Well in 35 years of civil service I never got (or heard of anyone getting) the Queens birthday or Maundy Thursday.

I’d still be overdrawn at the end of the month!

+1 for shadowlands. Mind you Mrs Wingnut wants to introduce him to the cats who visit our drive everyday!

Sounds like an airlock somewhere. Not sure of the real solution but I would start with all taps running at same time for at least five minutes then turn off from nearest to stopcock. Good luck.

It is all down to the group’s attitude and your ability. If you’re fit, can hold a wheel and your bike has a closer ratio cassette and slicks on and they want to ride calmly together, then go for it. Otherwise pain and loneliness are calling. It can be done! Saw a bloke turn up to a local (road) club run many (many) years ago on a mtb with knobblies on. He proceeded to burn everyone off and arrive at the cafe well ahead. He did then go on to win national championships, finish second in the Milk Race, turn pro, ride to 6th in Flèche Wallon and participate in the Tour.

Nick Clegg – for the steely resolve he shows, every morning when he looks in the shaving mirror and resists the temptation to slit his own throat.

Opps the red wine getting to me. Its near Theys!

Stayed (camping) at Les Sept Laux several times. Its about 3 years since I was last there but clean and welcoming. Really nice and French! High up and about 3k from village centre. May be to remote? Site has shop, bar and lovely pool. Village has a couple of shops and bars AND a fantasic reseraunt. If I go back to that area its the place I will go to.

If the school isn’t viable it could consider federation or merger with another school. Its a way of creating scales of economy and curriculum range. I’m chair of governors at a school that was in this position. It has enabled us to keep a school open and sites in two villages so that the comunities are kept alive. If you have a good head its worth considering. (before they decide to go somewhere secure)

Merger allows you breathing space and still have the option of acadamy later if you want to. The cash benefit is pretty small. On a school of 300 I would think that it could be as low as £25k.
The way Local Authority services are imploding and the power of schools (wether they are acadamy or not) to purchase services puts them in the driving seat.

The educational benefit is very small if any at all.

Lion heart wins what!?!! Was thinking about how cheap my driving has been. Cost of buying has worked out at about £650 per year! Enjoy it all the more for that! My kids just don’t know the excitement of push starting a citreon in winter/slight shower!

Oh how old am I!?!!

Mini van – blue inside and out! Want another!
Beetle – bought of a college mate who was leaving for canada the following day. £25
Humber Snipe – Sheer gangster luxury. Leather bench seat and overdrive. Shame I blew it up pretending I was in the Sweeney
Beetle 1302s – Orange icon
Beetle – another £20 bargin. Drove for 6 months and turned into the tip for its last parking destination
Citreon GS – Bought it at a party for £125 in the dark. Got 18k miles before somebody drove into it. Got £650 back from the insurance write off. Nice sopisticated (engineering wise) car
Citreon CX – £200 for a 5 year old car. Fast and smooth. Threw away after a year. Starter motor went and cost more to repair than I paid originally.
Citreon 2CV – Stop gap fun. Masking tape over the holes in the wings.
Citreon CX – Some working on our site was selling it £80 bargin. Did about 10k in it
Peugoet 305 Estate – Sensible boring
Mini – Did a 100 mile round trip every day for 3 years. My body has never recovered. Cheap fun though
Nissan Micra – Inherited. Would never buy one but it never put a foot wrong. Understand why so many retired people have them. The boredom hastens the end!! Only died when someone drove into it.
Metro 1200 5dr – Stop gap after above. Late taking the kids to school one morning my daughter leapt into it shouting “thank god we’ve got the racing Metro”. It went faster due to the way it reduced weight every time you slammed the door. Rust piles on the ground whenever you parked.
Audi 80 Sport – Excellent and v quick. White and coooooooool
Audi Coupe 2.3E – Best car I ever had. Bought it 10 years old, one retired doctor owner with 50k on the clock. 5 cylinder engine which groweled and just lifted of at 100 plus. Did 100k in it and sold it for £2k less than I paid for it. Could put bikes in back as well.
Citreon AX – plastic fantastic – gear lever came away in my hand! repaired with abit of copper pipe.
Merc 230 – big and boring
Mazda Xedos – Mazda’s go at the Lexus. Lovely with powerful charm. Bought cheap cause the seller who was getting 8 mpg (omitted to tell me that) said he just couldn’t get on with the auto. I replaced the HT leads and did another 100k trouble free miles till box went. Sold for repair to some brothers who collected it for cash at midnight!

Currently –

Skoda Octavia estate – sensible and done 130k trouble free. I’m aiming to get it to 200k at least.
Cateram Seven – on the drive waiting for final SVA work. Never been round the local estate road(so quickly) officer!

We moved to this housefour years ago and this is absolutely the best thing we have ever done. All our neighbours are brill. Interesting and supportive. Over the way we have a french bloke who works as a voice over artist on games and files. He is a car nut. Astons, Lagondas, Aflas, Mercs, and exotic yank stuff. Married to a lovely girl from the Carabean. We go there for sophisticated food and drinks! They come to us for bike, diy, beer, homemade cakes and the common touch.
Next door we have a retired Irish couple. The other night we called round to say that everything had been quiet while they had been awayfor a week. Dragged in at 6.00ish and given Pimms, wine and an impromtu barbie. Left about 10.30 in a most convivial mood.
Came back from riding the other day abit earlier than expected and MrsW had popped out to spend money we don’t have. Other opposite neighbour called me in for tea cake etc. Discussed camping bikes and how we can’t wait to be retired!
Two doors away serious MTBer who give lessons and skills training as part of his business always about to help with fettling.
Everyone round here tolerates us!

Got a Giant TCX2 last summer to use as a touring bike. Couldn’t bear the thought of a Doors!!! Choose it cause of the rack mounts and road type handling. Carried full set of panniers all over France before I went to the Semaine Federal. (a huge annual cycling festival) When I was there I stripped the the racks of and ripped it up in bunches of up to 10000 (yes 10000) around Verdun. Some of the most enjoyable riding I’ve done for years. I keep a set of 23s as training/commuting wheels and they fit fine. I’ve got a Trek Madone 6.5 but there is no way I will get rid of the TCX. Had several Giants and never a bad one.

Giants are good riding and value. Use my TCX more than my Madone.

461 Ocean Boulevard – Eric Clapton (think someone else did an album of the same name but can’t remember yet – altzheimers always worse in the morning)
Warwick Avenue – Duffy
Glory Road – Neil Diamond
Hudson Street – Agnelli and Nelson (how I’ve got that hip hop classic on my tunes is beyond me!)

I had two. One was my best mate who scared me stiff by winding me up about what he might reveal. He did the speech and my 16 year old son did the rings and MCing (and side bets about how long the speeches would total). It worked well and made everyone feel that more involved. Didn’t take my son on stag do weekend. I was so scared of the possible retributionI was owed that I organised it and just told matesto turn up at a time and place with there passports.

Never compromise with this stuff. I’ve been a colleague and senior manager in this position. You can’t feel compromised and management have to ensure ultimate safety. There are no grey areas. If there i even the perception of an issue it has to be dealt with. You have to have confidence in your work mates.

Thomas Frischknecht got the1996 olympic mountain bike silver medal and then rode the road race the following day on his cross bike with just a change of wheels! So it can be done. I’ve got a giant tcx which i ride all the while on road and like the way it handles.Its got several equipment options and compact chainset so that helps with gear restrictions. Go for the smallest size you can and I don’t think it will make a huge difference compared to a dedicated road bike. (I’ve got a madone 6.9 to compare to as well)