For touring weight matters and rental bindings weigh more(not a lot, but it’s weight on your feet). Another advantage is that your skis will be a known quantity – you won’t be able to use the excuse that the rental shop only had heavy / noodly / wide / narrow skis left.

It’s true – I work for myself and I am!

Is it worth going for “name” brands of winter tyre e.g. Nokian, Dunlop or are the comically named far eastern tyres any good?

Fiat Panda 1.2. Thrashed mercilessly (as only a small low powered car can be). Utterly reliable.

From Mk 1 Transit days, spider brace and lump hammer. As much torque as possible on the spider whilst someone hits the centre with a lump hammer. Tip from some helpful guys in Yugoslavia after I broke my breaker bar.

I’ve got some of ]these. The amount and spread of light is far better than others I’ve tried.

Who is Sarah Beanie?

Emsz, great post. My respect for Clint goes up again. “Because what I really believe is, let’s spend a little more time leaving everybody alone.” That sort of republicanism I can agree with.

Well done. As others have said you may have done the yoof a favour by stopping his criminal career early. You’ve certainly done all your neighbours a favour.

You need the high velocity of a good puff to break up the boundary layer – see the new generation of hand dryers.

I like the phone, appreciate the belt watch and can’t see the point of the others- ugly.

Now for a proper timepiece check out http://longnow.org/clock/%5B/url%5D

2 questions – what’s the glide angle and what’s the air speed? Definitely rad!

Good story but no antelopes!

Depends on how much you’re selling it for. I sold my last 2 motorbikes to dealers sight unseen but supplied lots of photos. Both only started it to run it up the ramp into the van.

Life can be bad but you’re doing good. It’s OK to cry (I am).

Buy an old banger and park it badly. More effective than a speed hump.

Was TUPE’d to an Irish subsiduary and the TUPE’d back. It didn’t affect my T&Cs. I know people from Barclays who were TUPE’d to XANSA 10 years ago and have just been TUPE’d back in (although not all of them). Again, no change to T&Cs.

I joined a union as a result of this – at least you can ask for advice from someone working for you.

PHD (the guy who set up Mountain Equipment). Class gear, made in the UK.

Not as bad as artists

At least Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is safe – or is it?

Got one, no longer have to descale the toilets, scrub sink to get rid of limescale etc. Highly recommended provided it’s metered properly i.e. only regerates as required. Also, fix all dripping taps etc or it’ll cost a fortune softening water that you don’t use.

They work by subsituting sodium ions for the calcium ions in your water using an ion exchange resin. The sodium and carbonate ions will then be in your water. You don’t want to be drinking the softened water unless you want a high sodium diet!

The salt regenerates the ion exchange resin by replacing the calcium ions captured from the water with new sodium ions.

See a physio or find a doctor who can be bothered to check it. Don’t get fobbed off and walk on it for another 6 months until a physio mate tells you to get sorted. Well that is what I’d do if I had a time machine.

@deepreddave – lol

A good thread but can we keep it light?

Rudding Park ++

I used to stay there on business every few years. It’s got the knack of making everyone feel genuinely welcome every time. Almost as good at that as Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons for making you feel at home.

Phone or write 3 times to cancel it. Keep records. On the 4th time use the magic words “I’d like to make a complaint”. You should go straight to someone who knows what to do as the FSA track complaints against lenders and the banks are all paranoid about it.

OSB looks like the stuff then. Thanks for the tip.

An optimist believes we live in the best of all possible worlds. A pessimist fears this may be so.

Cuddling my 3 year old whilst she drinks milk. It does get better.

I have a direct from China active GSM booster. It’s done the job fine for 2.5 years so far. I was fiddling in the attic yesterday and managed to disconnect the aerial – no signal in the house until I’d re-attached it. Worthwhile if you’re on a network that doesn’t do pico cells i.e. Vodafone.

seems to be a common theme of “in the sun”. Pressure goes up with temperature if volume is constant…

Hi Doug, do you have any more going spare please? murray _ chapman @ zestex . com

Haven’t been but it’s just down the road from me. I’ll go and check it out.

I’d written off the idea of solar hot water given the high costs of systems but I’m quite tempted by this low tech, low cost approach. I think I need a bigger hot water cylinder though!

Elfin, you can generally use “cost” as a proxy for “embedded energy”. This looks like it’s got a short pay back so I’d expect it to save energy overall.

<pedant>Free other than the cost of the pump / controller / valve electricity.</pedant>

I’m tempted by this – roof of the garage looks like a good location for the panels, back of the garage for heat store. It’d be good to get it working as a thermo-syphon to the main hot water cylinder – just wondering what size pipes I’d have to run? 3/4 inch seemed to be the size when I ripped out a back boiler 25 years ago.

Graham S, still a problem – it’s a long drive back from Bahrain

Not had this happen to one of my kids. I’ve done it to myself and I wouldn’t wish it on a little ‘un. Personally, I’d be ask to see the practice nurse at the GP just in case.

Bought some pads from them last year – no problems.

Stop picking on me!

Hi rOcKeTdOg – how did you take the on bike shots? They really capture the feeling.

Hire one from MaxxExposure for the night – that’s what I did last year. This year I’ll be using a Spokebloke light.