That's good news. As you said, shame it couldn't happen like this first time round but you've got things moving and been incredibly reasonable doing it. Nice one 🙂 Hope your daughter feels a bit better about things now.

<yawns>

All tastes the same.

Hey man, if you want a ladybarby, that's cool, this is 2010 after all 🙂

gas barbie

No such thing.

hmm, that might be true al but we'd still need a gas engineer to have some way of getting to it 🙂

I can tell the DIY/get someone in debate will run and run in my head; i can also guess which one my missus will prefer. Save a few quid or have a quieter life… hmm. There's a light up there already so that's covered.

The points about being above the insulation are good ones and I'll make sure that they're mentioned in our revised bid.

Cheers fellas. I'll chase that up Chris H – and remember the DIY option 5lab! Boarding shouldn't be a problem but before the ladder went in the access hatch will needing to be enlarged and I wouldn't trust myself to do that.

God, this thread has made me yearn for my Rally Car Top Trumps.

I miss my ss onee…

And I'd probably have gone for one of the new 456s if it weren't for the fact that the '456' looks like it's been written on in marker pen by someone unfamiliar with writing.

It just might be that your expectations of art and how you view it are the problem rather than Warhol's ability as an artist

+1.

Afaik, Warhol's work was a meta-critique of the aestheticization of the banal – he looked around him and could see (and knew from experience) the design decisions that contributed to the label of a tin of soup. Where does that leave the artist when even soup tins (or bikes, or iTat) are perceived to have aesthetic qualities? They could (a) ignore the world they live in (b) attempt to produce a new art that transcends the historical moment or (c) produce a commentary upon it by turning the artistic eye toward it. Warhol chose the latter route and was a brilliantly cyncal commentator upon the banality of the world of image that we inhabit – what is left for the artist to depict, our contemporary icons, our gods, goddesses and holy objects: celebrities, commodities etc. Well, until he started believing his own hype (unless that was part of his art….)

He carried on a tradition of anti-art that you can, if you so wish, trace back to the dadaists (say, Duchamp and his readymades). Having said all that even generally accepted 'classic' art caused huge division and controversy in their time: Turner (and subsequently the impressionists) was not well received and Courbet's works were met with horror at the Paris Salon.

Having said all that, Billy Childish and Thee Headcoats asked the timeless question in memorable style:

"Damien Hirst's got his fish in a tank
Some say it's art others think it's ****."

Ah, punk rock.

Well, I passed my test towards the backend of last year and can confirm that in a minor city at least (derby) driving on a dual carriageway was a necessary component and that going too slow would have been a problem.

Someone above has mentioned the thing that annoys me most – people who, for whatever fearful reason, have to slow down dramatically for corners that don't warrant it.

Forgive me if I'm wrong here but the whole point of IDAHO is aimed at peole who might be homophobic.

Well, discounting the idea that they might be free to make up their own minds, how effective at dismantling deep-seated prejudices, really, is flying flags going to be? I'm not sure I can accept that this can be a serious strategy at 'targetting' homophobes:

"Bloody gays, with their musicals and their same sex sex, i'm going to give em a bloody good seeing to…. hang on! A flag, A ruddy great big rainbow flag! Sorry gays, lesbians, bisexuals and the TG community, the scales have fallen from eyes and I shall now embrace your difference."

Nah.

[…]in which case the rainbow flag is being flown to address the majority of the population not the minority.

So, are the majority of the population homophobic? I doubt it.

Media Monkey

I got this and now wouldn't be without it. I've tried all the free ones and each has their strengths but MM rocks.

Alpine skiing. Very relaxing. Cricket/TMS also – it is the opiate of sports broadcasting.

But hats off to yoda 🙂

Just the one – out with my boys on Sunday. Eldest riding, youngest in chariot on rear of mine. 7 miles – pleased with how the eldest (7) tore round it and was ready for more 🙂

Looking forward to a 'grown up' ride tomorrow mind.

or more appropriate to fly the cross of St George?

Well, I don't strongly identify as English nor am I against the principles of 'Idaho' day (although duly note the American-centric appellation) but I would have thought that a St Georges flag on St Georges day is a traditional celebration of the nation that we all live in and Idaho day is a celebration geared towards a small special interest group who only represent a narrow proportion of the population. The one that celebrates the many is banned whilst the one that celebrates the few is enforced – it does seem a twisted kind of logic.

Moon Duo – Killing Time

Captain Beefheart – Electricity

bad indians 'live from the burial mound'. awesome acid garage punk.

Great looking dog but I've gotta say that I'd have thought Dick, after Dick Scum of Armitage Shanks (for Shanks virgins check out timeless classic 'shirts off' on myspace) cos he's got his 'solid' build 🙂

Dick Scum, above right

That's so crap.

Les enfants watching Spongebob. Thank the lord Odin that it's the boys choice. I'm not sure I culd stay sane through another Dora.

The Fall – Your future, our clutter. Best thing they've done in twenty years. Try "Bury, Pts. 1+3" for size..

That's great news-ah! That's great news, I'll hafta hunt it down-ah!

Congratulations and well done to your missus and nipper 🙂

On a less violence oriented front (although I wud feel the same) when you visit the school mention you have written a letter to ofsted.

+1 OFSTED and also get in touch with your local cooncil's education department (as senior an individual as possible). An email CC'd to the headmaster and chair of the governing body complaining about a breakdown in discipline should begin some interesting conversations.

We're doing exactly the same at the moment and I had a similar thread when we started Check it out here – there's some good stuff on there.

Oh! And good luck 🙂

the man has put the funk back into weather

No, he's put the, "Where's me shotgun?" Into weather.

<Looks at lovely ladies above>
<Looks at freakshow-parented Des>
<Despairs>

Damn you East Midlands!!!

'Tis a shame that this community hasn't got space for society's more colourful characters.

Is this parking fee included in the ride permit or is it extra on top?

When even scruff and snakebite don't mention the permit, it's time to let it go….

…I was once unable to pay for parking cos the machine had a big machine condom on and a sign syaing 'Pay at the Forestry Office' (or something) but it wasn't open. No Nazi beards. 830 or so in the morning. Not much help mind, OP, cos swinnertons wasn't open either.

Little as possible. muesli stylee bar, keys, multitool +allen key for chain tool, park tools titchy patches + tyre irons (well, technically plastics i guess), phone. Bag of crisps if it's a longer ride. Oh! And zipties. And some paracetamol (1st aid kit).

130 Menjas on a PA. I can't find as bad word to say about them: plush, track well (very for QR), pretty light and are well made. I've had Fox (Vanillas and Talis) and Rockshox (Rebas) and I'd probably choose Magura over them for low maintenance reliability and a 'just right' feel. The only minor quibble is that I have to undo the QR to get the wheel out but it's not exactly a tricky job.

Cheers man, and good luck with your sale – like i said i'll see how things go with the kilbourne road one and be in touch if it and the ashbourne one falls through

gmail – i've had a variety of free accounts as well as isp and work ones for, um, near on two decades now and gmail is far and away the best. I keep checking out hotmail, yahoo etc but they don't hold a candle to it.

They are known by the staff and are pretty sensible headed people.

For the most part, these days. I seem to remember a couple of years ago one mod (Polly?) who banned everyone and everything during long winter evenings.

TBH, I don't think what Talkefreda has done is worth a banning – all part of the rich and varied microworld that is STW.

Sounds crackin wrightyson – if t'other ones fall through and yours hasn't gone I'll get back to you about it. when you say next door's an investment – are you going to be developing it? sorry if i'm being nosey!

O and I'm only moving as it's a bit of an investment chance (hopefully), not too far away, in fact it's next door so I'm staying local

Lol. At least we'd know where to turn if the roof fell in 🙂
We've got a second viewing lined up on Friday and I reckon the haggling will begin on Monday… if it all goes pear shaped there's always the Ashbourne one. And if not… how many bedrooms wrightyson? 🙂

Good news, well done 🙂

Ride the storm dude, your kids know you love them.

Right on!

Awesome!

Some potential spares (Tedted's friends who are visiting?)…

#1
#2
#3

Panasonic Lumix EZ38?

I've been very happy with mine – yet to take it anywhere to get the shots it's capable of taking yet but have got some *great* family portraits

My missus, who has worked on customer service asked have you tried asking at customer services for the head office to search old? All they'll need is a decription and they might track dwn one lurking in a stockroom corner…

In the meantime, this story might provide some comfort….

Aha. Mine's been shite on and off for a month. Might give them a call.

A similar thing happened to me. I have my boys every weekend. Two weeks after my mum's funeral (early April) my ex 'suggested' that she has them every second weekend.

By text.

<massive_understatement>I was not best pleased</massive_understatement>

I can appreciate that she misses seeing them outside of school days and I might have listened to a more reasonable suggestion levelled at a more appropriate time.

Anyway, when I was next at her's I told her, politely to do one. She then criticised the boys' time at my house because, "they got bruises and scratches from playing outside."

40 minutes later, after I had detailed in minute detail the boys' various complaints about the levels of boredom experienced at her house whilst she played video games and watched TV as well as a host of other shortcomings and she'd become extremely upset I left, with my boys.

The next time I said that once a month might be okay. Since then she has seemingly totally changed her attitude towards the boys and engaged with them a lot more and started letting them play in the garden(!) May was meant to be the first month she saw them at the weekend. It hasn't happened; I guess it might not have been as important to her as she claimed…

(Sorry for venting on your thread). The moral? I'm not sure. To speak straight, look for acceptable compromise and things might go okay.

I'm not sure I could stand seeing my ex every day – i like to keep her space and mine separate for me and for the kids.

Oh and my house is for sale too so if yours falls thro let me know ha ha

I'll keep that in mind 🙂 Out of interest – why are you moving? Just asking cos you've painted a pretty positive picture of belper!

I've meant to visit some shining examples of local woods for a while now (on a quiet week day, natch), hope to get the chance soon 😉