Not driven one but reports are good.I did read that its about £1800 replacement clutch time.
Just collecting a Mondeo on Saturday,2009 model.Managed to get a low mileage one,22k.Went for the 1.8 tdci as there is no dpf,and its powerful enough for me.

I have quite a few friends,and one family member,who all moved house due to a gradual influx of Asians in the area.
The reasoning went that you sold your house first,normally to Asians,and this would then put off “white” buyers who saw Asians creeping into the area.Less buyers,lower house prices.Racist or economic decision ?
One couple took a massive loss to leave an Asian dominated area due to racist abuse and even having stones thrown at them.
I had a business for over 17 years that primarily dealt with Indians,some of which had come from Uganda.They were hard working and invested in this country but were racist.My wife complained to one Indian boss about his treatment of a worker who was from Pakistan.
She was told that the Pakistanis really were no better than slaves,and the area that i came from,Bradford,has the worst class of immigrant.In fact they said too many immigrants had been allowed into the UK,but i believe they meant wrong type.
Lets not beat ourselves up about having racists,bigots etc as it extends far wider than the EDL

A couple of years ago i was driving back through northern France on quiet country roads on a Sunday afternoon.Went to change gear and clutch pedal went to the floor and stayed there.Pulled over and clutch fluid was all over the road.
A French cycling club arrived and proceeded to look around the engine bay and kept removing the engine oil dipstick.One of them told me his friend was a mechanic,duly phoned him and he turned up.Couldn’t help as it was lunchtime.
My wife set off walking,but got a lift from an old french couple, to the last village we passed as there was a pub called The Red Lion.English customers and by remarkable chance one was a retired AA man.Pub did B & B so a couple of nights there,and the AA guy got the car back to his house and fixed it.His wife cooked us a meal and we used their internet to re book our ferry.
We had breakdown cover with our insurance,a company i had never heard of, but just got number not available all the time.
A big coincidence was that the AA man used to live near to me in Bradford and even used the same car spares shop.
Its taught me that it may be a few quid more but i’d always go with the big companies.
P.S. if you’re old enough like me AA European cover is available with Saga car insurance for about £60 a year for as many trips as you want.

Straightliner wanted “cheapish”.Stihl’s don’t really fall into that category.

The Mary Portas knickers were £10 a pair.Thats a very limited market in the UK.We could produce everyday goods in the UK but it needs huge investment.The private/public company economy demands profit,and quickly.
A TV programme concerning a cushion manufacturer showed that his Manchester based factory could produce within really closely price wise with his China factory.He expanded his Manchester factory but some of the new people employed obviously didn’t want a job.
The people you see on programmes such as Skint are in their present state unemployable,and that is going to be hard task to reverse.

I bought a new Kawasaki petrol brushcutter off the internet for just over £200.No problems at all with it and its had quite a bit of use.Buy high quality cord as the cheap stuff is a waste of money.

When i’m going downhill on a rough bit of road at possibly 40mph plus i wouldn’t want doubt in my mind about my frame and forks.It bothers me about my carbon fork as it seems so light and hollow sounding even though its a top end Easton.

Are you’re brake pads in really good nick,not contaminated etc ?
I wouldn’t grease the threads on the brake disc bolts,in fact they usually have a blob of loctite on them.

My brother used to repair Masambula’s car.
Big Daddy’s son plays rugby for Huddersfield Giants,Eorl Crabtree.

I’m just off this weekend to look at a Mondeo.2009,1.8 tdci,22,000 miles.From a Toyota franchise but still the same warranty,breakdown etc.
Price is £7790.Seems pretty good for the mileage,one private owner,full Ford service history.Dealer won’t budge on price even for no part ex.I have a 2006 Mk3 Mondeo and the over the phone part ex price is £2000. Not too bad but another £300 would help.
An unfranchised dealer near to me has 2009/2010 Mondeos in for £7500 with around 40 to 45k mileage.Just a 7 day warranty.
I have a feeling my Mondeo has been clocked so am erring towards the franchised dealer.Both my neighbours have clocked cars,one with 100k removed.The guy who does the clocking work also visits franchises.
I think just have a good look on Autotrader and e-bay to get a feel of the prices.
A friend part ex’d a Jag and was given 3K.The dealer put it up on the internet at 5K.Probably a fair amount of haggling room there.
The car i’m going to look at seems to be at the bottom of the pricing scale so thats why the dealer won’t budge much,although i’ll give it a go ( much to the embarrassment of my wife ).

2007 Orange 5.Terrible rear shock,awful paint,flawed geometry.

wrightyson,all the people around here don’t assume that they are all thieves,they KNOW that they are all thieves.

Some friends living down the road had travellers,i’m being polite calling them that,arrive last weekend and pitch up with caravans,horse box and 4 horses smack opposite their house on a farmers field.Police were called but were not interested and we believe the farmer was intimidated as more turned up in cars.
My friends had sleepless nights,and the husband who works away,was reluctant to leave his wife in the house.
They left this morning but horses remain (free grazing),but a neighbour has seen other other travellers coming down and looking at the land.
Everybody believes that unless the field is fenced off quickly it will be an ideal spot for them next to the river.And we’re on the route to Appleby.

First of all you should go back and set your saddle in the right position for pedalling.Slight bend in leg when pedal in lowest position etc………saddle set forward to back so that when cranks are horizontal soft part below kneecap is vertically above pedal spindle ( use a plumb line).Theres plenty of basic bike fit videos on youtube.
Once you’ve got the saddle in the correct position then you can start on the bars and stem.

According to the forums on the 2.2 engine regeneration is done by pumping extra fuel through and some of this can find its way into the sump.When the sump reaches a certain level it needs an oil change as there is too much diesel in it.Possibly the source of the warning light ?

5’11” and a medium Reign.
Had an Orange 5 before the Reign .
When i rode the 5 i thought i was riding one of the most sorted bikes out there.I wasn’t.The Reigns easily the better bike.

Have a look at Merlin Cycles in Lancashire.
Their own brand road bikes seem pretty good for the money.

If the main political parties want to get rid of this bothersome fly called UKIP then just have a referendum on Europe,in or out ,before the next election.When we all vote to stay in then UKIP’s stance on immigration and the wasteful EU will be dead in the water.
We will all be voting to stay in the EU won’t we ?

There should be no problem switching down to 80mm.
My Cube had a 110 and i felt too stretched so changed it down to a 70.Everyone says twitchy steering but i think its actually improved the cornering.It’s also more comfortable.
Set your saddle position first as per knee position in Torontes post then look at the stem.Sit on the bike in your prefered position,not on the drops,and look down at the front hub.General advice is that it should be obscured by the handlebar-stem junction.On mine i can just see the front part of the hub,so maybe another 10mm may be ideal.
A friend with the same bike changed to an 80 and feels its spot on compared to the original 110.

Remember that when your friend fills in the self assessment besides putting in earnings you also put in any expenses.
You wouldn’t need an accountant for such a simple situation.
I’m not certain but its probably just the short tax return that your friend would need.

Definitely at Ax Les Thermes it has to be Camping Ascou La Forge.Its on the route to the Col de Paliheres,D25.
The owners run outdoor activities from the site and have a room full of info.The campsite is really one big open field and the toilet block is the best that i have been to anywhere,and i’ve been to loads in France.
You can walk down to Ax on footpaths ,and for your cycling the Col de Chioula is up the road and you can include it on a circular route through the Gorge Du Rebenty.
At Luz i’ve stayed at the first campsite on the left as you enter the town.Easy walk into town,but a bit of road noise during the day if you’re pitched next to it.I think its called Camping International,and the one next to it Airotel Pyrenees.Facilities were good and decent sized pitches.Theres also Camping le Bergons on the Col du Tourmalet road just outside Luz
The climb up to the ski station at Luz Ardiden is one of the most scenic climbs i’ve done in the Pyrenees.

If yourself and your wife are confident that you can return to jobs in the UK then just rent somewhere for 6 or 12 months.I think rents at the moment are pretty low and if i was looking to move out to Spain now there is no way that i would buy.Don’t give up your house in the UK unless you are completely confident about your future in Spain.
Unless you have an employers contract,classed as a pensioner or pay self employed contributions,which are very high,then you will not be eligible for any benefits.
For English speakers the biggest job opportunities are in British areas such as large urbanisations.They will also have the lowest rents due to the amount of houses available.
Moving teenagers can be very difficult,and for some friends it was a disaster.
I know many people who moved out to Spain thinking it was going to be like a holiday but when bills started coming in reallity hit.Wages can be low and i know South Americans that will work for less than 5 euros an hour.

I lived in Spain for quite a few years and some friends are just opening a bar in a small village this week.The bar is actually owned by the community and they needed someone to take it on.If it pays them enough to stay out in Spain then they’ll be happy.They’ll probably have to do food as well.
Another English couple i know opened a bar in a small village but eventually closed it down as it just didn’t make any money.There were established Spanish owned bars in the village who appealed more to the Spanish people.
Some other English friends run a small hotel and bar,and despite being in a totally Spanish location they have very few Spanish customers and only appeal to the British.
Food is normally very competitively priced in Spanish areas with a bar nearby to my house doing the 4 course menu del dia for 9 Euros including a drink.The bar takes enough money just to open at lunchtimes 5 days a week.
According to my friends who run the hotel ,their drinks supplier says things are pretty bad with bars really struggling.
You may be better off looking at the English teaching as a lot of Spanish are keen to learn English,but i’d assume that you’d need to learn some Spanish before you venture down this route.

Recently a friends dog was mauled to death by a Bull Terrier.A few weeks earlier the same dog had killed an old guys elderly Collie.
The owners were seen in the local vets trying to get the microchip removed to stop indentification, but the dog was just wild and they had to leave.
The police took no action as they said it was dog on dog attacks and not on people.My wife was really scared taking our King Charles out as she witnessed the second attack.
Youths around here with Bull Terriers have been known to approach dog walkers in order to provoke fighting between the dogs.
There is no place for these types of dogs and mindset of some of the owners and they should be banned.

We used the financial adviser at the HSBC in Bradford.Not the adviser who only recommends HSBC products but the one who covers all the market.
Fourth financial adviser we have had after one man independant types and so far easily the best.Not cheap as i think its around £250 an hour the last time i looked.

When i left school i got a pretty good job in engineering along with quite a few of my friends.This was the second half of the seventies.
The factory,a foundry ,was run by shop stewards,who seemed hell bent on running it into the ground.Flash strikes were called and everybody walked out for a few hours.Most workers didn’t even know what they were striking for.
Investment was non existent,but the directors had shiny new Jags each year.I remember one of the sales reps cars being brush painted to save money.
Some of the production line machinery dated back from before 1914 and repeatedly broke down.
Gradually people were made redundant,including me,and it finally shut down.Friends in engineering also lost their jobs around this time and no one went back into the industry they had trained for.
This was a waste as everyone had been to college for years and gained qualifications but jobs in this field had finished.
It seemed at the time that govt policies became skewed to service industries and we would become a ” nation of shopkeepers”.
Heavy industries could have survived at this time but everybody contributed to their downfall,not just the government.

We have an older 3 bed terrace,circa 1880, with oil heating and hot water.Pretty well insulated , efficient boiler, and oil for last year was about £600,but this year likely to be around 25% more due to long cold winter.Insulation,stopping draughts is the key as even just drawing the curtains at night is a big difference.
Couldn’t live on a toy town estate.

I’m not a Beatles fan and as a surprise my wife booked a hotel for a Beatles weekend in Liverpool.How i looked forward to it.It was more tacky than i thought it would be,with shops selling Beatles tat and cheesy bus trips to look at a road name plate or drab houses.

Peter Mandelson.

The collective known as “Loose Women”.

We’ve used the HSBC financial adviser.
The financial adviser was independant and commission went to HSBC not the adviser( although this may have changed to per hour fee and not commission).They do have in house advisers who sell only HSBC products.
Compared to my last adviser who worked independently from an office i had far more confidence in the banks adviser.
IFA’s will be tempted to push the products that pay the highest commission,as commission is generally paid to them each year the investment is running.
All the 5 investments advised to me by HSBC have been running for about 4 years,all with a very good return (so far ).

Depends what sort of towbar you have.

I’ve used a 4 bike Thule rack on a flange type 2 bolt towbar.

Easy to take on and off,with a plate on the towbar,and it leaves the ball in place so still possible to tow.No problems over the lots of miles its been used but with 4 bikes on there may be some rubbing.I think i paid about &80.

I’ve had both and its a caravan all the way for me.
Theres no insulation in a trailer tent so its impossible to keep it warm in cold weather.The fold out part is easy but putting the awning up took all of 2 hours and could easily have led to divorce.
You can stop of enroute with the caravan and make something to eat,have a sleep, and use the toilet.And you can potentially use the ‘van all year round.

tuskaloosa,generally the “Orange” gang have a ride out every Saturday morning from the campsite in El Berro,normally around about 10’ish.
There is an information centre in the Espuna,Centro Interpretacion,where in the car park there are boards with routes that can be used for biking( the one up to the collado has a fantastic descent if done in reverse)
Just up the road from the info centre is Fuente del Hilo bar where all the road and mtb’ers gather around lunchtime.

There are plenty of places in Spain where Spanish is not the first language.

Cabo de Gata is pretty barren and mostly fireroads.

If you have time the Sierra Espuna outside Alhama de Murcia has some of the best mountainbiking in Spain.
There’s an excellent small campsite in the mountain village of El Berro.Orange test their protoypes there and the campsite staff would be able to help with routes.

You’ve got some quite good riding down towards Prades and Mont Louis.
I used to ride quite a bit from Vernet les Bains and the ride over to Sahorre then up to Mantet is a tough long climb.
Villefranche de Conflent is worth a visit,and a ride on the open top train up the valley to Mont Louis is pretty spectacular,and you get covered in soot.

We were supposed to be away all last week in our caravan at the CC site at Scarborough.Cancelled with a day to go so the warden was not impressed but the forecast was pretty bad and turned out that way.
Rebooked for the 2nd week in April thinking that this bad weather just can’t continue.

stevelolly,which do you reckon was the best towcar,Mondeo or Volvo.

I’m looking to change my Mk3 Mondeo TDCi and the two cars i’ve been looking at are the MK4 Mondeo or Volvo S60 D5 with the 185bhp output.
There’s not much in it weight wise but the Volvos got a lot more torque.On reliability it looks like not much beats the D5.

No reason why you can’t get a tidy van for £1000.
Look to buy privately,say from people upgrading or retiring.
Privately, there’s sometimes accessories thrown in,awning ,water containers ,etc.
People will advise about damp and you can usually smell it when you enter the van.No van is damp free because of moisture in the air.
Older vans tend to be lighter so easier to tow.
Insurance is not obligatory,but is pretty cheap,£85 for my £5000 van.If its not insured you normally have to tell your vehicle insurers.
Towing it with a van will make you look like a pikey.

We have had a house in Spain for about 10 years and keep the minimum amount of money we can in the Spanish bank account.
I didn’t trust the Spanish banking system then and i don’t trust it now.All the other ex pats i know out there also keep very little in Spanish accounts.
The Spanish bank regularly helps itself to money out of our account,citing reasons such as a charity donation or credit card fee.
They grudgingly put the money back when you complain,but you have to be really attentive and scrutinise the statements.