Well done you. Specialized will now cancel all contracts with Peter Sagan and endorse the Leith Lightening Avenger.

Hope my wife never reads this…. We had lots of large cardboard boxes in the shed (of bikes) which were hanging about from house moves, bike/wheel and MrsW’s shoe purchases. I mean loads of boxes. Deciding to sling them I trot off to the tip to dispose of them. I do roughly check and retrieved a couple of things but two were obviously full of other cardboard debris. Some weeks later I have difficulty locating two sets of wheels. One a never ridden lightweight road set (£350ish) and the other some I had built for my 1980 Eddy Merckx from NOS Campag hubs and rims sourced in Holland and Belgium.

Loved it. More tortoise action needed though. Wonderful touch.
We went on Saturday and the reaction from everyone in the cinema was the same as ours. You could fell the buzz as we walked out. First film to may us really think for ages. Plot and character depth with great dark humour put over by great acting. Continued to maintain pace and not get sentimental until the very last minutes but I’m not sure how they could have resolved it without a complete moral u turn.

Well she’s in love with you lot!

Golf GTI and I do take them inside whenever possible but some places are really snotty about bringing even sparkly road bikes in. Thinking about car parks after rides as well (when we go for recovery drinks). Nicked in York and going to Bournemouth. (holds head in shame) The point about the sheet is that they’ll guess its a bike but not see the effort required to get them out.

We have some to give colour to a courtyard garden. It works well and as has been said there are various degrees of looking natural. I think it looks best in small areas (where you wouldn’t really want to bother with a mower). Prep is important.

Just noticed Rob is calling the sprig JACK!!

That’s cheating!

The wife has demanded that I put her script up for ridicule. Kirsty gives chase and forces Rob off the road and then miscarries her baby! Nonsense I know.

Ursula crashes into Rob as he gets away. He blames her as she’s only a woman driver…. In the ensuing car crash Helen arrives and the baby is midway between her and Rob. The baby looks confused as one shouts Jack and another Gideon. The baby decides to crawl into a passing cart for a better life with Joe Grundy.

Tone of conversation with Henry sounded like he wasn’t going to snatch him, but it did look like he had something in store for Helen.

Ursula is a good call for intervention Flashy but she won’t turn him in as she wants him to be desperately and ingratiatingly grateful to her.

Helen’s right to be worried. Rob’s setting up a bivy on Hayden Barrow to spy on the village and will swoop like an eagle to snatch Henry and Jack. Only thing that will frighten him away is being chased by Tracy the man eater.

I declare an interest! Drink it!!! http://capreolusdistillery.co.uk wonderful stuff.

Oh go on then..

Had a 159 with the 2.4 engine. Broke my heart to part with it but I had done 90k wonderful miles in it. Looked really hard for another but buying carefully and checking everything is vital. Keep on top of the servicing and address things before they arise and you’re fine. Not cheap to run but they are an involving relationship rather than transport. Achingly beautiful if you get the right one. Go for it with open eyes! I will again.

Ton is obviously misty eyed!

I’m with you rkk01. I’d even be happy(ish) to accept an inquiry with some sort of immunity from prosecution but a real expectation that elected and public servants have a far higher standard of behaviour that includes a clear warning understanding that there will be legal consequences in future.

Friend of mine was a police inspector with the Met and started his career just before the strike. He had joined with an outlook that he could do something worthwhile and enhance social justice. The stories of the police burning fivers in front of miners families, creating situations where violence was going to be certain and being completely out control were common. They also had sweatshirts printed with ASPOM on them which officially was the Avon & Somerset Police On Manouvers but actually stood for Arthur Scargill pays our mortgages.
Shattered his view of the standard policeman and the Yorkshire force in particular. He stayed to become an influence for good but ended up a very disillusioned man right up to his death a couple of years ago.

There’s no surprise that nothing is going to happen and we can all agree that the outcome would be predictable but the record and accountability have been avoided.

At the end of a piece recently John Humpries said that the thing that Aberfan has taught us is that we should never stop questioning authority.

I’m leaving another trap set tonight just in case there’s an extended family. Was surviving on some vital notes Mrs W had left in the boot. No other marks or bite signs about. If the lights start behaving oddly I’ll be so peed.

I was 11 and on a school trip in Derbyshire over our half term. We were staying in a hostel and arrived all exuberant and noisy. We couldn’t understand why the teachers were behaving oddly and wanted us to be quiet and leave the warden and his staff alone. We only discovered a few days later what had happened (no access to radio or TV) at Aberfan and that the hostel staff as experienced potholes and ex miners had all gone to help the effort at the school.

Well it was a bloody disaster! Not the food or anything! Not the forgotten wallet. Leaving Milton Keynes just after 4 the first road works happened in Towcester which slowed us by 20min before even getting to the M1. The motorway was a disaster with roadworks and rush hour so we decided to cut across towards Stoke and then north through the Peak towards south Manc. Everyone and there dog compounded umpteen road closures and crashes to mean we arrived in Halifax at 10.05. 30ish mph average over 165miles!

Couldn’t even get food at the Brewers wotsit. Blessing in disguise I suppose but even the dry roasted peanuts and prawn flavoured crisps failed to make up for the disappointment of not going to Catch.

Drove past in the morning and felt hungry. We will get there before christmas. I will post a review!!!

Catch Seaford sounds the biz. I’l get brownie points if its walkable! Thanks everyone. I’ll let you know how it goes. After a few hours crawling up the M1 I may not even be able to appreciate it’s offerings. Website looks v good.

My mother had them occasionally over the years. The man her sorted it for her said that she got them as they were on a route between main food sources. They could enter through an extremely small crack (he said a 10p piece size was enough for a full grown rat) so the opening you’ve identified might not actually be the one. They can eat concrete so a bit of foam isn’t they solution to blocking up a gap.

Poison was the only way to get them inside the house and when they died we had to open the walls to get at the bodies. You could identify where they were by the smell! On one occasion we couldn’t find the body even though we had a quite specific location. The smell got increasingly worse so we were given a can of “Rat Deodorant”. It really worked!!!!

The partner of a relative makes this. Despite the connection bias this is special.

http://capreolusdistillery.co.uk

Repaired Delonghi bean to cup machine. Scored off rich relative who couldn’t be bother to find out what was wrong with it. New LCD panel and descale and we’re up to our necks dark lovely stuff.

I’m back in the zone. Not having any peanut butter I set the trap with chocolate last night. This morning one trap unsprung with bait gone and the other had rewarded me with a small but stiff body! All recommendations will be considered if there are any signs of any other vermin poking their snouts about.

I’ll try the peanut butter but I have had a 100% kill rate till this little effer arrived so less of the amateur!!

I’ve got a Quad lock and use it on the road bike. I’ve got an iPhone 6+ and its really stable even though it looks rather blatant on the bike. Not tried it off road but no reason to doubt it. Got the rain cover and it has stood up to some heavy downpours. Recommended.

Reminded me of Thatchers opening gambit – “Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope”

Well I’m still waiting for …… Oh yes Harmony, truth, faith and hope!

Schools are really hard pressed at the moment. The “government ” says that funding is the same as in previous tears. There might be no reduction in funding but the costs have gone up significantly. Increases to NI and pension have meant some schools are facing 7% more contributions. Government enforced changes to the curriculum and exam system mean lots of revised resources and training to meet new demands (or you’ll go under at the next OFSTED)
I’m a governor at a large secondary and small primary school. Both are having to reduce staffing to make ends meet. The reality is schools are 10% worse off in the last 12months. No difference between local authority or academies.

Thats a brave man who drills into his carbon fork. Looks a great set up though.

I had one on my Cannondale road bike and it was so nice somebody nicked it!

Those look great flap jack. Are they screwed into the fork?

I’m working on a similar ideal for a carbon Focus I want to use for touring in the summer. I’ve got loads of racks so don’t want to replace them and making adaptors that sit on the tubes/forks like Race Blades use attached with similar bands is the way I’m approaching it. Worried about them slipping under the weight of the panniers so looking at a seat post clamp and extension to the fork crown brake bolt to help stabilise things.

Interested in other solutions – I have a tame engineer/machinist (occasionally).

Folk on the Green was great till about an hour ago. Less “folk” even though there was plenty of sun. Good selection of bands this year. Walked home and collecting a couple of bottles to take to the neighbours legendary bash next door now. i may not surface until the tuesday night woburn burn!

Come now as its Stony Live! Music in the streets, pubs and next door is doing their annual bash. Wonderful weekend even if it pisses down.
I’ve lived here since 1980 and have seen many changes. If you have to live in an urban area this is the place to be. Mrs W came here and wanted to buy the first house we looked at because it was near to the parks for running. Every house in MK is close to a park for running and they’re linked so you can cover real distance without going on a road at all. Access to countryside and trails is easy from everywhere.
In my opinion Stony Stratford, Great Linford and Willen are they places to live. Wolverton is an old railway town but has, surprise surprise a mainline station to London and all points north. It also has a good music scene.
The central estates are grim as Sturdylad has said.
Its big and you’ll need a car but you can get everywhere quickly as there are few holdups. 45 seconds delay at a roundabout during rush hour is just unacceptable.

Its always hard being a parent. Ask my 90 year old Mum.
However there is some sound advice from people above. My experience in this area of work shows several things:
You need to be CONSISTENT in your responses (whatever they may be) and others around need to back those up. Often other friends or family will not hold the line so you need to spend time explaining and updating them on the situation. That is hard because you can feel like its all your own fault.
You can’t change their behaviour – only they can do that – so you have to create an environment and set of responses that they know are safe. Something like never giving them money but always getting them to a job interview.
Don’t lecture them because if they have had a basically sound upbringing, (which I suspect they have had) they will know they are not behaving well. The don’t shout advice is very sound.
Be prepared for the long haul. Sorry to say its going to be years by the sound of it so ensure your support structures are good. If you are in a mess you will portray it and they will reject your example as a way forward.
Don’t exclude them from the good bits (Sunday lunch, birthday celebrations etc) but have boundaries and safety considerations built in. Let them have as much pudding as they like and lock up your valuables.
Hang on to the good bits from the past and don’t compare to your other kids. Think how you hated it!
Never be afraid to ask and get somebody external (not family) to help you reflect. Its easier to see the themes from a dispassionate distance. Thats not meaning professional input necessarily but someone who is analytical and honest.
Good luck.

The Wood Pile?

Having just looked at getting a kids bike for a 9 year old its the cost as well!! Anything I could lift was over £300!!!!

Just to take a slightly different angle… there is considerable (anecdotal) evidence that many agency workers choose that form of employment to manage stress. Social workers in particular find the stress associated with their vulnerability of not being able to find resources and resolutions to the problems their case loads present move on to feel safe after a period in one authority. Its expensive and means that the most vulnerable in society often get inconsistent support. I’m sure this is replicated in other areas.

Whoop whoop!!!! Thanks nickc. The joy of victory is so sweet. A wild excess of Hook Norton I think although there is mounting pressure to sponsor someone on a walk for a local hospice.