MrBen

So I've just booked a 10 day road trip with my mate and brother starting in Las Vegas in October. I love Las Vegas so will do 3 nights but then looking to escape for a road trip that will end up back there in a week or so. I'm wanting classic desert scenery, strong drinks in dusty bars, tumbleweed etc. Basically No Country for Old Men meets Breaking Bad. Ideally without the guns. Anyone got any tips for planning a route? Or any idea whether I should head south to Mexico or east to Albuquerque?

Agreed. The worst culprit was the tw@t on stage with Chic. At the end. The one standing right next to legend that is Nile Rogers. with an iPad in his face.

Hyde Park in particular has always been terrible sound wise. It's basically a wind bowl surrounded by buildings. That and residents complaining is of several reasons why Live Nation quit promoting gigs there after 10 years. I'm keen to see if the new lot have improved things (I have Stones on 13th) but I'm not expecting too much given reviews to date. I saw The Boss there just a few years back. He was super fit and managed a 3 hr set with ease. I think I mentioned it on here but got some stick because you were all too cool for school. But it was impressive.

Fresh fish straight from the market was always the Sea Cow's USP wasn't it? It's not hard to do fish and chips well. Deep fried food doesn't travel well, nor does it stand being left under a heat lamps for longer than 10 mins ish so the tricky part is doing the freshly fried thing consistently at volume....and that usually means a wait in the shop. Changing the oil regularly is also a basic but adds cost so many places cut corners and string it out. Using different oil also makes a huge difference - one reason those French campsite fries from my childhood tasted so good was because they used sunflower oil. I know......spoken like a true Scotsman.

Agree with Jah on the Stones last night. They manage their exposure so tightly that its either a carefully crafted Scorsese film or doc or an official DVD release. Their myth and place in history is perhaps at odds with the current reality? They still put on a great show but in a strange way a live feed like this almost bursts the bubble. Apart from Mick's incredible 70 year old dancing the rest of them looked detached - going through the motions until the encore. And Kenny Rogers today looks like a space monkey. Edit: I've just realised it's a perma-smile.

What always gets me is how one act is great if you're there but looks crap on the telly OR vice versa. I'm not a fan but the Artic Monkeys last headline was $hit if you were there. They had no volume, even close to the stage. It was almost like they were playing through the monitors. But it looked decent on the BBC coverage later and journos watching on the telly raved. By contrast not even the amazing you tube footage of Bowies 2000 headline captures just what it was like to be there with the sun setting, thin plumes of smoke drifting across the Shire, electric atmosphere and and a huge but super friendly stoned crowd......I'm drifting........

*for the pulled pork I'd like to credit the forum's own experimental home chef, Fishbiscuits: http://fishfingersarnie.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/diy-smoking-pulled-pork.html

They spun it as wanting to "save the last half our for the fans" but that's bollocks because when you're there you don't give a monkeys who is watching it. A purely commercial decision. The thing is most other big names who "get it" will compromise for Glastonbury specifically.....and benefit from all the good will that spins off that. My pal who lost his legs in a bike accident was a regular and due to go this weekend. Wheelchairs don't work in the mud so I've suggested an At Home itinerary which will see me head to his for tomorrow night with beers, some vintage rye whisky, and some smokey pulled pork that I have been slow cooking for past 10 hrs. That, some festival smokes and the proper toilet and we're all set.

StraferJack Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > In my head its been there for 3 ish years. Just > checked and it opened in may 2008. 5 years+ ago > > I'm not down with this time-speeding-up malarkey This exactly.

And your point is?

Well. If it was me I wouldn't be rocking up in Peckham central to break up a fight with weapons without some kind of back up. Would you? Police have a tough balancing act between sensitivity and certain background tensions shall we say - it's not easy. The instagram pic above speaks a million words in that respect.

All good advice...but if you happen to live on say er, Fellbrigg Road, it depends which drain (front or rear) is blocked. On Fellbrigg, you'll have a drain at the rear with a manhole cover that takes your waste water (from drain pipes) and sewage (toilet stack) directly under the house to connect with the main drain on the street. You will probably also have a drain cover in the front yard bit (although some have covered this with "decorative artic pebbles" from Homebase, so you'll have to look under that). If it's a rear drainpipe then do as Otta and *Bob* say. If you lift that rear manhole and its blocked, chances are its blocked by the pavement (at the front of the house) and backing up because the Victorian builders didn't lay the pipes at enough of a gradient. Quite possibly behind 35 years worth of family turds. Should that be the case, a man with a leaded pressure washer (Dynorod etc) is required.

Kind of like a mass but barry pub crawl in the name of Barry Barry ambling? I'm in! 13th is the Stones at Hyde Park for me, but any other dates good.

Well, that's the Scots for you.

Rumours are that, like Glastonbury does after 5 years on the trot, they're having a fallow year. I don't know about you, but I for one will miss the annual call to arms of "Greetings sports Fans" from SurfBobby this summer.

Shit like this has been filling up crap papers for weeks: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2280155/Scots-plan-MI5-spy-agency-preparation-yes-vote-independence.html

What has been entertaining though are all the awkward implications of independence that have been required to be discussed with a straight face. Scottish Secret Service to replace MI6 anyone? Passport controls at Hadrians wall? Taxes on English lorries?

But to answer the question, my answer is NO to independence. And most Scot's feel the same. The SNP have yet to have more than about a 35% of the population as a "Yes" in past public opinion polls. The best thing Cameron did was to force the SNP's hand with an earlier referendum than the SNP had planned. They have a long way to go to convince >50% of the population. Basically, it wont happen and this is a political side show that's wasting a load of time and money that could be spent by everyone on stuff that is likely to happen in the real world.

Whisky Galore Back to the Future

Go for it Kailyn. It doesn't sound like you'll be remortgaging your house to do it, low start up costs and you can build it up gradually, in your spare time or as fast as you feel like. What's the worst that can happen? I'm guessing your turnover will be under certain thresholds, so if it's your only source of income you can keep things quite simple from the admin, tax side. You could set up with HMRC as a sole trader/self employed and likely wont have to register for vat etc. Whether you are starting up as a one man cottage enterprise or looking to build a larger SME, a great reference book that tells you all is the FT Start Up guide 2013 by Sara Williams which is clear and assumes no prior knowledge : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Financial-Times-Guide-Business-Start/dp/0273778757/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371105517&sr=8-1&keywords=FT+start+up I would advise against spending a lot of time and money on a website. For your type of business I'd keep it simple, get a local SE22 designer (complete with a beard and Macbook pro) to do some nice fonts, create a decent logo for your "brand" and add a few pics, contact details and some links to help people find you for typical google searches like "custom cakes Dulwich" or similar. Thats all you need. The website is unlikely to generate huge amounts of sales, its more of a reference point for potential customers. Word of mouth is probably your best start up sales channel alongside a few other things. SE22 magazine can actually work quite well- or sponsor this forum for a few weeks? Best of luck.

Sorry man. I'm totally lost. Your comma does little to make that sentence work.... but no matter.....

the-e-dealer Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > East Europeans, a bit of negative moaning. What on earth are you blithering on about again TED? I was being factual. Not moaning. The rag and bone man still exists to save old bits of metal from landfill but just in a different demographic form (whatever that happens to be).

david_carnell Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > TED, > > Dairy Crest deliver whole milk, unhomogenised, > with cream at the top. And for rag and bone man we now have lots of nice Eastern European men in large battered white vans ready to take metal goods from outside our houses. Coal? Well it's still being delivered in London, although it's the smokeless variety and whilst its not the cleanest form of energy, stocks are now predicted to last until 2085. I miss the 1980's. I would have loved to have been the age I am now back in 1985. I would have had a VW Golf and big shoulder pads on my double breasted suit. Drink/smoke my way through the day and still make a crust before driving home to my Soda Stream in my C5.

That sounds kind of wrong there ratty! So we're all ears. Was it a quiet one at Surma followed by a six pack from Bossman on the way back? Or did you tear up Bellenden Village?

Hats off to the people behind this. I think there's LOTS to like about this initiative for a whole host of reasons. If you're looking for a return on investment then you're kind of missing the point and the spirit of things. With 300 odd share holders it's more likely to have a regular, core, customer base. A sense of ownership has that affect. Add some good events for non regulars to that revenue stream and it could work. Then there's the freehold (which IS a game changer for many reasons) alongside the determination and passion of those involved. The upside far outweighs the down. Either way, drinking a pint in there as a shareholder/part owner will just be good fun. I'm in.