Tog

Well, I'm just off to encamp for the week tonight, so I'll 'see' you all next week. Looks like a rainy start to the show but it does dry out very quickly so I'm sure we'll be zooming about stirring up the dust as usual. This year daughter has a new toy so I'm hoping to post some video of our 'high speed' runs around the playpen next week. Be good girls and boys while I'm gone.....

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,24...2290999,00.html and this one had me rolling, been there - done that .....

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,24...2309800,00.html Well this one mentions angling....

A newlywed farmer and his wife were visited by her mother, who immediately demanded an inspection of the place. The farmer had genuinely tried to be friendly to his new mother-in-law, hoping that it could be a friendly, non-antagonistic relationship. All to no avail though, as she kept nagging them at every opportunity, demanding changes, offering unwanted advice and generally making life unbearable to the farmer and his new bride. While they were walking through the barn, during the forced inspection, the farmer's mule suddenly reared up and kicked the mother-in-law in the head, killing her instantly. It was a shock to all no matter their feelings toward her demanding ways... At the funeral service a few days later, the farmer stood near the casket and greeted folks as they walked by. The pastor noticed that whenever a woman would whisper something to the farmer, he would nod his head yes and say something. Whenever a man walked by and whispered to the farmer, however, he would shake his head no and mumble a reply. Very curious as to this bizarre behaviour, the pastor later asked the farmer what that was all about. The farmer replied, "The women would say, 'What a terrible tragedy' and I would nod my head and say 'Yes, it was.' The men would then ask, 'Can I borrow that mule?' and I would shake my head and say, 'Can't, it's all booked up for a year.'"

Jane (as in the 'equiped' film starlet 'Russel' much beloved by Howard Hughes) Or obviously 'Spot'?

Those little squarial things work only where the signal is very good. Digital signals are very low power (about 10% of analogue) and therefore I would suggest a good outdoor aerial suited to the local freeview transmitter (see the link I posted - it will tell you right down to elevation and compass direction as well as 'band'). I have a direct line of sight to Rowridge on the Isle of Wight (15 miles) and my signal is only medium, another 10 miles & I'd need a very high gain aerial. If NTL were available here I'd probably 'sign on' I think the whole phone/TV/broadband package is atractive, but then again the carephone whorehouse deal is not available here either so no competion - other than the Sky ripoff deals.

http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freeview.html shows what aerials you need and where your nearest transmitter is. Booster's will only boost what they get, as Chester's says - garbage in bigger garbage out, buy a new aerial for about £30. (Argos,Maplin B&Q etc) only fit a booster if your need to run more TV's. If your reception has gone wonky check your aerial leads as those coaxial connectors are often the cause, if not the lead on the aerial often breaks at the aerial and you can then get 20 odd channels but not the normal 90. Loft aerials will only work decently with freeview in good signal zones. Dont rule out freeview if the postcode checker says no - borrow a box and try it - twice I have had this and with a decent aerial had no probs! NTL & SKY are now digital signals, your Sky / NTL box decodes the signal and outputs the channels you pay for in analogue rf / SCART analogue format, a DTV will not decode raw NTL or SKY digital without a box - a freeview DTV will decode the digital terrestrial TV signals. The reason the signal is wideband and weak is because the old analogue channels are still on, until they switchoff analogue (and sell the waveband to the mobile phone co's) the digi channels will be low power on most transmitters. ITV suffers pixilation the most on 'freeview' digital as they are trying to stuff twice as many channels down their pipe as the BBC, also clever the way that adverts very rarely suffer break up;) Oh, and please don't do a Rod Hull, if you cant get to your aerial easily, get a pro to do it - ladders roofs etc ......

http://www.gdsf.co.uk Well, it's that time of year again and from next Tuesday I encamp at Blandford for a week playing with the engines. If you've never been to this 'festival' you'r missing out on the biggest secret in southern England. Over 200,000 people will visit this show which encompasses nearly all things country/craft and mechanical - plus the largest funfair you will ever see. (loads for 'the girlies' - horsey stuff & crafty plus 500 odd trade stalls selling everything from dune buggies to life insurance!). Bring lots of cash! (exchange office on site does do cash @£1.50) Saturday evening there is the sight of 50 odd Showmans engines all lit up - but it is VERY busy, I'd suggest a visit midweek and stay on till late for the fairground at night. Traffic is not too bad now as they have moved the car parks to each end of the ground - although the walk is longer you get in & out much quicker. If anyone wants a play: PM me and I'll give you my mobile #, we'll only have 3 engines running this year due to a lack of drivers and my fathers illness. This could be our last year - so if you want a run on 7.5 tons of hissing steaming iron let me know (we also have 2 smaller engines to play with).

Yup, nowt wrong with his principles. And it would appear 'the other character' has not opologised to any of those his actions blackened.

In a similar vein, anyone know where you can buy this stuff in the UK? http://www.marimayans.com/hierbas_i.htm I plan to stock up this autum but I'm sure some 'offey' must flog it?

http://www.go-fish.co.uk/wiltshire.htm Waldens is just below Salisbury, Longleat and Shearwater are nr Warminster, there's a few lakes at Westbury. 'fraid I only fluff chucked when living nr Amesbury....

He He, you could have some fun with a 'baitrunner' or bite alarm tone as you walk the banks... Years ago I was fishing a french 'holiday' lake and using a 'freespool' for the first time - I only had a climbing monkey on the line (no alarm), every time a bloody bike went by and back pedaled I leapt from my slumber.....

real proper coke with all the sugar & stuff? Vimto?? R Whites Lemonade? TAB??

I aint got the words Chris, I wish you, your daughter & her hubby well. As for 'younger one', well lifes way too short for grudges....

My 'favourite' uncle died recently and as befits a scrap man we carried his coffin up to my burial ground on the back of his biggest lorry bedecked in 'butchers grass' - class;) For the wake: vintage champagne and langoustine buffet with an army 'trumpet' corps providing entertainment. I've never seen so many people so 'merry' at a funeral, but my uncle lived life to the full (as the 4 ex girlfriends who attended would testify) and he would have loved it, in fact I think it's a shame you cant attend your own wake - but my dad certainly saw a lot of the folks who will soon be at his - so maybe you can. So for my dad we are arranging for his coffin to be towed through the village behind one of his steam engines. Burial in the local church yard (and I offered him a freebie, but he thinks his dads grave looks lonely!) and afterwards 'Cornish cream tea' for hundreds in the village centre. All to his own orders and what he wants. So how would you like your send off? I've told the wife to surprise me! (but to wait till I'm dead!) - in fact I've reserved a few plots in my woodland burial ground, it's not macabre is it?? I'd like a new Orleans jazz band to provide the sounds (like the start of Live and Let Die), but afterwards? Tell 'em all to bugger off down the pub and buy their own booze? BBQ'd sardines & poached trout? Smoked eels and shrimp salad maybe? anyways don't know what 'decadent' thing to include... So hows it to be for you folks? Burning kayak?? or quickie at the crem?? P.S, I hope this post does not offend anybody, and I don't mean to make light of death - but its the one guarantee we have in this life. (other than taxes of course)

Ken , is killing yourself in jail is not suicide??

http://www.techworld.com/storage/features/...?featureid=2159 I backed up loads of stuff to 'bullet proof' CD about 6 years ago, when I looked at them recently most were duff! (and these were 'brand name' CD's) and I even dug out the old CD drive they were burnt in to see if that would work - nope they had 'faded'. Loads of info on how poor CD & DVD is as a long term backup system, DAT seems to be the prefered medium.

I'm getting rather cynical of the way our government reacts to so called intelligence these days. anyone see the 'power of nightmares' programs.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/3970901.stm If it was safe to allow carry on bags and water bottles on the Belfast shuttle in the 80's when IRA terrorist/freedom fighters were topping themselves regular like, I'm sure there's no more 'risk' now. Mind you I hate the bloody great bags people lug onto planes, I've had ***** hit me on the head twice - once cutting my eyebrow open - thanks for the £150 Bristish airways. (Nothing to do with the fact I've always had to 'security check' my bags as they have tools and 'leccy' stuff in them).

Maplins should have them on the high street, since the demise of Tandy it's tricky to get leccy bits quick. CPC are great but they charge a lot for P&P if it's only a little order. PS - when changing memory batteries use a gas iron or battery powered one, they are not earthed and therefore you cannot short out the battery while its being fitted. Oh and 'Remove any mains electrical device from its power source before comencing work, do not comence work during high tides or if the wind is in the east' blahhh blahhh disclaimer blaaaaaaaa

sounds like a Varta 'mempac' Nicad or Ni-MH memory battery, I assume its in the programmer / timeswitch or do you have a programable thermostat with timer? Most of them are changeable if your carefull with a soldering iron but you do need to dismount the programer from its back plate - they often hinge off, does the programmer have any make / type? Battery should look like one of these: http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/se...p;Ntk=gensearch

some USB gizmos do have 'through ports' (hubs) built into them, most decent flat panel monitors and external HDD's for instance. If you are adding a hub always get one with a power supply - most motherboards do not have the grunt to run more than 4 USB things. I seem to remember USB was to be limited to 255 'things'(0-254) and in fact there is only one USB port on any M'board - all the others run from it's hub.

Went through all this last year! Small cabby's don't make sense - no rear seats & a tiny boot is a real pain. And it has to be said the cabby pug does have a bit of a reputation - mind you so does the merc! Looked high and low for a decent small cabby & then I found a 206 'SE' 5dr in tarts lipstick red. Yup a hard top - but snazzy with a spoiler! one year old, 2K less than a 3yr old cabby - all the toys and only £130 PA insurance, It's been a great little motor - I'm always pinching it as compared to my tank it's a pleasure to drive even on fairly long jaunts.

http://dmoz.org/about.html Why are you not in DMOZ yet Glen? Google was born from it & I only ever put my sites into it, all the bots trawl it and hey presto up the ranks you go - and its free!!!

If I were in an area that could get it, I'd go for The Carphone warehouse £21.00 PCM deal with line rental &UK & international landline calls inclusive. Yup that's all uk calls, many international calls and 8M broadband and BT line rental for £21 per month (and £11 of that goes to BT!) But due to demand It may take a while to get signed up and customer services have been somewhat stretched.

Berlin tonight, sound mix is a bit off but I'm on my laptop.......