trying not to spend money on a paper til the jobs come out on thursday.
As the Co. went into recievership i've not recieved any redundancy money or pay in lieu. I'll get some of it eventually but what little money i have i need to hoard.

Balls.

I prefer the fisherground campsite in Eskdale, you cannot pre-book though; just turn up on the day.
It means a nice ride over into Mitredale then along into Wasdale for a meal & a drink or three at the pub in Wasdale Head before heading back over the fell into Boot – the last section of trial quite literally drops you outside the pub!

Hollingworth Lake nr Rochdale. They have a pretty good outdoors scene for kids.

As for work, a friend teaches windsurfing and other sports at the local lake. Apparently there may be a vacancy for a MTB instructor taking kids on rides. I think i'll volunteer to help out & go for the instructors course at the same time.
Think i could quite enjoy teaching kids to ride for a living!

I have a HD ready 32" TV & currently run an Aiwa surround-sound system with it.
It will happily run a DVD player but when we tried the PS3 Blu-ray it would not run the sound through the surround system.

If i buy a Blu-ray player is there a way i can run it with the surround system or do i have to fork out for a whole new home cinema system?

Fizzer – that you Andy?

Drop me a line will ya, pc crashed & i lost all my e-mail address's.

Fitzy – good for you, hope you can keep up the good work!

Not sure what i'm gonna do yet – i don't need to spend my birthday getting uptight & upset because the FFF (Fat Frigid Frump) is in the vincity…

Good luck Fitzy.

Whilst not in the same league (i.e. kids involved) i went of the deep end last night, my depression came back for a visit when my guard was down.
I am a membe of a re-enactment group & i introduced the ex to this group 9yrs ago.
When we split she told me she wasn't going to be doing the events this yr so i thought i had a free run at getting back into it & renewing friendships that had been somewhat strained by the split.
It's my birthday this weekend & i was really looking forward to spending it at Stafford Castle. It turns out the ex decided to not only turn up at last weekend's event (that i only missed cos of a friend in trouble) but wants to go to this weekends one as well.

I do not, cannot be around her. I do not ever want to see her fat, bovine face ever again & she knows this. She also knows it's my birthday but she is determined to spoil it for me.

Not a good night.

Basically i've had a relapse & i think i need the happy pills again.

You too may find it coming back when you least expect it, but it WILL get better.

now THAT'S what i call a tandem!

Probably not HandsomeDog – i certainly won't be doing it again.

Done it literally hundreds of times before with no problems but there's always a first time…

DezB – think i will too!

It's not worth calling the police. No damage to bike, no witnesses, no ID's of assailants, nothing stolen etc.
They haven't bothered to get back in touch with me after my 'road rage' assault & that had two independent witnesses.

It was a bunch of dickeheads thinking it was funny to assault someone riding past them.
Weird thing was, they had actually started to move out of my way & i had the words "thanks guys" on the tip of my tongue when they attacked.

It's the fact i've had to take a day off work that's pee'd me off.

At least i got the computer back!

No i didn't bother with the police.

I actually had 'GIRO' written on my head, wonder if the helmet did save me from owt?

I was really angry when i got home & i'd got to the point of getting the commuting bike out, one of my big medieval daggers & was out the door & halfway up the street before i realised how stupid i was being – so went back home to bed!

I did actually think about taking the computer off the bike, but couldn't be bothered!
I did set off to work this morning & went back to the site of the attack – managed to find the computer/altimeter thingy so not all bad.
Bloody ankle went over when i got to work & i had to cadge a lift home.

Knew i should have taken the cheapo commuting bike & gone via the road….

I feel for you fitzy.

It's 8 months since my (ex) fiance dropped the bomb on me & moved out & i can honestly say i've not dealt with it too well.
I spent the Xmas/New Year in a complete funk & came very close to hanging myself in January before i managed to get help.

I'm still very bitter over things to do with the ex & it still burns me up sometimes.

I'm seeing a lovely girl now but i feel guilty because i still have the hangups from the last (9yrs) relationship.

Like everyone says, concentrate on your child but don't let the ex walk over you. You have a right to half of the stuff in the house – you paid good money for it so why should you be the one left with nothing?

As Handyman said – it DOES get better but it doesn't happen overnight, so don't expect miracles.

Well, that's half the house cleared & the front garden back looking like a garden again.
We filled a skip up to the limit & the kitchen is now habitable, as is his front room & downstairs lavatory.
I've scrubbed, washed & polished as much as i could but the kudos must go to my mate's wife who faced up to cleaning the kitchen – that was one 'orrible job!
Not out of the woods yet though, he's not eating properly if at all & he still looks ill.

A beginning though.

I'm bloody knackered now!

You tell me.

Tomorrow i'm going to help clean out the house of a mate.
He was made redundant from his high-paying IT job at Woolies, 4 days later his father died & then we found out his alcoholic partner had been beating him for months.
She's gone but he's living like a tramp.

The house looks like something from 'a life of grime' & is quite frankly a health hazard.
Tomorrow we're going through the place and binning everything. the place is disgustingly filthy.

He's not a thick waster. he has two law degrees & is bloody brilliant at IT stuff.
Thing is, he's a pisshead. he used to be a functioning alcoholic but now he's not even that.

I don't know what to do.

There is a couple of great campsites in Eskdale at Boot.
I prefer the Fisherground campsite as it's a little cheaper & you don't have to pre-book, just turn up on the day.

I'm taking my novice g/f there next week & we're riding from Boot, into Wasdale up to Wasdale Head, then back into Boot over the fell (can't remember what it's called)
Last time we only went as far as Black Ghyll before climbing over the fell back into Eskdale, hope she can make it this time!

Looking forward to the beer at Wasdale Head though.

You’re all lucky – i cannot physically run at all, a symptom of my CMT condition.
I look like a drunken penguin in a speeded up film when i run…

Typical, i was out over marsden moor yesterday & kept thinking “what are all these little arrow markers for??”

I always seem to miss these things & they’re always right on my doorstep!

I’m fine, he only threw one punch & i easily parried that.

One of my workmates is still off work, he’s 60yrs old & having a hard time coming to terms with his attack.

Here you go al :-

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-a-day-yesterday

Should i visit before or after they tear the place apart then?

PS3 is hers though, i’ve no interest in a games console – don’t use ’em.

A mate of mine is busy turning older PS2’s (i think) into storage devices as well.

Ooh, wasn’t aware that the machine will play both formats, looks like an even better investment now – cheers!

rancid stuff – as bad as Robinsons.

personally i wear elbow/forearm pads because i had a nasty off a few yrs back that ended up with my right elbow impacting into a drystone wall at around 25mph – it bloody well hurt!
I’ve dislocated & shattered my right patella twice (both times off the bike) & it is an agonising pain that i have no wish to experience again, i’ve been looking for some kneepads that i can ride comfortably in so i think i’ll take a look at the Kyle jobbies.

If any of you want to snigger then go ahead, you only make yourself look like immature & macho knobs. My knees, my choice.

Bloomin’ eck, i still have my Red Sky Coven tour shirt from ’89 – still wear it as well!

Gods was that 20yrs ago?

Remember going to see them at the Lorelei Festival & getting involved in a ruck with some German punks, then seeing them at the Philliphalle in Dusseldorf the yr after & getting chased through the railway station by neo-nazi skins, ah good days!

The numpty has bust my lights & scratched the bike – we’ll see what gets done about that.
I was all righteously angry, but the attack on my workmates is more in my mind at the moment. If i hadn’t been involved in my own incident i would have been right there when these idiots appeared on the canal outside my works….

Oh aye, van driver reported. Cop dealing with the case is a cyclist – nice to have someone sympathetic & understanding working on yourside!

Appears that the van isn’t registered to anyone (old vehicle) but it did have the name of a demolition company down the bodywork & the cops are going to speak to this company. It turns out that the driver of an Audi also reported this vehicle/driver for another altercation the same morning, not sure if it was before or after my incident.
Got to go to the police station next tuesday to make an official statement, by that time the cops will have more info for me.
It’s being treated as assault apparently.

As to the attack, cops couldn’t interview the 4 psycho’s ‘cos they were still too wrecked as of 4pm yesterday!
Still blood on the road outside our works… :cry:

Didn’t actually find any of the black run – apart from the little section of steep drop-offs to one side of the red run berms just before the steep rocky climb.
Must have been too busy trying not to kill myself! :lol:

I have no problem with the shifter in question, it’s well set-up & I find it pulls very lightly & smoothly.
It’s just she’s having problems with her thumb & we think it’s the action of shifting thats hurting her.

May need to move the pod inwards & upwards again to see how it feels.

Once took some London-based lads out around Hebden Bridge, one turned up with a hardtail equipped with a road cassette.

I knew then it was going to be a long, hard day…. :D

It seemed to work for him & apparently they rode in the Lakes fairly often.

No.

I ain’t no great fan of nationalism but the SNP is not remotely comparable with the BNP. there is a far right scots nationalist movement but I have forgotten their name

SnG if i remember correctly TJ – translates as ‘Sons of the Gael’ in a civilised tongue :P

Not sure to be honest, she’s just out of the hospital today & i’ll see her when she’s ready for visitors. I believe she’s had nodes removed from her armpit though.

Whilst she understands that lymphoedema is a serious condition, she wants to continue living as normal a life as possible, she’ll have to give up her kick-boxing due to the threat, but because (i believe) it ‘CAN’ be caused by a knock etc the doc has advised no mtb’ing either.
To be honest, she’s only a beginner anyway but it’s something she enjoys & we are going to look into ways of minimising the risk – body armour, compression supports etc.

possibly, but that’s not what i’m about, have a partner already.

Just like to do something for an old friend who really wants to continue riding, the docs have warned her off due the the risk (allegedly) of lymphoedema.

‘Ye sordid prostitutes have you defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices?
Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole Nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievance redress’d, are yourselves become the greatest grievance….I command ye therefore, upon peril of your lives, to depart immediately out of this place; go, get you out! Ye venal slaves be gone!’
Oliver Cromwell to the Rump Parliament 1653

It is so gratifying to see how far we’ve come….

Good pic! :)

Ouch! I once knew a girl who competed in show jumping at County level, she had a reduction ‘cos it was causing her too much pain!

bloody hell, does she ride & if so can she advise the missus on a good sports bra?

Must admit, all jokes aside it must be quite uncomfortable for the more generously-endowed ladies when riding.

Tracey – great pics, although i think we are a long way off those rides yet! She managed 13 miles, mostly flat & was aching til wednesday!