I’m going with Russian bot drones dropping contrails to brainwash the sheeple into voting Reform?

I lived in Pembs many moons ago.

Kids going? (doesn’t sound like it but if there are sprogs in tow Folly Farm near Narberth is unmissable

Yes the south coast is good, all good suggestions, but don’t overlook the West coast & Ceredigion.

Agree with Newport (just don’t confuse it with the other one and accidentally book a B&B there) – short drive to a lovely walk around Dinas Head, short drive up the hill to Carn Ingli (was once a volcano) with stunning views on a good day across to the Wicklow Hills and as far north as the Snowdonia peaks. Also good access from here to the Gwaun valley which is very pretty and has footpaths a-plenty– you can be adventurous, park in the Gwaun and walk up to the moorland looking down to Newport. Wild ponies up here and edible bilberries in late summer. Gwaun also contains a real character pub the Dyffryn Arms, though sadly the legendary landlady Bessie passed away last December at 94. Still close to NEwport there’s pretty village Nevern, and a lovely circular walk starts near the bridge over the river. Head inland a little and there’s the Preselli Hills – park just off the road north of Foel Drygarn hillfort and walk up, or there’s a slightly longer walk up to here from the road to the west. Or park in Rosebush and head up to Carn Goedog. Look carefully up here and you may find remnants of the RAF Liberator that sadly crashed in 1944.
IF you do have an mtb the Presellis can be a laugh to explore, though its not a big area so you’ll cover it quickly
Also in the area and worth a look is Ty Canoll nature reserve, another pretty circular woodland and open walk perfect with a dog. There’s Pentr Ifan burial chamber – impressive neolithic stones, Pengelli forest is ancient oak woodland near Castell Henlys, good for a dog walk, Ceibwr beach and coastal path south near Moylgrove is lovely, Cardigan is worth a visit,

North of Cardigan there are a few lovely beaches – Llangranog has a free park & ride, and the coastal path going north to the headland is well worth a walk.

I could go on but that’s probably enough to be going with

‘interested in birds give the Merlin app a try’

I’ve got BirdNET on my phone, works pretty well

Can’t the badgers just build another possibly nicer hole? The like digging holes.

My memory of living in Edinburgh was two families crammed into a 2 bed tenement infested with mice, and being saddened by the story of Greyfriars Bobby. Plus sides were those sweets that looked like pebbles, 1 o clock gun and Arthur’s Seat. So on balance, alright.

Eldest has just completed GCSEs. He went into high school diagnosed with quite bad dyslexia and struggled with Maths too. This is a big (400+ per year) sausage factory of a school where those needing extra help can fall between the cracks. Mix of teachers from awful to pretty good. I gave him a little bit of maths help early on and then he just seemed to click and raced ahead on his own. He doesn’t seem to be what you’d call academic but he’s put the hours and effort in revising.

Waiting to see the results, but whatever they are I’ll be proud. He’s got no idea what he wants to do in life so it’s just one foot in front of the other I guess…

Insider political betting doesn’t appear to be contrary to any law.
Naturally this story is being milked to the maximum by those sympathetic to the hammer & sickle brigade

Section 42: Cheating
163.This section creates a criminal offence for cheating at gambling, and repeals the old offence of cheating in section 17 of the Gaming Act 1845 (c.109). The word “cheating” is not defined but has its normal, everyday meaning. The offence is committed by both cheating directly or by doing something for the purpose of assisting or enabling another person to cheat. A person who does something inadvertently which enables another person to cheat, will not, therefore, commit an offence.

164.Subsection (2) provides that a person will commit the offence irrespective of whether he actually wins anything as a result of the cheating, or whether the cheating has the effect of improving the cheat’s chances of winning. This means that an inept cheat, or one who cheats for another person’s benefit, will still commit an offence. Subsection (3) provides that, in particular, cheating may include actions that involve actual or attempted deception or interference with the processes involved in the conduct of gambling, or with any other game, race or other event or process to which gambling relates. Events can be either real or virtual. Subsection (3) does not provide an exhaustive definition of cheating. It is made expressly without prejudice to the general meaning of cheating established in subsection (1).

165.Subsections (4) and (5) provide for penalties that may be imposed upon conviction of the offence. Unlike other offences created under the Act, this offence is capable of being tried either summarily or on indictment. On summary conviction the penalty is a maximum term or imprisonment of 51 weeks (or 6 months in Scotland), and/or a fine up to level 5 on the standard scale. On conviction on indictment the maximum penalty is imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, an unlimited fine, or both.

“Just Stop Oil folks need to realise that, whilst their cause is noble, and they’re probably right”

well no, they’re pampered middle class twits living in relative luxury at a time of unprecedented human wellbeing, all thanks to the modern world which is built on hydrocarbons and petrochemicals, spouting loopy doomsday end-of-the-world gibberish at the best of those invested in barely adequate faux-green ‘alternative’ energy sources.

While you’re beating yourself up for getting into this situation it might be a consolation to hear in a moment of weakness and goodwill to all men I said yes to the van load of guys in the dodgy white van who looked like they’d just escaped from prison when they knocked and asked if they wanted me to look at our dodgy gutter (plastic end just needed pushing on).

I knew we needed the mossy tiles doing, and they said they’d give me a quote.

“Normally we’ll do it for £600 but for you it’s £500”

Gave me a load of waffle about the amazing job they’d do, how they’d be back tomorrow to finish off, clean the downpipes out and the conservatory gutter, etc etc

You can probably guess how that went

Car prices are absolutely mental all round. Every couple of months I have a peek and very quickly lose interest.

Imagine what will happen when new ICE vehicle sales are banned in a few years time. Private transport will be the preserve of the rich

What sort of guy is Starmer and what can we make of his decision making record?

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2012/jul/29/paul-chambers-twitter-joke-airport

Authoritarian, vindictive, overbearing? Perfect material for a socialist party leader to be fair.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2386698/Killer-Simon-Hall-protested-innocence-12-years-admits-Joan-Alberts-murder.html

A great judge of character.

https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/family-fury-as-police-escape-charges-over-ian-tomlinsons-g20-death-6494752.html

Decided not to prosecute police over the killing of Ian Tomlinson. Man of the people!

His track record is not what you’d call glowing.

So what you’re saying is you’re a roadie?

Just get some spare cores and a tool off AliExpress for like£2.

Car valves seem a bit 1970s to me, you’d ride the Raleigh Chopper to the petrol station and inflate with the car air pump (free back then)

Presta just seems more sophisticated in a retro way and cycle specific

Labour leader unable to define ‘working class’

What a time to be alive!

You’ve obviously never had a long hair wrapped around your uvula

I reused a towel again this morning which has definitely helped offset the mass deforestation occurring in order to meet net zero targets to save the planet..

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/06/18/green-aviation-targets-cooking-oil-fraud-mass-scale/

Waiting for the cringe “Torygraph” comment, don’t disappoint me please

“I’d think some people are very easily triggered by culture war nonsense”

well no, you’d have been in a coma for 10 years so would be unaware of the culture wars.

Imagine you’ve been in a coma for the last 10 years, you miraculously wake up and want to catch up on the news, and this is the first story you read…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/tony-blair-rosie-duffield-holyrood-basingstoke-canterbury-b2564637.html

what would you think has happened while you were out?

I think BCA went trade only, they also went pretty much online only during and after covid

I’ve always got an emergency foil blanket/poncho in my bike bag, its so small and light I forget its there, size of a playing card. A few quid from a camping shop

‘Berlingo, the car nobody wants, the car everybody needs’

SUV mania has been a disaster for car choice, and most MPV designs seem to be stuck 10 years ago. I’m tempted by the previous model Ford Tourneo Connect LWB which is a similar deal, (current one is a VW Caddy based disaster) but there’s only a choice of wet belt petrol and a 1.5D which is forever having DPF issues etc

In my town there’s a British Transport Police office about 50 feet away from the bike racks where bikes are regularly stolen.

Police are clearly no deterrent so are failing to help prevent crime, and are regularly exposed as failing to investigate property crime, burglaries etc. Taxpayers aren’t getting value for money, police resources need to be focussed where the customers require them.

In London high end bikes are stolen by Albanian gangs and shipped to Russia where they fetch higher prices due to the import sanctions, so also a political borders/immigration issue here.

All this riding with other people lark sounds horrendous

I feel a bit less odd for riding solo 98% of the time after reading this thread

massive box of chips and an overpriced coffee outside watching all the tourists. Stayed for like 40 mins which in hindsight was way too long.

Sounds more like cafe legs and a carb coma rather than bonk, though you could’ve been unlucky and had all 3.

I stop for an amazing cooked breakfast 2 hours into one of my fave rides but I regret the fried potato when the big hills start

Useless’s hot take on why he was forced out…

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/17/humza-yousaf-islamophobia-politics-europe

Rrrrrrrrright.

Don’t throw a ball for your dog as this causes it to run and pant, emitting more CO2 and requiring more meat to replenish energy. Doing or rather not doing this will cause the planet to cool, therefore reversing climate change and making the weather generally nice all the time with no extremes.

I don’t think so no, some road rides will be competitive and will be drop rides, the vast majority will be no drop rides

Yeah but most of the above tales it sounds like the dropped riders thought they were in a no drop ride but then either got dropped or half killed themselves trying to keep up.

There isn’t even a concept of a drop ride when you’re with a group off road. I get that roads are different, you can cover big distances quickly, we all ride at different pace, the tarmac stretching into the distance is inviting its frustrating riding slower than you can, so it’s natural for group rides to break up… at which point you might as well be riding solo, no?

This is an anniversary best ignored, because it means the days are now getting shorter, which means we’re only weeks away from Sainsbury’s putting jars of luxury mince pie filling on the shelves

There was a thread on being dropped on group road rides a wee while ago

is there possibly less camaraderie among roadies compared to mtb groups?

I thought I was immune to bonks being an old git now and having a bit of a fat reserve (sports/diet science clearly aren’t my thing) but had one about 3 or 4 years ago after embarking on a 150km ride incorporating some south downs hills and 95% off road to christen a new xc bike. I had to be back home on time as I’d booked a table in a restaurant to take the family. Id planned to find a chippy or cafe at lunchtime but realised I was about an hour behind schedule and just had to press on. I’d got an egg n bacon roll in the morning and been eating Trek and Nakd bars all day but these weren’t enough to prevent a bonk. Felt sick and depressed, ended up sat on a bench eating emergency jelly babies for 5 mins, then forced myself to grind on. I was so hangry I shouted C**ts ! at a pair of twits walking in the middle of the road who forced me to slam the brakes on..

As for psycho ride buddies, ride solo and never meet people “off the internet”!

I sometimes used to walk past them shooting Paddington 1 and then 2 a couple of years later in Primrose Hill, they built a newspaper stand in Chalcot Square and the house was on Chalcot Crescent, though with some CGI Victorian lanterns etc to make it look more period.

My eldest had to be escorted terrified and crying towards the end of #1 cos he was so frightened of Millicent Clyde. Can’t believe he’s just finishing GCSEs, doesn’t time fly

“the pace was brutal…”

Well, there’s the problem. Find a different ride buddy

On the plus side, monster dock leaves

Never seen it this bad before, lots of rain and spring sunshine (when you were stuck in work obvs)

Funny thing about nettle stings is riding solo I just grimace and plough on through, but I turn into a kid when walking the dog with the mrs

Still, it adds an extra dimension to the ride, I’ve been going one-handed trying to avoid brambles while unable to see the actual trail, hasn’t ended in disaster. And I’ve spotted a couple of flattened places where deer were sleeping, they often seem to sleep right next to trails

Labour to ban any new North Sea gas and oil exploration because it would “accelerate the worsening climate crisis”.

There is no climate crisis, worsening or otherwise, and even if there were, Britain’s essential use of oil and gas would have no effect on it.

All this will do is worsen inflation, increase our dependence on imports, reduce energy security and harm British industry and jobs.

Given the parlous state of the economy and our shaky energy security this country needs a Labour government like a hole in the head.

On that note, no-one book anything in Wales, weekend July 20/21. I’ve booked a room and I’m heading out for mostly off road so have jinxed it – expecting 7C, hail, rain, and unrideable bridleways from hell

14-ish

2 pairs of black leather work shoes

1 pair black leather work shoes, goretex for winter

Adidas 5-10 for the commute on flatties

Columbia walking boots

Regatta walking boots

North face walking shoes I just use as gardening/work shoes

Wellies

Shimano XC shoes

Fred Perry trainers

Sketchers trainers

2 pairs Adidas Rom, one white one black, mint condition

Adidas Barcelona

Sketchers sandals

probably forgot something

The kids are worse, add in various football/astro boots. And the Mrs is worse still (summer/winter wardrobe etc)

You should see our hallway

Mrs’s renewal this month came in less than last year, so at least it isn’t universal. Mine is next month. Even if it’s something outrageous I’m fairly confident shopping around will find something as good or better. Was paying <£200 a year fully comp til a couple of years ago.

Never go full roadie.

Those bib things are proper Clockwork Orange (the film not the hardtail)

Nitrile gloves, car mechanic style. Swarfega went out in the 80s

Pretty much everything costs £200 more in Surrey than the rest of the country