follow the link in post #2 – you don't need an invite.

+1 Lancashire hotpot.

Gordon Ramsay's is easy and bloody lovely.

Just use lamb neck (ask your butcher for it off the bone – but keep the bones to enhance the (packet) stock – don't bother making your own (nice but needs time)).

I did this for about 6 of us and the cost of the lamb came to £3+ from the butcher in the village.

clicky-linky

If you've got +£220 to spend, have a look at the new Canon MP990. It's just out and is an updated version of the highly capable (and still available!) MP980 – which should also be dropping in price pretty soon.

Le Creuset Casserole…… And I'm a 40something bloke :oops:

+1 boogie nights (or shall we call it boogie shites?). Although technically, we didn't walk out.

Me and MrsG went with another couple. In the pub afterwards, we were talking about the film…. It transpired that the other couple (Mr & Mrs A) wanted to walk out, but didn't want to spoil the film in-case we were enjoying it. Mr & Mrs G were thinking the same.

Please can I have that 90minutes of my life back? Please?

I shared a shower with Nigel Clough :oops:

Oddjob:

Frozen bread, set the timer for about 2,5 mins. Fresh bread around 2 mins. Very fresh bread (i.e. you've just made it) about 1.75 mins.

rkk01 – Why not get back in touch with them?

We did exactly the same (we were the couple without kids); we just couldn't be bothered with all the talk of babies, nappies, puke etc. We'd rather have been in a nice restaurant/at the cinema/on the razz etc.

However, when we finally did have kids, our friends brought us back into the fold. Don't get me wrong, we hadn't detached ourselves completely, but only saw them once a year or so.

Now, we're closer than ever and see them loads – even with the 150mile distance. Or two (aged 2.5 and almost 4) absolutely love their boys to bits – and it's reciprocated. Their boys are aged 10 and 12.

If you really value their friendship, give them a call – I'm sure they'd be grateful and will find your experience with your growing kids invaluable.

+1 Dualit here too.

I've got the four slice jobbie – two thick, two thin. It handles my man-size bread fine. Not burnt any yet (in 10ish years).

It's simple, looks good and just works.

Ours is the old version of this one.

Edit: Bloody hell, they've gone from expensive to "how much????!!!!"

I've got five machines at home. 2x Vista, 1x XP pro, 1x Mac, 1x Ubuntu laptop.

The one that gets used the most is the Ubuntu laptop. I just works.

I resurrected a 6 year old laptop with it. No faffing about with drivers, no bloody annoying mouse or bizarre keystrokes to get things done. No worrying about AV software. Plus if I need an app to do anything, I just search for one and install it – it's free.

For me, it's the best of both worlds – you get a simple but reliable operating system that looks good too.

It's an american idea where all the "mom's" friends get together and buy the mother-to-be lots of baby stuff.

<<raises hand>>

Can you keep a seat for me? I'll be along just after lunch tomorrow :(

I was TUPE'd to CSC in 2003. Nockmeister's statement above is spot on. We were told to sign a new contract or leave, all in all a very unpleasant experience.

However, colleague's who had TUPE'd in from other accounts had an altogether more pleasant experience – so I guess it can be luck of the draw.

I hope all goes well.

I was just going to post an identicle thread to this, mind if I tag along?

It's my last day tomorrow too – although without the luxury of redundo. Bummer. I'm panicing already.

…..was the Dinky car racing the one with a massive spring and a sticky spike you stuck to the underside of the car and into the rotating spring?

Bloody hell, I'd forgotten all about that one. I had that as a nipper too, back in the early '70s. My mum bought it second hand and it never worked properly.

Never had TCR or scalextric, only Lego. I nearly wet my pants with excitement when I got my first technical lego set.

Ta Stoner. I missed that – looking again, it looks like a per-machine licence. Is that right?

EDIT: A single licence will allow one user on multiple machines – if that user has admin access, then all data should be available. How does it hande system files?

There may be a tool free with your external HDD

Moses. Nope, I put them together myself.

..and the inbuilt Windows tools are not bad, but they won't do user profile/system files.

Is Carbonite another on-line backup tool?

BeyondCompare looks slick, but at $80+, I think I'd prefer to go the opensource route.

Ta Geoff. I quite like the look of that.

However, I'm looking at about 250Gb+ for starters, with minor incrementals weekly. So backup to a local device is necessary.

Most important is to backup the main XP Pro PC plus my Vista laptop. Once they're sorted, I sort the Mac (an old eMac) and the two Linux boxes.

KINGTUT – Member

Did you do the screenplay for the Eddie Murphy movie Coming to America?

Nope I watched The Young Ones.

…. boomshanka

Can't you keep the free-to-air stuff and just pay the £10 / month for the sky+ recording jobbie?

We have two under four years old. The P&C spots are a real help – however, I don't think they need to be close to the front door of the shop. Middle/far side of the car park will do for me.

As for challenging those who use them/disabled spaced? Yes I do. Fortunately, I'm 6'2" and nearly 17 stone so not many people rear up at me. If they did, I'd show my true colours; scream like a girl and run away crying. :oops:

I don't have much sympathy for Liverpool.

I watched the extended highlights on Sky Sport. The ball was on the pitch before kick off and, for the opening few minutes, it was sitting in the back of Reina's goal – presumably put there to keep it out of the way. The pillock should have stamped on it or given it to a steward.

ppl wo rite n txt spk

poor service of any form

bad drivers (of course, I'm perfect)

Maybe it's the dust from the recent moon impact experiments? It's over here in Derby too.

All the best M&M.

The G Family.

The 5-Blade fusion gave me the best shave too. However cost was a problem, I could use a blade twice (compared to the mach3 – five times) and it cost twice as much to buy, therefore about 5x more expensive in reality.

I'm back to the mach3 now but looking for an alternative.

Have a look at PS3 Media Server, apparently it's pretty good.

The method I use for determining how well the steak is cooked is to use the fleshy part of the base of the thumb.

Touch your thumb to your each of your finger tips in turn – gently, apply no pressure. The 'give' in the thumb matches that in your steak.

First finger is Bleu
Second finger is rare
third is medium rare
fourth is ruined medium.

GrahamS – Member

As I said. If it's something special, I pay by credit card.

What, you mean you have separate credit card accounts?

No. As mentioned earlier – I ask her not to look at that particular month's bill.

coffeeking – Member

When I have bought her a present that I'd rather she didn't see the price of – I pay for it on the credit card and ask her not to look at that month's bill.

Buying presents from a joint account seems pointless, they may as well buy it themselves. If you trusted her that much and vice versa then why would her seeing the price matter?

As I said. If it's something special, I pay by credit card. Seeing the price has nothing to do with trust – it's about surprising her.

Not really nbt. I'm with you. What's mine is hers and hers is mine. No questions.

I have absolutely no issue with putting everything I earn into the joint account. When I have bought her a present that I'd rather she didn't see the price of – I pay for it on the credit card and ask her not to look at that month's bill.

I did something similar with some scotch bonnets. De-seeded, washed hands, washed again. Picked nose. Cried like a girl.

Married for 19 years, living together for two years before that.

All money is paid into the joint account from both if us (I earn 2x MrsG's income). We also have a budget account which is drip fed by standing order (or whatever it's called) from the joint account. This covers the mortgage/utilities/car expenses etc. What's left in the joint account is for our disposal – we save some, invest some and spend some. I haven't got a problem with MrsG buying herself something and she hasn't got a problem with me doing the same – neither of us take the p*ss. If we want something a bit more expensive, then we have a natter about it.

I went for the first time last year. It was so p*ss poor that I vowed never to go back again.

There was very little to see in the way of a "show" just a central arena with marquee's around the edge selling cheap tat or decent stuff at slightly higher prices than on the high street.

If it was better this year, then I may pop over for the 2010 Spring show.

AndyP – Member

deep fried. hth.

Oh.

Yeah, but still…. Is that my coat?

<sigh/>

We went about five years ago and sorted it all ourselves, as I don't like large hotels (a bit agoraphobic).

Flights from Manchester (via Paris), three weeks in some self catering apartments (2up, 2 down, rather than apartments) in Trou aux Biches.

We didn't bother cooking for ourselves as we found the local restaurants to be very good and not too expensive.

We've since had two children and I would love to be able to take them too – however the cost of flying has made our preferred option too expensive now.

Lovely place, lovely people.

</sigh>

Edit: I've just had a look on Google maps and found the apartments – see the green arrow: clicky.

Check out the manky beach and horrible brown sea.

Chefs: "pan fried".
Where the **** else is it going to be fried? Trouser fried? Teapot Fried? AArrghh!

It's been an hour, is he dead yet?

Ubuntu is your friend[/url]

Me too – just found out that I've got until the end of October. Bobbins.