They tried to make a nuclear powered plane as well.

The NB-36 was a modified B-36 Peacemaker. The crew cabin weighed 11 tons and had 12″ glass in the windows.
Everytime it flew it was followed by a transport loaded with paratroopers who were tasked with cordoning off the area if it crashed – rather them than me!

Odd that Mick Schumacher hasn’t been offered the second Alfa seat

Haven’t Alfa/Ferrari just changed it to a one year rolling contract? Does that mean they they are thinking of moving on? If so having Bottas on board makes sense because his Mercedes connections would be very useful.

We avoid rawhide products (although one did get past our vetting process last week which he got very excited about) but antlers are always a good standby.
There are rawhide alternatives (Smart Bones is one example) and our Beagle loves them but they only last a few minutes.

Cant remember which website (of the two mentioned) I used but it all went very smoothly and they kept me informed. Delivery was quick too.
Also turned out to be a very good vacuum cleaner so hopefully all will end well for you.

They will go for the corners so I installed internal bolts which effectively locked it to the frame. I also beefed up the side door and the seperate window (basically screwed it shut). A local sign company sold me a cheap offcut of opaque film to stick on the glass.
Little trick I saw at the local sports club – broomsticks behind opaque glass look just like iron bars, stopped their run of break ins overnight.

Before all of the above our neighbours had an attempted breakin the night before we were going on holiday. Not a lot a could so I had to improvise with whatever was available, as the side door opened outwards I stacked heavy timbers against it with a lot of empty beer bottles balanced on top. When I returned a week later I can vouch for how effective it was…….

Did my conservatory last summer and just laid it on top of a membrane (as per the instructions). It’s been fine thru summer and winter with no movement. I think gluing it down is asking for trouble.
It took a bit of time to get the first edge down as that wall had a few returns in it but after that it is so quick.

Garages are, what, about 50-60 an hour for labour?

Last week main dealer was quoting me £156 per hour whereas the independent specialist (all certified VW technicians) was £80.
I lost faith with the main dealer when they told me my cam belt needed changing – my car has a chain.

Simply because walkers & horse riders know I’m there – far more effective than a bell.

Go Outdoors. Wanted a new pair of boots last week and saw 2 possible options on their website, both in stock at Basingstoke.
Drove to the store but couldn’t find them, assistant said they had never sold either of those items and didn’t understand why they were showing as in stock.

For me the DNA test was just a bit of fun (it was a birthday present) but it does mean I can tell people I’m 25% Viking :-)

I once ordered red wine with fish and got thrown off the train.

I’ll get my coat…….

Just the sort of thing I’d love to have done – if only my son’s attention span had been longer than 5 mins.
If it was me id get something like a Westfield or Beach Buggy that is a runner but needs some potential attention, I’d run it during the summer then each winter focus in a different area.
I think at that age he is quickly going to lose interest in something that never moves. Much better to have days out with dad as a reward for all his efforts.

and the pressure on that first woman will be immense

I think you mean third not first…..

Maria Teresa de Filippis – 1958
Lella Lombardi – 1975 and 1976

I have it through work but strictly speaking never used it because the NHS has been so good.
Two periods of cancer and the NHS really stepped up to the plate both times – basically things were organised within days.
I remember commenting to the consultant once how quick things were being processed and he replied “I’m going to walk you next door and get an xray done now whereas if you went private we would have to get approval first”.
So all I’ve ever done is claim the cash alternative.

Expensive locks give peace of mind, but don’t help with opportunist thieves who will smash a window and be in/out of the house in 2 minutes.

As above in my area at least. By all means get a decent lock for peace of mind but you are not facing some master criminal who can pick locks in 30 seconds.
What you are up against is scumbags who throw any heavy item in your garden thru the window. They do this to avoid being caught “tooled up”.

I changed to Tesco or Next. Both wear well and their slim fit’s fit me perfectly. I don’t find M&S as good as they used to be. TK Maxx is great IF they happen to have something in stock on the day I go but there is also a lot of unknown stuff in there.

I had TF Tuned change the damper when it went in for a service. As above id look for a second hand Fit version.

The Pakistani intelligence services see the Taliban as their ally. 

Yes I get that but if I was them I wouldn’t trust the Taliban. They already have a presence in Pakistan and they will see that as an easy option for expansion in the region – then India really needs to start considering what will happen next.

I cant disagree with any of the above – all the western parties involved have created a real mess that isn’t going to go away just because they have pulled the troops on the ground. Pakistan must be the Talibans next move surely.
I understand there is a US commitment to exit Afganistan but why so quickly? They must have known what was likely to happen they are not stupid. It’s not as if there is an election around the corner.
Did they suddenly realise the Afgan forces would never be capable of standing alone and decided there was little point in continuing?

My fear is that in 5 years time the West will be back in the region with more involvement than ever before.

Yes I do. 3 pints a week and a couple of 0.5%’s (not allowed to drink spirits). Son drinks the occasional fruit cider. Says he doesn’t like the taste of beer or lager.

+1 for Mechcanix. Very hard wearing and variety of colours to match the frame or outfit :-)
Touchscreen works fine on my garmin but not my phone.

Swap the pads front and back – see if the noise moves. Then try swapping the rotors (as it’s a commuter I’m assuming they are the same size).

Holiday booked in Madeira for early September just been cancelled, only reason give was “due to covid”.
Slightly surprised as its on the green list but at least we have been offered a range of options including full refund.

BTW, any top tips to look out for on the 1.5?

Are you buying used? If so the 1.5 manuals did suffer from kangarooing when pulling away but there is now a software fix for that. Supposedly the DSG’s dont need it but we had it downloaded into ours and the wheelspin is definitely reduced.

Isn’t Russell tied into Mercedes therefore I’m guessing he gets “steered” towards his options? Which I’m guessing are the main team or another year at William’s.

We have a 1.5 petrol DSG T-Roc and I’m very impressed with it. Easily gets to 40+mpg and is surprisingly nippy.

I saw a demo a year or two ago of a Wagner sprayer, I was really impressed. Finish was good and there was very little over spray.

DSG oil change I wouldn’t be messing about tbh

This^^
Its every 40k so I would let the dealer or good independent do that one.

Mrs P has a VW T-Roc so same floorpan/running gear as the models you have listed.
Nice to drive and very good economy – it’s an auto but it still returns 40+ mpg in everyday use.
We have the 1.5 petrol and it’s surprisingly nippy. They did have an engine software issue but if you are looking at new then it will have the latest fix anyway.

We have both.
I’m with O2 (in my case Tesco Mobile) and it’s been great. On the rare occasions I’ve had to phone them service has been good.
The wifes work phone is EE and it simply doesn’t work at our end of the (small) town where we live – lots of similar complaints on our local Facebook.
You really need to check locally what it’s likely to be like.

I was there Sunday so if it’s anything expensive I’ll claim it :-)
Joking aside I’ll check my kit and will let the rest of my group know.

Mk7 GTI Performance Pack here too.
Tarpaulin in the back, front wheel off and the 29er goes in with the front seat moved forward a couple of notches.
Tarp folds over the bike and at least it’s out of sight if I stop anywhere.

I may have conflated actual memory with anecdote but I’m sure I saw PEN 15 on a suitably mid-life crisis car, which made me laugh.

Back in the early 70’s it was on an American import (Chevy Impala?) in the Kew Bridge area.

My own plate was a result of getting an American car with restricted space for a plate and me wanting to keep the size of the digits (almost) legal so I went for a 6 not 7 digit number.

Skoda Yeti?

Friend of mine works for a very large Ford dealer and he saw his first Mach-e on Monday but he had to go to a different branch as they only have the one so I’m going to suggest they aren’t generally available yet.
I’ve never understood why owners should be compensated because I dont see any evidence that they have lost out on resale values.

I actually feel a bit sorry for VW because they have clearly been made an example of whilst all the other manufacturers have been let off the hook. None of them have a magic formula to get that level of engine efficiency so they must all be following the same development path.

So option 2 gets my vote.

I love something classic with a bit of character but I’d want something with slightly longer legs than a Himalayan – my ideal would be a modern 72 Bonneville so for that reason I’d go for an Intercepter.
Make sure you test ride one to make sure it fits your needs.

2nd jab on Monday. No hot/cold issues like the first one however this time it was headache and aching limbs. Cancelled last nights ride as still feeling rough but ok now. Paracetamol helped.

I really do not get this (and I have said it on here several times before). I hated mine (Audi A6 Avant with the V6 diesel engine) – the slow pick-up of first gear at junctions drove me to distraction and almost put me off autos for life (as it was my first ever auto). My next car was a manual but I have now just gone back to auto (in a Mercedes) and the gearbox is infinitely better and I’d finally say I am converted and prefer auto.

The thing to remember is that a DSG is NOT an auto – it works on a completely different principle. In my experience they are far better suited for high performance versions whereas an auto (with a torque converter) isn’t quite as good in that situation.
In my car it’s brilliant but in my wife’s T-roc its a bit meh.
I’ve also had a big v6 diesel with an auto box and that was slow at picking up from roundabouts but I’m pretty sure that was related to turbo lag than the gearbox.

Got some from a garden centre last September and cut it into sections for repairs and (fortunately) there wasn’t any mesh in that.
My local B&Q had some on a pallet about 2 weeks ago. Is it just the cold start to spring thats holding them back at the moment?

In my experience any of my vehicles that restarted after cooling down were ignition pack/module.