My mum got me a terracotta thingie from somewhere, I think it could’ve been Lakeland. About 2″ square and you soak it in water for a while before popping it into your bread bin with your bread, works a charm! Must be something to do with the aforementioned moisture release.

Cool vid! Great way to start Friday off too, now if only you could get that dog mount so we could see your lines!

binners – not really, I knew the Amazon thing due to there being an invoice of theirs on my desk! Companies House and associated websites (which are probably easier to use) will tell you if a company is incorporated in the UK, if they’re not on that list then they are registered elsewhere (obviously).
Although you will need to work out if holding companies are involved as the trading name may not be the same as the publicly known trademark. Even then if they are registered in the UK if they are part of a group they may still get away with it.

Most companies websites will have their registered office on, which may give their true location away but that’s not definitive either. If they’ve an investors section you’ll get more information from there, a quick look at their annual accounts will be telling as more often than not they’ll use the currency of their country of domicile.

So basically it’s all a big complicated minefield.

binners – nothing we can do about corporation tax, if we have different rules then they’ll just not bother trading with the UK or our prices will rise. As we’re not self sufficient we’d be cutting our nose off to spite our face.

In general the public could ensure they buy British from British companies, this would help the matter but we’re talking years for it to have any impact. But there’s nothing to stop you or I making that change right now.

We’d be better off closing the loopholes that many companies that are registered in the UK use to avoid paying tax while staying within the letter of the law.

Binners – corporation tax is all about where the company is registered, Amazon are registered in Luxembourg, not sure what their rates are but I think it’s fair to say they are less than here.

Jota – that Scottish base won’t make any difference.

Vinneyeh – good point, my mistake. child allowance is £20 odd quid a week isn’t it? not sure on the other benefits as I am fortunate enough to be in employment.

Grum – you’re right, those that cheat any system need to be held to account and those that make the system need to work to reduce the holes used by people to legitimately avoid paying.

Sandwich, I see your point, obviously my thought was just that and I would hope Government policy would consist of more than one sentence and have a lot more thought behind it to protect those currently in employment.

But in reference to your comment about unskilled labour all going on the dole, you are highlighting what is wrong with the current welfare system:

Minimum wage for 21 and over is £6.08, on a 45 hour week that’s £273.60, two working parents and that’s £547.20 a week before basic rate tax so that’s (hang on a mo, i need a calculator …..) somewhere in the region of £495 after tax. The family in question on the BBC website get £582.40 per week without having to pay tax. Who is better off? the working family or the one on benefits? This is an illustration using a case I know little about but I think you get my point here.

Just in case you were wondering, the proposed £26k a year = £500 a week.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that society should support those who need it but I also believe that you should not be better off on benefits than in work or there will never be an incentive to get work will there.

+1 for what dooosuk said, that also stops you paying more than you wanted for it by avoiding bidding hysteria.

Is it not possible or reasonable to ask for a few hours graft in return for benefits?

There’s an army of unemployed people in this country, the vast majority of whom do not spend every hour of every day actively seeking work. If each of them did a couple of hours volunteer work a week then surely we could do some good with that resource and make our little island a nicer place to live?

I’m not talking chain gangs or anything too extreme but look how much councils pay to pick up litter each year, that money reinvested in retraining welsh educational software programmers to get them back to work must be a good thing.

* sorry that should be wales based, I’ve no idea if the bloke is actually welsh

I don’t get it.

If money’s that tight then you tell the kids their phone’s going, you don’t stop eating just so they can text their mates and don’t get me started on the “they’d be mad” excuse. You sure as hell don’t go out once a week (I don’t even go out once a week!) and you cut back or stop smoking and drinking.

I wonder how much Taxpayer money is spent on Beer/Fags/Sky TV?

Going to stop typing now before I get too annoyed.

Can vouch for the low end shimano stuff, got cheap SPD’s and shoes when I first ventured away from flats.

I’m still using the pedals and cleats 4 years on. The shoes got upgraded last year.

She sent me an email the other day, I think she may be a little promiscuous!!

When a trip into the undergrowth has become unavoidable, laurel bushes offer a surprisingly comfy option.

Usually strong with milk and no sugar, but occasionally black and occasionally with sugar if I want and sometimes, just sometimes I like a vanilla shot.

Looks like you’d fill in section 4, not sure what you’d call it but I’d go with ‘Heat and Light allowance’, then put the amount in the spent column and nothing in the repaid to you column.

I’m not a personal accountant though, I work on the commercial side of things.

Only been to Les Arcs for snow related activities but I stayed in Bourg Saint-Maurice with Chill Chalet and they’re a great bunch, no hassles with set dates either, just book what you want.

Bloody good snowboarders too!

I’m sure I read somewhere there’s only 120 odd years of coal left in our planet. No idea what the figure is for oil.

Yet more photographic proof that our hunger for resources has a massive impact on the world we live in – both in terms of the environment and humankind.

Sustainability is the key to us not wrecking the planet and we all need to do our bit.

Travel insurance can be a nightmare, is there a local broker you could actually speak to? The problem with the internet is that it’s all black and white and relies on you doing your research so you don’t get screwed. A broker may cost a couple of quid more but could help you navigate the minefield of small print better.

That said, I get mine free with my bank account so didn’t bother about any of the above as it’d still be free no matter what conditions I had.

Got mine from Trago Mills for the princely sum of £3.45, not sure on brand but it’s yellow and does the job perfectly.

If you sharpen with an angle grinder keep a bucket of water handy to cool the head regularly or you’ll ruin it.

while you’re talking about mumsnet ….. oxo tower

hmm, can’t get the hang of this URL thing.

Crikey 63k on a diesel’s nothing!

I’ve an 05 1.9 Golf which is about to hit 100k and a 57 1.9 Golf estate which is cruising up to 70k. Service them when they want, change the cambelt every 4 years and all you’ll (probably) need to do is wash it if you feel so inclined.

VAG diesels are renowned for being tough lumps, there’s plenty of 250k plus examples running like the day they left the factory – hell the service books even detail up to then! Used to have a T4 at work that was well past 300k.

Sounds a bit of a result!

So can we book summer and winter trips?

Last bike purchase was a while ago, from hardtail to full sus, it’ll be a program of upgrading and replacing broken stuff till the frame can’t take the abuse any more.

So that could be 5 days or 5 years!

I had an 02 3 door 1.8 for a good few years, went really well and had no troubles with it at all and I got about 350 to 400 miles out of a tank. I now do about 25k a year so it got chopped in for an oil burner which ironically has a bigger engine, goes better and does about 1.5 times the mpg :)

Back on the point, unless you’re fanatical about economy, go for the 1.8 although you may find them a bit harder to find than the more popular and less fun 1.6. Avoid the 1.4 at all costs.

Thanks everyone, it’s 9 speed so either would be compatible.

Off to find myself a bargain now and get it sorted so I’ll be back on the trails by the end of the week :)

We ride swinley every week, always a good ride and much credit to the trail builders for keeping it consistently great.

We’re loving the latest additions too :D

I’ve got two, regular and huge, they’re primarily for working on cars but get used on the bike where required.

You needn’t pay a fortune for them but make sure you store it correctly so the calibration doesn’t screw up.

Surely the fall out from your February purchases has died down by now?!

That’s a toughy that one, one argument would be that although her gym is a health spa, how often does she actually have a massage etc? pampering is usually a good one to fall back on when out of other ideas.

Theatre’s a good idea though.

There’s still not enough people to enforce it so it’ll get as much respect as the current 70mph limit.

If you’re thinking Trek it’d be worth considering the Top Fuel as well as the Fuel, the Top Fuel being a more agressive ride.

By the way, I’ve a Fuel EX8 and love it to bits so I’d recommend that although I’m liking your shortlist. One of my mates has both an EX9 and a Top Fuel 9 and he reckons the EX is great for all-dayers and the Top Fuel is more for a quick blast.

We spend most of our time just up the road in Swinley.

Have fun test riding all those bikes!!

They look good, but can I have the pedals in red please? :D

Channel 4’s coverage of the athletics isn’t a patch on the BBC, pretty much all their presenters are awful and know little or nothing of what they are talking about.

The other bloke that spends most of hit time being a numbskull on T4 really gets on my nerves too.

a) probably not
b) unlikely due to a, they’d need outside help
c) you’d want to be on a VPN if it’s sensitive stuff.

You need to be careful with unsecured wi-fi, dishonest folks will use it to obtain all that data you are putting through their box and use it for their own ends.

Seeing as everyone’s got wi-fi nowadays, use it as an excuse to meet the neighbours and borrow theirs for a bit (I doubt they’d mind for a few days).

Seems Wi-Fi is the 21st century’s ‘cup of sugar’.

What’s the chances of the DVLA checking the signature to the one on her driving licence?

A covering letter from her authorising you to sell would be good backup, but then, she has to sign that too!

You can’t be the first person to be in this situation so they’ll have seen it before, you could always give them a ring and see what they say if you don’t feel like chancing it.

What age / mileage is the car? was £6k a fair price? and are you sure it’s the flywheel? have you got a professional to look at it or are you looking on VAG forums? there’s a lot going on in the general clutch/flywheel/gearbox region so it’d be worth getting your ducks in a row before you throw it back at the dealer with bits of legal jargon you printed off the internet.

Also have you spoken to the warranty company? they’ll have a list of garages they work with. May be daft but have you spoken to VW too? it could be on a recall list and they’re waiting to do it for you.

Come to think of it, have you spoken to the dealer? it’s much better to speak to them direct and say what your issue is politely, safe in the knowledge that you’ve got the SoGA to back you up if he tells you to sod off.

If you are paid monthly then my opinion would be 1 month, or possibly whatever the norm is for your line of business.

You could give less and there’s not much they can do about it, they can’t exactly sue for breach of contract if you don’t have one! They do legally have to pay you for any time worked so can’t withold pay if you don’t give as much notice as they’d like.

Lumicycle 20w flood / 12w spot combo – Swinley forest.

I use Lumicycle, they are probably at the top end of your price range with halogens starting at £120.
I’ve been using a twin lamp setup for a few years now, battery lasts for longer than I ride (2 to 3 hours – some lamp management) and I’ve certainly no problem with lack of ilumination.
Just so you know, pretty much all the usage has been forest and trails.

Why do people litter at all?

It’s something I really hate, you wouldn’t leave it lying around your house so why do it when you’re out? Everyone should have a zero tolerance policy.