simonj

Far too many drivers out there who believe the only reason that cars have headlights is so that they can see where they are going. And don't get me started on indicating

Saw Ian Dury & The Blockheads and The Darts in '78. Moved away from Sheffield shortly after but having returned I've only seen the Bootleg Beatles a couple of times and Richard Hawley every time he's ever played there

You were right

Figure of speech, but you knew that already

Had a close encounter with a wheely bin in the middle lane of the M1 north of Leeds once. I'd just moved out to overtake an HGV at the time and only saw it at the last minute.

My fathers name was John. I think his job title was Managing Director and if memory serves me correctly (for a teenager in the 70's) he seemed to be the boss at Liverpool St and had a foreman called Terry.

Anyone currently using the Woodhead Pass regularly? I know it's closed overnight until 16th Oct but what's it like in the daytime? Are the roadworks causing any delays, eg temp traffic lights etc? Driving to Liverpool Airport on Sunday so trying to make sure I get there on time.

I noticed that too. The only thing stopping me from believing it's a full scale alien invasion is that you can only see the lights on the clouds. There's bits of clear sky now and I can't see any spaceships

Looks like Planet Circus are in Chesterfield from Wed 28 Sep to Sun 2 Oct. Must be testing as it's only Tuesday?

Just seen them from Mosborough. Two brighter lights going backwards and forwards across each other and one larger less bright one doing its own thing slightly north of the other two. Tried videoing on my phone but can't pick them up. The aliens are coming...........

Yes, the hot weather is a factor. Flies have laid their eggs in the bin or in something that subsequently went into the bin. I find Jeyes Fluid works well in firstly cleaning the bin and then preventing further infestations. There are some small businesses that go round after bin emptying day and power wash your bins for you, so that also can help. Or you can do it yourself with a pressure washer and plenty of Jeyes Fluid Disclaimer: I don't work for Jeyes

I do this too wherever possible. Although there have been times where no matter how empty the car park is, someone will avoid the acres of space and park right next to it. I call it Lonely Car Syndrome

Just done an on the spot comparison between Thomas Cook online rate and Eurochange using the code you kindly provided. Difference was 0.0007 cents in favour of Eurochange

I took an extended 3 year warranty out for around £400 on a 2.5 year old 55 plate Renault Megane with Evans Halshaw. They tried to start it at point of purchase but after I queried the manufacturers warranty still remaining they agreed to start it at the 3 year mark. Developed a major electrical fault about a year after purchase which took them four days to pinpoint and fix and cost them about £1500. Also got around another £600 of faults fixed so probably the best £400 pounds I ever gambled with

I grew up in that neck of the woods. My formative drinking years were spent at virtually every pub in Lodge Moor, Nethergreen, Ranmoor and Broomhill. Except the South Seas

Nope. Here's a comparison of the relevant extracts in the small print of my booking documentation, the first from Aug 2012 (when they were UK based) and the second from Jan 2014 after they had moved their operation to Spain:

They were an ABTA member until Nov 2013. Then they moved their operation to Spain and so were no longer an ABTA member. Many people who used them over many years probably never noticed this change (I didn't) and so continued to believe they were in ABTA. Luckily, I've been booking direct in the last year or so so haven't been affected by LCH's collapse.

Gave in last week and upgraded to Win 10. Not found any problems so far and everything that I used in Win7 is working fine. (Disclaimer - may not be the same experience for other users......). Before that I had a few times where Win7 updates just didn't run for days, then all of a sudden, BAM, they worked!

How many forum members are still around that remember the saga of the fluffy bee hunt

In response to a) - Lowcostholidays were UK based and ABTA/ATOL covered until Nov 2013. I booked plenty of holidays with them up to that time and I continued to book holidays with them after that, not knowing that they had moved to Spain. It was only yesterday when their demise was announced that I checked the small print in my documentation (still saved on my computer) and found out about their move to Spain and the dropping of the ABTA/ATOL protection. In response to d) - I used them many times and never had a problem. Indeed, the ease in which I was able to book and pay for holidays online and the fact that the airlines and hotels were all expecting us left me far removed from thinking of them as a dodgy company. Seems the world events of the last couple of years finally caught up with what I have read were very tight profit margins, hastening their demise.

You'll be complaining your windows are dirty next and wanting the council to come and clean them for free

Never had a problem with mice getting in the house until I reluctantly caved in and allowed the kids to have a cat! It kept bringing them in and losing them (still does) so I've had a few 'Fawlty Towers - Basil the Rat' comedy moments over the years

You could do it in around 8-10 days. Drive your car to somewhere like Southampton then assuming you also have a large boat in your chosen UK port, set a south-westerly course and drive as fast as you can

Worked many different variations over the years in the forces (Royal Navy). The worst by far was 6 hours on, 6 hours off continually, sometimes for weeks on end. Mind you, being at sea you didn't really feel that you were missing out on much ..... except a good long sleep

A couple of old ones, well worth a listen if only for the longish intros....