Minitoots

We need to buy a nearly new car and are looking at the best way to finance buying it- is it best to get a loan and buy it or get a hire purchase deal? There seem to be a lot of different options so if anyone has any advice we'd love to hear from you, thanks!

Our old car has conked out so we're looking for a nearly new replacement- our priorities are:- it must be economical to run (and not too expensive to buy) , 5 door but not too large, etc. We're thinking about something like a VW golf, Audi A3 etc - What about car finance? Any suggestions or recommendations?

We're currently have our tv, broadband and phone with Sky, mainly because my partner was keen to see the football that was on Sky but not on the other channels, but now it seems BT has some of those matches instead so we're looking to change. Does anyone know what the best 'packages' are which include Premier league and champions league matches? We can't get Virgin where we live as there are no cables in our particular area of SE22.We'd like to get rid of Sky - What do other sports fans recommend?

We've had some really helpful advice above, thanks so much! We've decided we'll almost certainly fly to Aarhus so any more suggestions on the best places to stay within about 50 miles or so would be great. We thought maybe by a lake rather than the sea and would prefer not to be in a 'holiday complex' of cottages so if anyone has more detailed suggestions that would be really helpful.

thanks - I've heard of green lipped mussel extract- will suggest it to him.

My Dad (aged 90) has osteo arthritis in his fingers which is getting worse. I've done a lot of research into diet, devices to help, alternative therapies etc but wondered if anyone has any first hand experience of which of these work? He also has severe arthritis in both knees. He gets steroid injections in the knees from time to time, and has tried acupuncture in the past which helped a bit...He is unable to have operations due to his health/age and I know it can't be cured but any feedback welcomed, thanks.

I suppose none of the Danish forumites who have sent such helpful replies to my post know anyone who has a lovely cottage right by a lake or sea that would be available for us to rent for a week from 26th Aug??? I know it's a long shot, but worth a try!! All the ones I've seen online do not show the exact location or what the views are like although they are very detailed in descriptions of size of rooms etc!

thanks for that MummaB. I'll check them out .Are there also lakes in those areas? (What's it like for mosquitos/midges??) We're trying to find a little cottage somewhere now - there seem to be lots available but it's hard to see just what they are like- any suggestions for the best websites to try for self catering places?

I've checked and can still get really cheap flights to Arhus which looks like a great area to visit and travel around from. Bornholm island also looks really lovely for another time... Now to find where to stay!

I've started a new post specifically on Denmark this year, if anyone is interested in somewhere which is very cheap to fly to, even for last minute August deals. Looks really interesting, and quite different from Montenegro where we went (and absolutely loved) last year, thanks to the ED forum advice on this post.

Thanks for the interesting suggestions so far. It looks great! I also had more great advice in a PM from chrismar which I'm posting for anyone else who is interested in going. She says:- - - - - - - - "My recommendation would be to look into Gilleleje, which is about 45 mins from Copenhagen. It's a good base if you want to also explore Copenhagen. You can book summer cottages online and drive there from Copenhagen airport. Alternatively, if you want something really off the beaten track, the island of Bornholm, between Sweden and Denmark, is glorious. Gudhjem is a great base there. You could catch a connecting flight from Copenhagen or drive (not sure how long it takes). Danes go on holiday in August but it shouldn't be that hard to find accommodationas children should be back in school next Monday. Another option is Skagen, you'd have to fly to Aalborg. It's the tip of the peninsula (on the 'German' side). If you're interested in art, there's lots to see there. The light is fantastic. Or, if you want city life, Copenhagen is really quite chilled. The city beaches are lovely. Danes go on holiday in August so it shouldn't be that hard to find accommodation. Children should be back in school next Monday.

Further to my other posts about last minute holiday ideas off the beaten track, we're thinking about Denmark- does anyone have a good knowledge of the country and which areas may be best for a week with a relatively quiet beach or lake nearby?

Hi yeknomyeknom, A couple of friends have also recommended Lake Bled - it looks lovely but do you think it would be very crowded in August as it doesn't look that big???

Last minute summer holiday advice wanted this year! After all the great advice given from my previous post 'Europe off the beaten track' this year we're looking for something similar but have left it very late to book flights/ accommodation - our dates for one week from 26 Aug to 2nd. Once again we're looking for somewhere away from the crowds by the sea in mainland Europe for a relaxing and cheap(ish) self catering holiday.Flights to smaller airports are now very expensive as most have sold out. Any new suggestions?

Unfortunately that place is not available to the public- it's our friends' house. The whole area is really stunning though, and the nearest village (Catterline)or town (Stonehaven) may have places to rent though I don't know if there are any with such a great view from the cliffs...

Same question for August 26th for a week 2013- any new ideas? We've left it late for flights, I know..

That sounds good advice Gina - I'll get him to try all that.

I've checked with him and the screen display doesnt turn off and the fan doesn't turn on when the machine freezes, and the battery seems ok. He said it's usually when he tried to go online onto Safari that he gets the 'spinning wheel of death/ spinning beachball'. Sometimes it stops after 10 minutes or so and at other times he has to shut it down, wait and start again later.... Does that give any more clues as to what might help remedy it?

I'll check all that when I go to see him, thanks Ian. Very helpful

Montenegro is fabulous but may be a bit hot but loads to do and see, no high rise at all around the bay of Kotor - 2 world heritage cities in the area, etc etc. The beach area further south is much more touristy in summer though.. - for really good 'off the beaten track' suggestions check out my post from last year as I got some really good replies from other people on the forum. http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,672580,1132348#msg-1132348

My Dad's got a mac ibook (I'm not sure which model but it is about 7 years old now, and he says it keeps crashing and cutting out when he goes online. He lives out of London and I'm visiting soon so if anyone has any suggestions, I can have a look for him, or bring it back to get looked at locally. When my brother saw it recently, he emptied the cache and cookies and trash and did a utilities check which said there wasn't anything wrong with it.the broadband connection seems ok. Dad only uses the laptop for going online for emailing and looking at art galleries websites. He also occasionally uses photoshop so I plan to get rid of any big files he may have lurking on it... Any advice on what else we can do, or whether you could do, or is it just too old to bother with now?

thanks for the feedback. He ended up telling me his password so now I can shut it down properly but still useful to know about not forcing it too often and closing lid down to let it go to sleep instead...

My son's macbook is password protected and if I need to shut it down when he is out, he says it's ok to hold down the button on the top right to force it to close down. I'd always thought that this could damage it - who's right?

Wow Norfolkvillas, that is really great info! thanks a lot.

We're thinking of going to Greece in August after having braved 40 degree heat in Montenegro last year. Would it be hotter than that? I've been to Thassoss and Andros years and years ago but would like any suggestions for less touristy islands, if there is such a thing in August! We would want to be able to swim off rocks or jetties or ideally find somewhere with a quiet beach. We'd prefer not to have a long ferry crossing, either!! I've had a very quick look at a couple of online articles about quieter islands, and wondered if any of these might be what we are after... Meganisi Alonnisos, Sporades Kastelorizo, Dodecanese Milos, Cyclades Syros, Cyclades Ikaria, eastern Aegean Ithaca, Ionian Paxos, Ionian Tilos, Dodecanese Hydra (too busy?? Sounds quite convenient for getting to....