sounds like perfectly normal behavior for a inquisitive sociable puppy. My advice is either hold the puppy in the stay with a lead or collar or to release quickly before they get distracted. The key is for them to know that you are the one making the decisions, so early on make it easy for them.

is the slow speed today proof that the majority of the peleton are human (i.e. not doping)?

I had a very old SIS one a while ago, it had separated out a bit and was a bit chewy/gritty at the end. definitely past it’s best, not tasty but safe

@ir_bandito – yes it was rubbish 8) Are you going to share the footage of your ‘little moment’?

@stevehine nope…try again

OK maths fans how about this one…
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had 9 children at regular intervals of 15 months. The oldest is now six times as old as the youngest. How old is the youngest?
(for 12 and 13 year olds)

If you haven’t watched Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s rendition of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in the BBC Young Musician final, you really should catch it on i-player. The saxophonist, Jess Gillam, was brilliant too…

Check the legals carefully…
My wife’s cousin bought a property in Portugal to do up. It turned to have been built without planning permission. To cut a long story short, she lost everything and ended up back in the UK homeless. Along the way her English builder stole many of the nice fittings and new materials she’d paid for – then buggered off.
She didn’t speak the language, and as a single woman in a Mediterranean country it seemed like everyone was out to rip her off, including lawyers and accountants 🙁

the base tune settings on the cane creek website are a useful starting point but your favorite tune may vary. If that doesn’t work the shock may need a service. Likewise for the front shock. Also check tyre pressures and wear.

take a drive up North Bank from Haydon Bridge up to the Military road. No problem pulling in and some great panoramas. Plus the place where Cav fell off on the ToB.

1) Keep the dog off the lead as much as you can when they are young. 95% of recall problems are caused by people failing to do this. Play hide and seek with it over the next few months and it will learn never to lose sight of you

^^this^^ Cockers and springers like to run in front of you – originally to flush game. We trained our cocker by walking her off the lead and when we got to a junction deliberately taking the option that the dog hadn’t. She quickly realised that we were in charge and learnt to wait at junctions for a signal which way to go.
Spaniels also like to quarter the ground so it may be a challenge training your dog to run alongside the trail without zigzagging across it and to the sides.

What an utterly crap “disease” to have.

it does take a bit of getting used to, but, once on the diet your symptoms will disappear and you will be completely healthy.
There are plenty of conditions where the diagnosis means lifelong medication, and some where the prognosis is slow decline and death.
so yes it’s crap e.g. when you turn up at a buffet and there’s nothing you can eat, but that’s about as bad as it gets.

2 years winter and summer riding and mine are still going round. They needed the rubber rim strips to go tubeless.

join a group of better riders, you’ll be off the back for the ride, and out of breath when you catch up. either way you’ll have an excuse for not chatting 🙂

Thanks for the responses. We used a folding and a silky pruning saw (that just happened to be in our packs) to clear several trees across a right of way. The silky was amazing, but the blades are fragile. So I guess we’re in the clear, and the trail is running sweet as…

A long time ago I saw Steve Davis test the static and chalk theories on TV. Static (predictably) had no effect, and chalk (also predictably) caused a big kick.
Can’t think why he says there’s no explanation (other than £££’s of Chinese gambling money)

embarrassing for network rail for failing to spot the potential accident and block the gap. They spent a lot on protecting bridges after the east coast mainline crash.

Here’s Bracken a Welsh springer as requested…

I bet the other half are loaded….

not even close to half US citizens are loaded…

Yes, it’s rideable most of the way then a steep push/carry onto the top of the ridge. It has the advantage that you gain about 500 m altitude in a short distance.

one problem with nuclear is that it isn’t easily ‘turn off and on-able’. Good for base load on the grid but inflexible. This makes it a poor partner for variable renewables like wind and solar. Plus by the time its built it will be outdated technology.
A combination of wind, solar, batteries, and biogas would be more sustainable and flexible.

just tell him you were walking with your bike on the rough bits 😉

Check sizing and measure carefully. POC seem to be the only ones that fit me. I have big calves relative to my thighs.

tick – it’s not so bad when you get used to it and it’s the only autoimmune disease with a ‘cure’. Don’t exclude gluten in the 2 weeks before your biopsy or you may get a false negative result.
Some people don’t bother with the biopsy as all it does is confirm the diagnosis and allow you to get GF food on prescription. Many health authorities are cutting back on this to the point that it’s not worth it, and alternatives are available in the supermarket.
Also check out the Coeliac Society for information.

Never been when it’s been warm though..

my two favorite days of the year here in Northumberland are my birthday and summer 8)
that is me in one of ir-bandito’s photos wearing a short sleeved jersey and it wasn’t my birthday.

@Bunnyhop stay off the main A-roads and dual carriageways and you’ll be fine

There are quite a few GF beers available. Estrella for lager, M&S do two nice ones, and Brewdog does one that is unusual but nice. All are more expensive than the usual non GF beer.
All spirits are GF as gluten is a protein and doesn’t carry over in the distillation process. Paler spirits have lower levels of higher alcohols that contribute to hangovers, so good quality vodka would be the ‘best’ for a clean hangover.

there’s plenty of evidence in the medical literature that regular outdoors exercise is as good as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression (both might be appropriate). it doesn’t have to be full on training, and overdoing it might make things worse.

“Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of ill-health and premature mortality. In England, two thirds of adults do not meet recommended levels of physical activity. Encouraging public transport and active commuting, especially for those in mid-life when obesity becomes an increasing problem, could be an important part of the global policy response to population-level obesity prevention.”

Evidence is needed to convince policymakers to effect change. This is particularly important with the ‘cycling is dangerous’ brigade. ‘Obvious’ is just a statement of opinion and opinions differ.

our cocker had a fetish for gloves and socks.
You’ll also need a comb, hand brush, wire slicker brush, blunt ended scissors. We also use a coat king stripping comb so you don’t need the groomers as often.
I used an old car mat on a table for brushing sessions – start straight away, little and often to get them to enjoy the grooming. Also worth getting them used to the shower because they will roll in something nasty eventually!

Cockers shouldn’t be mad they should be ‘merry’. They can be as energetic as you like outside, inside they can be busy,nosy and demanding of affection, but we called our the ‘comfort hound’ because of her love of finding the warmest softest spot to sleep. Cockers are the perfect size to be both outside and lap-dogs. Working cockers need less grooming but may have a higher drive than show cockers. Our show cocker was hand stripped every 3-4 months at the groomers, but you can just clip them yourself. The better the nose, the more likely they are to find and roll in smelly stuff – rotting salmon or crab were the worst!Fortunately, ours also loved a nice warm shower and shampoo.
As always, see the breeder at home, meet the mother (dam) in person, and don’t fall for a puppy-farmed dog. A good breeder will interview you about your suitability for the dog.
A friend has a working springer that failed its finals as a bomb dog. It is lovely and came pre-trained (they don’t know the ‘special’ commands). might be worth looking into.

Ok, I’m puzzled by the eye roll?
we adopted a Welsh springer who’s original owner worked all day, and clearly didn’t commit enough time and effort to her training and socialisation. She arrived with us a bit loopy and stressed. It is a great sadness to the family that we can’t do simple things like let her off the lead in the park and trust her in the way we could with our cocker spaniel.
It would have been better if her original owner had decided not to have a dog…

Not sure I am confident about a spaniel being left all day sleeping though – everything I have read says that even the show ones need good walks and mental stimulation

every dog needs this – if you can’t commit to it, don’t get one…

can’t see the point of designer mongrels myself. With a breed you have years of experience breeding for type and temperament (sometimes with downsides) so you know, within a normal distribution curve, what you’re getting. For example, the ‘merry cocker’, stubborn, trainable, unfailingly happy, smell and food oriented, crap ears, needs grooming, loves attention and people, likes the outdoors and comfort…with a cross you don’t know which characteristics of which breed you’re getting so it’s a lottery…
or get a mutt from a shelter…

Oh yes, riding home on the hack bike, 1.5 miles from the station so an easy walk/limp home if needed…
BANG! that was a 517 rim exploding and taking out the inner tube. People came out of their houses as it sounded like a gunshot. I thought it was getting thin. Walk home…
SNAP! that was my chain snapping and ramming my knee into the shifter. I thought those out of the saddle efforts were sounding a bit granchy. Limp home…

The area about the bottom bracket is looking a bit rusty, what could possibly go wrong next…

there was an article in the Royal Society of Chemistry magazine that compared beer with isotonic drinks linky. Carbohydrate is lower and mineral levels are similar, vitamin levels are higher so the conclusion that one pint of beer was a good alternative to a pint of isotonic drink. more than one pint was not recommended.

i can’t forgive him for crazy frog…

two words – tight underpants (for the post-op)
tugging *shudder* and the burning smell *yuck*

there’s £2K price difference between the two bikes tested. I would expect a review to include value for money in the score, or score vs the competition at that price point…

i hit 40 next year it will be my last chance to buy an off the shelf bike

really? Just about to hit 50 here and just bought an off the shelf bike. I did consider the reign briefly, but it looked a bit hefty for carrying up passes in the lakes