SteveT

Everyone who has lost fuel to these thieving gits if you have not bothered to report it, please go today and report the thefts and then they will take your address and the boys in blue can put stickers on a map to determine the area it is most likely to happen, and where to patrol in the future.

I feel some people get a little irrational on the subject and conflate a fear/dislike of all dogs with the issue of dog pooh (not looking at anyone in particular, Steve). Wrote first mate. I do not fear and dislike all dogs, only the ones which offer a threat to me. I fear and loathe the insecure 'machoman' and his dangerous "pet" who should be outlawed in my opinion.

Cycling has only become popular in the last couple of years and us motorists are still getting used to this new army of people who come swiftly and quietly from out of nowhere to surprise us. Us motorists all need time to get used to thinking 'bike' as we can easily forget and make crucial mistakes. I think there is not enough protection, or seperation from traffic, for our cyclists. The last thing a cyclist wants is to have to stop for any reason during the journey, as re-starting the bike from a stand-still is a massive energy drain.

There has been a surfeit of dog muck on the streets since as far back as I can remember (1950's) and it has not improved greatly since it became an illegal act not to clean up. The law is failing the none dog-owning portion of society. I cannot understand why you always leap to the defence of the offenders either first mate, though I'm sure you would not condone this lax behaviour in 'proper dog owners' like yourself.

Porridge. Homemade soup of the season:- packet of bacon offcuts or a pack of bacon and fry then set to one side. Onion diced and fried gently until slightly coloured, then keep to oneside. Dice seasonal veg potatoes and carrots then drop into hot oil and fry in the saucepan for a few minutes. Pile the bacon rashers then slice down through them into matchsticks, or the technical term is julienne. Add the bacon to the saucepan along with the onions and finally a half litre of boiling water. Last to go in is any green veg diced and boiled over a simmering flame for an hour. Eat your fill and put the remains to cool, then portion it before freezing, leaving one portion unfrozen to place in the fridge for your next meal.

DJKQ wrote:- Something I have on my bicycle are tyres with a thin silver reflective strip on both sides. And I also have reflective bits on my helmet too. And then I have a flashing rear light on both my bicycle and clipped to my backpack. That should be enough. I agree it should but being caught out by a vehicle turning left because he (the driver) hadn't looked out for you seems rather risky relying on the motorist. I am very cautious around cyclists and give them time and space to manouvre, but I am also caught out by them when they appear from behind me and on the inside, it is as if they come out of nowhere, and have taken me by surprise several times and I really am careful to look out for cyclists.

The apples seemed to have increased in size in the last week or so I guess it's the inch and a half of rain we've had. The green gages are becoming more yellow and getting ever nearer to ripening. It is only a tiny little bush I bought last year, but it is absolutely laden with fruit so it seems to like it in ED.

I consistently told my children to wash all fruit and veg because of the rat wee that lands on the food. It seemed to have worked because now they always wash them before eating.

From a motorists point of view: flashing lights grab my attention earlier than the 'steady' lights. Rear flashing lights seem to be more noticeable when they are fitted beneath the seat horizontally If you can afford two lots of lights do so. If you wear trousers rather than using clips, try the ones which capture light, they wrap around your ankle like tape, the movement made when pedaling makes you far more visible.

...the poor lamb..

I have a baby robin flitting around the garden, it has no red breast yet, it looks like a young thrush with the speckles down it's front. It is still being fed by it's parents, although it can feed itself when it chooses to.

The Soprano's:)

Had a few green gages today the first of the season, the tree is laden. The victoria plum looks close to ripening too, though not a good year for plum production.

That's great, because life is about choice and you can't have too much choice, can you?

Sherbet fountains were the most fun with the kids. We would clear everything off the table and then have one each, whoever left the least mess on the table was declared the winner.

I never felt lonely, threatened or in any way unsafe, wrote Marmora Man. Hardly surprising as you are pushing almost 2 metres in height MM:))

I suspect they may have to move the bus stop, up the hill from the junction for good visibility.

The rain finally falls to give the garden a good soaking and not before time. It will help all the fruits and veg to grow and swell. I traded some of my organic runner beans which I had a glut of for scrambled eggs at Homemade yesterday, which was very convenient and delicious.

Can we have lots of large signs explaining to children do not pee in the pool use the toilets before entering. and some other large notices telling the adult users to shower before entering as it pollutes the pool. Swimming hats must be used would be more useful than the no cameras or photography. When my two learned they (the course runners at Alleynes) ran a video so they could see where they were going wrong and it improved their stroke.

Oh come on people, most of it's biodegradable, it blows around in the wind making wistful Sam Mendes type moments and has a certain urban charm...wrote quids It was not sooo many years ago when some alleged 'artist' received a grant for sweeping up piles of dust and debris.

Wot, no Basil?

I bought a shredder secondhand off the forum for fifteen quid and it would cope okay if you did a handful each time you went past the machine.

Great thread narnas!

Had my first tomatoes today, they were still slightly orange so not at their sweetest yet.

About 40 years ago I supplied and fitted a cooker for the Hornsey based recording studio for Ray Davies of the Kinks.