Thanks for the top tips people :)

Farmer friends welding torch until red hot soon shifted the nuts in the end….

Struggled with ARB bush but also couldn’t make it have any play however much I pulled and pushed it.

Kwik Fits fail is a Halfords ‘not even an advisory’ it would seem……… 🤔

I’m going to have serious words with whoever decided that a teeny little Torx Head in the end of the bolt was the ideal way to stop it turning. It was so close to being off before it stripped!

And as for the top bolt, that hasn’t budged a millimetre even with plus gas/breaker bar….

back to it tomorrow then. Sigh.

I have a little life cross country in hardly used condition for £50 if you’re interested.
I found it great! Comfy and lots of space for bits and bobs

Thanks all, already feeling a bit less hopeless.

Almost all of our communication for past couple of years has been by text, all of which I have saved, eg the offer to have her for the holidays and then the numerous denials that it was agreed, unanswered texts asking when and where I am collecting her for my weekend.

As we never married her default is “parental responsibility doesn’t give you and rights to see her at all or have her over night, I’m being generous, I could have moved and not told you where we were”.. I’m praying a court won’t see it the clear cut if that’s where we end up?…. pretty frightening thought none the less.

All fairly bonkers considering a year ago I was visiting a couple of times a week for bath time/ story time etc and whilst not good it was a lot better than this!

It’s frustrating because when I have her I’ll send pics to show she’s happy and described what we’ve been up to so ex isn’t missing out…

Again, sorry for the venting ha ha.

Thanks for the positive vibes…
At moment I have daughter 2 weekends a fortnight and things were “relatively” amicable, ie could text and ask how she was etc.
Deteriorated recently tho, planned holidays cancelled or time with me ignored/cancelled as “she doesn’t want to see you she just wants mummy”. Ex has changed her phone number etc so that I have no means of contacting them other than through her elderly parents. Nurseys changed without any consultation or input from me etc etc.
Came to a head yesterday with daughter crying behind a door to see me whilst ex refused and said she didn’t want to….
Realistically I don’t imagine I can expect much, mediation is her idea, I think with the plan that someone impartial will tell me that 4 days a month is more than I’m legally entitled to and to stop asking for more or how daughter is.
Daughter enjoys time with me, and has never expressed a wish to visit less , or not to me at least.
Bit of a rubbish time for all 3 of us at moment, just hoping that we can end up with a situation where daughter is happy and feels equally loved and looked after by both parents and that we both feel we are important in making decisions and her life I guess.
Sorry for the rant x

I’d do anything at all if it meant I could see mine and hear her voice

Anyone know how the guy who was passed out in the road outside my house on Sat night was feeling on Sunday morning?! His mate and I had to drag him out of the traffic, looked like a great time at the bar

I thought everyone (and there were many) who passed me on the intro was great and polite! I probably made almost too much effort to let them past!
Worst I saw was a guy shouting and “Grrrr-ing” at the woman infront in the last 15 yards of 5. Chill out surely, she had no where to go?!

From a local farmer point of view… Dad met a lot of riders on the transition before Langthwaite along the river driving to feed sheep and said that without exception they were polite and friendly.
That kind of thing makes a big difference to the future of event so nice one all you polite riders

A very steady pootle round the Intro for me, local so thought I best had! Stage 4 I thought was brilliant, was caught out by the drop off on stage 5 but clung on somehow!
First ever time racing which made me nervous!

Thankyou to the lady on stage 5 ” Please could I come past?”

Thanks all, the YouTube stuff is really handy for inspiration and I’ve also discovered the time sponge that is Pinterest…
I’ve had the 1.6 before and it wasn’t much slower than me 1.4 golf I don’t think.
I’m thinking carpet foam underlay as insulation behind the ply with wool stuffed into the posts to keep it a bit warmer,
Car battery to allow a bit of charging and some led lights
Camping stove etc should do for cooking/brews
Few rugs for floor
Any thing else I’ll regret not having?!

Scandal gets my vote as one of my favourites and probably the most underrated.
Freddie looks particularly cool in the video (and sadl ill) :cry:

For the good times – Johnny Cash version
Something Changed – Pulp.

It gets awfully dusty with either of these for me….

Thanks mate, they’ve certainly taken the edge off it, although eating isn’t a great deal of fun!
I’m almost looking forward to an extraction tomorrow, although last time it took hours to prise the tooth out, the dentist had to stop for a drink and a breather!

I’m with you on this one OP :(
A week of unbearable tooth pain and a refusal by any NHS dentist to see my as an emergency and I cracked and went private although I can’t afford it!
£137 lighter I have 2 types of antibiotic and tramadol which is the only thing that’s touched the pain.
Extraction or root canal booked with NHS dentist for Thursday, frankly they could amputate my head if it would stop it hurting!

Adam Hart Davis – I win!

Twice whilst ‘underwater potholing’….
1. Tangled in a somewhat unpleasant load of old line in bad vis is a low and wide bedding plane

2. Laying line in a reasonably snug bit of passage, passable with a hand held cylinder easily enough as it fitted quite nicely into a slot in the floor. On the return I rolled a small pebble along the front of my wetsuit up to my sternum which effectively wedged me between floor a ceiling for a little while.

Not really had it at work, although a fire where a large roof timber landed in front of me was quite memorable….

OP – I can’t afford to pay you mate but I’d happily teach you to drystone wall and could introduce you to farmers who may want a bit of labour. I’m in Swaledale and the riding ain’t bad either! Email in profile

We used a large clip, the type you get from IKEA etc for sealing cereal packets etc. Worked like a charm! Clip the straps together above the buckle and it holds the tighter. Can’t see there’s any great risk of injury from it, it’s a flat surface the same as the buckle. HTH

No worries mate, I think I know the building you mean. I have some sheep up there so will have a quick look just on off chance since I’m there anyway.

Can you post a map with a rough location? I’m local and off for a ride tomorrow so could have a quick look?

I farm the riverside lane before langthwaite, I’ll sell ya a can of coke as you come past

Congrats…. We had absolutely no idea on a boys name, fortuitously we had a girl!

Harry
Roy
Dave
Chuck Jacket
Joe Kickass
Colin

It’s a lady kitten….
And I’m afraid Dave is already taken by my miniature daschund Dave the Sausage

Littlelife here, can’t fault it! :)

Yup. It does indeed seem ridiculous. Never mind.

I’ll take the Welliphant costume from work and she can admire the length of my trunk!!

Nah I’m not much of a walker I’ll just hide in the bushes and wait until she gets home. Dressed as a hedgehog so the neighbours don’t spoil the suprise.

Doubt it, we didn’t “meet” through a dating site

Lol @Vorlich it may as well be yes!

Ha, well it was an idea! Doubtless the reality is it would go down badly, cost a fortune and she doesn’t actually want to meet me anyway. Oh well.

Could be the same one!

That sign they had on the BT Tower for Bowie…..

FunkyDunc – You’re probably right mate :(

Cougar – Agree on the problem being that it makes implications and puts her on the spot. I’m certainly keen to avoid that. Will just have to be patient I guess :(

What about if I write her a song and play it on a one man bad set up while marching up and down Oxford street?

What about if I tell her I’m in town for the day and pop in, forgetting the other idea? Still as bad?!

Hmm the consensus seems to be its perhaps not my best thought out idea! I have asked previously if something like that would embarrass her, which would be awful, and she reckons not.
Perhaps one for another day. Faint heart never won fair maiden and all that jazz!!

Aye that’s the sort of thing!

Perhaps if I wore a disguise?…..