Somebody said Terrier?

Yes I know the living room is a tip.

Patterdales are all the nice aspects of terriers, Intelligence energy loyalty, without all the bad bits the snappiness, etc. Would always recommend them to families.

At present I’m not recommending Paterdales to anyone as Marmite has just had a wee on my office floor 8O
Haven’t tried taking her biking as stationary bikes are things to be feared, whilst moving bikes are things of (great) interest, and I don’t want to have to explain the tyre tracks up the dogs’ back to Hazel. She does come running with us though and seems quite happy.
My little brother also now has one and that to is a lovely natured, but highly energetic dog.

Honestly expected to be in around 3h30. However due to a lack of legs, and my inability to inflate a tyre in any less than 10 mins, arrived in at 3h51. Still, pretty pleased as for a first effort I did get in sub 4 hours, and beat a few club mates. Unfortunately, Mrs_mw beat me back by 14 minutes, so I’m going to have to put up with a lot of gloating for the next week or so!
Whilst I’m very impressed with the times posted by the top lads and some of the ss’ers, I think that Nigel, mentioned above, getting back in 3h38 having scooted from half way up wessenden deserves a round of applause!
All in, a very friendly and well organised event. Will definately be back.

Thanks all for a great day out, shame I had to miss out on the soup (and Riverhead)? Mrs_mw was suitably miffed at missing out, so hopefully next time around she’ll make it along.
Cheers, Ben.

I’ll be there. No baking from me though. I wouldn’t want to poison anybody!

Me, me, me. Can I come too?
No Mrs_mw though. Much to her disgust she’s off dress shopping. (Me, laugh, no, not ever)!

I used to work with a girl called Claire Hu. It was some weeks after arriving in this country that somebody finally told her dad that the reason people kept putting the ‘phone down on him was that he was using his title – Dr. and pointed him in the direction of the television.

I think the idea of resetting the stone is pretty good.
Not that near Manchester, but Form Bespoke jewellers in Leeds would probably undertake that kind of work and I can’t recommend them highly enough. My girlfriend didn’t own, let alone wear any rings and doesn’t have that much other jewellery, but armed with a necklace and some earrings to try and demonstrate what she does like, the guy in the shop (well, more a workshop really) helped me pick what has turned out to be the perfect engagement ring.
I think what my girlfriend really likes about it is the fact that the jeweller designed it specifically for her, with a bit of input from me!. It is pretty much unique (as much as a diamond with silver coloured ring can be) and I think that coupled with my input is what makes her so pleased with it.
So, I think the personal touch, whatever that may be, is what will make her feel the princess you say she is.
One other thing – if it is unique, it can’t be compared easily, a good thing in my opinion.

Afternoon Marsdenman. Is there room for a couple more? Me and Mrs_mw fancy meeting a few souls from on here, and I haven’t ridden the packhorse trail for about 15 years! (considering we live in Holmfirth, that’s a bit slack really). Is there many folk joining you?
Cheers, Ben.

Mrs_mw tried to get a soul for under a grand. Bike shop said they could do some sort of creative invoice, as she already has decent wheels, but they just couldn’t near enough for her (she really wanted a decent, lightweight fork).So she bought an Altitude 20 (kind of forgetting the lightweight fork), with the shop taking a £76 deposit, then taking the cyclescheme voucher for the other £1000.

Mrs _mw has a Genesis altitude 20 with posher wheels than it should have, and absolutly raves about it. For her, a combination of the 853 frame, better (more suited to her) geometry and a better fork than she had before have transformed her riding. So ok, it’s not just the steel,but it’s definately a big part of it. She likes it. A lot.

Unless you want a 16″ frame, in which case the last one in the country is SO’s new bike (came from aire valley in Keighley). 18bikes deffinately had a larger altitude 30 in stock, don’t remember seeing any 20s.

I’m only 3 or 4 miles from the north end of Cut Gate. It was throwing it down yesterday, snow and hail this morning, and raining fairly heavily through today. The tracks round about are pretty waterlogged at the minute. Personally, i won’t be riding it tomorrow, but if the sun and wind we’ve got at the moment keep up and it doesn’t rain again, well, sunday might be OK.

Snugpak pertex jacket – 18 years
Karrimor waterproof – 16 years, including 1 year of near daily (full days climbing, sailing and generally teaching mini weegies what Outside is) use. An absolutly awesome jacket – cut perfect for cycling, but short front keeps it out of the way of a climbing harness etc. Shame Karrimor went plonk.

SST, I’m a service engineer for a company supplying machinery to abattoirs and food factorys. If you’re being offered a job as maintenance engineer, then in a factory that kills and packs, then i would suggest that you’ll spend far more of your time at the packaging end of things as your average thermoformer/traysealer is a lot more complex and delicate than a singeing tank or the like.
Condititions on a kill line, I don’t think are bad at all. Yes there is blood and guts and stuff, but it’s often fairly warm (depends slightly what is being killed) and the smell of an abattoir is not unpleasant, it’s kind of a warm slightly sickly sweet smell.
Further down the line the smell pretty much leaves (ever smelt a packet of mince – it doesn’t smell that strong does it)? But, and this is the bit I hate, it gets cold, really cold,and often wet. It’s quite often only a few degrees c, which is alright if you’re doing physical work (pace line boning etc will build up a sweat) (that last bit reads a bit wrong)! but if you’re sat there with the brains of a machine in your lap for an hour or so it does get cold! However engineers sheds are generally the warmest places on earth!

I don’t know what your background and skills are, but all of the good factory engineers i know, and there are’nt as many as there should be,are multi skilled(electrical/electronic/mechanical/pneumatic/hydraulic/bullsh1tt1ng/blagging and tea making) and good at working under pressure. As a rule you simply can’t stop certain parts of an abattoir once started (due to animal welfare)! so expect to spend a lot of time getting something going by any means possible and then going back later to fix it properly.

Doc B mentions the humor and macho attitude, and is very right, be prepared!

Just a quick point for all those whose noses are turning up at the thought of an abattoir – by far the most disgusting, smelly, nauseating factory I go in to makes chocolate puddings. Don’t get me wrong, it’s as clean as it needs to be, and they produce for some of the bigger chain eateries, but the horrible smells of hot milk, cocoa marg etc just turn my stomach, and the smell stays with you all day. I can’t eat chocolatre puddings, but nothing has ever put me off a sausage.

Not that i’m being nosey, but what is the factory/company? Some would definately be more pleasant places to work than others.

(PS, Derinders, Membrane skinners, Ice machines, Mincers, Cookers, packers etc for sale! I’m assuming i don’t need to put that in the classifieds!)

Wow, my longest post ever.

1989 – Raleigh amazon with 100GS groupset.
Eventually saved up enough for a 1993 Kona fire mountain – Exage LT and Deore DX thumbies. First ride i went over a wall that was 2′ one side, but more like 10′ the other and totalled the front wheel, talk about heart broken!
Somebody posted that Exage stuff didn’t appear until 1993, i kind of agree. 1993 onwards was Exage LT and ES with deore LX, DX, XT and eventually XTR above. Previously below the deore ranges there had been 300, 400 and 500LX, but i think that there may have been a much older Exage groupset. Feel free to prove me wrong!
As so many others are saying, it scares me now what i used to ride on the old Raleigh

Again, fit first.
I wanted a Giro,but it just didn’t feel right, so tried a Bell that was spot on. Sweep XC by the way – removeable peak for roadie duties, and the adjustment dial thingie at the back is very good.

Following on from DezB’s Darkside, it doesnt get much Darker than this!

Just the one frame pinned to my office wall. Makes me chuckle. October 1991 according to the back of it. I think (wrongly quite possibly) that Mint was still black and white and never more than half a page at that point.

Not a Dad but,
Friend of ours have a Macpac thingie (sorry don’t know what model, but it appears to have all the bells and whistles) which seems very good. It can stand up on it’s own, maybe thay all do this, for putting junior in and then reversing yourself into the harness, and has a very good wateproof cover. What impressed me most though is the range of (easy) adjustment on the back system. My freinds are both mini people, she’s easily under 5′ and it only took a couple of minutes (with nipper sat in it) to adjust it for me to carry in comfort and I’m 6′
Suprising how heavy the little darlings are though!

This is Marmite the Paterdale, she very often has Devil’s (or Fish or Sheep Poo or just General Bad) Breath!

Can’t decide. Did it last year and really enjoyed it, but i’ve been invited to a mates 30th the night before and don’t think that copious amounts of beer and precious little sleep are the ideal buld up. Still, it’s not that far I suppose.
Is it?