Simon G

Now here is a list that could really cause a few debates! As Tony says, not many are in my collection. My list of 100 would include a very short riff from Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple's Concerto for Group and Orchestra (last movement). Short but very sweet!

SWMBO does the same with elder flowers in our hedge. I think she overdid the sugar in one plastic bottle, as I noticed the bottle being rather out of shape with the pressure. I have 'released' the pressure about 20 times now, and it is still fermenting away - never mind cordial, this will end up about 13% proof! Personnaly I pick blackberries from the hedge, as they do make an excellent home-brewed wine - it must be good as even SWMBO drinks it!

Just Googled grenades and found one at Screwfix for £14.99 which looks good. However, the specification quotes the weight of the grenade at 1710kg!! A typo methinks? Possibly 1.71 kg?

Just as well to get it all taken away. Willow is pretty rubbish as fuel for a wood burner or open fire - http://www.flamingfires.co.uk/which-wood-burns-best.htm I split logs with a combination of a couple of hefty axes and a couple of splitting wedges. Can be very hard work, so I might investiogate the 'grenade' approach. Even though it is hard work, there is something very therapeutic about cutting and splitting logs.

My experience of ERs is that it is full of people who are not self-obsessed, intolerant and inconsiderate. Perhaps that is why certain people keep out of it!

I unfortuantely was hit on the head by a cricket ball many years ago. It was a Cumbria league match at Cockermouth and our opening bowler bowled a short ball to their opening batsman, who hooked it my direction at Deep Backward Square. I was looking into the sun and failed to catch the ball, but it hit me on the forehead instead. The crowning insult was that it went over the boundary for 6, and if would only have been 4 if I had missed it altogether! I have never heard of anyone else heading a cricket ball for 6!

Offline for a couple of days as I was down in Leicester for work. Unfortunately every hotel we normally use for works trips was full due to Uni graduations etc, so ended up staying at the Days Inn at Leicester Forest East Services on the M1. Not to be recommended! Firstly I was booked in a smoking room, and cant stand the smell of smoke - and the room did smell! Next, the room was red-hot all night and so didn't sleep very well. And the breakfast wasn't up to much. Driving home was very hot, even with the air con on. Glad to be back home now fortified by a home-made quiche and then a summer fruit pudding. Cricket highlights on the TV beckon.....

She will need to take her EHIC (European Health Insurance Card). If she hasnt got one, you may have time to get one - see this link for details: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx

Morning All, I agree about the interpretation of classical music. Personally, I dont like Nigel Kennedy's version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, as he plays it so fast, you think he is just rushing to get it finished and destroys the elegance of the music. But I do know that some people love his version. Listening to the 26 minute live version of Led Zeppelin's 'Dazed and Confused' on the way to work - wonderful! I like both classical & rock! Cant stand rap - there is a letter missing off the front of 'rap' in my book. Pre-Retirement course today, which will hopefully prove informative.

£100 for a tender drive Flying Scotsman! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-Flying-Scotsman-LNER-locomotive-00-OO-gauge-tender-driven-/121378085800?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item1c42b29ba8. I cannot understand who would pay that amount for one of these. Rare they most certainly are not!

Morning all. Sloop John B - reminds me of the Uni rugby days, when we would sing it en-masse after a few beers. I used to be word perfect (if not in tune!). I had a Thorens (TD150) IIRC, but not sure where it went! Still have a Pioneer PL12D in good working order, and even managed to get a new drive belt for it about 5/6 years ago. That was when I was digitising all my vinyls using a programme called Goldwave.

Another back sufferer here since the age of 21, when I did it in lifting a piano! If I stick to my exercises, it is OK, but soon lets me know when I have forgotten (or been too lazy) to do them. Now raining here so time to do the shopping! At least I got the lawn cut, some weeds pulled out, raspberries picked and 5 jars of gooseberry jam made today. So quite a good day so far!

Morning all - lovely sunny day in prospect here. We used to have a cat that liked to 'collect' pigeons. Only when she got them, she was determined to bring them into the house (still alive) to show us how clever she was. This also applied to mice etc. I forgot the number of times we had to chase live mice around the house after she had brought them in and then started to play with them.

Just turned on the Brazil v Germany game and instantly saw one goal, followed by 3 more in about 5 minutes. Brazil are just truly awful!

Back in the 1960's when I first played rugby, the No 8 was sometimes also known as 'Lock Man'. I think that this fell into disuse as the Second Row are also known as 'Locks', and this could have been confusing with the Lock Man.

Morning all. From all the rugby postings recently, I conclude that most ERs were front row forwards, therefore not a bunch to be messed with! Hooker was the one position I never played in - I managed the rest in the forwards, usually Second Row or Number 8. Second row was always rather uncomfortable having to stick your head between the prop & hooker's backsides.

Morning all. Back to work for a rest after a weekend spent mostly in the garden, but with a bit of watching Grand Prix and "Le Tour". The weather was truly kind - rained all day Friday, then sunny all weekend, and now it is overcast again. Shame that the garden doesnt look much different for all our work on it, but plenty of soft fruit was picked and made into a summer fruit pudding. Lovely!

My best deal was for a batch of stuff - Hornby Red Jinty, Hornby 08 Shunter, two Royal Mail coaches in LMS red, a few wagons and a Hornby controller - total cost including postage was £45. When it arrived, the 08 was not just DCC, but DCC sound - which was unexpected! I had thought it might be DCC when bidding, but sound was definitely a bonus. This was a couple of years ago.

The picture is identical! Buy on ebay and then sell for £10 more on Classifieds. One way to try to make £10.

One of my usual favourites when it comes to spelling (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-MARGATE-BULLIED-UNREBUILT-BATTLE-of-BRITAIN-SPITFIRE-MALACHITE-GREEN-/371092603951?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item5666d7c42f#ht_704wt_1063). Poor engine - it was bullied! Another was 10 vacuum pipes (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-Triang-Wrenn-Vac-Pipes-x-10-New-/151342116805?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item233cb16fc5#ht_1517wt_1063). As if £10 and £10 postage wasnt expensive, he had the same picture of 10 pipes also listed for £1.95 plus £1.25! Slight difference!

A friend has one and I found it really nice to use.

The good weather has finally broken here! I just managed to repair the front door bell and pick some strawberries from the garden in a cold wind, and now it is pouring down. To be fair the garden needs it though. To make matters worse, my delivery of an NCE Powercab (Pre-Owned!) from Hattons arrived by Courier and left again as there was no-one home to sign for it. They told me 2 day delivery and it arrived in 1 day. Now I have to try to re-arrange delivery.

In my opinion, a masterpiece of understatement! I do really like the main item description though - "n gauge" - a masterpiece of brevity!

Agreed - and by way of an example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hornby-oo-hymek-loco-/281370721140?pt=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item4183007b74

My other half uses crushed egg shells around plants to deter slugs & snails. She washes the egg shells, than sticks them in the oven for a few minutes, then crushes them. Apparently the slugs just dont like going over the rough shell! She has put some around her courgettes this year and nothing has been touched (usually they get eaten very quickly). Worth a try!