Snow interrupts fettling

I would much prefer a steel one in place above our french doors, there is some evidence of a couple of crack brick facings. The window one we replaced I’ve just measured and it’s 2mtr. But it isn’t taking anywhere near as much weight as whatever is or isn’t above the french door.

I had hoped we’d got all the work on the house done last year, good job I’ve ordered a new bike already and the boss can’t reallocate the funds!

A very timely thread, we have french doors at the back of the house and we’ve been asking the same question about lintels and load bearing.
Last year on the same ground floor level we had to remove a 6×6” 2.5mtr long timber lintel and replace with a concrete one, this was above a window that had a flat utility room/garage roof on it, cost us £300 to have it taken out and replaced and the remedial brick work sorted.

However this french door situation is possibly not as straight forward as it’s bearing the weight of an upstairs, agree with above comments that really the fitter should have insisted on putting in a replacement suitable lintel at the time but hey ho!
We are now looking at a situation this year that will require the removal of the door and lintel, replacing any damage bricks and installing a new concrete lintel. It was quite straightforward on the utility roof but this also has the added buggery factor of just having had the house rendered at ground floor level.

Looking forward to the fun and games and mess this will bring in the summer.

Vocation brewery have a number of beers 20% off right now. I can only drink 1 cos I’m coeliac but they have a decent range, offer is on 440ml cans only I think.

Fantastic skies @montylikesbeer and a sweet colour bike.

Another weekend of great pics and riding folks. it’s really good to see the parts of the country that normally we might have visited but haven’t seen for such a long time, and so many rides exploring stuff on our own doorsteps we might not have visited if the country was open for business.

The Sanny column that ran about local rides rings true with all these pics and stories that have formed the weekly threads.

Looking forward to next weekend. Actually I’m on holiday so hopefully I’ll be out everyday!

My god it’s a cold wind out there today! Thankfully the bright sun had removed the worst of the frost but it was still a bit crispy on top in places. 15 fresh and windy miles around farm tracks and railway lines this morning with blue skies for company. Didn’t see another rider but plenty out walking.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNSAfW3LwC6/?igshid=1jegpx8cxeevi

@joe-m if on Android tap on the image you want to share, three dots in top right of screen tap on that and select copy then just tap on stw comment page and paste. Works on my Moto that way.

Today’s ride could be interesting, my garden has a covering of light snow and a heavy frost. Certainly won’t be sitting in the sun like I was yesterday!

Mini hijack whilst this thread is talking about Arkose, I need to replace my BB but haven’t taken the cranks off to see what I need (no tools) what should I be looking for?

I have a 2015 arkose and the Alex rims died about 4000, so I switched to using it for road for a few years, then last year bought Hunt gravel rims and it’s now back fully CX/gravel set up. QR sorted by Hunt.
They cost me£320

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKJ299TAZhd/?igshid=148pt94im1u1

Lovely spin out today, managed to avoid the worst of the forecast high winds. Great to visit a few places I’ve not ridden for years. Even stopped for a spot of food at the Beamish Museum farm, the guard geese keeping out the riff raff. Even had time for an otb in the woods! It’s not biking if you don’t have the occasional spill.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNPzoSfrZq7/?igshid=ogqroepaz5k9

Some lovely Merlin colour coordination going on there @matt_outandabout big fan of bright bar tape myself.
Looking forward to getting out tomorrow and everyday hopefully, got myself a whole 10 days off work.

I always find that he has the ability to use 20 long words when 4 short ones will do, does fancy his self as a wordsmith but there never seems to be a good reason for the words other than to make himself appear smart(arsed)

Got a bit dusty in this house just now.

Managed a triple bill this weekend, first in a while. No pics from Saturday but some interesting sites were spotted in my local woods which I try to keep on top of gardening wise, one you thing you can’t stop is large groups gathering and drinking. Sadly spending more time shifting cans and broken glass bottles than fallen branches and brambles. Yesterday my rather loud chain slip gave a copulating teenage pair the shock of their lives.

Anyway today was hard work in a howling gale from the south west, I decided to visit the local steam railways and take in the old lines they left as a legacy. Quite fun but bloody hard work in the wind.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CM-LX8Trszn/?igshid=clb87jwywzcj

A bright and breezy start to the weekend with a quick trip to the hills and back to fish and chips for tea. Need to take some trail tools out this weekend, some pruning and weeding needing some in places.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CM5D8xbrz2Y/?igshid=1dzxoqtadhy54

I remember when TUPE lasted 2 years, I imagine it’ll be down to a month soon enough.

My OH is with local authority about to see majority of social care work transferred to private sector (A recent budget consultation proudly stated: putting the vulnerable in society first) TUPE is 6 months currently for them. Not seen any plans from them to change the current contracts of those working there. Some of the staff will no doubt be applying for jobs with the services that are remaining within authority control, I would imagine there will be a change to the current T&C’s for those remaining and for those heading to the private sector, they will be offered contracts based on private sectors existing policies.

As above with the flytipping stuff Gateshead is starting to resemble a land fill site thats burst and has had some houses built on it.

The thing with the local authority tip and all the bins (reducing in number weekly) by the council the people that use them are not the problem it’s the folk who who see no reason to put anything in a bin or drive it to the tip. I cycled a route on Saturday and people were literally flytipping in their own gardens and streets and just setting fire to it.

Visit Gateshead tourist board refused to comment on this post……

Anyway, we are getting away from the OP story. Its a shocking state of affairs now that society (is that still a thing or are we just an economy?) is in a pretty crappy way and seems to have gone downhill very rapidly in the last 10-15 years.

I thought it was slow, wooden tosh. And I quite liked a couple of series I’ve seen.

Prefer Unforgotten

Congratulations Ton. I hope the sun shines on your ride tomorrow

This is a great thread and it’s very generous of you all to share this info, at 49 I appreciate it helping me to plan for the future. An IFA can tell you things but dozens of individual experiences give you a much wider view. Mortgage gone next year and no other debt (nows the time to buy my new road bike, somebody please let the wife know this) I’m thinking 60 and have done for a good while.

A second ride out this weekend was blessed with blue skies and warm sunshine. A comment made earlier in the thread about what nice places everybody lived/ride in had me a little jealous, then I decided to head to the hills and look at things a different way. From my door I can be at any 1 of 3 heritage steam railways, this means plenty old lines and countryside to explore, joining them up with some bridle way action (we don’t have that many round here that aren’t railway historically) visited some old tracks I haven’t been down for a couple of years and felt happy, as was pointed out by Matt out and about miles means smiles. Saw some steam trains on the move and a cracking old Ford cortina and an original set of bolt thu axles that might have the weight weenies concerned.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMsNU54LuQ9/

Apologies for the insta link it’s just the path of least resistance went posting pics!

Here’s to next weekend

So nice to feel the firmness in the local tracks this weekend, still some give but not the gloop of previous rides, and the birds song and the deer in the woods jumping out on you and the daffs. Yes spring is banging firmly on the door to be let in

Tom-B we need evidence of the poodle on the bike, pics or it didn’t happen……

Back from the dog walking duties, home alone today so I’m going to get the bike out again for another roll around the railway lines and bridleways

Ref played a great game I reckon.

Superb game. I’d watched this again tomorrow, and that try that wasn’t given amazing agility

What a finish, what a game.

@matt you are so right! I pootled around for 10 miles and really enjoyed it, same again tomorrow I reckon sometimes the simple stuff is enough

Rather forlorn photography efforts today but it was nice to catch some sunshine and revisit a track I’ve not been down for many years. Mostly round the old railway tracks spotting flytipping and crazy locals.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMpRoz8LS1q/

Sees thread
looks at pics
looks at weather
gets bike clothes ready

@hot_fiat I’m in the North East and I travel with work so might be interested providing your not in Plymouth!

I have had a 2015 2ltr diesel for for 3yrs, bought it with 13k and now has 52k on clock, not had an issue, great for the bikes on the towbar mount but would love a set of roof bars for it. In jungle green….I will PM you

I’ve also been drooling over the SL and with just 7 months till my 50th need to act. I’m stuck between upgrading the wheels or going Di2. Similar budget

What TomD said

When a boat (Vanguard class at least) goes into service following extensive sea trials it heads off to the US to pick up the delivery bits as Jimdubleyou points out, from Kings Bay in Georgia. It then fires a couple for trials of the coastline and heads back to the UK for warhead loading in Coulport.

Did anybody see the story about the torygraph apparently looking at pay per click salaries for journos. You can just see where that approach is heading. It’s just another divisive tactic to carry on the them and us narrative that people like Burchill, Liddle and loads of others love to perpetuate as it benefits them.

The race to the bottom continues apace

Tapoline

It may be nothing but in the mid 90’s the first place I ran into a company called Serco was at Coulport.

We need something to deflect from the new police powers bill, what have we got?

Nuclear weapons?

Excellent idea, release the press hounds

Very disappointed to hear Tom Robinson is losing a weekend show I find his show very easy to listen to.
I think the weekend stuff is a good mix of everything, I’m not a fan of Liz or some of the music Giles P plays but I’m not going to say they should be off air.
The worst waste of space everyday not just weekends is the news. If I’m driving it gets the mute treatment instantly, as mentioned above nothing sucks the life out of good chat and music like the words ‘boris Johnson has said today….’ just get rid of it. And adverts for shows.

Had a cracking afternoon ride, wind wasn’t as bad as first thought and I found a few links to places I wanted to be able to join up. Very little road action. Plenty mud but mostly sticky rather than sloppy. Trashed the bottom bracket finally, got to find a new one now.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMZ3nd4L8Yk/