When I moved to Sneinton in Nottingham in 2005 I walked into town past a pub that had a massive printed sheet of paper that said

NO SHOPLIFTERS

I never drank there

Is that a confession?

I had the same thoughts as op as all the ones I’ve met seemed rather dull and lifeless. I suppose them having to be permanently on a leash didn’t help (ex racing dogs that couldn’t be trusted not to bolt at sight of small furry things) Friends of mine have had several and I’m sure they are very loving at home with their family but I dog sat one for a weekend and found it difficult to connect unlike the black lab I regularly sit for who’s so a total sop.

Coffee or sugar spoon in tea is a no no. Yes I most probably am a super taster.

@Scapegoat. I had a working black lab. She was small and never overweight. She was food orientated but obviously had the good genes for metabolism and lived a very active life. Sadly she still suffered from arthritis from the age of 8 and it ended her life aged 13.

Just to clarify, I’m fat because of what I eat

That’s fine but the point isn’t about you but for helping others understand/not beat themselves up if they are overweight despite eating healthy and exercising a comparative amount compared to others who are thin. Understanding why you might be hungrier than someone else or not able to eat as much as someone else is more useful than giving up because you or others think you are a pig.

Point is in any weight loss or diet threads in the past some seemed to delight in saying that it’s easy to not be fat and that genes had nothing to do with it. It’s been suspected for awhile that metabolism and calories values isn’t as clear cut as previously thought and this is up to date evidence that it is much more complicated why some are fat and others not and it’s not purely laziness.

See also recent information on calories on the Zoe podcast. Very interesting that the basic measurement of calories is flawed.

£100 that makes up for the last few months of nothing!

Dusty 😞

Yes yes I know all that guys I was just saying that I should have a look and see it’s working out in my favour or not compared with the average.

We had a slow draining bath and had tried everything. When we had a whole new bathroom put in it was still draining badly. The builders had to go into pipe work below the utility room floor to get to the blockage. It was years worth of ming apparently.

It’s not an interest rate as such but they do advertise the variable prize fund rate as 4.40 percent on their website. So I need to do the maths as I’m not sure I’ve achieved that.

Thanks for sharing that Kryton. I love that song it takes me back to my childhood as my mum played that album a lot and wow her voice hasn’t aged and she looks amazing still!

That spaghetti looks interesting. Might have to give that ago. Definitely need a generous grating of parmesan though.

Been months since I had anything. Fingers crossed for this month as not sure it’s making the interest rate at the moment though I’ve not done the maths. Is there a calculator on the premium bonds website?

Fish or prawn curry is a winner. As seafood is delicate you just need a really simple coconut curry so as not to over power. It’s super quick to make if you use easy to cook veg with the fish eg peppers, courgette, Pak choy or green beans.

I made one recently with sea bass but any not too bony fish would work.

For 2 people Gently fry an onion (finely chopped), 3 large garlic cloves (crushed) and thumb size of ginger (grated) and a medium to mild chilli in a couple of tbs of oil or oil and butter/ghee.

When it’s almost all golden and soft add 3 cardamom pods a heaped teaspoon of ground coriander and half a tsp of tumeric and fry for a min or so. Pour in a can of good quality coconut milk and about half a can of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the veggies and when they are a few minutes from being done pop your fish or prawns gently in the top of the curry so they are barely submerged and cook for a few minutes until the fish is only just cooked through.

Serve with steamed basmati rice (star anise is nice whilst steaming) and garnish with coriander and a wedge of lime.

I use a large wok with a lid for this dish. Play around with the spices, fish and veg type to keep it interesting. I could eat this every week easily.

Being able to ride from the door, no kids, working part time and sharing all the chores of running life with a partner mean I can ride twice a week (well when the weather is good as I’m a Fairweather rider)

Following. Just had a strange issue with my brand new sl 2. Pedalling up a climb in trail mode and feel a slump in power and it feels like it’s in eco. Changed mode to eco and back to trail and then in to turbo and no change in power between all modes. Turned on and off no change. Flicked between the different screens and all of a sudden it’s providing trail power again. Annoying.

A ‘red’ trail forks descent in Murcia. This was the easy bit of the trail. it got steep and incredibly loose after this and no photos exist.

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Pooh bridge?

Takes me back. I also used to listen to the audio books over and over again to go to sleep to. They were great.

Yeah not going to make it to El Chorro this time but I remember it being great from my trip with Roost DH. One more go on the Málaga trails today then heading East to make our way back to UK over the next two weeks. Think Sot de Chera will be next stop for some riding and probably some round Girona way.

Female 5 ft 6. Just got my 1st ebike a levo sl2 in medium and like kayjay I’m falling in love with riding again after losing the love the last year or so. Even though it’s a carbon one I am noticing the weight in terms of moving it about such as sections I’m not comfortable riding and definitely feeling I’m getting an upper body workout on the descents but hoping I’ll build more strength over time.

I can’t imagine ever wanting a full fat ebike and I’ve barely touched the battery life on the rides I’ve done so far. I’m riding with my partner who has the same bike and he’s bigger and stronger and I have my settings tuned to give me just a touch more assistance for each of the 3 settings. We are ending our rides with very similar battery levels left despite me having a bit more assistance so that must be the weight difference.

So although it sounds like you will have different bikes maybe you can tune yours so that you can ride fairly together?

We have a system of hand signals for letting each other know what level we’re riding in if we can’t hear each other when zooming along. It’s been brilliant so far and I’ve not used turbo at all.

This was a red (yeah right) that is above the other trails and takes a different road climb to get to and a ridge line decent then goes really steep and loose into the trees. Beyond me on a new bike to me and after not really riding much tech for the last couple of years.

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@jpacey had a great time on the trails today. Lovely fun and flow. A bit Surrey hills but with more rocks, there are some small features, gaps and drops with chicken lines. 13 miles and 3100ft and finished up at a locals bar for a beer. Oh and like most trails in Spain red =black, blue =red and green equals blue.

Plus one Bike Village. Been 3 times. Ride options to suit everyone, super friendly and fun guides, epic scenery, mostly off piest epic days out.

A good opportunity to switch to something decent then. Twinnings extra strong breakfast or Assam is good for bags and seems to come up on special offer quite often.

Thanks we’re right in Málaga on a campsite. Think it’s the bike park collection of trails we’re looking at. Hopefully we’ll also drive out to El chorro after Málaga. Rode some of those a long time ago with Roost DH.

How funny. So who off here interviewed Alice Roberts? Or do journalists just come to scour single-track for the latest goss?!

Yes it’s enamel and white with blue writing. It was a gift and has milk in Welsh written on it. I use it as an ornament and occasionally for gravy if I’m feeling posh.

PIV probably cheapest way to solve condensation issues but work on improving insulation next.

Just started watching Boy Swallows Universe (Netflix) about a family involved in heroin dealing in the 80’s.

I may be in post-Reacher trauma, but it’s very promising; good acting, well shot, funny and good characters

plus one. just 3 episodes in and loving it. Something really different about it and the 2 boys are brilliant actors, great soundtrack. Getting some Mr Inbetween vibes but not quite as dark …yet.

Coffee and beer. Yes I’m a super taster. 

Go over to Morroco if you need to get out of Schengen but don’t want to go back to UK. 90 days allowed in Morocco and they have great weather in winter. I’m there now and was swimming at sunset then cooked dinner outside in shorts and t shirt.

Nothing beats butter, marmite, thick sliced extra mature cheddar.

Had a root canal on upper molar one from back due to agonising infection. Was a complex one apparently and done on NHS about 15 years ago. 3 years ago agonising pain worst of my life from same tooth. Had it pulled. Have phobia around dentist due to various issues and bad experiences now so left the gap. All healed fine and no bother with the gap though really hope the other side stays good as more chewing done over there now. Good luck . 

I don’t think the colour is wrong. Maybe needs more white water though? Having spent a lot of time watching the sea off the West coast of Portugal and currently in Morocco. The sea can be amazing shades of dark blue and white. I would leave as is and just spend lots of time looking at rough seas, photographing them and experimenting with future paintings. Could add rocks to future paintings to give scale and focus perhaps?

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Kombucha. It’s fermented so does have a tiny bit of alcohol but not enough to have any effect. I like it because it’s dry, low sugar and has some interesting flavours due to fermentation. Also it’s good for gut health. Bit tricky to get hold of when out though unless you are somewhere cosmopolitan. 

At home I’ll have a homemade cordial. Currently have several bottles I made in the summer from redcurrants, ginger and lime. Avoid shop bought cordials now due to the sugar tax so they are either really expensive or full of artificial sweetners.

Lost our beloved lab last year and not getting another dog for years if ever but I’m now the go to dog sitter for all our friends dogs so that’s just perfect. Had a gorgeous young lab for 4 days recently and that was lovely as she’s a cuddler. 

Still warm Arbroath smokie eaten straight out of the paper with fingers. Translucent and succulent with a light smokey flavour and flakey flesh. Only had it once so far.