have been reading the mark brannigan book on dave grohl, a life and the times rather than an biog. great book.
+1 for james ellroy, great characters and narrative.
Got a henning mankell on the shelf i like the books better than branagh on the tv.

It just bugged that the first words on the presenters lips when the report started were ‘failed to win gold’ as if he was always going to win it. There is so much false expectation with the media, I like the beeb, but they have gotten carried away with the hype over the last few weeks, its like there is only team gb in the contest and they should automatically win everything.
At least next time the reporter might research a bit more and realise that the race winner had also just completed the TdF and is about 10 years older than Cav, and tiredness might not have been a factor, but tactics.

I missed the race but caught the news on the beeb last night. Hands up, I have a slight down on the olympics not because of the actual event but because of the usual hours of media hype that has surrounded it for 7 years.
So I smiled a big smile when the BBC’s sports editor David Bond was talking to Cav after the race asking the most ridiculous and inane questions (as usual for a tv person) to which Cav retorted ‘stop asking stupid questions, do you know anything about cycling?’
The offending question? were you tired after the TdF.
numpty

It really is good to see athletes like that close up, why though (mini rant starting) as pointed out already the amount of security?, I know in the TdF we get plenty of stray dogs and the odd nutter running alongside annoying the riders (and this years carpet tack-gate)but the security for some of the events seems unreal when compared with an event the size of the tour.
I was trying to park in the centre of Newcastle on Tuesday near St James Park and the amount of precautions being taken seem mad. Car parks closed within the immediate vicinity of the stadium, hundreds of huge sand bags positioned round the streets (presumably to keep people and cars away?) Large metal gates preventing access. Newcastle play host to 50,000 people every other week for football matches without all the palaver. And dont get me started on the advertising clamp down :roll:

Sorry for the hijack teamhurtmore, hope you get to find a good place to watch for the race

Not sure how many live in Gateshead, but over the bridge there is the same amount of people living in Newcastle as the UK Border agency have not removed from the country

when we stood at grindley lock nr Whitchurch in April I thought the same thing, ‘this takes a while?’
Having said that I had just spent 7 days in a vw doing no more than 40 mph and it was great

there are some twisted people out there, clearly without conscience either.

excellent, didnt send many postcards I guess?

bloody hell! a narrow boat across the channel!!

There is something called the self build club, there are quite a few on there, links to blogs and photos of builds etc.

I’m still searching for the right van, converted or otherwise. What is really holding up the whole project is a distinct lack of disposable income…….. :(

Every dental practice whcih has a contract to supply services to NHS patients has a responsibilty to display an upto date price chart which is the same at all NHS dentists, £17.50 ish for check up and minor stuf about £48 for mid range treatments and about £200 for more major treatments which may take a couple of visits.
Some dentists are NHS only some do a mix of private and NHS and some are fully private. Whatever your dentist is, you should have transparent costs.
As a supplier to thousands of dentists across the UK I can say quite happily that the great majority are decent folk who are passionate about their work and the care of their patients. A number are quite up themselves and have a very high opinion of their worth.
Last April the Care Quality Commision started inspections of practices (of all kinds not just NHS) if your not sure your dentist is doing the right things have a look on the website to see if the practice has been recently inspected and see what the CQC thought. I think you can send feedback to them via the site.

I was diagnosed Coeliac a couple of years back after years of suffering. Was tough at first but the improvement it made in my life was worth it without any doubt.
First things first…..beer, hambleton ales up near Ripon in North Yorkshire make a ale and a lager (soon to be another lower abv lager) and it suits me just fine. I drinking one now watching the match.
Food can cost a fair bit more than your used to, but all the supermarkets have made great improvements in the range they offer. I was diagnosed following a TtG blood test and a few cameras in places which gives me the chance to order via prescription. Some PCT’s have clamped down in recent months on the selections available, which is fair enough.
You will miss a gorgeous crusty loaf and a pizza or nan bread but the bread from Genius and others is getting better all the time.
So much food is naturally gluten free but processed stuff is a no no, however that has made for a lot of healthier eating for us.
If you can get over the fact you cant have a pint down the pub, then everything else will be a breeze. Well you can have a pint but its cider, wine or a spirit! (pints of whisky are best suited only to stag and hen doo’s!)
Good luck

A sub I was on had 2 blokes on, one was a stoker on the Glasgow and the other on a certain sub that had a word with the Belgrano.

Norton software is the worst I have had dealings. Paid for it years ago on a credit card (yes I know, schoolboy error) but then the following year £65 was deducted from my credit card because I hadnt unticked the box the previous year when I bought it first time (special offer £35) which allowed them to automatically take cash every year. I went through about 14 pages until I found the box to untick, anchors

Not sure on the names of the cottages, but somebody on here (very kindly) recommended me a campsite in Beddgelert (Cae Du Campsite, very good)where I stopped in April. On the walk along the river from the campsite were 3-4 holiday cottages to let with fantastic views onto the river. Gorgeous place with great walks along river, steam railway (every town in Wales seems to have one) CyB not that far away and very useful for little trips into Carnaerfon (sp?) and Snowdon.

I think you’ll find Williamson never played a game for Pompey due to money probs at the club. He’s done well for us since he signed

It might be raining here in Gateshead, but I have a big smile on my face :D

A customer agreed to meet me in Peebles next week for a meeting, it was either there or Dumfries….what a coincidence I’ve just put the bike rack on my new car.

‘i was born in a cross fire hurricane’ Stones jumpin jack flash

RJJ – cant do the linky thing but I am off on a similar trip around North Wales in April and posted yesterday for ideas of places to visit, search for the thread there are lots of good suggestions on places to visit and see etc

I tried the to book the hendre mynach site for the bank holiday weekend in April and its full :(

Ok, so I might need 2 weeks!

Thanks for all the info and links, back to the drawing board so to speak.

Because I’m starting out on Good Friday so many campsites want a 2 or 3 night minimum stay which is making my plans a bit difficult.
The point about not cramming too much in is taken onboard.

I have one booked for a week in April for me and the mrs, youngster packed off on school trip and being 40 recently thought I would have mini mid life crisis and book a campervan for a week.
A trip round the coast of Wales in an old (but new) VW.
google nick connah near chester for details.
Cant wait.

no better at Virgin.

I was ‘sold’ a new super hub with upto 100mb download speed and much better wireless support around your home and for only £1 extra a month.

The reality?

30mb, same as before, 3hours on a phone over 2 days to a guy in India, fair play to him he got things sorted in the end. I rang him to say it wasnt working after my original call to cust serv on the afternoon said it was after an hour he asked me for the MAC number from the ‘super hub’ (sic) which I gave him and was told thats not your box its somebody elses. Ok says I why dont I use the other one you sent me as I have 2, well you shouldnt have, came the reply send it back to us.
Feel like sending the lot back. No quicker (in fact much slower) than my previous modem/wirless set up and nobody can connect a smart phone to it now either. Cost me £30 and then they sent out a letter saying what we meant was £30 and £5 per month extra and by the way your package is going up another £4 a month. Bargain 8O

If they would answer the phone during the day I would tell the to come and collect it all and I will go back to the old system thank you.

it lasts for ever but well worth watching. just turn off when wrinkly madge comes on at half time

nice shade of pale blue(wtf)…..for a castle-ish type building?????

i got a call last week asking if I wanted a free upgrade to a shiny new wireless box and some 100mb potential broadband access.
wasnt costing me anything and BB does tend to drop if daughter is on laptop and I’m working on desktop so said yes (thinking it might help) I got all the usual waffle about what a great deal it was and how much these new hubs were worth. so I said yes.

Today 2 not 1, of these very expensive (their words not mine) hub, modem, wireless box thingys turned up. Bargain. still dont know where to start with them…it…I’ll leave it to my daughter.

Daughter going skiing with school for a week in April, so I have hired an vw camper and me and the OH are going round Wales looking at castles and moutains and hills and beaches and the bottom of empty wine glasses.

couple of camping trips round the lakes this year as usual, but no foreign journeys

lots of red wine
senna dvd
ck smellies
nile rodgers autobiog
couple of nice photo frames I want for some B&W i have taken recently
couple of cd’s

didnt get anything from mrs white as we getting each other a new garage door soon, saving up for that

i did manage to get her a cbt thingy sorted for impending visit to scooter shop.

I guess I’ll have to live with seeing Pearl Jem at the academy in Newcastle this year. bugger

I managed to snaffle two tickets for Manchester next June, can’t wait!

lucky barsteward

Just went looking for tickets….nowt left for Manchester!!!

El Torrero just of the quayside for a decent tapas

it looked like a fine place, but give me a back street tapas bar somewhere anyday over some tiny meal on a plate effort for the price of your mortgage

To think people feel conned by a polar bear in a zoo and outrage hits the highstreet faster than a spendaholic with a new credit card…..
……meanwhile the same outraged highstreet vote in their millions week in week out on some celebrity come dancing in the jungle on ice x factor bollox and dont feel in the slightest bit that someone is conning them…hey ho

Jeans at Tesco?? Elasticated waists?? thats middle age not middle class

I got a sandstrom from currys for the daughter £50, it has an ipod charging dock on it. it sounds really good to me, when I got my new motor I asked for the built in dab and can listen to 6 music all over the country as I work, its great

Todays colon inspection and surgery was all over suprisingly quick and pain free, just got to wait for the tests on the cut out bits to see if everything is good. Great staff at the hosp, even got home to watch the rugby today on the box, but through Midazzolam eyes I nodded off a couple of times.

Through the eye of a needle………..

2nd dose just about to go down (and out)

I was in Norn Ireland this year visiting the good ladys family, I heard her dad say to his girlfriend in reply to her question ‘would you still love me if you won the lottery?’ yes, but I’d miss you