I’m a history teacher, and I use BlackAdder because it is funny, which helps learning, and because it is part of an interesting historiography of the First World War that saw for really the first time the voice of the ordinary man emerge from war. It is funny, because it reflects a truthful element of how some people felt about the conflict. No historian would use only one source, and I find it unlikely that any teacher is using only 3 hours of footage to teach a course which is usually 2 terms long. Gove is after a headline, not a sustainable answer to the real problems in our education system.

I got some neoprene toe covers that are supposed to go inside your ski boots, work a total treat inside normal mtb shoes for winter riding. Monday came from snow and rock.

Thanks for all the advice! We’ve had three great days riding around Bristol, looks like tmrw will be more mince than mayhem!

The usual lap of the country…York to Norfolk today, Tamworth for lunch on Boxing Day, then Exeter for dinner, then to Bristol for New Year’s on the 28th. Good thing driving is still fairly novel!

Big beard…if you want to be fancy, garnish with a frozen raspberry.Last year 4 of us drank all the champagne laid in for New Year’s Eve on the 30th this way…cracking night!

Sloe Royale… 1 part sloe gin to 4 parts champagne/prosseco. Watch out though, it is a massive accelerant!

We’ve been sessioning on York Brewerys’ Snow Flake recently, and very tasty it is too!

I went on a Swimtrek holiday to Turkey this year which I really enjoyed. Have you had a look at the Exodus website? Plenty to wet the appetite there I think.

In York maybe Hotel 53 (newish and good reviews)

Out of York try the Tulip Inn at Burn Hall

Skirt..rocking the tights and mtb shorts on the bike, not so good in the workplace

Viva is a good Italian, very good service, and they serve moretti

Restaurant bar and grill in city square is good…great wine list

We love riding together, that’s why we got married. Usually the argument is over which bike! It does help however that we spend the week apart so we can pursue our own interests then.

No such thing as first class on cross country. All they do is put headrest covers on a normal carriage and increase the fare x3. East Coast first class on the other, that’s a great service

tried ffs

Have you trid working in the independent sector? (ducks)

Cut Gate special on Sunday. Absolutely glorious, and deserted. Winning!

Hotel Beausoleil. Decent breakfast, and you are right next to, and on the same elevation, as the DMC

It might help to support the patella to stop the knee cap rotating? If you have pain under the patella this could help. Also, if you are moving around over the bike more, maybe stretching the itbs/quads/hamstrings after a ride to keep everything loose and supple?

HK Jewellery is very popular it seems! They also made my engagement ring (ethical sapphire)and both our wedding rings.

You could try one of these? http://www.outlineworksltd.com/website/ We’re currently dealing with the race bikes this way, and it means you get to perve on you bike alot!

Sizewelll B do tours, went thee when I was in school.

These?

http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/images/paps/Ibex+Zepher+Wind+Stopper+Briefs_large.jpg

Thumbs up for thy ladle, using it on both road and mtb

We’re not insured to carry kids in our cars…could have used a minibus though!

This week and next week…winning!

It’s pretty epic…we have a few around the house and it’s great to walk from room to room with the music perfectly in sync. You can also set a time and music to wake you up (most expensive alarm clock ever). I would never have spent the money, but the sound quality and ease of use mean I listen yo music and radio much more than I used to. You can use a phone/ iPad as a remote as well which saves a bit of money. We have one unit physically attached to the router and an external hard drive which has all our CDs on it ( a weekends worth of work) and spotify as well.

I’m thinking of booking actual hotel etc the week before to give flexibility…next question is should I check whether husband has holiday for it first?

There’s a guidebook available for the Fruita mtb trails…we got ours in Over The Edge sports on the high street…also a good place to find out about local trail conditions

Oh, and I also think one of the best ways to ‘teach character’ is to model good character traits to young people rather than sit them in a classroom and bang on about ‘citizenship’.

There was a really good link in another thread on here to an article by George Monbiot on unleashing kids in the outdoors…that’s what we try to do on a limited scale by doing lots of sports, performance arts etc. Some of the best (if not the best) learning at school is done outside the classroom. In the name of fun I’ll be spending my Saturday night under canvas with 26 14 year olds…should be a bonding experience given the weather forecast!

If you end up at the lamb and lion, can I recommend cafe 68 on Gillygate for breakfast/lunch/cake.. It’s round the corner and damn tasty. Try Pivni and the House of Trembling Madness for ales also.

According to ‘Of Good Character’ by James Arthur (2010), you can, and it is increasingly something schools are interested in doing

We went for one of these because it was shorter, doesn’t compress and has wee nobbly bits on. Weirdly, it’s also really good for my back, and comes with a little sheet of exercises.

http://www.newitts.com/product/IT049257/Trigger_Point_Grid_Foam_Rollers.htm?utm_source=Google+Base&utm_medium=Price+Comparison&utm_campaign=Google+Product+Search&utm_content=IT049257&LGWCODE=IT049257;49145;3037&gclid=CIXtgryU-LkCFSTJtAodYCkAnA

We teach this as part of the GCSE course, but not everyone does this, so possible not to do it at school? It is essential in my eyes to expose people to the possibility of the corruoption of humanity, but it is the hardest topic to teach and teach well.

I drink diet coke, and I’m an ironman.

My husband as I washed and lubed his road bike tonight

With regard to sugar addiction, this is also quite interesting, and from the talk I attended today, it seems that teenage alcohol intake similarly affects impulse control.http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/21835302

I would posit, that with the exception of medical causation, problems are primarily educational. Education on what to eat, how to eat and when to eat seems obvious, but hasn’t been on a school syllabus for a long time. This site is interesting on budget eating http://agirlcalledjack.com/

I would agree about the gels being unsettling…used them once during a race out of desperation. The result was not pleasant, and I have since returned to bars, ride shots and ham sandwiches! I don’t bother with food for exercise of less than an hour, but make sure there is something pretty quick to make once I get home. Have you tried doing some core work, sit ups etc to redistribute yourself rather than starvation?