another

*eraly morning, park at Maidenhead A4 bridge on Slough side of river S near rowing club, along river to Windsor (cheeky through Eton college to make loop) and then either back along cycle path next to M4 (*noisy) or work back via fields and Bray etc

hi

brain dump – suggest doing a flatness/surface check but this is where I go with non techie gf
canals – Kennet & Avon around Dundas Aqueduct/Bradford and Avon – well nice )
– have a look at Test Valley Way, Stockbridge – pretty flat not sure about surface nowdays
CTC website has a map which is pretty handy.

Have a look at the Cycling without Traffic series (*poss by Nick Cotton and others)

ex railway line, starts Brokenhurst New forest
Bournemouth Prom – Christchurch harbour (*you have to do a couple of possibly for you biggish inclines to do full to Christchurch – front Prom is flat) to Poole(great views IOW, Old Harry rocks) *beware cycling restrictions in season and lots of bell ends with dogs, so if you’re are an early riser.
Meon – Wickham old railway **not sure about flat.

?? Rutland water loop

blag – I have a secondhand old style blue Gramin Etrex for sale (the old no OS Map facility) logs routes, follow route (direction arrow), compass, position etc etc drop me a mail in interested – I updated to a Satmap – still carry a map though – screen size context and the fact it could break/battery

Wantage or Basingrad

what about approaching ‘relevant’ manufactures/companies direct – tagged gear etc etc do a demo day for company prize winners/execs/sales targets/prizes for promotions drone z blah

ps I’m old so these are untrendy

Foxs Glacier Mints
Smirnoff (Ice)
etc etc

Cheers – thought about one last winter, seems like to good a deal to miss, now sorted

julian, db

can you stop talking about wages/salary and start working in ‘package’ terms – do you really not understand the difference or are you just unwilling to do an actual fair comparison ?

“At the moment google confirms that permanent like for like nursing jobs are paid the same in private sector as NHS”
Right for each job type, please supply the following (and yes this incomplete but it’s the best I can do at short notice”;
– hours per week
– flexihours available?
– overtime – rate and possibility of getting
– number of days holiday
– pension (is it final salary/DB or DC, what % does employer contribute, how much does employee contribute), does it have a spouse element ?
– death in service benefit ?
– perks – subsidised canteen, free uniform, free parkin etc etc etc
– sick pay details
– do you have to do shift
– antisocial hours payments
– etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc

so *assumming** from your basic statement “At the moment google confirms that permanent like for like nursing jobs are paid the same in private sector as NHS” I would say that the public sector job is better as the salaries are the same BUT a final salary pension (even a reduced one) will be more generous/better than the DC one….. but to be fair that is an assumption

db – one offers a NHS pension – so that suggests to me it’s public

question for you, how much of a DC pension pot do you need to get a £10,000 a year pension (at age 60, rpi linked, with a spouse element/5yr gtee)

another question – if you had a pot of money to retire on, say £X and you wanted to know how much to spend per year can you tell me the equation you’d use to make sure you were ok ?

imho to do a fair compare you need:
– area (as private sector salaries vary considerably)
– FULL package details (hours, pension, perks, otime + rates, weekly hours worked, holiday, flexitime, etc etc etc etc etc)
* don’t compare employee, with self employed etc etc

http://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/management-and-business/317041-public-sector-security-or-private-sector-salary-which-should-you-opt-for-when-

can you tell me which are private vs public here
http://www.reed.co.uk/jobs/paramedic

what area of the country do you want me to post a comparison for – can I suggest that we use a low cost one ?

I actually like mine being able to slip as in wet I slip halfway down nose, so I can choose fractal vision or above fractal vision depending on what my head angle is

They seem to be researching it fairly thoroughly:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23954447

Drac

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/annual-survey-of-hours-and-earnings/2012-provisional-results/stb-ashe-statistical-bulletin-2012.html#tab-Public-and-private-sector-pay

and bear in mind all the lowly paid private sector jobs have sweet fa pension

“mind the strop”, I’m old enough to have played on farms were stuff was driven by a 40ft flapping canvas band – I was not not allowed near that but I was allowed to drive the tractor aged about 3 (*well keep it in a straight line as the men lifted the bales), when older, dropping bales onto the conveyor and running if it rolled back at the top, stacking the trailer in the field – it always gave me a satisfaction that my adult ‘technology’ job does not – you really did finish something – field cropped, last load, gate closed. Last night I was cheeky bimbling thru the heat haze, amazing smells, all the textures and colours, watching the various harvesting dust storms as people used the good weather and light and coming home into the blazing setting sun, this morning low lying mist, with the sun blazing through, amazing – in one field there is a sort of layered bombhole with several distinct layers – the mist appeared to be sitting on each layer with the same drop as the layers – beautiful

try plumbing 350 month into this

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/tools/pension-calculator

**make sure you tick the ‘Do you want your pension income to keep pace with inflation’ box, if your current pension has a spouse allowance tick that box, ditto 25% tax free box

can you lie bike with this upright, soak in a releasing agent(Plus Gas etc), make a small reservoir (plasticine etc etc, fill it with releasing agent and leave

also see – http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Arm-Puller-3-Bearing-Puller-Gear-Puller-450950-UK-SELLER-/270973001312?pt=UK_Hand_Tools_Equipment&hash=item3f173fde60 but I’m not sure you could get the arms round the bearing thru the arm hole

gf was 500, (we boxed) – 2 biggest white vans (very full!! to extent of deforming floor/door relationship), 4 people pretty much all day – about 12 miles between houses
me 250 (we boxed) – 1 big van, 1 bloke, all day, 35 miles
(can recommend if you’re near Wantage, they didn’t sit around much)

if you hire a van – hint – taillift, hint – taillift, hint – taillift (and no that isn’t a typo) big and regular shapes in first(*using std box sizes helps), have sheets/padding and ropes/straps available – it’ll take longer than you think and be harder than you think, also imho ‘good’ packing is a skill that only some people have.

**EDIT – having see above edit – get a decent trolley

Can you enclose it/put it behind in perspex/protect it with a screen type stuff … and remove any ‘loose’/easily broken bits.

All supermarkets now have free from section.

Learn to read the ingredients, and I find that Sainsbury allergy section is clearest (imho) *fyi 3 types of the sainsburys std sausages are gf – toulouse,?? pls check allergy section on back of packet)

India food *curry/vege side dishes is often ok (not nan etc etc)
Thai red/green curry ditto
Chicken kebab with no pitta
Join the Coeliac society and you get freebies/menus etc etc
Lots of ‘better breads’ now – Genius, Warburtons etc etc
If you ask and you get the glazed look then play safe, but some places will respond by altering dishes to suit (Thank you The Roxy, Girvan and several others)
*There are now soy sauces that are GF
Some pub chains mark menu GF – ?Weatherspooons, La tasca etc etc)

Get several pairs of the black etc toaster bags (ebay other sources available) and you can share a toaster (*they will if asked use them in some B&B etc if you take your own bread – tell owner the bag gets king hot so take care)

we do rice, spuds, polenta etc etc(*can be used to make pizza base apparently) and there are an increasing no of coeliac recioes

I wonder if the problem would be quite so bad if the taxpayer funded lots and lots of custom designed trail centres for them to ride at for free. Probably cause a few issues on the road though, it’d be tricky getting past all the audis with trailers left out to avoid paying parking fees.

it was ‘The Hide’, certainly worked for me and the gf

Start of Review: On the windswept Suffolk mudflats creaks a bird-hide, inside which hovers Roy Tunt, a prematurely aged, mildly obsessive-compulsive birder. With one more sighting – the elusive sociable plover – he will have ‘twitched’ the entire British List. Tunt has his shortwave radio, packed-lunch and a portrait of his ex-wife Sandra for company.

I wasn’t going to watch it either.

ps if you like low budget/cult/weird/sci fi try Dark Star *edit – they nicked a bit of the end from R.Bradbury, the bomb debate is classic and the alien fight and lift scene sequence I truly love, it may be surprisingly close to what would really happen if Red Dwarf had been crewed by forum members

two phases

– as a child/teenager it was the done thing (in my day/location) to have a bicycle and use it offroad, this ended with a motorbike licence at 17.

– as an adult, in the early late 80s they were already clamping down on motorbike trail riding (my main hobby), went to Centre Craps had a great time on the cowhorn bikes looning around, remembered cycling and got my 1st mtb off a bloke in the motorbike club and off I went.

check the definitive map of the area (council website) – that’s what legally defines ROW – I tend to respond to the situation – if it looks like a permanent fence I’d report it (council web page should have ROW contact dets), if it looks temporary possibly not. I’d certainly climb over (at a major post and without damaging) and continue, if I was sure it was a bridleway.

“has been ploughed up by the farmer and is uncrossable” – walking ??? and by a dog ???? mmmmm, alternative thought suggestion – do you love walking through a field of waving, golden crop and seeing the countryside gloriously reflect the seasons in a multitude of colours and textures – I do and ploughing is just part of that, it is a pain but in a while it will flatten and be reusable – esp if people make the effort to use it.

ime I get considerably less grief from landowners/’country types’ than from people who I meet using their land, that makes me want to work with them as they go about their business, I’m also wary of getting trails repaired as flat gravel and cinder isn’t that exciting.

Land managers’ responsibilities
The land manager must respect the public’s rights of passage and not do anything that would
inconvenience or endanger the public in any way. The land manager has responsibility for the
following:
• Keeping rights of way clear of any obstructions, such as padlocked gates, rubbish, barbed
wire, slurry, manure, electric fences, hedgerows and chained or loose dogs, and warn users of
potential dangers (e.g. slurry lagoons, cliffs) near rights of way.
• Cutting back vegetation encroaching from the sides (but not the surface) and above, so that it
does not inconvenience the public or prevent the right of way being apparent on the ground. On
bridleways, horse riders should be allowed 3 metres (10 feet) or headroom.
• Keeping paths clear of crops (other than hay and silage) to ensure that they do not
inconvenience users.
• Ensuring that stiles and gates on rights of way are maintained in good order.
• Providing adequate bridges where, with the permission of the highway authority, new ditches
are made or existing ones widened.
• Ensuring that cross-field footpaths are ploughed or disturbed only when it it not convenient to
avoid them.
• Ensuring that field-edge footpaths and bridleways and all byways open to all traffic, roads
used as public paths, restricted byways and unsurfaced public roads are never cultivated.
• Where the cultivation of a cross field footpath or bridleway cannot be conveniently avoided,
ensuring its surface is made good to at least the minimum width within 14 days of first being
cultivated for that crop, or within 24 hours of any subsequent cultivation, unless otherwise
agreed with the highway authority.
• Ensuring that paths over cultivated and remain apparent on the ground at all times and are
not obstructed by crops.
• Ensuring that bulls are not kept in a field crossed by a path unless they do not exceed 10
months or are both not of a recognised dairy breed and are accompanied by cows or heifers.
• Ensuring that any warning notices are displayed only when a bull is present in a field.
• Never keeping an animal known to be aggressive (including a bull of whatever breed) in a
field to which the public never has any access.
• Waymarking public rights of way (where the occupier consider it necessary and desirable).
• Ensuring that not misleading signs are placed near rights of way that might discourage
access; highway authorities have powers under section 57 of the National Parks and Access to
the Countryside Act to remove such signs.

Management of public rights of way
The main responsibility for rights of way falls on the highway authority. The highway authority
is the county or unitary authority for the area. It has a wide range of statutory duties – that is
action it must take – to protect and maintain rights of way; and it has discretionary powers – that
is action it may take if it wants to.
Duties of the highway authority
• Maintain the surface of highways, and control vegetation (other than crops) on the surface of
field-edge paths and those enclosed by hedges, fences or walls and on set-aside land.
• Maintain bridges over natural watercourses including farm ditches (if the ditch was there when
the path was first recorded).
• Provide signposts where rights of way leave metalled roads (highway authorities may also
waymark rights of way, after consulting the landowner).
• Assert and protect the public right to use public rights of way.
• Secure the removal of obstructions including those due to damage to the surface.
• Ensure there are no intimidating notices that deter the public from using the paths shown on the
definitive map, and prosecute anyone who displays such notices.
• Take action, in default where necessary, to ensure that the duties of others are carried out.
• Provide a minimum 25% contribution towards any costs incurred by a landowner in
maintaining stiles or gates on public rights of way.
• Prepare rights of way improvement plans.
Additional powers
• Make orders to create, divert, and extinguish rights of way.
• Create new paths by agreement with the landowner.
• Improve rights of way, including the provision of seats and lighting.
• Appoint footpath wardens.

Have a look at Ruda(aka Parkdean), Croyde – we stay at the beach apts.

(They do special offers and out of season lower prices)

*There are wigwams somewhere at Woolacombe as well

depends on what you’re doing with the vice etc(*what does reloading mean – how much force)

imho – for bicycle stuff only you’ll very rarely need ‘real force’ (*ie 3 ft bar for leverage type scenario)- I used a 4ft kitchen top (braced (4×2 frame), 4 legs (4×2), bolted to a brick wall for 13 years (motorbikes and bikes) and no issue (vice was near one end – ie one of the legs)

*fair point about ebay/collect though

Before buying an epson I would look at the cost of inks and take into account that there is the possibility that only certain ink cartridges will work.

some sheep are rebels, they were two gems on the farm where dad worked:

– clever sheep 1 had learned that if it went on its back and wriggled that cattle grids were no longer an issue, it got sold very quickly as there was some evidence that others were beginning to copy

– escapee specialist 1 had managed to get out so many times the farmer had it wearing a 3 piece wooden tripod (bits about 2 ft long) round it’s neck to stop it getting through and under fences

I’d guess something like above (end of year) plus access targets, plus the rather unpleasant fact that for the different user types (horse, bike, rambler) the ‘ideal surface’ differs a LOT (even within types) and I’d suggest that ‘shouting ability'(to those in ‘power’) went ramblers – then a huge gap to horseriders then another huge gap to bike

are you picking it up from the V5/logbook address, if not **caution**
also I used to photograph people when buying/selling bikes
have you googled on the phone number with the bike for sale

when you phone – say I’m phoning about the bike *don’t say which one – might help see if it’s really trade or if the bloke is selling a few etc

great list from bustaspoke
(check bottoms of forks and footpegs etc – metal bits thatstick out for slide damage)

if you can take a block/jack so you can get the front wheel of the ground and check for bearing etc play, ditto rear (try rocking back/forward and sideways – it should only move in the direction of suspension if you see what I mean – not sideways etc)

I would go to a garage before and check out a ‘decent one’ to get a feel – bounce suspension etc are mirrors/indicators/grips/peg rubbers/seat cover, paint hues the same style etc etc. Also see the size, style and format of the engine frame numbers – you get naughty people who add numbers on and convert digits.

I’d also (once I was sure I was going to buy) do an hpi/ownership/outstanding loan check.

yes, currently using housesimple

£200 + vat one off = pro photos and floorplan, you help with the advert wording etc,review and approve, then advert published on all relevant websites (rightmove zoopla etc) for 6 months. All they do is when contacted they give the contacter your phone no – you need to deal direct with punters and do viewings etc etc etc.

I have been amazed – out of about 12 viewings I’d say only 1 was a tourist the rest I think have been pretty straight. Sold once (fell thru on chain – ho hum) and now under offer, fingers crossed.

There may be some people who won’t deal direct but I suspect they will diminish as ‘technotime’ goes on.

yep, did it as part of a windsurfing/surfing holiday (no wind /wave day) – about x millions years ago but I remember it as doable

[head swelling] – a glorious moment in my mtb career, they were taking publicity shots for the outdoor centre advertising brochures and all the attractive, fit, young trendy people wouldn’t ride a bike on the tricky steep cliff edge paths – cue glory for the elderly but stupid, paid to mtb – what more could you want (*well ok bottle of wine and a couple of beers afterwards)

I’ve been looking at Spec Vita and Trek FX (hybrids I would call them or raod bikes with non drop bars), hoping for a xs for gf to comeup

rarer than that – born Fair Isle (only there as a baby), then Dunnet Head

when I was a nipper (dad worked at Arran estates) and I got to see the results of tree weaving – various experiments carried out over the long term, they kind of done like a knot display but with branches and the trees kept growing

when I used boot mounted rack I added 2 motorbike straps, they ran from the rear seat belt top mounts thru hatch sides onto bikes etc to secure and take a lot of the weight

don’t know the design – but can you move the motor over a bit ? – slide it on the bolts

can you turn the belt inside out (ie is the outside rougher than the inside if you see what I mean)

poss – could you roughen either surface

carp – sorry double post

On my Scotland 1 man adventures I have a bag, torch and I also take a whistle, spare food and leave route details with gf/mates, and set alert times and dial 999 times on it

mine seemed to understand the white powder line rule, I just lifted the carpet and laid a line around the floor of the walls they were in, they never came in the house

you can get killer drops they take back to the nest, mine seemed to understand them as well and ignored them completely

they don’t like petrol, it did work on the lawn, boiling water might be safer on a house though

tea and a bun at Dundas Aqueduct, also Crofton Pumping Station

here – http://sculpture.uk.com/ and don’t buy anything