Jonty

If you take the old stuff down, be aware that it can come down in very big slabs. The 'keys' (plaster mushroomed behind the laths) holding the plaster in place often break over time and you removing/disturbing one part of a ceiling can cause great big chunks to clatter down with a big old bang so do take the time to have a good check before starting. Edit - sorry I didn't read Vampires post properly - apologies for basically repeating what he already said.

100% with Bob on the Wago connectors - when I started using them it was a revelation how easy, convenient and quick they were. My own personal choice would be to see where the feed for the light fitting comes from and look if I could joint/reroute it discretely (as previously said possibly lifting the floorboards upstairs. If you can't, I'd suggest a run of galv conduit rather than plastic for exactly the reason udderleyoffroad mentioned - I'm only familiar with industrial wiring regs rather than domestic, but with your house containing your nearest and dearest - it makes sense to err on the side of caution. If you've not done any electrical work before, what you are wanting to do is quite straightforward, but do take the time to read up a little first and note what wires go where, understanding how a lighting circuit works before you start will save a lot of confusion when you're staring at a bundle of loose wires. RE the missus - I'd say it would take about as long as it does to boil a deer's head, I would only be attempting either when I knew she was out for at least a full afternoon when I could get done and dusted and cleaned up without her knowing- maybe you could use a similar approach 😀

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Wymberley, you question had me go and find my old knife I was issued as a young Sapper, I never knew they were manufactured by Rodgers, I was always pleased because the JR stamped on mine matched my initials.

Sorry chaps, not got round to it yet. I will update as and when I make a start.

Hi Agriv8, yes it was, as part of one of the local Mountain Rescue Teams. Due to the location and difficult nature of the terrain we were there to assist with casualty extraction and a help get the various emergency services to and from the scene. I don't know any of the members of the shoot, but as a fellow gun, it certainly brings it home that it is the last thing you'd ever expect to happen when you set out for a day's shooting.

I attended this awful incident yesterday, and I'm afraid to say that they were all members of a shoot. Very sad news for our shooting fraternity and my thoughts and best wishes go out to the people involved and their families and friends.

Tried something I’ve been wanting to try for ages. Pheasant salami - I’ve not seen any recipes anywhere but I’ve seen it is available so I had a go using a fairly basic recipe. I put it into thin casings so it dries quickly which reduces the chance of things going wrong - always a winner with an experiment.

I thought I’d have a go at making some venison bresaola- I’ve made it with beef before but never tried venison. I broke down a haunch last night and have used a very basic cure seasoned with fennel, juniper, bay and black pepper. It’ll sit in the fridge for a week or so before heading out to my boiler room, I mean curing room 😀 to hang and air dry for a few weeks.

That's a real coincidence Mickey, I was just eyeing up the apex of my man cave roof for exactly the same reason - i might add a 7 pointer and not a patch on your two though!

Thanks chaps - l’ve just finished preliminary quality control 😀

Roll on breakfast - I’m ready for a bacon and egg banjo! Took the meat out of the cure yesterday, rinsed it and cooked it on a really low heat until it hit 60 degrees internal temp - this is an American style bacon which is effectively already cooked. But, when you fry it up, the sugars from the cure caramelise up and you have a really fantastic sweet yet salty bacon. You can see in one of the pics how much liquid has come out of the meat - that’s the whole point of curing and how bacon lasts, the less moisture in the meat is on e if the things that makes it more difficult for bacteria to live/breed in it.

North Yorks issue, or did when I got mine, an open ticket on grant.

@marsh man i can't for the life of me remember where I read it, but I did read once that the majority of 3rd party shooting insurance payouts went to repair bills for body & windscreen damage to parked vehicles caused by falling birds.

Hi Ian you would need some Cure#2 (also often called Prague Powder#2), some fine sea salt and a set of scales big enough to weigh the leg. And also somewhere at a relatively cool constant temperature to hang it. When you look for the cure, dont confuse it with Cure#1. #1 is shorter acting and used for bacon/gammon/things you cook and #2 is longer acting and used on air dried meats such as proscuitto/salami/etc. If you'd like to have a go, maybe send me a PM and we could put a cure mix/recipe together for you once you've got the leg and the cures

OK mate, thanks. That will be fine for your bacon and hams that you would cook. If you wanted to air dry a ham then you'd need some different ingredients. For your bacon etc, just follow the instructions on the pack - have fun!!

Without knowing what type of cure you have and what type of hams you want to make it's difficult to comment. If you want to make a gammon type ham that you cook then there's no need to hang it anywhere, and you can use a cure similar to a bacon cure as the chemicals are compatible. However if you want to air dry a ham like a parma/proscuitto where you will hang it somewhere to dry, you need to use a different cure because the chemical composition of the cure needs to be different in order to keep the meat safe from botulism. If you can let us know what you want to achieve, and what cure/salts you have we can maybe get you started.

Dave, you're watching it all wrong - namely with your eyes open. It's great to sit down with the kids on a Sunday evening, usually after roast a beef dinner and a couple of glasses of wine. I usually just about make it through the opening credits before I'm asleep. It's a great way of spending some quality family time 😀

what curing salt do you have for the bacon Ian ? is it a pre-mixed cure or does it need combining with salt etc to make your own bacon cure up?

Sounds like a great project to process your own pigs - that will be incredibly satisfying. Happy to help out with some cures or suggestions if you like.

I’ve taken the jowl out of the fridge and given it a rinse to wash off the remaining cure. I’ve weighed it and will now hang it in my boiler room, erm, curing chamber until it has lost 25% of the original,weight. I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

No ferret needed matey - pop by anytime you’re passing. I’ve taken the jowl out of the fridge and given it a rinse to wash off the remaining cure. I’ve weighed it and will now hang it in my boiler room, erm, curing chamber until it has lost 25% of the original,weight. I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Take a look at SP Services I buy most of my first aid stuff from them. They sell CATs - well priced and an easy to deal with company.

Mice, I’ve actually vac packed my shooting 1st aid kit for that very reason, it worked a treat and irrespective of how wet I get, the contents are bone dry.

I’m sorry but that’s not general guidance or current thinking. The only time a tourniquet that is effectively stemming arterial bleeding should be removed is when the casualty is in hospital.