^^ is the 15 week prior bit that counts, so she should be fine.

I had a friend who finish a fixed term contract 8 weeks before giving birth. She didn’t expect anything and was nicely surprised when she found this out. However she only found out when trying to apply for SMP, and the company she had been working for were equally as surprised.

Sausage first here. Never noticed any holes…

Hermiston Gate used to be limited to 2 hours (a colleague got a ticket once when we left a car there).

@ SBH – I’m not convinced that we have the correct free wheel removal tool. There appear to be different tools for different wheels, according to this… Sheldon Brown we have one similar to the atom/regina (?) splined, and I suspect that it may be a shimano wheel…

EDIT – Just guessing at Shimano – its a Kids Marin.

Thanks for all the replies, is reassuring that we aren’t way out with letting them go, but also good to hear the other views.

Mum has specifically asked us to ‘ban’ them from using the cycle path, which puts us in a difficult situation. We don’t want to make them feel that they either did a bad or wrong thing by going that way first time (we asked them to go that way), and we don’t want to instil a general fear of quiet places.

I think the points made above about ‘explaining all the risks’ are very valid and although we have done this many times before, we can do it again specifically in relation to the route choices. We can also let them know which mum would prefer.

Sometimes this (step) parenet thing feels like a proper guessing game!

@ Cougar – I’m not sure. ‘Angry dogs’ were mentioned (although we have two dogs and the girls know how to deflect and over exuberant greeting), also mentioned was the fact that if anything did ‘go wrong’ there weren’t so many passers by to see.

@ Markie – Yes that makes sense (awareness and calls), and we will try and progress softly. Thank you.

I think having a general chat about all dangers may be the way forward.

Any alternative views are welcomed…

What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?

A carrot!

I have Velez adventure smock light too. I use it daily for dog walking, biking and am very happy with it. Initially I thought that it wasn’t warm enough (when first put on) but it holds heat so effectively that as soon as you start to move it is toasty. For me the best bit is that no matter how warm i get, when I stop I don’t get the cold / sweaty / clamy feeling. Not sure how it works, but it seems to.

In the reviews I read some people questioned the ‘waterproofness’. I have never found it a problem, but I can get a sweaty back if wearing a rucksack (guess it stops the breathability of the fabric), which might be mistaken for moisture coming through.

As said above it will be too warm for summer (?) riding.

BBSB – I considered something like that when we got our Kelpie as she seemed scatty at first, but two things put me off:

1. I just hate the idea of anything being tied to my bike or bits hanging off my bike. Maybe its years of kayaking, but it just feels dangerous to me.
2. The dog has to run at a constant pace, where as if they are off the lead they tend to vary their pace, running ahead, stopping, sniffing, going to the loo… which is much better for them physically.

It might have a use as a training aid for the short term, but Collies are bright animals and I’m sure that you can work with yours to ‘heel’ freely in a short time. Work on ‘heel’ on the lead, lots of stops, starts and direction changes. Then off the lead but on foot (if possible in an enclosed garden or safe area to reduce the distractions), build it up. Teach her to change pace (still on foot) so slow or ‘steady’ and faster, even at a jog… and then bring in the bike.

The thing above may look like a quick fix, but if you can get her heeling without the lead the walks and rides are so much more fun and rewarding. Our Collie x Kelpie was also a rescue who had been kenneled for all of her 9 months prior to coming to us. We have now got her walking and biking to heel, but I know that she is unreliable with sheep. To manage this she wears a harness and I found a short lead with a ‘bungee’ section. I am more comfortable, and feel more in control, holding her lead than having her tied to the bike. I can simply let go if I am in danger and the bungee lead means that I’m not yanked sideways if she pulls. Admittedly it means I may have to walk some technical, sheepy sections, but this hasn’t happened yet.

@anagallis arvensis – the greyhound in question is Millie a 5 year old bitch in our village. Admittedly Whisky throws in the turns when Millie gets close…

@tacopowell – every dog is different, but there are generally breed characteristics which run through the breed. Look these up, don’t ignore them! There are good and bad aspects for each, and it is just a matter of figuring out what is more important to you. As a real generalisation herding dogs love to work, are easy to get running with a bike, but need loads of exercise and can be a problem with sheep. Gun dogs are probably the easiest to train, are loyal pets, happy to run or sleep, but can get easily distracted by scents on the trail. Sight hounds are fast, happy to sleep all day, but can lack stamina… There are many more…

For each ‘type’ of dog you some that total contradict the breed traits, but it’s a good starting point.

We have Copper and Whisky above. They are superb with the bike, will run all day, are reliable off the lead and will also run by the bike on harnesses for the road. But we give them about 2 hours walks / bike runs a day, and have the space to keep them outside during the day, they maybe wouldn’t suit everyone.

Good luck with whatever you get – and remember to post a picture when you get it!

More duck egg love from 2 weeks ago.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/duck-egg-is-beautiful-soul-content

Just to cheer you up!

How do you make your living? I buy plants and pets products for a chain of Garden centres in the north of England / Scotland. It’s a mix of travelling to suppliers and growers throughout the country, visits to the stores and days in the office. On the plus side I can plan my own time to an extent, get to spend days outside and the job changes through the season. On the negative the travel affects bike and home time.

Are you happy doing it? Generally yes. There are busy times and quiet times. I struggle most when work is quiet, I prefer a bit of pressure and keeping busy.

Would you consider a change of career? Yes, but am in no hurry. Not sure that it would be good for me or the company if I’m still here in 20 years!

Does it pay for you to MTB comfortably? It used to, before I moved into a bigger house and gained two part time kids :wink: It covers the costs, given the time I have to ride… would always be nice to have more time and money…

Can’t help much as I rode it with organised (charity) support, but got some good advice from here and used my LBS to post my bike to a friendly bike shop in Newquay for the start. I then drove to Inverness (from central scotland) and left my car there (spoke to an out of town garden centre who let me park in their carpark). I flew from Inverness to birmingham, train to Newquay, picked up bike and headed to the start.

If you are based in the SE I would do the opposite… Post bike to Inverness bike shop, drive car to Newquay area and use train / plane to get to Inverness (you still need to figure it out from there).

Have fun, I loved it!

By seeing if they fit between the pads? :roll: x

Can you recall what shape the leaves were?

EDIT – And size? Compared to your hand?

We took a rescue dog from the SSPCA just before Christmas. I found that they were very good at matching dogs to homes. We have a cat, another dog and two kids so this was all taken into account.

However I did it a bit of a topsy turvey way and rather than look for a dog I liked the look of, I emailed them with my ‘requirements’ and let them recommend the dogs. In the email I let them know our daily routine, ages of the kids, sent photos of our other dog and the garden / kennel area that we had. I got a call within a week saying they had a dog just come in who was suitable. I drove the 3 hours to the centre and came home with Whisky, a lovely 9 month old Kelpie x collie.

She is a sweet dog, much calmer and more ‘bidable’ than our ‘non rescue’ Kelpie, although she can be nervous of new things. The only issue we have is house training as she previously spent her life in an outside kennel, so she assumes all concrete / tiled floors are fair game. However we now put her in a crate at night and seem to be getting somewhere.

You do take a risk with a rescue dog, you never know their past history, but the rescue centres know the dogs well and will only place a suitable animal with you. Be totally honest with them about your circumstances and what you want in a dog and you are more likely to get a ‘good un’.

I have had two rescue dogs now, and one from a breeder, the rescue dogs were by far the most gentle and loving. It may be a coincidence but I would take another when the time comes.

Good luck :-)

Try to just go with it. Mine was ok, better once i resigned myself to it and joined in a bit.

Got another ticket a couple of weeks later Doh :(

I’ve had some great days up at Glenshee. Yes the tows are a pain, but you will be there during the week, so at least won’t have a crowd looking on if it takes you a few goes to get the hang of it. As you say the snow forecast for tomorrow should freshen up the slopes.

It’ll never match the US, but how cool is it that you can leave home for a days snowboarding and be home again for tea! Love it :-)

EDIT: although I think it is half term break for Edinburgh and Stirling at the end of the week, so might be a bit busier than normal.

Our cat Millie has previous with this too. Given to me as a young cat, she first went missing at about a year old. I found her a couple of weeks later after neighbours had seen her going in and out of an empty cottage at the edge of the town. When I turned up she let me pick her up and take her home and she happliy stayed home for the next year or so (I still have no idea why she moved out).

The next time she went missing I gave up hope of getting her back. She was away for about 3 months, I had just decided to throw her bed and toys away when the local cats protection guys got in touch. Apparently someone in the adjoining town took her to the vets to get her ‘jabs’ as they thought she was a stray and intended to keep her. The vet thankfully read her chip and I got a call, it was lovely to see her again.

That was 5 years ago, and she has stayed with me since. Even though we have brought home new dogs (and kids), she hasn’t decided to go walk about again (yet). I never worked out why she went, it was just always good to see her back.

I hope your fella comes home soon!

A friend of mine gave her godson a Swiss Army knife and a compass (this was about 15 years ago) :-)

Seemed a bit unusual at first, but a way of my friend expressing her hope and help, that her godson would have an adventurous and exciting life. They were passed on to him (by his mum) 14 years later as he went away for his first scout camp as a bit of a rite of passage.

I think it was a lovely idea.

… and you just decided to bump a 10 hour old thread which you didn’t agree with being posted in the first place?? :?

philconsequence +1 :-)

I work on the theory that it’s ok for them to be on the sofa / jump up if they are invited.

Our two do know their place, food (or taking it away) doesn’t cause any problem and they stay on the floor (while we are looking) unless invited ‘up’.

When we are out it’s a different matter :oops: we get home to ‘innocent’ looking dugs and wee warm, cosy dents on the sofa cushions… You just got to love ’em :roll:

Does that make me a cah?

Depends a bit on the dog too.
Dog 1 likes to be in a similar position, so she is placed on the wheel of the lead rider, Dog 2 likes to take up the rear so she gets that position.

The training tips above still count, but it is easier to train them in to their natural place, rather than trying to enforce a position. Luckily Dog 1 is a flyer so she keeps tight on the wheel when we are going at speed.

Both ours still need work on the road – will follow sandwicheaters advice. And yes, they do learn when they get clipped by a wheel, but it is hard to let yourself do it (better done under some control than waiting for it to happen at full speed).

You southerners – always dropping your H’s :wink:

No bikes this time… but our Christmas Eve sausages in the rain :-)

Another Diva here.

Well come to bed then!

Sorry all, just a wee domestic…

As you were!

Thanks – some things to think about!

I hadn’t considered the wind issue, but the wall does have pilars, as it is 6′ for most of its length, just dropping to 4′ along the drive. This section is also well sheltered as it runs parallel to the gabel end of our property.

I will look at erecting our own fence, but securing to the wall does look the easier option, I maybe need to give it more thought.

As above, practice coming and going, no fuss. Can you also vary the route out? Sounds daft, but maybe the back door or even a windows, just while you are working with him.

Just as an aside, our 16 year old Kelpie suddenly developed a similar anxiety, and it was diagnosed as the onset of dementia. Sadly with her things went downhill after that. Assuming your dog is younger I am sure this wouldn’t be the issue, but if you don’t get anywhere with training then it could be worth a trip to the vet to check him out.

I have a playbook, its good for all the browsing I do, and by bridging with my work BB I have web access when I’m away for work for free.

I was a bit worried that they were going out of production and might be hard to get spares/repairs for, so I took Currys new for old no quibble replacement guarentee out for an extra £30. As I understand it I will get an equivalent tablet if anything goes wrong and the playbook is out of production.

EDIT – is ok for spreadsheets etc, but TBH I prefer my laptop for the screen size.

I’m assuming that it will have arrived bare root, with a bag covering the roots – rather than in a pot?

If so it will be fine to keep it in the house overnight, until tomorrow. However try and keep it as cool as possible, and if practical open up the bag around the roots, check that it is all still damp, and add more water if needed.

It will be good to get it planted ASAP. Use a firm stake or cross of stakes as it will need keeping as stable as possible, and ensure that your hole is far bigger than needed and lined with either top soil or compost to give the roots a chance.

Good luck!

EDIT – If its in a pot, then cool place and water still apply.

TooTall – Member
Dog 1 is tied up in back garden
I’d think about calling the RSPCA on you before recommending you have another dog

:roll: Thanks TooTall – Took your advice and the SSPCA helped us with part of the problem – they supplied the second dog :D

Meet Copper with her new pal Whisky

Whisky is a 10 month old Kelpie x Collie, more like a Collie in appearance and a real softie.

BUT the dilemma still remains… with a bit more detail…

The garden is large and secure to about 5′ height. But the Kelpie can easily clear 7′ if she puts her mind to it, and we live in a rural area with livestock around. So I prefer to know that they are really secure if we are away (they of course have the run of the garden and house if we are about, but there are two days a week when neither of us are around much).

Dog 1 had a 6m taught ground line with a 3m line running off it, giving her access to an area of garden 12m x 6m which included a kennel, tree and hedge shelter, lawn (to dig :roll: ) etc.

Is there any way to give two dogs that amount of freedom, allowing them to socialize and yet not get tangled up? Loving the bungy idea :lol: I guess I am wondering about two long static lines held taught and high with runners off…

If not we will have to head down the ‘kennel and run’ route, but this will be a smaller area and it seems a shame… I am not happy with the idea of leaving two such dogs shut in the house except at night – they love it outside, racing round together and chasing the birds :wink:

We sell it for £2.99 a bunch. Maybe 3 stems, tied with a bit of red ribbon.

Edit – it doesn’t really last long. Best outside in the cold, couple of weeks tops (begins to look yellow after a week or so).

Have pretty much always turned up at club things / events as a singleton-wierdo :-) Initially because I was, and now because the only time I get to play out is when he is looking after his kids!

Go, have fun, take advantage of being the only girl (if you are), smile politely when they give you advice and offer to fettle your gears / suspension… and then leave them standing when you get to the first hill :D

Seriously, you’ll be fine, probably not the fastest or the slowest, and with the amount of clothes you’ll be wearing in this weather – they won’t even notice that you’re a girl!

dangerousbeans – Member
Three bed semi here and our stat is in the hallway and set to 15 degrees. I don’t bother with the timer as our life’s don’t run to a schedule. It kicks in and out about three or four times a day for an hour or so whilst its frosty outside. We’ve old thin double glazing, 9″ solid walls with no cavity, and a little loft insulation but the arched ceilings mean that it’s impossible to insulate about 25% of the loft. 15 degrees in the hall gives us about 18/19 in the lounge. If my wife’s cold, she just pops the gas fire on for a while. Our gas usage averages out to about £35 a month.
What am I doing wrong?

This is similar to me in every respect except my bill is double that.

Just double it!? We are similar (but use a log burner to boost things)and are paying £200 per month…

I have now turned it down to 5C during the day/night, and to 16 (=18/19 in living room) for a couple of hours in the morning and again in the evening. Will see if that gets the bill down :(

There hasn’t been any thaw at all today, am about 15 miles away (Falkirk)and the car park outside the office is a sheet of ice, CV is higher than us so I can’t imagine either the trails or tak ma doon will be clear.

headfirst – Member
Big cover on the sofas at night and let the dogs sleep on them??

SiB – Member
headfirst…..thought of that but to me thats just encouraging them. Might be only solution though if olbus oil doesnt work

So how about an ‘uncomfortable’ cover to get them out of the habit. Either cold and shiny (sheet of polythene) or hard (sheet of plywood). Hopefully if they get into the routine of using their beds you can stop covering after a couple of weeks / months… Advantage is that if they do still get up there the sofa is protected anyway.

@ cougar

Thank you! Tuned in on analogue and we have lift off (well tv anyway)

Cheers :-)

SBH is now having a celebratory bottle of wine and has forgotten his log in, so have been delegated to reply.

Where I work, although leave accumulates during maternity leave, we are only allowed to carry a maximum of 5 days over into the new leave year. So anyone going on a maternity leave which will cross into a new leave year they have to take some of the leave before they go or they loose it.

I appreciate that this may be too late for you – but you could look at it. If you are only legally obliged to provide the leave accumulated for this leave year, you could maybe negotiate with the employee that the ‘old leave’ be taken at a less busy time…