike.

and Drac takes post of the week :-}

According to my employer (Borough Council) there is no compunction for the bike to be used for yourself or even to be used for commuting. It was even advertised on out Intranet as being an excellent way of buying your spouse and offspring a nice bike for Christmas! They did attach various healthy living and cycle initiative links with it.

I've gone from at least one puncture every time I took the bike out for a ride, sometimes two within a mile of each other

Surely you're exaggerating by about 1 million times?

Daft? My mate asked me a question, I answered it, he disagreed, we discussed it, we asked others, i asked on here, he asked on a website he uses, we noted some comments, we laughed at others, we laughed a lot at a few others.
Do you really have to be so uptight and judgmental about everything? Why don't you try, every now and again getting down from your ultra high moral horse and just taking the odd at face value instead of evaluating everything to see if there is any way you can be offended or morally affronted? I bet you'd find it quite liberating. It seems like you deliberately go out of your way to take offence. How very unnecessary.
When we lived in Auckland (a city with a very large population of Oriental people), our neighbours on both sides were of Chinese descent. They called us 'marble eyes'. It was a laugh. We laughed, they laughed. Nobody took offence. I wonder if you'd be offended?
Loosen off your braces TJ, I suspect you've given yourself a wedgie again.

Flip a pancake, we had a prolonged spell of work since I asked. Thanks for the responses.
iDave, don't you have some Internet Olympians to coach or something? You should try drinking mild, that bitter isn't doing you any favours.

i'm sat in the lounge while the youngster is upstairs with three of her friends. It's referred to as 'child care' although I've not seen one of them for nearly two hours (I can hear them though). I could have done my local quarry route and been back without them even noticing .
My wife will be home by 3:30pm though so I'll be off on to those Derbyshire hills by 4:00pm, rain or shine.

Don't punch me on the nose or anything but isn't doing this months or even years after the event kind of missing the point?
I suppose though, each individual could argue that their point is just that, "their point"………..
The whole thing says to me that after all that has been expected of the bride and groom, the ceremony and all that goes with it…as soon as they got to be alone on honeymoon it was time to do what they wanted and doing it in the wedding dress was spontaneous and stuck two fingers up at the pomp and ceremony of it all, It became time to be "themselves" and the final photo says to me that it's the ultimate "sod all that faff that everybody says we should have" and "What's next on the fun agenda?"
Yeah, it's the spontaneity and two fingers to convention that so appeals to me in it all.
This is getting all too in depth for my simple perception, I'm off.

I'll be investing in some of these next month. I've seen a few reviews and they certainly receive better opinions that Race Blades. Is there any evidence of damage to the paint on the frame at all?
That's not a shabby time either Andy, well done. You'd be on target for a 20mph(ish) average century.

I don't like or dislike your opinion Gary, in fact I love reading the various opinions on here about random stuff. I certainly respect your opinion and your right to express it but I do find it quite pious to admonish these people for doing what they've done with their time and property..

There's some pretty pious people around here today. Who says everything has to be used under the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra? It's their wedding dress and theirs to do what they will with it.
I think the concept (and photo's) is superb and the smile in the tomato throwing scene says everything.
Congratulations to you both.
We swam in the Indian Ocean minutes after getting married in a ceremony conducted entirely in Swahili and our outfits were donated (not that we had much choice) to the village elders. I really don't get the pomp and ceremony of getting married (or anything else for that matter).
Also, I think your photo looks more 'honest' than the Dirt version. Much better for it as well.

Mate! I'm not stalking you honestly. I work (part time) in a kind of emergency rehousing role. Under UK tenancy law, if there is no formal agreement to the contrary and you're not in breach of your tenancy agreement (having a gerbil where No Pets was stated, that kind of thing) tenant has to give 1 months notice and landlord 2 months minimum. Notice is taken as given on rental payment date.
whoops!
EDIT: Somebody has already said as much above.

I've had another thought! If it came to it and you were struggling to get something down there, you could start looking ever further north until you found something and then you can sail it down to London and sail it back when you get your digs back.
It'd take some working out and I know that space on the canals down there is pretty hard to get so you'd probably have to park up in different places each night to keep away from the British Waterways guys. Also, we have some friends who live on one permanently and they went down to London form here and it took them something like two weeks to sail it down there.

I think the normal tender for tenure rounds these parts (South Manchester) is to have a wander down the canal towpath and have a chat with some of the bargees. They all seem to know each others business.
There is also a pump out facility attached to a boat builders, signwriters and cafe where they put little cards up advertising rentals. There must be a pump out place somewhere near by wherever the nearest canal to you is. Even the guys working there will have an idea of who rents out for the winter, I suspect they'll be getting a bit itchy now it's getting colder so it should be the perfect time to go and have a look.
It could turn out pretty cool for you both. Best of luck with it mate.

:-). Wasn't meaning to be an arse, just having a laugh. I hope you get fixed up.
Actually, I've just had a thought. Up here, some of the people who live on the canal boats go away for the winter and rent out the houseboats while they're gone. It saves the costs of long term moorings and they get a few quid for the rental. Might be worth a try down in London?

Edinburgh gets my vo-…whoops, sorry wrong thread.

Christ on a bike man, what is wrong with you? Did you build the place or something? 😀
I only said "The only place that I have been to and would definitley avoid spending a longer time in than I absolutely had to is Sheffield."
I've been lots of times. I've stayed for a prolonged time there, I didn't like it, the man is asking for opinions, I expressed mine.
In a frankly bizzare coincidence, my mate wants to do the Manchester to Sheffield on road, Sheffield to Manchester off road ride that we did for charity this year, again. He wants to do it tomorrow. I might just agree just so I can dislike the place a little bit more than I already do

Another picture of Sheffield

I like this game. Very juvenile but still fun.

"Dunno what Barca is on about, don't think he's been here."

You think wrong.

MuddyD, they're fine in the dry and firm but the slightest hint of wet and/or loose and they're like stilettos on ice (not that I've personally experienced stilletos on ice). Wet rock and they're lethal and that's been the majority of my local riding this year.

I am so happy that I don't 'get' karaoke.

If it's any help to you muddydwarf. I'll have a part worn Racing Ralph and Nobby Nic you can have for free by the end of next week. I have no idea how they'll cope with winter because they certainly aren't coping with summer! Hateful, awful things!

You don't get that kind of money without being incredibly successful.

psychie, each to their own and lord knows I have no room to talk after being in Auckland, NZ and then coming back to the very UK town I left (not my choice, much like you I'm the poorer of the two) but if there was anyway I could have avoided it, I wouldn't have come back to anywhere on the fringes of Manchester. Apart from Eastlands, it's pretty rubbish. Not quite as bad as (D)Auckland but still not great.
The only place that I have been to and would definitley avoid spending a longer time in than I absolutely had to is Sheffield.

Apart from the (extremely) long journey to London I'd vote for Edinburgh. Hills and culture both in attendance.
I'm smack in the middle of Manchester and the Peak District (I can ride to both easily), and while the Peak Park is lovely and Manchester has its moments, it's not exactly bursting with culture.

" and they were middle class pussies "

if you are referring to Noel and Liam you are talking completely out of your arse (or the people you know who know them are)! Middle class pussies? From Green End? Hahahaha. I reckon Noel would smack you square in the face for the very mention of it.

I used to got to away matches with a bunch of lads including one of the above way before they started shouting into microphones. I can't say we were ever great mates, probably on nodding terms at best if we saw each other and I doubt he'd even bother now a days. Their mum is lovely but you certainly know where you are with her.

Thank you for your reply. Your opinion is much appreciated Scott TB.

Scott TB – in your professional opnion , what do you think the situation will be with regard to the availability of 95% mortgages in 12 months from now?
My neice and her boyfriend have just decided to get hitched and have started saving for a deposit. They're hoping that things will have returned to a more normal state (pre 125% mortgages to anybody with a handshake) by then. Is this likely or do you think they will need to wait (and save) longer?