Paul

Hi Sam, Somebody remembered me We're all good thanks, nothing much has changed I guess, still getting up at silly o clock to deliver junk. We've been busy doing the house up and have just finished changing the old 80s bathroom into a decent shower wetroom that looks like it should be in a hotel, I'm really pleased with how well it's worked and the shower is amazing. We've done the kitchen, built the porch and next stop is the hall before finishing on the main rooms. In between I managed to shift about 5 tons of chalk and built a swimming pool, it's an above ground jobbie but in a big hole We lost two of our cats a couple of months ago, Winston our old girl had what we think was a stroke, it was the thing that pushed her quality of life over 'that' line and we said goodbye the following day, a couple of weeks later Squeakie, our black and white cat that came from Emma at furry friends died suddenly one evening from what we think was a blood clot, we've never had one of ours go like that and it was awful tbh. Still with two dogs though, Bob is still Bob his displasia is starting to show though and I think he's going to need metacam soon, organising that with the vet will be 'interesting'. Meg continues to surprise us, her character still seems to be developing even after 18 months being with us. We've also done some fostering which we really enjoyed although the goodbyes have been hard, each time one of us has said not again but I'm certain we will, maybe I should dig out some photos? We went to the trailie show in Norfolk last Sunday which was brill, have a look for Marions thread, there's some pix on it including some of Mungo who still remembers us as well I've been catching up on threads and I'm sorry to read about Mango, it's great to see Dogstar doing so well and what a legacy she has left Have you been able to get back out to Sri Lanka again? Paul

Bloody 'ell Melps, I don't log in for a year and one of the first things I see when I do is this! Makes me wonder what else I missed It's a from me

Another vote for Tomtom here, I've got it installed on my Nokia N95 phone and it works a treat with the built in GPS so no need for a seperate satnav. It's very easy to use and update and when we went to the Trailie show in Norfolk last week it found the B+B straight away which really was in the middle of nowhere, can't ask for more than that.

I reckon Marion is hiding down the side of the LTW stall

Course you can nick it Marion Here's a couple more, the best one of them together I asked Allison to get a photo of me and Mungo, here it is

We had an amazing day on Sunday, it was just a shame it was over so quickly! To say we were lucky with the weather would be an understatement, half hour before the show started it was absolutely chucking it down but by 1pm the sun was out and it turned out to be a lovely afternoon. Hope it's OK to add some of my photos to your thread Marion We think this lovely girl is called Fern. This reprobate seems familiar And this is his brother Dylan! It was all too much for Meg, she spent most of the day trembling so by 4pm was knackered

Thanks to Kazz and red devil for the advice on the lizard. Earlier in the afternoon I'd put him in a hollow near the pond, covered him in grass and moss then laid a slab over it but it seems now he is awake from hibernation the cold weather will probably kill him so for tonight he's living in one of Allisons pyrex bowls in the back room Tomorrow I'll get one of the old fish tanks from the garage and turn it into a lizard home, whatever one of them looks like I think he's got a gammy foot at the back, it's not making contact with the ground but he seems to be getting about alright so now he's warmed up a bit he's had a drink and walked round the bowl. Looks like I'll be hunting slugs and worms for the next month or two.

Thats great For time being, dogs, chooks and the hunter cat are away.

Are there any common lizard experts around? The dogs were on the garden path just now and acting a bit strange, here's why. Now I'm pretty sure that should be hibernating, it's a nice sunny today but they forecast snow tomorrow so do I just leave it? It didn't seem to be moving much so I guess it's not very warm but if I leave it where it is either the dogs/cat/chooks will probably kill it but what sort of ground should it be hibernating in?

I am so sorry Tracey

IMHO the politics between certain forums are just as much a cause for it's demise than anything else, I've noticed that censorship and heavy handed moderating happens on more forums than just that one.

Raw meaty bones, the problem is finding a decent butcher who still has them, most round here seem to buy their stock already prepared. We sometimes give Bob his meat still frozen, usually when we've forgotten to get it out of the freezer, no ill effects so consider it a meat ice lolly He also doesn't mind if it's a day or two out of day and starting to whiff, shredded bin bags are testiment to this. Although he's stopped doing it now when we first changed over to a raw diet he would treat every meal as a kill and do a little dance around it before eating it We don't normally give him veg but he does have pasta and fish although we have to mince the fish as he wont eat them whole. Poking a mackerel into a blender isn't everyones cup of tea though Someone mentioned eggs, as we have a ready supply of them both Bob and Meg get a raw one once or twice a week. As we also give them whole, Meg will gently pick hers up and wander off before breaking it in her mouth while Bob pushes his round for a bit before treading on it

I received a letter from the ASA today saying they are unable to persue my complaint as it refers to a press release announcing the advertising campaign and not the advertising itself So if anyone can give me a bus number or train route where one is on display I'll have another go

Interesting word you use there Maria, DENIGRATE Based on this rule and a couple of others where they are close to the wind I made an official complaint to the ASA yesterday.

I can't say I'm that convinced

First thing to check, does the normal TV still work OK, I'm guessing the aerial plugs into the box and then another aerial cable comes out into the TV aerial socket. This has nothing to do with FV or the scart lead at the moment. Next thing, what transmitter are you on for the normal 4/5 channels and how good is the picture. If you want to PM your postcode it could help.

Unless it has developed it's own life form you could always pull the mains lead out of the wall socket. Leave it a few seconds then plug it back in, restart the PC and let it do the disk check when it reboots. It should sort itself out. Normally, if you hold the power button in for five seconds it forces a shut off too.

I agree in principle that taking a couple of Es doesn't make anyone a junkie but was she using them at a party or rave to help her have a good time or sitting at home and just felt like she needed one? I'd be worried for her if it was the latter and would try and encourage her to talk to a professional about it, as others have said only she can make the decision to stop but some informed advice might just help her make that decision. Maybe she doesn't see it as a problem, how many times have people said never again after too much booze only to get hammered the following weekend? People make decisions about drugs, many use puff or Es without ever getting hooked onto stronger stuff and are quite normal balanced healthy people, I've met thousands of them in my previous job but once the party was over that was it till the next weekend. How many people end up in A+E due to dodgy or too many Es and how many end up there due to excess alcohol? Now take a typical Saturday night at a rave with a thousand people at it, no alcohol but loads of Es, compare that to a pub load of pissed drinkers, have a look at where all the violence is and decide which is the worst drug? I don't mean to sound like I'm pro drugs BTW because I'm not but I have been around a lot of them since the mid 80s and have seen how many thousands of people use them as an alternative to alcohol with no ill effects. I have also seem a few very nasty reactions to dodgy pills and it isn't nice which is one reason I've never taken one but as I've said already I'd be worried if she was home alone and felt like she needed it.

We choose freesat because we don't watch enough TV to warrant getting Sky, we have more important things to spend money on as well. 99% of the time we always found something to watch on the available channels and as neither of us are huge sport/film/nature programme watchers we've not really missed out on anything (since moving I've added Freeview to the system so we do get a few more channels now). The hardware for Sky and Freesat is the same, Freesat is after all Sky AKA the Astra satellite. The only difference is some channels are subscription and some aren't so what you can do with a $ky system you can do with a freesat system. The only thing I can think your fitter meant was that with Sky+ you can record one channel of Sky and watch another but there's nothing stopping you buying a Sky+ box to do the same thing. Getting the signal to more than one TV is done the same way as any other distribution system, ours is fed to all the TVs in the house along with freesat, the DVD, VCR and the back garden wildlife cam. Either way (sky or freesat) you'll be stuck with watching the same channel on all TVs unless you add a larger LNB and more receivers. I guess the decision could be swayed once you've done the sums as it depends what the fitters will charge to install a satellite system for you, I installed my own so have no idea what the going rate is. The equipment was scrounged and sourced second hand, the card was actually free as sometime ago there was a blag to be done by signing up to a porn channel then cancelling the order so the whole install cost me £50 and is still going strong six years and one house move later.

If you can find someone to install it cheap you could buy a system from Fleabay for £50. You'll need a viewing card for the ITV channels, it's £20 from HERE

Now look, don't blame me, I just found them in an old docs folder on my other PC. Traffic Light Cosmetics The longest spell spent oblivious to traffic lights whilst applying makeup was one of 1 hr 51 mins 8 secs by Ms. Janet Dodson (GB) at a road junction in the centre of Preston on 1st August 1975. Ms. Dodson, a piano teacher, beautified herself through 212 cycles of the lights, creating a tailback of irate motorists stretching almost 28 miles towards Leeds. Car Parking The smallest kerbside space successfully reversed into by a woman was one of 19.36m (63ft 2ins), equivalent to three standard parking spaces, by Mrs. Elizabeth Simpkins, driving an unmodified Vauxhall Nova 'Swing' on 12th October 1993. She started the manoeuvre at 11.15am in Ropergate, Pontefract, and successfully parked within three feet of the pavement 8 hours 14 minutes later. There was slight damage to the bumpers and wings of her own and two adjoining cars, as well as a shop frontage and two lamp posts. Film Confusion The greatest length of time a woman has watched a film with her husband without asking a stupid plot-related question was achieved on the 28th October 1990, when Mrs. Ethel Brunswick sat down with her husband to watch 'The Ipcress File'. She watched in silence for a breath-taking 2 mins 40 secs before asking "Is he a goodie or a baddie, then, him in the glasses?", revealing a staggering level of ignorance. This broke her own record set in 1962 when she sat through 2 mins 38secs of '633 Squadron' before asking "Is this a war film, is it?". Incorrect Driving The longest journey completed with the handbrake on was one of 504 km (313 miles) from Stranraer to Holyhead by Dr. Julie Thorn (GB) at the wheel of a Saab 900 on the 2nd April 1987. Dr. Thorn smelled burning two miles into her journey at Aird but pressed on to Holyhead with smoke billowing from the rear wheels. This journey also holds the records for the longest completed journey with the choke fully out and the right indicator flashing. Shop Dithering The longest time spent dithering in a shop was 12 days between 21st August and 2nd September 1995 by Mrs. Sandra Wilks (GB) in the Birmingham branch of Dorothy Perkins. Entering the shop on a Saturday morning, Mrs. Wilks could not choose between two near identical dresses which were both in the sale. After one hour, her husband, sitting on a chair by the changing room with his head in his hands, told her to buy both. Mrs. Wilks eventually bought one for 12.99, only to return the next day and exchange it for the other one. To date, she has yet to wear it. Mrs. Wilks also holds the record for window shopping longevity, when, starting September 12th 1995, she stood motionless gazing at a pair of shoes in Clinkard's window in Kidderminster for 3 weeks two days before eventually going home. Jumble Sale Massacre The greatest number of old ladies to perish whilst fighting at a jumble sale is 98, at a Methodist Church Hall in Castleford, West Yorkshire on February 12th 1991. When the doors opened at 10.00am, the initial scramble to get in cost 16 lives, a further 25 being killed in a crush at the first table. A seven-way skirmish then broke out over a pinafore dress costing 10p which escalated into a full scale melee resulting in another 18 lives being lost. A pitched battle over a headscarf then ensued and quickly spread throughout the hall, claiming 39 old women. The jumble sale raised £5.28 for local boy scouts. Talking about Nothing Mrs. Mary Caterham (GB) and Mrs. Marjorie Steele (GB) sat in a kitchen in Blackburn, Lancs. and talked about nothing whatsoever for four and a half months from 1st May to 7th August 1978, pausing only for coffee, cakes and toilet visits. Throughout the whole time, no information was exchanged and neither woman gained any new knowledge whatsoever. The outdoor record for talking about nothing is held by Mrs. Vera Etherington (GB) and her neighbour Mrs. Dolly Booth (GB) of Ipswich, who between 11th November 1983 and 12th January 1984 chuntered on over their fence in an unelightening dialogue lasting almost 62 days until Mrs.Booth remembered she'd left the bath running. Gossiping On February 18th 1992, Joyce Blatherwick, a close friend of Agnes Banbury popped round for a cup of tea and a chat, during the course of which she told Mrs. Banbury, in the strictest confidence, that she was having an affair with the butcher. After Mrs. Blatherwick left at 2.10pm, Mrs. Banbury immediately began to tell everyone, swearing them all to secrecy. By 2.30pm, she had told 128 people of the news. By 2.50pm it had risen to 372 and by 4.00pm that afternoon, 2774 knew of the affair, including the local Amateur Dramatic Society, several knitting circles, a coachload of American tourists which she flagged down and the butchers wife. When a tired Mrs. Banbury went to bed at 11.55pm that night, Mrs. Blatherwick's affair was common knowledge to a staggering 75,338 people, enough to fill Wembley Stadium. Group Toilet Visit The record for the largest group of women to visit a toilet simultaneously is held by 147 workers at the Department of Social Security, Longbenton. At their annual Christmas celebration at a nightclub in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne on October 12th 1994, Mrs. Beryl Crabtree got up to go to the toilet and was immediately followed by 146 other members of the party. Moving as a mass, the group entered the toilet at 9.52pm and, after waiting for everyone to finish, emerged 2 hrs 37 mins later. Single Breath Sentence An Oxfordshire woman today became the first ever to break the thirty minute barrier for talking without drawing breath. Mrs. Mavis Sommers, 48, of Cowley, smashed the previous record of 23 minutes when she excitedly reported an argument she'd had in the butchers to her neighbour. She ranted on for a staggering 32 minutes and 12 seconds without pausing for air, before going blue and collapsing in a heap on the ground. She was taken to Radcliffe Infirmary in a wheelbarrow but was released later after check-ups. At the peak of her mammoth motormouth marathon, she achieved an unbelievable 680 words per minute, repeating the main points of the story an amazing 114 times whilst her neighbour, Mrs. Dolly Knowles, nodded and tutted. The last third of the sentence was delivered in a barely audible croak, the last two minutes being mouthed only, accompanied by vigorous jesticulations and indignant spasms.

If you have a portable radio see if you can go stand near next door neighbours lights, put the radio on medium wave or AM, somewhere near the bottom end where it's marked 540 and turn the lights on. Do you hear any difference in the noise on the radio? If you do this during daylight and can tune into a weak station can you still hear it when the lights are switched on? Have you tried getting them to turn the lights on earlier in the day and seeing if your ADSL still disconnects? Do the lights have a transformer between them and the mains plug, if they do move the radio closer to said box, does the noise get louder? Does your neighbour have ADSL, if so is it effected the same as yours? What speed ADSL are you on and how far from the exchange are you?

No, he never has as far as I know, he doesn't drink either. He's 72, a little overweight and has high BP but does (did) a round of golf and was still working three days a week so not exactly what you'd consider a prime candidate for one. Looking forward to that shin going Technicolour Snow

I've got the pot! Now, this isn't mine I'm glad to say, last week Allisons dad had a stroke, a few days ago he had an op to open up an artery in his neck that was blocked and was liable to cause another, more serious stroke. So hear for your viewing pleasure is the 'stuff' that was blocking the artery in his neck. I've not been brave enough to remove it from the pot Edited to add another one for size, that's a AAA battery