128GB SSD will be fine if you’re only going to be using Windows OS and Office software and will still give you space to save your office files.  If you’re going to install more software or want to save photos, music, video on the laptop then you’ll probably want 256GB SSD.  A lot of people keep the 128/256GB SSD for software only and store all their working files on an external drive.

At this rate you’ll be able to catch a boat earlier than the one you’re booked on.

Don’t use the M20.  Use the M2 / A2.

Definitely possible.  If you can be around Edinburgh by lunch you’ll easy do it.  I’d be tempted to do A1 south from Edinburgh, A14, M11 as there’s so much less chance of jams compared to M6 & M1.

Couple of years ago I left South Queensferry at 2pm, arrived in Dover at 930pm and got the 10pm boat.  I did have to make progress and only stopped once for a very quick loo stop.  Average speed was 67mph.

If you rely on the insurance recommended repairer then you’ve no chance (your van just disappears into the system and comes back when it’s finished).  If you can find your own repairer then you may be able to get them to do it by the date you need it.  May depend on their relationship with your insurance company’s assessor / loss adjuster and how quickly they will visit to assess your van.

Scottish national gallery of modern art.  Opposite side of city centre to Leith walk so a bit of a trek.  Water of Leith walk would pretty much take you straight there.

Depends where your hot water tank / combi boiler is in relation to your shower.

I’m living in an ex council house.  The council could not have installed the combi boiler further from every hot water tap if they’d tried.  Every house on the estate is the same.  Takes ages to get hot water out of a tap for anything.  It’s 5 bowlfuls of water before I can wash up.  Unbelievable amounts of water must be wasted across the estate I live on.

Use whatever tyres you have at the moment.  If next winter like the last few (not the last one) you’ll be fine.  When they wear out change to crossclimates or vector4S.  If next winter starts to look bad pop down to Costco in Straiton and get some crossclimates put on then.

It’s difficult (if not impossible) to get van excess insurance in the UK that will cover a Swiss hire van.  I couldn’t find any so gave up.  Swiss van hire is also extortionate.

Something to do with them not being full members of the EU I think.

The other possibilty is getting scuba equipment through and teaching the boys to dive in the complete darkness conditions – I suspect that’s what they’ll try

I suspect that’s a very unlikely option given the British dive rescue team have described the dive as “gnarly” and have been using rebreathers.

You don’t need a survival bag if you’ve got tents, sleeping bags and camp mats with you.

Like the way some people are presuming England are a shoe in for a quarter final against Germany / Brazil and completely forgetting we’re going to have to get past Poland / Columbia first – teams ranked fairly closely either side of us so definitely not a guaranteed win.

Don’t know anything about Trident but would expect Typhoon and Gul to last longer than Lomo.

If money is tight look on gumtree for 2nd hand bars and feet / fitting kits.  Bars are normally $10-$25 and the feet / fitting kits as little as $15-$20.  They’re often in really good condition as they’ve been used so little before a car has been changed. (Few people use them every week like mountain bikers and other sports people – most are used for a couple of holidays)

Buy from here for the €4 version.

https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/demande-ext/cgu

The crit air site appears to be a commercial site designed to make money from you.

It’s not just the cities any more.  If you get the wrong weather with high pollution it’s going to be a large detour to get to the Alps without going through a zcr.  Check the map of the zones on this link.

https://www.crit-air.fr/en/information-about-the-critair-vignette/french-environmental-zones-zcr/french-environmental-zones.html

The green zones app is pretty helpful too.

Most of Edinburgh and the Lothians had their holiday Monday last week.

Good luck with the MOT.  Do let us know how you got it to pass.

Have a look at Autohaus in Loanhead or Hunters in Linlithgow.  There’s a couple of other VAG independents in Edinburgh too.  Just google and pick the nearest one.

Looks like a bit of miscommunication / misunderstanding.

You think it’s a one day job.  He thinks you’re dropping it off for a few days.  His previous work’s overrun a little so he’s not started it when he thought or he’s had another look and realised he needs another part and then you’ve taken the car away.  Wonder what he’s going to do today if he hasn’t got your car to work on?

Going to be an interesting phone call this morning.

Ryanair were offering €200 plus hotel, food and drink last year for a flight from Stansted to Edinburgh.  Unfortunately I couldn’t accept as their first flight of the day wouldn’t get me back to Edinburgh in time.  Flight had cost me less than £20.

Always had great service from Scottish Mountain Gear.  Would wholeheartedly recommend them.

How are all you folks who find porridge doesn’t fill you up making your porridge?

Milk and oats?

Water and oats?

50:50 water:milk and oats?

Or those silly preprepared sachets / pots of oatsosimple just add water?

Graig Wen is a beautiful spot overlooking the Mawddach estuary – about 10miles from CYB.

They have a small proper camping area and a massive area of “wild camping”

Have you got a leak in the sewer / drain in your house somewhere?

Get someone who hasn’t been to your house before to have a sniff around (you may be desensitised to the smell so won’t be able to smell it)

You can amend your ticket online.  Shouldn’t cost any extra as ticket price is for car + upto 9 passengers.   DFDS don’t take foot passengers so don’t try ghostly machines idea (would be fine with P&O though).  They didn’t give us any hassle for Dover – Dunkirk when we had an extra passenger (they were booked on the boat just in a different car though).

Always strange when you hear of someone having a completely different experience to you with the same company.  In contrast to Matt Out and about I’ve always found DFDS to be cheap and flexible.

Top ski resorts in Europe are £40+ per day.

If they’re marketing themselves as a top biking venue then the prices are going to match – quality costs.

It’s not an uncommon tactic for companies to set their pricing to attract the customers they want.  If you want riders there for a full day rather than half a day then set the prices so that a half day is almost the same price as a full day.  You might lose some half day riders but a significant chunk of them will become full day riders (but probably less often) which also gives you more chance to sell them other stuff in the cafe / shop.

Whatever the modern version of an epigas/ Coleman alpine stove is.  If you want to wait a bit longer then the modern equivalent of the backpacker or micro stove.

Edit – seem to now be called Coleman Firepower, Fyrelite or Fyrestorm backpacker, micro or alpine.

You’ll need to take your own pot though

Fill in the form stating your wife was driving and send it back.  Don’t tell your wife and see how she reacts when she gets her own speeding letter in a week or so.  (Kicking the can down the road)

https://scottishmountaingear.com/repair-service/clothing-repairs

Will replace your zip for you.

Brought up in Tarleton.  Good for road cycling as it’s so flat but you will always be cycling into the wind (I don’t know how).  Less good for mountain biking.  It’s so flat driving test hill starts are done on rail bridges.

Like others said avoid Skem unless you love the roundabouts of Bracknell then you’ll feel right at home in Skem.

No dark satanic mills.  It’s all fields in West Lancs.  Most of the villages used to be pretty small as employment was based on agriculture.  They’ve grown a lot as they become more commuter dormitories for people who work in the towns.  You’re allowed to call yourself local after 4 generations!!

Just because it wasn’t described or diagnosed in the 70’s doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.

Kids with ADHD in the 70’s were just described as bad’uns or wrong’uns.  We suspended and excluded more kids from school and sent more kids to special school.

Most modern diagnoses will be correct, however there will be some misdiagnoses where kids and / or parents believe there is an advantage to having an ADHD diagnosis so will try and obtain one dishonestly.  There may also be parentally diagnosed cases where the parents want an excuse for their child’s behaviour (whatever the cause) and ADHD is a slightly trendy excuse which excuses any poor parenting.

Don’t take 17 cans of red bull (was found in the DofE bronze participants backpack before they set off)

When did you last practice / do an emergency stop?

Practice bout half a dozen times in the last three months. Each time there was fresh snow on the road to assess how much grip there was and if the Winter tyres were adequate or whether I shoud fit chains.

Real emergency, a few years back to let in an on-coming driver who had misjudged an overtake.

So we know that STWs resident driving God has done an emergency stop in the last few years and done some hard braking in the last few months.  Is everyone else on the road as conscientious and diligent at practicing their braking?

No they’re not – absolutely nowhere near.

When will the driving gods of STW realise that not everyone driving on the road today is as good as they are?

When did you last practice / do an emergency stop?

I practiced a few when learning,  did one to pass my test in 1996 and one in 1998 (when I was still inexperienced and driving like I wouldn’t these days).  I’d like to think I’m capable of doing a good quick stop – am I really – how do I know?

We all like to think we have amazing reactions and would have braked in time (because it’s unpleasant to think the opposite – that we’re a bit rubbish and would have killed someone)  Not everyone’s reactions are that good particularly when you haven’t practiced the skill following the reaction.  Even doing the classic drop a ruler through the fingers to measure your reaction time at school is scary – yes most kids can do this successfully with a 30cm ruler, some can’t and you need a 60cm – 1m ruler and there are some who will require multiple practice attempts with a 1m ruler before they manage to catch the ruler.  In 5 years time these kids will be driving around on the road and we expect them to do an emergency stop!

Annecdotes are great.

https://www.partsgateway.co.uk/

Have a look at the tyres – if it’s got 4 different ditch finders on it then it maybe hasn’t been that well cared for.  If it’s got 4 Michelin on probably been really well cared for.  Similar for windscreen wipers – if branded it’s a good sign; if not branded possibly not such a good sign

They’re all the same.  Everyone uses local contractors (even the RAC and AA if they haven’t got a van available) so the service you will receive depends on where the contractor has got to come from, how busy they are and whether they’ve got to get someone out of bed.  May as well just go for the cheapest which  is usually Autoaid – £43 per year for all the cover you’ll need and includes your spouse too (if you have one).

Sweeney and Todd’s pie shop is amazing.  Unfortunately it is in Reading – makes a work trip there survivable.

Lebowski – the otherjonv isn’t saying he wants SF in classrooms.  He’s saying that is the level of training / skill you would need to be effective if you are to have armed people in schools.  Anything short of this level of training isn’t going to be any use whatsoever therefore the idea of arming anyone in a school is a complete non starter.  He’s making the same point you are in a slightly different way.