Love the family bit. Hate the spend spend spend, what am I going to get type mentality. The way the commercial side is rammed down our throats winds me up.

Not legal in most places, but if you do it properly noone will ever know. Pitch late, leave early and leave no trace. And try not to have a bright yellow 6 man dome tent

iDave, saw you out today – your dog was very well behaved as it went past us and our 2 – black lab and golden retriever on the way down to 7 springs. I didn’t see it crap in Anyones shoes or jump up at anyone or anything. Nice to see dogs enjoying themselves. Have fun and keep taking him out – the Chase is big enough for everyone – even TJ!

The above is true, however temperature differential across the glass can cause stresses that can then cause the glass to fracture – so if you pour a kettle of hot water over the glass to clear it, then this can cause it to shatter – and it doesn’t have to be immediate – the stresses can cause the glass to break some time after the damage is done. If you don’t use hot water to clear the glass, then look for a stone on the back seat – much more likely.

Just be thankful you’re not in a cold dry environment (-20 or so) – bogies are like shards of glass then! Try drinking loads and see if that helps

I am not sure C2W is about getting a cheap bike anyway. If you’re a 25% taxpayer, the best you can hope for is that it is an interest free loan to buy a bike (with maybe a 10% saving over MRP). If a 40% taxpayer, you may save a little more, but at the end of the day, you could get an equivalent deal buying last years model or haggling. The initial price makes it look appealing, but the final value part of the arrangement effectively has the ability to kill any saving.

If it gets more people on bikes, then it’s a good thing. Our place has 12,000 employees, and 700 have taken up the scheme in year 1. The bike sheds are definitely more full than they were, even on crappy weather days. So, I would say that the scheme is working to an extent.

Kings of Leon – Closer
Undertones – Teenage Kicks – an all time favourite – straight to the point

You sure the joists are damp? Quite often cold feels damp, but they may not be – probably best to check with some kind of moisture sensing gauge – no idea where to get one from or what a good reading would look like, but they must exist). Ventilation is important in roof voids in older properties – you can get roof tile vents for this, but it sounds to me like some proper advice is required, as doing the wrong thing could make any problem worse, and it’s hard to know what is good sound advice without someone actually seeing it.

Used to be a Beaver leader then a Cub leader whilst my boys were going through. Didn’t really put enough effort in as I really struggled for time, but it was constantly surprising how many parents wouldn’t help but were happy to have a pop. Still glad I did my 7 years though.

I put too much jam or butter on my knife when making toast or a sandwich and wipe the excess back in the jar. Only when she’s watching mind as it drives her potty. Talking over the cooking programmer that she watches all the time also helps get a reaction. Small stuff but really satisfying in a playful way

Love the feeling of being out in the hills, with no one else for miles, just savouring the views, followed by a sweet descent that has been hard earned.

Oh, and I would question the qualifications of the person who put that kit together. It is suitable for joining PP3’s together, not car batteries.

This is an area you really need to spend some money (probably only £60 or so) as it will let you down if you don’t.

(And you’re description of:
Main battery -> 60A(?) fuse -> relay -> wire to leisure battery -> 60A(?) fuse -> leisure battery

is spot on. The relay should be capable of carrying more than the fuse rating (my relay is 100A, fuses 60A).

Where’s your leisure battery? (if under the passenger seat it shouldn’t take much to rewire – if built in at the back like mine you could do what I did – behind the units, then (in plastic conduit) under the rubber matting floor by the plastic tread plate and up under the dash to the hole through the bulkhead). I had to cut some of the foam away under the rubber carpet to make it sit well, but it works a treat.

Good luck!

OK, short circuit happens in the middle of the main cable. Fuse at one end blows (if there’s only one fuse). You still have a big battery capable of delivering 300Amps down a piddley wire at the other end of the wire. So, wire gets hot, lets smoke out, and you watch the van burn.
Sorry to be dramatic, but I have designed vehicle electrical systems for a few years and know how much damage a hot wire can do.

They’re worthless, but you can send them to me and I’ll dispose of them (I am licenced to dispose of noble metal waste). Address in profile

IHN, the fuse is not big enough. My split charge setup has a 60A fuse in there (and it MUST have a fuse at each end of the wire!!). What’s happening is that the leisure battery is a bit low on charge, so when the split charge switches over to charge the leisure battery, it is pulling more than 16A, and blowing your fuse. Another fuse won’t stop it happening – it will just happen after a day or so of running your fridge (ie. when you don’t want it to blow).

I would recommend: Run big cable between the main battery and leisure battery, with the split charge relay contacts in the circuit, and a big fuse at each end (by big cable I mean 25mm2 (or about 8mm diameter) and a big fuse (60A or so). The fuses must be at each end in case there is a short circuit to ground (-ve), and as there is a big source of current at each end of the wire, both fuses must be able to protect the wire.

ANd is there a good or bad place to get oak flooring? B&Q have what looks like OK stuff at £45/m, Wickes is a bit cheaper for what looks like the same stuff. I am about to buy 15sq.metres of oak floor, but next year will want around 35 sq. metres and want it all to match, so paying more than about £40 per sq. metre brings me out in a cold sweat.

the leads have a use, allowing a dog a bit of freedom to stop and sniff. But they have to be used with care, for the reasons in the OP.

I like them, my missus doesn’t.

Try getting an exclusive booking of a youth hostel – we used to rent one out in Brecon over New Year for 7 families – good facilities, etc, just the bedrooms are a little “dormitory” type (bunk beds etc)

If you need any spare parts I have 2 sets of well worn RC39s that have worn stanchions, but good everything else.

As I went through the timing gantry for my 3rd lap, I heard “There’s no.118, currently in 3rd place in Solo’s”. I thought “blimey, I must be fantastic, going better than I thought etc etc”. Only when I looked at the results did I realise what he actually said was “There’s no.118, currently in 23rd place….”

Oh, how my hopes were dashed (until I dropped out anyway)

That’s a cracking article. Guess I need to buy some chainrings. And get some different mud put down in Thetford Forest.

Check your freehub – looks like the freehub isn’t allowing backpedalling to happen. The mech isn’t really applying much force to pull the chain through, it is just keeping the chain tight

Love the freedom that being out in the hills gives, miles from anywhere with only yourself and/or mates for company. Plus I like the challenge, and the satisfaction of doing something faster or harder than I previously thought I could. And I love being outside in the fresh air. Being 43 and fit, rather than 43 and fat. And it’s fun

Deal with their insurance company directly, but in writing. Don’t bother to speak to them on the phone (it’s unrecorded for one thing).

Also, add the costs for every letter to the claim, and threaten cycle hire costs (£30-40 per week) if the claim goes on past a (reasonable) deadline that you define.

Be reasonable with them, and expect them to be reasonable in return (it can go a long way towards a successful claim)

I didn’t realise there was an organised ride for the MTL – is it a challenge/reliability ride, or timed or what? Have you a link to any website showing info for next year?

Mike G – you can recover NiCD batteries. Reports on some forums indicate good results – Google http://ysuusy.com/easybatteryfix.html

I haven't tried it for my (dead) Bosch NiCDs yet, but plan to very soon, may use eye protection and have the batteries outside the garage though (I have no idea how safe it is).

it should be around £70 for a service, and then another £40 for a shaft replacement. I had a new shaft, air can and service (with all seals) a year ago and it was around £160. Use Mojo or TF tuned

We all drink full fat milk. None of the family (2 adults, 21,19,17 yr olds) is overweight. Judging by some of the overweight tubs of lard picking up cartons of green top in the supermarket, I think it is probably true to say that: full fat milk makes you slim; and skimmed or semi skimmed makes you fat. And semi skimmed tastes horrible.

Fantastic event – hardest thing I have done in one day – probably as there was no stopping (no little breathers to open gates or wait for mates). Bit of a bad time going over the top after the wide boardwalk along the raised trail, and then the last 5 miles were made for suffering. Had to stop on the final descent as I was going dizzy (I think my neck had let my head drop, and was cutting off the blood supply to my brain). Feeding strategy was just right, ran out of drink 30 mins before Newcastleton, but after that was OK. Came 13th in the old gits, so was very happy with that, next target is sub 10 hours. No pushing, and only used the granny twice (the switchbacks up to the wide boardwalk, and then some of the climbs in the last 5 miles). Full respect to the singlespeeders, but I love my gears!

Brutal, and relentless (that's the midges and the course)

24/7 why do people say this when they just mean "a lot"? As in, he works 24/7. No he effing doesn't, he just works a lot. If he worked 24 hours a day 7 days a week he'd be dead. Blimmin meaningless Americanisms making their way into British vocabulary gets on my nerves

what's the manufacturer warranty? If 2 years (some are), then go through that route. If not, arm wrestle at dawn for it

So, general concensus is that I should make my daughter pay. The first bill was going to be split 50:50, the 2nd bill has changed that. The intent was always that she would pay the whole bill, the only discussion then is how, when and how much. She works part time, so that helps pay a bit in either a lump sum or monthly. If I can help by reducing the bill by discussing with Orange, then that's as much support as I think she should get. What I will not do, is put her future at Uni in jeopardy – I could make her defer a year, or add hours to her working week, or remove the money she has put by to live on, but if that means she does not do as well at Uni as she could, then that would be a mistake.
From reading the above responses, I am glad it's stirred up some debate, as I hope that some other dads go home and put limits on their kids mobile contracts, or at least have a discussion with their kids who are due to go on hols or travelling. Seeing my daughters reaction when she showed me the account balance on Orange – to say she was sh*tting herself is an understatement – she knows how tight money is.
My reaction was a heart stopping moment, followed by a "well that's too big a problem to get angry about, the real issue is how to fix it, then deal with the lessons later". A smaller bill would have been hitting the roof material, a bill this size is just numbing.

I have one that I don't need / rarely use, and am not interested in at all.

My daughter has one that she appears to need, but I think that she may well learn to live without it.

simon_g
haven't spoken to them yet – waiting to get home to do a bit of digging into the bill, the moneysaver forums etc. I think I've been given all the help I need!

And my daughters paying – so the unrestricted access bit doesn't really apply.

There's some helpful comments and some less helpful comments on here. Yes, lessons are learned – maybe even those of you with younger kids may learn the lesson my daughter has learnt from this thread. Maybe some of you would never had got into this position in the first place. But some of you might. Not that I meant this as a PSA, but as a request to see if anyone knew if there are any ways of dealing with the level of bill. It seems some people do know how to deal with it, and a hell of a lot don't. Obviously I am not going to post my families life story on here when the real issue is a phone bill.
Hopefully none of you with kids will suffer this (but what steps have you put in place to prevent it?)

Junkyard, would love to adopt, but can't afford any more kids (see my OP). You probably wouldn't appreciate being part of my family anyway……

Does anyone with student kids fund them? I suspect many many people do (and it is what the government force, as they only loan a certain amount of required funding). I can't see anything wrong with that.

scotia, she has minimal income. She is a student and off to Uni soon. We will not let her claim benefit as I feel very strongly that she should not without contributing first, and up to the point she contributes her parents are financially responsible. She is an adult and is treated as such, and to be honest, her phone contract is in my name as it's the same contract she had from before she was 18. The issue in my OP though was not whether my parenting skills are up for debate, more whether I should just pay the bill (from within my families income), or contest it. The more constructive feedback on here is that I could contest it, but there is also some feeling that the bill should just be paid. If you are presented with a bill though, and you don't feel as though you had value for money, do you pay it and learn that lesson, or contest it?

don simon, boyfriend was playing silly bu66ers by not answering phone calls from her. So she kept phoning. Not sure if they all went to voicemail, or were unanswered – either way his messing around has cost someone lots of money.

Cletus, learn from my daughters mistake. PAYG only.

hora,
almost glad my daughter was out of the country. Your reputation seems to precede you!

don simon, thanks for the constructive comments. It doesn't work that way on a landline and resources are still being used. Only seems to work that way on mobiles (and probably only abroad, but I've never looked into that)

Quirrel, yes, we go even further into the red, so I have used the banks money to pay Orange, plus the charges on that. We have some savings that have been used as a temporary plug.
And the place I work has only just (last week) signed up to C2W, and yes I commute every day by bike and was looking for a new bike on it, but that isn't really relevant I think.

Credit limit on her phone sounds good, but every other month she's within her contract, so the horse has bolted so to speak.

Cheers Hora, good advice.