Bobba

Thought I’d post this in the craft section for interest to the knife makers. our son in Singapore sourced it on line for my B’day as he cannot pop over due to COVID. Well, he could leave but getting back? That would be difficult Butchering meat at the weekend was a dream. My questio is how do I maintain 20 degree sharpening angle on a whetstone. Is there a gadget somewhere. Thanks

I experienced similar difficulties with my old - very old- iPad. I was experiencing difficulties with other sites too. It seems that after a few years Apple do not allow upgrading the software which could, potentially, resolve the problem. So I bought a new, basic, iPad and all is OK.

Hi, same here. For us it’s the river Avon. 👍

Unless you’ve deep pockets you may care to choose somewhere different to Chew Valley Lake. 2021 pike season = £55.00 per session bank fishing and £120.00 per boat (2 people) !!

Already in General Shooting Matters

Conveniently ignoring the fact that “You can’t make a silk purse from a sows ear”

In the ‘70’s I worked with an army Colonel who enjoyed a pint or two. His advice was, on arrival, to always reverse in to the parking space. In this way you were facing the way you wanted to go which, after a pint or two, was important. His thinking was that in reversing out after a beer or two there was a greater risk of nudging another vehicle with the obvious risks of confrontation etc. Since then, I have always reversed in to parking spaces as it seems the most sensible way to park. (I hasten to add that I do not drink and drive)

To the above add sheet bend and sheepshank

Not far behind you. 56 years. Ups and downs. But, chatting the other night (yes, we still do talk together) we’re both glad we stuck it out.

He wouldn’t be on the bank today. Sadly, the weed problem is such that bank fishing at Blagdon has been suspended.

I was about to ask the same question. Answer awaited with baited breath !

This may well have been covered before but forum search engine gives nothing despite search permutations. About to spend some time fly “tying” (“dressing” to the purists) Putting to one side whether it’s spring, summer or autumn, I wondered what others considered as their five favourite patterns?

In addition to the Highways Act and the 50ft rule, it is also useful also to consider shotgun pellet shot drop out distance and the risk to nearby property and occupants should you inadvertently fire in that direction. An article by Bill Harriman in the Shooting UK and using Journee’s Formula suggests the theoretical drop out distance for UK No 6 shot = 220 yds and for UK No 5 shot = 242 yds. This maybe why the CPSA Safety Guide recommends 275 metres (300 yds) in every direction I suspect that the risk of damage or injury at that distance is slight. However, pellets landing in someone’s garden could bring unwanted attention.

Stay where you are for a while but don’t sit still. Try to improve your position. Perhaps study for IT qualifications in niche areas like project management and look for opportunities upwards and outwards to other Departments. In the workplace try not to appear like every other cog in the machine. Be seen to contribute positively and enthusiastically to problem solving (No, not brown nosing) to earn “fitted for promotion” markings. And, at your 1/2 yearly and annual report reviews ask where you need to improve and what resources / courses can be provided to achieve your goals. In many ways your career path can be up to you. I enjoyed my public sector career. I joined, aged 22, as a locally recruited casual Clerical Officer. 36 years later having worked in three different departments across five locations (the last two were by commuting) and gaining a CIMA qualification along the way I retired as a Grade 6. So, don’t sit still. Go for it.

Then I guess nobody will be replying to my question “Anybody remember them?” 😂😂

“Humbled” Meghan and Harry have made it to the list of TIME Magazines most 100 influential people. Praised for their compassion for people they don’t know. The couple posed for photographs in front of their£11 million mansion. So much for avoiding the limelight.

And in those days they played with real footballs !! Not the lightweight beach balls of today. Heavy leather balls. If the balls had not been waterproofed with dubbin then in the rain the leather absorbed water making them even heavier. It was like heading an iron cannonball. Anybody remember them?

As to your DVLA friend, it is not clear whether you are referring to his Civil Service Pension or his State Pension. If it is the state pension then, unfortunately for us all, it doesn’t work that way. The tax and NI we pay throughout our working lives does not go in to a personal pot for each of us to draw on when that time comes. For example, those contributing through the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s were not creating “their” pot. They were funding the pensions of pensioners that existed then. So, sadly, there was no personal state pension for your friend to get a penny from. And this system creates the well known problem. As the ageing population increases both in numbers and life expectancy and the working population decreases the day to day NI collected falls short of the pension funding required. Hence the increase NI contributions and extending the retirement age. But if the latter continues then we’ll all be dead before we can receive any state pension. Perhaps that’s the plan !!

Recovery was fine. There were no problems with the wound nor dressings, including change of dressings. I would recommend that your MIL ensures they teach her how get in and out of bed independently, the correct use of crutches, both for walking and climbing stairs, and her daily exercises including their physiotherapy sessions. There is plenty of good advice on NHS (not Mickey Mouse) websites for background reading. Getting mobile with a daily routine builds confidence and speeds recovery. Wish her well.

Too true. Half way through 2020 my right hip decided it didn’t want to work anymore. The deterioration was very quick. I am arthritic and my left hip was replaced 10 years ago (NHS). The NHS waiting time to see a consultant extended beyond Xmas: an operation date was nowhere in sight. Mrs B was of the view that without action I’d most likely need a wheelchair by the Xmas. At our age (I’m now 78) our quality time together is important. I made enquiries of the private sector and on 1st Nov 2020 I had a new hip. All went well. Now, I easily walk 5 miles and the bonus is that pigeon shooting carries on as normal. (Except no climbing 5 bar gates!) I was fortunate in that we did have some savings and I accessed my pension pot. Not everybody can. Given my tax and NI contributions over the many years I did somewhat resent paying but glad I did. So, go for it if you can is my experience.

The “overly tight…..hard to pull the loop through” is understood. The work around solution I was taught was not to make the loop for the full length of the whipping. Instead, you lock off the thread without a loop to start the whipping and when you come to the point of about 4-6 turns before the end you introduce a free standing loop. Whip over it to lock it in place, finish the 6 turns, thread through the false loop then pull the loop out completely from under the final turns and trim off the thread.

Using your heading, some interesting videos on YouTube.

Sadly this issue did not affect just the big boys. I was in a Bristol group in the 60’s which did three appearances on BBC Bristol science based series “Tom Tom”. Later in life I tried to track down copies of the recordings. None were available. It was explained that there was no deliberate decision to destroy them. It was just that at that time the BBC did not realise it was making history. They just re-used the tapes, overwriting what was on them.

Doing some hedge trimming when the old lady over the road (who knew my wife since childhood) wandered over and asked “ Bob, if you’ve got 5 minutes would you come over and trim my bush?”

Reported in The Telegraph today is that Davison, who had autism, ADHD, and depression, went to Mount Tamar School, a special needs school for children who cannot be dealt with in mainstream education. Jonathan Williams, one of his teachers there, said that “he would have had an education health care (EHC) plan, which should have seen him monitored by the authorities until the age of 25. Someone simply didn’t do their homework on the firearms certificate issue, he warned. The so-called multi-agency approach to safeguarding appears to have failed.” In such circumstances it does seem to raise a question on the quality of background checks in his SGC grant procedures in the first instance. Perhaps it was one of those cases where the police received no reply to their GP referral so issued the SGC by default. Only time will tell, if at all.