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MANY MANY HAPPY RETURNS Hope you had lots of treats and specialness

You called me back from up a hill just to say "good boy"

I borrowed a camera to see if it was any better than my camera of intermittance - it wasn't (or rather I can't cope without a view finder to look through!) But it's a good excuse for picture sharing

OH MY WORD! Gorgeous Sofy but I'm afraid the handsome boy in the background steals the show!!!

They recently backed down on a tax on cyclists so hopefully, if the same govn. still, they'll have the same sense for this ridiculous idea! Signed!

Glad everyone's enjoyed the weekend and all surplus energy released! Would you be able to tow/hire a trailer Jayne? Says me who has so far only managed to insure mine - ready for when I eventually start towing and inevitably do something really I've left them out tonight for the first time in about a month Thought I better had before the next wave of snow/rain comes in. Am mightily pleased that the field's still mucked out because I very VERY nearly gave it up as mission impossible after a week or so of it not being done. Haven't ridden yet (since 29th too ) as Cornish had really foul breath the other Saturday night so got vet out on Monday who mentioned various possibilities and 10 day course of antibiotics. After the first powder the smell completely disappeared - by that same night He's got 3 left and I'm just hoping that it doesn't return after the course has finished. Am planning to ride next weekend so the weather had just better behave itself!!!

They say the best medics practice on themselves (or I could have just made that up ) Pleased Domino can be kept under watch and well done to whoever caught him! May it be a feel good Friday for both of you next week

The biopsy could be a really positive thing - it might get rid of your worst fears Your friends would want to know as they would hate for you to be going through this alone and feel that they were not able to help you - so let them! I hope you don't have much more waiting to do for the appointment, and no crawling or apologising is permitted in the Refuge

As Teddy Bear has gotten older, his ear hair has gotten longer Any tips on how best to trim it, namely how to hold the scissors, which direction to cut in etc. just before I go and do something to spoil his bearish looks

Hope you all get a good night's sleep and that your Mum's pain is now under control

Hope your daughter gets some helpful answers When eating anything becomes difficult it gets to you emotionally as well as physically so I can appreciate the trauma she is going through, as can many of us sadly by the sounds of it

Sorry to hear your daughter is struggling I know someone (an older gentleman) who has IBS and symptoms similar to your daughters. It makes it very difficult for him to do long car journeys as he can often need the toilet very quickly, and any anxiety doesn't help either. I guess as with most things there will be a scale of how different people are affected. Was her iron count ok? Just wondered because sometimes IBS and coeliac disease can be confused as the symptoms are similar.

Jay reminds me of Bungle Glad all have homes at the ready, hope the roads clear for you!

Thanks for explaining San - your version was in English

Saying that Billy, I'm doing some work on at the moment on driveway deaths, very scary and happens because like you said, drivers often cannot see a small child as their heads might not even come above the bumper. Worse in America with larger vehicles. Young children can dash out so quickly and simply not be seen. There's been some very tragic cases where children have for instance, gone out of the house to wave goodbye to Dad without Dad realising and sadly, been fatally knocked down as the car pulled out of the drive. Awful to live with as a parent Your neighbour might want to think about a child's size compared to a car or van!

The limit point (say the edge of the road) is stationary when you can't see another point beyond it (i.e. any of the road ahead), you drive as the point appears, i.e. if it's a gentle bend the limit point will probably be constantly moving at a reasonable pace so that gives you an idea of the speed you can take it at (not taking into account what may be on the opposite side of the road or any turnings of course!) Conclusion: Best to ask someone else .

It refers to driving round bends, the limit point is the last part of the road that you can see on the left hand side of the road/bend. It can be a hedge, a white line or just the edge of the road. You drive to the limit point so that if it's not moving you slow down/hold back and adjust your speed accordingly, i.e. if the point is moving you keep up your speed (chase the point in police terms!). It's basically your vision of the road in front so very simply (as that's the only form of explanation I have!!) if you can't see beyond a certain point on the corner, you don't drive quickly round it as you are driving faster than you can see. I'm sure that's very clear, I did say I'd only just understood it

Excellent thread!! The point is to always leave yourself an escape route. For instance if there's 3 in a bed on the m/way, i.e. 3 vehicles alongside each other in 3 lanes, then where does either of them go if an incident happens? For overtaking lorries the advice is not to ride along side but to wait until there is space in front of the lorry for you to move in to. Motorways are the safest roads but the speeds mean that much more braking distance is required by all - something that all of us forget in our haste to get somewhere. I am guilty of not giving lorries enough room when getting into a congested lane near an exit . PS. I would also advocate taking advanced driving instruction, it's amazing how much more we can always learn about driving. I've been driving for 15 years and have only recently understood about limit points!

PS. There is a product you can buy from tackshops that's meant to stop the snow balling but I've never tried it - I was going to ask the same question as you! I'm going to pick their feet out in the afternoon as well as morning and night to keep the compacted amount down (or rather I'm going to ask my Dad to whilst I'm at work as it's just us on the yard) but otherwise no tips apart from vaseline. If Earl is unshod then it isn't as bad as when they've got shoes so if you're thinking of shoeing him it's just as well to wait until the snow's cleared.

Nothing to worry about, it'll just be because they're wet from the snow. Picking them out regularly as you are doing makes sure that the air can circulate so it's all good At least the snow keeps their feet nice and clean and we can actually see their frogs - unlike the normal mud bath of winter Earl is a lucky boy

SO pleased for all of you! He does look very kind and glad he's made friends.

Well conquered Jayne!! More impromptu decisions needed I think Hope all is well at the yard since. Duke appreciated his carrots thank you I had our first canter on Cornish today, just a little one up the field on the farm track. It was only short and I thought him very long striding and ground covering. Then we had another short one later on and I realised why his stride seemed so long - he'd just gone straight into a gallop both times. Becuase he was calm and an unhurried pace I hadn't twigged Might have to work on achieving canter!

Would agree completely but it is a little more than common sense, it's about being aware of who else is on the road and anticipating who may be - at all times. For children (u16) they are as likely to be killed or seriously injured as a cyclist than they are as a car user. And most at risk as a pedestrain! That's obviously due to exposure but gives you an idea of vulnerability. Children when asked so that they don't wear helmets because they are not fashionable so the best advice given to parents is to get them a helmet that not only fits and conforms to safety standards, but that the child likes the colour/design of because otherwise it will stay in its box!!! Needless to say parents also play a part as role models... For cyclists in 2006 39% of injuries were to the head/face and 43% to arms/shoulders. The reason there is not currently a law to force the wearing of helmets is because it is deemed to be unenforceable and so is not supported. The political will however is there to do so and it has already been consulted on. The red light Ian (I suspect a reading error ) was not for safety but to encourage cycling - as cycas posted, sustainable travel is a govn. set target for local authorities and to be encouraged, but there is a fine line between encouraging cycling and keeping your road casualty stats down at the same time. Any L.A. road safety officer will tell you of the conflicts the two goals cause! We are all responsible for ourselves and others when on the roads and the answer is not to ban everyone but ourselves (as one group of young at-work van drivers suggested - lorries, foreign drivers, old drivers, taxis.... )

Great news, Nog you're a legend and loads of great recovery thoughts to him

There is a move to make it legal for cyclists to turn left at a red light. In London they are by far and away the biggest road casualty Yes some are as reckless as drivers, i.e. use their mobile phones and take their attention away from the road, and in that respect we are all equal but in terms of how vulnerable cyclists are compared to car users - it's a very simple equation to work out! Junctions are where the majority of cycle-car/lorry accidents happen and that's simply because drivers don't look properly and/or the cyclist is in the blind spot - which is why the left hand wing mirror is called BOB (Boys on Bikes!). The safety benefits of cycle helmets are indeed controversial but the advice is always to wear a well-fitting safety tested one. Given that most cyclist fatalities are from a head injury (especially children) and that head injuries are the most common kind, along with limb injuries, it would be wise to wear a helmet and give yourself some protection. A safe new year to everyone!