If you have lied about anything that will affect your premium, it will nullify your insurance if you make a claim and they find out.

Though I’ve not heard of many people working for friends in the motor trade who need their own car insurance policy *cough* (ex claims manager with a brother in law who does some small scale car dealing via his employers motor trade policy!)

Two murders in the small town I was brought up in – one was a girl the year above me at school, I used to work with her brother. Tragic, but it happens.

And coppers hate guarding crime scenes – friend of mine spent her first six months guarding Ian Huntleys house in Soham in the build up to the trial. The locals would bring them tea and cake in sympathy.

Not really a new problem – happened to a girl in my year back in the mid 80s with a lad about his age – mind you, that one looked older! Sensationalist reporting doesn’t help of course.

Really thinking that having no additional child benefit for more than 2 kids may bring some reality into these people’s lives – and my wife and I have to work with some of them, that’s not just my Daly Wail head talking!

David Beckham being held up as a role model on STW……..?

(Actually, I agree with you, but don’t tell anyone)

Oh yes, Southern Peaks/Derbyshire Dales are flat as a pancake!

Ignorance is bliss. Are you Gordon Brown, per chance?

The swiss style muesli

Fruit and veg

Pizzas

Wychwood brewery beers

Yoghurts

Oaties biscuits (excellent Hobnobs rip off)

Temptations cookies

Their own brand Snickers and Twix bars

Crisps and nut snacky type things

Winter cycling gloves

Cheapest bacon and egg sandwich of any supermarket

Great flapjack bars for 37p each

Bread isn’t bad

Some of the cereals are a bit cheap tasting. most stuff great though

Not to the same degree, but I had a fairly successful career in my 20s, lost my job in a takeover, and basically faced two options – either continue with my insurance career, which would have involved getting a job in London and commuting half my life, or doing something else and having a work/life balance where we could afford to start and raise a family.

We went the latter route – relocated to take advantage of house prices and minimise the mortgage, and I’ve more or less drifted through a variety of jobs for the last 10 years, part of which was spent doing a part time degree. Have a great work/life balance with our young family, just enough money to live on and dabble with bikes. Yes, more money and a more repsonsible position would be nice, but I’ve no regrets.

Currently tempted by the idea of a rights of way officer role, but need some practical experience to land one so maybe when the kids are both at school and MrsSwadey can get back to part-time work I might take another pay cut and look into that option.

I would dispute that having children is a “right of life”. Not everyone can, and arguably, not everyone should.

There should be full equality of paternity/maternity rights – no reason a father can’t have the time instead of the woman. This *may* reduce the pressure on women.

I quite like the idea of p/maternity being paid by the state to reduce the impact on businesses. But only for the first two (and the same for child benefit) to stop the system being abused by benefit scroungers.

I found going on a charity walk up Ben Nevis worked a treat, but you may want to wait till the wether warms up a bit….

As ever, The Daily Mash summed it up brilliantly last year with an article quoting the planet as saying “It will be fine”, but the humans may suffer a bit.

Either your heater matrix, damp from the carpets if you didn’t kick the snow off your boots, or you have an old shape Seat Leon with the obligatory knackered door seals.

Wait till it freezes on the inside of your windscreen!

Was good this month – a couple of duff articles, but I liked the “bonking” theme

(That just reads sooooooo badly…..)

See what Merlin can do?

A brilliantly crafted kicking, as stated above.

Chiles was linked with her after his marriage broke down, but it was all denied.

I used to quite like Chiles as a presenter until that Nicole Cooke interview….

But going to the original question, no I wouldn’t. Too skinny. And I usually like Irish girls.

The rather nice whisky shop in Bakewell (Wee Dram?) pointed me towards the 18 year old Glenfiddich, which was very nice tasting.

I’m definitely a SJ fan, but Jen on Milkshake (Ch5) has a certain something…

I wondered if the “massive dump” in Leighton Buzzard had been left by the bloke on the train……?

The Chris Hoy book is really interesting – not a riveting page turner, but a real insight into what British Cycling have done in the last 10 years.

1.95 Trailrakers got me in past 8 miles of stationary traffic this morning – 2-3 inches has fallen since 5am.

I can’t stop smiling!

Wiggle currently seem to be the cheapest – ProBikeKit had them at £15 each a couple of months ago, ran out of stock, now showing at £25 or something.

I was wondering about the Speediums for a tenner, but I’ve been so please with the puncture resistance on the Krylions

I was working up round Buxton/Calver yesterday – main roads were effectively clear, anything off the main roads still had 2-3 inches lying on it – I didn’t attempt to drive to Wardlow or Youlgrave in my dodgy Seat. 4-5 inches of the stuff in the fields, midday temperature showing in the car as -4 C driving past the snowfields, so I guess Hope was similar.

I understand more roads were open by the afternoon, mind you, more is forecast tonight.

And be careful if you go through Chatsworth park – the sheep are all over the road licking up the salt!

I liked the “Snow Melts claims Met Office” yesterday – Tom Logan had a different job in that one!

My suspicion, having seen Carol Thatcher on the telly and being thoroughly unimpressed, is that this was the opportunity they were waiting for to ditch the silly woman.

And while the term “gollywog” has all sorts of racist connotations and I wouldn’t use it to or about a human being, I have no problem with the toys of that name that came from a less PC era. Should we not have Teddy Bears, as it is demeaning to wild bears to pretend that they are simple lovable creatures?

I doubt Mrs T was racist, btw – ignorant, no truck with PC, but not racist. And no doubt the people who view the ANC as freedom fighters hold the same view of the IRA/UDF, just for consistency?

Not just Manchester – car pulled away from the kerb to do a U turn in front of me today – saw me just in time and stopped

TBH, the driver was quite cute and in a nurses uniform. With hindsight I’d have swerved into her just to get her details…..

I had an identical frame to that that I sold last year – I nearly cried….

I was wondering whether to go down the service route, rather than a new battery…or a new set of lights*

*remembers 40th birthday coming up….

Have a 55 reg 1.9TDi with the DSG autobox – best car we’ve ever owned (some of the rest were French, mind…)

Even with the autobox, can easily get mid 50s mpg on long loaded motorway runs or cruise comfortably in excess of the speed limit. The Sports mode in the autobox is great fun, but makes it a little thrashy to drive like that for any length of time unless you really are in a hurry.

All different sizing according to manufacturer and style – go round bike shops and sit on loads to get an idea. Sizing is more important on a road bike, if you get it wrong you won’t want to ride it

I definitely would if I could afford one – my work takes me into the Peak District 1-2 days a week, and snow is the least of my worries given the state of some roads and tracks.

That said, if I had the money I’d also look at an older Subaru Forester, maybe the diesel Jeep Patriot that has lower emissions that a Prius, as well. Maybe a Kia Sportage or Hyundai Tucson with the warranties. Couldn’t justify a full on LandRover as I don’t go over fields. Well, not intentionally.

Qashquai is quite cute, but only 2 wheel drive.

Samways in Derby still had the last issue on the counter on Friday.

I realised this £3.99 and 40 miles later when I stopped to have a browse on my lunch break.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

My Trailrakers have been fine in snow in the past – may be commuting on them later in the week so I’ll check for you…..

They clear really well, but can still clog up in very sticky clay stuff. Used mine for the first time this winter yesterday and noticeably better than the High Rollers I had on in similar conditions a couple of weeks ago.

I have the 1.95 version for extra mud clearance on the bike, rather than any reasons related to the ground itself.

My understanding was that Trailrakers had been overtaken by newer mud tyres from other manufacturers, but I’ll not change mine till they need changing

Late 70s and early 80s our village was cut off a couple of times by 6 foot deep snow drifts – and it was on two main A roads just outside Peterborough.

I have absolutely no recollection of any major snow in 91 though!

The key question is – obviously – whether it is still legal to shoot a Welshman from within the city walls with a bow and arrow during the hours of darkness.

With that as an option, who needs somewhere to ride a bike to have fun?

There is a difference between supporting a policy designed to support the education of children, and supporting all the other nanny state guff that this stupid government has brought in.

But as I said before, if you don’t like having to pay extra for holidays in the school holiday periods then you should have thought about it before you had them. Don’t expect sympathy.

Anyway, this sanctomonious wnaker had better get on with some work.

Helmets are great in fairly minor incidents, and stop them becoming more serious – hit a vehicle at speed and an inch of polystyrene won’t save you.

I always wear a helmet (as much to set an example to my kids), but I don’t like wearing a helmet. I wouldn’t want it to be compulsory, provided riders understand and accept the risk they choose to run AND the civil damages implications if they get involved in an RTA.

Common sense often occurs in court rulings, it just tends not to be reported as much as the dumb stuff

It’s your decision at the end of the day, but I have no sympathy for people whining about this.

When we had kids, we knew that we would only be going on holiday in the school holidays, when it was busy and expensive. It was kind of one of those things we knew would happen when we decided to have kids. Quite looking forward to a cottage in Northumberland at Easter.

While there is an argument that some foreign travel can be more educational than a week at school (and I have my doubts that a week in Florida falls into that category) I would suggest that showing the importance of school and education by not taking them out for a week in the sun may be a more important lesson for them.

IMHO

ProBikeKit.coms own brand ones have done me fine. Once you get over the “looking like a roadie ponce” fear, they are some of the finest things I have bought