The All New Megathread

[Craig380]

Lots to see and do in the area: the abbey I mentioned, the aqueduct, Chirk Castle, and more.

[garynortheast]

Evening orgers. Getting excited about a ride up to the Lakes and back tomorrow. Bike's checked over, kit is laid out ready for the morning. Up early tomorrow so I can be away by 6.30am.
I really need this day away too, feeling a bit frayed and frazzled with all the crap I'm trying to sort out.

[DarrenSV650S]

Enjoy Gary! Hope to see lots of pics :D

[Craig380]

Weather's looking good for it, Gary: have a good 'un!

[garynortheast]

Enjoy Gary! Hope to see lots of pics :D

Thanks Darren. I'll try and remember to take pictures this time. They'll probably be mostly of all our teashop stops! :-D

Weather's looking good for it, Gary: have a good 'un!

Cheers Craig. Yep weather is looking pretty decent for most of the day.

[garynortheast]

Morning orgers. Getting ready to head out shortly. Finish my breakfast, tankbag on the bike and away! Weather looks reasonable, cloudy but dry and not too chilly.

[Bibio]

enjoy Gary and get a good recharge.

[maviczap]

Enjoy Gary!

[garynortheast]

Back home again after a bit of a marathon ride. Clocked up a total of 430 miles today and my body knows about it. Great day though, glorious weather all day till I reached Wrecsam on the way home when there was a bit of rain.
We rode over to Keswick to get tea and cake at The Filling Station but it was closed sadly.

I took a few pictures although not as many as I had intended. I'll sort and post them up tomorrow.

[Craig380]

Great weather in the Lake District but rain in Wrexham? There's irony ;)

[Luckypants]

Great day though, glorious weather all day till I reached Wrecsam on the way home when there was a bit of rain.

Sorry my fault Gary, I washed the car and then it pished down! You probably got some overspill.... :D

[garynortheast]

Sorry my fault Gary, I washed the car and then it pished down! You probably got some overspill.... :D

I'll warn you when I'm coming down that way next time Mike. Perhaps you could delay any car washing till I'm through.... :-D

[garynortheast]

Evening orgers.

[garynortheast]

Evening folks.

[Craig380]

Evening Gary. Just had our daughter and her boyf round for tea, which was lovely.

[Sir Trev]

Evening all. I just spotted a bat flittering round the garden. First time this year. We were worried it had either died or moved on as we only ever see one but normally from May onwards.

[garynortheast]

Evening Gary. Just had our daughter and her boyf round for tea, which was lovely.

That's good. The boyfriend is approved of then?

Evening all. I just spotted a bat flittering round the garden. First time this year. We were worried it had either died or moved on as we only ever see one but normally from May onwards.

Don't know if the fact that it's been so cool lately has anything to do with it Trev?

[Craig380]

That's good. The boyfriend is approved of then?


Oh yes, she's been living with him for over a year. Very nice man (and evidently willing to put up with her eccentricities ....). Also has a very well-paid job which is useful as she's an actor & musician :)

[svenrico]

Evening all. I just spotted a bat flittering round the garden. First time this year. We were worried it had either died or moved on as we only ever see one but normally from May onwards.

It might not be the same one ! People often see just one hedgehog visiting their garden but it isn't necessarily the same one each time.

[Seeker]

Speaking of hedgehogs... my neighbour said she'd seen one in my garden so I started putting out (dedicated) hedgehog food. Each day the food would be gone so I kept filling the small dish, finally, after a month, I saw the hedgehog last night. I was starting to question what I was feeding...:rolleyes:

[garynortheast]

Speaking of hedgehogs... my neighbour said she'd seen one in my garden so I started putting out (dedicated) hedgehog food. Each day the food would be gone so I kept filling the small dish, finally, after a month, I saw the hedgehog last night. I was starting to question what I was feeding...:rolleyes:

That's brilliant. Hedgehogs need all the help they can get at the moment as their numbers have plummeted over the last couple of decades.

[Sir Trev]

My neighbour has seen one recently coming to a feeding station they set up. They have an infra red trail camera thing and have lovely pics of all sorts of nocturnal visitors as well as hedgehogs. Shame some of them love to come over and dig up my lawn...

[garynortheast]

Evening all.....

[garynortheast]

Evening orgers. What's on for the weekend for you all?

[Sir Trev]

Evening Gary. Spent the day trimming the monster beech hedge down one side of the back garden. Not used to climbing ladders so my legs are now killing me. Hedge looks nice so it's all worth it.

Still have the (very *****ly) hawthorn hedge down the other side to do as well as the laurel along the back border. They can wait for another weekend though!

[garynortheast]

That sounds like a busy day Trev. I'd say you've earned a sit down and a beer!

[garynortheast]

Knackered now. Up at six this morning to go and do the 5k Bark Life run in Newtown, then over to Dyfnant forest with Mabel and a friend with three of her dogs for a 7 mile hike. Then another walk of just under two miles with Mabel and another friend with his lurcher this afternoon.

Mabel has taken herself off upstairs to her bed and I’m slumped on the sofa full of dinner and thinking it may be an early night tonight.

Saturday night. Rock and roll eh?

[Sir Trev]

Still have the (very *****ly) hawthorn hedge...!

He he he... P R I C K L Y is clearly a word the swear filter does not like :D

Sounds like we both had exhausting days Gary. Sitting here with a morning cuppa with some sore shoulders. Glad I bought the battery hedge trimmers though as they are way easier and faster to use than my old corded one which left me even more knackered.

Might just get out on the bike today as a reward. Breakfast first methinks.

Happy Sunday all.

[garynortheast]

Well, bit of a lazy day today for me. How was everyone else's day?

[Craig380]

Hi Gary, would've liked to have got out on the bike but the weather was drizzly, so didn't bother. However, just back from a lovely Lebanese with daughter and boyfriend, and half a bottle of red to the good, so it would be churlish to complain!

[garynortheast]

Sounds like a pretty good Sunday evening to me Craig.

[admin]

Just been down to Brighton to visit my son. Haven't been there since the late 70's. I can see why my son likes it, very bohemian and friendly.

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[garynortheast]

Well that was a good walk. 10.5 miles. Just about to rouse Mabel for another 1.5 miles with Merlin the lurcher from next door..

[Craig380]

Just been down to Brighton to visit my son. Haven't been there since the late 70's. I can see why my son likes it, very bohemian and friendly.



Hope you kicked over some scooters and beat up some mods while you were there ;)

[admin]

Hope you kicked over some scooters and beat up some mods while you were there ;)I gave him full instructions as there were no scooters around at the time [emoji16]

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

[Seeker]

I gave him full instructions as there were no scooters around at the time [emoji16]

Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

They were all in Cleethorpes this weekend for a national rally. :)

[Sir Trev]

Hope you kicked over some scooters and beat up some mods while you were there ;)

Brighton is very PC now so that sort of thing would be highly frowned on. :roll:

[svenrico]

Brighton is very PC now so that sort of thing would be highly frowned on. :roll:
mods and rockers don't exist any more anyway do they - all just 2 wheel riders who get on together now.

[garynortheast]

Evening Orgers. How has everyone's day been?

[svenrico]

Evening Orgers. How has everyone's day been?
my knees are hurting.

[garynortheast]

my knees are hurting.

I thought the new bike was meant to stop that?

[Seeker]

my knees are hurting.

Lesson learned for next time: don't change the bike just change your knees. (j/k). Sorry to hear you're still suffering.

[svenrico]

I thought the new bike was meant to stop that?
the kawasaki hasn't caused my knees to hurt,I can ride it without it hurting my knees. I am joining an NHS weight management course to hopefully lose weight which doctor says is necessary. (also wear and tear with age and some arthritis )

[svenrico]

Lesson learned for next time: don't change the bike just change your knees. (j/k). Sorry to hear you're still suffering.
The kawasaki has been a good move , with the feet forward riding position I can ride it without discomfort but I can't expect it to cure my knees. (I need to lose weight ) Dr says walking should not make my knees worse and should help ,but of course it puts you off walking when your knees hurt. Anyway,enough from me.

[garynortheast]

Evening orgers.....

[DarrenSV650S]

Hey Gary. Hows things?

[garynortheast]

Hiya Darren, things are finally looking up I'm pleased to say. How are things at your end?

[DarrenSV650S]

Good stuff. Pretty hektic at work at the moment but I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks off in August on the bike

[garynortheast]

Good stuff. Pretty hektic at work at the moment but I'm looking forward to a couple of weeks off in August on the bike

Maybe you should come and join us for the BPW!

[DarrenSV650S]

Wales is definitely on my list of places I'd love to visit. How bad are the traffic police these days?

[garynortheast]

Don't really see them on the roads I use. They're nowhere near as hot as they were a few years back.

[Craig380]

Don't really see them on the roads I use. They're nowhere near as hot as they were a few years back.

Agreed - I think the installation of average speed cameras on sections of the A5 (west of Corwen) and on roads around that area has meant fewer camera vans being deployed. I don't actually mind those sections of road being average speed checked as they're all NSL, and a steady 60 is brisk enough to still enjoy the roads and the scenery.

What camera vans there are always seem to be positioned in the same, predictable places (just after the blind S-bend on the final long straight down into Bala, for example, or just above Coedpoeth on the way to the Horseshoe Pass).

[garynortheast]

Evening all.....

[redtrummy]

Just had a week in the West - Anglesey for Folk on the Farm then four nights on the Lyn Peninsula walking and cycling - Got to have some of the best leisure cycling roads in the UK - cracking!

[garynortheast]

There are some lovely quiet back lanes on Pen Llŷn, and bits of it can feel quite remote.

[Sir Trev]

Morning all. 9:45 in the morning and I'm too hot already. Need to trim one of the hedges in the back garden today so I'm not looking forward to clambering up and down a ladder.

Hugh will be staying in the garage too as there was so much melting tar on the roads yesterday that he'd come back from a ride covered in it. And I'd boil, even with all the vents in my jacket wide open...

[garynortheast]

Yep, no motorcycling for me today either, and probably not for the next couple of days. Temps are set to hit mid 30s tomorrow and Tuesday, which is pretty scary this far north!

Working at a local repair cafe this afternoon.

[Sir Trev]

Hedge was all sorted with trimmings gathered and shredded by lunchtime, thankfully. A freezing cold shower helped me recover but it's defo light duties for the rest of the afternoon.

Up to now we've had 40 degrees forecasted for Tuesday but that's now been revised to "just" 38. I normally work from the office on Tuesdays but not this week. Oddly, my brother in Sydney has the opposite problem with all the flooding and relentless rain.

[Bri w]

Aircon on all day. It was 37* at 9am this morning. Had one of those 5min jobs, repairing garden furniture, that took 45mins. Was dripping by the time I’d finished.

Temp in the sun, currently 44*.

[garynortheast]

This is not good. Forecast of 34ºC today here in Wales in the hills. 37ºC in Shrewsbury and West Midlands. Birmingham is showing 30ºC still at 11pm tonight.

[Sir Trev]

Just been outside for two minutes to bring in the bins. The wagon came round extra early today - don't blame them for getting done as soon as they can today! Bumped into our usual postie while I was out there who looked done in already as it was brutal out there, and it's "only" about 30 right now.

Good job I can work from home as I slept so badly last night I'd not be driving well today. I suspect a lot of others will be feeling equally rubbish so be careful out there all if you do venture out.

[garynortheast]

I gather a number of work places have closed until Wednesday. Lots of train services are cancelled because of the worry of rails buckling in the heat.

[Craig380]

It's so hot that I've taken the thermal liner out of my jacket ;):D

Just back from a spin around the Derbyshire dales, it's nice and cool up over the tops.

[Luckypants]

Walking doggos is a bit of a challenge / worry in this heat. Just took them for a lunchtime quick wee walk before the tarmac gets too hot. After checking it was not too hot for me to stand on barefoot, I walked in socks to make sure it was not building up too much. 5 min walk tops. That will hold them until this evening when it cools a bit. Even then it will be in the car to the local stream to avoid walking on hot roads.

[garynortheast]

Nearly 6pm and still well over 30ºC here. Poor Mabel is not liking this heat at all. I've managed to persuade her to lie on a thin blanket on the tiled kitchen floor which is still remarkably cold. She's now not panting, and generally looking more comfortable.
We're going to have to venture outside soon though for her to have a pee, as she hasn't been out since this morning. Fortunately we will only have to walk on grass, not tarmac or hard surfaces.

[Luckypants]

Trip to the stream was a success with ours, straight into a cool car after the missus came home then shady stream then home. Its a good job we live where we do

[Seeker]

37° C / 98.6°F at Coningsby today, hottest ever recorded in Lincolnshire. 42°C / 107.6°F forecast for the Boston area tomorrow. Sounds like Palm Springs, California - forecast to be 106°F today

[DarrenSV650S]

Sweaty balls!!!

[garynortheast]

Sweaty balls!!!

Ha ha! tmi Darren!

[Seeker]

at 8pm last night we had some brief (very brief) rain. Weird.

[garynortheast]

Just been out with Mabel for a quick couple of miles walk. Over 26ºC already at just gone 8am. Still no sign of any rain.

Looked at the Met Office weather and they're forecasting 40ºC for Cambridge today. Wales had it's highest ever temperature yesterday with 37.1ºC at Penarlâg / Hawarden.

[Sir Trev]

Went into the office today, stupidly thinking the aircon would be nice. Our building is very old and the AC seems to be equally ancient. Let's just say it struggled, as did the handful of us who were in.

38 degrees according to the car at 5pm when I set off for home.

[DarrenSV650S]

The people in my office are absolute lunatics. I put the ac on yesterday. Hottest bloody day of the year and imediately got a comment about how there will be penguins soon.

One woman had a fleece on today saying her feet were cold. In my mind it completely settles the debate of who is crazy, me for thinking it is always too hot or them for thinking it is always too cold.

I was looking forward to some thunder and lightning tonight but the forecast has changed now

[Geodude]

If you get chance have a cold one for reeder as it would of been his birthday today. Very much missed. :smt049

[garynortheast]

I was just thinking about this yesterday Geo. Yep, definitely missed on here.

[Sir Trev]

Thanks for the reminder Geo. I will pour a glass of the good stuff this evening in his honour.

[MisterTommyH]

If you get chance have a cold one for reeder as it would of been his birthday today. Very much missed. :smt049

Been away for about 8 years. Just here to see if I can find a hack.

Good to be reminded of good old box head man :-)

Still remember putting my box on my head in the office in tribute.

[garynortheast]

Welcome back Tommy, hope you have some joy finding a bike.

[munkygunn182]

Eeeeeevening

[garynortheast]

Morning.......

[garynortheast]

Morning orgers. The weekend is nearly upon us......

[Craig380]

Morning Gary - not that constructs such as the 'working week' matter to us retired folk :)

[garynortheast]

Morning Gary - not that constructs such as the 'working week' matter to us retired folk :)

Morning Craig. That's very true, indeed the thought occurred to me just as I hit the post button!

[maviczap]

And I'm back at work ��

[garynortheast]

And I'm back at work ��

Are you working the weekend then Mav?

[maviczap]

Yep start of my week on duty

[garynortheast]

Yep start of my week on duty

Hope it goes smoothly and you have a trouble free week.

[maviczap]

I'm in charge as my boss is on holiday:-)

[garynortheast]

Are you planning any parties, oops.... er work events?

[svenrico]

Are you planning any parties, oops.... er work events?

special social operations perhaps .

[garynortheast]

special social operations perhaps .

Ha ha! Is that what they are now known as?

[svenrico]

Ha ha! Is that what they are now known as?
So it seems - don't call a spade a spade , a war isn't a war now ,it is a special military operation (according to that bas*ard Putin anyway !

[Sir Trev]

Evening Organs. Just back from a very enjoyable evening ride - boy am I a bit rusty! Will endeavour to get out and about a bit more over the next week and a half otherwise I will find it very hard to get half way across England and the whole way across Wales for the BPW without seriously struggling.

[garynortheast]

Evening Trev. There'll be no rush from Welshpool to Barmouth. We could meet in Welshpool for a coffee to break your journey, and then it's only about an hour from there to Barmouth.

[DarrenSV650S]

Anyone good with mortgages? My fixed rate has ran out so I need to renew.

2 year is at 3.59% and 10 year is at 3.69%. So basically nothing in it per month. Am I best going with the 10 year since rates are likely to be going up?

[Craig380]

I'm not a financial consultant, but the fact that the lender is offering a 10-year fix means they're reasonably confident that rates will stay around the current level and won't go much higher (if they did, the lender would make a lot less than they otherwise could).

That doesn't rule out the 10-year fix though, it's worth asking if you can move out of the 10-year fix early (e.g. after 3 years) to another mortgage if rates change significantly (most providers allow you to do this if you take a new mortgage with them).

[Seeker]

The rumours are circulating that the BoE will hike interest rates on Thursday and it will be the biggest increase seen in years.
https://moneytothemasses.com/owning-a-home/interest-rate-forecasts/latest-interest-rate-predictions-when-will-rates-rise

https://www.ft.com/content/3eb06681-9705-4c10-af71-3c6ed4dce648

I've been gambling on it happening before I send any more money to my son in the US since it usually means the £ will climb.

[DarrenSV650S]

Craig, they did say I can port to a new mortgage if I move house. But there would be a penalty if I just wanted to end the mortgage (unlikely).

Seeker, my bank text me this yesterday
"Hello. There will be a base rate announcement from the Bank of England on 4 August, and your mortgage interest rate may change as a result. There's no need to contact us. If your monthly mortgage payment is changing, we'll write to you to confirm the new amount at least two weeks before the amount is due. In the meantime if you'd like to set up, amend, or cancel an overpayment arrangement you can do this by visiting our website or by chatting to us in the app. Just tap 'Chat' and type 'mortgage overpayment'."

[garynortheast]

P'nawn da orgers. Pawb yn iawn?

[Craig380]

Fint tak, Gary. Hva' med dig?