Best thing would getting a towbar mount fitted then getting a rack for that. Wouldn't fancy a couple of DH bikes hanging by a few straps.

Done Judo since I was a nipper.

Tried Karate 1st but bored easily. 1st thing I learnt in Judo was how to throw somebody on the ground and then sit on them. V useful as a small boy.

As above training and discipline were really useful as a child. Now I just do it for a wee bit of fitness, still enjoy it and love showing others new/old techniques. Being thrown around hurts a lot when you learn as an adult by all accounts though.

Dislike some competition judo can be very dull to watch though I promise it's much more exciting when you are the 1 fighting.

Saw 1 in Chester, obviously empty and heading back to depot at 11pm.

Seen about 2mm of snow and feeling kind of left out.

Did a straw poll today and I was the only one of 7 of us to admit to deliberately heading out to large open car parks to slip/slide and handbrake turn around for entertainment!

I used the old 'it'll help me know how to control it if I do skid in real life' excuse as they all looked blankly at me.

Remember getting chased off the (empty)car park at Timex in Dundee by security for having fun getting it sideways!

Heard on news earlier that somebody had bet £24500 on Button, Oooops.

Quite happy with that result as Giggs is 1 of the few footballers you can respect for his hard work and it is impressive how well he is playing at an age when most professional footballers are well past their best or retired.

Suprised him too I think and he does come across as quite shy so not ever going to be a great acceptance speech.

Needs to be spotless and depending on how you value your time but my friends returning to NZ just gave the tyres away rather than spending hours toothbrushing them to the required level.

Whew, have bought 1 for my brother-in-law as he spends large amounts of time driving around north of Scotland in pool cars and when I read those initial reviews I thought I'd bought a duff pressie.

Like Alpkit stuff, pretty reasonable and good if just general outdoorsy.

Voted on both, good luck guys!

Seems with the advent of paying fees, students are becoming more demanding!

Some have worked out the cost of each lecture etc, and have been noted to complain if they feel it wasn't worth the money.

This may help to improve some teaching methods, but too much weight given to the student view could well reduce the quality of their education as they get more spoon-fed.

Tell them their exams will be when they are set by the university not by the students.

Check with your vet.

Most will do 'direct claims' if you have a large bill. However there are several companies (not prepared to name them on here though) where some practices won't do direct claims as they are notoriously bad/late at paying.

As above Petplan, M&S etc good. Most important are life-term cover and a good level of cover too.

Done well this year, off Xmas and Boxing day. I hate christmas Bah Humbug!

Once you get past being a child it's just a pain in the backside. Trying to think of the right present to get people. Thinking of things you'd like people to buy you. (invariably they never get it quite right)

Wonder how many xmas presents end up as landfill several years later having spent a long time languishing at the back of some cupboard before enough time has passed for you to feel ok about binning something you never wanted or used?

The only good things are catching up with family and friends and an excuse to eat and drink well. Mmmm Roast Turkey with all the trimmings is fantastic.

Very difficult, love everybody liking Portishead.

But for me has to be The KLF White Room. Just love that album.

They also benefit from having the top athletes heading towards Rugby esp league as the lure of the round ball is not as strong and doesn't pay the astronomical amounts that it does in Europe.

Strangely there is a major obesity problem in Oz too!

Mmmm, possibly! Haven't signed up yet but as subscriber will ring to upgrade. This type of set up is what I think newspapers may well head towards.

Think they will survive and may start to charge for access online too, especially to their analysis and comment sections.

Nothing beats a good nosy through the paper with a mug of coffee after dinner. Yes you will have already heard all the major news but even browsing online is not as convenient or as likely to stumble upon interesting bits that you may not search out online otherwise.

Oh and can't beat the crossword too!

Thanks guys, backs up what I remembered from previous thread ie I can take photos but they can ask me to leave private land eg car park.

Will be better informed next time, did tell security chap that I could take photos even if it was private land and he disagreed. Short exchange of opinion before I left as he was not going to change his opinion and I couldn't be bothered.

Was stood in their car park whilst taking the photos so thought might be an issue there as that is probably private land.

I'd stick with the Panasonic, got one of the compact ones with 10x optical zoom (poss just outside your price range for the older versions but worth hunting for) and it is a fantastic bit of kit.

Have bought one for my dad who loves it and considering getting another as my wife uses it for work lots and I rarely see it.

Done portaging canoes when was in BC many years ago doing the Bowron lake circuit. Hard work carrying all your stuff and the boat.

We were too cheap to rent the wheels you can strap on the bottom of your canoe and turn it into a great big wheelbarrow!

Agree Mears is v relaxing to watch and love it when he does hisory etc as well as how to survive on bear poo and pine needeles.

Had a ceilidh at our wedding and at lots of others too, you can find bands down south too but need to be careful as some are a bit ropey (just like back home too!).

If not then a Barn dance would be as good I'm sure.

Best thing about them is they get everyone of all ages up and dancing and interacting, esp if you get the band to do some of the progressive dances.

Would prob squeeze into your budget too.

Rode at both Balblair and Carbisdale. Balblair black really quite technical but great fun, Carbisdale is very short though, did it and thought I'd missed 1/2 of it as it went so fast. Still fun for a wee blast.

Golpsie is meant to be fantastic though so will head for that next time we are heading up to visit relatives again!

Have the original Storm and get on fine with it, but wouldn't want to have to type any long messages on it.

Browses ok, plays music fine and works as a phone fine. Couldn't be bothered changing from Vodaphone but do still think I will replace it with something else all the same.

I was soooo disappointed when the fat repulsive, over-opionated, egotesticle failed to collapse from altitude sickness when climbing Kilimanjaro.

The only reason he hasn't been replaced is that the rest of the Nu talent eg Fearne Cotton lack any originality.

Often ride it with my mate, him on a Kona Stinky and me on a Genesis hardtail. I wait for him on the ups and he waits on the downhills (though usually a lot less!)

If it's his 1st time he may not notice the forks but surely the best option is to give him the PA and you ride the SX, yes you will be overbiked, make sure to tell him that he won't need all the suspension or he probably worry he doesn't have it.

Aye if you could get them both to stand in line then it would only take 1 bullet.

Could not find a redeeming feature for either of them as presenters other than doing it for charity. God I would love the chance to travel through some of those bits of the world.

Totally agree about Robbie Williams tonight, Flicked telly on and He looked like those ads the Polis are now running about drug driving.

Was remarkable to see him live on telly like that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XC_Rj51DLI

30 Seconds to Mars version of Kanye West's Stronger.

Lemar doing Darkness and I believe in a thing called love.

Live Lounge coverss can be great.

Shh don't spoil it. I am watching it on Channel 4 +1

Are the others available on 4OD does anyone know?

Chicken nuggets make you run very fast though!

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Thanks everyone, some good suggestions there. Quite like sculpture and architecture so should be enough for a couple of days i would hope.

Can't see attraction of emty stadia so will avoid nou camp.

Is the olympic parc up to much?

Fine re the importance of the Beatles but going back to the OP, the release of old rehashed stuff and a computer game is JUST NOT NEWS, SO STOP GOING ON ABOUT IT ON THE BBC NEWS!

NB this doesn't apply just to the Beatles but 1/2 the news seems to be trails of other programs or events covered by the BBC, drives me mad so it does. Not a good way to start your morning ranting at the telly before 8am.

Ta Simon, it looked pretty bare of bridleways, cheeky trails I don't mind but may struggle to explain them to the other half if we get spotted, esp as it will be weekend time.

May try and sneak off myself though!

Bike the american mountain bike mag, can be found in places like Borders, has a whole womens feature this month.

Can probably find it online too!

Said when going out as a teenager

Be good, if you can't be good be careful, if you can't be careful don't come home!

Like many I can appreciate the music and the ongoing effect they had on popular music but I am rather tired of hearing all about it again.

I quite like the fact that due to the ongoing Apple dispute that Itunes remains Beatles free!

This is all about money and appealing to some audiophiles who enjoy having several different copies of the same song. As I am tone deaf it makes bugger all differnce to me.

Hijack CFH guess you have bought latest copy of Bike with the Emily Batty interview?

It's even worse when you have actually seen the bears that day.

Now what is it you do for a brown bear vs a black bear, climb tree, fight back or just poo yourself.

Remember reading various guides that suggested different tactic depending on which species of bear attacked you and always wondered how they worked that out.

Not fantasy but deffo comical Christopher Brookmyre's books, loved them all but esp A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away and also The Sacred Art of Stealing.