+1 for the many sentiments that have been shared already. You’re doing an amazing job and IMO doing the right thing by talking/venting on here too. Strangers we may be, but there’s a lot of incredibly genuine and caring peeps on here.

Man hug on the way.

+1 Galibier. Mine were great until I left them on the car roof one night, then my size were no longer in stock. Gggrrgh.

GIMP is pretty handy as a freebie option. If you have an Apple Silicon chip then bear in mind that it hasn’t AFAICT been optimised, therefore some functions are quite slow/clunky. I’ve had it on my M1 MBA from day one and it’s the only app that run less that fluidly.

Affinity is excellent and often on sale.

I’m sure there was a cafe in the indoor soft play area. Was a few years ago though.

FTR, we went to PPW twice, both times during summer holidays and it was brilliant.

My missus has a shocking immune system and has always felt the cold really easily. She layers up whilst I’m in shorts and t-shirt, and monkey jnr will often overdress in 30deg+ yet also wear shorts and t-shirt when its freezing.

Had a chat with some dads at Scouts this week and even the wealthy ones were saying that they’re going to stick it out as long as they can, partly to save money but also out of principle.

So far we’re having the CH on for an hour every morning to give a boost.

Beyond that, we were going to replace the conservatory roof because it’s the biggest room in the house and loses a fair amount of heat (has 4 rads) but I’ve started insulating it with some SuperQuilt then I’ll plasterboard over. Not much else we can do other than layer up and see how it goes.

2 yr old working Cocker here. When we first got her, I spoke to our vet, other owners and trainers about how much exercise to give her and the 5 min per month thing is a pretty good guide. Other than that, she obv ran round the house and garden but never in a destructive way. Sure, she chewed the odd bit of plastic or whatever, but she was a puppy. No problem at all.

Yes, I was inwardly frustrated at taking her on short walks because I’m used to longer walks/runs. But having a puppy meant I hat to rein that it. It’s not difficult. You make adjustments and all is well.

Too much exercise too early IMO and you risk damaging their joints/ligaments etc.

FTR, I would not leave a puppy or a dog in a van/car for any number of hours. End of.

Fart

I’m intrigued about how employers are going to backfill all the jobs left behind by the latest conscripts. 300,000 is a lot of manpower, but talk of it being nearer 1,000,000 is insane. I guess a fair few are unemployed, and many others are in manual jobs? Maybe there’s a queue of people lining up to take them?

Samaritan on Prime. Pretty good and watchable.

Missus and I gave up on this after an hour. Felt like a remix of a badly written 80s/90s superhero-wannabe that should never have made it to the scripting stage.

On a more positive note, The Man Who Saved The World is excellent. The first few minutes has us wondering if they were using actors or if it was an actual documentary… then you realise which it is and get caught up in the whole history or what happened on that day in 1983 and how the titular chap really did save us from being wiped out.

‘Slow start’ seems to be a massive understatement

Slow as in Rings of Power slow?

Thanks guys, appreciate your feedback.

I figured there’d be a few others in a similar situation, plus the usual “Why didn’t just pick the nearest school to you to get a free bus service?” questions.

Bottom line is that we didn’t/don’t like either of the 2 nearest schools. Most parents default their kids to one in particular because of its location, but we’d rather our son went to a better environment. So yes, we looked into the bus thing and on paper, the timetable was sound. But nobody we knew used it because they lived in other locations and had other arrangements, ie official school buses, car shares or ‘mummy drives because she doesn’t have to work’. Car share not an option for us because of logistical reasons or we’re not in those cliques.

Current school is 7 miles away, mostly country lanes, so cycling isn’t an option for an 11 year old.

@Clover

The Traffic Commissioner is your last resort. All public bus services are registered with the Traffic Commissioner and have to run to their registered route and timetables. They can be fined for not doing so (although it’s typically quite a process to get to that point). Good luck!

Ta, I’ll bear that in mind if I need to escalate that far.

@toby

Bus company gets a fine if they run late, don’t get a fine if they miss part of the route. Therefore tell drivers to take shortcuts to make up time (particularly if that shortcut misses a busy, time consuming, stop that leads to many other stops)…

Yep, that’s the one that’s riling me. Ta for the heads up.

@tuboflard

Where in the country are you @spacemonkey? Just county is fine. I’m director of public transport in a city region so can offer some advice on what your options are.

Ta for this. We’re in Surrey.

Where the bus company in question does have a duty is in respect of safeguarding for the child; if they are contracted to provide home to school services they can’t just do the sorts of things you describe. I’d be having serious words with their MD if there was evidence of this kind of messing about.

They run a public service and include a couple of extra buses on school term days to suit kicking out time, so I’m unsure if that means they’re contracted?

speak to the bus company.

any bus driver who misses out the part of the route that he knows his passengers need (i’m assuming that your son was in uniform) is deliberately being an arse.

All drivers on that route will know that particulate section of their run contains a school bus stop. Taking a short cut to omit it is not on, so yes, he and the other guys admitting to this are arseholes.

but what about sending junior to the nearest school?

We did our due diligence to put monkey into what we believe is the best school/environment. The fact it’s 1.5 miles further than the nearest one is irrelevant IMO.

we’re not entitled to the free school bus because it’s not our nearest school.

Likely needs more explanation

That’s all there is to it because that’s how it works round here.

what the other parents/school had to say on the matter

Only one other family use the same route in from a neighbouring village. We’re pally with them and they’re bloody annoyed too. Of the other kids that we know attending the same school, some car share because they live in another village, and others are scattered about for miles and either drive (mainly mums that don’t have to work) or are allowed a free school bus.

WEll this would have been my first step.. I’m not sure what else anyone can offer other than “ask them”

I’m hoping someone can shed some light on some kind of duty of care, if some such thing exists in the world of public transport. I can then present that to both parties.

I think they are short of drivers. But if feels like buses are for poor people and know one really cares.

That may be the case, but surely a driver can’t knowingly leave a load of school kids stranded by avoiding their stop altogether?

2 years ago my MIL was in a similar position up north. Her house had been on the market for something like 2-3 months with no interest, with the agent being one of those internet-only firms specialising in local properties but without having a premises, hence they worked on super low commissions. Totally useless, so I asked the MIL if she didn’t mine me intervening. Ended up with me giving them a polite rocket and reminding them how to do their job else we’d switch to another agent. Photographer went round, took new (much better) pics, re-listed, proactively called around some potential buyers and had an offer that weekend. Offer fell through, fair enough it happens, but they then had another within days and that did go through thankfully.

Bottom line – don’t be afraid to have a word with them. Be polite, but be firm. Do some research if necessary. No harm asking other agents how they’d push it. OTOH, update your pics and lower your price?

Is it sensible to imagine that the Russians will be ****ed with the onset of winter, ie ill-equipped for the weather, lacking reinforcements/replacements, malnourished, poor morale, etc? And surely more people in their homeland will be increasingly aware of what’s really happening?

Ukrainians OTOH will no doubt be up for the fight with better winter gear, equipment etc.

Surely Putin will become the new Napoleon?

Is Monday.com not just a Jira board with a nicer interface over it?

Not sure TBH. I last used Jira 10+ yrs ago when it was pretty basic.

MS Project has always been horrible to use.

My preferred PM tools over the years are Monday.com, Asana and ClickUp. All have their pros and cons. Fire up some free trials and see what works best for you.

IMO ClickUp is better for getting a snapshot across multiple projects, but it often requires more upkeep to maintain this degree of visibility. You’ll also find yourself clicking a lot to get insight on different tasks, views, dashboards etc. Very customisable. Their support has always been excellent IME, although a number of users in recent months have been complaining a lot.

Monday.com is very colourful and customisable. A bit quirky too, but it really excels with certain workflows.

Asana is also very good, and probably the easiest/quickest to navigate around. Probably the least flexible though. Having said that, it’s strength IME is showing me what I need to focus on now in My Tasks – something it does better than all other PM tools I’ve used.

Things like automated task flows are becoming better across all these apps too.

We did something similar for the Scouts back in the spring. The consensus was that if we give them too much choice then the end result for some will be too weird and/or inedible.

I think we asked them (in their packs) what they fancied cooking from the ingredients available, and steered them away from anything that wouldn’t work. Chicken might have been the main protein, and that IIRC was pre-cooked to reduce the risk of cross-contamination. Beyond that, it was pick something like rice vs spaghetti vs noodles… add some veg, eg stir fry… bit of sauce, eg soy vs tomato/pasta… job done.

Some 11 year olds are very capable and enthusiastic in the kitchen, just as some far older ones have no idea nor enthusiasm.

Just keep them engaged and ensure that all contribute and have a say in what’s going on. It’ll be cool.

I’ll complete the form later when I’ve had a better look. My first impression is I dislike the topic list spacing because you have to scroll for ages to find the thread/s you’re looking for. Much preferred the precious formatting across a single line.

Then there is the venue- there is not a lot of class in that choice. No idea who instigated that choice, but it shows remarkably few principles (or understanding maybe). Not the only sport to make this poor choice obviously but that does not make it right.

Money and sports washing. That’s all it is. AJ tries to paint a different picture but he knows he can’t say the truth.

I detest everyone involved in putting on these events in that part of the world. It’s probably the main reason I’ll give this fight a miss. Something very wrong about the whole thing.

He’s also very light at the weigh in.

Eh? He’s heavier than last time… which IMO only makes sense if he goes for the KO inside 6-7 rounds. If he’s made to stick around much longer then it’ll probably be Usyk on points or possibly a KO. Would like to see Joshua win simply to see him take on Fury.

There’s very little cover/shade along the SDW so you’re almost always exposed to the sun. It’s pretty much a ridge, and it’s bloody unforgiving in 30+deg with humidity.

Some people are designed to cope better in those conditions. If you’re one of them then crack on. If you’re not, then be sensible.

n 1941 Russia was on its arse. In 1945 Russian influnce dominated the entirety of Eastern Europe.

Would things have been different if they hadn’t captured and looted Berlin before the rest of the Allies got there? Stalin played that to his advantage and it took a while for the UK and US leaders to realise the German people were no longer the enemy – the Russians were. One might argue Stalin would still have found some other way to conduct his powermongering, but he may have had a less advantageous starting point.

Sorry for your loss crewlie.

As above, don’t feel obliged to deliver the words. My brother and I couldn’t do it at our mum’s funeral so the vicar stepped in.

Similarly, a friend’s son recently took his own life (only 18😢). His mum is normally strong and stoic but she couldnt bring herself to say any words at the service. His dad – separated from the mum and rather unhinged – put himself forward and delivered one of the most honest and moving speeches I’ve ever heard. There was no expectation nor any negative commentary about the mum not saying anything.

Do what you feel comfortable with.

Friends of ours decided not to have kids and both have retired aged 50 in the last year. Fat pensions, a big house on the coast, umpteen holidays, always going to gigs and time to pursue their hobbies ad infinitum. I’m happy for them but wouldn’t swap for the rollercoaster of experiences and emotions that come with being a parent.

Obvs there’s so much more I could add as there are so many variables involved… maybe later.

Monkey jnr currently away on an 8 day Scout camp. Then in Aug, we’re off to Chester and N Wales (again) to see the in-laws as they’re now too old to make the 250+ mile drive south. As always, I’m hopeful I’ll get to hire a bike at Swinley or somewhere up a Welsh mountain, but no doubt – like every single time thus far – I expect to be running around looking after everyone else and have no time to myself.

The missus isn’t up for overseas travel as she’s recovering from surgery that didn’t go particularly well. All of our recent hols have been up north or southwest.

After riding various Spesh FS’ for years, I fancied a change and ended up with these:

Whyte 901 HT – bright green
Cannondale CAAD8 road bike – bright blue
Whyte Friston gravel bike – bright orange

I love them all equally and can’t choose between them. Sure, the Friston is the most versatile but my favourite is always the one I’m riding.

Mulling over getting a 29er but don’t have the time to look into it or ride it properly.

OMG, Atari 2600 anyone?

That sure takes me back down memory lane.

PSA Amazon Prime Day today so there are quite a few 30% or so deals on Lego. I snapped up some Star Wars set as jnr and I are getting more into MOCs.

Hi I want an LED light set for the Lego Lamborghini Sian 42115, can anyone recommend a good quality light set, or has anyone made their own LED lights?

+1 Light my Bricks

General consensus is that they’re pricey, and not always easy to fit, especially if retro-fitting, but the quality is top dollar as is durability and longevity.

I don’t find Novak very likeable, however, I think he’s far more capable of handing Kyrgios a hiding in the final than Norrie. I can’t stand Kyrgios so I’m happy to see Novak progress on the basis he’ll do the honours on Sunday.

Very impressed with Norrie’s tournament. Had some battles for sure and proved he’s getting close to mixing it at the top.

A quite astonishing summer of cricket so far. It’ll be interesting to see how Eng fare against SA in a few weeks, given that they’ll no doubt be defending a lead at some time.

Not going to get carried away too much just yet though.

I see Bernie Ecclestone is sticking up for his old chum Vlad.

He really is a vile individual, stating he’s a “first class person” and “I would take a bullet for him”.

The pair have history, with BE previously stating in 2016 that Vlad should run Europe.

there was a stat on yesterday I think; under Baz McCullum they are attacking something like 35% of balls faced. Under all the other coaches it was low 20’s.

I think the same mindset applies to the bowling side of things too. Leach certainly attests to this, eg “You realise teams I have played in, the way I have thought, a lot of decisions are made around negativity. A lot of four or five-day games you give up on the win quite early but [under Stokes and McCullum] it feels like you are always pushing for that win, so there is never really too bad a situation.”

It got very tiring watching Eng play safe/negatively, especially in the last 18 months of Root’s reign.

Yup, Root and JB ticking along in ODI mode.

I quoted the wrong scooter above. I got this MGP MGX and it’s been excellent.

I bought jnr a Mad Gear stunt scooter from Skatehut a year ago. It’s been excellent. Bearings great, really smooth.

https://www.skatehut.co.uk/madd-kick-pro-v5-stunt-scooter-blue-lime.htm

Got it in a bundle with pads, helmet and a ramp.

I spoke to them first for advice and they were super helpful.

I’m going to try looking at this positively. If JB can somehow hog the strike and hang in there whilst playing a few shots then we might at least pass the 100 mark unscathed. We may still be all out soon after, or it might be the start of a rebuild.