Nearly 8 months in here :) so it can work, but I’m not sure that I actually enjoyed the experience at the time…

My parents bought me two as pets when I was 3 years old. I remember the disappointment when I got them, as I really wanted a dog!

I’m now 43 and have two dogs… as well as the two original tortoises. I suspect the buggers will out live me.

For some reason my two have been easy to keep, they hibernate in a cellar and live in a fenced run in the garden in summer. They have escaped in the past, and as mentioned they can shift when they want to, so we have their names painted on the back (although the neighbours know where they live and generally return them before they go too far.) We thought we had lost the male one autumn, only to find him again in the spring as he emerged from his hibernation in the flower beds.

However – as a pet they are pretty dull, but if your daughter is into reptiles then probably worth a bash.

Another vote for Alpkit, I have a three man Zhota which seems to tick all your boxes, but might be a bit too pricey. I got mine when they were selling them off about 6 months ago – for £250, but I see that now they are back to £350… https://www.alpkit.com/products/zhota

Can’t see the Heska on the web site at all :/

I had a similar issue with one of my dogs.

I agree with neilwheel (well for my dog I do). I solved it by crate training her and then crating her at night. Somehow once she is in she just shuts down, it is almost as though you have turned the switch off.

The only bed chewing I have had recently was in the car when I left her (without the crate).

A hazelnut in every bite?

As for dog or bitch…

I think the safest option is supposed to be one of each (less likely to be agro between them), but if you have neutered males then you should be on pretty safe ground too.

I have two bitches and had heard horror stories about them fighting to the death, but apart from the odd squirmish at the start they have been just fine. I suspect it is more to do with how you introduce / treat them than what sex they are if they are all neutered.

I love having two dogs… But Sharkbait is also right… It is more trouble / expense than one (but not as much as you might expect two singles to be…)

The timing sounds good for you – I got mine too close together, so I had two young dogs at the same time, which caused some grief ;) The companionship for the dogs is a big part of what I was looking for, and they are great together now that things have settled down. It is great to watch them play and bounce around the garden / living room / street etc etc

This should help with the road closures.

http://m.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=28354

http://m.northyorks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=28354

Might help a bit? Not sure if it answers you questions, but does have a link to road closures etc.

Not sure if I’m allowed to post this… guess I’ll find out ;)

NSFW!

Tweets by freethenipple

Okay – if it’s evergreen it is more likely to be Armandii (long glossy green leaves) or Avalanche (smaller feathered leaves)… (other varieties are available)

The outcome *should* be the same

As you say ‘enormous’ I guess it is a Clematis Montana – flowers in Spring? Smaller flowers but lots of them? Ends up being quite ‘woody’ and thick?

If so it should be just fine – infact it is a way to renovate them after they have been allowed to get too big. Just keep watering it over the summer.

From t’internet:

To renovate, cut all stems back almost to the base, just after flowering. Apply a general fertiliser, mulch and water in dry spells. Response is generally good. Leave at least three years before pruning hard again

8) :wink:

At this point I realised the poster was female…

There are some of us on here :D

They are all generated by surroundedbyhills and stirlingcrispin :wink:

Well… while we are updating…

I put a profile on POF after reading this thread, back in September / October. In the initial barrage of messages, two stood out as possibly rational mtbing guys. I arranged to meet the first, and shelved the second for later…

It was a couple of months later, after a few failed dates, that I remembered guy no2 and I got back in touch. He was still about, so we arranged to meet over New Year. It has been an ‘interesting’ few months :roll: , not quite as straight forward as the movies make it out to be, but 5 months on and we’re still together, things have settled down and I am really very happy 8)

So to anyone thinking of giving up – you never know, someone could be just about to get in touch…

I’ve stayed at Denton House (Keswick) a few times. More of a hostel than a bunkhouse, so maybe not what you are looking for.

Groups can book bunkrooms for sole use. The facilities are basic, but fine – the big advantage is that you are in Keswick for pubs, shiny things and easy access to Skiddaw / Blencathra loops.

HERE

Might be worth speaking to Spa Cycles if you are anywhere near Yorkshire. They have a Ti tourer and are generally happy to personalise the build.

HERE

Yep – Thanks Tracey – a couple of pairs on their way to me too :)

I’m 5’7″ with 28″ waist and 32″ inside leg. Not sure about my hips, but yes have a cyclists bum :)

Have always used Ground Effect, which fit really well. They have an elasticated panel in the back which keeps them snug around the waist, and I have not had a problem with the length.

However not cheap (you can get charged a handling fee and tax on inport if you are unlucky) and only grey / black in colour…

Details HERE[/url]

EDIT – Beaten to it by not quite so slowoldgit :)

I would also go with Peony, but from the thick woody stem below, probably a tree peony rather than the more popular herbaceous ones.

Like this?

NOTE: Other flower colours are available ;)

My brother was also diagnosed with MS – 18 months ago now. He lives in South America, so I suspect his story will be very different to your brothers, but I can tell you how it is going with him in the hope that it helps…

My brother is in IT and he first realised that something was wrong when he appeared to have constant pins and needles in his arms and hands. As with your brother he appeared to deteriorate very quickly, from being able to work to being unable to type in a few weeks, with no feeling in his fingers. Luckily he was diagnosed quickly and under went a whole load of tests. As this point he was very low mentally. With MS there is a huge amount of uncertainty about when the next episode will be, how it will affect, what the extent of the recovery will be.

In my brothers case he has had some great treatment, he recovered well from the first episode, and regained almost all of the sensitivity in his hands, with in a few weeks he was able to type (work) again. In the first few months he had another couple of minor episodes, which he even he could see the funny side of (at one point he lost feeling in he waist / groin area so could never tell if he was wearing trousers or pants). He is now on a medication which seems to be holding the episodes at bay, but it is to some extent a waiting game to see what happens. He is now very accepting of the condition although I still find it hard (he is 45, 3 years older than me).

I don’t know what stage / how your brother will be, but to my understanding MS is a series of ‘episodes’ which affect the nervous system. You do recover from each episode, but never completely – there is always some damage left. The aim is to find a form of medication that slows / halts the frequency of the episodes, and, as above try to avoid any triggers. In my brothers case he seems to have found that and hasn’t had another episode for nearly a year. The drugs all have side effects (which also vary) so it is about finding a balance that suits your brother. It is the uncertainty which my brother found hard, he read and learned all he could about the condition and seems to be in a relatively good place with it now, but it will be different for everyone.

I wish him the best of luck.

I have a Spa cycles Audax Ti and I’m with scotroutes ^^.

Rode LEJOG on it a week after picking it up – awesome bike :)

If you go into Spa Cycles (rather than ordering over the net) they measure you up for stem height, bar width etc and build the bike to fit you. Great service, lovely friendly shop.

Spent 6.5 hours on Saturday walking the Creag Meagaidh circuit in near white out conditions…

So Sunday was well spent on the cinema sofa (Dallas Buyers Club), swimming pool, sauna, walk on the beach and full roast dinner.

Top weekend :D

I always use a different address to my paypal address, as there is no one in at home to accept delivery during the day.

Sometimes a seller emails me to confirm that it is correct, but no one has yet refused to send it to the alternative address (my work). I hadn’t realised that they were risking being scammed (by me) by doing this.

I’m 5’7″ and have a small Mach 5.7.

I like it… but I know that I like small bikes. Not sure how that translates for you.

I have two dogs – both pretty high energy Collie x Kelpie trail dogs.

The RSPCA happily let me take one, although I am at work all day. I just showed them my set up at home and they were happy. The dogs are both left in a large run / garden during the day – whatever the weather. They have kennels available at all times for shelter and shade. I do put coats on them if the temperature is below freezing – more for my ease of mind than their welfare. They are in the house in an evening/ night, but my house is old and poorly insulated (LPG and woodstove) so they don’t get a huge temp change :roll:

As above 2 x 1hr walks every day plus a late evening 20mins. Means an early start, but totally worth it, and once you are out of the house even the early walks are a pleasure (most of the time!). I do make sure that they get 4+ hours out walking / running at the weekends.

Also as above – more wee and poo than you can imagine to start with (I took an 8 month old pup who wasn’t house trained – so I guess I should have expected it). I would also recommend a rescue dog (don’t discount it just because you work – they do understand) and go for an older pup is possible (6 months – 1 year has always worked for me), it means they are young enough to ‘mould’ into your way of life and old enough to be left fairly quickly.

Do it :-)

I used sofasofa online.

Worked well for me (2 x fabric sofas, 1 x leather sofa bed)

Certainly not Rhodo – the buds are all wrong… Rhodos have big fat buds at the end of the branch, usually pink/red in colour, the buds on this are too small, at the leaf joins instead of the end and too white to be Rhodo.

It is some variety of Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus), but maybe not Common Laurel as the leaves look too slim. Could be Prunus lucitanica?

EDIT – Actually really good as a hedge if you can get it under control, but be careful of cutting if back into bare wood initially. If you really need to hack it back heavily do one side at a time, so that it has chance to recover. Once it is under control then just as Crankboy say above.

Try asking at a retailer who has stuff delivered on pallets.

We accumulate pallets through the year and will happily give the white (unpainted) ones away to anyone who asks. Just never take a blue one – they cost money!

Some where like a garden centre would be a good start…

Do domestic pets have a better life just because they go to vets…? If a dog/cat gets cancer they can be operated on cared for but is this right ? shouldn’t nature take its course ? (im sure someone will come wading in saying humans get cared for etc but we are talking animals here)

We alter the course of nature, so we must surely take some responsibility.

In the wild and animal that becomes too old / ill to fend for itself will have a relatively short future. In our centrally heated homes with plates of cat / dog food, we can draw out the pain and suffering of old or ill animals indefinitely (well not quite…) therefore we have a responsibility to use a vet when appropriate*

* in my opinion :-)

I mostly use my bike kit… in winter I wear summer bike tops / thermals for running, plus my thinnest waterproof – depending on the weather. The only running specific kit I have are the trainers and a pair of lycra tights.

I only run occasionally, but would have thought that you could get by for six months if you wanted that way…

Whoop!

Move to Scotland – won’t help your cold, but at least there is no sunshine to miss.

^^ dropoff has it I think

BUT 1 & 2 are quite poorly and need some TLC. They need an acidic soil, and if in a pot will need feeding. Get an ericaceous feed from your local garden centre and see how you go.

74 men for every Woman

Do we get a break inbetween them? 8O (that’s alot of coffee)

@ joshvegas – Good luck :-) We’ll be expecting an update tomorrow :D

^^ Interesting… but it took 88 dud dates :?

Basically if you want someone chilled out don’t be ultra competitive.

I am who I am, and I’m not going to stop drinking pints just to get a date :wink:

I do understand what you are trying to say, but this isn’t about who you are, most of us on this thread are capable of holding down a relationship when they meet the right person… this is about how to dodge the bullets ( as Junkyard so aptly put it) of the online dating game.

Since this thread has been resurected I thought that I would add my thoughts…

I have both fans – the Valiant and the Caframo eco fan. I initially purchased an Eco fan, and was so impressed that I decided to buy another for my second stove, but tried the cheaper Valiant version.

So for a direct comparison (only based on one of each – so may not be true to type)…

Caframo Eco Fan – Probably the better looking fan (in my mind), neater with smaller blades. This fan definitely starts moving at lower temperatures than the Valient fan, and at any given heat appears to have a faster rotation speed. It certainly feels to move more air than the Valiant – but I am unable to quantify that. The only down side is a slight noise – not enough to annoy, but if you are close you can hear a faint ‘whizz’!

Valiant – Slightly more ‘clumpy’ looking, with larger, curved blades (I guess there is some balance between rotation speed / blade size). It is slower to get moving, but when it does it is totally silent. It does exactly as you would expect and certainly makes a difference to the heat distribution within a room, but doesn’t seem to have quite as much ‘power’ as the ecofan.

So in summary – both fans work and would seem to make a significant difference to the heat distribution in a room – I am very pleased with both. The more expensive Ecofan (think I paid about £90) moves more air more efficiently, however in my opinion the cheaper (£50 ish) Valiant also works well. I use the Ecofan in a large sitting / living room and if the doors are open find that it moves air throughout the room and into the hall. The Valiant is in a smaller ‘snug’ and evens out temperatures nicely within that room, although there is less movement into the hall (this is also a smaller stove).

Not sure if that helps at all. If you don’t have a fan at all yet – then get one they are great.