PhilR

Today you'd be lucky to get change from a ten pound note😮‍💨😮‍💨

I applied on line to Northants Police on 2nd September for a replacement SGC to be issued as table 2 is full. Had a follow up request asking for a copy of my certificate on 16th September which I scanned and emailed back by return. I had an interview with my FEO on 15th October for the renewal of my SGC that expires on 12th March 2025, which seems remarkably early but I got the renewal paperwork at the end of September. I mentioned I hadn't had the outstanding replacement and she said she'd chase it up when back in the office. Given that it's now two months barring one day without any further communication, I emailed my FEO earlier this morning asking for an update on the replacement or whether the renewal of the certificate would supercede it. The post has just been delivered and my replacement certificate with the 2025 expiry date was amongst it. However, the issue date on it and the covering letter is 20th September, but the envelope is franked 29th October. I wonder whose desk this has been sitting on for over a month?

My Range Rover, Discovery 2 and two Discovery 3 had plenty of money lavished on them over the years on regular servicing and maintenance in main dealerships and marque specialists. The best preventative maintenance plan for my bank account and sanity was getting rid of my last Discovery and buying a Honda CRV.

I've been with Britannia Rescue for 40 plus years via my CSMA membership. Always had first class service, call outs were when I drove Land Rover products.

Northants Police require all shotguns in the cabinet to be on my, and my wife's SGC as we both have access to the cabinet. When I purchase a shotgun I also add it to her SGC table 2 as 'shared'. All notifications to the firearms dept are done on line. We both used to notify them of the purchase, as instructed by them. However, recently that's changed. I now notify them of purchase for their records and have to separately email them, as owner that I'm sharing it with my wife. I still add it to her table 2. Despite all this they still manage to make errors. Just going through my renewal process now and was accused of not notifying them of a sale two years ago. Fortunately I retain all records and could prove compliance and the mistake at their end.

NFU for me too. Contents and building insurance. Guns are specified items and are covered both in and out of the home. My house is grade 2 listed and that wasn't a problem either. Premium not cheap but they do offer a discount if not claims are made.

The Arrow gizmo is an aluminium tube with three spring loaded ball bearings at 120° to centralise it in the muzzle end of the barrel when you insert it. There's a screw in fixture at the front of the tube, external to the muzzle, that contains the battery operated laser and a length of cable with a metal clip attached you put on your trigger finger. When you mount the unloaded gun and aim it at whatever you want to check the POA on and touch the trigger it completes the electric circuit and the laser lights up and the beam hits whatever you're pointing at.

Some years ago a friend and I, each bought one of these Arrow laser tools. They both gave similar results that you have. However, twisting the device within the barrel and doing the test again gave a completely different result and much more what we were expecting to see. In my opinion they're not worth the money and you'd do better testing POA and POI on a pattern board and live testing on clay targets.

I'm 73 and had cataracts removed from both eyes, the first was at the beginning of June and the second at the end of July. Wow, what a difference instead of seeing things like a sepia photograph, everything is crystal clear and more colourful. I had Lasik laser surgery in 2000 which reduced my - 6.5 and - 5.5 shortsightedness down to - 0.5 in both eyes but couldn't, back then, fix the astigmatism in both eyes so continued to wear specs but with a much thinner, weaker prescription lense. I had my cataracts removed as an NHS patient at Newmedica in Worcester. Fortunately my optometrist kept all my sight prescriptions pre and post laser treatment and also does biometric testing of patients at this branch of Newmedica so the surgeon was well briefed on my history. The lenses he fitted have removed the astigmatism in both eyes and my eyesight test this week at my final check up was 6/4 in both eyes for distance but I need +1.5 or +2 ready readers for close up work. I felt no pain during the operations, had to wear an opaque eye mask at night for one week and antibacterial eye drops three times daily for three weeks. Everything has looked so bright in daylight that I've had to wear sunglasses outside to prevent me squinting. I'd definitely recommend getting it done if needed. My optometrist said the NHS had changed its stance on cataract removal as in the past it was only done for half blind very aged people. Their view now is that if cataracts affect your leisure, quality of life etc. they'll undertake removal of them at any age. Mine were affecting my shooting and that was enough of a reason for them to be done.

For a nation to compete in the Olympic Games clay shooting disciplines their shooters have to win a 'Quota Place' during the three year period leading up to the Games. The QPs are available to be won at World Cup, Continental and World Championships. Each nation can only win a maximum of 2 QPs in each discipline and a shooter can only win one QP. The Commonwealth Games is entirely different as each of the home countries have their own selection process to pick their teams. So sadly our male skeet shooters haven't been good enough to win a QP in the last few years. The process will start again next year in the lead up to the 2028 games.

Yes please😉 I reckon she'd do a better job running the country than Sunak or Starmer given half a chance.

The Northamptonshire PCC incumbent Stephen Mold (Conservative) isn't standing for re-election following several high profile faux pas. The Labour candidate isn't contactable. Unfortunately our PCC is also in charge of the Fire Service and making a dog's dinner of that too.

My wife is 5ft 2in and 7.5 stone. She shoots a 12 bore Browning 425 grade 5 trap gun using 28gm cartridges. ALL the women trap shooters I know shoot 12 bore guns and 24 or 28gm cartridges depending on the discipline they're shooting. The majority will have had guns fitted to them.

Six of my friends in the village went up to London, by train on Saturday with the express intention of watching the firework display. They'd booked a hotel for two or three nights, not sure which, and I'm sure it wasn't a cheap one. They'll have hit the town enjoying themselves eating and drinking and the three wives hammering the credit cards on a shopping spree. I haven't seen them yet to hear the stories of their trip but they'll have spent quite a few bob between them. I don't doubt that very many out of towners and tourists were doing something similar, putting money into the London economy which perhaps they wouldn't have done without the draw of the NYE firework display.

In our village a new takeaway has set up and for their regular cod & chips it's £8.50. For large cod & regular chips it's £9.80. The latter is big enough to feed two.