Went for my usual loop last night out of Bishops Waltham. More effort than it was worth I’m afraid. Thought things may have been harder due to the frost over the past 2 days but its made the clay even stickier!

Still managed a pint in the brushmakers though, so all was not lost.

Before Christmas I started trying to ride the small deer paths in the forest of Bere, so might just carry on with that. Some promising little routes.

Mostly little country lanes so surprise quite a few deer, then a blast through Manor Farm country park alongside the river Hamble. Brilliant in the early morning as you look east over the river at the sunrise. Pity about all the noise from the M27 though.

Read all the armageddon’s. Good books for night shifts but kinda got carried away with some of the story lines. Just ordered a hard back of ww3 1983 that team Yankee is based around looking forward to it!

I’m watching.

Just finished reading team Yankee and a whole load of other “what if” cold war books, so this is well timed!

Sorry no pics but recognise the old winchester hill Mud climb.

Signed up for BHF SDW in July. Know it well from Winchester to qecp as it’s my local, but after there, it’s dark territory!

Stevomcd, I’ve just sent you an e-mail enquiry.

BHF SDW in a day for me too. That’s it at the moment as shifts and new baby don’t allow much time for anything else.

Thanking you all kindly!

I’ve got amazon music. I’ve got an amazon prime account so no extra costs. I like it. Found some bands that I probably wouldn’t have came across otherwise.

Definitely forces thing but the only sauce required is some OMD 90 and blood.

I’m going to start asking for a lot if advice this year. I’ve been skiing every season for 20 years but this will be the first with our 10 month old baby in tow!

We’re flying to France or Austria. Other than that its a big unknown!

Any help with resorts, child care, packing lists etc would be great. I’m feert!

Kja78, I’ve never met a padre that can do drill! :D

Sorry, was making a rough guess! Not too far off! I had been accepted to tullyallan for Strathclyde Police but also got accepted for ATC. It was a no brainer!

That’s the one moose! Saluted with his left hand in a fist!

I was on the old 77 pension and they asked us if we wanted the new 03 pension after a briefing on it. We all laughed and walked out.

Kja78, met some brilliant padres. Best was the Colonel para padre at Leconfield back in 1999. He was bat shit crazy but everyone loved him.

Airtragic, Recruitment is at a stand still anyway. I’ve got friends of friends who passed selection still waiting on a course. As I said earlier, I was a squaddie for 8 years so got out whilst young enough to try something else.

I also know Mil pension rates so your better off just hanging on in there.

I don’t know anyone at work who’s on here tbh!

Jambalaya, I can’t think of a witty response, sorry!

Curto80.

Yes I work at swanwick.

Interesting thread as most of the jobs I’ve never heard of or considered! Been a squaddie, ski instructor, sparkie and shop stock room boy but I’ve landed on my feet now.

Air traffic controller. It’s amazballs.

Great thread!

Our little girl is 19 weeks so just got through the rougher stuff and getting slowly settled into a routine.

My wife and I both work shift patterns but she will be on maternity leave for 9 months whilst I’m back at work. Our closest relatives are 2hrs away and We also have a 17 month old working cocker. She did not have PND but here is a few tips that I found usefull.

Having our dog was great as my wife had no option other than to get out the house once a day.

We went to NCT and as a group we have all stayed in touch. WhatsApp group for the blokes and wife’s mean advice and support is always there. Had a belter of a curry with the guys last week.

Get a good baby carrier and take the young Un for a long walk and let your other half have time off. The dog helps here. My wife is like a refreshed person if I take everything off her hands for a couple of hours.

If friends come round be brutally honest. If they want a cuppa or beer, they get it themselves AFTER, they’ve emptied the dishwasher, hung out the washing etc. As our family live so far away we rely heavily on neighbours and mates.

Knock the biking on the head until you are in a routine. Either commute to work or get good lights and go out at night when baby is in bed. It’s teamwork.

You will both fallout as it’ll feel like you are both on the wrong page, but this is down to tiredness so take a deep breath and count to 10.

We find that if both of us help out with the bath it’s a really good bonding experience.

Start the bottle ASAP with expressed milk. It took our daughter a while to get what the bottle was and it was a bit of a battle. Wife is giving up the books soon and going onto formula. This way she can get more time off.

It’s hard but when she smiles it does make all the difference. I don’t think over all I’m happier than before. Sometimes I feel like a good cry and that my wife doesn’t think that it’s also hard on me.

The main thing to remember is it gets a lot easier.

From a poshish village in Ayrshire (mauchline) but wouldn’t live in Cumnock or Auchinleck if you paid me.

Live in Hampshire now so anywhere south of the M27. Have particular contempt for Aldershot and Boscombe.

Just inherited my dads record collection, including original Led Zep 1, 2 and 3.

I’d like to see what you have of that’s ok?

Mini cobrakai will only be 10 months in February so very much doubt this season will happen. A couple from our NCT group did say they would consider a chalet and child care share though.

I’ve still got my Swiss wall, first run on a powder day memory from last season that should keep me going.

CO = commanding officer = wife.

Just being childish!

The wife has now said she would like it to be a week long trip so might look further afield.

Thanks for the replies folks.

The CO is from the oxford area so I’ve been looking at the Kennet and Avon canal. Foxhangers looks like its ideally based in Devizes for a round trip over 4 nights to bath and back.

My wife did giggle at the divorce comments but I was really glad to see how relaxing it can be. That’s what I’m hoping for!

Haven’t been in the church actually!

It was always the final push on exercise. Good memories because end ex was called when we got there!

Spent tooooo much time at Imber!

Just noticed this thread.

Got some nice routes from my door in Bishops Waltham but mostly heading over to West walk which is dry at the moment. Walk and run there with the dog quite a lot so clear some of the deer tracks as I go.

Do you enjoy fishing?

We had a mechanic called Dave who, despite being brilliant at his job, was not the sharpest. His nick name was deefor. In other words, d for dave in case he forgot his name.

Another lad who was quite quiet was called sponsored silence.

This makes me laugh. It reminds me of when I was introduced to my girlfriends best friend a few years back at her 30th. She introduced me to her boyfriend. He worked for the lib dems, member of CND and volunteers for campaign against the arms trade.

He got excited to hear I was an ex squaddie and his first question was, “do you get aloud out at weekends?” He was then surprised to hear that as an electronics technician I was well qualified and not infantry. He didn’t realise that you could do such a job in the army and thought that we were all thugs.

It was at that point I realised that some people really don’t have a clue about the forces including a lot of people on here.

6 years later, we’re good mates.

Arrived in Hungary on exercise in 2000 and all troops were loaded onto buses and given a police escort form the airport to the exercise area. The exercise area was criss crossed with civilian roads and the police were at every crossing. They would stop all civilian traffic so we could cross unhindered.

Oh, fire strike 2003. Trying to keep up with our police escort in a green goddess was amusing.

Largest one I saw though was on the M3 when the Farnborough air show was on. Huge convoy with at least 10 unmarked mercs with police bikes and cars. Pakistani flag on one of the cars so assumed it was their defence minister.

Was going to start a similar thread soon as I have an 18month working cocker. He’ll run 4 miles with me but needs rest afterwards.

Was thinking of cycling his usual haunts slowly for an hour and see how he gets on. Plenty of streams on the route but I do have a collapsible bowl.

Being a working cocker he has bundles of energy but wee ickle legs!

Did an emergency landing in stravanger in one back in 2002. Not too bad as the RAF put us up in the raddisson sas for the night while a replacement flew out the next day. After 3 months on exercise I wouldnt like to see the room service bill the RAF had to pay.

I had the mk 4 2.0 “gti” for three year. Apart from it being woefully underpowered for a gti, it was great. Very comfy, handled well. I bought it at 60k and I got rid of it at 125k as the head gasket was going. This was due to me driving from Guildford to Glasgow once a month at 90mph with one stop for fuel.

Check the electric windows carefully as they are notorious on mk 4’s for the clips on the actuators for breaking. Pita to fix. Other than that and the head gasket it was faultless.

If you have a chance get the 1.9tdi instead. As it’s a heavier lump the handling isn’t so good but it’s the best all round car I’ve owned.

Bit drunk so not too coherent a response.

Highlight. Being the first down the Swiss wall after it had been shut for three days because of snow fall. Without a doubt the best powder run I’ve ever experienced.

Low. Organising a trip split between work mates and non work mates. I know my non work mates weren’t first lifters and would like a lie in. They also drink more And we’re therfore slower round the hill which frustrated my work mates and made me feel stuck in the middle.

What I’ve learned. You Can’t please everyone. Even though it was a brilliant holiday, I’m not organising a mixed friends trip again.

I swapped the head unit for a Sony touch screen as the standard fit iPhone set up drove me mental! Still got it to fit back though.

I’ve no problem with mods but when I see an untouched mk2 16v, series 1 rs turbo etc against a modded one, I know which I’d have. Just personal choice I suppose.

34 years old with a bambino on the way. Been a golf fan for years and this is my 3rd after 2 mk 4s. Tdi was superb but the 2.0 “gti” was gutless.

I can see loads of potential in the v6 but I’m leaving it completely standard. It’s only got 40k on the Clock and as long as I keep it serviced and the mileage lowish, it’ll be desirable in 10 years. I think mods can go either way so just leaving it.

Turbo kit though…..

Ben_h, a friend got rid of his mk5 r32 for a mk 7 gti. He says the gti is quicker and better handling but he weeps when he hears mine. I oblige him by revving a lot. :lol: