Lag soil pipe with loft insulation when you rebuild the boxing. This will help deaden the noise of the water when the toilet is flushed.

Sudocreme is waterproof so if you apply a good thick layer it sort of acts an anti-septic barrier which won’t wash off if they run on grass. It helps because you can leave the paw uncovered which aids healing. My dog usually healed within 3-5 days.

Just avoid places with hard, sharp trail surfaces. Anywhere with gravel or flint surface tends to cut pads quite easily. I have applied sudocreme to cut pads which I find helps them to heal and prevent any nasty infections. Since having the Fatbike, most of my off road riding is on the coast where cut pads is not an issue.

My Northwave’s are possibly the single best cycling related purchase I have made. Use them both off and on the road and the only time I got wet feet was when the rain was so heavy, it ran down my tights into the boots but as others have said, your feet stay warm!

Guests and their kids just left. Been cooking up a Carribbean feast since lunchtime so only fair to have a drink. I have drunk several Weisbeer’s during the afternoon/evening followed buy a few Mojito’s after dinner and finally sitting down with a nice vintage port before bed. So far it’s been a great Christmas!!

Had my fatty since the summer and have made the most of the North Norfolk coastline. It has opened up a whole new area for me to explore at a pace that suits my dog meaning we can go out for all day adventures.

My lad was looking at the on one kids fat bike as his Christmas present. Fat biking is hard work on normal trails compared to his islabike and any kid of the age to ride that bike would have to be a strong little rider to get the best from it.

Same here Matt. With constant adverts for toys on Disney chanel it is no surprise that they want everything! I have tried to explain that life is about what we do opposed to what we have and therefore their main presents from us will be a day at Ally Pally next week for the darts and a course of riding lessons in the new year. Let’s hope they enjoy it!!

Are they keen horticulturists?

Never had a bad Armagnac and I believe that Aldi have one in for Christmas.

The wife has just said that you should get 2 girls as the boys have a tendency to scrap.

I did manage to get a few sets of those Aldi lights in the sale reduced to £1 each. I kept them in my commuting rucksack and gave them out to people I saw without lights. Some gave me a mouthful of abuse, others were eternally grateful and asked why I did this. Anyone with kids can easily answer that question!

My guess is that it is Supalux which is an asbestos free material used in many applications where asbestos would have been used. Having worked in construction for over 30 years I can only remember using Supalux. By all means, get a sample tested.

I did exactly that after having a nightmare when previously fitting some to another bike. Last week I took my bike to the local bike shop where the fella said that he would fit them for £5. Bargain I thought until I picked the bike up on Saturday morning to find the biggest mess of a mudguard I had ever seen. The front stays had been to the rack mounts on the forks and the rear ones to a combination of rack and mudguard mounts. Both front and back guards were not fitted parallel to the wheel. So beware that your LBS may find them as problematic as the rest of us. A new pair are on order and I will try to fit the others to the kid’s bike.

I have commuted the last 10 winters and came off more than once every year. If you ride the same route every day you will soon identify the worst places for black ice and take it easy. Unclip and be prepared for the front wheel to go at any moment, using your legs as a stabiliser and most importantly, slow down!! If you have an alternative off road route it is a very good idea to take the MTB on the very worst days.

Got my Fatty about 3 weeks ago and most of my rides have been along the coast. The dunes at Brancaster and Burnham Overy are great fun, steep with deep loose sand! Makes me feel like a kid again

The Peddars Way will take you up to Holme on the North Norfolk coast and you are able to ride along the beach to Thornham but then have to ride on the road around the harbour inlet. It is easy to get back on the beach where you can then ride to Brancaster where you will need to do the same. Again at Burnham and at Wells. It is stunning and well wort the effort. The pinewoods or dunes at Holkham make a great place to bivvy up for the night.

Banks’ Bitter at 89p at Aldi. If you like a traditional English bitter, it takes some beating at that price!

Riding to work in the mornings last winter, the barn owl would wait on the fence post until I had turned the corner and it would fly along side me using my light to help identify prey.

It’s one of the few things I look forward to each winter. Both on and off road, I love the peace and tranquility of night riding and often feel safer than during the day.It is much easier to see approaching traffic especially on blind bends.

Euro Disney with the kids when they were younger. We got there on 23rd and it was snowing and it continued for 3 days. It was very magical with real snow and all the fountains were frozen solid. It was quite an experience but never to be repeated!

Katyn Memorial. Sorry, long time ago!!

As kids we used to ride our BMX’s over the Chase while the folks went for a walk but my first proper MTB ride was at Sherbrook valley on my 1989 Raleigh Mirage. I parked at the Mintlyn Memorial and rode to Milford and back. We had a caravan at Wentnor which gave me the chance to explore the Long Mynd and the rest of the Shropshire hills. Happy days!!

I’m a smidge under 6′ and my 56cm frame is perfect for me. I tried a 58 and it felt too stretched.

Rum Pudding

It will very much depend on the type of work you intend to do. If you are going to be 1st fixing or shuttering, a circular saw and hammer drill are essential. A nail gun is very useful but a luxury if just starting out. If you intend to carry out 2nd fix then you will need battery drills, routers, chop saw and jig saw as esential and if fitting kitchens you will need jigs for jointing worktops. Start buying the basics first and then see what type of work you are getting and purchase more specialist tools when you need them. Buy the best you can afford as cheap tools are ok for DIY but do not stand up to being abused on a daily basis. To get experience, you could offer to help a tradesman in exchange for being shown and having the chance to watch and learn. Good luck as it is a great trade!

Got a pair in black purchased back in the day from the Malverns for the dual slalom. Just had a look and you can still see the scars!

Getting lost on the chase is the best way to find the off piste. Before the proper trails were built itwas all everyone used to ride. Go and explore and you will be glad you did!

My 10 year old son came home last week saying that his PE lesson as more like going to the gym! I asked what he had been doing and it appears to be some kind of circuit training which he did not enjoy. When I asked why, he replied that it was hard work and made him sweat. I then asked him if he felt good afterwards to which he agreed. I went on to explain that exercise was good for both body and mind and that it was a major factor in his overall health. This week he came home and said he really enjoyed PEand tried to push himself harder than the week before and was looking forward to beating his score from this week. You say that you are active yourself and like many parenting issues, monkey see, monkey do is usually the way forward.

A happy ending. :-)

Just remember in future to buy more than 2 beers!

To reinforce what others are saying, I got hit and rode my bent bike 8 miles home. I felt fine but the next day I could hardly move. Hope this is not the case for you.

As a newbie on here, I’d not seen any of your photos before but hope to see many more in the future. Amazing shots. When I think about it, the amount of wildlife I see while out on my bikes,photography could compliment it perfectly. Thank you.

Since having kids and a house to pay for, my spending on bikes has been very limited but back in the day I spent around £2500 on a Pace RC 100 with the all singing and dancing RC35 forks. When my Mom found out she threatened to throw me out as she simply could not comprehend anyone spending that amount of money on a pushbike!! I still have the bike, set up rigid and single speed which is great for going out with the kids round our local trails.

Just try to remember all the great memories you have of your adventures. I feel your pain. :cry:

Aldi are having their winter cycling sale soon and you can get a set of LED lights as mentioned above for about £3. They are great for the dogs collar but he is not too keen on the flashing modes!

My doctor once explained why my wrist became painful if I removed my copper bracelet. He told me that people with chronic arthritic symptoms were given pure gold injections to help with the pain and my copper bracelet I’d a similar thing releasing metallic properties through my skin into my bloodstream. All I know is that without wearing my bracelet, the pain returns within a few days.

I got hit by a car coming home from work and when reporting the accident to the police, the first thing I was asked was ” were you wearing a helmet?” I replied that I was and the PC went on to explain that the drivers insurance company would argue that not wearing a helmet indicates that the cyclist is not considering and maintaining their own safety! Regardless of this, I always wear a helmet and know that they have saved me from more serious injury more than once.

Any successful design must be fit for purpose so the first thing to consider is what you intend to put on your shelves and space them to accommodate the tallest object. I have shelves either side of my chimney breat, 4 evenly spaced on the left and 3 randomly spaced on the right. They look fine because the top and bottom shelves at both sides are at the same level.

Recently made redundant from teaching carpentry and construction at FE college. Now back on the tools and doing the childcare once the kids go back to school. Enjoying being a carpenter again and looking forward to spending lots more time with my 2 children.