I guess it wouldn’t help to let you know in 2016 I entered on a whim and got in! Was quite an experience you could try a charity place or get in via a running club. On the subject of marathons I did Paris 2 years later and it was a brilliant weekend. Much preferred it over london. There’s also kielder in October a tough but stunning marathon

Had a huawei p20 pro. Went back to iPhone as hated the android operating system. It did take awesome photos though. However for the last 3 years while studying at uni I’ve been using a huawei matebook laptop and it’s still as good as it was when I bought it. Great spec and price I don’t regret it at all it does the job.

Used to have a huawei p20 pro phone. Went back to iPhone as I hated the android operating system. Did take awesome photos. I do have a matebook laptop. It had great spec and was in the right price range. I’ve used it for uni and in my final year it’s still going strong. No regrets at all.

Ferocious dog for the win. I saw them at northern kin and they were amazing and from that performance I saw their acoustic set the following week. I’ve got tickets to see them in November they are that good. Don’t forget to buy your t shirt once you’ve seen them.

I am now at that certain age and over the last year have been taking HRT to manage the symptoms I’ve been experiencing. These include feelings of anxiety about situations which wouldn’t normally bother me, insomnia and low mood. I would regularly fly off the handle and it did affect my relationship with my husband to the point now where he walks away if I start getting radgey. The HRT has helped massively and its a gradual process of getting some normality back. To get some better understanding it’s worth watching the davina McCall documentary. It is hard and I know several friends who struggle with menopause. On Facebook I’m in a group called miss menopause which will help your wife realise she’s not alone and could be of some help.

I’m sorely tempted by the Garmin 530 but am questioning if I need it. I do have a fenix 6s pro and I love the watch. In answer to sweepy I have downloaded maps from the Garmin connect app onto the watch and tested it when I was riding a mtb route in plockton. It was easy to follow and the watch beeps at you when a turning is coming up and tells you if you are off course. I was impressed and I know a lot of running friends use them for plotting running routes and they swear by them.

If you want a cafe recommendation I’d try river view cafe off silver street down the steps behind rib n reef. I live in Durham and the court inn has closed and I’m not sure if it will be reopening.
I do recommend the old elm tree and if you like your rock music then head over to the angel which is opposite. There is a pancake house next to the elm tree which is cosy but the foods great if you like your pancakes and want something different.
Old toms gin bar at millburngate for gin and zen, Lebaneat or the tapas factory if you’re keen to avoid chain restaurants.
Shopping wise the city is disappointing but the cathedral is worth a visit and exploring the riverbanks too.

I use a garmin forerunner 645 music and love mine. I use it for running and cycling and it’s been spot on. Vivoactive or forerunner garmins are really good and I know loads of people who use them and they really rate them

I know someone who was a teacher and she retrained as an OC and she loves her job. I think she works with the elderly. I’m retraining as a podiatrist and I’m currently in my first year. The college has a mixture of online and face to face teaching due to the current situation and so far it’s working well. It’s also very hands on too but I don’t know what’s going to happen in regards to placements for next year. So far I’m loving it and have no regrets just have brain overload at the moment with so much information to retain 🤯

I also recommend checking out the money saving expert website. I got an iPhone on contract that was cheaper than my old android and the process was so slick. I went with affordable mobiles on ee 50gb data and £32 a month I also had a code to waive the upfront charge. Ordered on the Monday night delivered on the Wednesday morning and number ported over by the Thursday. So far I’m happy with what I’ve got.

Looking at money saving expert I have seen a good deal for the iPhone 11 which is very tempting.

I had one when I was a kid and he lived till the grand old age of 15.he was the most amazing dog. We did have a few hiccups like the time he ate the money our lodger at the time had left in the kitchen,ripping up the lino and eating my dad’s library books but apart from that he was fab. He was such a softy and loved a bit of rough and tumble or a cuddle. He was extremely affectionate and it’s been 20 years since he left us and I still miss him. Do it you won’t regret it

I haven’t let the tutor know as I think meeting the parents helped greatly. I’m going to see how it goes over the next few days. I’m under the impression that this lad has been falling out with a few people and due to that has been taking his frustrations out on my son. The joys of growing up.

So thought I’d update. My son came home upset again and there was more messages on what’s app accusing him of being a liar and on other groups that he didn’t like my son. In the end we rang the boys parents who we do know and arranged that the boys meet and sort out their differences with us there to mediate if necessary. It did go well and when asked if they wanted to continue their friendship they both said that they wanted to and went off on their own to talk. The boy has been banned from social media and they have come away with a truce to agree that if they have any disagreements then the best thing to do is talk them through rather than hide behind a keyboard. Let’s see what tomorrow is going to bring…..

I think my problem is that I don’t like confrontation but I think I underestimate my son as he can hold his own. The only social media he has on his phone is what’s app and I regularly look at the phone which was one of the conditions of him having one. It’s staggering how many groups kids form and how much rubbish goes on. I’ve put my foot down about tik tok and he’s not bothered about Facebook or Instagram at the moment. To be honest he’s not a prolific messenger on what’s app which is good. I’m just thankful that he feels comfortable confiding in us. I think it’s the lioness in me that just wants to swoop in and make things better for him but as my husband says he needs to find his way with guidence from us when it’s needed

From what I’ve seen his other friends know their own minds and have my sons back so I’m thankful for that. I’ve been keen to let my son know that he needs to stick with the kids that are been his real friends

Thankyou. I will be monitoring the situation and if it carries on I’ll be involving the school. I just feel on edge when he goes wondering what kind of day he’s having and what mood he’ll be in when he gets home. He breezed through primary and had no hassles so I guess I was too niave thinking he’ll have more of the same at seniors.

I took my gravel bike but I was on a bike tour so had no choice. Its great for road biking and I just want to recommend the velo cafe which is a quirky place with biking memorabilia all over the place.

Brilliant thankyou I’ve just ordered it from sjs and yes the light is great. Good battery life and bright enough for off road and a reasonable price too

My experience was i used a bike shed at work where I had a key and they had my contact details. I had a heavy duty lock which I kept locked up in the shed as it was too heavy to keep transporting to and from work. One day I rode in and found that my lock wasn’t there. On contacting facilities they told me that they removed the locks. However they didn’t contact me to let me know thry were going to remove them and if I had received communication I would have removed the lock myself. In the end I pressed them for a new lock to the value of the lock that was taken.

It came with a lovely blackstar practice amp so I’ve been driving the husband mad with the loudness and playing with the effects.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/188847235@N08/iVpKNB
Hope this works

I know it’s a bit late but we had fun doing an online escape room and it’s free
https://www.escapedurham.co.uk/mr-x
They have done a sequel which you have to pay for but is very hard and in my opinion worth the money

Well thread update. I did go and buy a guitar. Someone I know posted on Facebook marketplace and I’m now the new owner of a harley benton cst-24 deluxe in emerald Green and a blackstar amp

I have a lovely Tanglewood electro acoustic which I’m more than happy with. I love rock and indie plus I love anything acoustic. I’m not bothered about Ed Sheehan though. It’s just I have a lot of time to browse on the net and it’s like having bikes you just want more. I’m still deciding what’s best to do.

I hate my job, really hate it. The problem with it is that I’m so bored and I like having things to do. I feel I was misold at interview and I’m looking at getting out. I think I just have no passion for what I do so I’m looking to retrain and have 2 interviews for what I’m interested in. However, the field I want to train in is very competitive so I’m looking for other jobs as a contingency plan. I may have lots of holiday in this job I’m in but I’d rather come home feeling I’ve done a good day’s work and made a difference rather than being bored out of my brain days on end. Life’s too short to hate work and you do spend a lot of your life working.

My husband sometimes works from home. One morning on my day off I announced I was going to hamsterley with my friend after walking the dog. Thought no more of it. Then walking back I bump into our son walking to school who tells me that dad has got changed into his cycling gear and is coming to hamsterley too. He did some work later tho

I’m doing a lot of thinking about what I want to do at the moment. I don’t think I’ve ever been satisfied with jobs that have related to my degree (biology). I’ve tried the self employed route but find customers too flaky and the uncertainty is too stressful. After doing childcare for a good few years I went back to work firstly part time but now I’m in a job where I can walk 10 mins down the road and get school hols off. I would love to retrain and have been thinking about midwifery. However I’m 45 so I do need to get my skates on and make a decision. Question how old is too old to retrain fir a career change?

Teaching is definitely not an option especially after seeing the work load of my colleagues. I’ve tried self employment before and it never worked out. Ive done art commissions before but they are very time consuming. I’m not looking to earn mega bucks which is just as well as I’m poorly paid I’m just wanting to be happy in my working life. I also want to demonstrate to my son that you don’t have put up with being unhappy with work and if you want to change your situation then do it.

I previously worked in universities and its my first time working in a school. I’m finding the culture hard to adjust to. I don’t think I can go back to my previous role as when they advertised it its for term time only part time as they are trying to save money. I was part time 52 weeks. I’ve seen some jobs to apply for question is do I leave this job off the application to avoid any questions?

I’ve been twice and loved it and we’ll Probably be going for the third time next year. Our brother in law and family went two years ago on our recommendation and will be going back too. It’s great for kids the theme park is great and there is plenty to keep them occupied.  The swimming pool is ace it gets busy so we would go first thing when it was quieter but if you like fast water slides then you’ll love it. I second the ice cream parlour and miniature village. We went via train and bus which wasn’t too bad. We hired bikes and cycled to the beach and had trips to Amsterdam. We stayed in the static caravan. If you book direct with the site it is cheaper. I know people who have camped and it’s also dog friendly.

In 2008 our daughter who was 2.5 years old was diagnosed with cancer. First may bank holiday she was fine by the next she was having chemo it was that quick. She was diagnosed with neuroblastoma and she fought bravely. In fact all the kids on the ward were quite resilient and showed incredible courage. Just as we were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel she relapsed and it became clear we were going to lose her. In September,2009 she passed away. After that I hear about other kids being diagnosed with the same cancer and I know of several parents who we met during treatment who have lost their children too.
I now do challenges to raise money for neuroblastoma research and this year I ran a half marathon every month this year. In fact last weekend we held our own half marathon event and 30 of us gathered to run 13.1 miles round the streets of Durham. It helps me to have this to focus on. I hate cancer and wouldn’t wish it on my worse enemy.
My nan died of cancer but she didn’t know that she had it. We found out after the postmortem. There is a mother at the school gates who is recovering from breast cancer and is doing well so far.

I’ve got into London marathon for next year and it’s going to be my first marathon (and possibly my last). I was given some good advice last weekend which was up the distance gradually and use the long slow runs to test out nutrition as you will be wanting to use energy gels, or something along the way so it’s important to get that right. I’m lucky that I’ve been doing a half marathon every month this year so I’ve got a good base. I was also told when you’re upping the miles any niggles will start to flare up so it’s important to foam roll and get regular sports massages.

Garmin fr10 is an old model but as a basic watch for logging runs it will do the job. I have a 225 which I love as it has HR in the watch and also doubles as an activity tracker. I sync it with my phone using blue tooth and it links to strava. I think its worth the extra money

I have a khyam aero tech tent which we use as an awning on our campervan and also as a stand alone tent. It’s easy to put up and we’ve had no problems with ours

Thanks for the replies it’s given me a few things to think about. I know it probably won’t be the highest paid job in the world but I’d like something that would enable me to live comfortably, pay for the odd holiday and maybe a new bike. What is important to me is job satisfaction and feeling fulfilled and getting to use my brain. I’m based in Durham but would be willing to commute to Newcastle or areas nearby

Depends on the dog. We have a greyhound and a cat. The cat is definitely the boss and when the dog first came to live with us he would do a few warming swipes to let her know he wasn’t to be messed with. She is scared of the cat and they tolerate each other lying in the same bed sometimes. I looked after a border collie for a weekend and as soon as he came through the door the cat gave him a swipe with the paw to let him know who was boss. He never bothered with the cat though he wasn’t that interested to start with. The cat is the biggest softy always looking for a lap to sit on.

I was thinking of a first degree but looking at sites such as money saving expert and googling you can’t get funding for another degree.

Just seems so unfair if that’s the case opportunities seem so thin on the ground it will be interesting if something can be done

Oh dear that yellow one is masking a multitude of sins and the other there’s no words for that. My friend had one of those dodgy imports made to look like a VW that kept breaking down she had to send it back which was a good thing. I think I’ll stick with my transporter