BoD

Will you be taking 100mm off the top or bottom of the legs? It needs carefully thinking through.

Slopes are fine. It's the skis that bagger you up.

It is really good to hear that things have gone well, or as well as can be expected for those undergoing various treatments. As they used to say in the old mining communities up here. 'Keep thy timber in'.

That's the last order you're getting off me.

That first picture might just have answered something for me. Not far from here considerable work has been going on and I wondered what it was all about. Pipe work similar to that emerged from the ground although there seems to be more of it. They have just surrounded the whole thing with a high fence topped with coiled barbed wire too.

Not true. It's XXXX because they couldn't spell Lager.

I can't get to sleep for worrying about it.

A few members of ER's and their family will all be in our thoughts tomorrow.

I am tempted to give them a go, partly because of Neil but mainly because of the good reports I hear. The problem is that I also like to support my local shop. One way or another, it will be most unlikely that I return to the larger 'box shifters'.

Someone on the National Rail, latest travel news site has a sense of humour. Quote: Poor weather in Wales - normal service resumed.

According to the announcement on the National Rail service disruption page tonight. Poor weather in Wales - normal service resumed.

A quick learner then

There are a few theories about. One of the most popular is that it was a nickname given by the Scots when the town declared for George I in the 1715 rebellion. Newcastle supported George II and closed it's gates against the '45 too. Another theory is that it came from the fact that miners in the area used Geordie safety lamps (invented by George Stephenson), rather than Davey lamps. No one knows for sure.

A pity they didn't take their nickname from supporting the King then rather than a later one. We could call them Charlies rather than Geordies.

One sentence that has done more for community cohesion that any government has ever done.

It takes a lot longer than two weeks to work out what goes on here. I've been trying tor ten years. Welcome.

Choose any tax office you like, anywhere in the country. Walk there. It's still probably quicker than phoning the helpline thingy.

The money back is usually in the form of a free bet. I'm not sure if it's a bet of your choice or one of their 'specials'. This is a bit like a loss leader in supermarkets to tempt those who don't have an account to open one. In the long run it's a fair bet (sorry) that they will make money out of it. Also, the odds of 6-1 must be very high plus there's always the chance of a draw. I'm also guessing that most of those who are given their money back will end up spending it with them anyway. Another reason why this is good for the company and not the pundit.

I think that this season, more than ever, we can see that there are lots of good* players in the premier league but not so many good teams. *substitute expensive if you like.

Is it pronounced tooth.

Looking at the weather brought to mind Don Bradley, and the fact that it was just over a year ago that he left us. I am sure that he would have been wishing us well whilst telling us about how warm it was in South Africa. He'd also be very much looking forward to the banter over the forthcoming cricket series between 'them and us'. Gone, but not forgotten.

That bridge doesn't look too healthy either. The wind is definitely getting up here, even on the east coast. I don't think I've heard it so bad in a long time. The lights have gone out a couple of times but have come straight back on. The rain is yet to arrive Take care if it's affecting you. Take care anyway. Goodnight.

That is quite frightening Neil, especially knowing that the schoolkids had just got off. Thank goodness for that.

I think I may have related this tale before but in case I didn't or you missed it. It happened a few years ago a friend and I were riding the Yorkshire Dales' Cycleway. We had cycled under Dent Head viaduct and were cycling along the back road to Dent when we came across a picturesque Dales cottage. You know the thing, stone walls, framed by trees, roses and other climbers round the door, a garden full of summer flowers with a stone path leading down to a wrought iron gate. Standing at the gate was a dear old grey haired lady, everyone’s idea of what fairy tale grandma should look like. She was taking a delivery of some sort. The delivery van was quite wide in a narrow country lane and parked as close to then side as it could get. Coming the other way was a 4x4. Not a land rover, farm type 4x4 but a pristine, probably never had mud on its tyres 4x4. The driver tried to edge past the delivery van - very, very slowly, obviously trying not to go too close to the hedge in case his pride and joy picked up a scratch or the tyres got dirty. Not being in any particular hurry we just stopped riding and watched along with the delivery driver and the old lady. After a good few minutes of edging, looking back and forth out of the window, using the wing mirrors then looking out of the window again the 4x4 finally made it past the delivery van. The 4x4 driver gave the old dear a smile and said good afternoon. She put her head to one side and replied in a thick local accent "If you can't drive t’ f****** thing you shouldn't have bought it in't f****** first place. I think, if we had been riding, we might have fallen of our bikes laughing.

It's storm Desmond, Simon. I agree that we do seem to be getting through them at a rate of knots.