You can see why so many women have a career break to look after kids. Our son was going to go to nursey for 3 days a week at £35 a day. This works out to be £5355 a year (51 weeks). However my wife was made redundant (along with 30 others) just before going back after maternity leave.

We are now expecting another – so 2 of them for 3 days a week would be £10700 a year, bearing in mind thats for the 3 days my wife would work so she is only earning 3 days worth of money means that her salary would have to be about £21 – £22k a year just ot break even!! (not taking into account tax credits, vouchers etc).

This time next year when number 1 son is 2.5 he can go to pre-school for 3 hours a day for £7. That sounds alright.

My wife’s gonna be busy come May though!!

I’m not an eapert but have done a fair number of rooms. Whole of the last house was covered in woodchip. Once stripped the walls were fairly good but needed filling and sanding. I used Wickes/B&Q ready mixed plaster which was good as its in a small tub so easy to carry up ladders etc and you just open it, slap it on, smooth it down with a wet filling knife and wait for it to dry. It’s dead easy to sand, but if your doing lots of filling then get an electric sander (not too expensive) and use that (take everything out of room before though as it’ll make a fair amount of dust). Then paint. The walls looked good afterwards.

They are great bikes but I’m still trying to forgive mine for breaking my wrist 8 weeks ago. Mines a bit like triggers broom:

I got a large HL in Feb 2004 as a reward for mending a broken knee, great bike but I decided in 2008 that a large was too small so got an XL front 2008 triangle. I’ve also swapped the romic for a DHX and recently the rockers for 5.5 rockers.

So all I need is a rear end and I’ll have a complete second frame which I could give to my brother (a friend bent his bike). So does anyone have a set of chain and seat stays?

In my last house I stripped woodchip off 3 rooms and the hall. I hired a big steamer and spiky roller thing to let the steam through. It was still the biggest pain in the arse ever and took days. Scraper took a few gouges out and even thought the plaster was good it needed a fair bit of filling. The best bit was that the b@sterds had woodchipped all the ceilings, never has my arm ached so much.

You can mix sand into some of the levelling compounds if you need to go deeper than a few millimetres. Not sure if it's good for an inch deep though?

I've got one of those sat in the loft – unfortunately someone tried to nick it and cracked the drive side seat stay where it is crimped for chain and cassette clearance. Even got a set of '96 rockshox judy SLs with the evolution steerer.

Makes a spherical world flat! Basically split the globe up into segments (like an orange) and then fit the outside face of that segment to a rectangle. All done by horrible maths.

Much easier to work out distances between points (as it's metric) than Geographical coordinates (in which a distance would be in arc seconds).

Not used too much in the UK since we have the British National Grid, this is a transverse mercator projection so not too different but means we don't have to cross utm zone boundaries as we move across the country.

EDIT the zone number essentially refers to the segment of the globe that you are in (each segment is 6 degrees wide). it does indeed make as massive difference to your coordinates since each zone has it's own origin (0,0 in eastings and Northings) so coordinate positions are only relevant to the zone you are in.

Hora has it paint a big f off mural on his side of the fence, maybe you could base it on gay porn? use your land on his side of the fence as your new loo

Grippy = hurty shins or in my case the back of my legs.

I'd obviously be a chocolate lab if I were a dog!!

I've got a black lab/collie cross (called Elmo) – he's smart, but extremely soft. Every morning we go to the park where he meets his friends for a run round and good play. His fiends are:

Boarder collie, Max – cleaver, although ball obsessed
Cocker spaniel, Millie – cleaver, loves to play
Old English Sheepdog, Oscar – looks bit dumb but is cleaver
Pointer, Archie – very cleaver – is the boss
Chocolate Lab, Ben – fairly cleaver, slim, likes to get the ball off Elmo and likes to hump Max.
Chocolate Lab, Barney – thick, thick, thick. Very good natured but you look into his eyes and you can tell he's on a different planet. The one thing he loves in this world is to sniff and lick Elmo's arse. He can do this for 40 minutes none stop (Elmo is too soft to tell him off properly), he nearly explodes with excitement if Elmo takes a dump!!!

So my opinion of them is they are thick, but have a lovely temporment and need training not to lick other dogs bums and hump them.

My wife a 16inch inbred and its like riding a BMX for me.

Mollski – find someone near you with a large or XL and get at least a sit on it. The shop I got mine from had a large in stock, assured me it was the right size, built it up and I couldn't even get the seat at the right height. It was ace for riding down steps though……but would have been crap for climbing on.

I'm 6ft 3 and I've got a XL chameleon (Year 2000!!) i originally got a large, rode it home and then took it straight back as it was far too small, Hora if you are 6ft1.5 and rode a medium for XC then you've either got dwarf legs and a massive torso or a bike that's far too small. I have my 400mm seat post at max.

Congratulations!! They take a bit of getting used to but are ace! :D

Our lad is 14 months. people say it goes quickly and they grow up fast – they are right. Spend as much time as you can with her and remember every bit of it. Soon she will be a toddler, throwing herself on the floor about 100 times a day and you will wonder where the time went.

Dog's can be cleaver and want to have fun – are your runs fun for her or is she just following you? I reckon my dog gets a bit board running with me, he enjoys it more when his sister comes with us and they can run and play fight at the same time. He likes it if I pick up sticks and chuck them for him but that is quite difficult when your knackerd and still running.

The 'walks' he enjoys the most are when we just walk 0.5km to the park and then he gets to play with his friends with the football. I always feel that it's not a proper walk for him but they are effectively doing 45 minutes of interval training so he gets more exercise than a proper walk. I think he likes the fact that I throw the ball so am playing with them too and he's got my attention all the time.

Mine runs with me, he runs with his nose just behind my legs when off the lead and a little bit further forwards (head next to leg) when on the lead.

I didn't really train him he just did it. Having said that he could walk to heal perfectly and do 'corners' at dog training before we started to run.

When we started running we built up slowly (I'd not run since at school so couldn't run far anyway) we probably did 200m running then walked 200m then when I got to knackered we'd just walk. eventually we were able to run 8km without stopping. I think this was a good way as I know it's not done him any harm as it was nice and easy. He was also 1.5 years old when we started.

try running with him on the lead, you might find that the increased speed over walking means that he is happy to run at your side. When off the lead there is no reason for him to be at your side as long as you are in control. If he gets in the way just run into him he'll get the message and get out of the way. I wouldn't take toys out running either.

Broken wrist in the lakes 3 weeks ago. fortunatly I'd had a weeks worth of riding and only 4 day of holiday left. Just a stupid front wheel slip on a root while climbing can point you off a 4ft drop with no time to realise whats happening or stop yourself going over the bars.

The old inner tube sling trick allowed me to ride back to the visitor centre at Whinlatter with a broken wrist two weeks ago.

Don't:

Put your arm out to break a fall off a 5ft drop or you'll have to type things like this one handed

follow your mate so closely that you don't even see the hole that flings you over the bars, resulting in a face rock interface broken nose and 2 dead black teeth for the rest of your life

get your barend stuck under a friends bar while riding at 20mph on the road – it results in lots of skin being lost from forearms

use your bare knees for landing on from big jumps at the BMX track. If you do then don't accept a challenge to kneeling wrestling after a bottle of Buckfast – you'll rip the very large scab off.

Not cycling but worth knowing: don't forget to let go of the string of a massive power kite as it pulls you in the air – broken knees take a while to recover from.

I've still got a tyre I use fairly regularly that I stiched up with some thick thread and stuck a patch on the inside. The patch was a cut to fit inner tube patch, so i cut a big piece from it. It now has a slight buldge but my sowing is crap…..

Elmo when he was a puppy, unfortunaly all he is riding if the poof in the lounge 8O

When older on the beach – you can ride on the beach (bit of a rubbish link to a trail)

glenp +1

My dog is well trained (but as you point out I would say that), he's well trained for walking, running and biking. When out for a walk he loves to go and say hello to other dogs, BUT he will wait behind me until I say 'go and say hello' and then off he goes. When running and biking he generally ignores other people and dogs and if he does want to go then he waits until I say he can.

Some tracks could be made bike only, and signed as that however…

Unless it's a marshalled track etc then you can never ride full on without allowing for soemthign to be in the way. The fat-padded-up-middle-aged-middle-manager-STWer who left before you could have stopped on a corner for a energy bar!

My post was tongue in cheek, not ridden at GT for 9 months or so. Anyway the point I was making was is there too much difference between well trained dogs (I'm not talking about the ones that bite etc) and children (I'm not talking about the ones that bite etc). I'm sure most people would not be pissed off if they had to stop to go round a kid, but if it's a dog then they get upset? Both have the same effect on the ride.

Isn't MTBing about getting out and enjoying yourself – isn't seeing someone else enjoy themselves (men, women, kids or dogs) part of the fun? I'd have thought so. As I said I have a dog and small child and would take both to a trail centre. I would of course show some consideration and not bring the dog to GT on a sunny Saturday afternoon as I know it'd piss off some of the radcoredudes.

I was riding glentress the other week and had to stop my awsomeflow as some numpty had brought their kids to a trail centre!! One of them was not even old enough to ride a bike and was being dragged round in a trailer (which filled the whole track meaning I could not rip past them).

The other kid had stopped, was off his bike and wandering around the trail – he was not under control at all.

I don't know how families have the nerve to ruin my ride. :roll:

I'm looking forwards to taking my dog round whinlatter on early weekday mornings, I'm also looking forwards to taking my one year old son out round the blue in his weeride. The dog may even come with us!!

Interesting, I'm considering a second hand SMAX and want a towbar fitted. At least now I know to go to Ford and get it in writing what I'm asking for and what I'm going to get.

I'd get a towbar rack……..but then I'm not off to the Alps :cry:

When we went to Wales, Ed had a towbar rack and it was really easy to use and looked nice and stable.

Was out looking at cars yesterday and Fords have detachable tow bars – if you had one of those they'd never know!

I laughed, the concern of his mates is amazing!

Hi Neil, I'll email you later in the week when I'm back from Utrecht

Hi Merchant – 50:50 split is fine so I'll take it. Can you send me an email (in post above – take out hte spaces and replace the 'at' with a @) and we can sort out payment (bank transfer is best for me).

Thanks guys – I think he'll need more support than the one at SJS cycles, and I think he's a way off yours Pugwash.

Merchant I might take you up on that offer – we saw a guy with one of those at h etweekend and that was what got me thinking. Is it in decent condition? if so and the £40 includes delivery we'll have it, send me a mail: lbateson at bgs.ac.uk.

DON'T go – evil places – use the internet.

I have a maximum time I can spend in a supermarket. This works out to be about 40 minutes, after this I get a bit angry at things and it usually ends up in a big argument and my wife crying.

My wife on the other hand can spend hours in a supermarket. She browses', not only the clothes but also the food and goes into a weird trance like state where she does not hear what I say. This does not fit in well with my stupid, fat, stupid, people induced anger – hence the tears.

I'll happily pay £5 for them to go round get all my stuff and deliver it to my door.

Cheers DD, the floor is at least 20 years old BUT a couple of patches (2m by 1m) will be new screed (filling in holes where a wall was removed) and there is the likely possibility of having to level the floor. I presume all this means I need to wait a few weeks to let it dry out a bit?

Lacquered finish most likely (all Magnet do in solid Oak). We do like the oiled finish but it's trying to save a bit of cash as we've had a fair amount of work done and it all adds up. Are there any suppliers that you would recommend/like fitting? I think we can get the magnet stuff for approx £27per sm.

We do like the solid boards – I want to have the option of sanding it back a few times over the years (dog and small child mean it will get scratched etc).

Torus Skirting 119mm high and I can't exactly remember the depth but I think 18mm.

I'll definitely bear you in mind when it comes to getting quotes, the builder we're using has recommended someone who fits for Jessops/John Lewis, but I'd obviously want more than one quote.

Maybe out fitting floors at the moment….

Last March I decided to try running. I was walking the dog for an hour every night and thought I might as well try running (I'd not run since school 14 years before). To start with I just went out in dog walking clothes, walked our normal route and ran little bits – like a hundred meters or so and then walked. Over the weeks I could go further and I set bits that I'd run and set bits I'd walk (these tended to be broken down into different fields).

I gradually started to run more of the walking bits and run longer between rests. I now do 6-8km non stop a 3 or 4 times a week.

The other night I bumped into some guys I know who were running and I ran with them. This was the first time I'd ever run with anyone apart form the dog so I was worried I'd be rubbish, to make it worse these guys have run marathons and organise local races. To my surprise I kept up fine and they actually ran at a slower pace than I do on my own (which probably shows I try to go too fast all the time). I felt great at the end, like the previous year had paid off. It's encouraged me to try to get better too.

So build up slow, don't worry about walking and being knackered and stick with it, oh and get a dog they take away the choice – your going out anyway!!

That's why I said one of us – I was trying to save my dignity

Alonso = dick dastardly, will throw a big wobbly mardy arse fit when he is not allowed to beat Felipe. At least he's at Ferrari this year, a team which I have another unfounded hatrid of.

My wife is Spanish and we have great discussions every time a race is on. One of us usually ends up crying. :-)

6ft 3 here, short body and longs legs (36inch inseam).
XL 5 spot (HL)
XL chameleon (old 2000 one though)
58cm Jake the snake
58cm Spesh road bike

Tried a L chameleon – way too small to be able to pedal, had a L 5 spot which was fine but seat post at limit and the XL is a much netter fit. I find larger road bikes are too long for my body though.

So much to watch so little time – I'm only on season 3 of the wire and not seen hardly any of the above. I do like a good series to watch while travelling – an hour episode fits into european flights and train trips to London nicely.

I've just got back to work after going home to let the boiler man in. Surprisingly he has suggested that it'd be best for us to have a new boiler (at the moment we do have two old ones one for water and one for heating so he right).

he did mention that we'd need the gas pipe from the meter to the new boiler replacing with a 22mm one. He also mentioned regs about room thermostats and thermostatic valves on rads?