Ha! If only! Happened during the food shop.

My money’s on someone in a Chelsea Tractor reversing into it. It’s around that height. Ironically, I always park as far away from the main car park when I go food shopping because I’ve had this happen to me once before. Last time it was the other side. At least this time, they’ve not gone into the bloody headlight. That would have been a lot more annoying.

I’m tempted to try it myself, but like you say, I don’t want to just make the problem worse. Depending on the other quote I get back I may or may not have a go myself. I’ve been after an excuse to buy a heat gun. It’ll come in handy when I do the decorating I guess.

Recently there was a bit of a pump and dump on XRP. I’d be careful if I were you.

As a technology, XRP has potential, but in all honesty, I can’t see it ever gaining mainstream adoption. More likely, the tech will be mimicked to make settlement faster for things that need it.

At the beginning, I just took a bunch of money I could afford to lose and just put it into a bunch of things that I liked the look of. These days, it may make more sense to just buy the 2-3 big players. It’s still just for fun though.

In my opinion, the ones that are just tokens are useless.

Well, Chips Away came back with a price that’s not far off what it costs to replace an entire panel. Is the premium for being a mobile service that high?

I’ve got a plunger, might be worth a go :D

Cheers. I’ll keep that in mind. If I can wait until after lockdown, then I may just do that and go to Maidenhead instead.

Dollar cost average into BTC and ETH. Maybe some XMR if you want to take a punt on something because you “believe in the tech”.

@notmyrealname Cheers, they’re not too far away from me. If they’re mobile and allowed to work during lockdown, then it may work!

It’s not one of those things that “sets in” when they’re left too long are they? I’ve also put in for a quote from the local Chips Away person on someone else’s advice.

@devbrix any chance they’re near Reading?

I’ve added a picture. It’s not terrible, but I do like my car. First one I’ve ever bought so it’s a bit sad that someone just smacked it and buggered off.

To laugh at my misfortune or…

Either way…

Commiserations to @pictonroad 😂😂😂

Alternative would be to get the vendor to pre-pay import, but I’m not sure if they’re setup for that.

Unless they’re collecting on behalf of the PO then it’s not Royal Mail. Arrives in a DHL van too, so I doubt it.

In the US they use ground hyena droppings apparently. You could try and get some fox droppings and see if they work. Some have suggested growing Lavender to keep them away. Not sure that always works.

Hard to answer without knowing what you want to do.

If you want to become a better developer, then maybe go deeper into your current stack. Can you package an application? Write a full suite of tests? Optimise for memory/runtime? Know how your language compiles (Python)?

If you want to become better rounded, try a different language to what you’re familiar with. If you write Python, consider a statically typed language. Or functional programming.

If you’re a data analyst, can you setup data pipelines?

There are a ton of things you can learn, but it’s hard to recommend one without knowing what you want. I think SafariBooks is a better resource for in-depth learning, while PluralSight is good for intermediate or follow along type tutorials. Udemy hS been for more “intro to” type stuff.

With all due respect, the perspective of someone who has been doing it for nearly 30 years (potentially not far off retirement) will have had a different journey. Any midwife I know who has been doing it for the last 15 years (and I know a few) would not advise you to take a career in midwifery. I personally know a newly qualified midwife who ditched a private sector tech job to become a midwife. We advised against it, but she was adamant on doing it. Less than a year later she’s looking to get out of front line work.

I get no pleasure in seeing the profession chew people up and spit them out. Not to mention the collateral damage to their families.

Anyway, the plural of anecdote is not data. If you have interviews coming up then ask them the same questions you would of any other academics in an institution.

WHAts the work life balance like? What’s the pay like and what are the opportunities for progression? what’s the culture you’re going to be working in like? This is what I’d ask, your priorities may well be different.

All the best to you and good luck.

I have some experience here.

As a job, sure it can be rewarding. You make a difference to people’s lives. On the flip side, a bad decision can ruin someone’s life and sometimes even the right decision will wind up doing the same thing.

The working environment is toxic compared to the private sector (I don’t mean private medicine, just private anything else). It is underfunded and exploitative. Good management is rare, pay is crap (in the private sector lower supply and high demand would mean higher wages, not in the NHS) and progress is illusory. You’ll potentially get hung out to dry when things go wrong and I’ve not heard anything good about the unions either.

On the plus side, the holidays are good I guess?

Personally, I would examine your motivations for wanting to work as a midwife. I’ve known more than one person who has ditched a good career in the private sector to work in midwifery because they felt a higher calling and eventually come to regret it. The main reasons they cite are bureaucracy, ridiculous hours, lack of career progression and difficult patients. I don’t know what your background is or your journey is, but I’d take a long, hard look at why you want to be a midwife and how much financial compensation and progress is to you. Either of those are hard won things in the NHS and you’d be better off in the private sector if those are things you value.

@wwaswas
I’d do my exercises with a timer on, figure out how long it took and make sure I scheduled it in each day at a time I know I’d be free.

It worked for me anyway. Physio really does work though, I’m living proof of it!

To anyone and the OP, a good physio is worth their weight in gold. I’ve had physio on the NHS, and the quality of physio is hugely variable. It’s worth using your private cover or self funding to sort it out. Your body is the most important piece of kit you’ll ever have and it’s worth looking after.

Round where I live, physio costs between £60-45 depending on length of appointment and experience of the physio. Most will book you in for a 45 minute initial appointment to assess you, and then you move on to 30 minute sessions for follow ups.

When you see them, get the programmes recommended written down with clear instructions. Some will use something like physioroom to give you instructions and with YouTube you can clear up any confusion about your exercises.

I see mine once a week. It’s the best money I’ve spent.

Oh, and do your **** exercises once you get a program. The number of people I meet who go “oh I had physio, it didn’t work” and in the next breath cop to never doing the programme is astounding.

Great video! Really enjoyed watching that on a rainy day.

I think what you paid is at the upper end of reasonable. It’s usually around £40 an hour for labour isn’t it? If your place is a boutique shop in an out of the way area then they can charge what people are willing to pay I guess?

Picked up my bike today after a BB replacement. They told me up front that it would be an hour’s labour and I’d still be charged that even if I bought the BB off them.

Thought about a Hope but the old SLX BB lasted 6 years. I doubt a Hope will last 24 years or feel 4 times better. Also, £39 for removing and fitting new BB, new inner and outer for gears, and straightening a bent mech hanger.

BB cost me £23. Part of that work included the 5-10 minutes they took to have a look at the BB that was seized. I’d happily pay that again. In fact, I’m happy to keep giving them
business if it means they’ll stay open. My last LBS went under at the beginning of this year. If there aren’t any within a 30 minute drive of me then I might as well give up having an MTB altogether. There just isn’t enough time to do the time intensive tasks anymore. I need a bike for the school run and to keep myself sane. The LBS helps with that so I happily pay the money.

If you think bike shops are expensive then for your sake I pray to the Gods that you never have to deal with a solicitor!

On-One Whippet run as a single speed. Bought it with as an almost rolling chassis off the Classifieds here. Kept me sane through a couple of winters with young kids and even managed some XC races and commutes on it. Eventually sold it after it sat unused once life cranked up a bit more. I do miss it sometimes.

Thanks. I’ve got an XT level BB on order. I’ll go Hope if I wreck this one too.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. Really appreciate your input!

Cheers @coatesy perhaps I should just let the LBS do it then. It’s booked in for next week anyway. I’m not fancying my chances fitting the BB even if I get the current BB out.

Is there a BB type/frame where you’d not get these problems? I guess a carbon frame wouldn’t suffer from the same problem but that’ll come with other problems.

Also, are more expensive BBs worth it (Chris King, Hope).

Thanks, for a moment I was almost in tears thinking I’d messed up my frame.

I’ve got the right tool for the job (looks like a turkey baster with split ends and a dome at the top yes?). I hit it a few times with the cup inside and the sleeve is now wiggling inside the frame. So I should:

– break the sleeve with a screwdriver so I can get it out
– wallop the cups some more with the turkey baster and a rubber mallet

Is this about right? I’ve ordered a spare BB too.

In other news, any recommendations for a steel framed hard tail that has a fit and forget BB?

I have a PCS-10 (the older one without the support brace). It worked quite well and I used to live in a 1 bedroom flat. Looks like someone is selling one for £50 on Gumtree:

https://www.gumtree.com/p/other-miscellaneous-goods/park-tool-pcs-10-professional-bike-stand/1360365818

I highly recommend it. Keep the metal bits greased or GT85-ed regularly and it will last you a long time. Mine is going strong for 10 years and is as good as new. I should easily be able to pass it on to the next generation of cack handed bike mechanics I will no doubt sire :)

You can take 18 weeks of unpaid parental leave.

So that’s nearly 4 months.

If you take your leave on top of that, the. You have near enough to 6 months.

So you could do it without having to quit your job if you wanted to. Your employer needs to agree to it though.

I went flexi time and took 2 months off when my eldest was born. Some of the best times of my life. Sure, we were a bit pinched for cash now and then, but I can always make more money.

The Decathlon one looks good, but the resistance level is too high. Maybe worth a look though. Thanks.

Cheers.

Looks pretty comprehensive then. I’ll try that if I don’t find someone to take me up on it.

When I was building a bike up I went SLX mech and XT shifter. More to do with the bike shop markup at the time for XT over SLX. If it was just a fiver then I’d have sprung for XT.

Doesn’t feel much different once it’s on the bike. I can’t really tell.

Sure. I want to:

– Boost my 1 rep max for the main lifts I do in the gym (squat, deadlift bench)

– Improve my recovery time after short high intensity sprints

– Build some additional muscle mass to help prevent injuries. I have some shoulder and ankle problems I’m working on. Progress is good, but I want to get better. The research I’ve done shows that lifting around 60-70% of your 1 rep max for reps shortly after rehab work will show a marked gain in strength increase so I want to try that out.

I’ve already said that riding is more something I do for fun. So it’s more sports specific stuff I’ll do for my sport. Not cycling.

Isn’t whey a by product of cheese making that the milk producer then looks to shift on?

What’s the unflavoured creatine like by the way?

Vernier calipers?

re metrics, weighing myself is the easiest thing to do. I guess I could just use the BF measurement on the scale, but that seems to vary quite wildly based on water retention, diet and some other stuff.

Good point. I’ll give it a go, and thanks for the links!

I thought the effect on endurance was not demonstrated?

Whoops, realised you wanted a frame bag. Sorry.

Rim turbo so I’ve got a fair bit of clearance before I have that problem.

Something like this happened to me once.

Bath with an incorrectly plumbed in overflow in this case.

The people below were not nice at all. I told them to whistle for it. They claimed for it on their insurance. The claims adjuster came round to have a look. Said it wasn’t our fault and that was that. Insurance covered everything for them. They were also in the process of selling.

This is what insurance is for. Politely tell him to claim from his insurer.

Damn, that looks like just the ticket! Thanks @nemesis

Bet Google wouldn’t have turned that one up ;)