Bobba

As a general observation I would think that using only air rifles sub 12ft lbs then as no licence is necessary there would seem to be no problem with him plinking away to his hearts content in the controlled environment you describe. If later on you thought of progressing to firearms and shotguns I would think that very much depends on whether Doctors consider his conditions to fall within the boundaries of those conditions listed on the medical form of the SGC and firearms licence applications and what interpretation the Police Firearms Licensing would put on it if they do. When next visiting a GP you or your grandson could, perhaps, pose the general question of whether his conditions fall within those listed on the form. You could then plan accordingly.

Well done. Green with envy.

This is not a granny sucks eggs comment but if you do not know it already OPINEL knives are lock knives. This is because the collar turns to lock the blade. Google BASC Lock knives for info.

Agreed. But those who would take decisions on pruning are themselves in positions mostly justified by the number of people, branches, divisions etc they control. The laws of Self Survival dictate that if you prune too deeply then your own job becomes at risk. So it will not happen to any great extent. One issue which needs correcting right away is the civil service three day week / four day weekend (ooops, sorry, I mean the working from home life balance!!). It’s one thing I find myself in agreement with Rees-Mogg. They should all be back in the office. If they can socialise in pubs, restaurants, cinema, etc etc then, clearly, they can go back to the office. However, the Permanent Secretaries (the Top a dog at a ministry) openly disagree with Ministers on this so it isn’t going to happen.

Cover the light with a piece of black insulation tape.🤡 No joke. In 2007 I bought a new car with a good discount which did not include a part ex of my battered mondeo. So sold it to a dealer just as the orange engine management light began to show. The insulation tape worked a treat.

Sunday evenings. Radio. Mrs B says 6 pm. I ways 18 when we started dating so then it would be 1962, but Mrs B believes it was active before then.

Sundays. Soaking in the bath getting ready for my date, now my wife.

Sweet11-87 - Many thanks

Thank you for the interesting comments. As I sad, only one done as a sample / experiment so nothing lost. Sweet11-87. Do you have a particular product in mind please? There are many out there.

Decided to refresh my full bodied unflocked plastic decoys with Matt finish paint colour matched sampler pots at B&Q. Fortunately I only did one as a trial. Despite alleged Matt finish they shine . I read somewhere that mixing fullers earth with the paint reduces shine. Does anyone have knowledge of this trick or can offer ideas? Many thanks.

Johnny Kidd and the Pirates

Is the reduction possibly due to the 10% increase in state pension? The revenue have no means of taxing the state pension so, if you have a company pension then the way it works is that they reduce your personal tax allowance by your state pension and the net result forms your tax code which is then applied by your private pension provider to your pension. So, your state pension went up then your tax code went down. Which means you pay more tax and your private pension payment goes down. Just a thought

Agreed. But in my case (almost 80) it’s not always possible. So, as part of my risk assessment, I have downloaded the App “What Three Words”. When I’ve settled in my hide I open the App and share the location via WhatsApp to my wife’s ‘phone. So, in the event of a problem she and the emergency services know where to start looking.

WWWwwooooow. Roll on 5th Sept 2023. Won’t even cover the increased tax on the bottle of wine I buy to celebrate the day.

Try Apple Support / chat uk

Without wishing to open up a debate on this issue I thought I would mention what can happen to the innocent (me) when starting out down this road 10 yrs ago my farming friend invited me to get a a shotgun for crop protection and given my age (then 69) recommended 20 bore as a lighter more manageable shotgun. I visited a well known West Country gun room and settled on a Miroku MK60. I then said I needed cartridges for pigeons, crows an rabbits and was sold a slab of Lyalvale 28grm 6’s. Knowing no different I presumed this was the standard set up. The shotgun was fixed chokes so I popped up to the then Nigel Teague workshop for multi chokes, gunfit and kickeezee pad and have mostly used this arrangement ever since without any problems. However, now 1 mth off of 80yrs I have to admit that following a busy day I do feel the twinges the following day so, following comments here, my next slab will be to try a lighter load. I have tried 12 bores but remain wedded to my 20 bore. So if anyone is interested in a Beretta sporter adjustable stock, or SKB 200e SxS please get in touch 👍

Thanks one and all.

I have for years shot a 20 bore and have almost always used 28grm 6’s on pigeons and crows. Not having bought cartridges for a long time now and down to my last 500 I thought I would stock up. A 250 slab locally is now around £120 !! Jeepers Creepers. Almost 50p a shot. Clay rounds are significantly cheaper but I’ve no idea or experience on whether the lighter load is suitable or too light and would do more damage than good. Hence the question. Advice welcomed please. Thanks.

Sadly not. The instructions / procedures letter gave their bank codes etc and paying in reference. Something to be aware of when your wife jumps through these hoops?

It can be a long, long, haul with falls at the final hurdle. For the past 12 years our son has worked in Singapore and now Oz. Wanting to top up his pension the waits for the helpline and in correspondence was like drawing teeth and getting blood from a stone. Finally, the appropriate years plus sum ££ necessary was notified, plus paying in procedures and reference number which he followed precisely. Many weeks after the event a letter for him has arrived here (we’re his UK post box) it said we’ve received £x from you but what is it for? Please advise with any reference numbers. He’s spitting blood. Being in IT and audit trails he has complete transaction records to demonstrate he did what he was told. Yet they still got it wrong.

Thank you. Not a problem for me. I was sat looking at it when in a hide the other day 😎

Advice welcomed please. I’ve no idea.

Not that it concerns me - most fortunately. But I received this from Chase de Vere yesterday. So I thought I would share. copy pasted so apologies for text size etc NICS DEADLINE DEFERRED, AGAIN 13 July 2023 If you were planning to fill the gaps in your national insurance contributions (NICs) record by 31 July, you no longer need to rush or worry – you now have until 2025. As is often the case with financial deadlines, publicity in the form of press stories and subsequent public awareness often arrive late in the day, and in the case of voluntary NICs, this has caused the Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC to reassess its July deadline. Back on 7 March, the government was forced to extend the deadline from 5 April to 31 July. In addition, the Treasury said that all voluntary contributions would be payable at 2022/23 rates – a useful perk when the main voluntary rate (Class 3) was raised by 10.1% for 2023/24 to £907.40 a year. It seemed highly unlikely that there would be any further extension of the deadline beyond July, but in mid-June, the government announced a further deferral, all the way out to 5 April 2025. Why it matters The introduction of the new state pension in April 2016 was one of the most significant reforms to state benefits in decades. If you did not reach state pension age before 6 April 2016, there were two important adjustments to rules relating to pension entitlement and NICs: The period of NICs (including any credits) required to obtain a full pension was increased from 30 tax years to 35 tax years; and The corresponding minimum period for entitlement to any pension benefit moved from just one year to ten. These changes left some people worse off, particularly those with contribution records of under ten years. To mitigate the effects, the government relaxed the rules permitting voluntary NICs to be made to fill in any missing years. These had normally only been payable for a maximum of the previous six tax years, but a temporary extension of the backdating period was introduced to allow voluntary contributions to cover the years from 2006/07 onwards, after which voluntary contributions could only have been made to cover periods from 2017/18 onwards. If you have any gaps in your NICs record between April 2006 and April 2017 – even if you have now passed state pension age after 5 April 2016 – this is now (almost) certainly your last opportunity to fill them. However, it will not always be beneficial to make the top up, so you should seek advice before making any payments. The Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate tax or benefit advice.

From reading his contributions on here Mr Ditchman is the last person I would describe as Woke 😳

Some time back when I consulted with a staff member of Wai Yee Hong, a well known Bristol Chinese supermarket, I was advised to go for the deep bowl steel wok as the high sides helped reduce the risk of splashing spreading when cooking.