Looks great. There was a sourdough thread on here last year with loads of photos, recipes and tips that’s worth looking at.

I think you should be ok by then. Go for it as you never know what’s around the corner.

Extra restrictions are not going to help at this stage. Apart from on here i see no appetite for the general public to restrict themselves any further.

I agree with that.

Thanks for sharing torsoinalake. There’s always more to consider than the obvious headline outrage stance.

My thoughts on how we’re dealing with this keep swinging from one side to another.

I agree with Joe that papers to leave the house is utter madness and along the same lunacy as criminalising a walk round a lake with a takeaway coffee or throwing snowballs in the street but the recent non stop relentless bad news on rising cases and deaths had me thinking there is no choice but to carry on with these lockdowns but then I read something like this article below and it makes me think ‘have we actually lost the plot in some sort of mass hysteria and are we fundamentally getting this wrong in every way possible because of our innate desire to control the uncontrollable. Are the unintended consequences of our choices having a worse effect on things and is there now far too much invested to change track and rethink?’

Would appreciate others thoughts on this perspective.

https://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkpolitics/articles.html?read_full=14396

Spare a thought for the poor Brits Abroad.
John Lewis and Fortnum and Mason have stopped shipping to Europe

No Waitrose sausages in the British Supermarket in Portimão today 😔 my Saturday fry up won’t be the same. Got some reduced priced black pudding though but the shelves were definitely looking bare.

Had gerbils as a child. I loved them, great fun but serious escape artists. They spent quite a bit of time lost inside the old gas fire and behind the oven… thinking about it maybe they were lemmings…it was the 80’s

Most recent letter i had was asking for way too much money. Checked online and different amount shown as due so I’m paying that on the 31st. Is rather disconcerting though as I’m rubbish at maths and trust them to ask for the right money. They do repay money overpaid though. They repaid me a few hundred last year. No idea why i had over paid though and now they are saying I’ve underpaid my last lot even though I submitted my return well in advance of any payments due so they should have known how much to ask me for. Doesn’t give me much confidence I’m paying the correct amounts!

**** no. Need some small pleasures at the mo.

Normally new investigational medicines are not given to “women of childbearing potential” until the studies have read out. No conspiracy, just the timescale for drug development.

Thanks Tired. So it’s unusual that this new vaccine will be offered to a woman in her 30’s?

So I’ve been sending info about the safety of vaccines to a friend who is a care worker and might be offered the vaccine sooner than most as she mentioned she might wait as she’s not sure. When i asked why she said ‘she’d heard there might be fertility issues’ she’d not read anything herself just listened to others at work talking about it.

I wonder if this is something to do with the Bill Gates thing?! Have there ever been any genuine issues with vaccines and fertility? I’m not annoyed with her personally as she is not very scientifically minded and is a very easily led, gentle soul.

I’ve not really looked into the whole Bill Gates thing myself as it seemed so out there but I actually met a Swiss couple the other day who were trying to explain it all to me and were totally adamant it is true. I must admit i tuned out and had had a few beers so can’t really remember what they were saying but they are both in there 50’s professional, intelligent people so i was rather taken aback as i imagined it was the preserve of disenfranchised Internet nutters not normal everyday people i might meet. It makes me start to doubt my own trust and belief in things at times when confronted with so many conflicting ideas. I think what keeps me relatively straight is that i studied the sciences at a level and then did a bsc at uni and so have learned how to assess what is credible or not but that combined with another friend sharing guff on Facebook that can be disproved with a quick bit of research has got me feeling worried for the world.

Now I’ve just gone on Facebook and the guff sharing friend has posted a pic of the slopes in Verbier. Just arrived from tier 4! How is that even possible when I thought that other countries weren’t excepting uk holiday makers since this new strain?!

Edit friend is happier about the vaccine after reading the bits I’ve sent her 🤞

Thread resurrection. What did you go for on the end? I’m looking for something like the delux garden room in that skinners link. Do others recommend them? Garden room specialists the best idea or local building company be better value for money?

Lister 🤔so what happens on boxing day??

Well that’s funny you’re having exactly the same dinner we are. Probably a bit late to reply now but all I’ve done is make a garlicky, herby, zesty butter and inserted it under the chicken skin over the legs and breasts to infuse overnight and make the dessert (Jamie’s Christmas crumble) i was going to do the bread sauce as it keeps well but couldn’t be arsed so will do that and pigs in blankets in the morning.

Wow looks so different from when we were there! Beautiful. We’re staying warm in the Algarve!

Hmm.. not so much bitter old people but people who have different interests than the bikers. Ie an interest in nature and history. I know the area and there is a lot of ancient archaeology and important natural habitats around there and I do think in the biking world we could try to encourage the young to respect those aspects and think before going digging willy nilly.

Badbury clumps isn’t too far from there if they want to hit jumps and is all sanctioned by the national trust who’s land it’s on.

July onwards will be fine for your European holidays as long as you’re not personally at high risk. Europe will be open to the uk and they will be actively encouraging us over as they will be desperate for a good season to recover losses from last year.

The only fly in the ointment i can see is will flights be very expensive due to the hammering those businesses have taken?

😂Hasn’t she been through enough already!

Well I’m rather behind on the Archers and have just listened to the Alice episode in the early hours of this morning as I couldn’t sleep and often it helps me drift back off and i have to replay it during the day. Not this time! Wow that was so powerful and painful i had tears running down my face.

I think what makes this story line so real is that they’ve been building this in a natural way for many years as my quote from 3 years back shows!

myti
Free Member
Anyone else noticed that Alice seems to get really pissed quite often these days? I reckon they might be setting her up for a story line of alcoholism in the future.

Posted 3 years ago

Thanks op will do!

You gov survey just asked me if I’d support an extension to the transition period or not and also who would i hold responsible if no deal was made government or eu?

Is the government getting twitchy and considering extending but checking public opinion 1st?

All through this pandemic there have been you gov questions asked about do you support a lockdown, masks, should uni students be kept at uni etc just before the government decides something new.

Anyone else do these surveys? I started about a year ago as i was sick of reading about survey results saying this or that about Brexit and wanted my opinion heard.

It worked for me just now. Is he putting it out again and scrapping the last one to get rid of the cyclists replies? Everyone do it again?

except for SUP’s. they can do one

Ha yeah had a few out with all the other board types the other day they can certainly snipe a wave from way out the back but the long boarders do this too.

Such a great vibe out here with all board types together and only seen a couple of agro drop ins. I fear it may not be the same experience in the crowded South of uk when I visit in Spring.

John thankfully I’ve avoided the beach slam experience so far at Beliche. Favourite surf spot here has been Tonel beach out to the right of the big rock if you know it.

Joe and John I’m sure you’re joking but I’ve no time for snobbery about what board you’re on and there is certainly no elitism around it here in Portugal. Watching the local body borders hitting the wedge at Beliche when it’s pumping is an awesome sight. It’s a perfect body board wave hollow but squat so no surfer will ride out of it and the guys take off so deep inside it you think there’s no way they are coming out the other end. Lots riding drop knee out here too and some amazing ariel acrobatics.

Oh no Strava for surfing not sure i want to go down that rabbit hole! Lol at the videos. I was watching some big wave body boarding vids yesterday and trying to visualise myself dropping down the face of a wave that steep. It’s just nuts. Akin to redbull rampage and yes i agree with all the extreme sports the great appeal is that ‘pure feeling of living completely in the moment’ and all lifes bollix just melts away. Very restorative.

I wish it was easier to put up pics on here as I’ve taken some stunning pictures of immense waves here when the swell has been big. White horses with the spray off the back of them turning into rainbows.

Eventually, the inconsistant swell, endless driving/wasted time searching for a wave and the cold finished it for me.

Teenrat it helps that I’m living in South West Portugal at the moment but I can imagine the frustration of over crowded, inconsistent uk surf.

I don’t really find surfing exercise so don’t get the same post activity calming fatigue as with riding.

Ferrals not the same as doing a huge day on the bike but for me I’m coming out after 2 hours pretty shattered, have struggled to climb the steep steps off the beach at times but as I’m learning still I’m probably expending more energy and the waves are pretty massive here at times so it’s really physical getting out the back each time.

The only people I know that have given up everything to partake in their passion are surfers.

Lol that’s basically what I’m planning for winters going forward. This pandemic has made me realise life’s too short and whilst I’m young enough i intend on enjoying it as much as possible so working and mountain biking in the uk in Spring /summer and winters over in Portugal living in a van and surfing.

Jambo. Oh dear that’s what I suspected. Graham yeah I’ve deliberately avoided getting into any snow sports as far too expensive and infrequently available. Oh well looks like surf will be my autumn/winter hobby and mtb in the summer months.

I looked at them a while back.

£40k is the best part of 40 weeks away in either a hired van or a decent hotel. We went with this option, the 2nd part.

But at the end of the 40 weeks you still have something worth a lot of money instead of nothing to show for it. If you’re into hotel type holidays though then obviously motorhoming is not the thing to go for.

It’s more about opening up a whole world of flexibility for holidays or longer trips where you don’t have to book everything in advance and go to the obvious locations where the hotels are based. Also once the van is paid for the rest of the holiday can cost peanuts as you have a kitchen with you wherever you go and outdoor activities can be enjoyed for free.

It really depends what type of holidays you enjoy. If you aren’t going to leave the uk and just want to park up at a campsite for 2 weeks then a motorhome is pretty pointless and a tent or caravan would be better as most uk campsites aren’t that close to the things you want to visit but if you want to explore Europe using the multitude of free or cheap aires or wild camp in the UK it’s a brilliant way to holiday. Don’t need to book a thing or have a plan just see what takes your fancy on the day.

+1 on motorhome fun and payload!

We bought our 1st motorhome about a year ago and learned heaps on MHF with really helpful members willing to talk us through issues that arise from time to time. (complicated things MH’s!)

The European brands like Hymer etc come highly recommended over uk stuff for quality and practicality. We wanted rear bed over large garage too and ended up going for a Dethleffs pulse 7m, we’re living in it full time, 2 plus the dog so needed good payload. Which is around 600kg and we’re right on the limit when fully loaded with kit, water, fuel and supplies.

If you’re going to use it abroad then look into the gaslow, refillable system as much easier and cheaper to source gas in different countries than bottles you have to switch out.

Plain pasta or rice?! Yuk. Potatoes omg amazingly versatile but I’m torn as i absolutely love bread and eat it for two meals a day most days plus pizza would come under bread btw… Flour, water, yeast.

We did that trail this summer @Tracey. It’s a belter and I have a photo in that same spot! Found the techy climbs the hardest part of the route. Can’t wait to get back and ride some more of those trails.

It’s Ruairi by the way!

Love it!

Loving seeing these pics. My favourite memories of the area are swimming and sunbathing in the various river gorges when it was scourching hot.

Yes great news. We’ve been amazed by the ease of travelling Europe using aires. Lots are provided free or very cheaply to bring tourist money to areas where it’s much needed. The uk is so far behind the trend on this. A very slight positive of the pandemic as motorhoming becomes even more popular due to it’s safety during an outbreak.

Any updates? I’m guessing this has been scuppered for now with all the lockdowns?

Dashed hmmm… now I’m wondering if I had it back in March!

Did you and your wife test positive then as i thought streaming cold was not a symptom? I had very similar symptoms to you in very early March and the cold went to my chest for a bit but i discounted cv due to the streaming cold symptoms.

Keep the measures we have currently. Different levels depending on how bad an area is. Enforce the rules in these areas, use army to help bump up our pathetic police numbers, night curfews, masks in busy, outdoor public places and in schools even and again actually enforce this stuff properly.

If an areas hospital is overwhelmed move people to other hospitals. Pay private hospitals to help.

If some areas are managing to keep their cases at manageable levels it’s obviously possible and is good for people to see this as hopefully that will inspire them to get to the same place. I don’t think people are going to stick to the lockdown enough to make it work. The ones who are breaking the rules now and causing spread will still do that in lockdown.