I’ve forgotten… what does Stefan know?

Was it about the blocked drains / floods?

Or the dead dog in the food store?

Or something else?

High winds here (Scotland) on Wednesday, so I decided to drive… a lorry blew over on the Forth Road Bridge and the whole area was grid locked, Took 2.5 hours to travel 16 miles in the car… wished I’d riden in instead :(

Good luck.

yr.no here too

Two dogs here, although I only had Kip for a year before Whisky came along.

Even though mine are very similar in age, size and breed, they are totally different characters. Again the introduction was a bit mheh, ok in the garden, Kip very subdued and defensive in the house, I don’t think Whisky dared to lie down in sight of her for a week (although no actual fighting).

It all settled down very quickly, they both obviously look out for each other when out, and play well outside. Kipper is much calmer and seems happier with Whisky about, but there is still a dynamic between them, no shared beds or spaces, no curling up together.

I’m trying to say, as above, if it was going to be a disaster then Bloss would have made that clear. The dogs will form a bond, but it might not be as close as you imagine (or not obviously to a human) but I honestly think the dogs both benefit from the extra companionship. I would never go back to one dog, although I appreciate that the age of your Bloss could make things a little harder for her. It sounds like your whole family will look out for her, and not just get excited about the pup, which is brilliant and I’m sure will help.

Couple of my mates really rate this place https://www.clublasanta.co.uk/first-time/sports-enthusiast/ although I’ve never been.

EDIT: sorry, just read OP properly! If it’s any reassurance I think you can make it as serious (or not) as you like. My mates (training for an iron man) took their boyfriends. The guys just hung out by the pool and borrowed mtbs for the occasional ride.

I’m guessing that then the 8 year old lab eats it :)

Do the police look for bodies if there is no sign of foul play? Do they look for missing people at all, or do they only get involved with kids?

Awful for the family

I think that Vet costs may vary depending where you live.

In a rural area of Scotland the last bill I had was when one of my dogs ripped a flap of skin off her leg. For full general anesthetic to clean out and then stitch the wound (pick up and drop off same day) was £150 Inc a check up and stitch removal 10 days later.

I’m with Cougar on this one.

I am able to pay for general vets bills out of savings, I put aside some each month, but I know that I would have a practical cut off level. Both financially and in respect to what I would put my dogs through.

I have yet to find out if these two constraints would coincide, or what i’ll do if they don’t.

150 year old cottage in Scotland. Not on mains gas…

Heating on 14c all night and 16c all day – £250 per month on LPG

Heating on when needed and wood burner in an evening – £75 on LPG + £50 on wood = £125 per month

I discovered this when the ex moved out :)

GPS map 64s

£275 (from £350) at Go outdoors with uk mapping bundle.

http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/garmin-gpsmap-64s-gb-discoverer-bundle-p305439?gclid=Cj0KEQiAsrnCBRCTs7nqwrm6pcYBEiQAcQSznELCehIplBUOpVK4xzCs1vDLFjiwByZAfZ-i4ZYW8Q0aAqsM8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds

Brilliant bit of kit, water proof, rugged easy to use with gloves.

Load up a GPX of the route and you can set it to beep gently at turnings to remind you to look at the map! or use it as your main source of navigation.

I use it for winter walking, ski touring, munro bagging etc. Still have a map and compass, but the GPS is just easy.

It was my first ever GPS, I’m not very technical and figured it out mainly by watching you tube demos. It probably does more than I realise, but easy to get going at a basic level.

Lovely looking dog.

Very similar in appearance to my Heinz 57 rescue… and she definitely has the ear valve!

Me too. Didn’t realise they had a name, didn’t know so many other people suffered.

Mine are like the picture above, but with added brightness / flashing.

Sugar seems to help me (at least thats what I tell myself) also drinking water – so i guess generally down to tiredness / dehydration.

Hmm.. Not sure.

My parents both left school as soon as they could, my mum had a city and guilds in flower arranging, my dad didn’t take any exams. Both worked hard and did the usual stuff. House, kids, car etc.

My dad had a real work ethic, worked his way up in through the industry he joined and eventually started his own business. There were no expectations on us as kids, just to work hard. No one in the extended family went to university.

My brother got a place a Cambridge, and a sponsorship from BAE. He stayed on and also did his PhD there. I went to Newcastle Uni and started a PhD before dropping out as I was offered a job.

The first, and so far only, two of my family to go to uni, although I would say the majority of my school friends went. For me it wasn’t family expectations, but more what my contemporaries were doing I guess.

Guess it depends what else you do?

Mate of mine went on a swimming holiday in Croatia this year, which looked amazing.

I’d go for walking, kayaking or skiing… or possibly an exodus type bike tour. They tend to focus on spectacular settings, rather than ‘gnar’ terrain, and have bikes to rent.

Awful decision to have to make, my thoughts are with you.

Whatever you decide you have given her 6 years of love and fun and adventure. If she could talk, be sure that she’d thank you for that.

For what it’s worth if it was one of my two, I wouldn’t… but that’s easy to say when it isn’t one of them. For me it’s not being able to explain to them what is happening and why that troubles me.

All the best.

^ :D

I’m not sure you’d convince a rescue centre to let you have one of their dogs with that regime.

OP – Please ignore this… SOME rescue centres will rehome SOME dogs into regimes very similar to yours. They asses each dog as it comes and rehome appropriately. I would think that a rescue centre would be a good option for you, as a young dog will be much easier to fit into that cycle than a puppy ever would.

@IHN – I’m with you on this one (although I do have a pair), its the routine that counts. My two are in an outdoor run, with warm kennel beds Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri (work hours) and they are fine.

It took a while to build it up and get them settled, and they get a good hours walk before I leave. However there would need to be some alternative arrangements while it is a puppy – or even better get a young adult rescue.

Best mate has a whippet. Lovely dog, if he is representative of his breed then I would say:

* Leaving him alone isn’t a big issue, he just likes to sleep during the day as long as he gets a morning run.

* Very young kids were an issue for him… again because he likes to sleep being constantly ‘petted’ made him a bit grumpy (but never aggression to the kid, just took himself away). However this was all resolved when Jnr started nursery and the Whippet got his peaceful day back!

* Chasing things is his favourite pass time – but with work they have stopped him chasing livestock, not sure you’d ever prevent him chasing a rabbit though. He always comes back, just not immediately.

In general a calm, gentle, intelligent dog, loves attention, fuss, walks. Great with other dogs, he puts up with my two Kelpies, where as most other dogs would get totally wound up by them. He does like a comfy bed though, and will use the sofa if there is nothing else about.

EDIT: Just read the ‘outdoor’ bit… Although the Whippet is a lot tougher than he looks (will easily spend a day climbing munros) he does get very cold very quickly. In the past we’ve had to stick a foil blanket under his usual coat just to keep him warm – where as I wouldn’t even think of putting a coat on my two mutts.

Awaits the ‘I’m an idiot – mice eating my pea shoots’ thread :wink:

But really – nice work!

No… I am a woman.

But this morning I was overtaken by a man on a Brompton… that I did mind :oops:

^ I was knocked off my bike last Friday, knocked out completely. A passerby took me to my local doctors – don’t remember much of it, but I know that I insisted I was OK at the time.

Docs kept me in the waiting room to keep an eye on me for 30 mins, then told me I could go home. Stupidly I got back on the bike and cycled the 18 miles to work. I ‘worked’ for the afternoon, but when I came back in on Monday I had done stuff I didn’t remember :?

The initial headache and pain when I moved my head lasted 3 days, but yesterday I got a pain at the other side of my head, as if I had hit that side too… but 6 days later.

I’m still grumpy / irritable… but that’s just normal for me :roll:

EDIT – I was wearing a helmet.

How about the saddle angle?

Am a bit confused as I can’t imagine how chamois cream can help lady parts??

I thought chamois cream was to stop chaffing, and I have used it on long rides before, but for my bum. I can understand how ‘boy parts’ might benefit from it, but for us girlies it is usually pressure from a badly fitting saddle that causes pain, not chaffing…

Try a selle italia diva or lady saddle instead.

Both same shape, one has more padding than the other. Both work for me without the need for chamois cream. Other female specific saddles are available… but they make a whole world of difference.

^ I know, but this is out of necessity rather than choice. If I can get through to spring then things should get easier again.

Thanks.

Cool.

It is really good to hear folks doing these distances regularly. My only opt out will be a 6 mile MTB ride to the nearest train station, with another mile or so at the other end, so I want to be as prepared as possible.

Building upto it is a good plan. I will have a car for the next month, so I will start riding 2/3 days.

Riding at weekends will be shelved, I ride MTB for fun, and always get a bit pissed off with the mud in winter, so will be happy to just keep fit commuting this year.

Clothes at work, need to be semi formal, but I have a few smart ish dresses that will roll up ok, I’ll keep a jacket and boots at work. Don’t really do suits.

@ peterpoddy – and there I was looking at your croix de fer… rather than an ebike (although you must be 500 miles to far south for me) :wink:

@ garym – I’m not too far from you, but on the east side, so hoping it’ll be slightly drier.

Bike spares & extra tubes I’ll look into.

I have overshoes, so can try those vs boots depending on the weather.

All good info. Thank you.

Great – thanks folks.

Cx bike presently just has crud catchers – so I will get full mudguards and flaps fitted.

I have two pairs of ‘waterproof’ mtb boots, so can alternate somehow.

Will stash spare clothes, socks, shoes and extra waterproof under my desk.

Alternative route is a 6 mile tarmac cycle path to the nearest station, then a 40 minute train journey – not quicker, but an option in the snow (on the MTB)

Lights – I have an exposure maxx and joystick for the front, need to order some back lights.

@thestabiliser – I am the ‘harrrumpher’ :wink:

Will give it extra time on the way in – arriving not sweaty sounds like the best start.

Thanks again, makes me feel a lot more comfortable with giving it a go.

EDIT – Food – good point will have to look at this.

I looked into the tracking options and the best I could find I *think* works like this…

You fit a key fob type thing to the cats collar (they make them for tracking keys) and download an app to your phone. The key fob doesn’t need power to send a signal as it works within the blue tooth radius of your phone. Great for keys in the house, but not much good for cats.

However it also works if other people have the app on their phone, so if the fob is picked up on someone else’s app, you get the location / trail sent to your phone while ever it is in range of any active app.

I could see how it would work in a crowded city centre, but must be very hit and miss for cats out and about in the ‘burbs.

However I may have misunderstood the whole concept…

Twa dugs here.

Both similar age and breed… but totally different characters. Having two is ace, always one in trouble, one being a star.

Yes, it is more work, but in my case they keep each other company and the original mutt is much more settled with her pal. It is still nice to get some one on one time with each.

Go for it :)

It was open two weeks ago. There was something about it being closed for illness on the internet, but I think that was a while ago.

To take the other party’s name from the mortgage then you need to ask the lender if you can transfer the title into your name. Not sure if it is possible with all mortgages, but I did with mine. It cost about 1k including all the fees, land registration and solicitors bills.

I had to prove that I could afford to take it on, so had to go through all the appointments / mortgage checks that you go through for a new mortgage. A bit long winded, but worth it.

EDIT – Ah… hadn’t thought about it changing to a BTL…

Fried Mars bar :-)

I’m a pretty keen hillwalker and have almost every variation of goretex / event / walking boots that you can imagine.

However for walking the dog it is wellies for me everytime. Another vote for muck boots, comfy and warm in winter. When its raining I have a knee length waterproof (like a single nylon shell barbour) which means that with the wellies there is very little left to get wet. Wear whatever you want underneath it.

On the garmin you need to select ‘direct’ for the route type or else it tries to take you between way points using tracks / paths.

You may be able to set that up on basecamp at the start, but it’s easy to change on the unit (although can’t remember exactly how!!)

edit – beaten to it :(

I live alone, have a mortgage 4.5x my salary, over a long period. Repayments are about 33% of my take home.

Each to their own, it does sometimes worry me, but not to the extent of making me want to move. I didn’t choose to buy the house, it kinda became mine… Long story but I transferred the mortgage into my name 4 years after moving in. I don’t think they normally given such a high salary ratio these days.

I could move to a smaller / cheaper place, but I like it here, feel that I am improving the house (adding value) and like the area / life style. I can understand why you may want to stretch yourself for the house / area you like.

Oh… my mortgage also runs into my 70’s, but I am overpaying while I can to reduce the term (worth considering if you can at all once you’ve moved in. My mortgage also allows me to withdraw any overpayments if required so I see it as my house fund… pay the mortgage off early if possible, but also a reserve of cash incase the roof blows off)

@ allan23 – Aspin Park or Meadowside??

OP – If you do go for the row boats in Karesborough there is also Pitch and Put just along the road at Conyngham hall plus pleanty of space for walking the dogs. Near the boats there are multiple tea rooms, homemade ice cream and the occasional p. u. b.

http://www.harrogate.gov.uk/pos/Pages/ConynghamHallGrounds.aspx

Home

I’d go Pernettya rather than Gaultheria…

Based on the shape of leaves and berries (although I think the two are related).

Worth checking MWIS for an update before you drive north.

The forecast presently:

PLANNING OUTLOOK

All mountain areas of Britain from Thursday 24th March 2016

A change in weather pattern from Easter. Upland gales will develop on Friday Scottish Highlands, but otherwise a fine day. On Friday night and Saturday upland gales and rain (intermittently snow higher areas) – but the timing and focus of the most severe conditions is very uncertain. Areas of low pressure will drift about close to Britain next week, bringing generally showery and intermittently windy weather. Precipitation mostly snow Scottish Munros, mostly rain elsewhere.

I was up Ben Alder (about 50 miles(?) due east) at the weekend – lots of snow still up there

Nope.

Stayed in loads for work, always book a single, always get a double with only one set of towels.

Not sure if they actually exist or not…

1.9 here. Love it, as above, dogs and bikes in, can sleep in it comfortably (built a raised bed). I drive 40k a year, couldn’t imagine doing that in the 1.6, but guess it depends on what you want.

Mine was new (work vehicle) Worth noting if you’re moving from a car, they are vans and spec’d as such in the cab. I moved from A3 / Yeti to the Caddy maxi, love the van, but it is basic in comparison, sorry if you already know this.