Thats what I was thinking, spend a couple of hundred on a dedicated blue ray or a little more on a PS3 with the gaming side of things thrown in.

If its got to be a cheap pod machine, Senseo machines are about £28 in Argos. One problem, using two pods in the mug pod holder seems to prduce a weaker brew, I think the two pods don't seal as well so water forces its way past them. My solution, use the single pod holder and just run it twice.

Pod wise they are very common in France, and seeing as we're normally across there once or twice a year we always stock up on some big, 30 pod, bags of pods. Oh, and they're much cheaper too, what you pay for 12 or 16 pods over here, you pay the same in euro for 30 pods. The makes are all french brands but the same brands also sell ground coffee etc, so quality isn't too bad. Darker roasts give a better brew as well IMHO.

What job are you applying for? I'm a registered nurse, so for me "professional registration" refers to the national body holding my details on the nurses register, and if I (or sopmeone else) tried to work as a registered nurse without being on the professional register, then the emplyer wouldn't employ, if you follow.

There are ways of overseas nurses getting regsitered without having to retrain for 3 years, but some of it depends on whether the UK body feels that the local equivalent is of a sufficient standard.

Cooler air is denser, so in theory that means more efficiency/power – hence why most modern turbos have an intercooler between turbo and inlet to cool the air that has become heated as it passes through the turbo.

But in reality winter always hits fuel consumption. More use of lights, longer time to warm up, even maybe more congestion on local roads due to poor weather. Some people find that the nature of their driving changes, more shorter trips instead of longer runs.

Merci Beaucoup, I'm still trawling through the other 28 pages of this thread and am shocked but at the same time supported by how many others out there have been touched by cancer, and how so many of us have experienced similar thoughts & feelings – I got myself sent home from hospital between diagnosis & surgery because I said i was bored (!) and because a clinical fellow told me that I "might" be home after 48 hours I became a **** nuisance 48 hours post op tormenting the nurses to go home – which I did!! Oddly my diagnosis was a relief as I'd been feeling shit for about 3 1/2 months, no significant neuro symptoms until I seized one morning, although my problems did start with a specific episode of headache on waking, which was dismissed by my GP as sinusitis. For all the good that nasal spray did me, I might as well have stuffed it up my arse, or was that the suppository he gave me? Anyway, good emergemncy care from my local A&E, and a rapid transfer to the local neuro unit meant little time to think about it pre-op, and a confident but likeable neurosurgeon, and a fatherly neurologist (who looks like Mr Burns from the Simpsons) mean I have faith in those to whom I trust my grey matter – even if there is a little bit less now than there used to be.

Hi Mark, I'm sort of new to STW, I did use it a long time ago under another user name.

Anyway, you might have passed the point that I'm up to with my diagnosis of a brain tumour, but I'm heading for my first "real" follow up appointment 6 months after diagnosis and surgery. I say real, because the appointment 2 weeks post surgery confirmed what type of tumour, and that it was a case of treatment (surgery) not cure, and while the neurosurgeon felt happy at that point that he'd removed "greater than 95%" of my tumour, I have another MR scan in a week and then results in clinic on Xmas Eve (as you do!).

This appointment is stressing more than anything else that has happened, and I guess that while I'm being extremely positive, and have been since diagnosis, the fact is that 6 months of literature searching, book reading and using the devils tool of the internet means that I'm much better informed now than I was at diagnosis. You may have already experienced this feeling, I'mm just being positive, going to enjoy my 40th birthday this weekend (sadly without alcohol, doesn't mix well with the meds or risk of seizures) and then take whatever I'm presented with. Got a wife & 9 year old son, so as much for them as myself whatever news comes my way is dealt with after January 1st – if things inside my skull are so grim that delaying until then would be a Bad Thing To Do then so be it.

I just want to get it over & done with now!

STW mag vs the world!

I've recently returned to MTB'ing, and have been picking up a couple of the mags each month because so much has changed.

STW seems like a series of "editorial" type articles, with some reviews and a ride chucked in. It seems like a "boutique" magazine to me.

The reviews seem comprehensive on paper, of the strength of the waterproof review I bought the Pace event jacket, largely because it was described as being a good cut ("beer belly friendly" was the term in print, I think, and thats me!). Well, they need a fat knacker on their test team, the XL fits me very well but first try on and I was sweating that it wouldn't!

MB"we're the best riders ever"R hasn't changed much in the years I've been away. Plus they are so trail centre orientated – the other month their "local knowledge" feature was following the route at Gisburn Forest. Good route, but local knowledge – nah. Local knowledge is local riders riding local routes open to all using map & compass/GPS

MFUK – not bought or read that shite for years.

WMB – regurges so muchy content each month, its unreal. Would doubt whether a subscription to WMB would be VFM.

But to summarise, if wifey hasn't got the hint that I want a subscription (STW mag left open on the subs page in the contemplative reading room) then I'll get my own in the new year. It is the only MTB mag that talks sense

Blueray player or PS3??

Do houses ever go for the asking price? I'd have thought that there would still be room to manoeuvre, some houses around my way have been on the market for months, literally some have been up for sale for over 6 months. Either means that the market around here is on its arse (good possibility) or prices are still higher than expectations.

No pics from me, got a 6×4 metal shed at the moment that has my MTB, 2 road bikes, my wifeys MTB & sons MTB & road bike. Plus garden tools, bike tools, turbo trainer, & associated other crap.

Needless to say a shed upgrade is on the cards for the new year, garden space still a premium in rabbit hutch britain though, so I'll be measuring what I need for usable space for bikes, tools, and maybe space to turbo train.

If I want to squeeze one off on the bus home, I shouldn't have to ask the network's permission!!!!

Just clean up after yourself would you??

Bloody hell, a few years out of biking and everything changes! No wonder a new to biking mate looked at me blank when I talked about the Red Bull route!

Not used Orange mobile phone, so cannot comment on coverage.

BUT:
Was an Orange broadband customer, and if the customer services on the mobile phone side of things is as bad as it was with the broadband, I'll never get an Orange mobile.

(Problem was not tied in to a contract, we had been a customer for about 7 years, initially with Freeserve, then Wannadoo, then Orange. Orange had a server problem which meant no internet for us, constant promises of fixes "in the next 24 hours", useless, truly useless system that meant I had to go through all of the troubleshooting every time I rang for progress. In the end I knew it better than the operators, and just lost it mega style one evening which strangely resulted in my call being transferred from overseas to the UK. Problem was never resolved, but I avoided paying for 30 days of internet (the notice period) which they couldn't by their own admission provide to me).

I've used the Joe's kit, and TBH the extra cost vs a ghetto method probably isn't worth it – why not?

The sidewalls of my Panaracer Fire XC's were way porous, so the job itself was a bollox to do – which it would be with ghetto as well.

Other problem I've encountered is that the back tyre blows off the rim, only seems to occur on singletrack, presumably the tyre is just rolling off the rim. Means that I'm tubeless on the front, tubed on the rear and I'm not that arsed trying to sort out the rear. If the front blows off I'll probably not bother renewing it (thats assuming I don't die if the tyre blows off the rim!).

So tubeless – good idea, but for me in practice its a pain in the arse.

Some of the commuter types on http://www.cyclechat.co.uk have been using the Fenix light for a while, might be worth asking how they sorted helmet mounts.

Cycling Plus tested one recently and described making a helmet mount out of foam rubber & velco straps, maybe there isn't a specific one available??