hedge

I know plenty of academics with degress, Phd's and lots of `qualifications`. They are generally very intelligent and `well read` people. Just don't ask them to change a bulb/tyre/fuse* (delete as applicable). The world needs smart people, but it also needs people who are grounded, impartial and can see beyond the books and unltimately think `out of the box`. I have 2 friends who have studied Theology, Latin, the Arts etc. They are a library on legs. Lovely people, but in `real life` situations they are pretty useless! Politics and business leaders are one in the same - it's all linked, it's all about money and climbing the greasy pole. There are some very good `people orientated` MP's but sadly they rarely make it to the upper echelons due to the backlog of greasy pole climbers and brown nosers. That is of course just an opinion and I'm generalising and I have no facts/figures/statistics to support that.

Fenn traps and peanut butter worked well for me. I made some homemade tunnel traps. They are very wary to start with but will soon get used to them. I've also tried poisons but when the rules changed regarding the over the counter stuff, I found it less effective. I'm a big fan of body count, so prefer traps/air rifle when possible. As has been said - removing or limiting access to the food source will help. They'll also tend to defer to that first rather than poison. I find that a hungry rat will eat poison, a well fed one won't.

Nothing like stating the obvious!

Good shout. I'm glad they have "Tripe stitched side seams"

Sorry to hear that. They are magnificent animals.

The only one I've ever seen was a few years ago when a friend had a go at a few. He stayed away from the darker meats as they were too strong (personal preference) and did something along the lines of hare/rabbit/pheasant I think. He just added some seasoning and not much else. I think he did something clever to bond the meat together but can't remember what. Half the fun is experimenting!

Damsons can be elusive creatures. In the wild, you just need to be lucky to find a decent (mature) tree. My best crop came from a village pub who happended to have one in the garden. I've seen others in gardens of older houses that used to have orchards and fruit trees. They're quite an old fashioned product in that respect so some tree are very well developed. I have found some sort of hybrid Damson/Bullace trees in the wild but the results were average. You end up with a small damson meets a large sloe type affair and they are not 100% damson. The pub damsons made a good crop - I would call they `pure` damsons - no cross-fertilisation. In terms of harvesting - IIRC the end of August is generally the best time. They are very closely related to plumbs and will ripen and quickly fall off the tree. I usually find a window of 7-10 days to pick them. Some places sell them mail order at the right time of year or look locally on places like Facebook for people selling them from their gardens. The good thing with them is: you need less to fill a Kilner jar compared to sloes the brew can be ready in 3 months (longer is better though). I find that sloes really need 12 months to fully develop. the booze soaked fruit can be used for crumbles, jam or dipped in chocolate and made into festive treats. Just remember to remove the stones. I make mine almost a syrup consistency - lovely mixed with champers/prosecco or in a hip flask. Can also drizzle on vanilla ice-cream or a nice warm sponge! I get requests every year for it from certain family members. It's like an addictive, alcoholic cough syrup.

(double post)

I've been lazy this year and missed the damson crop. I actually prefer them to sloes as they are sweeter and can be ready to drink a bit quicker. I usually leave sloes 12 months to brew properly. I have got damsons from last years crop still in the loft. They need sorting out for this years Xmas gifting. We do seem to have some decent sloe crops, so I'd better get out and grab some when they are ready. Happy brewing.

This is the original thread with regard to the Fox 40 In relation to the OP - I echo a lot of what other people have said. A mixed breed is just that and it's a lottery regarding the outcome. We have a pure bred black lab, mainly as a pet but he's a fantatic dog. We also inheirited from the inlaws a cockerpoo - he's first generation and so far no issues. They got his as a pet, we said bad idea and after 6 mnoths they agreed. He was just too much for them. VERY energetic and they couldn't cope with him (complete lack of discipline didn't help). We've had him 2 years and he's an absolute joy now. Good nose and works quite well when out for walks but not used as a gundog. VERY smart and we're doing dog agility with him to keep him occupied and tire him out. The only issue is he's got a bit of an `only child` syndrome about him and can get jealous/possessive. We manage it but its a trait we don't like. Personally, if I wanted a gundog I would not go for a mix/mongrel - too many variables. Some people will always have success and that's great but it's not for me. They cost so much because it's a fad, supply and demand and just a case of what's en vogue. A lot of them are very cute as puppies but complete **** when they grow up and need firm handling and boundries setting. I think that an experienced handler could get a lot out of one but it's not an ideal first dog. I'll always say labs followed closely by spaniels.

I haven't checked this thread for a while. It's a bit like Eastenders. I can dip in every 6 months for 5 mins and the main characters are still there and the plot line is very similar/repetitive. You feel like you've never been away. 😉

I couldn't see anything. https://basc.org.uk/membersoffers/

Try following these steps: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-recover-deleted-photos-from-a-memory-card/ I've used Recuva before on a USB stick and it found at least 80% of missing photos. It actually found a few more when I ran it 2 or 3 times. https://www.ccleaner.com/recuva As others have said - it's rare for the card to just be wiped like that. Have you tried the card in another camera/laptop/card reader? *I take no responsibility for 3rd party downloads

I had the same thing with Admiral car insurance. Told them I could get it £80 cheaper elsewhere. "Who is that with sir" "Admiral" "Oh - well that's on-line and a different part of our business but we can price match it for you" "When I first signed up I did it `on-line`. You can price match yourselves? Well done - very generous of you." I stayed with them - you just have to play the game to get the reduction. I still can't believe that they get away with inflating auto-renewal prices. No reward for loyaltly and it takes the preverbial. Very hard on old and vulnerable people as well.

Very similar to the Qatar World Cup 2022 Money (bribery) talks. And oil - it's all about oil.

She'll probably accidentally order a bacon cob next week....

I never get bored of watching that. I think that modern day Elf and Safteeeeee would have something to say about that. Although, decapitation by Spitfire would be quite a cool way to go.

We used to have Baileys for Breakfast on ours. Not sure we actually had the cereal....

YES Great post - made me chuckle. He was also an accidental PM and about as effective as Theresa May was/wasn't.

Just in case anyone wants to actually read the article in question: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49753325

I'm in a similar situation to you. The `value` of your Avios depends on how you use them. I've spent far too much time trawling web-sites to try and get a definitive answer. This can vary from about 1p per Avios to 0.4 pence. It appears that the general rule of thumb is that buying Flight Saver tickets to European destinations get's you more or less the best redemption value. You pay a fixed price tax of £35 for standard seats and pay the rest in Avios. You can also use them to upgrade your seats. There are some complicated permutations about being BA members, having Amex membership and being able to stick your toe in your ear. Some sort of 2 for 1 or something. I got lost at about that point. Long haul flights don't offer good value for money as the taxes are so high. You can get a cash deal ticket much easier. You can of course buy hotel breaks, spa days, `experience days` and even crates of wine or a bottle of scotch. The redemption value on that can be about 0.5p or less. The bottom line is - what are your Avios worth to you? Technically, it's free money, so if you buy a crate of wine, does the redemption value really matter? 160,000 Avios @ 1p = £1600 160,000 Avios @ 0.5p = £800 You could still do a lot of Xmas shopping with that. https://www.wine.ba.com/apps/merchandise/#/categories/-1 There are lots of web-sites dedicated to getting the best VFM and it really decides what you feel would be the best use of them. https://www.headforpoints.com/2019/03/12/what-is-avios-reward-flight-saver/ https://www.godsavethepoints.com/10-best-ways-spend-british-airways-avios-points-2018/ https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/boost-avios-points/ Hope that doesn't make your head spin too much.

It's all Ambulance Chasing, just in a different format. Sadly, we are in a world where peanuts contain peanuts and hot coffee is........ hot - and we can blame someone else for that.

Really sorry to hear that. It's terrifying when that sort of thing happens. If it's as bad as it sounds, they can be prosecuted for that. The dogs are only as good/bad as their owner. One of my new neighbours moved in with an recently inheirited Rotty/Lab type cross. Not socialized, rubbish start in life and wanted to bark and have a go at everything. Kept jumping out of her garden to have a go at me, my dogs, the neighbours, their dogs. He never bit anyone but really spooked a few people. We had to add extra fencing, as did they and our dogs (and my missus) got super stressed about it. The dog owner realised she couldn't handle it and very sensibly got it re-homed. We were very relieved. I hope you manage to sort your situation out. I know it's tempting but try keep your cool - it's the owner that needs to meet your beating stick....

Like everyone has said - it's a combination of good gun cleaning and some preventative measures. I always clean, wipe with an oily cloth and store. I do have a couple of gun socks that are meant to be impregnated with the Napier stuff as well (or similar product). Thanks for the heads up on the VP90 patch. It's been a while since I changed mine! I've just ordered one 😮

I wear compression socks for sporting purposes and some of the best ones I have found for the money are Karrimor ones from Sports Direct: https://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-compression-running-socks-mens-415508#colcode=41550803 I've worn more expensive Skins and 2XU socks and never noticed any difference.