I really don’t understand spds off road. As kids, we all grew up with ‘normal’ pedals and it just seems a bit weird to try to unlearn that skill.

I did give them a pop, did the usual forgetting to unclip and falling off thing a few times… Sold all the gubbins and haven’t regretted it!

enfht or whatever your weird name is. What a peculiar and unpleasant thing to say.

I do hope that all is well in your world but I suspect it’s not. I would invite you to call me but thinking about it, no.

I really can’t be arsed finding out why this thread has come up again.

Suffice to say, well done to tjagain for having some humanity.

As a bit of a pisshead myself and tendencies towards self-destruction, I applaud anyone who helps out those who help others – we’re all only a short way from a sleeping bag on the street.

ohndoh – Member
I send my kids postcards when I have to work away overnight.

Keep meaning to do this – lovely idea. Posted about a similar subject the other night. Skype hasn’t worked for us (at all) – the small person gets bored almost instantly unless I start dancing / wearing a cloak / any other silly thing.

But perhaps that’s because I’m unexciting? Hard to say but I expect small children just don’t care very much when dad is working away!

Daft idea tbh.

I took up Karate at about 12 to stop the bullies and kept it up for several years.

It hurts. It really hurts. Many of the adults who turn up are bellends who just want to hurt folk.

Take up boxing after you drop the wee man off.

This latest religion beating thread at least started with some sort of a point.

But really. You don’t have to have faith but it’s important not to be stupid or hateful isn’t it?

religion is on the decline

.

It is a peculiar article and the writing is a bit weird.

But it’s certainly the case that people of faith are regularly “beaten up” online and that’s terribly wrong.

a conflict between science and religion

I think that’s at the heart of the article and if not, it’s the bit that stuck with me. My grandad was a scientist and a Scottish protestant. His career was something I could dream about but will never have.

His library was stuffed full of books exploring exactly this area. Lewis Carroll’s works were the only readable ones.

The divisiveness doesn’t have to exist. We can have both.

I’m genuinely glad to to see at at least one response to this.

He shaped my adolescence. Perhaps not in a great way but he also made me part of the man I am, in a very good way.

Aren’t they all from Russia? I’m a bit behind the times because it all looked a bit “agricultural” so viewing ceased…

Slightly OT but when I was a photography student, loads of my colleagues used the darkrooms as an opportunity to print utter filth, regardless of gender. Made the coffee break interesting.

It’s rubbish. I have an account with them, suffer the diluge of ads and clickbait, and now there’s nothing in return.

I suppose I shouldn’t complain about a “free” service but if they’re going to subject users to a stream of nonsense then revoke any rights to be able to share the images, they can’t complain when we all leave.

This thread is frankly undoing me! It’s also making me realise that I’m quite lucky in so many ways.

I’m always jealous of people with strangely shaped bodies and tiny / huge feet. Whenever you visit the sale pages of a clothing website, those sizes are all that’s left!

Small head here – find it hard to find hats and helmets. Still though, has its benefits – during my unsuccessful sparring career it was harder to hit :-D

To be quite honest, I absolutely loved the first two months or so. The bachelor life is a good life.

Because the house needed sold, cleaning needed done but that’s fine for a while.

Eventually though, you realise that big things are missing in your life and no amount of takeaways, bike rides and dogs will fill those gaps (indeed, the Dog misses the wife as much as I do and is definitely pining).

Anyway. Given the head a shake and reminded myself to enjoy the time available – already an offer in on the new place and then I’ll likely be back on here complaining about family life :-D

Ah, I guess my post comes over slightly tactless then, sorry.

Not at all – if anything it let my tired mind drift into the future and hope for the best!

And nealglover, yes a genuine weight off the shoulders – honestly it’s been an absolute bastard. I know everyone does this once or twice in their life but I’d rather never go through it again.

Sorry, to clarify, we’ve sold our house after seven months but my wife’s new job started in February at which point she moved a few 100 miles away. He’s only four, about to be five.

The pair of them have been living with the mother in law since then.

There was also some question about whether I would join them which has made life somewhat, well, what can you say: hellish.

jonnyboi – Member
You get bullied for the first time, and realise that adults would rather you kept quiet than give them problems to deal with,

Not sure if that was aimed at me but it seems likely. I’m not a perfect dad by any means but the shock of hearing a very small person say a word which stw won’t let me type is intense.

Believe me, you don’t react rationally in the way you might if they threw their carrot sticks at the cat.

My own grandad did the same to me for uttering the sinful word, “damn” but I still loved him once I got over my (small) self.

… you tell your dad that someone said **** on telly and get a stingy crack on the back of the head.

Watched Grizzly Man docunetary with my 5 YO son because he loves the music, completely forgot about the swearing. Feel awful about it now.

Oh, and a string winder is an essential bit of kit and very cheap. As he plays more and snaps more strings you’ll appreciate it.

Ernie Balls on the ‘leccy, Martins on the acoustic.

My electric guitar is so awful that it doesn’t .and any difference. Might as well stick brake cables on it! Must buy another half decent one.

Great Scott! So would I! Depends what you want out of life I suppose. Mountains, midges and solitude or sunshine and croissants…

Strong here in NE England – makes me glad I’m not a cycle courier these days.

Can hear the “booooom” throught the double glazing which is unusual!

Annoyingly, I can’t find the article I read the other day about how hard airb&b is hitting those who own hotels along the north500 route.

Skye hasn’t had quite the same problems but there does seem to be a hit ‘n’ run mentality amongst today’s tourists. It’s a daft way to go on holiday, be it Brittany or Peru. See the top three places and move on, with no sense of the place or people.

My retro Kona Hahanna is the only bike that’s been out of the garage this year!

Came to me completely original and not being a believer in keeping it that way, I’ve modernised it to make it comfortable and less racey.

Pop up stem, decent width of bars, Fir Imp rims courtesy of a lovely chap from stw and Outlander pedals.

Love every second I get to ride it!

Don’t know what to tell you – I do appreciate there’s a good argument for splitting the sale but part of the reason it’s a successful business is that the owners can run down and greet guests, fix problems, replace broken things etc.

All guests get a welcome basket of home made cakes, shortbread and the like. Having the house so nearby is a boon and a curse I reckon :-D

The big Saturday morning clean is so much easier too – quick walk down the hill when the local lady arrives, easy to pop back up for a cuppa and retrieve stuff from the store – you’d be amazed how much stuff people steal / break.

Makes a lot of sense to sell it in a oner imho.

Again, loads of good info ta! Especially

40% repeat business seems good have you tried marketing the opportunity to turn their holiday into a lifestyle to one of the repeat customers ?

Great idea – my mum deals with the bookings which come from all over the place (different sites) so it may be tough to collate email addies but at this point she has plenty of time…

They really are keen to sell the whole lot in one go – as I’ve recently discovered, selling just one house is an expensive nightmare so going for four at once isn’t going to happen.

A comfortable tent for camping with a small person.

Following!

The last one we took touring was a Vango and it worked fine.

My wife eventually asked, “What happens if the rain comes in”. It was chucking it.

The only reply I could come up with at 4 in the morning was a growled, “then we’ll get **** wet”.

Still, tent held up, no one drowned and since then, I’ve trusted Vango.

Both of those sound like deals waiting to happen. I’d buy them both if I were you.

Again, thanks all and eventually, yes I reckon I did answer my own question. The Isle of Skye Estate Agency is invisible to anyone not living there.

Will recommend that commercial site btbb. Got to be worth a try.

Just want them to be able to move back to Aberdeen at roughly the same time as I do. Wife and five year old are already there.

All points taken on board thank you. There is a bathroom upstairs as well as the less well appointed one downstairs.

My parent’s taste in decor is only old fashioned because they are. And doubtless whoever eventually buys the place will have similar taste.

Here’s the rub. Every time i try to find a link to the “for sale” site, it takes me a good five minutes or so. If I was actually looking for a house to buy with a business opportunity, using sensible search terms, I’d honestly never find it.

And I feel bad for my folks who’ve worked blooming hard to get to where they are and are now a bit stuck.

Aye, my grandad’s. He was 98, led an amazing life, killed nazis, was a business leader in Scotland, developed radar.

In short, all the things no one will say about me after my death!

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-dr-william-robertson-cbe-98-1-2441805/amp?espv=1

Yup. Silly money – I woukdnt consider it but for the reasons above, others would. And have in the past.

And my folks are taking a serious loss if it sells for the asking price, right or wrong.

If it is too much to ask, why is that? Pricing locals out of the market? Young couples unable to settle near family? Portree prices are very cheap and it’s a lovely place with plenty employment.

Rockape, I agree, but Devon is made of scones and cups of tea. Skye is going the same way but isn’t quite there yet.

And hopefully there are still buyers who can see the value in a bit of wilderness and solitude, and the joy in passing it on to others.

Whatever the news says, it’s still a special place, even amongst cyclists. Takes ages to get there, relatively unspoilt and really, I’ve yet to see scenery like it in the UK.

That’s what attracts the silly prices.

That much money you could buy 3 flats in Edinburgh

You could but they would all be in Pilton / Niddrie and you’d have to like looking at concrete and getting stabbed on a weekly basis.

I honestly don’t think price is the issue but when nobody’s buying the place it does become an issue.

Lots more interesting comments, thanks. We’ve always had family links to the highlands and islands although admittedly not directly to Skye. But we’ve been going there since it was like Raasay is now. Lots of us still live up there.

Can’t reply to all of you but no, the house can’t be sold separately to the cottages – it’s got to go as a going concern.

If it’s overpriced at the asking price, it was massively overpriced the last time it was on the market :-D

It’s purpose built and the positioning of the main house means that it’s easier to get down to the cottages on Saturday morning, clean them, check the inventory etc.

There have been some fairly sensational articles about the tourist invasion on Skye over the last few weeks.

But the fact is, the island needs them. There’s **** all else up there apart from sheep and crofting.

The problem seems to be that they pass through on their way up the North Coast 500 rather than hanging about trying to find their own special experiences in so.e of the best scenery the country has to offer.

It’s hit self catering places, hotels and b&bs pretty hard. No more week long bookings – we just want one night please…

edlong, that’s exactly why he sounds as good as he does, imho. Much like Hendrix, he just relaxes and makes use of his innate ability to produce something extraordinary.

Interesting thoughts all, thanks.

It’s a “provably” profitable business for two retirees who’ve lived sensibly and don’t mind a bit if hard work.

It’s probably not a sensible proposition for a young couple who’ve just sold a house in London and want to make money.

It’s all about lifestyle, quality of life and having an amazing view to wake up to.

In my gray days, I’d want exactly that :-)

giantalkali – Member
So what does everyone think of Slash?

Sorry – my phone is older than my dog…

molgrips – it worked for me, might not work for you. I’m borderline autistic and have a hard time dealing with other people unless it’s in a learning environment or if I’m working.