Shadowchaser

If you want to exchange old bank notes at the Bank of England itself you may be asked to provide proof of ID. We may ask you for identification (ID) and proof of address for an exchange of any value. Identity documents we accept are: valid passport valid photo card driving licence (full or provisional) British residents’ permits national identity card (if you are a non-UK national) firearm or shotgun certificate. I noticed this on their website some years back and it stuck in my mind.

I've just watched Dua Lipas set from last night. Again not my favourite music, but I know some her stuff from the radio and one or two of her songs are decent. Paul Heaton has such a great back catalogue of songs stretching back to the House Martin days. He's certainly one our best and prolific songwriters.

Paul Heatons set was great. A shame Jacqui Abbot can't perform, I believe she is out of action due to medical reasons. However the new female lead was up to the task. Not my favourite genre but I watched some of the Sugababes set. I'll be checking out more on iplayer in the coming days. Looking forward to Cyndi Lauper, Coldplay, Shania and Avril Lavigne.

Let's not forget that the Earth has been both extremely hot and extremely cold in the past. The Romans had vineyards as far north as York and Cumbria. Could you grow grapes successfully in a vineyard in Cumbria today? I doubt it very much. In another cycle people will be able to skate on the Thames again like they did in the Victorian era.

I've voted Tory for the past few elections simply to keep Labour out of power. While the two parties might not be able to squeeze a cigarette paper between them, I think with the Tories we have the slightly lesser of two evils. I would like to see the two party system ripped up and would like to vote Reform actually, but I'm not sure it'll do anything. We're in for more rinse and repeat if Labour win. At the next election or the one after that, they'll be voted out. People have short memories.

I'd say he was one of the greats of cinema. Kelly's Heroes, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Don't Look Now and countless more films and even television series.

I agree, it's somewhat chilly here in the NW. I don't like those baking hot days though, so as long as it's dry and not too windy I don't mind layering up.

Fair enough, I didn't realise you get the fee back as it's never come up for me.

If it was me I'd just apply and see what happens. All you'll lose is the fee. I think there are laws preventing (though who would police it I don't know) anyone who has spent longer than 3 months in prison for any offence from handling a legal firearm, but this doesn't count in your case. As above you could always still shoot with someone even if you don't have a licence.

Thanks for all the replies. I'll try the thermal suggestion and report back. Will be interesting to see what's out there.

I believe they can pretty much eat anything. I just wasn't sure if living in the complete wild was viable for them. I'd always assumed they relied somewhat on living in close proximity to humans. I don't like rats but they are a resourceful creature.

Not at the moment. We only start feeding the pond when we put new ducks on usually in July. We only put food in the pheasant hoppers from September - February. There's only a few of us that shoot the land so we keep things as minimal as possible. I can understand rats being around then, especially when food is more scarce but not now. We don't get the latter as we're too far from any roads or people. Birds eggs and leftovers are a certainty though.

I'm posting here as it doesn't really fit the category of shooting or vermin control. Some of the land we have is rough land. Trees, brambles, undergrowth, tall grass, small earth bankings etc. I've noticed in recent years more and more rat activity such as rat holes and runs. I saw one a few weeks ago scurrying across the top of a banking near one of the ponds. This is essentially in the middle of nowhere. No food source from human activity. I understand that rats need to drink a lot of water which isn't an issue for them here. But what are they eating? Grass, worms or insects? I could understand seeing more rats around the actual farm or being closer to the neighbouring farms. I could understand the odd rat hole appearing near a food hopper during the season. But what I'm seeing is a bit baffling. Any thoughts?

I've had this issue. In 2019 I sent my cert in and they sent a replacement. My first two certificates had space for 11 guns on the table. The last two have only had space for 6. I have read in the past that some people have printed their own table 2 out and simply stapled it to the cert. As I understand some dealers are fine with this and others not. I don't really see the problem. If the cert is a valid one why does it matter that the table isn't on an officially printed piece of paper? As long as the records are correct is shouldn't matter.

Indeed. It's one of those things isn't it? If I showed the gun to someone casually they probably wouldn't see the dent but when you know it's there it plays on your mind. If it was a second hand gun or if it was several years old I wouldn't be as bothered. A bit like getting a dent in a brand new car. It's always going to annoy you.