My girlfriend has just booked her first shot for tomorrow morning. She is 33 no underlying issues, however she is a secondary carer for her dad. He has had his first jab too. Nice positive news.

But I’m starting to fret about what will happen at the end of March when schools go back. Seeing other places around Europe and the world having what seems like sharply rising cases is just not what I was hoping too see.

Literally the worst thing for me to read today. 2 weeks away from picking up my new (and first) motorbike. I’ve spent a lot of money to get to this point and almost ready to not go ahead with it now.

Glad you got your bike recovered though.

Tried to jog this morning mid way through a walk. Knee said no after 10 strides. 2 months ago I was told 2-3 weeks before running again. Been committed to the stretches.

I guess I don’t have tendonitis.

Still no sign on the Tacx E-Thru axle I ordered at the end of Jan and most places still saying 3-5 weeks delivery. It’s been great not using my new trainer!

Who would have thought this time last year that we would be getting angry about getting a vaccine.

The sun is out, spring is in the air.

What did I just read?

https://nkalex.medium.com/are-geophysics-dramatically-changing-covid19-outcomes-in-some-locations-82f8a06ace7b

So, have decided to go for the digging a hole and filling it with concrete approach. I can lift a few paving slabs around the area and dig there. At the moment I have a friend who is going to help me. He has recommended the bull ring type anchor as above. Just trying to find one now that will take the size of chain I want as I need a minimum inside diameter of 65mm.

Wish me luck! And thanks for all the replies.

I’m 38. I wish I’d never bothered with it. I started running properly when I was 32 and I’ve been plagued with niggles ever since. My background is football since I could stand up and mountain biking and the worst I had was a couple of pulled muscles. Running has given me 2 slipped discs, a f**ked knee (recently), calf pains, and multiple hamstring issues.

I’d love to be able to run, but I think I’m probably done with it. I’m sure that’s just me, and you will be fine if you take your time.

I’ve been wondering this recently too. I have about 2.5tb of photos and videos and need a good backup. Don’t know why but cloud storage makes me nervous….

Was just talking about this last night. I’m not sure there is much of an impact we can make. However, it is worth doing. It will help improve the quality of life in many places. There is a lot of energy still to harness. We need to do it better and I believe in technology and science. I don’t believe in the politics.

I’m 38 and I’m pretty sure before I’m in the dirt I will see a major climate event that will kill many many people. Being ‘green’ is definitely something I’m more aware of as I get older. I’ve made tiny changes which may not seem like much. I always walk to the local shops. I didn’t always used to do it, and it was such an energy waste taking the car. One meal a week were we don’t eat meat.

But, as many have pointed out, an ever growing population makes things very tricky.

No not at all. I was just pointing out my failings.

I have a couple of weeks to find the right solution. I don’t want to lose any more sleep over it. Thanks for the all the replies so far, really appreciate it.

Thanks for that info.

It’s really quite easy and cheap

For someone who is handy at that kind of thing. I can’t even hang a shelf on the wall nevermind dig a hole in a driveway and fill it with concrete.

Right…. So, how much is a job like that going to set me back?

Also can you fit a gate or barrier as a visual deterant

The whole rear of the house is enclosed with 7ft fencing/walls. I’m hoping that is also enough of a deterrent.

Impressive work by the pup @piemonster

I really thought this would be a case of installing a ground anchor fairly easily somewhere outside. This could get even more expensive now.

Is it a real concern that once it runs through the younger ages again it does mutate into something much more dangerous to them? I know the Spanish flu was different, but it ended up killing multiple age groups at different stages in the pandemic.

I was really hoping that the rule of 6 would return sooner :(

Personally I’d rather just dig a hole, fill it with concrete and set the ground anchor into that

Thanks. Well it certainly wouldn’t be me doing it. Wouldn’t have the faintest idea what to do. It does seem like the best option, but the least viable.

Thanks for the replies.

Er, I’m a complete noob regarding this. It’s for a motorbike. I don’t have a garage. It’s a fully enclosed driveway/rear garden with 4ft walls and 3 ft fencing on top, all round. 2 gates, one single, and doubles at the driveway end. Currently a single padlock on each. Plan to add extra padlock and hasp to each, disc lock for bike, cover, and then anchor and chain.

My MTBs live in the house and have done for years.

The garden walls are a long brick length deep. Most wall bolts seem to be around the 80mm mark, so they should go into the brick okay without going through the other side. I understood resin fixings couldn’t be used in brick, only concrete? It’s a minefield.

I don’t really understand the bucket of concrete solution.

1: My name is John Caramel
2: My name is Barbara Lighthouse
3: My name is Steve Bytheway

I have a Mk3! Doesn’t rattle, but then it’s probably pretty basic compared to the latest ones.

At Inners last year with the restricted numbers on the buses, I got 6 runs in compared to the usual 9. They also had an extra minibus on.

Well at least if you fall through the trap door you don’t have far to go to get help.

I’m guessing a case of the latter.

I’d love to get to BPW some day, maybe even this year at some point.

Not bad, but not there yet

And where is that? Zero is a mere fantasy. As many have said, once people move around there will be cases. So, is it 10, 20, 24?

There will be another peak. Most definitely. But, if the vaccine program and any current immunity works for us, then hospital admissions and deaths will stay relatively low. But I fear once we see a rise in cases there will be quick reactions to lock us down again because we have already seen what happens. Frightened of trusting the vaccine?

Poor Greater Manchester

Yip. We had the dizzy heights of Tier 2 for a week I think it was. Always been in the highest tier. I don’t see much being given up at the beginning of March. Maybe some kids back at school. I’d just like to meet a couple of people outside somewhere.

Obviously not much fun

That’s quite the understatement. I have been speaking to various friends, and work colleagues who are really really struggling right now. It’s been almost a year, people are hanging on by a thread, myself included.

The bar scene with half the bottle is a personal favourite. Will be watching this at some point in the coming days! Nice Lee Travino cameo too.

I had a pair of XT hubs on an old hardtail. Buttery smooth when new/after too long spent adjusting them. Yes, they will feel better than most cartridge bearings, but the faffery isn’t quite worth it for me. If you keep them in tune, they will run forever.

Nice to see case numbers under 10,000 today. First time since October, I think?

The retired don’t need to come into contact with anyone in this technological age

Am I reading that right?

MNPR sounds great. Always enjoyed them on the few rides I went on. One of my first ever rides after moving here was with them, out of Littleborough. Maybe one night I’ll hang on for a pint.

I think we need to have a whip round for @TiRed and get him a few beers!

I had some nice news recently hearing a few family members back in NI have received their first jabs. Can’t wait to see them soon, whenevee that is, and have a good catch up.

I have one. Really like it. Maps are pretty good, battery life is decent. Other than maybe a slightly larger screen, can’t really say it is missing any major features. Personally I’m not interested in touchscreens et al.

I live in South Manchester. I’ve rode from home out to Marple and back. Was about 42 miles. It wasn’t too bad, lots of walkers to avoid on the pathways. Maybe in the summer I’ll try again and maybe extend it a bit.

Over the last couple of months when I have been speaking to our internal sales and admin staff on the phone, most of them are fed up working at home. They want to return to the office and interact with people. However, they would like the flexibility. I think that is where it will be for our company. Mixed between office and home. Many of the internal staff are fairly local to the office. All the external sales engineers like myself are based at home anyway. My girlfriend has been working from home since March last year and she wants a balance too. Would like to be back in the office 1-2 days a week, but at home the other times. But she needs a better working space.

but why anyone would want to measure their HR is beyond me

Can be very beneficial when training. I’ve found it helpful. Good marker of fitness. I know many other metrics are available for that.

I would love to get away somewhere in the UK this year. Actually, I just want to be able to go back to Belfast for a week to see friends and family.

convergent evolution!

Well, if it is and it takes hold, we’re pretty much back to square 1. I wasn’t saying it shouldn’t be reported, just the way it is reported.

It’s for a new variation of the Kent variant. My worry is that every time there is a notable mutation, it makes the news and is used in a negative way to scaremonger.