I kind of agree, but it requires more attention than I can give it. If it’s just on in the background as I’m pottering about, I’m not doing it justice – I find it a bit too much hard work.

Cerys does play some great stuff though – interesting ‘world music’ that I just wouldn’t get to hear anywhere else (Andy Kershaw maybe???)

ivantate – Member
I tried 6 the other day and it seemed lame. Will give it another go.

Which programmes?

I find the majority of 6Music to be excellent with a couple of shows that ‘do my head in’. Saturday morning and most of Sunday I can quite happily ignore – which is a shame is that represents the biggest listening opportunity for me.

I work in Barrow-in-Furness; the dog-shit capital of Europe. It is quite unbelievable.

On Thursday last week, while playing dog-egg hopscotch, I saw a lad in his mid 20s pick up the freshly pulled dog-toffee deposited by his pooch and bag it. When I came out of the coop, there was the bag-o-bob left at the side of the path. Lad nowhere in sight. He’ll be back in a bit, I thought; alas no, it was still there the following day and I bet it’ll still be there on Monday too :-(

too many nutters around to make a lap enjoyable

Naa…. Just go for a blast over the mountain after about 8pm, the nutters are generally in the pub by then.

It’s a great place and I’ll be going again this year (camping in Kirk Michael -it’s quite civilised!).

This is a cheaper way.

The Railway Inn at Lindal-in-Furness is a little gem of a place. Right off the A590 and only a couple of miles from the zoo. Nice food and great beer.

Either get a rubbish shave if too conservative or lots of burn. Is there any specific techniques other than going with the grain?

As above.

But also do not be tempted to shave areas where there is no soap/lubricant. If you need another pass, there should still be planty of soap on your brush. Dip the tip of the brush in the hot water and re-soap 8)

EDIT: Oh, the quotey-thingy isn’t working.

I was holding my Mums hand when she died from Cancer back in 1990. She had looked shrunken and frail for a couple of weeks by then. I went to see her a couple of days later in her coffin and it was very upsetting.

Even now, 21 years later, I struggle to get the picture of her in the coffin out of my head when I try and think about her. My sister had a completely different experience; she sat and chatted to her for a few minutes – I was traumatised.

We’re all different and there is no right or wrong answer.

Sorry to hear about your Dad.

I have a drink every day. 1 or 2 beers (I love real ale/craft beer) during the week and 3 or 4 on a Friday/Saturday. Yes I know it’s just over the unit guide lines but I’m not really fussed. I may try doing the two days without thing but don’t really want to. I work away from home and a couple of beers and a book is a nice way to unwind in the evening.

Am I going to hell?

Another club worth a visit if you’re in the North is Sunderland.

I took my lad (just turned 6) to his first match on Boxing Day. He absolutely loved it.

There is a good park and ride scheme – it’s free and drops off/picks up at the ground. Food (for the kids) is relatively cheap and if you are selective about your seats (family area or main stand (expensive though)) there was no problem with sweary types*. The atmosphere was excellent too.

Another option, as mentioned previously, is non-league. I used to be a member at Morecambe when they were in the conference. Matchdays were great. A real intimate family affair. I was on first name terms with Margaret who sold the pies at half time and you could go for a pint after the match with the players in the club bar.

*unlike when I went in the away end at Wigan the other night!

I’ve had my HTC desire 18 months now and have just had my first brush with a dodgy app. It was downloaded from the market place about 6 months ago and, after a recent update, started spamming my contacts with phishing emails.

It’s been a few minutes now, should we call the fire brigade and an ambulance?

I’ve just retrieved the brikka from the cupboard, googled some instructions and had a go. My initial underwhelmed feeling about it hasn’t changed. It’s okay.

It did have some crema on it, but this dissipated after a few seconds – before I could get it from pot to cup. I may need to fiddle with different grinds to get the best from it, but honestly can’t be arsed. It’ll do for camping, domestic coffee duties are still the reserve of my gaggia.

I’ve just had a look at how expensive they are – I’m flabbergasted, £35! Definitely not worth the cash. If you like the coffee produced by moka pots, stick to the cheap jobbies.

I have had a brikka for a couple of years. It’s okay, the coffee doesn’t blow me away though. Maybe I’m doing it wrong; is there some technique involved?

Edit: I picked it up while on holiday in Sardinia, it was less than a tenner.

but they don’t come in a plastic dispenser with old blade storage which the Feathers do – and that makes a difference when you have two boys under 6 years old that you don’t want playing with old blades.

Top tip……

Buy a tin of soup.

Put two holes in the top so you can pour the soup out.

Pour the soup out.

Wash.

Cut one of the holes into a slot.

Pop your old blades in when you’re done.

It’ll keep you going for a couple of years.

When full, take it to the recycling centre. 8)

Oh. Welcome to the wonderful world of DE shaving, OP.

Oh bobbins :|

Georgie Fame – The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde

However, at least I share my birthday with Eddie Van Halen, so some ‘cred is restored 8)

There are some very good kits around, look to spend £17 to £22 on one. Coopers, Muntons, St Peters, Brewpak and Woodford’s are all extremely good. The first one I did (Woodford’s Norfolk Wherry) blew my mind – I’d previously only had a go at cheapo geordie beer kits as a student 20 years earlier and they were all vile – this Woodford’s stuff was real beer!

I also concur with the cleaning and rinsing advice – it is imperative!

I have yet to venture into the world of brewing from scratch but am considering having a go over the Christmas break 8)

I worked there for all of 1994.

I lived on the outskirts of Al Khobar, here .

I was on an ex-pat compound with a mix of single blokes and families – MrsG stayed at home for the whole year.

We did manage to have a reasonable good time. There were a few bars and clubs, but they were all on other compounds and you needed a contact on the inside to get you in. Once there, copious amounts of (not particularly nice) homebrew was available – beer and sid (some form of distilled alcohol).

It was a long time ago and, I guess, quite a bit has changed but it was certainly an interesting experience. I did get to see a little bit of the country and, if you get away from the towns and try out a little arabic, the people were really very welcoming and hospitable. The biggest nobbers I came across were the ex-pats, the locals were pretty decent. A few of their ideals I found difficult, but hey, it’s their country and I was a visitor. As long as I kept clear of the Mattawa (religeous/moral police) I didn’t have any issues.

Would I go back? No. Been there, done it.

Optimate 4 here. Used it on a couple of bikes over the past few years – no problems whatsoever.

<waves at fellow ‘bird owner – hey boblo>

When you say CAD, do you mean google sketch or a real CAD package?

Just remember to use them the right way ’round 8)

A question (not a hijack – I hope!!)…

Mrs G wants a tablet and is not fussed which flavour, any reason why I should/shouldn’t get her an android (Samsung/Sony) over an iPad?

£7 on some dangerboy brake levers on e-bay

Where are you / the bike located? I’ll come and have a look if you’re local to me.

carlos – Member

Still don’t get people thorwing beer over everyone else when it’s £4.20 a pint!!!!! Maybe cos its Fosters????

You really think that was beer? 8O

Yup!

Slowly roasting a shoulder at the mo. Should be done by about half five. Nom nom nom.

Did anyone else do a staged mo-removal?

I did and photographed the results – if you want a laugh, head over to my Mo-space[/url] – it may be advisable not to look while eating your lunch.

blimey, that’s ‘orrible

Derek – unfortunately not.

It was the direct result of me (inhebriated) locking up the kitchen of a pub I used to work in. I was ‘borrowing’ a flake from a high shelf and dropped it into an open catering tub of tartar sauce. Obviously I had to eat the evidence.

Something I discovered by accident…..

and

If this is criminal activity, and I highly doubt it is

… so you think it is perfectly kosha to use the identity of someone else to open an account and deposit £10k into it? Cool. That’s alright then :D

So what do you want, 24 hour protection?

Not really, as I know it is not practical or possible. However, I would have preferred some reassurance rather than flippant dismissal.

We may move in different circles GaryM, but this is something I am not at all familiar or comfortable with.

I am not asking for sympathy or a cuddle; I posted this for comment/discussion and maybe as a warning to others.

Update: Following a chat with the CID friend of mine, he pointed me at the Fraud dept and the local rural office.

I had a lovely e-mail from them who told me … “In July this year the government announced changes to how Fraud was dealt with by setting up Action Fraud which is a national Fraud reporting agency. The contact number for them is 0300 1232040 they take the details from you and give you a reference number which you in turn give to Tesco. Tesco Bank have their own internal Fraud Investigators who liaise with the Police in which ever area of the country the evidence indicates that the offence took place. Tesco Bank is the aggrieved party in this matter as they are the party who have been deceived.

However it may be prudent for you to do a credit check on yourself to see if anything untoward appears that you have no knowledge of. I hope I have explained things clearly if you have any other concerns please re-contact us and I will endeavour to assist you further.”

Ah. Okay. That’s alright then. Thanks.

I’ve replied along the lines of “but they know where we live!”

Cheers bigsi. I’m drafting a mail now.

<comes running back from Experian, screaming>

Right then, just got back from Experian and there was an identity search performed on me by Tesco the day before they sent the first letter. Nothing else though.

bigsi
To the OP – Keep an eye on BOTH credit reference agencies (Experian & Equifax)

Do they hold separate sets of information then? I didn’t realise that.

<wanders off to Experian>

Tonyd – our Postie is a top chap (rural area, first name terms etc). I’ll mention it to him if I see him at the weekend.

in the hope that the person doesn’t think any of this is odd.

I guess they work on the assumption that most people are gullible and would go “Woop, woop – free money!!”

It does all seem very peculiar (and a bit scary). I have all of the paperwork in front of me now – including the pre-paid return envelope for returning the signed document to.

The numbers I have called were pulled direct from the Tesco website.

The really scary thing is the heavies – I work away all week. MrsG is at home alone with the BabyGs :|

Updates:

I’ve been on to the bank again (Tesco). They’ve frozen the account, notified CIFAS and will notify the rozzers.

I have been on to Equifax and checked my credit rating – all good there. No mention of the Tescos account though.

I’ve also been intouch with a friend of mine (who also happens to be CID – why I didn’t contact him straight away, I’ll never know) and am waiting for a reply.

AlasdairMC – yes it was a straight 10k. The only thing I’ve ever used Tesco for is online shopping.

Why didn’t I empty the account? The thought crossed my mind, but then so did the images of a pair of Heavies with pick-axe handles and a jerry-can of unleaded. :lol:

flow – Member
Take the money, whats the worst that could happen? You wife is kidnapped and held hostage. Well worth 10k.

<remembers MrsG is an occasional lurker>
Flow! I couldn’t possibly do that, please withdraw your statement at once!
</remembers MrsG is an occasional lurker>

Hmmm…

I have contacted the bank, who are investigating, but didn’t think about contacting the police. One of my neighbours as a copper. I’ll ask MrsG to go knock on his door.