not bad car for families – VTR+ 1.6hdi May 2008 new, bought July 09. Carries 5 with luggage – or 4 of us + 2 bikes on the roof + 2 on the back from the Isle of Man to the New Forest with no worries.

Electrics dodgy, but that is apparently down to a batch of dodgy circuit boards . Ours went wrong last May and was fixed after repeated trips and various reboots(only 5 mins to local garage and service managers daughter married to my cousin so good service). Comfortable on the motorway, rolls badly on swerve North Wales roads. Easy to drive, no spare wheel, 2 pop up “occasional” rear seats. Wasn’t sure why we would ever need a 7 seater when we bought it (only 3 of us).My mum got ill and died a week later and it was a god send carrying folk around.

Any help??

watch out for UFO’s according to Quest+1 (167) on Sky now…..

put back a week from normal because we’ve picked up the Commonwealth Youth Games over the normal week end. Apologies on their behalf that you couldn’t see the date clearly – will mention it to the committee

bought the m frame array for a discounted £75 – 10 mins later none left in stock apparently ….

surely he’s just making himself a big target for the kind of driver who will reverse over them to make sure they get the camera too??? PS i was nearly killed by an x3 driven by some acct type last night and they received 3 very fine swear words at full volume. Fortunately there were no children or pensioners around.

upto 1106 entries..

203 now, not quite MM levels of madness but we’re obviously getting there…

26 entries by 12.04…

hmm – if you follow the links there are already 18 entries, and it doesn’t open for 30 mins….

oh, sorry…… maybe very busy as 5 people in my office alone will be entering at midnight

try Virgin complete packages – i’m sure theres a further 10% online booking reduction this weekend. You can stay on Disney and buy 14 day disney tickets at a good price either from them, or get em separately online. Buy, or borrow a copy of the Brits guide to Florida from a library – lots of advice in them ,and they are updated each year.

We’ve been 3 time @ christmas and it’s ace….

You only need the value Disney place – the all star places are all you need. Free buses around Disney, and you can get to Universal and Seaworld easy enough…

We did universal and Islands of Adventure Christmas 09 and didn’t rate them i’m afraid, but that’s probably just us….

hmmm – look for employment benefit trusts, and isle of man, or jersey, or guernsey. you’ll find loads offering potential solutions, just watch as one of the big local players on the Isle of Man has recently been arrested by HMRC in conjunction with the Isle of Man police over one of these schemes…

(i’m a tax man in tax haven who deals with these businesses frequently)

got an ’11 model as an update on my 05 FSR S Works. heavier but very nice, and i liked the EX8 sepia colour way. Pity anodising is poor vs the S Works, but otherwise recommended… especially with white crudguards :)

hmm, can’t find it in the Mag archive, but it was late 2009 i think…. oh, and Chipps went in 2003 too…

cos in my primary school class in the 70’s there were 5 boys called Stephen/Steve out of 15… Stephen Ormerod, Steve Teare, etcetc, and in my christian phase in my teens/20’s there were a few more so Stevio StevieB Stevie T, and on. Stuck, and better than “Fishing Rod”/”Haemorrhoid (sic)”/Step Hen. At work after 25 years i’m “Ombi” cos a former colleague with a cleft palate couldn’t say Ormerod…

Also float around as Stevio1967 elsewhere

cos in my primary school class in the 70’s there were 5 boys called Stephen/Steve out of 15… Stephen Ormerod, Steve Teare, etcetc, and in my christian phase in my teens/20’s there were a few more so Stevio StevieB Stevie T, and on. Stuck, and better than “Fishing Rod”/”Haemorrhoid (sic)”/Step Hen. At work after 25 years i’m “Ombi” cos a former colleague with a cleft palate couldn’t say Ormerod…

Also float around as Stevio1967 elsewhere

popper went on my Single track 3/4’s too – and that was before Christmas splurge…

had a new pressure vessel in this October after much the same thing. Pressure used to vary enormously from day to day. System died 22nd November during the first snows :( . Very, very cold and after 45 mins one morning when it was -4 trying to start it had enough….. Just spent £2200 on a new boiler last week as the old one was 12 years old… Know a good honest plumber???

No pigeons made it to the Isle of Man yet tho i have plenty of loo roll as MBR turned up a few days ago :-(…. Thank heavens i’ve gone premier….

must be a big bummer for Thomson, thats all i can think of!!!! Probably everyone’s (old) No 1 upgrade…

First met Mrs O in church nearly 18 years ago. The chap she was with didn’t want her to meet me! Friends for a few years, then got an anonymous valentines card Feb95 and it just popped into my head “what if it’s from Claire?”. then decision needed – either do nothing, and risk missing a great chance, or risk losing a friend if its not from her. Card actually from girl in Manchester (sorry Pam). Dropped her a card back, she thought it was a from an ex also called Steve…

Much british farce later we started going out – got on well with her dad (keen cyclist too). Married 15 years now with a great son. She even lets me buy bike bits, and laughs when i try to sneak things in. Let me buy my new Fuel 8 (cheaper than a Boxster).

Downside doesn’t like me wearing my pink camo stw top in public :)

my local co ops doing Jura for £17….. hic….

..that my son would rather ride in -2′ snow than in the New Forest in August….

got some apex trousers @ lunchtime but when the confirmation email came thru it said full price. Checked account history straight away as you would and that said discount price, so some coding/programming gremlins

charlie, i’m just a classic underachiever….. i.e fairly average STW’er. Never left the Rock (Isle of Man) for college….. and i can’t be bothered with the next stage choice – CTA – Chartered Tax Adviser to be honest

surely a better question is who spent years of public funding doing a PHD and actually used it for the relevant career, given the current funding my son may not get the chance….

Stevio (HND Public Admin, ATT Tax Technician :(….)

Rovers/Bushys 1st Beer festival glass tankard £5???? reminds you of great beer on the Isle of Man…

just been covered on Look Northwest – shame they couldn’t have done it whilst he was alive, eh?

buy a pack of random ones in your local B&Q? i did and they’re still around…

got 2 working spot halogen lumi cans that would benefit – will email you about doing one – got a Lumi 3 to replace my halogens so this would be more to use as a loan light for other riders

Kirroughtree is an ace event – done it the last 3 years and enjoyed even this years mud lark despite only just having had a hand op. Persuaded a group of other Manx Mountain Bike Club stalwarts to go and got a 4th and 6th overall. Praying for better weather…

Oh and i think my brother and i were first entries this year! The finishing section alone is worth the preceding 7 miles…

phew, not just me – spent an hour yesterday affy trying to get chain into smallest sprocket after fitting new cable. Bought mech and new shifters from Merlin in May, just not used the bike much and new cable neededas i frayed old one. ps unscrew the silver cap, remove black cover and its dead easy to change cable!!!

should try getting a boat to the Isle of Man – nearly as dear by mile and food costs more than Earls Court food places

anyone got that badger photo and a thames boat piccy?

ps epic fail – i’d like you if we ever met!!!

“take a bike” don’t ever lose yer sense of humour – aren’t all Londoners cheeky chappies like Dick Van Dyke…. ;)

achieve a higher level of consciousness and levitate? ps how was cycle show? oh and being a yokel from a small island was that by tube or boat?

take a bike…..?

room for a hobbit…..?

oh, and the end 2 end route goes past “Ballalaugh”,his old house… on the coast road