Friend of mine waited 8 months for a clutch for a Twingo, apparently they couldn’t make them due to shortages due to covid.

Now seems also to be lots of Renault parts shortages due to their Russian supply of metal not being available currently.

Don’t spend money you don’t have.

Stick with the programming and get a decently paid job no matter how boring you find it.

Learn a foreign language and make use of it to live abroad, for a time at least (probably Italy).

Move to Sydney.

Well another thread full of cheerful, polite and respectful conversation that is the usual anti SNP nonsense.
Can’t believe I wasted time reading some of it.

I have little sympathy for those that don’t bother, I’ve always had it.

Colleague of mine (an idiot) didn’t have insurance and was on a stag do in Hamburg, hopefully very drunk, stepped into the road after waiting for two cars to pass, hadn’t noticed the third car. Killed instantly. £25k to bring his body home. I politely declined to donate.

I paid £680 to just cover medical and repatriation for codriving on the Safari Rally in Kenya and that was trundling along slowly at the back of the field with very little risks involved. But I wouldn’t want my parents to sell their house to medivac me home. Just not worth it.

Yes, great idea.

Tried smoking once at school, couldn’t get the hang of it!

Of course, we are just about dealing with all pubs & restaurants closing down due to the smoking ban there. Awful now isn’t it.

We’ll join again eventually, the politicians (which means all sides!) will change their minds as soon as there’s enough public support for it. But sadly there isn’t at the moment.

If my company didn’t insist on us going into the office on two days a week, I’d be taking up a remote worker visa… :(

So, I’ve not read much of this thread and admittedly have little knowledge of this part of the world. But what happens if/when Iran has a go at Israel?

I would do as above, drop stuff off then park & get buss luggage free. Also means you keep your keys.

I’ve only done meet and greet once at Newcastle and it turned out fine, but just don’t trust the idea of it and too many bad headlines and always thinking “what if”.

Can always do same in reverse on return.

Have to say, pretty clueless and uninformed post and mostly the expected clueless responses I’d expect on a cycling forum.

Tour de France is always boring to wat h when the favourite wins. Far too much waffle before and after and silly rules that nobody understands. Much better back in the day. All about having the best bike.

Football always boring to watch as Man City always win it. All about how big owners budget is, also involves silly rules and lack of transparency with decisions. Much better back in the day when Man Utd won everything. Far too much waffle going on.

Tennis, ah yes it’s utterly mind numbing as that dodgy Djokovic fella keeps winning. Again silly rules and was much better back in the day with Sampras winning everything.

Cricket… that’s just glorified rounders innit, with added silly rules.

Rallying, again ridiculous rules, all about the car and tyres, and obv not really a sport at all. Much better back in the day when Tommi Makinen was unbeatable.

Memory Map

I have a work mobile that I have to remember to charge then turn on every six months to put a code in when laptop password changes. All calls are through laptop. Switch it off at 5pm then don’t think about work until whenever it is the next time I am in.

The stuff that needs done when I’m away will get done eventually when I’m back.

Furlough during covid – good idea, poorly implemented but if it had put in place properly it wouldn’t have been rolled out so quickly.

Same for the 10k COVID grants for businesses on business rates. Fast rollout poor implementation.

Both policies worked – but we’re too easy to take advantage of, a down side to the quick roll out imo. I also don’t personally see them as typical Tory policy.

Other than that I can’t think of anything.

Of course, the only reason they did this was so that those that think that anyone on benefits are just scroungers getting loads of undeserved money, would have had their eyes opened. Even on (what was it, 85%?), a lot of people thought they struggled!

Now everyone can help to pay it all back!!

I’m diabetic and on the rare occasions I have to do it, I use a fastclix (?) device where you can set the depth. Sounds like its a depth issue you have rather than size of lancet?

dangke your arms down, shake a bit, then use sides of finger I find gets best result.

Mean it from a safety point of view really.

Don’t think a red flag would have made any difference to the situation. Other cars crawled past in the video so would’ve been exactly the same with red flags. He is sitting in the car which is the sensible thing to do until the scene is secured. Others who make the decisions have the big picture.

Doubt Sargeant would’ve qualified 12th.

I got a degree in computing at uni and was thoroughly fed up of it at the end.

For the past 12 years I have been designing gas connections for a big gas transporter, and have zero qualifications as the company didn’t want to spend the money training people. I think one of us in the office has the official qualification from years ago before she joined our company. I just feel trapped here as would be really difficult to move anywhere else. The annoying thing is that any external people wanting to do work on our network we insist on them being qualified…. doh.

I started temping answering the phones and worked up and took advantage of the office relocating a couple of times and 99% of staff not wanting to relocate.

Worth calling your gas company (network side) to check if they need to dig up and replace your gas pipes just after you’ve laid your expensive new tarmac. Think it’s Cadent who cover Manchester area.

Can get a decent condition Twingo RS for £2-3k these days. Much fun and great handling.

It happens all the time over there, this one is unusual in that it seems only 1 was killed and there was a big parade going on.

i think they are genuinely beyond help.

Have been using a Logitech MX Master 3 for a few years and love it, the sideways scroll wheel is really useful at work. I also have a Logitech Anywhere 2 mouse in my laptop bag for use away from home and like that as well.

I renew every three years (so no fee luckily) and don’t  think I’ve ever remembered to send the old one back.

Same here, but no wife or kids.

I’ve moved a few different places with work over the last 20 years and lost touch with most people. My best friend lives over in Kenya but we chat a fair bit on WhatsApp. But I have very very few friends, and due to money issues have basically given up all hobbies until I can get my finances in order. Luckily I’m a massive introvert and don’t mind my own company, but do often wonder if it’ll be like this for another 40 years or so.

Life is shit.

I’m one of those folk that are pretty useless at languages, I did French at school and did a standard grade but just wasn’t interested (I blame the rubbish teachers) and didn’t really see the point other than for French camping holidays, which I had no interest in continuing with after escaping from parents.

I wish I could find more time to try to learn these days, I did have a Norwegian girlfriend in about 2010 and I did an evening course at Edinburgh uni, can still remember a few sentences but that’s about it, wish that hadn’t petered out as would’ve loved to have had the chance to move there.

Do occasionally start trying to listen to Michel Thomas Italian and get into it for a few lessons but then forget about it for 6 months before I remember about it again.

If I could choose to learn would like to do Norwegian again. Will need to wait a while to free up some time as work is giving me too much hassle at the moment, but yeah think this thread has peaked my interest again.

If anyone knows any evening language courses available in Leeds I’d love to maybe try that.

Didn’t read all the above but some of the usual fake news as you’d expect.

Very few people know there are plans to transition the country’s gas networks to use hydrogen, detailed plans and all the safety testing has been passed as safe.

i have seen there is street by street detailed plans for it to be done. I am sure it’ll happen, but as someone said above, the government isn’t keen for some reason – almost as if they have financial interests in gas companies…..

it will happen and it’ll massively reduce carbon emissions for the country.

I see some of the massively ridiculous claims by anti-EV types who are fixed in their ideas and are completely sure that what they read in the past (fires etc) will never be solved or improved on, electric grid will collapse and renewable generation will never increase and everything will shut down countrywide on a hit summer day with no wind blah blah blah.

The way people live will change in the next few decades. I’m looking forward to it.

just need a pro-Green government first.

Just keep having ejections until we get a sensible result.

People sitting at traffic lights with their foot on the brakes and the brake lights burning the back of my retinas.

Use the handbrake FFS that’s what it’s there for!

Cretins.

Aye, more in favour of this than contactless.

Boom time for firesticks down the pub.

Yes, bring it on. Cash is hassle to use and costs everyone to handle.

People seem to think that the current bank/card charges will remain exactly the same for the rest of time and it’ll be far too expensive for everyone at all points. That’s not the case and lower costs will be needed to allow a cashless society to go ahead. Charity boxes will have a contactless thing where you scan and donate £2 or whatever. Its not rocket science.

Same point for EVs, they will come down in price and only then will it be a game changer for society. Yet all the anti EV lot post that its too expensive and always will be so it’ll never work.

Same for renewable power, hydrogen generation etc.

My gas meter won’t give a reading. Engineer is booked at the earliest available appointment- for late January, so I’ve been unable to do any energy switching/price assessment this winter. Hoping I don’t get a massive bill as a result.

The gas smart meters send their readings through your electric meter, so might be an issue if they are far away from each other.

The readings are still shown on it, so shouldn’t affect your bills if you are submitting readings to the supplier.

I’m looking forward to it as usual, I’m an avid watcher and love the strategy/tactical element.

I just find it frustrating that loads of folk are moaning that Max is winning everything with ease yet most didn’t when Hamilton was doing the same. There is so much partisan support these days, its really hard for folk to sit back and just enjoy it.

WFH/parents in Fife, lots of weather going on but I’d rather take the time off in summer. Annoying as very little room to be working here and my parents have got light bulbs so dim in order to save pennies on leccy bills that I can hardly see.

Back down South on New Year’s Day to get back to normality, non rubbish food and something on the telly box that is newer than 30 years old. Heaven.

Had been half thinking of going over to watch live as I have a lot of experience of normal rallies, but knowing my luck I would walk 10 miles into the desert and watch them go past on the horizon…

But I’m sure it’d be a brilliant experience.

And against all this, the leader of the opposition is offering ” we’re marginally less shit than the Tories” as an alternative.

I despair.

That’s what the current government want you to think!!
🤦🏻‍♂️

Depends where you’re travelling to.

I’m in Australia which doesn’t have any vaccine or test requirements, but need to show confirmation when I’m flying home via the USA.

Old lady who lived a long life of immense wealth has died.

I have no emotion at all, and refuse to be talked down to as though I should.

Memory Map – there is a new app Memory Map for All which is a lot smoother. Very reasonable price for full uk maps towards the end of the year (before new version released).

Ah yes well done to Hamilton for shutting down the reporter trying to get him into responding. Having none of that wasn’t he.

Until later.

Thought it was just me. Very frustrating!!!!!