A bit niche but “The Darkness Beckons” by Martyn Farr is a history of cave diving and is a classic.

This sunny weathers a bugger @Tdog! Glad you’re hanging in the mate, welcome to a tour of ArdRock country once this CV goes away. Stay safe

As a currently off duty firefighter who is 2 weeks into not shaving just cos I can, how on earth do you get past the itchy stage?!?

So… new message appears to be
“Stay at home – unless you fancy a nice trip out in the car for a walk”
“Stay at home – Well actually go to work”
I despair. Swaledale is going to be like a bank holiday again this weekend. This is a total shambles.
But it’s ok. New hospital for London.

For others in the co-parenting situation I’m told a lot of MP’s have raised on Twitter that no guidance has been given as to whether that counts as essential travel. Concensus appears to be that it will be.

@Markwsf I’m not 100% on this either. Ex and Daughter live 30 mins away. I have to drive around for work regardless (emergency services)
Some clarity about how this applies to co-parenting would have been good.
Does she live in my home, well yes, just not all of the time?

Nice one :) @Bruneep

For anyone even remotely tempted to complain they can’t ride their bike now, I and many others now have no idea if or when they will ever see their children again. Heartbroken doesn’t come close. Patience over bike ride complaints is pretty thin.

Having spent this afternoon in the snow trying to change anti roll bar bushes, I for one can fully understand why people don’t work on their own cars!!

I have a working (not that well as I trained it) collie and a cat. The cat arrived second and fairly shortly was the boss of the collie. Collie’s have the herding instinct but cats have claws, a lesson he learnt fairly swiftly.

No idea what I did but it seems to be firing and running fine now! Off out for an hour so assuming the house hasn’t burnt down on my return that seems to be a success.
Thanks All!

This is the boiler is that link has worked. Why is that 1/4 turn valve closed? With it open that braided hose leaks oil from 3/4 pin sized holes. Think it’s that?

Ok, optical sensor pulled out and cleaned. It was quite sooty. It sparks and then emits a merry little plume of smoke from behind where the burner unit is…….

Cheers for the suggestions all, I’d wondered if the flame sensor was likely as it does fire up and burn.
Will hang on for the oil delivery and see if that works and if not see if I can find and clean the sensor.
Doesn’t help the boiler is about 40 years old I don’t think with the worlds most woeful instructions!
Ta!

Admiral for me. Caddy with SDP and commuting between workplaces. About £400 fully comp

Re CarPlay, does anyone know why on my iPhone I can see the list of apps on there but seem to have lost the screen where they jiggled about a bit (technical term) and I could rearrange them on the screen….
Does anyone know where it’s gone?

Watched the start in Richmond with work and saw odd bits of the tv coverage. The Colombian lad in tears was heartbreaking! Really glad he got to finish!

Hello all,
A very long overdue update from me and the small person! Sorry it’s taken so long!
Well, thanks to friends we managed to find a 6 month let on a house nearby (for those who know where I mean, its at the bottom of the schoolmaster pasture descent just before the gate – kettles always on if I’m home!)
It’s lovely having somewhere that feels like home again, and Grace is very happy. If anything it’s nicer than the old house, every cloud hey (literally)
I’ve sent a solicitors letter to the letting agents which details why their notice is invalid but that subject to agreement i may be persuaded to give vacant possession early. Tbh on reflection I don’t think I want to go back there again now, I’ve had to go back a few times to collect bits out of the garden or collect post and it mostly just leaves me upset and angry.
The STW cash lies more or less untouched at the moment, and I’m busy looking for deals on replacement stuff to swap with household stuff im borrowing at the moment. You did however for the first time ever give me enough of a buffer to take Grace away for a day at the zoo and Alton towers. We’ve not had a holiday together before so it was lovely and tbh I think we needed a break!
Swaledale and Arkengarthdale are getting back to normal slowly, some of the biking community helped with picking up stone from the bridleway from Langthwaite which my dad and I are incredibly grateful for (hello if I saw anyone from here while I was walling and listening to the test match, a few people stopped)
Next steps I guess are to try to find somewhere to go after April and work out what I need to buy but we will get there.
FFJA

Google suggests they may have acted illegally by not waiting until they had returned the property to a livable standard and reinstating my tenancy before issuing the notice to quit…
Slightly academic as clearly they don’t want me there but that’s not the point. If they have (and I’m phoning solicitor on Monday) then I’ll be telling them I’m going to pursue a civil claim against landlord and letting agent for mental distress and injury to feelings. And I’m. It the litigious type at all. But this is taking the p***.

Quick update from me and Grace..
That was indeed me on the TV! How embarrasing but at least I didn’t swear!
I spent a few days clearing mud and sewage and kitchen units from the house but this morning took a phone call to say that the landlady has decided to permanently end my tenancy as she has decided to use the house as a holiday cottage.
A quick trail of rightmove shows nowhere to live within 15 miles of Swaledale so it looks like the flood has permanently cost me my home, my retained firefighter job and is going to mean leaving the place I’ve lived since I was a baby.
I’ll be honest, I’m struggling to see the positives at the moment.

Dear all,
Apologies for not updating a bit more frequently, but well, you know.
Thanks to friends and volunteers, the village is starting to get sorted out a bit now! My house is more or less tackled as far as I’ll be involved, and the process of finding somewhere else is on the go. I’m away at work for 4 days now, and tbh while it’s frustrating being away it’s probably no bad thing as the smell was awful!
I’ve seen Grace now, and thankfully she’s treating it as a bit of an adventure and is quite matter of fact about stuff! Kids hey, brilliant little things at times.
As far as this on STW I concerned I can thank people enough. I am blown away by people’s generosity. To the young man who wants to be a firefighter if you’re ever up this way you’re welcome to come and visit the station anytime!
Please don’t donate any more to me! I feel embarrassed enough as it is! If any does want to donate I think there are crowdfunding things set up by the ArdRock organisers which are more deserving than me!
I’m trying to make lists of everything now, admin stuff, amazing how many little things you don’t think of like cancelling stuff/changing addresses etc.
Once I get back in the house you’re all coming to the house warming!!!
Much love and thanks James and Grace x

Hello all,
I really don’t know what to say. The kindness of strangers is just incredible I can’t comprehend it.
I’ve got all the stuff into a skip today so at least I feel like I’ve achieved something. I think you just have to try not to think of it as possessions. Throwing my stuff doesn’t bother me but throwing graces baby toys and things in is heartbreaking.
Met with landlord who has given me notice for the 10th of August so next step is to find a new house, once that’s sorted I’ll have some idea what physical stuff we need.
Thankyou to everyone from the bottom of my and Graces heart, I really don’t know what to say. I could, and have cried.

Oh my goodness. People are genuinely astonishing I can’t quite get my head around the level of help.
Today has been a strange one.
I spoke to my letting agent this morning who’s advise was that my landlady us very hard to get hold of, and unlikely to be contactable about building insurance so “ah well, best find a new home, these things happen etc etc”. I’m meeting them in the morning… I need to phone the CAB really and find out where I stand.
I’ve dragged out with assistance all the furniture, and dumped it in the garden but really I’m not sure what else to do now.
House is wrecked really, logs and rocks etc have bashed holes in walls, and the force of water has ripped internal doors off the hinges. I sat in the kitchen and cried thinking what could have happened to me and my daughter if we had been at home.
That is me on Facebook. If anyone is better than me at putting pictures on here could you add the flood ones to this? Just so people know I’m not taking the mickey..
First step tomorrow is to try to find a house nearby to let that I can afford, then try and work out what I need. Not too bad clothes wise, bedrooms were ok, but I managed to salvage a carrier bag full of stuff from downstairs.
For people who know the place and Ard Rock, you ride past my parents field before Langthwaite, up the riverside track. The track no longer exists. All the walls are down, and my parents pets sheep are in the Ard Rock camping field drowned (Or at least 1 is)
I don’t know what to say to people for being so kind I can’t take it in. I thought I’d get a virtual man hug I never expected anything like this. Unreal I could cry! James x

Cheers all. Sorry for the random rant! At parents tonight so have a kid asleep happily albeit worried about her my little ponies and have managed to get to the house for a look.
The power has been incredible, it’s ripped off internal doors, thrown all my kitchen appliances around the room and piled up the furniture on the downstream side of each room. Pretty bloody scary and tbh I’m glad Grace and I were out at the time as she would have been terrified as tbf would I and I’m meant to be a brave firefighter..
tomorrow is another day eh.

I only wish I was joking.

Hopefully will get some seed yes! Or offset bulbs

Dennis Skinner. Legend.

Not Sean by any chance @chestrockwell?

Ouch. Bet that tickled a bit mate. All the best.

Ticket in basket, all details filled out, website crashes taking payment, everything sold out. Great system. Not. 🤬

Every other weekend Friday night to early evening Sunday for me.

No contact between times, phone calls pictures etc. Zilch.

5 yr old.

I wouldn’t recommend this arrangement as being any good for your mental health 😢

That Emma Chiset yarn was a Kenneth Williams joke

I’m on sertraline.. 100mg a day so still a fairly low dose.

Side effects wise – Initially made me very tired and strange jaw cramps. Also erm it didn’t diminish sex drive but six months on it’s still very tricky to reach a conclusion so to speak… Not that ex Mrs FFJA complained wink wink etc.

Levels me out to a level where I don’t actively think about suicide at the moment.

@johndoh You want to try SkiptonRoad at rush hour in a fire engine 🙄

I had a quick ride up Fremington Edge today, (I say ‘ride’ 🤔😉) and was really quite impressed that other than tyre marks there was no sign of Ard Rock. All the litter id seen was gone! Nice!

Im currently as skint as a church mouse and was suprised to see I was the only one in the large queue who tipped the Stans lads for retaping my wheel and tyre fitting. Maybe I just queued up with some tight arses! 😂

To quote my dad who had to pass a lot of riders along the riverside from langthwaite in a land rover “They were all polite but the fat ones looked tired!”

@postierich I don’t know how the cats cope! Glad they could sort you out mate 👍🏻

@postierich my mum and Dad own the cattery they were most entertained! They say they’re glad you had a good weekend!

Another good year to live in Fremington!

I struggled my way round the Sprint having barely riden this year but I finished, I passed someone on stage 1  and I didn’t come last hooray 😂

if you were in the group who were last down stage 3 hello, thanks for your company on the way round!

Mildly annoyed to put “happy to make it round” and then have a start time of half 1 and be pushed around the course by the sweepers was the only negative for me. That and litter and gates left open. 🤔

A good few years ago whilst a gamekeeper I was spending an evening in late summer sat very quietly in a wood awaiting roosting jackdaws…

sat in silence I was genuinely astonished when a badger stuck its head out of a sett about 5 ft away, seemingly oblivious to me and strolled across to have a sniff at my trouser leg.

Magical and also slightly terrifying incase it decided to bite me! Sadly I moved slightly and it instantly was gone.

I’ve been on it a year 100mg a day.

Initial side effects for me seemed to be ridiculous tiredness after taking it (15mins ish) and also a feeling of having tensed jaw and facial muscles. One of the more unusual side effects aparently. Oh and as others have mentioned the erm failure to ‘finish’..

happily side effects went after a few weeks and my anxiety and irrational rages lessened! I’m happier on it mostly than off.

I initial took it as part of a medical trial through my GP on whether people who had been seen for depression but weren’t prescribed antidepressives would have actually benefited from them.

Good luck OP hope they help