Its no mystery just the results of a healthy competitive market! People have a choice if they live in the South East they could always take the train to Manchester if they would prefer to take the £200 saving and the extre hassle

ericemel – Member
I see a car as an expense rather than an asset.

I personally quite like cars and I choose them based on what I can afford (and want to spend) monthly – I always use PCP type deals and prefer new for a hassle free life.

Currently pay about 7% of my gross towards a car payments.

I am not saying it is the cheapest way to do it, but it is my approach.

This ^^.

I would say not, as algorithms provide an absolute definitive answer to a problem. Actuaries use statistical models any optimisation thereof is most likely to be heuristic rather than algorithmic in nature.

Common as muck! And I eat my asparagus with a knife and fork. So much for 7 years university education. Social mobility my arse.

Gardener in the local psychiatric hospital during the summers whilst at university. I quite enjoyed it and I remember that the weather was good.

The students got to do all the hard graft while the old timers sat around drink tea and smoking woodbines. On the joining the head gardener said to me “what do they learn you at university?” I replied ” the don’t learn me anything they teach me”. He took it reasonably well, and 30 years later I am still a smart arse.

On the whole I enjoy it a lot which is just as well as I have needed to put in some very long hours for the last couple of years. However, middle management in a big corporate has all the usual downsides, the relentless politics, lack of qualified and experienced resources, cost pretty much drives all decisions, constantly unrealistic expectations and senior management not willing to manage the demands of the Board. By most people’s standards I am well paid, but it sure doesn’t feel that way. Thankfully on the whole I work with great people. If I was in a environment with back stabbing peers it would be absolute hell. But the trend quarter by quarter is not favourable, it surely has to bottom out at some point.

I just bought the Sony SX 5?for £99. Considered the Bose, which is a better size, but put off by the price. The limited research I did put the Sony ahead of the Bose. The Pure Voca also looks good and John Lewis were doing the for £60.

Glasses
Job in IT
German Car
Naim black, olive and chrome bumper boxes
Ball watch
Far too many bikes

Beard, no thanks

If you are having these sort of misunderstandings and poor communication with them now and they are in sales mode, then I would look elsewhere.

Have you considered second hand? A nearly new bike can be a bargain. Alternatively does a Cannondale Synapse have eyelets? If so they may be woth looking at. Personally I would be less concerned with the group set it can be changed in due course.

I am starting to take an interest from a CRM perspective. Spent most of the weekend googling Hadoop and casandra stuff. As business architect I found it tough going. Not doing anything actively yet.

If you are coming to London then I would head down to sigmasport in Hampton Wick, 30 mins by train from Waterloo. They are a serious road outfit and do Specialized. The owners also hold the franchise for the Kingston concept store, but I would head to the main store in Hampton Wick.

I had a 3 dr MK4 golf two road bikes in the back with the front wheels off every weekend for 6 years, never felt it was a grind. Was a lot easier with two people putting them in.

I bought I budget bed frame from them 10 or more years ago. They offered good service and I never had any problems with the frame. I think their lower end stuff offers good value, but at the top end I would look elsewhere

Dachau – it will be a sobering experience.

As an airline professional for over 20 years most spent in pricing, revenue management and sales then my general advice is if you snooze you lose. From a lay person’s view my vote goes for konabunny’s advice.

“Why use a bell? I am not mute and can convey my intentions on whether I plan to pass you on the left or the right far more clearly with my own voice” 🙂

VW high up! Is great fun to drive, not much power but I loved the handling. Very spacious for a tiny car. A shame they never put th GT into production.

It seems to get worse year on year in my team/group

A. Works 4 days a week over 3 days, apart from every fourth week
B. Works 4 days a week
C. Works 1/2 day on Monday from home, long days Tues and Weds in the office then leaves the office early on Thurs
D. Etc etc
E. Everyone else think it is their god given right to WFH on Friday

Meanwhile I work 12 hours a day 7 to 7 5 days a week and end up WFH most evenings. I am tempted to request it just to cut my hours down. I am **** mug.

I have had two and had the throat spray both times. The first time was unpleasant, and needless to say I was not looking forward to the second, but it was OK, perhaps I just knew what to expect.

The benefit for me is you can pretty much just stand up and walk/drive away etc.

It sounds a lot to me. I always had my Audi Quattro done at a main dealers in London/Surrey and never paid over £400, and that was when I had it on long life rather than fixed, more often only £200-£300 for the 12 month sevice, bar cambelt change.

Have you considered a Trek Superfly. A large range, price for most budgets over £1k. I have the 6, an alloy frame, but a wonderful compliant ride. I am loving mine.

30 years with the same company, 12 months payout, and 30 years contribution into a final salary pension scheme. Everyone ‘s circumstances are different but anyone I know would and have jumped at such an opportunity.

I was under the impression that enhanced early retirement packages could no longer be offered, age discrimination. But generally it is possible to use part of the severance package to buy extra years pension. Probably cheaper, in the short term, for companies to do this.

My dad is 89, his 90th birthday is next week. He lives on his own and it is getting harder for him each week to manage with the stairs and shower etc. Luckily my sisters are only a 5 minute drive away, or he would have been in care several years ago, but we can’t see him be able to cope more than a few more months.

Stubborn as hell, won’t consider a chair lift etc, took my sister years to get him to sign the forms for extra allowances etc, at least in the last couple of weeks he has booked taxis rather than struggling with the bus! I can’t imagine having the conversations being suggested above, my dad would just close up.

It is killing me being 200 miles away, half of me wishes I were made redundant, so I could take some time out to spend more time with him, but that doesn’t seem an option.

Watching this thread with interest.

Take a look at maternityaction.org.uk in the section discrimination, and also look at the equality act.

The employer is playing close to the line in my lay opinion and it is not common practice to enter a new probationary period post maternity leave, but the employer did offer a concession in way of the same job/role on a part time basis. It legally need not have done so, or at least that is my understanding. Reading between the lines I suspect they wanted/want a full time manager, the inclusion of a probationary period, gave them the wriggle room, within the new contract. You will need to take proper legal advice as to whether this constitutes discrimination under the equality act.

As others have said re the mandatory meeting, I think too much is being read into it, but it it not clear whether it is a store/area/regional managers meeting etc. IMO this has relevance, as would the number of managers in the store.

I am 5′ 8″ but with ickle legs 30″ at best. Just bought a Trek Superfly 6, only 2 rides in, but loving it so far. Flies along, free wheels like a road bike, handling will take a little more getting used to. The only downside is I have forgotten the sound little stones make hitting aluminium, bit off putting. Surprised how compliant it feels, my other HT is carbon scott scale.

I looked briefly at Specialized but feared for my testicles.

Is there any risk here that the OP’s wife could just go ahead and provide the gaurantee herself? I am assuming the OPs house/mortgage is in both their names, so if it is collateral the BIL’s bank are looking for, then do they need both the OP’s and his wife’s signature or just the one signature?

Just a thought?

Oh, and to answer the question I would be waiting until the wife is out and then changing the locks if she is in anyway serious about this.

I have had mine for over 8 years with no problems. The blackburn before it lasted less than 12 months. Swore I would never buy a blackburn again. Seems perhaps it is all hit and miss.

Lime and soda, every time, for about the last 10 years, and yes I am a miserable sod, but not half as miserable as when I drink beer.

As late as possible, pay full fare, fly with a super brand and keep me in employment with a healthy bonus :lol

But seriously as mike says above if you need to be somewhere, then book them. The days of airline’s off loading seats at last minute prices has passed, probably been that way for more than 10 years now.

Not saying never say never, but on a domestic service, unlikely, when there is rugby on, even less so

Hampton Court (Palace) along with every other cyclist in south west London 😆

I think the price of my flat has just about doubled in 13 years, I could only afford it then because I had worked as an expat in the States for the previous 3 years so had a large deposit saved up. I suspect it would still be more affordable for me to buy now than then, due to higher salary and lower interest rates etc. My bike spending would need to be reigned in 😆

Over 4 years. Whyte 19c ordered Dec 2008, arrived May 2009 first ridden July 2013. Partly down to illness but I then bought a scott scale 35 and rode that for a couple of years. I had an accident last June, knackered one of the brakes on ths scott. If that hadn’t happened I expect the whyte would remain unridden!

I had a cove handjob that I never rode and sold before I got around to riding it, but I am not sure if that counts.

It gave me a limp dick, but my driving was fine. I didn’t stay on it long 😆

I just bought a Trek Superfly 6. Choice was based largely on the geometry as I am also a shorty, but the Pinnacle Ramin at £1000 looks good value and is nice in the flesh. The Treks seem like a fair spec for the money.

Been there done that, sadly more than once, just wish CG had been around to give me her sound advice. Just move on.

Joe blow here 10 years old and still going strong. Previous blackburn lasted about 2 years.

Absolutely shocking it took them 9 attempts to fit 3 windows for me.

When I say 9 attempts I mean 9 lots of windows manufactured not just fitted. They first sent a bathroom and kitchen window that was only half frosted, not in any meaningful way like the lower half frosted and the upper not, I mean 4 or 5 panels out of 9 frosted in some random fashion. The pseudo lines from pane to pane never lined up, I don’t mean 1/2 an inch or so I mean 4-5 inches.

The fitters were great, Anglian did not kick up a fuss, they just kept manufacturing windows come around and fitting them, for me and the fitters to have a laugh, for the fitters to phone Anglian to make some more and 2 weeks later the fitters would come back, and the cycle would continue.

After 8 attempts I said ok they are not perfect, but what can you knock off,they said £200. I said no, so they went away and made another set of 3 windows.

Fortunately all they had was a small deposit, so I guess I had the upper hand. I wasn’t being fussy or looking for perfection they were no were near spec.

All that said the windows have been fine for 13 years.

Wiggle are selling fulcrum racing 3s for not much more than that, £317.

Yes I do that and put them all in the bin at the end of the day. I have no idea why 😯