@BadlyWiredDog – thanks fella that is fantastic insight. And yes, I’m on that Facebook group, it has really helped a lot talking to other people as frustrated as I am! I may drop you a private message if I can?

And thanks to the rest that have commented so far. This is all really useful.

I’ve been reading my edition of the Tao Te Ching again (the Stephen Mitchell translation). The somewhat nebulous nature of the teachings help steer me towards a happier outlook in my own particular anarchic way.

IF I didn’t have children who depend on me I’d be swallowed up by existential angst most days.

Best of luck OP.

Yeah, i know that van OP. Certainly priced to suit the pockets of the local population.

I was at a Forestry Comission concession cafe on Monday with my daughter. Hot chocolate plus marshmallow bits = £3.60. She’d drunk it in about 3 minutes.

Crazy dog-lady stands in the middle of the trail across a grassy down. As I approach:

CD-L (irate): “You can’t ride here!”

Me (slowing): “Er, it’s a bridleway.”

CD-L (hysterical): “You can’t ride here!!”

I take evasive action as CD-L looks properly demented and give her a wide berth.

CD-L (now screaming at the top of her voice: “EVERY ONE HATES YOU! EVERYONE HATES YOU! EVERYONE HATES YOU!”

It was an odd moment.

Got a C15 carved virtually brand new if you’re interested in replacing yours! Drop me a message.

Evans sent me a used dropper once that was sold as new. They sold my mate a ‘new’ ebike that was muddy. Both before the Mike Ashley years.

They’re not a great company imho.

Everything you need to know is here:

YouTube linky

Interesting that he’s a consultant anaesthetist because i know a few medical professionals and the only one who has refused a vaccine is a…

…consultant anaesthetist!

Maybe there has been a scare story on the Anaesthetist-track World forum?

I’m roughly where BadlyWiredDog is. March 2020. Post Exertional Malaise whacks me fairly regularly. Booster Pfizer knocked me back for 6 weeks. Have earache in my right ear when i start relapsing. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at stress triggers.

Currently on a plethora of supplements my nutritionist friend has recommended and considering CAWS as a method of getting over th PEM.

Thoroughly fed up with the whole thing and beginning to get my head around the idea that this might be me now long term.

But still better than very many others, and quite frankly it’s made me significantly improve my lifestyle.

Nice one. Love it. Never get tired of the nobbiness of the entire cast!

Just to throw a spanner in the works… I’ve had a 19″ Sherpa gen1 for about 6 years. I’ve ridden it with 100mm and 120mm but over the summer I had a mad scheme to slacken the HA by a degree and put a 130mm Pike on it.

I’ve always loved the bike but it is now truly brilliant! The only thing that held it back before was the steeper techy stuff, but it feels so planted now. Love it!

I think it has a 50mm stem and 2.3 tyres if that helps.

Llandegla next year.

Arse biscuits.

Sublime Optics. Oz based but they arrive in about a fortnight. I’ve bought several polarised lenses for various Oakleys. They’re very good.

I’m boycotting SSUK until it comes South again. Or at least below Birmingham. But then I’m all over it with my southern lardidah ways.

I’ve always found Kurt Vonnegut fairly accesaible.

Slaughterhouse Five obvs. but also Cat’s Cradle.

Seeing as no one has mentioned Decathlon I ought to!

Got a pair of their Quechua hikinh socks which are indestructible. Not warm though. I’ve not yet found a wool sock that has lasted. Defeet are pretty good but the wooliness wears off on the heals and sole. Darn Tough were bloody expensive and shrunk.

Mine arrived. They’re ok. Worth the £25. I’ve used them for about 6 hours yesterday, mostly in one ear listening to the radio whilst I was working on a site. The fit is pretty good although I wouldn’t run in them.

I also did a direct comparison with a genuine set of Apple earpods. Same song etc. Only difference was the Apple ones were being driven by an iPhone 11 and the Aldi ones by my Samsung. No surprise that the Apple one’s sounded better, but the Aldi one’s aren’t as bad as others I’ve had. Middling I’d say.

So all in all I’m happy.

🤕

There were Merrel Trail Gloves on Amazon last week for £44.

Linky

I’ve also bought Voovix off Amazon and also Wihtin. Both are good but I wouldn’t run in them.

I was on Blade and White’s last week. Running great. No complaints.

The Meon Springs fishing lodge also sells beer should water not be sufficient…

My first MTB was a second-hand rigid Raleigh M-Trax with gripshift gears. Back then for me it was all about riding local bridleways and the odd small natural jump in the woods.

Fast forward over quarter of a century and I ride the trail centres on my 150mm travel bike. I do the odd enduro and even xc race if I’m feeling fit. But I still like to ride bridleways and do the odd small natural jump in the woods.

Which is what my gravel bike is for. It’s like my old M-Trax but so much better! Doing local bridleways on my big bike would be really dull. A bit like trying to play Slayer on a Telecaster. (I have an Ibanez for days I want to play Slayer…).

@n0b0dy0ftheg0at

How have other long Covid STWers felt after the jab? From my awful memory @Tired @Ahsat

Had the AZ jab on the 6th. Crazy temp about 10 hours later including fingertips going numb and pins and needles all over my body. Paracetamol knocked it on the head after about 5 hours. Had a dead arm about 10 days later too which was odd.

The long covid is grumbling on, too early to say if there is a improvement or otherwise as it is a mercurial and totally unreliable illness at best.

I’m 11 months post covid and have enjoyed the lovely long-covid fatigue. All my other symptoms have gone. It comes and goes, but currently I’m feeling better than I have in the last11 months. I’m hoping this is a continuation of the albeit unpredictable upwards trajectory.

I’ve tried various forms of vits and supplements, but generally they serve to focus my concentration on the illness which in turn seems to exacerbate it. For me now it is quite mentally linked, so my current tack is too try to ignore it and push through (within reason). However I strongly advise against doing this until you feel ready to. And then only little steps at a time. Had I tried this even 2 months back I would have ended up in bed for a week.

I read somewhere that PVS typically lasts 18 months. So I’m aiming to have fully recovered by autumn. Positive mental attitude and all!

Bloody hell! I saw two people walking a dog in them during the cold snap in Surrey. I thought it was a bit odd but chortled to myself.

But its actually a thing! Brilliant! And there’s even an anti-thing!

Love mine but won’t be going for a walk in it. This has made my day. Thanks DrP.

Umberto Eco – Foucault’s Pendulum. Although I did find myself thinking about it a fair bit. But still, mostly impenetrable.

Aliens… Alice is gonna tells us about the aliens. Gotta be.

I’ve had mine for 3 weeks now. I’ve mostly been ragging it around the woods and firetracks. It’s awesome. I’ve put another front wheel on it because I don’t want the mud and crap to ruin the dynamo hub, and I stuck a cheap Decathlon dropper on it.

It’s just a great bike. Really looking forward to some longer trips in the spring and summer, but at the moment I’m more than happy being a hooligan on it. The longer wheelbase offers a stability but the steep head angle means it’ll go exactly where you point it. Basically it’s a hoot! It rockets up hill too.

I like the colour. Reminds me of a Land Rover. And mine is number 69. Dude! 😆

I’d totally recommend it.