Angels on horseback.
Basically a scallop wrapped in a piece of the thinnest bacon you can buy and grilled (or BBQ’d in the summer). 4 is enough, but I find them so more-ish that 6 would not be an issue. You can go all fancy pants with avocado on fresh toasted sourdough or rye bread etc, but I’m happy with just the scallops and bacon.

Alternatively, avocado on toast, with a poached egg, some overcooked (re crispy) bacon sprinkled on top and some wilted/blanched spinach to garnish.

As above – Keep the bend radius as large as possible and the rest of the ducting as straight and as short as possible. This may mean that when planning the kitchen you have to adjust where the hob is… The more efficient the airflow and the quieter it will be. It also means that on a minimal setting it will out perform a badly ducted extractor on full power.
We bought a Bosch extractor from Appliences Online (three years ago). It’s great and only gets put onto full power when the Wife is cremating something. We bought it based upon the decibel level thinking that we’re more likely to use it if it’s quiet. Our last one was a recirculating design and sounded like we lived next to Heathrow when it was on full power. The new quieter one gets used all the time because when it’s on, you can still hold a conversation!

We’ve got a Ring doorbell.

You can set it to notify you when it detects motion, or when the doorbell is actually pressed. The range of the detector can be set to suit it’s location/your drive/house. It means can access the live view and speak to people on my drive via my mobile.

If you pay £25 per year, all motion detection and doorbell rings are saved to the cloud and can be recalled at will.

I know when my kids are leaving the house if we’re out and who’s arriving. We never miss deliveries anymore and we have the Chime bell in the house set to ‘Dog Barking’ so when we’re out it sounds like we’ve got a mental dog locked in the kitchen!

I feel safer for having it and the convenience is worth the money.

Recommended.

Brutal.
I was 19 and my family dog ‘Ben’ was 18. I’d never known a day without him.
Worst day ever for me. I doubt I’ll be that upset ever again (I’m married and I’ve got kids!)

On a lighter note;
My Mother had a horrible Jack Russell and asked me to do the deed for her. I hated that dog and it hated me (and everyone else apart from her). She was very upset, so I said I’d take him. She gave me £120 and the dog on its lead. “£120?” I said, “You’re joking! That’s expensive…”
She must have seen cogs ticking in my head as I walked down her drive.
She shouted “And come back later with the receipt.”
I’d happily have introduced it to my spade and then buried it in my garden, such was our mutual loathing. Clearly my Mother had noticed this too!

Odlo Base layer, it’s got to be 10 years old now and washed hundreds of times. Still wicks, still warm and still very much in one piece.

+1 for my old CamelBak, as it’s lasted and lasted. I’ll probably buy an Osprey next time though… They just seem to have thought about the little things a bit more.

Exposure lights. Used for biking, SUPing, Kayaking, general stuff and DIY!

Bridgedale Light Hiker socks

Any Salomon footwear – they just seem to fit me really well.

Gerber multi tool Pliers

I also love my Fenix 3HR.

Quite a list but all stuff I’d highly recommend.

I have a batten on a rusty shelf bracket that sticks out about a foot. I just hook the front wheel of my road bike over that. Simples.

I used to hang a mountain bike in a similar fashion and it had RockShock World Cup SID forks. If left for a while, the oil would drain back past the seals and the forks wouldn’t work properly… So it’s worth thinking about the orientation of your bike when hanging it up.

I used to deliver stuff from Howdens. There’s always a worktop out the back that has been dropped or had the corner nicked by a forklift truck. They sometimes chuck them out if they’ve got multiple scratches or write them off and let them go for cash in the office tea fund. Worth having a snoop around the ‘rear entrance’ of Howdens, Benchmark etc and talking directly to the guy who works the store room, not the front office!

I’ve lived in a converted coach and I’ve also owned a motorhome.
The coach was in Australia and I had access to a house where I could do my laundry, empty out the loo etc, so that was easy living.

The motorhome we had was £7500 and you get something old (tatty) and slow for that money. However, we did it up inside for not a lot of cash and had various holidays with kids on board throughout the winter. A decent heater, makes all the difference. We had a shower and toilet on board. Cosy but eminently do-able especially if there’s only one of you. You’ll need access to a tap and sometimes electricity top up. But if you’re driving most days you can keep the electricity topped up. A 3-way fridge is great and uses up minimal gas. Damp is generally the worst issue that you’ll have – parking it to get sun and heat inside actually makes a difference! Drying clothes , showering etc doesn’t help but if there’s only one of you, damp shouldn’t be an issue. Just keep it tidy or it will turn into a festering pit that won’t feel like a nice home very quickly.

If you bought a motorhome now and wanted to sell it in 5 months as the summer kicks in, you’ll probably make a profit… Do it, what have you got to lose?

Baby Bjorn for tiny, then Osprey Poco after. Sign up to Osprey and they give you access to their “Second Life” page where they offer you factory seconds. £104 for a £260 baby carrier.
Be quick though, the stock on their Second life page goes quickly, so if you see something you like – buy it!

https://www.ospreyeurope.com/shop/gb_en/secondlife?utm_campaign=500001_SecondLife%20-%20B2C%20EN&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Osprey%20Europe%20Ltd&dm_i=3MFS,APSX,FBFJA,13GU2,1

Homemade IronMan
Swim in the sea outside my local sailing club, ride my local roads, but I can’t run (meniscus removal), so I’m going to SUP the marathon which will take 7 hours, so not a cop out! Strava doesn’t lie, so I can’t cheat. Already cut right back on booze and it’s given me good motivation to go out and ride a bit more.

http://www.kentballooning.com

astormatt – I’m not telling you to put her off! I’m just informing you of the pitfalls ahead of time to avoid unnecessary disappointment. IE Taking her 200 miles for a surprise balloon ride that might be cancelled, might not be the way forward. I’m not trying to be pessimistic, just realistic. Managing peoples’ expectations is the hardest part of the job, but if you can do that, the feedback you get is so much better. If you promise the earth and deliver nothing, people’s attitude change for the worse!

Cougar – Quite often I Google stuff and the first common sense review or answer listed, is some thread on here. It’s a shame there are some keyboard warriors looking to troll (the sort who’d have a fight in a phone box) but on the whole it’s great place to visit.

Rocketman – are you available to do our marketing?!!!
* If it’s too fast – you don’t survive! The basket, gravity and the passengers are the brakes!
* Most companies tell you to bring a hat (or at least we do)
* I’m not sure which plane you can go in and have a conversation with someone on the ground. Or indeed which planes fly below 1000ft and under 20mph, thus enabling you to take in the vista, smells and sounds.
* Landing in a field is normal. I’m not sure where else you would land something that is so rudimentary and guided by the available winds. (Although I have landed in car parks, gardens and even a tennis court). We have a minibus as being chucked in the back of a Land Rover is seriously underwhelming.
I’d like to think that if you’d flown with us, you would be able to recommend ballooning, or perhaps it’s just not your thing…

I can’t really see past (excuse the pun) an Exposure Joytsick.

£99 for a MK12 on CRC. 1000 lumens on full power and it’s last overnight on low power.

I’ve got a MK2 (only 240 lumens) that’s still good for night orienteering / running etc. Just by the optional headband.
It has the advantage of being a great torch to have in your pocket, mount on your bike helmet or it’s even good enough to ride with on your bars…

If you want real romance get a VIP balloon (Pilot plus two people) however you’ll be looking at least twice the cost.

Also if a company tells you they fly all year round, treat it with a pinch of salt. There’s little or no flying for long periods of time in the winter. We only fly April – October, as it’s generally when there’s the most chance of suitable weather. Once the ground is wet, trying to get 2Tons of equipment out of a wet muddy field is problematic. We sometimes fly our VIP balloon in the winter (and I also do some instructing too) but that ‘s small enough to be manhandled/walked out of a field.

N I’ve been flying balloons for 19 years, so feel qualified to chip in. Yes, you will more than likely get cancelled. Ballooning is weather dependant and any more than 10kts of wind is too much (12mph). Poor visibility, low cloud and rain are also reasons for cancellations / postponements. If taking time off work is an issue (bearing in mind you may get cancelled), saving £20 by getting a midweek morning voucher, rather than an an evening / weekend / anytime voucher is a false economy. Note that the evening flights generally meet two hours before sunset, so in the middle of the summer that may be as late as 19:00, so may be appropriate depending on your work hours.

O Regarding flying in the morning or the evening – it’s personal choice. I like morning flights. If you don’t like the sound of an alarm and feel the need to spend an hour putting make-up on, perhaps a 05:30 meeting time will not be for you. Bear in mind also that the pilot may change the launch site at the last minute (see below) so be prepared perhaps for an even earlier start!

T Fly with an independent company. You can make your own mind up but check out anyone on Trip Advisor. Large companies customer service (call centre) get poor reviews and you’re more likely to get better service from a family run independent company. Pilots that work for a large company may only get paid if they fly. Therefore they are more likely to call a flight ‘ON’ if there’s a chance of going. If the weather isn’t suitable then you may get cancelled ‘in the field’ which means not only have you taken the day off work (but rather than being cancelled by phone the night before), you’ve driven to the launch site only to be sent home again. It’s unfortunate but it happens sometimes. However the lure of sneaking a flight in (and being paid) will be more of a lure to the pilot than annoying 16 passengers. After all it’s the goons in the call centre that have to take the flak. For me, as an independent, you’ll only speak to my wife in the office and if she/we get grief or poor feedback, we take it to heart. The lure of cash may also mean that the pilot may fly in conditions where others might cancel…

V Independents (especially those owner/operators) have generally been flying there for a long period of time. I am able to point out local landmarks, historical features, describe the vista to the passengers and hopefully answer any questions they may have about the local area as I’ve lived here for 36 years. Aside form that, I also have a detailed knowledge of the local weather conditions. This means you’re less likely to get cancelled in the field. Knowledge is power and being able to predict local nuances regarding the weather will also aid good flight planning, leading to safer flying.

I Because I’ve been flying here for 19 years, I know the local landowners well. I know where I can land and where to avoid. A pilot that flies the same patch year in, year out will be the same. Nothing leaves a downer on a flight experience more than being told “Get off my land” (or worse) by a farmer or abuse being hurled at you as a passenger. It normally occurs where problems have occurred previously and pilots have not shared this information outside of their own company. Not knowing the area may lead to a very late night waiting to be picked up.

R Launch site choice. This is the biggest joke of all, from ‘nationwide’ companies in particular. Saying that you can choose your launch site is basically a lie. Read the small print that says, the pilot may swap the site at the last minute and you have to turn up wherever he says. This may be over an hour away. So imagine call his ‘Conformation Line’ at 23:00 thinking you have a 2 minute walk around the corner, to be told you’ve got to drive over an hour away and be there at 05:30. The reason may be a valid one. For example is the upper winds are a strong southerly, then you’ll end up in the sea, or going into controlled airspace (Heathrow/Gatwick etc) but it might also be because he has just come back late from a mid summer flight and cannot reasonably rest for only 4 hours before having to trek over an hour to get to your site to fly in the morning.

G Rebooking. This is where the urine is well and truly extracted. A particular nationwide company quote somewhere that rebooking your flight will be 6-8 weeks. I’ll leave that there and tell you that we can fit you in within a few days for most of our slots and within 2 weeks for our most popular weekend slots (Saturday PM). Non-redemption should not be allowed as a business model. For the experience industry as a whole (trackdays, skydiving, segways, etc), non-redemption of vouchers is normally around 12%. This may be as high as 20-25% if you make it difficult/awkward/inconvenient for your customers to rebook. Just going from what you can find out online, a lot of customers from certain nationwide companies, simply give up.

I For a 16 passenger balloon, I have myself and 3 ground crew. That means we can be completely independent from the passengers if required. My passengers are can join in if they like but it’s not a necessity. I have seen a balloon company with a big red balloon operate with just one crew. Once the balloon and basket are off the trailer the minibus gets loaded on for the chase and then removed to take the passengers home. This means that the passengers have to take part packing away. Cow poo, stingers, thistles, a bad back, nice clothes or just can’t be arsed, might mean that you don’t want to.

N Return vehicle should be PSV licensed and driven by a fully qualified driver when transporting passengers.

E Champagne. We have lots of it and it’s very good quality, local, English (sparkling wine). We do carry some French stuff, but Chapel Down gets rave reviews and if it was good enough for the last Royal Wedding, then it’s good enough for me. You are not restricted to just one glass and can get plastered if you choose! We also carry Spitfire Ale (thanks to our sponsors), coke, orange juice and water for those who don’t like fizz. We also offer nibbles.

V Photos. We take on-board photos (around 10) AND photos from the ground (normally 50+). Often I’ll do a time lapse of the last 10 minutes fo the flight so you can see the landing too. These get put on a USB stick for £20 along with 150 library photos and you can buy them if you like. There’s no hard sell. You get to view them while drinking your champagne, so you can see before you buy.

E Merchandise. WE sell that to for those that want it. Hats, t-shirts, polo shirts, mugs, water bottles etc. Again there is no hard sell. If you want to sit in the field, drink champagne and watch the sun go down – fill your boots!

R So there you go. Some things to look out for. Any questions – just ask! I wish I was more local to you, so I could recommend a specific independent company. Wickers World seem to have a good reputation and also fly from Worcester Race Course… Take a look on Trip Advisor though for honest opinions. It’s the stuff after you’ve bought the voucher that you need to rely on later that’s important, not the snappy promotions or reductions from prices that were never that high in the first place.

Spice
CPL Balloon UK CAN AUS US
BBAC Instructor
BBAC LRO
25m Swimming badge

PSA

https://www.ospreyeurope.com/shop/gb_en/secondlife

I’ve had an Osprey Stratos 24 for about 9 years. I take it MTB biking on longer trips when my 9l Camelbak won’t carry enough stuff. It goes skiing and shopping on a day to day basis. I love it. Side pockets are big enough to put a phone and energy bars in. The mesh back separates your back form the pack and is noticeably cooler than any other rucksack I’ve tried. Bought the 33l version as well because I liked it so much.

Osprey seem to think of the little things that other manufacturers don’t. We have 5 Osprey items in our house and I’d highly recommend all of them.

The OP wants to see the Northern Lights…
Why are people just listing examples of Ikea furniture?
Sometimes I just don’t understand the people on here.

Just for the record, and to show that you are ‘normal’!

43 and 3/4
5′ 10″
14st 9lbs / 205lbs / 93kg
Resting 43bpm
Max 185 (although I haven’t tried to get it any higher and probably should make more effort!!!)

Sorry I thought it was £7:50! I bought an annual pass this year for £63, so haven’t been paying attention!

What is your resting HR?

For an XC whippet you can knock out an entire lap in 35 minutes and even a fat git like me can do it in 42 minutes. Not worth travelling past the aforementioned places at the moment whilst it’s still dry-ish. However in the middle of winter when the ‘natural trails’ are muddy it’s worth a drive. Mostly flat with a few decent technical sections (think swoopy and niggly rather than rock gardens and drop offs) it’s a nice ride. A hard tail will cope with all that’s on offer.
Good facilities; cafe with good food, showers, Go Ape, forest walks in the Pinetum (for the rest of the family) it’s a nice place place to visit. £7.50 to park puts some people off.

I come from an hour to the East, (as close to France as you could get), so for me it’s the nearest place to go and get a trail centre fix. Fowlmead (Betteshanger Park) is the only other place to go in deepest darkest Kent but it lacks appeal in my opinion. Also, as a former colliery, I always imagine the coal dust you ride on is grinding my transmission away at an alarming rate!

Slow delivery unless you pay extra.
Wiggle ‘free delivery’ is much quicker and if the product is the same price, it’s enough to persuade me to shop there instead.
Whilst I understand express delivery, I’m not sure why CRC drag their feet with their free delivery as much as they do. Just stick it in the box and chuck it out the door!

My Fenix 3 uploads wirelessly via my phone straight to Strava as soon as the activity is completed on the watch.

https://www.sportpursuit.com/sales/garmin-920-310817

There are some very nice Whytes being ridden round here… All T130 with Eagle GX.

Obviously your bike choice will depend a lot on how close you are to a specific brands dealer?

I have an older EX and love it.
The best bit is the ABP. The mechanism at the back that separates rear braking forces and suspension.
That sold me once I’d tried it.

Word of warning. If you change the fork length, you’ll change the geometry and your frame lifetime warranty (which I’ve used before and they are more than fair) will be null and void. Personally, I wouldn’t muck around with what they’ve spent ages designing…

We’ve just had a great week in Anglesey. Dulas to be exact with views over the estuary. Google Sage and Sea holiday cottages.
1hr 20 from Coed y Brennin, which we did and also rode on Anglesey thanks to advice on STW.
We also did 4 activities at Zip World- Forest Coaster, Velocity, Skyride and (the best bit) Caverns.
Paddle boarded around the coastline with seals.
Climbed Snowdon
Surfed at surf Snowdonia

Really liked Anglesey. Never been before, but we went on Trip Advisor and found a couple of nice restaurants and the walks were beautiful too. A nice place to relax after doing lots of activities.

http://www.saundersonsecurity.co.uk/acatalog/PJB_Garage_Defender_Master_With_Lock_PJB301.html

Obviously only works with up and over or side hinged doors.

We had a paedo maths teacher who very matter of factly explained how at the weekend (whilst being in the St Johns Ambulance) he’d attended a call to visit an old lady who hadn’t been seen for a while. He then graphically described how her dog had gotten hungry and had started to eat her. He then calmly turned to the black board and began simultaneous equations… Later struck off for paying too much attention to the lower years getting changed after sports.

Another pervy teacher got arrested at the same Grammar school. That was quite exciting and everyone knew within minutes that King Rollo had been handcuffed and lead away.

Kelsey hit Adam Milton with a cricket bat (full swing, on purpose, to the head, for no apparent reason) and got expelled.

We made our Geography teacher cry on a school field trip to Swanage. All 17 kids were swaying in the back of a Transit and making it slew all over the motorway. He was weak and everyone could smell blood. Thinning curly ginger hair, mid thirties, glasses, a bit of a lisp, terrible suit. What did he expect? I look back now and think what a bunch of bastards we were and how we probably gave him a nervous breakdown. How we survived that motorway journey I’ll never know. Sorry Mr Stock.

A kid who was in my class is now the Headmaster at the same boys grammar school. Unfortunately I have two girls, so won’t be able to give him any grief…

Many thanks everyone. We will be travelling to Cod-y-Brenin for a whole day, but these all look good for a cheeky blast before the kids are up.

Newborough looks like fun. I also got told that the forest there has a few trails running through it?
Nice video!

Discovery 3.
Tons of space
Practical (7 seats)
Best towing vehicle – if you’ve got better I’d like to try…
Comfy for wifey
Off road credentials

Bad points – MPG, expensive to run.
Unfortunately, once you’ve got one, they suck you in and you won’t want a pick up…

Thanks for the link.
I was being inept, not lazy!

I have pogies for kayaking in the winter. I have only worn the fleece inners a couple of times. Just the outers are really warm. There’s a reason why motorbike couriers have those massive ones in the winter I guess. Never heard of them for bikes, but I really like the idea of it as my wife won’t ride in the winter due to ‘sensitive hands’. I’m on the hunt for some now too – thanks!

Go to a strip club on the Quebec side.
I lived there in 1999. Hopefully the ladies I gave money to have now saved up enough money and have gone through University.

Maul and ‘Wood Grenade’ gets through almost anything.

‘Ring’ Door Bell

Alerts you when motion is detected and when someone rings the doorbell.
Has a camera so you can see the people and saves all recordings to the cloud for replay whenever you like.
You can live chat with the person that has either rung the doorbell or who has been detected and see live footage on your mobile phone iPad etc.
£179

Haven’t found anything that is as good at keeping me warm and sweat wicking when required as my ODLO base layers. Very thin, but very good at the job. Washed and washed for about 8 years. Still the best performing bit of clothing I own.

Sorry Prawny – already bought the winning ticket…