Will be on strike. Was going to be joining the picket, but …

ernie_lynch

angry women on picket lines can be a bit of a turn on

erm … 8O

or maybe 8)

(depending on who’s walking past …)

Not ‘fit’, but it’s really important to me to be healthy.

So I ride lots (both road and mtb), swim about 3x a week, head off for a full day hiking in the mountains every week, and try to get to the climbing wall at least once a week. I try to do something physically active every day, but I focus on enjoying the experience / scenery etc.

I don’t train, never race, and don’t have a HRM etc. For me, that would take the fun out of the activities that I do. But have just had a health check – low BMI, good blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and extremely low cholesterol. So that’s good enough for me.

Typical … me and emsz offer virtual snogs if you stay off the fags … while TJ promises to pucker up if you fall off the non-smoking wagon

… so what do you do? Yup, start puffing away!

S’OK, us girls can take the hint :(

That’s mighty kind of you! Although I am smaller than small, so it might have to be you’re tiniest of tiny bikes (have had unfortunately painful close encounters with too high top tubes before – learnt the hard way that adequate standover height is crucial 8O )

Although have found a bike shop that hires out fixies … am soooo tempted :)

Damn, no festive London Pootling for me :(

Have been trying to find a way of bringing my bike down with me (5 day trip, multiple places due to work meetings, family and friend meeting etc). But trying to sort out taking a bike on 10 train journeys, involving 3 different companies all with complicated booking proceedures, needing to leave London some time between 4 and 6pm, trying to find secure bike storage in central London – end result: IMPOSSIBLE! So much for encouraging more sustainable travel …

Looked into hiring a Boris bike – but expensive for more than short trips. So unless I can come up with another easy solution for a bike to pootle on for the day, then I can’t come …

Bummer! Was really looking forward to meeting up with folks.

vortexracing – glad you had a good weekend, albeit somewhat wet and wild! Sorry about bailing out on Sunday – couldn’t face a second day of the wind after Saturday (although it had calmed down a bit). Went for a road ride with a friend instead – far more sheltered in the Conwy valley, but the fields were all flooded – must have been the ‘river’ from Penmachno flowing through!

mintimperial – Snowdon on a bike would have been “interesting” on Saturday! Although on the leeward side, it would have been fine, but as soon as you got to any point exposed to the SW wind things would have got a bit breezy!

I do kinda like being out in that weather though – definately exhilerating :)

Well, the quick road spin turned into a 4 hour ride ‘cos it was so nice out neither of us wanted to go home. Pretty sheltered in the Conwy valley, but lots of fields flooded by Llanwrst! Mid-ride panad and chips :)

Back now, heading for a long hot soak in the bath, followed by veggie roast dinner and a glass of wine for a chilled out end to a great weekend

After the excitement of yesterday’s rather full-on weather in the mountains, am going to have a quieter day today. Bailing on going mtb’ing on Conwy mtn (sorry vortexracing!), instead about to head out for a road ride with a friend up the more sheltered Conwy valley to Betws for a panad, and then probably back above Llanwrst if the wind has dropped by then.

Lovely and sunny here – far too nice to stay in!

CFH – that’s enough gloating from you! (looks out of window, sees grey clouds and wind, tries not to think about hot, sunny beaches …)

Kev – not stupid, an informed decision taking into account the level of risk. We knew the detailed mountain forecast, amended the route slightly based on my knowledge of the terrain along every part of it, had prepared alternatives and escape options, and all had proper winter mountaineering kit with several of us carrying ropes, survival bags and an emergency group shelter. I made several changes to our route and the day progressed, and when the wind got to in excess of 80mph and the conditions were at the point of changing from challenging to dangerous, made the call to drop of the ridge safely using one of the escape routes I already knew about. Used good technique for the conditions – pairing up stronger people as a wind buffer for others who were struggling, experienced navigator in front, 2 strong and experienced people as back markers, and a keeping together as a tight group.

‘stupid’ is when you go out in conditions which don’t match your experience.

Looks as though it’s a bit lively in quite a few places then! Still blowing a hooly outside here …

Will have a lasting memory of seeing 14 people first staggering, then being blown over like pins in a bowling alley, before finally resorting to crawling … we must have looked as if we’d been downing the booze all day!

Glad everyone’s had a fun (albeit invigorating) day, and hopefully no injuries.

Big Ted – proper LOL :lol:

… me too!

Good luck for tomorrow Fenred :)

And the ‘elements’ are going to be pretty bad here tomorrow, so the mind boggles as to the level of wind Elfin will have to endure!

I struggle with long sentences … but in case it hasn’t already been said, I can’t understand why a lot of the private sector aren’t uniting with the public sector in response to the cuts?

Surely it’s better for everyone to come together to fight for a reasonable pension (and let’s stop all this nonsense about “gold plated”) – sufficient for a decent, not extravagent, retirement. Plus, a lot of the cuts to the public sector are having a direct effect on the private sector. I have a substantial research budget, which I use to contract out to the private sector, this has been significantly reduced and I know that as a consequence a number of companies I deal with are struggling.

Why can’t we come together to fight for something better?

A particularly fine chilled NZ chardonnay …

… possibly not the best preparartion for leading a group of mountaineers in Snowdonia tomorrow in gale force winds – when the local forecast has just advised that people avoid heading up into the mountains 8O

Ah well …

Edit – Fenred: hope that drink is slipping down fine without a fag :)

You mean it’s wasted all my “just think about the positives” comments (chance to spec a new bike etc etc) – huh!

Seriously, well chuffed for you! You are an absolute numpty though :)

Oh, and you owe me a pint now …

8O

Might have to reconsider going on Mr Elfin’s Festive London Pootle – I’m more used to dodging sheep than cars and shoppers!

Molgrips – did you find a cycle-friendly hotel in the end? I’m down there a fair bit for work and have often thought of taking my bike, but not known where would have safe bike storage.

gravitysucks – that’s such a difficult situation. It does sound as though you have both been trying to work towards resolving it, but it appears that you are now in repeated patterns of behaviour which are quite negative. It’s a really tough call, for both of you, and I don’t think any of us on here can give you a definative answer, just maybe share experiences as that can help.

My experience might help with your question of:

I don’t know if she is able to get back on her feet with me around.

2 years ago, myself and my long-term partner were in a pretty similar position to you. I’d had post-viral fatigue for the preceeding 9 months, and it had caused significant anxiety attacks as well as a phsyical inability to do much. Neither of us really understood what was going on, but of course it affected him as well as me. The short answer was that he decided he wanted our relationship to end after 16 years together (although he didn’t want to go to counselling etc). It’s a really, really hard thing to go through, but I respect and appreciate that we both tried incredibly hard to hurt each other as little as possible through an emotionally charged period. I’m proud of the fact that in the last 18 months of seperating we have both have acted with care, consideration and respect for each other. In the end, it’s important to remember that you care about each other, even if your relationship no longer works.

The end result? I’ve been lucky to overcome my PVF and anxiety, and am now far more active than I have probably ever been. I have a good network of friends, and my confidence in myself has returned. To go back to your question: could I have done it if he had been around? – possibly not, by then he perceived me as someone who had ‘problems’ and when you are in that box it is very hard to break out of it. That’s not an accusation, as I think my ex is a good person, who I still respect and care about. I do get down sometimes about being alone, and I miss him, but I acknowledge that his feelings changed and he then acted with consideration and sensitivity. As has been said, not all relationships have to end acrimoniously!

I hope that you’re able to move forward positively, in whatever way is best for you. Good luck, and take care.

morgs / fenred – get back on the wagon :)

And all giving-up smokers* are allowed to mention doors … its a special temporary reprive granted by the women’s lib police :wink:

*actually, surely some of you are now ‘EX-SMOKERS’! Yey, permission is now awarded to be an annoying smug bar-steward …

Wow – loads of great information and advice. Will be setting aside some time to start following some of this up.

Just a couple of extra questions:

Re singletrackmind’s comment:

Check the numbers on the bindings on your hre skis , IME they will never release early enough for learners . depending on body weight 3 – 4 is usually enough .Overdone bindings can damage ligaments badly as skis are big levers .

Does height / weight make a difference? I’m much smaller than the average person (5′ and 7.5 stone) – are there things I need to be aware of in choosing equiptment?

– Snow forecasting! From what I can gather, it seems to be pretty poor year so far for snow. Is there a good website that gives accurate snow forecasts, in case I fancy doing a last-minute booking at Christmas?

The phrase ‘small but perfectly formed’ exists for a reason you know :wink:

Oops, I’m tiny – only 5′ … must be exceptionally defective :lol:

Think emsz’s tiny too …

Surely ‘what type of mince pie’ is more important at this time of year than ‘what bike’?

… no? … ah, maybe it’s only me that’s already thinking of Christmas food then … :oops:

Fantastic :)

gsp1984 – I am going to step away from wanting to really tell you what I think of your comments.

Surfice to say my brother was born with severe multiple disability, has spent his life enduring pain, and receives a pitiful amount of support from the state. What little he gets is being eroded even more due to budget cuts, and so the person who has least in life now gets even less.

As for your comments about disabled people’s families and what a disabled person’s mother did during pregnancy … can’t even be arsed to validate that with a response.

I’m more than happy to be a ‘tax giver’ – single person on a reasonable salary, no kids etc.

But then I feel lucky that I am not disabled, and I am still young enough to not be subject to some of the challenges of old age. The idea that we should somehow resent being a ‘giver’ in our society is far too common. All many people seem to want to do is reduce their taxes without caring about how much harder our lives would be if we were the recipient of tax-based benefits – who amongst you would prefer to suffer from life-long disability (and therefore be a tax taker) than pay tax? I’d happily pay more tax to support the more vulnerable in our society, even when that means I go without some things.

Yey! Have secured passout from family festivities for the day :)

(Bit of a tricksy conversation … hello family, I’m coming to visit the weekend before Xmas, but I have an important prior engagement … “what’s that daughter?” … erm, meeting some strangers off a t’internet forum to ride bikes round London … slightly stunned silence on the other end of the phone …)

Will there be tinsel, and funny hats, and mince pies, and slightly tipsy wibbling?

PS – I have a full compliment of gears and brakes (and a pannier rack!) – will I be allowed?

Rachel – will be at some point that weekend – my folks live there, so it’s a pre-xmas visit. Is that where you are?

Elf – wyt ti’n siarad cymraeg i Llundain? (… thinks I might need my passport to enter foreign Englandshire city …)

Are non-locals allowed? Especially visitors from far-flung lands such as Wales?

Will be down in that big city for a meeting, so could do the Saturday. Sunday would also be a possibility depending on train times from Norfolk into London.

You guys are great! Thanks for all the advice – keep it coming.

Conclusions so far …

– probably going to opt for skiing

– going to have at least one lesson at my local dry ski slope (well, I can bike to it, so it’d be rude not to!), but will take care to not stick my thumb out!

– will check out action-outdoors / UCPA (Jam-bo – are you the person I’ll end up speaking to?)

– go in either mid-Jan or March time

– Italy sounds good … mmmm coffee and italian food mmmm

– hadn’t thought about xc skiing, but love the idea of being in a more wilderness environment … (goes off to start checking out yet another option)

–

Right now, I really don’t know. Ethically, I can’t bring myself to not vote, after the struggle that so many women historically faced to give me that right.

But I have never felt so disillussioned about all the parties as I do now. So whoever I vote for it wouldn’t be a ‘positive choice’, but rather a ‘lesser of all evils’ option.

This does make me question whether democracy (or at least the democratic system we have here) actually works? Or maybe it does, and the choices we have reflect the culture of selfish individualism that prevails in the majority of society?

Haven’t lost my love for mountain biking (was out last weekend and had a fantastic ride). But I do more road riding, partly cos I love that too, and also becuase there’s so many great routes straight from the door. Plus the lack of ‘faffage’ involved in road riding makes so much difference – especially not having to find the time to clean bike / kit etc.

But I’m a bit of a ‘jack of all trades’ when it comes to outdoor pursuits, and also spend a lot of time hiking / mountaineering / climbing. So time for mountain biking gets increasingly squeezed.

But then maybe we should just feel lucky that we have so many fun things to choose to do :) (after all, the majority of the population seem to spend their weekends trailing round the shops …)

Have been avoiding this thread expecting the usual rant, but …

“… knicker elastic fails like a Superstar bottom bracket….. “

has got me spluttering over my keyboard :)

Thanks!

PS – yes, will be on strike; no, am not a workshy fop; yes, am sick of being told we can ‘do more with less’ as we get overworked into the ground due to lack of staff …

If the book swap extends to mountaineering books, count me in (have a shed load, not so many cycling books)

Could always combine it with a STW book swap ride – kinda like a mobile library :)

Yey! I’m mountaineering on the Sat, so around for biking on the Sunday (as long as my legs still function and I haven’t fallen of a cliff …)

Ah, just found your e-mail in your profile – will drop you a line

TJ – absolutely :) been behaving inappropriately all my life, so I suspect getting older isn’t going to stop me! Far too much fun still to be had …

@ vortexracing – many thanks for the offer (not sure who Jo is though?). I’m out leading a group from my mountaineering club on one day this coming weekend, so it might depend which day you’re heading out?

vortexracing – bit difficult to explain where we went as it’s such a maze of trails up there, but roughly half way up Conwy mtn, cross over the pass below the top, and head around Caen Maen Amor, then contour to the south of Tal y Fan (tried exploring to the north of there but it’s really boggy!). Have riding up there next weekend :)

vortexracing – don’t worry, we didn’t ‘shred’ it that hard :wink: Oh, and Drum’s in the Carneddi – it’s the mountain range that starts from around Tal Y Fan and heads towards Bethesda.

fenred – you da man!

mama dirt – I thought you had a whole stable full of bikes? Bummer that you’re currently wheel-less, but high-five back atcha :)

Fantastic :) Up early – walk along the beach for a couple of hours with the dog. Out biking all day over the mountains with a couple of friends – still buzzing from a fab ride (or maybe the caffine in the huge cappachino I had in the cafe afterwards!)

Now showered and curled up on the sofa in my fluffy dressing gown with that great post exercise muscle glow, contemplating eating a HUGE dinner and chilling with a nice glass of wine … perfect!

Kev – that’s so shit :( I’m really sorry. Can’t believe that happened round here – although I guess it can happen anywhere – it always seems so safe.

I’ll send the details round my mountaineering club / work / rock chicks websites and forum etc. The more people who know, and can keep an eye out, locally the better.