Bobba

We all run that risk? I once received a piccie on my mobile from the farmer when a shot pigeon dropped in to his yard well away from where I was sitting. But that is not the point of the discussion which was problems of sitting in a hedge with a road immediately behind that hedge not 100's of yds away.

Rousey beaten by Nunes in 48 seconds.

Yes it is a difficult one. Any accident would seemingly be a consequence of a legal act. But, the age in which we live we are almost automatically required to undertake risk assessments; to exercise due diligence (to take reasonable steps to avoid committing an offence); and, to ensure a duty of care to others. Should an accident happen or someone is endangered then I suspect the police and proscurator fiscal would apply all of the above and find a law which could be applied for a prosecution in the circumstances. That said, I have no knowledge of Scottish law to even guess at what that offence would be.

Interesting observations. Thanks. It may well be that in the circumstances you describe the OP may not be breaking the law. But that wasn't the point I raised. Some make reference to but do not understand clearly the law in E&W on shooting within 50 ft of the centre of a highway. It is an offence without lawful authority or reasonable excuse to shoot within 50 ft of the centre of a highway AND IN CONSEQUENCE a user is injured, interrupted or endangered. It follows from this that the action of shooting within 50 ft is not in itself an offence but it becomes an offence if any of the stated consequences result from that action. Although the 50 ft law seemingly does not exist in Scotland and so the OP is within the law, my observation was ( and remains the case) that the consequences of the action may in certain circumstances place the OP outside the law by endangering others. Philosophically, as shooters we either consciously or sub- consciously weigh up the risks before placing a shot (or we should do). And dead birds falling on the highway is a risk. It is up to the individual to decide whether it is a risk worth taking.

Would appreciate links / advice please to the batteries and "micro magnets" you use. Thanks.

A bit of advice on using the poles. Always make sure the are securely locked together - some have a pop up locking stud which does this. The reason for this advice is that sometimes a decoy gets stuck in a branch and you will try to dislodge it by pushing the poles up and down against the decoy. If the poles are not securely locked together there is the risk that they can separate and the top pole will drop at 32 ft per second squared and possibly hit you and do considerable damage. This happened to my shooting buddy last year. He required micro stitching to his top lip. The point of impact bein 3 inches away from his eye where the consequences would have been life changing.

Interesting to see the difference between the differing systems explained. Thank you. My only observation is that With the OP shooting with his back to a road he runs the risk of any incoming birds he hits falling into the road thereby endangering road users where, for example, cars, cyclists, pedestrians are hit by a falling bird or take evasive action to avoid one. A Wiley prosecutor would point to the need for risk assessment where this risk would be clear to see. So, it is not the shooting itself which causes the problem but if, as a result of doing so, you cause an endagerement.

In the context of contributing to debates, meetings etc I have, over time, received various pieces of advice, two of which I try to keep in mind. Long before the Internet, forums, trolls etc my grand daddy's advice was "if you can't think of anything nice to say then don't say anything at all". At work I was once advised " If you have to resort to personal comments / insults in order to try to win the arguement then your limitations are clear to all" That said, I am only human and I have to admit to occasional lapses !

So do I. It could have been a smidgen more difficult with a few added farthings or half pennies.

We have insufficient information to take a definitive view and so it depends on the circumstances. If the lady has signed an agreement which assigns the payment in the first instance to the claims Company then they can ask for the payment to be sent to them because that is what she has agreed. If she has not assigned the payment then the money should be paid direct to her. As to any commission which may or may not be due to the claims company, again, it depends. If it compiled and presented the claim on her behalf then it would argue rightly that they should be paid for their work. As to the level of commission, again, it depends on whether they are able to demonstrate that this was clearly explained to her and she agreed to it by having signed an agreement or having ticked an on-line box agreeing to their terms and conditions. If neither of the latter exist then she avoid making any payment.

Wow. You do not need to go to South Africa to shoot big game, you can now shoot big game on social media. You learn something every day.

Good job you do not have a great deal to spend otherwise it runs the risk of becoming like boys and their toys with a rotary, then a flapper then.... then........then........ One of my permissions has this year planted rapeseed well away from where I can park my car so I'm having to walk the kit in. Batteries and rotaries and flappers are weighty objects and of necessity I have therefore become a minimalist. At first I was sceptical but the results gave been quite satisfying. In my backpack / kitbag are two nets, 12 shell decoys, folding stool, cartridges, food and water. In my rod bag are 4 hide poles, two sets of floater poles, two telescopic bouncer poles and clips to secure netting to the poles. Two floater decoys are carried on the poles protruding from the rod bag. (If your a handyman make your own floaters with full bodied decoys and Jack Pyke wing sets, although you will have to paint the wing sets as their colour scheme is nothing like the real thing.) my preference is for floaters as they add more movement in the wind. I increase the decoy pattern with dead birds and mount dead birds on the bouncer poles. Minimalist, but it seems to be working

The problem is that the test has been done, the shop wants it's money and you will not get your cylinder back until you pay. Your options are limited. If time is on your side you could try the HSE diving regs people with a photo/ description of your cylinder for their views. Or you could contact MDE with the question whether a dive cylinder with their jubilee reg would constitue a surface use only cylinder. Whether the dive shop will be persuaded by either confirmation remains to be seen. I recently ceased diving after 20 yrs in the sport. As a former BSAC instructor, compressor operator, TDI gas mixer and blender (nitrox) etc the MDE jubilee gun valve is in my view for surface use only (not that this helps your case - sorry)

I do not know whether it covers iPlayer, but if you want to watch live tv ( some 500 channels) try www.filmon.com. I use it when in Europe to access live uk tv. Examples: Last weekend I was in Germany and watched BBC news: the b-in-law lives in Corfu and watches European football.It's description suggests it's available in the US so may work on your corporate IP address. Give it a go and let us know whether it does work. Alternatively, If using your own laptop try some pieces of software like Ex Pat Shield

Given the opportunity you often can't beat the real thing. Currently in Dortmund - Easyjet from Luton ( Dortmund 4 Bayern Munich 1 great game) Street after street of stalls, music, beer, sausages, etc. and very friendly people who happily accommodate our lack of the German language. Have also done Berlin from Bristol and Cologne from Gatwick both have at least four markets. Closer to home ( Bristol) Bath has a great market with good reviews.

Agreed. Almost any "celebrity" programme for that matter. Celebrity Master Chef is another example.

On film he was not as entertaining or as good as Jackie Chan.

And your reason for this mini rant is...........?

My only advice Wiggum is to take things steady. Had mine about 30 yrs ago. The big scalpel op in those days. But it was pain free. The advice then was avoid strenuous exercise for 6 wks. Week 7 I started back on the squash courts. The wound had healed on the outside but, unbeknown to me, not on the inside of the scrotum. That evening sheer agony. Felt like I'd been kicked in the nuts. They said that the wound had opened on the inside and I had blood in the scrotum. Boiled beetroots was an understatement. The plus side is that since then I have not subjected my lovely lady to many years of the chemical pill and I didn't have to use condoms - which is about as enjoyable sucking a toffee with the paper on.

Old Boy Scout rhyme from years back when we cooked over real fires, not gas, and had to learn the burning properties of wood. These hardwoods burn well and slowly Ash, beach, hawthorn, oak and holly. Softwoods flare up quick and fine Birch, fir, Hazel, larch and pine. Elm and willow you'll regret Chestnut green and sycamore wet.

A curiosity question, not a peeee take. How tall is a 21 year old Oak sapling? I ask because I read somewhere that they can grow at about 0.5 Mtrs a year. If this is so the sapling would have been a be a small tree. So how can anyone with sense pretend they delivered isuch a large object when they did not.

My bottle of Parker-Hale walnut oil is coming to an end. Out of curiosity does anyone know if there is any material difference between PH walnut oil from gunshops and walnut oil from supermarkets? Certainly wouldn't risk problems to the woodwork which I reworked myself. Not penny pinching. Just curious. Thanks.

If it's dark hit him with something hard and when questioned say "I thought he had a knife". With hand on heart I can honestly say that that tip was given to me some years back by a serving police officer

These squatters are those people who buy one coffee then totally occupy a table by setting up an Office with their laptop, mobile phone, business diary and paperwork. They stay there for a considerable time, working and making calls, presumably with the inconsiderate mindset that one small coffee in over an hour gives them the right to deprive others the use of that table. I do not understand why staff do not cajole them into buying another coffee or simply ask if they've finished and clear away the empty cup as a hint to leave. It must be obvious to staff and/or owners that squatters lose them trade and income but they do nothing about it. I experienced an even worse example the other evening at "The Watershed" in Bristol. ( a great venue, a converted harbourside dock warehouse with three small cinemas and an open plan restaurant / bar / coffee shop ). Having been to the early cinema, four of us wanted a drink and a meal. Of a row of 4 seater tables five were occupied by single squatters with laptops etc each with one empty coffee cup or drink glass: and a six seater bench table was occupied by what seemed to be an in progress business meeting with only plastic water bottles on the table. We were unable to find a seat and waited at the bar. Another couple at the bar had been waiting 30 mins for a table and were equally frustrated by the situation. They confirmed that all squatters had purchased only one small drink. All of us went elsewhere and The Watershed lost six meals an twelve drinks. Probably over £100 in lost trade. I'm not sure what the answer is or if there is an answer at all. Perhaps the general public (excluding the squatters) do not regard it as a problem and I should learn to live with it. Meanwhile, I will vote with my feet and spend my hard earned cash where squatters are discouraged and I can get a table. Rant over. Thanks for listening.

Two years ago my GP diagnosed my PF and made an appointment for me with a specialist at the local hospital. No physio. A straightforward injection direct into the centre if the problem area. No idea what was in the injection but it worked. I've been problem free since then.