Most reliable 3G signal out there..

Nokia Lumia 800 is a great handset but those minutes look a bit stingy.. OK if you don’t make many calls I guess 🙂

You can add a screen lock code to Atomic Web as well as in private so it’s very secure for personal info and / or porn 😉

Interesting the stuff about chimney liners (for the record OP I share your frustration and concerns).

We got our stove installed by a firm that were significantly cheaper than more established firms in the area (we still paid around £2.5k for 7.5kw Multi fuel stove plus liner and installation). One of the firms that quoted was less than complimentary about the new kid on the block but they did give us some advice at the time that was interesting.

There are a couple of types of liner you can get. One is suitable for wood burners only. A lot of installers will use this type for Multi fuel as well but it can fail due to the additional heat from coal etc.

We got a 908 liner which is rated for both.

When I asked about lining the chimney if we kept the open fire the previous owners had used we were told we didn’t need one.

Seemed odd under the circumstances but they reckoned that enough carbon etc would have built up over 80 years to mean that it wouldn’t need anything else.

Sounds like the issue is with the chimney rather than anything else.

Go for the box / arrow next to the page box

On the latest version of iOS you will have a pop up with the bookmark symbol on that.

Best app for in private browsing is Atomic Web Browser IMHO

I use Ogio backpacks

Loads of room for all of the Nano gubbins.. Currently using a Bandit which is 28 litres. Got room for work laptop, shoes / trainers, raincoat, iPad, cables etc for all of my work stuff

Website is worth a look 🙂

DFS – 4 years interest free

As long as you can find one that appeals what’s not to like? Sadly for STW’ers there aren’t many bearded types in sheds turning out bespoke 3pc suites 😉

Hat only.. Fits the odd shaped Nano noggin very well though (from the sale bin in primevera sports – hat not head)

Mrs Nano loves her top and no issues so far..

Mrs Nano has them on her Gold TKs so suppose its possible to do

Yeh One S is a great handset too

Dual core rather than quad core but otherwise pretty much the same features

If you really want to sell consider the price of your house.

Realise there are lots of considerations (I don’t know enough about your circumstances) but people will only pay what they think its worth.

Estate Agents will generally do the absolute minimum to ‘sell’ your house no matter what you may expect in return for their commission. Whenever I have sold property for the asking price or near to it I have done every viewing and made sure the house was ‘dressed’ for the occasion.

My last place I bought for £195k and at one point it was ‘worth’ £240k. It was marketed at £210 for 3 months with about half a dozen viewings. The house didn’t look that great IMO as I had moved out and it had lost quite a lot of the stuff that would help a buyer visualise living there (some furniture etc).

Dropped it to £195 and sold within a week.

Moral of the story; if you want / need to achieve a particular price it’s up to you to present the property in a way that will make someone want to part with the cash. If you want a quick sale price accordingly.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do though 🙂

Best Android handset on the market..

Currently use a Galaxy Note for work and a Sony Xperia S for personal (replacing the One X).

IMHO HTC has the best android UI

– really easy to access most used features from the lock screen
– great camera
– plenty of storage plus you get 2 yrs 25 gb Dropbox free
– it’s fast with quad core

I’m not a fan of the Samsung UI as it takes too long to access basic functions in comparison to the HTC but the Note is a great work phone.

The Sony is just rubbish frankly with only the camera as a saving feature.

Battery life on any smartphone is a day max these days so don’t worry about that as a consideration.

You should also be able to get some cracking deals on a One X as there is a new HTC due shortly and it was the first of the current crop of high end smartphones to be released.

Mobiles.co.uk is owned by CPW although they will have different deals.

Talkmobile is CPWs own network using the Voda signal.

They have some good deals at £7.50 for low end Smartphones (Galaxy Ace etc). They will also have one week only deals that launch every Friday on a different high end Smartphone. The price will always be keen but the minutes, texts and data will be low so although you get a free phone for a low monthly rental it might not suit what you need.

Worth having a look in and get them to compare what you have currently for mins, calls and data and what you could get.

Re ‘freedoms’

It’s fair to say that WW1 was not so much about freedoms being defended as much as commitments the government of the day made to its allies at the time.

It’s very easy to look back and say we shouldn’t have gone to war for those reasons now (although some people would perhaps see it as reason enough). My point is that the world we live in now is shaped by the decisions taken then and the outcomes that followed from WW1 through the intervening period, WW2 and the subsequent period.

For better or worse this created the ‘freedoms’ we ‘enjoy’ now and I’m grateful that we can remember. If anyone chooses not to that’s up to them but whether we spend £50m or £50 we shouldn’t forget the sacrifices made.

Tat Wink offers the most reasoned and objective response to the OPs question

Felt quite saddened reading this thread and some of the responses when it was originally started.

FWIW I think we should remember everyone who made the ultimate sacrifice (no matter how futile some of you think that may have been) so we could inherit the freedoms we have today (no matter how dubious some of you think they are).

More votes here for Riding Giants and Tall Hot Blonde

Dunno where you might pick it up but ‘Gas Land’ is an excellent doc on the risks of shale gas extraction (also known as fracking). It’s a US doc but those of you living in the NW will be aware of a plan to start doing it off the coast of Blackpool.

It’s genuinely one sided (as per the OPs request) but thought provoking even to someone who would try and see the benefits

I have an Giant XTC 29er.. They only do the one model as its Alu and the rest are composite.. Reckon it’s a frame I can add to over time with improved kit..

I think it’s a great bike, good luck with your new one!

Look in settings (the spanner icon) or quick access from the BBY button on the front of the phone.

Most handsets will switch to wi fi if both wi fi and 3G are enabled as the wi fi signal will be generally a) faster and / or b) more reliable.

Dependent on the BBY you own it may not have a fast data signal (8520 is a good example) as only 2G but all models are not as fast as android or apple due to slower processors in comparison.

As with the post above you will be told which one of two (or indeed both or none at all) is suitable..

Had mine done about 8 years ago in Optical Express.. Fast procedure and could see fine with no pain after about 6 hours.

You have to wear goggles like Bono’s sunglasses for a month afterwards (while you sleep) and not rub your eyes but really no dramas.

Bit of starring at night from oncoming headlights but worth every (interest free) penny!

Bad Blood by Jeremy Whittle is a good one about the recent history

Def go with borrowing jacket etc if time is short but would get your own helmet. Dunno if its the same for MTB lids but bike helmets really vary in shape. I find Arai’s fit me best but could never get on with Shark

All helmets will have an ACU sticker but as with most things you get what you pay for. Would recommend an HJC as a good compromise of cost and fit.

Also as with MTB kit it’s the end of summer so some really good bargains out there.

Try Poole Motorcycles if you’re on the south coast.

Beam systems are very good. Only needed one part replacing in nearly 30 years at my old mans place.

New motor at £85. Not bad

@ scaredypants re Sainsburys

Don’t know TBH.. The recently ex retail director of Carphone is going back to Sainsburys from whence he came to run it..

Based on Tesco on O2 and unlikely that Everything Everywhere (T Mob and Orange) won’t want to share 4g with anyone just yet Voda could be a goer.

Sorry it’s taken a while to reply.. Been out

Talkmobile is owned by Carphone Warehouse so although TM piggybacks on the Voda signal you will be dealing with CPW / TM

In my experience some times the TM signal can be better than the Voda one (don’t know why, although could depend on the phone I’m using). I use TM for work and Voda for personal use.

Because I work in the sector I get a new phone every few months and it always surprises me how one can work better than the other in exactly the same location.

Because Talkmobile want to increase market share you will probably get a better SIM only deal with them than on Voda. Can’t comment on Giff Gaff but Tesco piggyback on O2 also if they are a consideration.

Also keep a eye out for Sainsburys mobile coming soon..

I have the Alu version.. Great bike spoilt by poor brakes and heavy wheels.. Pretty good value for money though all the same and think it will be a keeper once I get round to sorting the bits I don’t like.

Nothing wrong with a 29er hardtail.. Keeping my 26 full suss tho’

I say try one.. FWIW

From an HR / legal standpoint if you resign you are ending the ‘contract’ you have entered into and could walk away. Better to do this than just walk out as at least you will have the opportunity to explain how you are feeling and it’s the right / professional thing to do.

As with other posters would agree that you have to think about the potential damage to your reputation if you just walk.

You will get paid for what you have worked no more no less.

On the employer side if they decided you weren’t working out after two weeks they would legally have to give you four weeks notice. While you are obliged to do the same it’s unlikely that they would try and enforce it as notice periods are there for the employees protection rather than the companies..

Good luck with your decision making

From the hospitality 😉

Wonders how this will go down with everyone..

Nice bike… Great view…

Haven’t ordered from them (yet) but can vouch for the advice.. Inspires confidence when you’re shelling out a few hundred quid

Well he isn’t riding the TT and the road race course doesn’t appear to suit him so I reckon he was ill this morning..

I suppose a lot of people expect them to dominate so when they don’t some of us wonder why.

They don’t seem to have got the tactics right (or they can’t be arsed). Wonder if they would be doing better with a radio link to the death star telling them what’s what.

Was going to mention but Mork beat me to it..

The Joke is a bit tinny, but it’s a nice enough thing to drive (compared to BMW’s and Mercs I used to run when I wasn’t paying for my cars :wink:)

My local dealer has one in stock. Def worth a look I reckon.

Not suggesting there’s more room. As one of the earlier posters said you can potentially get more everyday use out of a VW or a n other panel van conversion.

The awning I had came with a seperate double sleeping area but could still seat plenty around a table and the high top stored loads when travelling.

Although I stored mine elsewhere after a while you can at least fit a van on the road or drive and not be subject to p**ded off neighbours who think you are robbing their sunlight. Given the room and a bit more cash I might recommend a coach built but if it was my £10k I would consider a van first as you will be more likely to get something newer and less likely to have issues with rot, damp or both.

IMHO neither comes close to offering true ‘home’ comforts. I would not want to do more than 2 weeks at a time in a coach built either.

If of course you are the owner of a rot and damp free coach built you got for £10k having moved up from a van then I defer to you. 😉

Anyway it’s all about different opinions eh?

I paid £6.5k for a 1990 VW T15 hi top Autosleeper (well known British brand) about 5 years ago. 3.5k on a full respray and new lowered gas dampers and springs. 500 on some alloys off a granada Scorpio and new tires.. I sold it to pay for my wedding and got back £7k. I probably would have got 4-5k without the work I had done, but it sold within 24 hours on a VW website. Having a VW it’s kinda expected you will do something to make it stand out. They used mine in show when they wanted to have a camper for every year they had made one.

Don’t rule out a hi top. I used an awning with mine that could sleep 4 along with 4 in the van. If you’re in one of the camping clubs you can stay on a site with toilets / showers so you don’t really need anything more than an elsan. Camping and Caravan club membership is about £35 per year. Also means you won’t have the damp issues of a coach built.

Insurance doesn’t have to cost the earth if its from a specialist and they will include breakdown cover normally that includes overseas. I paid around £350 fully comp with euro breakdown cover and agreed annual mileage.

There are loads of places that offer storage. I used one about 20 miles from home that was dedicated to storing campers and caravans and it cost about 100 every 3 months. It was secure and had CCTV and didn’t invalidate my insurance.

Easy to get bikes on the back with a thule rack (came with the van) and great for trips away, festivals or just ‘why don’t we camp somewhere this weekend’ unplanned stuff.

Send me a PM if you want any more info.

@ LMT

Good point.. When I started in stores you could rock up at 845 and be out by 545 with paid breaks and lunch.. That was 30 years ago mind you.. Now it’s typically a 12 hour day plus for most managers..

BTW not suggesting shop staff can p**s furthest.. most sectors in the UK work longer than their oppo’s in France or Spain..

That said it beats the US where I ‘enjoyed’ the sum total of two weeks annual leave each year

@ deadkenny

Yeh don’t mind doing that if I’m going on my own.. Cars not really big enough for two bikes inside though.

Don’t plan on spending too long at any services though; hate the food and use destroyer tactics and keep the tank topped up

Def worth looking at motorcycle locks (try Ride magazine tests). I use an Abus sleeved chain w combined lock that I can carry like a courier bag strap. Can lock two bikes to something solid no bother.

Pricey mind.

@ northwind

What car is it?

It’s a Joke

Thanks for the speedy response everyone.

Thought that the tow bar would be better for fuel but I roof bars look like less of a faff

Trips maybe once a month dependent on work but there is also a saving to made on cost of two bar / rack v roof bars (roof will cost slightly less than half exc labour)

i’m thinking roof

Many customer service departments register on forums / facebook / twitter etc. just to pick up on this kinda thing (the people I work for have a dedicated team just for that)

Good thing if it gets the problem resolved.

More time wasted emailing them if it doesn’t however