Certainly true, you will try ANYTHING!! I would have hopped seven times round a maypole and proclaimed the cantaloupe melon the father of the universe if it would have made it go away!

I don’t expect anything less from the Tories, but I doubt it’s just me utterly fed up with their patronising constant message of negativity and hate. They don’t have any ability to put forward a reasoned, intelligent positive argument do they – it’s just relentless hysteria. Says a lot about what they think of the electorate and I suspect may rebound against them some day – they will realise the electorate has more than a brain cell too late.

I’m not allowed on this thread as I have various bikes but anyway……!

Despite being very confused and thinking I don’t like 29ers, my almost sole ride over the past two years has been my Solaris. More than enough bike for me, I love it. I do tend to ride hard tails exclusively (I have a few). However, just bought a fattie and am in love, although off any bike due to illness for a few months now so have lent it to a pal. Parting is such sweet sorrow……

I only buy low mileage diesels of about 7+ years of age as a policy as I detest paying depreciation. It has served me well to-date; we try to do ourselves relatively low mileage, it gets used every other week or so. I do view a car as an irritating but necessary annoyance/ bike carrier.

So far – touch wood – very few problems indeed, previous car broke down once with a faulty sensor, I got rid as I knew that the clutch was dying and the engine was starting to smoke heavily (that was after 5 years ownership and at 12 years of age, I still got £3,000 for it). Current one has needed a windscreen repair and engine mounts need doing for some reason. Clutch screams on engagement but doesn’t seem to be a problem, I just ignore.

Usually an accumulation of annoying things means it’s time to change rather than a major issue. Making everything electric on modern cars is my biggest irritation- they always seem to go first.

I think it looks good. Well done!

Nickc – 1400 is about middle of the pack for tyre weight, no?

So badly wish I was but off the bike for a couple of months at least. Love Ruthin, try to do the night rid then the main ride usually. Beautiful area and brilliant riding. Enjoy and post up here.

Can I just say that this is the second time I’ve been outraged on this thread?

Can’t do pictures, but heal well.

Maybe just consider it a temporary time off the bike? In one myself at present.

I am left wondering who was filming him. If a vehicle then one slip really would have been messy!

Pressure test = fill her up and see if she leaks!! :wink:

Oh and I forgot roasted parsnips. Of course.

Assuming health issues waived and my body doesn’t self-combust from eating these:

Breakfast properly cooked kipper

Lunch a homemade Cornish pastie

Dinner Beef Wellington

In awe of you, Keith, keep up the good work.

Your story made me feel so humbled; my diagnosis pales in comparison. Stick with it and properly beat it!

Two blokes in a secluded part of the woods (no bridleway there, we followed our own trail), one lashing another to a tree with stout rope. Both looked sheepish and mumbled good evening. The worst bit was my mate couldn’t see what was odd about this behaviour!

Virtually every night ride seems to involve bumping into fly tippers though. B’stards.

Of course, give it back. Why wouldn’t anyone?

Ah, pogoing…….happy days.

Also a bit young here for the gigs mentioned, hadn’t realised how much racism was about then. I had assumed we had as a nation just got worse and worse over time.

And we haven’t even got going on musicals yet….!

My vote is for Top Gun – the only film I walked out if. Formulaic, look-at-me utter carp.

Failed engineer – it’s fundamentally a genetic thing that lets your Uric acid build up too much, but an intake of prurines don’t help matters at all. Likewise, dehydration but when it comes for you there’s little you can do.

Mine always came on at night – apparently, when extremities are coldest. On yes, and long flights are a trigger (low pressure).

A guy at college used to just hang around with us and never said much. Noone knew who he was so he was called Hover and it just stuck. He might still be called it now.

Long term sufferer here, it’s a horrible condition. Never found the trigger, it goes for big toe and elbow in me, on allopurinol now but cut out red meat, beer, mushrooms, prawns, marmite etc.

Two things: it goes for injury sites and I heard that it can mess with your kidneys, although a Doc might want to confirm that – but why I gave in to the drugs. It seemed to gradually become more regular, to the point I was only getting a couple of weeks’ break between attacks.

In a funny way though i owe it as blood tests for my Uric Acid levels showed up a far more sinister disease from which I am now slowly recovering. Quite possibly saved my life.

Home around 8pm onwards, so half an hour after that usually.

I moved back in with my dad when my first marriage broke up. We had a great time, he was hugely supportive and got me out of a hole and he enjoyed the company. No kids involved but we’re all different.

I would love a sub-3 hour commute each day, too!

This thread’s surely for the chop now? I’d steak a fiver on it.

Peterfile – thanks for writing that, saved me from doing so. Would say that a key problem stems from the public sector’s inability to “do” contracts.

Peterfile – do you work for a law firm?

Portfolio manager. Yes I do although often too much of it. Absolutely detest my commute with a passion though, by far the most stressful part of it. Thanks, TfL.

And so you would have men crowded and squeezed in even more tightly in some carriages while in others they would be half empty (if the demographics happened to work that way)? Just because of what you are born some would have to travel in an inferior way? Great idea, not.

Done. Quite humbled, I’ll stop whinging generally now.

Almost turning 50, look and feel more like 60. I have up days and down since having a bad medical diagnosis, today definitely a down. On the bright side, tomorrow will be better.

Tick all the boxes for aches and pains and have been bald as a coot since mid-20’s. I think I blinked and missed my youth.

All-in then, it’s not great is it?

I have just finished The Iron Curtain by Anne Applebaum and now on the classic Riddle of the Sands. Impending major medical work sees me building up a good stash to read, I have an atlas on the history of Russia (restless Empire) as well as book on Russia leading up to the Great War (Towards the Flame) and a really interesting looking book on East Prussia. Am forcing myself not to read them!

Beige?

If he’d made off with my cod, he’d have had his chips.

First Direct here too

BT

Virgin Media

Ryanair for me

Again not seeing an end is quite normal, FFJA. It’s like seeing a great big mountain that goes on and on upwards and you can’t see the top therefore it’s insurmountable. But there will be ways over it and with the perspective in time you’ll realise it wasn’t a mountain, just a nasty hill that you were too close to.

Good luck and best wishes. And we’ll done Murf, that’s a really lovely offer.

Been in a not dissimilar situation a long long time ago and I saw my GP and he was brilliant, even though up until then I hadn’t really liked him. I got the support I hadn’t realised I needed at the time and after a while was able to move on. You will be able to – this is normal with a major upset like you’re dealing with. I suspect an awful lot of us on here have been through something similar.

I hope this doesn’t come across wrongly, but if it helps I was at my wits end and didn’t know where to turn. I’m settled and happy now – you will be too.

Pretty much don’t touch any of them. Oh dear am I a joyless bore?

Slough
Large parts of Essex
Newton Heath (tried it!)
Worksop (tried that too)
Watford

We try not to use the car, it’s definitely an occasional use thing and we have thought about getting shot of it completely but it does have its uses (mostly biking holidays!). If Diesel was effectively killed of with tax though I think that would drive me over the edge to do so as I would not have another petrol car.

Yes – went for a short run last night and was surrounded by them. All clean kit etc, I’d only been going a mile. The swearing was intense.