Can’t offer advice on what snorkel set to buy but FACTOR IN FACIAL HAIR!

It sounds daft but I never even thought about  it until yesterday on holiday the day before a scuba diving excursion when I decided to snorkel off the beach to test my mask and quickly realised that I could get it to seal for love nor money.

A few minutes of head scratching until I realised it was my beard/moustache.

I then had to pop back to the room to shave my tash off and trim the beard hairs high up on my checks, fine before the trip but 11 days into a Caribbean holiday it left me with a white top lip much to the other half’s amusement!

Defibs are amazing, the more of them we have available the better.

I’ve personally performed CPR on approx. 15 people under a range of circumstances from overdoses, car crashes, medical problems, hangings and stabbings to name just a few. Unfortunately as a police officer I have very limited medical training. On all occasions due to the nature of my job a defib has been available and on scene within 5 minutes of CPR starting.

On all but 2 occasions the defibrillators advised “no shock” be performed. On 4 occasions the patients heart has started again either from the defib or specialist ambulance equipment (including a specialist team cutting open a chest cavity and massaging a heart with their hands at the roadside). Only 2 regained full consciousness and survived.

Defibrillators are brilliant and have saved countless lives but the point is once somebody is under cardiac arrest there’s often very little that can be done

One thing people don’t tell you is how physically difficult CPR is, they also never mention if you’re first to perform the CPR you’ll feel breaking ribs as you’ve got to compress 1/3rd of the body depth. Ambulance teams often cary LUCAS chest compression machines which do the job for them freeing them up to perform other critical functions but it’s a brutal thing to witness.

I havn’t used them myself but I am in the market for a new car and towbars for cycling is a key consideration. 2 of the main dealers I have visited independently advised me that they get all their towbars fitted from Hedleys and have never had any issues so I would not hesitate to use them myself

I live and work local. A walk along the riverbanks is good, take a boat out from the boathouse for £10. Finchale priory is well worth an explore look but park on cocked road and walk down the steps or footpath.

Food and drink wise just wander round the city and see what you fancy. Stay away from north road if you can the bus station redevelopment has left that area a magnet for undesirables but the Indian at the top is very nice.

Edit to add its Browns Rowing boats which is situated outside of the boathouse pub.

I’ve got a newbuild 3 bed semi with upstairs and downstairs semi smart thermostats. I have the heating set to 21/22 degrees for the times I’ll usually be in each place accepting that sometimes I’ll be heating an empty house

Sometimes I whack it upto 24 if I’m cold or need stuff to dry fast on the radiators, I use a dishwasher and washing machine probably every 3 days but never the tumble dryer. Showers always under 5 mins never baths. Gas & Electric costs me about £40/month. I could save a bit but partly why I bought a new home is for the energy efficiency and warmth, life is to short to be cold or worry about putting the heating on