This is one of those things where you really do have to go and try them yourself. Memory foam are big at the moment but just don’t work for me. I feel too “sunken” in them and that just aggravates my back. I prefer a firmer bed and so we tend to go for pocket sprung. Also depends whether there is a difference in preference between you and your partner. If there is then there will ned to be some compromise along the way. You will not necessarily get the best deal by visiting Bensons or Dreams. You may get conveneicen though. We have a local bed store that is great. A good range of mattresses and options and their pricing is reasonably competitive and always way cheaper than Dreams (which is on the retail park nearly opposite them). We bought the frame separately (we got it through thefurnituremarket.co.uk, good build, reasonable price) and just bought the mattress from our local bed shop. Bought a few mattresses from them and have no reason to not go back to them (Abingdon Beds, since you asked. :) )

If Labour really want to capture people’s hearts and minds again then, based on what I saw and heard during the election campaign, Rebecca LB is the wrong answer. The staggering thing about all this is that the Labour hierarchy have not seen and understood this. Theresa May ran quite possibly the worst election campaign in living memory and still beat Jeremy Corbyn. The Conservative government for the past few years has been pretty much all at sea, it surely has been the biggest open goal in history and still they failed to win. For this campaign none of the parties managed to run a half way decent campaign, BoJo seemed to be doing his best to appear the least statesman like candidate of the lot and at the end of it still romped home. For the Labour leadership team to start questioning the media hate campaign against JC amongst other excuses just shows their delusion up for what it is. The trouble is that, for many people, it wasn’t just JC. People like John McDonnell, Barry Gardiner and Dianne Abbott were equally desperate characters in the shit show. And yes, as others have said, the perception of the policies was just fantasy politics from the 70’s and no real credibility. One of the most depressing elections I can remember

I was with you for a bit @hodgynd – a reasonable question to ask. However, as DrP pointed out in his open response is that [* sweeping generalisation alert *] men are generally not very good at being open to others about the really deep things. The things that touch our hearts and souls. Sometimes it’s quite probably because we don’t even know what’s going on in there. To be able to talk about these things, even if it is to a bunch of strangers, can be both therapeutic and cathartic. There have been plenty of topics over the years on here that one does wonder what the point of it was, but there have also been a significant number where peopel in real need / seemingly hopeless situations have found support, conmfort, a chance to see things with a different perspective and generally been affected positively. Forum members have been able to set aside their Singletrack “personaility” and show genuine warmth, support, solidarity, encouragement and other life affirming attributes. We are all different and work in different ways, If someone feels that this is a safe enough place for them to seek some sort of support that they might not oherwise be able to find in their friends is that really such a bad thing? I don’t think so.

For the benefit of people who should know better – having IT kit in your own data centre is on-premises. It’s a small thing, I know, but irritating as ****.

For an organisation your size I would certainly be considering going cloud only. Office 365 is not a bad option and these days MS technology is pretty friendly with other operating systems beyond Windows. The Office 365 / Azure suite can offer you Teams (effectively the replacement for Skype for Business and is far more integrated than Webex) along with the desktop office apps, plenty of security options to provide things like Multi factor authentication, security insights and protection and Conditional access to protect access to your stuff. There are also CRM options available. Obviosuly it all costs money but it almost certainly cheaper than trying to run and manage your own internal IT operation.

We have had a couple of Neff ovens and I’m not really sure why we bought the second one. They are nice looking ovens and have a reasonable set of features but I’m really not convinced that they really are very good at all. Wouldn’t get another one. Despite what’s been said above I would probably look at a Bosch. We have a few Bosch appliances in the house and all of them are doing pretty well. Good reliability hence would consider buying again. Would also consider Miele but they are often ridiculously expensive and have a knack for making “not very attractive” looking appliances. Miele hoover though has been a good purchase and is still going strong. They also offer the option of a service that will bring it back pretty much as good as new if you do get an issue. Difficult to know who the go to manufacturers are now for white goods as so many of them are just conglomerates that put different badges on the front depending what market they are trying to sell to. For us, something like a fridge or freezer we’re not so bothered by as they generally seem to function reasonably so it comes down to the layout, capacity and size of the unit rather than the label. Currently have a Hotpoint fridge (had it for probably 8 or so years so far) and a Beko freezer (also around 8-10 years). Apart from the freezer door handle snapping off it has done its job. Ovens are a bit more complex and I would rather try and find a more reliable “brand” although, as mentioned earlier, this seems to be getting harder to nail down

Had a pair of these for about 4 years now and love them For me they are very comfy and despite some of the reviews have lasted very well. Salomon GTX

Wonder about an alternative as they are getting a bit long in the tooth now but not yet seen anything that tempts me enough

Never use the room kettle, a guy at work found a jobby in one…..

To be honest I’d never thought about this until a couple of colleagues mentioned that they don’t use the in room kettles because of the frequency with which people pee in them. WTF.

Mind you, as someone who doesn’t drink hot drinks it’s not an issue I would have ever come across.

Interesting conversation on 5Live last night about the Pacific Islanders. It is possible for players to play for clubs in NZ leagues but part of the deal is that NZ then retain the right to sign them up for the All Blacks which does make it hard for them to get the development needed to benefit the national team. And it sounds like it is hard enough to coalesce talent with so many Islands and not much in the way of supporting infrastructure and quality pitches.

Not sure where the conversations have got to in World Rugby about the tier 2 nations and how they can be better developed and get more opportunities against the big boys. It’s almost as if the established nations don’t want them to develop too much in case they start to upset the current status quo. Only obvious changes over the last decade or so is the admission of Italy into the 6 Nations and Argentina into the Southern Hemisphere competition

Very surprised at the RG announcement. He seems to have gone back to being a liability these past couple of seasons and keeping him and KM together really doesn’t make sense. I would have thought Hulk would be worth a shot there as he is generally a good driver and a bit unlucky to lose his place at Renault. Or Racing Point – but then daddy’s not going to sacrifice his son for a decent driver and they’ve just signed Perez for another couple of years

I bought the bullet early last year and went for an iPhone 8. It’s actually not too bad but took a little while to get used to it after the 950 I had before it. A little later we got an iPhone 7 for my wife to replace her SE. She has not been a happy bunny with it. Loved her SE but this one has been a bit rubbish really. Networking and switching between the mobile network and wifi is pretty tardy and she regularly gets to the point of wanting to throw it out the window. Will try a factory reset on it but not convinced it fix all of its ailments. The Apple diagnostics have supposedly proved that the hardware is ok but the experience is still sub standard. The new 11 does look quite nice but is still (even for the standard 11) a bit eye watering. And quite big for small hands. Wifey loved the form factor of the SE and has got used to the 7 but I think the 11 is a bit bigger still

Specsavers. Use them for contact lenses and have just gone onto their lens scheme which gives me regular checkups for free plus a free eye test every couple of years. Current spec frames I am quite happy with and have had them for quite a few years now. When my prescription changes I just get new lenses and have them fitted. Generally been happy with them.

Wifey tried the local independent a few years ago – **** me, they were dreadful. She felt the eye check was probably ok but everything else was awful. Poor service. Poor advice. Poor selection of frames at high prices. Nothing to redeem them at all.

I have a nagging feeling that I could get the contacts for a bit less money and probably the glasses lenses but not sure if the price difference is enough to offset the extra hassle (up front) and the eye tests.

From the tone of the way the question was written (it’s a baby so it’s hardly being indoctrinated FFS) you don’t come across very well. Which then tends to lead to the answer that you are indeed being unreasonable.

The whole of life involves compromises. After all, how many of us, given a choice, would go to work every day? For 40 years? And relationships too involve compromise – anyone remember the various “It’s Christmas…” threads? Doing your own thing all the time doesn’t make for the healthiest of relationships long term either – if you are in one.

Thought it was a great race on Sunday – possibly the best of the season so far. Assuming LH wins this year’s drivers championship then I can’t see him leaving. Merc will probably still be a string car next year (although RBR have made some significant improvements this year which is good to see) and in his mind probably the best environment with which to have a crack at Schumacher’s record. Agree that Vettel seems to have gone walkabout mentally although I don’t know that he has ever been a proper “racer” when it comes to competing against other “elite” drivers. Same as Nico Rosberg. Very capable drivers of going very fast bit somehow just too clumsy when it comes to hard, wheel to wheel racing. And Sunday’s incident with him was bizarre. There was never going to be any room up the inside so why he even thought about it I don’t know., Unless he was intending to dummy to the inside and then try and go around the outside but was too slow in changing back to the outside. His initial radio message was more ludicrous than the track incident but then I suppose that was him just trying to do the “get a message to the stewards quick to try and influence their thinking before they get down to looking at the incident properly”. Not sure I can see him staying beyond this year but I doubt he will quit mid season. I think he’s too professional for that but his general demeanour for the past few races indicates someone who knows any chance of winning the title this year has gone

Surely even England can’t stuff it up from here??? Terrific stuff so far

If we had a big pot of money then I am tempted to go for a resin based driveway although my reservation would be around how well it cleans up in case of messy car cleaning / bike cleaning

Seems a pretty simple and straightforward one this. If the flat is rented out on the understanding that there are no pets then the neighbours are in the wrong. Doesn’t matter how nice they are. By bringing a pet into the place they are being completely disrespectful to the owner’s wishes. She will have her reasons for stating no pets and, as it is her property, then thems are the rules. The neighbours do not have to rent that property. They are probably renting it because, as TJ says, it is on the market at a cheap price. People have many reasons for their choices and preferences. Some are a bit odd and some are very understandable. She may actually like animals but doesn’t want pets in the place because she knows that some people have allergic reactions or intolerances to them. Which could limit who she is able to sell or rent the place out to once these neighbours have moved on. The pets may also cause damage to the property. It’s all very well some of you pet owners saying “well my dog / cat / goat / whatever doesn’t damage the house” – but that’s kind of irrelevant isn’t it, as it’s not your pet in the flat next door to TJ. And, if we are blunt about it, looking after the pet for some friends for a short time – doesn’t really wash. It’s a pet. It’s an animal. They are not permitted in the property so they shouldn’t have offered to look after it. I would probably take the approach mentioned above and chat to the neighbours and say that you speak regularly to the owner as you have been friends for a long time and you can’t help noticing the dog. Check that they are aware that the owner does not want pets in the place and give them the option to give it back to the “owners”. Make it clear that you will find it difficult to avoid telling the owner about the dog as it is one of the things she asks. If it turns out that it is actually the neighbours pet then it’s a problem they have brought on themselves. It may feel harsh but, knowing that the tenancy prohibits pets, then they should have given it a bit more thought in the first place

£546!? Shit a brick!

Maybe that’s why it’s cracked? Although I would thought the OP would feel one of those passing through ;)

Can’t comment on Sofology but we bought one from Ikea a good number of years ago now and it has been great. And no issues getting it through the door. :)

Tricky one this. Watching it at the time it felt very much as though Vettel was doing a Schumacher – cocked up the race but making sure his rival wasn’t able to capitalise. Appreciate that it was a difficult situation but once he starts saying he wasn’t sure of where Lewis was makes me think he deliberately made the most of the mistake and ensured that Lewis couldn’t get past. He knew exactly where Lewis was as he had been right up his chuff for most of the race and less than a second behind him for several laps before the incident. Rather than a penalty I think he should have been made to give up the track position to Lewis and then let them play out the rest of the race. It will feel harsh but there’s also no need to be as petulant as he was. Leclerc, considering what he went through in the previous races has demonstrated better sportsmanship – Vettel could learn a thing or two from him

The problem with Labour and JC is that the situation seems a little too much like Kinnock. A perfect opportunity for them to become the party of government but ended up picking an unelectable leader. Yes, JC was quite popular when he first arrived on the scene with his straight talking politics and not wanting to do “gutter politics” and slagging off opponents. But the truth is, now, for a lot of people he is unelectable as a PM.

The EU elections in the UK didn’t really show us anything that we didn’t already know: The UK is still pretty much divided (nearly 50:50) on whether being in the EU is a good thing or a bad thing. Additionally, the Tories suffered because they have proved to be a bit of a bunch of ****wits over the whole Brexit handling and Labour are equally indecisive. Despite a supposed commitment to a clear set of policies on Brexit, none of the MPs could give a clear or consistent explanation. So the electorate effectively told both of them to do one.

I think it’s also a little disingenuous to suggest that all Remain voters knew exactly what they were voting for. They didn’t. Ultimately the referendum was a simplistic device that established a general view of do people want to remain within the constructs and direction of the EU or do they distrust the EU and want to leave. The biggest issue is that there are more complications with leaving than remaining but we can’t say for sure which one will be best for us long term. The only thing you can say for certainty about remaining is that it allows us to keep the current status quo and a hope that if the EU starts deciding on policies that we don’t like we might have a chance of changing or modifying them.

The tragic part of all of this is that the opposition have had probably the biggest open goal to shoot at for decades and have somehow managed to spectacularly scuff the shot in a way that, if it was a real football incident, would be a viral YouTube video clip seen and laughed at by millions. The Tories seem to be doing their level best to wrestle themselves to the ground by the corner flag while everyone just watches on and Vince Cable seems to have disappeared for half time refreshments and not come back. I don’t think I have ever felt this strongly before that it wouldn’t be worst thing in the world if the whole lot of them at Westminster Palace disappeared into a vortex never to be seen again.

Not the first time a cycle king shop has had a fire like that. The Oxford one got toasted a number of years ago…… I suppose all the remaining bikes are available like Model T Fords – any colour you want as long as it’s black.

Flange
Juan King Tribute (Spanish covers band?)
Splosh
Mrs Miggins Tights

Surely a thread like this has to include one of the most recognisable and best bass lines ever??

Wilton Felder, of course

Hmmm, obviously been too long since I tried linking to something in here

As Johnba noted – this thread is quite amusing as it rapidly fills with people trying to prove how edgy and “right on” they are by listing stuff they personally don’t like. Or maybe they do, but think it makes them look cool and interesting to rubbish it. Most of the songs listed in the first few pages are not even close to being “the worst song ever”. Sure, they may be too saccharine or melodic or even bland for you but they have all met with significant popular approval and are clearly like (even loved) by a large number of people. Claiming that Adele can’t sing in tune only reveals the posters ignorance. This may be a bit harsh, but Edukator posted an example video of someone who can’t sing in tune. There are hundreds of songs I really don’t like and there are plenty of songs that (to me) are rubbish. Not sure I could pick out the worst of them though. And not really that invested to listen hard enough to come up with a candidate :)

Once you are on their books they will, if they are any good, continue to invite you to “special events” or indicate that there are some great offers for special customers etc. Ultimately they are looking to sell you a new car. Sometimes it is a dealer promotion thing and sometimes it’s a manufacturer sponsored thing. Not yet really found any of the deals that are unique or particularly more special for me as an existing customer vs just wandering in off the street

Which all feels a bit ironic really doesn’t it, for a hazard perception test. Was similar when I did mine. 49/50 on the theory test but was closer to fail line on the hazard perception test. Still, a pass is a pass and I took it but that was the trickier part of it for me.

Echo much of what has been said in here. If you are a driver and have been driving for a little while then go straight for the full license. I didn’t go a 125 (even though they were great fun to trundle around on) just passed the test and went straight for a big bike. So far all been good, not that I have ridden a massive number of miles. Definitely feel more vulnerable on the road and I find I get more tired riding due to the increased observation and awareness of everything around you.

I think the point the OP made a few times in this conversation is that he wasn’t stressing about it. More a curiosity about how people do it. Something I ponder occasionally myself as well. I don’t judge those others but am sometimes curious about how they manage. As we have seen from the discussions the answers are varied. The truth is some are not managing very well, some are putting off a proper future financial shit storm, some are frugal, some have been fortunate with prior investments and some are just plain lucky.

We used marmalade for my son. Not necessarily the cheapest (there were probably cheaper options around at the time) but it was a convenient way for them to be insured on our car without it affecting our insurance. I think it was around £80 for a couple of months which was pretty reasonable. Was brilliant for giving our son lots of driving experience and practice so he only ended up having around 8 formal driving lessons.

Bollocks. Not another one. Condolences to the family and you too smudge.

RIP indeed. A man whose story is not unique in this life yet someone who inspired others by his honesty and attitude to taking it on. A number of great and moving threads on this very forum. Never met him, but he will be missed.

Bit late to the party on this one. Relatively recently seen films include A Star is born, Stan and Ollie, Bohemian Rhapsody and Green Book. A Star is born – trailers made it look better than it actually was. Good film but not as good as I expected. Thought Lady Gaga was terrific in it though. Bradley Cooper just felt a bit over acted to me. Really enjoyed Stand and Ollie. Some poignant moments and a great watch. Loved Bo Rhap even though it does play fast and loose with the truth. But then it wasn’t really intended as an authoritative documentary on the band. Overall a most excellent film. And last week we saw Green Book. Thought it was a terrific film. Was slightly apprehensive after Spike Lee’s comments but went anyway and glad we did. Great film. Sure, a little twee and simplistic but that didn’t detract from the enjoyment. In fact, because of the understatement in it I thought it enhanced the message and the overall experience.

As others have posted above it is hard work and you have to think carefully about how you will make money. Look at the fixed costs you have (business rates, rent, staff), add in the stock costs and then see how many coffees / teas / beverages you need to sell each day to hit that number. Only doing beverages is going to require significant footfall, so finding an excuse for keeping people in where they may only have one drink is not going to help you. My brother has run a café in Southampton before and made it work. He sold up a couple of years ago but is now trying again but with a Bistro. There are a couple of keys for him that means he will make it work. Number 1 is that he is experienced in the catering industry and knows how to make the numbers on food and drink work. Number 2 he is a quality chef and has worked in a few decent restaurants over his time, as head chef in quite a few of them. So, that means he can do all of the food for the Bistro leaving him fully in control of managing the numbers and margins on all the food and drink. He also doesn’t have to pay a decent chef to come in and do it for him. All he needs are some good waiting staff to keep the customers happy and liking the place. I am immensely proud of him and what he can (and has) achieve but it is, without question, incredibly hard work. And he is happy enough to live on a thin wage as he doesn’t really have any needs or big financial ambitions. If your friend is passionate about it and is able to properly work through the numbers and see it make a profit then go for it. But go in with eyes wide open and not tinged with unrealistic dreams of untold riches. Restaurants are probably easier work to make better money because the spend per customer is generally bigger and the profit on what they consume is greater. But it takes time to build a reputation and to maintain sufficient numbers coming through the doors.

I must confess, I did have an internal “WTF!!” moment a couple of weeks ago when an internal training video introduced the word “burglarized”. I mean, really? Really?? What was wrong with using the more accepted “burgled” eh? ****** Americans! :)

Ed – you need to work on your rhythm 🙂

And, dare I say it, tuning. Either that or the guitar neck is a bit out. :)

We had a look at this a little while ago and were nearly tempted to go for a PCP type deal. Then we sat back and had a think about it and in the cold hard light of day couldn’t find any way in which it made sense. But I guess that becomes the mindset of how you think or renting vs buying. For me, yes, you get a lower monthly price but at the end of the 2 or 3 years you have nothing to show for it. NO asset. No car. You are now on the treadmill and the only realistic option at the end of the PCP period is to use whatever equity you have in the car as your deposit for the next PCP deal. Which, for me, means you are now stuck with a monthly outgoing for as long as you want / need a car. At that point we changed minds and went back to taking out a loan and buying a second hand car. In 2 years time my monthly payments will finish and I will still have a car that I can choose to do with what I want. Probably keep it for another year or so before thinking about replacing it. If you are obsessed about having a brand new car and updating it regularly then, sure, PCP represents a reasonably cost effective way to do it but is it really worth it? Yes, for us it would be nice to “nicer” or newer car but for we value the disposable income more than some status symbol car to drive. As it is, the Mondeo (which we went for in the end) is a perfectly capable and comfortable car that we are happy with.

As others have observed, I guess the answer to this will depend very much on your own personal circumstances. Personally, I am very glad to have been born. I also appreciate and am thankful for the fact that I was born and raised in this country which, despite our frustrations at times, is probably one of the best places to have the privilege of living. That I was born into a family that took up the responsibility of bringing me up with an understanding of respect, a sense of right and wrong and love (not that my childhood was always the happiest of times). I can’t really comprehend what it must be like to have been born in some parts of the world where your daily existence is about finding something to eat, or being petrified that I’m going to be bombed, shot, raped or abused in some way. I’m sure if that was my circumstance I may well not be so happy. Although, in a lot of those places, they don’t really know much different. I am also glad I was born into this era as well and not into some miserable era of the past – but who knows, I may well have been glad to have been born if I had lived in those times as I wouldn’t have known much else or had much of a greater world perspective. There are moments where just breathing in the air while looking at some beautiful landscape or an intimate moment with the one you love or your kids that are just magical.

A barmy 1 or 2 degrees on Plymouth although I’m sure things are different up on Dartmoor. Think we’ve only had 2 light frost so far this winter. Amazed how much warmer winters are down here – I’m still in shorts most of the time

Sounds like it’s quite balmy too given what the rest of us are seeing :)

I would echo the recommendations for the Vectra and the Mondeo. Have had a couple of both of them over the years. Both big cars with lots of space. The Vectra was a muchly unloved car in the media but has a mahoosive boot. Just open the boot and throw the bikes in. Reasonably economical and ok to drive. Probably the biggest bargain of the lot.

Been enjoying it too although there have been quite a few moments where it feels like a little more attention to detail would help with the realism. I remind myself that this is entertainment / a story and not reality so let the little things ride. However, last nights obvious ones were: He has an awful lot of free time for a consultant, wifey can just breeze into surgery viewing room, wifey didn’t even start to bleed properly from the scalpel stab and was “happy” walking about with the police and finally the jump to fingering the surgeon as the bad boy by Halliday all seemed a bit sudden and unfounded.

But, like I said, as a piece of fictional entertainment we are enjoying it.