Most important – get that referral from your GP for second opinion.

A big +1 on this.

I’d go as far as suggesting you push your GP to try finding any specialists in this subject elsewhere in the country, not just your local PCT. I’ve read that the claimed amount of calcium in dairy products is cancelled out by the fact that the body can’t absorb it, and high dairy/high protein diet can in fact exacerbate calcium leaching from the bones. Ditto fizzy drinks. Get googling.

Most of all, don’t give up, you might yet get the elusive ‘Extended Play…’

Last generation (Nov 2007 on) white MacBooks will take 4Gb RAM. Video performance for intensive use (not normal office/browsing etc) isn’t as good as some models so it wouldn’t be first choice for a dedicated Photoshop manipulator, but the same goes for many other laptops. Monitor isn’t huge at 13.3", but then a laptop with large screen is less portable and more resource-hungry.

Some of the white ones had an issue with cracking around the sides, though only 1 out of 4 in our office affected. Apple will replace the case under warranty.

Macs are not just for ‘cool kids’, that sounds so much like sour grapes. Some people enjoy the brand’s aesthetics more than others. OS X is a far more user-friendly interface than XP or Vista, and a recent survey seemed to indicate that Macs are more reliable than the competition. However, that’s not to say you shouldn’t choose a Windows machine if it suits you better. I use Macs at work and PC at home and, shock! horror!, both work fine.

Famous wildlife photog Jim Brandenburg did a 90-day stint, taking only 1 photo a day near his home in the late 1990s. It was featured in National Geographic (more info here) and was published as a book, Chased By The Light.

UK landscape/mountain snapper Ken Scott has an exhibition of the 366 images he selected during 2008.

gingerflash, nice set of the ‘cross nats. Do you let the flash fire at full power? I usually set mine to -1 stop so it acts as fill-in.

I’m in agreement with several posters above.

ourmaninthenorth: +1

MrGreedy’s first line –“the thing ST’s routes do better than any of the other mags is to nail the atmosphere and feel of a ride and the area”
This is what I like the best and, for me, most sets ST apart from the crowded shelves.

While I’m more into UK rides than exotic locations, I can’t help but love good photography in scenic spots wherever they are. For me the view is a big part of the reason for the ride and the photos are a big part of ST.

I’m a tyres-on-the-ground rider, jumps and drops aren’t my bag. A bit of XC racing is fine e.g. the recent DIY24.

“The Grinder” – these are how reviews are meant to be done, instead of a 10 minute tootle and some plundering of the thesaurus. Honest opinion on relevant products likely to interest the target audience that are tested thoroughly can’t fail. Can it?

However, on one subject I’m in a tiny minority. I am uninterested in bike and component reviews in general, but especially bikes. If I’m shopping for a new bike (a rare event), comparing four in the mag won’t help me choose. Similarly, drivetrain comparisons etc leave me snoring. Tyres are a little different, though after reading tyre tests I often feel no wiser than before I started. I know lots of people (blokes) get excited about gear but I’m not normal like that.

Memorable features are those like the Yorkshire one with the Union Jack in red/white/green; the euroadtrip (41); Farewell Summer and John Pitchers (31); lightweight camping (43). The ‘jobs in the industry’ interviews were enlightening. People and places, stuff to do more than stuff to buy. And definitely no titty ‘burds on bikes’. I’ll get a taller person to reach the top shelf in the newsagent for me (or the knuckledragging chopper mags) if I want that kind of stuff.

Is there an easy way (at this end) to make this page not fixed width? (fieryfox if that matters)

Prolly not the answer you would like, but Opera 9[/url] has a ‘fit to page’ icon on the status bar (or wherever else you want to put it) that does exactly that.

Edit/update: in Firefox 3 View > Zoom will shrink/enlarge the whole page, not just the text. There’s a separate Zoom Text Only as well.

For 2 years I used a standard 1997 Kona with City Jet tyres, 3/4 muddies, Cateye lights. I’m running a Giant SCR now, though it’s getting caked in mud and salt so I may switch back to the iron horse. Here it is with tyre swap ready for an offroad run.

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A cable lock can be broken easily by someone with the (quiet) tools.

Chains, even the hefty motorcycles ones, are more generally vulnerable than a u-lock. Part of the reason is that they can be put on the ground for access with bolt croppers. Sometimes the padlock is the weakest component.

A half decent u-lock with little space to insert a bottle jack (the tool of choice for these) is as good as it sgets. I still maintain that my relatively cheap u-lock is not a great deal more vulnerable to most tea-leaves than the £70 ones.

Having said that, a cheap cable is still better than nothing.

I will ask around and post if I find anyone suitable.

Have you asked reception at the Sports Village? 01743 281550

http://www.visitshrewsbury.com/wheretostaysearch.php

Shrewsbury Travelodge isn’t far away, though you’d have to negotiate some busy roads and a roundabout to get to Sundorne.

A lock at that price point will be little more than cosmetic / deterrent

I respectfully disagree. Bought a Kryptonite Series 2 Standard u-lock last week. It was £18 with the 4′ cable at Parker’s, and CRC sell it too. Inside dimensions of shackle: 4×9″.

It’s a hefty piece of steel with good key and barrel design similar to the expensive ones. You’d need proper tools to get into it, unlike armoured cable locks. It’s ‘Sold Secure’ silver, so while I’m not saying that’s the only measure of security it’s no toy. Kryptonite give it 8/12 in their own security ratings.