Croissant with black coffee, preferably outside in the early sunshine. It’s the only way to live!

but I imagine anything you do really needs your wife on board if she’s the main meal provider maker.

In my experience, this is the biggest obstacle for the guys I’ve known who’ve asked me for advise (yeah, ok).
What I find truely staggering is that wifes and GFs insist they know better than their husbands and BFs, for no other reason than that they are female 8O And then just flat refuse to listen or in 99% of situations, refuse to assist with their husband’s request for help in this matter. I suspect the refusal is based on not wanting to prepare a second meal. Pity really.

As for the OP, I really couldn’t speculate on whether you are describing a psychological or physiological issue.
However, you refer to rice and cake, so ime, that’s not giving a great picture of what’s on the menu at Chez SaxonRider.

Hope you get sorted, one way or another.

Am I warm ?

Relatively! You should be 37 degrees C, to be precise.

Hot pink, with metalic blue decals and hubs, etc.

Yeah, sat nav plastered to the central area of the windshield is a blind spot and bad practice, imo.

Worked with a guy once who treated himself to a satnav. Asked me to help set it up for him. His main priority was to have the volume set as loud as possible for the audio direction instructions.
He didn’t see that well.

OP.

Good effort, however, I believe you’ve chosen the wrong shade of pink. Although, looking at the complete build. If you had left the frame in white, your bike would now look like an entry level Genesis.

Perhaps you might have considered consulting one of these, before you settled on your current colour combination?

Yeap, that seat post looks very nasty, I can only hope you get some tangible benefit from it and lets face it, you wouldn’t usually see the thing while riding it, although Cafe stops might provide a somewhat interesting experience. Just sit far enough away from the bike so that should it bring on a flurry of pavement pizza from passers by, at least none of it should splash your shoes.

As for Shimano Vs Campagnolo. Totally differing attitudes to the same solution. I believe the reason Shimano don’t readily make spares available is that in their eyes, when a part of the system fails, it should be replaced rather than repaired.
As for Campagnolo, I genuinely couldn’t see any justification for the price premium and after speaking to a few folk, who’s knowledge and experience on this subject, I respect. I’ve come to conclude that Campagnolo is purely about choice and personal preference based on nothing else than a desire to have Campagnolo for the sake of having, Campagnolo.
Personally? I can’t stand the gear shift of Campagnolo, so I’m afraid I can’t join the gang and if that wasn’t enough cycling heresy for you.
I feel the Shimano split lever system is a better solution.
Just my opinion.

But, look at it this way, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and if nothing else, that colour scheme should act as an effective deterrent against theft.

Enjoy.

That Voeckler lad, I bet he’s popular with the Chicks!

Luckily they know it won’t be challenged.

I’d consider that to be decidedly unlucky if that turns out to be the case.

Gauge them by their actual actions, and by the words they use and how closely they relate to those actions.

I intend to.

I really don’t agree tbh.

Ok, re-reading my comment, perhaps I should have pointed out that it appears to me that the Gov has an aspiration to see employers take responsibility for providing a sufficient wage, rather than picking up the bill itself while dividends/profits paid out are higher for the few, off the back of the current system.

So, if this first stage doesn’t get things rolling in the direction I assume it’s supposed to…

How about a Gov monitored wage increase application process?

Employee applies to employer for wage rise. Employer has to respond in writing. If the response is in the negative, employer has to demonstrate to the Gov why they can’t release more of their profits to meet a certain wage level.

Would this work?

Labour has criticised the scale of the cuts to tax credits, saying they amount to a “working penalty” that will reduce incentives to get into work.

Sooo, Labour aren’t opposed to the cuts themselves, just the scale ok.

Not convinced it would reduce the incentive to get into work. However, I’d hope that if this initial step doesn’t work as intended, then it should be revised.

So, if business doesn’t put it’s hand in it’s pocket to make up any shortfall when IWTCs are cut/stopped. What should the Gov’s next step be?

Again, built into the rate.

Solo – Member
Yes;
Not complaining or taking sides, just saying like.

thisisnotaspoon – Member

The taxman shouldn’t be rewarding risk, if anything it should probably disincentivise it. Someone earning and paying tax is better than someone earning and paying less tax then becoming jobless.

I disagree, with what sounds like an overly simplistic view. Who does your accounts? I employed people for that and other business related services/requirements.

I’ll not get dragged into an argument if I can help it. Depending on your agenda you can argue it either way, as so often happens on here.
Ime/o, contractors do and should take the bullet before employees do, it goes with the territory and was certainly the case in my post above ^.

mikewsmith – Member

kept contractors

= not contractors

Not necessarily, some cons have unique, specialist, knowledge or skills, and only attend site for a few days a week / at a time.
It’s a genuine business strategy, to make yourself or your company/product/services, essential to your customers. At the risk of the phone not ringing, at all. It’s not for everyone.

Yes they do, it’s just built into the rate that they are paid. Another way of looking at it is that regular employees have money deducted from their pay to account for those things.
Yes.

However, in my experience the real difference between contract or an employee is security.

Recently, in an office I was working in, 80% of contractors were simultaneously given notice. If any employees have to go, then it’s a whole different ball O’wax.

Not complaining or taking sides, just saying like.

TR.

I don’t for one minute, believe it’s a done deal yet and I’m sure there will be employers who can’t resist the force of greed who will resist upping wages.

So, like you, I’ve yet to be completely convinced it can happen, but for now I’m prepared to give the incumbent the chance to try.

Thing is, if it doesn’t all work, straight out the box, the haters will point and howl, but I’d hope that policies can be revised if they’re not providing the desired effect, which brings me to one of the points I made earlier. At least for now, there appears to be the aspiration to elevate wages so as reduce the cost of IWTC to the Gov.

After reading page four, it’s all gone fairly ok for page 5, imo.
Although… this was particularly funny in a most ironic way.

yunki – Member
HAHAHAHA HAH!
Pull the other one you insidious turd
Grow up!

Oh, the ironing.

trail_rat – Member
So if tesco- asda – lidl- aldi and sainsburys – oh and m and s for some of you … Are all force to pay their staff the “living” you honestly believe that competition will stop them putting their prices up to make up the short fall im their profits ….

They are already engaged in a pricing war, so it’ll be more of the same. Those companies should all pay the difference between what staff lose in IWTC through wage increases. Consider also, that those companies don’t all pay the same rate, so seeing as they are all starting from different wage levels, some would find it easier to bump up a wage to make up the difference, than others and so not need to raise product prices. Super markets can be a bit of a uniquely emotive example, which I suspect you have chosen for that reason.

You can shoot this all down if you like, but the aspiration to get people off state subsidies to be replaced with real wages paid by the employer. I feel is the right direction to try to head in.

Anyway, the budget is bigger than just IWTC.

I always override mine as it drives me nuts.

Fortunately, the A8 doesn’t have S/S, but the A5 does and drives me nuts too.

I take official mpg figures with a pinch O’salt.

Edit: Friend of mine has a T5 for family travel. It is an absolute nightmare of a money pitt. Proper dreadful costs for maintenance and repair, replacing drive shafts and stuff.

Binners.

That’s not an especially sophisticated trap you’ve set there and you’re calling everyone racist?

Try the decafe mate.
:-)

Is a longer shock better?

That’s what I’ve been told.
8)

trail_rat – Member
Tom1987 are you nieve or stupid ?
You raise the wage to 9 pounds across the board by making business pay for it ….
How do they do tht – they raise the price of their product

It’s not that simple, is it? That ^ business, in your statement, has competitors, therefore raising prices of it’s product may make them more expensive than their competitors. Collusion to set prices with competitors would probably be illegal and pricing yourself out of people’s pockets probably isn’t a cool move.
I think it’s a bit more complex than you seem to believe.

Investors/shareholders, etc, feel under pressure to invest their wealth to offset the effect of inflation. So they invest rather than bank the money so as to receive a much greater return on that investment than they would from a high street savings account.

I’d suggest that this should be the target, to drop in on that ROI and skim some off the top, for wages. The investors, etc, still receive an ROI on the right side of the deal, and the state doesn’t have to top-up wages from it’s revenue.

Grum – However, there are numerous poor, disabled and vulnerable people who are literally having their lives made a misery or even dying because of the actions of the government you voted for. That’s a simple fact.

From the BBC:
In addition, many working age benefits will be frozen for four years, such as tax credits and local housing allowance, but excluding maternity pay and disability benefits.
I hope that means new mothers and the disabled will not see cuts, a freeze, to what they already receive.

Grum.

Do you not see that a balance needs to be struck? Imo, We shouldn’t, as a nation, borrow money to supplement wages, while shareholders enjoy disproportionately high dividends, ROI.

So any attempt to divert some of those profits/dividends, etc, into the wages of staff so as to reduce the need for state funded wage top-up benefits, would be a move in the right direction, imo.
As I’ve stated before, I don’t believe anyone in FTE should suffer the indignity of claiming wage benefits, as that wage should be sufficiently funded by the employer.

Whether this actually comes to be, only time will tell and if things don’t go exactly to plan, I hope the incumbent will adjust policy to reach the objective of fewer wage top-up state benefits, replaced by realistic wages.

I’ve not long, just a few points.

DD.
I was being sincere, no offense intended.

stevomcd
I’ve my own business so see both the employees and employers side of the tax obligation, but thanks anyway.

TAFKAS
Ok, got that. It’s a small business so perhaps there isn’t that much room for maneuver. I hope if your business does pick up that you’ll split the win with her.

Self employed here, couldn’t vote this time round, but probably would have voted con (tactical).

Stoner – Member
I do love all this left wing grumpiness.
“Yeah, we wanted a rise in the minimum wage, but we didn’t want it from you, you bastards!”

“We demand a living wage!”.
“OK, here’s a living wage”.
“We demand a HIGHER living wage!!!”.

That’s the left for you and to be fair, it’s in the T’s and C’s.

I want better wages for those at the bottom, however, I’d want to fund that from business, not state revenue.

Flame away!

^ The Emperor photo bombs Daf Vader?

Typical tory

I meant it, also, I didn’t vote, if that helps.

DD.

With respect, I believe you’re very much smarter than that.
;-)

Err. If minimum wage is, £7 ph and “she” works 45 hours a week. Then if it goes up to £9 ph, a weekly difference of £90.
Then that £90 pw is going to sink the business? Or the business makes less than 5k profit a year??

Edit: Numbers above were simplistic, for illustrative purposes.

Hate! So, um, those who voted Conservative, kinda like the conservatives, but they’re fools because the conservative party hates them back.

Hhmmm, so it wasn’t anything to do with what was on offer, with regard to whom to vote for….
A somewhat narrow perspective.

TAFKAS.
Profits are lower or if they’re already zero, then….. ;-)

Footflaps. I thought that was my point, wages need to rise.
essentially, replacing gov subsidies to shareholders, with higher wages paid by the employer.

I’ve heard in-work tax credits may be up for revision.

That’s only ok with me if the gov twists both arms up the back of business to get wages elevated to fill the shortfall.

Phew, thought I was the only one
Likewise
:-)

Thanks, Binners, you realise I’m going to have to get my phone decontaminated now it’s been directed to the guardian website.
:x
Does anyone know if theres any Gov support for replacing my phone?

Ok, I’ll ask.

G-Shock, I just don’t get it, nor, do I believe I’ve ever seen an attractive example. So, to the G-Shock lovers out there. Please help.

Mr Smith. Thanks for the pithy response, it would seem you know a good deal about the industry. However, I was referring specifically to external parts, comparatively simple to produce.
I wasn’t suggesting that the movements (parts of a watch you would not usually see) might be made in China. In fact, I’d agree with you, when I’d assume the internals are very much kept, developed and produced in house.
Cheers.
:-)

High end brands? Rolex, Patek, Jaeger, IWC, Vacheron etc etc. you think they use Chinese parts 

That was a point I was making. That on the basis of the Far Eastern replica, I saw, items such as the case, button tops, glass, bracelets “appear” to be of the same quality and finish. Now this was a replica, but in my opinion, seeing that watch demonstrated to me the genuinely feasible scenario of the premium/Swiss manufacturers having such items made for them in China.

This possibility, made me rethink the prices I see for some of the watches I’d like to own.

Someone in the office acquired from the web, a watch looking very much like a Tag Heuer Space X. IIRC, they paid <£100.

Strange, the case, buttons, glass all seemed indistinguishable from the genuine swiss watches I own. Being of the correct weight, well finished and highly polished as you’d expect an original to appear.

Made me realise that prices for genuine examples, reflect costs of sponsorship, paying likes of Lewis and Leonardo, isn’t cheap and adds nothing to the ownership experience, for me.

I also wondered whether the premium brands are now manufacturing in the far east?

I’m sure there is no profit.

Not profit, budget surplus, which was quietly deposited off shore, such as the accounts in Iceland, in which numerous uk local authorities had hidden vast sums of money. At the height of the crash I seem to recall news of my then LA having almost 50 million in off shore banks. Yet my CT went up each year.

LAs are very dirty.

Isn’t this the latest fashion amongst local authorities?

If you watch carefully, you may note the slightest of smirks appear on the face of the person you’re dealing with, as that member of staff tells you how it is. Esp as the council are trying to save money for essential services.

The staff aren’t getting the wage rises they feel entitled to, so they’re giving it to joe public.

Perhaps the docs you want should/might be within the original sale dossier you might have received from the solicitor acting on your behalf at the time?

Resistance work, is beneficial to bone health, via the body’s reaction of adaptation.

Question: What is the effect on the body’s net acidity, after consuming dairy?

And didn’t I read somewhere that there is no correlation between dairy consumption and a reduced incidence of osteoporosis?

I avoided any potential need to walk away, by not getting involved in the first place ;-)