@ampthill

Last cup got close to breaking the rules and maybe did.

Could you expand on that please?

Personally I don’t think either are particularly good for all day epics yet.

Keswick’s gone the way of Windermere and Ambleside unfortunately. Loads of shops all selling the same stuff.

Riding on the White Room trip looks less physically and technically demanding

They’re very flexible and will split groups up to make things either (within reason) easier, or send someone out one on one with Rab to find something truly terrifying.

I think that with natural big mountain riding, there’s no such thing as easy though.

I’ve been back to the White Room loads of times, always really enjoyed it. Their best days are the back-country big mountain days IMO, but those are weather dependent and not to everyone’s taste as there is a significant amount of pedalling and hike-a-bike involved. One thing about the riding around the Tarantaise is that it quite a bit more challenging when it is wet.

The more training I put in before hand, the more I enjoy it.

I shall probably try Basque MTB next.

Interestingly I tried one of the other competitors in the market this year, and although it was pretty good, there were a few things I felt were slightly disappointing.

On the Netflix documentary it mentioned something about him not really fulfilling his potential as a GC rider?

This’ll be an unpopular take, but I don’t find this place to be particularly great for mental wellbeing.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s load of useful information on here, but there’s also loads that isn’t particularly healthy.

The 5 steps to mental wellbeing are very helpful.

The problem with most self help books are that they’re 1% content with 99% filler that’s mostly hype and crap pseudoscience.

OP a lot of the things that you’re doing sound a bit quick fixy and faddy if I’m honest. All those things help some of the people some of the time.

I’ve found that self-compassion is the most useful thing. A lot of self help is the antithesis of that if I’m honest.

There are some things I do well, and some thing less well. That’s ok, and I’m in a better position than I was  a year ago.

Whiteroom is my go to recommendation if you’ve not been before. In lift season if apres is important for you.

I’ve got to agree with the other posters on here. Before last night I was sceptical that you could see it with the naked eye and wondered why people got so excited about “artefacts” on their phone cameras. But yeah, after last nights display I’m happy to admit that I was wrong.

Stunning here in mid-Wales.

I like that, especially the accessory mounts.

I’ve got the Aeroe Handlebar rack, and the one thing that (slightly) irritates me about it is the difficulty mounting lights and GPS when it’s attached.

Another recommendation for “Johnson at 10” here too.

I’m looking forward to the Truss one too. Should while away an hour or so.

Splitsave is great right up until you miss a connection.

@seriousrikk I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, well done!

So-

2 tickets

6 seat reservations

12 bicycle reservations

and 1 collection receipt!

How’s your sleep?

I imagine you also have some split ticket goodness in there too, yes?

Nope. An off peak return, because I’ve had issues with split tickets before.

So if I had split tickets there would be even more of the buggers.

Noone’s got it yet, but 25 is too high.

For tax advice and estate planning I’d be going to an accountant.

They don’t need a wider spread if people using their platform are trading more frequently.

@sharkbait

It may be but I have a cash ISA with them that’s getting 5.1%

Ha ha, well done. That’s a bit like sitting in the casino enjoying the complimentary food and drink paid for by the marks.

I’m reading everything! Including everything on here and that other S&S ISA thread.

I, personally, don’t think that the quality of advice on here, with regard to investing, is brilliant. I think that it’s slightly tilted towards people using high risk strategies without necessarily realising the implications of doing so.

However, a good book, that was recommended to me on here, is Smarter Investing by Time Hale.

Monevator is also a good place to look, although it’s bitty and takes a while to sort everything into a cohesive picture.

Initially I only want a stocks and shares ISA. I’ve got some meagre savings I want to put away for at least 5 years and hopefully start a retirement pot which I can add to on a monthly basis.

I’m sorry to say that this statement is contradictory.

If you want money for retirement, then generally a SIPP is a better bet than an ISA, because you get tax relief on your contributions, which can then compound over time.

If you only want to put it away for 5 years, then generally a Cash Isa would be a safer bet over that time frame. Both shares and bonds can crash and easily stay crashed for 5 years.

Trading 212 is essentially a gambling app.

They make money off you on the bid offer spread ie the price difference between what they’ll buy shares off you at, and what they’ll sell them to you for.

The more you trade the more money they make, which means the more you lose. For example I’ve lost ~0.5% interest this month by restructuring my portfolio.

If you are very disciplined it can be a cost effective method of investing.

Depending on your age, appetite for risk and investing goal you would probably be best off in a Vanguard Life Strategy fund to start with – either your retirement date if you want true fire and forget, or one of their XX:XX split funds if you want to be more involved and know a bit more about what you’re doing and your risk appetite.

More involved than that and I’d recommend you start reading up on passive investing and portfolio theory.

Do not buy individual shares.

Do not day trade.

If you’re trading in shares, and don’t know who’s getting screwed over by your trade, then it’s you getting screwed.

Ha ha, I think that this thread is proof that we’re aware of everyone else’s madness but our own.

I may be going and eating some humble pie tomorrow.

I’m honestly surprised, as I thought as long as it wasn’t causing any problems for anyone it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

But hey, ho we live and learn.

Fair enough. Seems as if I was in the wrong then.

Sadly, they’re unlikely to be worth very much.

There are online book valuation services which can give you an idea, I’d also do a bit of googling.

The most exciting new product I’m looking forward to is mechanical SRAM transmission.

Especially hot shot lawyers.

Giuliani wasn’t a hot shot lawyer. Trump, as president, couldn’t persuade any decent law firms to take him on as a client.

I need to read up on whether the NHS has to match/contribute to any additional pension I put in

It doesn’t. Essentially it’s an annuity that you can buy at (I think?!) pretty good rates.

Simple solution, don’t track your sleep. Sleep trackers are mostly harmful IMO as a GP with an interest in sleep.

What matters most about your sleep is how you feel about it. If you feel that you’ve slept ok, then that’s all you need.

I wonder how much Dementia Don’s outstanding bill for Juliani’s services stands at these days…?

Juliani worked for him for free.

I had great warranty support from Specialized too.

Sweat off equal quantities of coarsely chopped onion, celery and carrot with some lo-salt and white pepper.

When soft add a few chopped up tomatoes. Over-ripe are best.

Chuck in some red lentils and mix around.

Add in some (ideally home made from a leftover chicken carcass) stock and a bit of full fat milk.

Bring to the boil until everything has softened.

Let cool and liquidise.

Season to taste. Enjoy.

It’s the only place in the world outside Wales where Welsh is spoken as a native language.

@joshvegas I thought that the AC50s were more exciting than the AC75s.

The AC75s are spectacular though.

Too much power required I presume

Yes, each one weighs about 1.5 tons.

Although I understand the reasons why, I’m a little disappointed that the lifting keels aren’t human powered.

Also it’s not a solicitor you need to speak to, it’s adult social services, as you suspect financial abuse.

If he can’t remember anything recent then it’s highly unlikely that he still has capacity.