Paul

The trouble with only logging every four years is you wonder what people are on about Whatcha 'aving done, Mrs Merle? We may have just adopted a cat, some low life decided to move house and leave their cats behind Cut a long story short I offered to foster one of them while a transport was arranged to get him to the rescue who took the other two. One hour after collecting him we decided he should stay Henry is a white haired and VERY flea infested Persian.

Think we've found a home for Gustav, just need to work out how to get him from the Spanish border to Newcastle Sorted out the temporary foster too, that'll be us

Sounds a whole lot less well paid but many times more rewarding Doh! I just posted a hoooooj reply but in the November thread, now can't edit it and move it but I can post pics here

Sounds like we've been lucky compared to some Losing Bob was awful, went from his normal grumpy old sod self on a Thursday to being admitted to the vet on Sunday and us having to make the decision to PTS at Monday lunchtime. There were various symptoms and a downhill spiral that we chose not to investigate after his death but some time later we got reports of Alabama rot along the coast. The symptoms were very much like Bobs starting with the lesions on his face and legs, of course it was too late by then to confirm it as cause. Absolutely the worst day of my life, we said goodbye holding him tight, me in the pen with him at the vet as they injected him through one of the lines he had in. Can't think of a worst way or place to have had to do it but he was too weak to move. The vivid memories of that day still haunt me now. Meg finally sucumbed a few months later, she had a strange 'turn' the previous summer that we thought may have been a TIA but recovered from this. Some tests showed a shadow in one of her lungs but also that her murmour had become a lot worse. In the end it was so severe you could see it as well as feel it. You always know when the time is right and so we did, this time it was at home on the bed which was her favourite spot with all of us around her. So after Bob left us we had to get a companion for Meg and that turned out to be a failed and abused working sheep dog called Jim from the Spot Collie rescue. He's afraid of sheep which is great for us with so many in the fields around us but it meant the scumbag who started training him kept him locked in a barn for months before giving him up. He was ever so scared when we first brought him home but slowly started to relax and accept us and now although still nervous of strangers is completely transformed although he is probably the worlds most rubbish Collie After Meg had gone he was on his own and we noticed an almost immediate regression in his behaviour so sooner than expected we had look for another house mate for him. Thanks to the lovely Eileen at Trailhound Welfare we went up to meet Demi who was in foster prior to going into DT London. Everyone got on, she was lovely so we brought her home after Eileen offered that we have her on 'appro' LOL Since then we've done a bit of fostering for a couple of foreign rescues who had issues with Hounds, first an Ariegeois and then a Bruno Jura who were both rehomed to the same lovely lady in Nottingham. My involvement with those dogs led me to discovering Italian hunting Hounds and a rescue on FB called SOS Segugi, cut a long story short last month we drove to Turin to rehome Lilly who was found in a barn probably having been dumped by a hunter. She's a Segugio Italiano, bit like a small bloodhound with huge ears (and not many teeth left) and a beautiful old lady although she does snore a bit. So all this Hound stuff meant that I got asked to help an Ariegeois who is in danger of being PTS in France because his owners have split up. She is having to move out from their lovely Gîte down near the Andorran border but she says she would rather he be PTS than have to go into a French pound because she knows a hunter will get him and it will be pretty grim after that. So, dug out some old bookmarks for rescue and rehoming sites and voila, here I am LOL Blimey, that was a bit of a waffle

Helllooooooo everyone! Have I missed much?

Ello Mrs Squiggs! The last time we spoke on here I think you'd just finished a major station project in London, how things have changed since then. Same old here really, apart from the dogs of course. Said goodbye to Bob two years ago this week and Meggie Moo left us four months later so now we have Demi Trailhound and Jim (special needs) Collie plus our most recent addition Lilly the Segugio (who is snoring in a chair behind me).

Been a while since I looked in here! Four and half years, give or take

Rewire house, easy enough, convert the loft, pretty straight forward but plait and sew, that sounds like a job for my mum Thanks for the idea, I'll give her a call tomorrow

My best mates brother in law is Ricky Gervais, he was good enough to make me a video for our daughter who couldn't get back from Uni in time to see him in Brighton during December too! It gained me numerous credibility points on Facebook

Morning all, my yearly dip into fugee land I've got a bit of a strange request actually, is it possible to buy dog collars for dolls? No, it's not what you think either! A very nice lady called Ann Shambrook has produced some trailhound figurines and I've ordered one (as a pressie to Allison) that she has painted like Meg, the finishing touch would be the pink collar but a quick google didn't bring any results. She sent me a couple of photos last night now the paint has dried, see what you think and any ideas where I might get a miniature collar?

I watched this (AKA Scrooge) on Channel 5 yesterday afternoon, it was the 1951 version but had been colourised. There was a cartoon version that came out in the 70s and also starred Alistair Sim voicing Scrooge, I remember it scaring the daylights out of me when I first saw it

So sorry Alex, run free Milly Merle

Sorry to state the bleedin obvious Alex, if you are using a router already are you sure it isn't wireless, not all of them have aerials to make it obvious. For instance, this one router pic clicky clicky I'd be surprised if TT don't let you have one of them FOC, go through to retentions and threaten to leave if they don't

Hi Alex, still sending lots of positive thoughts and a big squish for Milly from me and Allison.

How do you define 'low' frequencies? Professional or homebrew designs will still have to work on the same four bands as the phone base stations operate on. The only likely difference will be the level of harmonics and other spurs a cheap one might put out. As all four bands are near or above 1GHz I can't see the differences would make a lot of difference to a pacemaker. Yes, they are illegal to operate in the UK (and quite possibly install which means if it's plugged in and not on or has a battery fitted) and Ofcom were taking a very dim view of them the last I heard. Bare in mind any range estimates will be under ideal conditions and at those frequencies there will be a lot of body absorbtion taking place if you have it in a pocket. Some localised skin warming too, dont forget these things are operating just below the same frequency as a microwave oven (which is little more than a 700W 2.45GHz transmitter). Assuming a typical range of 20ft and the target is walking towards you I doubt they'd be in the RF black hole for more than a second or two, most calls would survive that kind of drop out considering the mobile would still be talking perfectly well to the base throughout. Technicalities apart I think it's bloody arrogant of someone to decide what I or anyone else should be using a mobile phone for!

I can only reiterate what has been posted about Consumer Direct, our fridge was a similar age and six months out of warranty when it lost its coolant. The retailer tried to fob us off to the manufacturer but C.D. advised us on our legal rights including the fact the fridge should last a reasonable time even once the warranty was over. A polite but firm letter to the retailer including mention that I'd taken 'legal' advise seemed to focus them and they arranged for the manufacturer to re-gas the fridge.

I've never had an issue with mine, it's a pretty run o the mill name and I guess it suits me, I can't imagine being anything else anyway Mind you, according to mother the only reason I'm Paul is because they thought I was going to be a girl so had already chosen Paula Hello Sandra! A very good friend of mine is called Gina, in fact it's Georgina but only her mum called her that, it works for her and I think it's nice name, both long and short versions. Someone I used to work with was married to a Georgina but everyone called her Georgie, I'm not so sure about that variation.

UFO, it's a bit corny now but I still watch it when it's on ITV4. The Sweeney, Blakes Seven, Monkey, Fame! I can't believe I used to stay in on a Thursday evening to watch this rofl. Going back even further The Double Deckers, and the two staple diets of every summer holiday, Robinson Crusoe and White Horses I too used to watch the Sullivans when I was home from school, the phrase ' G'day Mrs Jessop' is still etched in my mind 30 years on

Now, you promised not to laugh, this is the one I had stuck to the fridge And this one is a bit more recent, probably my proudest achievement is being able to wear 30" waist trousers again I promise I'll have a shave next time I do a photo shoot

I didn't know there was a dieting thread, can I add to it as a bloke? I decided I needed to a bit of weight after Christmas so started on the 2nd January and finished on Easter Friday. I went from 93kg to 73kg which I think is 14st 9lb to 11st 7lb, scales at work only work in Kg Lots of will power for the first few weeks but after that it wasn't too difficult. Since Easter I've only put on just over a Kg which apparently has stopped me looking quite so gaunt If the before pic I had pinned to the fridge wasn't quite so hideous I'd put it on here to give everyone a laugh

Brilliant! Mrs Moo had the final say though and I'm pleased to say she agreed with you Mrs Merle So now the ladies are Kiev, Tikka and Masala

Hi Sam I've just been catching up on Dogstar, it's really going from strength to strength isn't it, I've just found Dogstar on facebook too so I've become a fan there as well. Are you commuting to SL and back? RMF1 The forecast says sunny periods but increasingly cloudy later, so why has it been raining since about 7.30 this morning, we are off to the Firle country fair this afternoon so it needs to stop soon! RMF2 We collected our two new hens yesterday who have quickly settled in with just a brief punch up when they first met Kiev, need to think of a couple of names now.

Do we have the worlds most anti social dogs? Allison was out overnight so I 'forgot' to shut them in the back room so they could join me in the bedroom. Within seconds Meg was sprawled out next to me and Bob perched at the bottom, I woke up this morning to find both of them in the back room on their chairs out of choice. Maybe I was snoring louder than Meg? RMF. We have two noo chooks arriving this afternoon. Ethel died in the week and Kiev is lonely on her own, a chance comment by someone Allison works with means we've given a home to two hens that aren't wanted, no idea what they are yet but they are both laying

Looking at the weather this morning I think Meg could have the right idea