but IMO if they spook at things they should not be on public land or roads.

I used to be an equine ambulance driver for HAPPA and I was tasked to collect an ex police horse who had had 10yrs in the service and had policed large football matches and riots. You could have a brass band playing next to him or set fireworks off and he would not flinch.
One day out on patrol a crisp packet blew between his legs and he spooked, landing on a taxi. My point is that you can desensitise horses as much as you can but they are living beings with their own will and their own interpretation of a situation, you can never make any living being completely bomb proof.
There will also be quite a large proportion of horses beginning their education on the roads at the moment as they are brought into work for the summer, most people ride out in pairs with the inexperienced horse on the inside. However this may not be possible at the moment and some riders may think that the quieter roads might pose an opportunity to take the risk.
A lot of riders don’t ride out because of the risk anyway and don’t bother with desensitising education.

@lunge it sounds like you’re a bit anxious and are trying to do your best to keep a physical distance. I understand your frustration and it’s good to voice your concerns and ask questions, I’m glad you did rather than thinking that all riders are twits; it’s only me 😂

@lunge apt name for this thread. Horses need to be checked a couple of times a day to make sure that they’ve not injured themselves and have enough water and food, it’s a legal as well as a moral responsibility. Not every livery yard has the facilities or space for horses to be exercised on site such as a school in which you can lunge, or gallops. Fields are generally for grazing, especially if there’s multiple horses at the yard as it can cause accidents and damages an essential food source.
Few horses are ok with being turned out to grass with no exercise for a few days never mind weeks or months, it’s like getting on a rogue rocket. There’s also a few health implications which can be fatal such as laminitis which is a bit like diabetes, especially at this time of year when the grass is full of sugar. Horses can also suffer from mental health problems due to confinement which can manifest as repetitive behaviours.
With regard to riding on singletrack, should anyone be using it if there’s not enough room to pass comfortably? I’d be avoiding it regardless if I was on foot or any saddle if it’s that busy

Have you read any other books by Will Hutton? How Good We Can Be suggests ways in which British society can change for the better.

Whilst his efforts are commendable and he’s raised an amazing amount, when did the NHS become a charity?
It demonstrates a massive failure of our government that we don’t provide the necessary basics to save lives, would we run out of ammo in a war?
Missiles costs tens if not millions of pounds, yet a centenarian is raising money for £1 masks

I used to be a regular at Pure up until ’95 and they had many guest djs over the years, I don’t think I missed a single one. I’d love to have seen Andrew Weatherall play again but my favourites are Green Velvet/Cajmere and JD Twitch, he’s been doing some lockdown stuff on SoundCloud. If you’re feeling a bit reminiscent he curated the soundtrack to Beats.

Single parent to 9 & 12 year old girls, I think I have it sorted. It was difficult at first but by day 2 of lockdown we started settling into a routine. The days began with tantrums and homeschooling was quickly abandoned, until the teachers turned to TikTok with new videos going live at about 5pm, now they’re rapping science formulas; at what was bedtime. They’re now falling asleep after me which gives me until lunchtime to get stuff done. We then spend the afternoon together, well awake at the same time.
I’m lucky they go to their dad’s for 2 nights a fortnight, my friend is trying to look after her little one whilst wfh full time; the dad chose to move in with his girlfriend’s family during lockdown

One good thing about this crisis is that it is reconnecting and rebuilding communities. There’s several fantastic wee community groups which have sprung up during this crisis, you’ll find most of them on local fb pages. You could email your local councillor, they’ll most likely have a list of groups helping out and people requiring assistance.

Leadership across the Western World, [both Governments and Opposition parties] has been severely Lacking relation to the threat of a Pandemic.

The only Western leader of recent times who would have been on top of this is George W bush.

There’s a fair few western leaders that seem to be on top of the pandemic, Merkle, Arden, Jakobsdóttir…

Tranquility Mix from JD Twitch ✌️

Listen to JD Twitch – Tranquility Mix 2 by JD Twitch (Optimo) on #SoundCloud

less than 7000 deaths would be good news.

Wow! That’s sobering news. It’s appreciated though TiRed, thanks for sharing your information and expertise.

Acer Campestre (Field Maple) would be a good choice for the birds, it’s a native variety that supports over 300 different species of wildlife, as does Hazel. They’re both suitable for small gardens and hedging too as they can be cut back

I’m in awe of those who can run for more than a minute without collapsing, I’ve downloaded the Couch to 5k and done my first 2 runs. I miss being able to change gear or freewheel when I get puffed out, I felt totally crippled after the first run, even my shoulders hurt so I’m now doing yoga as well. I’m expecting big improvements when I get back on the bike

Wild and feral horses would clock up around 30 miles a day, a horse in a 12′ by 12′ stable or an acre paddock doesn’t have the opportunity to do that and needs exercised. Have you ever seen a horse come out of box rest? It feels like you are water skiing on land and the captain has baled. You can’t ride if there are other horses in the field, it often ends in carnage or pornographic, and if space is limited it damages an essential food source. If you don’t ride frequently the horse can develop behavioral issues, psychological problems akin to rocking in a corner staring blankly at wall. Physiologically, as with humans there are diseases associated with inactivity such as laminitis; where the pedal bone rotates an can protrude through the sole of the foot, even just short periods can have life threatening results.
What’s the worst that can happen to your bike if it’s in the shed for a couple of months? Mine is in the kitchen whilst I service and upgrade, I’d love to go out on it but there’s more people on the local trails (it’s only a short drive from town) I’ve started running instead, I’m knackered by the time I get to the end of my drive never mind sight of the trails.

I think I’ll go for runs or rides in the city, the videos and photos show deserted streets and it’s only a half hour drive. I’ll need to get petrol on the way, maybe a snack too. Loads of people seem to be coming to the village, it’s normally quiet here but today it’s like a town centre.
There’s two village shops which are providing a lifeline for vulnerable residents, but if the staff get ill then the community will suffer. Rural communities struggle to maintain sustainability at the best of times with poor public transport and services, which have been cut back further because of the pandemic. Living in the countryside is not a privilege, many of us do so for economical reasons and the distance is often a trap blocking access to facilities. If you live in an urban area, there will be another shop next door or a quieter neighborhood to exercise in nearby and more support services should you need them. In contrast living in a village means that I’d have to travel 4 miles to the next shop and if I became seriously ill I’d have to wait longer and travel further to get help. The farmers are rightly concerned by the increase in footfall, viral spreading aside it is also lambing season and an increased risk to their animals. A lot of them have had disasters such as flooding recently and are struggling to get back on their feet, and if they become unwell they might not be able to attend their stock and land.
The advice is clear to stay home and exercise locally

My coffee machine broke yesterday, I’d had it for years and it made a perfect cup every time (until it went rogue). It was an old version of the one below

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/8477958

That sounds a nightmare Countzero, thankfully these guys have been quite fortunate and should be on a plane home now

They’ve had an amazing journey cycling around the world, whilst brexit was predicted, epic wildfires and a pandemic were not and they’ve made the sensible decision to return home. They’ve experienced humanity at its best, fixed several punctures, seen global catastrophes and gone through several tubs of sudocrem since they left Edinburgh last May. They plan to complete the last 2.7k miles of their 18,000 mile challenge when this is all over, so that they can reach their £5k target for CCLASP.
You can read their blog on Instagram or Facebook 😊

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-MqMkJnPuV/?igshid=10h8c328ovmwl

@tjagain Love from Leith

Anarchy gets my vote

Kate Tempest sounds awful, but aphex_2k’s recommendation for Omar Musa gets a thumbs up. I was privileged to meet him and Luka Lesson a couple of years ago, they totally changed my perception of poetry and spoken word

There’s nowhere near Edinburgh that cuts womens hair for less than £40, and that’s for an apprentice. I bought clippers and did my own hair for about 3yrs, saving around £500. The world ain’t ready for a woman in her 40’s with a skinhead because she doesn’t give a **** about commercial beauty standards though, but the Jimmy Krankie comments wore me down 🤣

The meaning of gender has morphed from what is now referred to as an individuals sex, which we think of as male or female. However, there are several cases of diverse sexual development which covers a range of conditions such as the guevedoces whom are born appearing as female and then develop as male when they hit puberty. Due to our culture we’ve been taught a very simplified view of what constitutes as a human being, with anyone who is different regardless of the reason being classed as weird, challenging and inferior. We have also been taught that our physical appearance is our identity and our sexual orientation is a conscious choice, but we are learning that there are several different elements which form us and how they are influenced.
Gender is thought of at the moment as a social construct based upon how we expect males and females to behave. Yet it’s shown across our genome that each chromosome pairing can vary, leading to a spectrum of different results from autism; which according to Simon Barron-Cohen is extreme male brain with male behaviour patterns, to a homosexual whom we may think as having an extreme female brain. That doesn’t mean that the autistic female is gay nor does it mean that the gay male is autistic, yet they represent what we think of as opposing behavior patterns.
Regardless of difference all are valid expressions of what it is to be human, whether or not you understand the nuances, be kind. That doesn’t mean that you can’t question or have a laugh but be willing to accept if you accidentally make a faux pas, apologise and try not to repeat.

Keep doing Rest Imobilise Cool Elevate, if it doesn’t improve over the week then go to the gp.
“Blue job” just call me Bob 🤣

OP, I can’t offer advice but I do offer my sympathy. I hope that you can work through it.

To the others, please forgive me for speaking out of turn. “MGTOW” are more than anti-feminist, they are a right wing extremist group which advocates social separation between white men and everyone else (except for prostitutes).
I’ve nothing against those opinions, I’d be quite happy for you to disappear into your man cave and to not see you out on the trails. I don’t think this is the thread to be having this discussion and it seems that you are praying on the vulnerable in the knowledge that any challenge will derail the thread, this is known as grooming and can be likened to the techniques used by the ISIS.
However I felt the need to say something as I find it quite intimidating to think that I could meet some of these attitudes out on the trails, and that they would go unchallenged.

Some “buried treasure” from Andy’s Black Notebook, there’s 11 volumes! Here’s the first 5

Roberto Saviano said in 2016 “there was a hidden danger of voting to leave the European Union that was little discussed.”

In the article he details how London was the criminals financial gateway to Europe and the consequences for us if we left the EU. On the plus side, if you’ve bought bitcoin I bet the value just went up

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/29/roberto-saviano-london-is-heart-of-global-financial-corruption

Somebody did an awesome portrait of him in Edinburgh

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=187935109107091&id=100036718085034&ref=content_filter#!/photo.php?fbid=187935082440427&id=100036718085034&set=a.111340663433203&source=57&refid=52&ref=content_filter&_ft_=mf_story_key.187935109107091%3Atop_level_post_id.187935109107091%3Atl_objid.187935109107091%3Acontent_owner_id_new.100036718085034%3Athrowback_story_fbid.187935109107091%3Aphoto_id.187935082440427%3Astory_location.4%3Astory_attachment_style.photo%3Athid.100036718085034&__tn__=EH-R

Oh! That is sad, he’ll be missed by many. He was one of my favorite producers and djs, I spent many nights (and mornings) dancing to his beats and he even played at a friend’s wedding. I don’t remember when he came for tea, but there’s photos so it must of happened. 😥

“She wrote on her Instagram account in October last year: “The last few weeks I’ve been in a really weird place… I find it hard to talk about it .. I guess it’s anxiety and pressure of life … and when I actually reached out to someone they said I was draining.” The Telegraph

It’s not all bikes, beaches and beers. Their butts 😱😳🤭 Boy do these guys deserve donations

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8bFE19H5F-/?igshid=1wwbczgz8gl8u

I eventually got round to watching it, thanks for sharing epicyclo. I really enjoy discovering other narratives which challenge my own beliefs.
It was impressioned on me in my childhood through education, media and some family that British is Best. We were taught about the Scottish and European Enlightenment, the revolution in thinking and invention, my own family lit up the world (invented parifin) The fact that we colonised and civilised most of the world was testament to this. My family had benefited greatly from the empire and wars, they owned a nice wee island in the Caribbean and almost 900 slaves when slavery was abolished. Really no idea why the slaves were complaining when we’d given them god and clothes.
The legacy of the empire still plays out in our prejudices today, not only racial it effects all aspects of our cultural structure and it’s important to question.
What really strikes me about many of the African narratives is that they are about leading women.

I’ve just returned to them after 20yrs. 2 weeks ago I bought a pair of cherry 1460’s, I forgot how long they take to break in but they are showing potential and I only need a couple of plasters now

My aunt appointed my mum (her SIL) as executer of the estate, it came as a surprise to my mum as my aunt had a brother but no children but she often looked after my brother and I when we were little. However my mum had a good friendship with her and had helped her out and visited regularly as she had always been in poor health, the brother didn’t and they hadn’t seen each other for over a year.
We didn’t know she had any assets and wouldn’t have expected anything anyway. It came as a surprise to find out that she had a sizeable estate and that she wasn’t leaving it to her brother. She had donated the lot to Cancer Research! We all thought that was brilliant and hadn’t expected such benevolence which would benefit millions. The brother wasn’t so impressed and wanted to contest it, we were told that there was no chance as charities do persue aggressively. I’m so proud of my aunt

Woodster: BAME people are just as likely to be influenced by whitewashing as white people and perhaps don’t feel comfortable enough to challenge the dominant culture. Just because they don’t see insult in a comment doesn’t mean that it’s not there or that it has no detriment to them. You say that you are “middle class” I’m guessing that is to confirm that you are educated, however this gives you insulation from many of the more obvious adverse effects of racism. Unfortunately education can also entrench stereotypes into the psyche, ever studied the enlightenment? They all believed in the “science” behind eugenics and that there were different physiological classifications of humans, something I have been told is fact by the head of education at East Lothian Council.
Having read the thread in question it is clear that they were both argumentative (that’s the nature of twitter) however it looks like AS was trying to squeeze in an ambiguous insult. It’s a common tactic as they can then claim ignorance or lack of intent to offend, even if it does cause offence. However it does not only offend it causes detriment and harm as it embeds negative ideas into individuals and our society. The intent is negligible, especially when there’s no recognition of the damage caused.
Martin isn’t complaining about being offended, he’s complaining about the catastrophic outcomes caused to people by casual racism especially when it’s perpetuated by prominent people with influence.

Shorts are more comfortable and dry faster than trousers in wet and windy weather, bare legs also warm up faster when they get back in their van

@wwaswas is right though. How many times has what constitutes racism been discussed? Looking back at pretty much every conversation about race involving the dominant culture, the outcome is the same every time; we’re entitled to use racist tropes ’cause although those comparisons dehumanise other people it’s just a bit of banter.
Racism (and other forms of discrimination and prejudice) are insidious, it’s not necessarily the fault of individuals, but surely it’s our responsibility as individuals to ensure that what we say or do doesn’t harm others. The words may seem innocuous but they do fortify our and others prejudice, and cause detriment to those that do not fit our image.
Isn’t it time to listen and accept what we are being told by those whom it affects? If not then that’s willful ignorance and conscious discrimination which is certainly r*****