For anyone who thinks lentils are dull (or should that be "dal"? :D), try boiling/simmering them in chicken stock or similar. It can really bring the flavour alive. We had some last night with fish and they rock.

Just polished off an omelette this morning; with courgette, mushrooms, tomatoes, parma ham and fresh sage/marjoram. Nom noms.

Keep up the good work everyone.

And thanks again to iDave for his efforts (and frank talking at times).

You cannot go abroad and keep claiming the dole. This presented an interesting issue when I had an interview for a job outside the UK.

Bit of a weird one this. IME job centres deal with the "lower" end of the ability spectrum (possibly less so these days?) … and I remember a girl I was living with (in 2006) having all sorts of grief with them because she'd been made redundant and the nature of her job (merchandising manager) meant looking abroad was typically more viable. Hence the interviews she had in Gibraltar and NZ didn't go down too well.

Hence, find out where you stand before disappearing …

Check out ReadIt SwapIt.

I joined ages ago and put up some books I wanted to get rid of, including some really random stuff. People then requested to swap one of their books for one of mine, but all of their's were complete twaddle. I'm sure it works for some people, but not for me thus far.

I do this on my desire with iCal on my Mac and my hotmail account and it works brilliantly.

I've only recently started dabbling with Macs but my iCal only syncs my Googlemail Inbox (none of the other mailboxes/labels get sync'ed). How did you do yours?

Cheers

Congratulations. Our first little person is due early Sep, so we're in a similar boat.

After doing loads of research and speaking to various people, we're going to go with the Quinny Buzz (£400-£500 in most places). Have already got the Cabriofix car seat with Isofix base and most other stuff.

If you look around you'll get mixed opinions on virtually everything, but I guess that's the same with bikes and bits.

There is an American pushchair (check on Youtube, can't rememember the name) that looks pretty cool – they're a new model coming out around now.

What do your friends recommend?

+1 for Fowey. If you're there, check out Sam's Diner (they also have one on the beach near Par).

I took the bike there in the summer of 03 and spent a week just checking out loads of trails and different areas (pretty much from Boscastle down to Lands End and then around to Bodmin).

I ran an 03 S-Works Enduro for about 3-4 years and an 04 until last year. Both were totally sound in terms of ability, i.e they had more than me:)

Don't know anything about the Zesty but I'd sure as hell say just get out on your bike and enjoy the trails.

Found a great place in Devon with Toad Hall Cottages[/url] last year. And they're decent folk when you call up with questions etc.

Had a Freelander years ago when they first came out

I'd agree in that I would stay clear off anything pretty much pre 2002/03 unless unless you're very hands-on/mechanically-minded or want something you generally might have to tinker with.

IME they seemed to start refining them around that time and also made them a whole more reliable. If you check out the LR forums you'll find most people with issues have older models.

I also speak on behalf of having lived with an 03 TD4, 55 TD4 Sport, and now the 06 TD4 HSE. Mechanically, they have all been faultless. Other than that, just the occassional niggle.

need a 4×4. Get a proper one.

Freelanders are actually very capable offroad – like others have said, you just need to know how to handle them.

On the road, the Mk 1 does the job but with a slightly agricultural sound. However, it hauls a fair amount of stuff, is perfectly reliable (ours has been) and does what it says on the tin. Using it in manual/sport mode means it the acceleration is surprisingly good for car of its shape and size. Eats up motorway miles effortlessly.

InaTrance, our 2006 TD4 HSE Auto (35000 miles) is for sale if you're interested. Absolutely mint except for a couple of very small 2-3mm marks on the front bumper. I would post a link to our AutoTrader ad but that may be against the rules. Email me if you'd like to know more.

sjp03uk at yahoo dot co dot uk

We're based in Surrey.

Cheers
SM

One more thing: I don't know anyone who uses their PC to do a lot of typing, e.g email, Word, Excel, who would even contemplate doing the same on an iPhone/smartphone given the choice. You cannot type or navigate anywhere nearly as effectively.

Re: the top quote, my seven year old PowerBook spends most of it's life in a case on top of my DVD player. It only gets used for the occasional Photoshop job or printing off of a photo, or loading stuff into iTunes for copying onto my phone or iPod, or updating software. I don't play games, so for everything else I need a computer for the iPhone serves perfectly well. I'm standing by a laser printer keeping it fed at the moment while I write this, which I couldn't do with a 17" laptop, and I have no access to the computers here at work.

Like you say, it depends on what you use your computer for. I think the iPhone and many other smart phones can be good for doing a few tasks here n there plus accessing info on the go, e.g. email, downloading/viewing attachments, Dropbox, RTM, Evernote, etc. But IMO they're pretty pants for creating most of these "things." It also depends on which apps/widgets are available for your phone. In the case of my PC, I run far too much software that no smartphone could emulate, so for me, the iPhone is nowhere near a PC substitute.

Signal? I've got three bars of 3G inside a steel and brick industrial unit, but it does get patchy, but that's 'cos the steel walls block the signal. All phones suffer if you cup the antenna at the base in your hand. Including Android Nexus One's.

Not true for my HD2, old Nokia E71 and the gf's Hero. Have just tested them and the signal remains constant.

iPhones…Am i missing something?

A signal?

I'm not going to be scientific about it because IME I've really only used energy drinks, e.g High 5, SIS, and more recently Torq.

On particularly long rides and/or hot days, it's worth taking a couple of litres' worth of powder in a sandwich bag, so it/when you pick up a bottle or two in a shop you have energy to add.

I also think chocolate, e.g. Mars, Snickers, gives a nice little hit, even if it's only psychological, for those moments when you want to feel that bit better.

Nuun hasn't worked for me.

Headed out for a 60 miler and got home at 3:10. If I'd known what was to come I'd have stayed out longer. Having said that, it was like cycling into an oven around lunch time. Dehydration was looking a possibility but managed to stick it out.

I've migrated to home-made flapjacks. Can share my recipe if anyone's interested, I've just about got it 'right' now.

Yes please … either publicly or PM via profile. I'm always tampering with flap jack recipes. TVM.

Bananas
Sun-dried bananas (Holland and Barrett)
Malt loaf
Peanut butter sandwiches
Home-made fruit cake
Home-made oat flapjacks
Torq bars
Jelly Babies (Bassetts taste the best but other supermarket brands are cheaper)

Torq energy drink

Sharp sand IIR (but I might be wrong – haven't done one for nearly 2 years). Get a decent weed-proof membrane or you'll be forever plucking them out. I take it you're creating a gravel path with slabs here and there?

record is 9 hours 50. but I think they start at QE Park so 70 miles. still, it's quite quick for 2.5 marathons.

That's obscene, especially given the number of hills along the way.

Remember, if you like your energy drink powder then take some in a sandwich bag so you can keep adding it to your refills. Could just give you that extra 10% you need.

An iPhone is a PC, a pocket computer, and as such fulfils the same function as the device you're using to post on here

Are you seriously telling me the iPhone is a substitute for a PC/laptop/Mac? You must be **** joking, or maybe you don't use your PC/laptop/Mac for much?

Nice one RB. I guess there's a trial download on their site (trial as in for both PC and WM)? Not worried about it being out of date – more a case of being able to follow routes in places I don't know etc.

Nice work ZaskarCarbon. Who the hell is in charge of Apple's QA? Hmm, let's sell a phone that loses signal when you pick it up … WTF?

Yes but it involves riding along a footpath then a sharp left on some really nice swoopy cheeky which brings you out at the end of the cricket pitch. Really hard to describe and find as they keep farming the wood at the start of it (and trashing the line that indicates where to turn).

If that's the bit I think you're referring to then that left-hander has been levelled and you now have to do a sharp right on "the other side" to meet up with that trail about 25% of the way along.

+1 for seeding.

Your existing spread looks good enough to not demand too much turning over/raking/prep beforehand, so you might not even need any topsoil.

I messed around with some seeding last summer and it didn't take. This year I had another go but prepped it properly and it's come up a treat in 5-6 weeks.

Prep > sow > fertilise > water > water > water

Sorted.

EDIT: and it'll probably only cost £20 or so in seed, £5 on ferty, and a few quid on any topsoil if you need it

Cheers all – am off to pick up a DG834G – it better work :-)

Depends how fast you mean by fast.

I've been using 2.0 Schwalbe Big Apples on the road for the last couple of months and then decided to risk them on some hardpack/gravel/sand/stone trails and they zipped along perfectly (except on the same – no grip whatsoever).

Having fish-tailed on some wet mud I suggest you stick to dry use only.

Cheers all. Have requested the HD2 as a replacement – now I'm just waiting for it to arrive :-)

2.1 (if and when it finally arrives) looks good, but at the end of the day the Hero is still pretty underpowered, plus the added slickness is going to be an abbrev version.

I thought the HD2 was supposed to be the killer WM, due mainly to its HTC UI goodness. Hence bad experiences with previous incarnations kind of give it a bad name …

It seems some HD2s have lag issues that creep in a few weeks – but apparently can be solved with a flashed ROM – don't know if this applies to all though.

Hmm, Outlook isn't totally king, but I'd like to be able to do the following on a daily basis while out n about:

– manage RSS feeds
– add to do's/tasks/notes easily
– use a solid GPS
– browse
– use twitter/facebook
– use something for mapping biking/running
– use a solid MP3 player
– most importantly: keep all my work and personal contacts separate (Android does this perfectly via Google) – I really don't want to manually add a load of people/etc and then have to do the same when I switch phones again

Have heard via XDA forum that there a loads more apps available away from the MS site – but I doubt they're as good as the AM.

Also, various reviews make out that the UI is kind of only skin deep, i.e. you still have to dig around in WinMo to make certain things happen – is this a pain (compared to the ease of Android)?

Cheers
SM

means re-installing all my apps and notes – bit of a pain!

I take it you're backing up using MyBackup? Makes the whole reinstall much easier.

-1 Sky customer service

A mate I worked with was with them for a while. His BB connection was forever dropping and he always moaned about their CS. IMO they sound pretty incompetent and don't give a sh1t.

IME I'd say the quality of apps on the iPhone is generally better/quicker/more aesthetically pleasing/more functional, etc.

Apple still lead the way on this.

Android is growing all the time but the number of genuinely useful, good quality, stable apps is lower.

I had a Hero which is great, but slightly laggy at times. Apps and OS are generally great. Desire is basically it's more powerful brother, and it runs 2.0. Having said that, I lost mine at the weekend and am getting a replacement through insurance. Am hoping they'll offer me a Desire … although I'd certainly entertain an iPhone 4 too :

I've had a carbon fibre car (no issues whatsoever) and currently ride a carbon Stumpy FS. Frame cracked off around the seatpost after 8-9 months and was replaced by Spesh. That may have been an anomaly – either way, I've no hesitation recommending them.

So they're not packing out the set of a popular early 90's TV show …

Witnesses?

Probably a stupid question but is it possible to buy in a US phone and have it run on a UK carrier?

IMO one thing to bear in mind is that our bodies are different in that some of us need to work on our fitness/shape/weight/etc and some of us don't. One of my best mates, whom I used to play Saturday football with (when we were in our early to late 20's) could drink 50 pints/week plus shorts and eat all kinds of sh1t (inc those late nights Chinese', kebabs, KFC, etc), but he rarely had a hangover and always performed on the pitch. He was always in shape (even if his body was somehow hiding its stresses internally and therefore creating a legacy for later life). None of us could figure out how. It's just the way we are …

Car insurance industry is a joke, especially for younger drivers. The minority of fcukwits coupled with the greed culture seem to make for ridiculous premiums.

I agree with a couple of posters in that you should get your mum added as a second driver, or find a girl (with a clean record) and add her instead.