Compo

Don't I just know it, Phil! When it backs up to the inspection hatch and I have to dig out almost a cubic metre of grunge before I can get my drain rods in!

Although the Empire is long gone, we still have reponsibility for looking after the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands. The following is a piece I found elswhere (Can't recall where) a few years ago. It may prove to be of no interest but having lived there for a couple of years, I found it amusing and thought it might be worth a share: Dear Argentina, NOW look. You've been whining about this since 1767 and it's starting to get on my wick. I've ignored you until now, because you're very silly and your greatest cheerleader is Sean Penn, a man who pretends to be things he i

You good with central heating, Ben?

Great shot, Carni!

"....and all because the lady loves Milk Tray"

Indeed it does, Phil. I tmay be a pipe from a block of old houses on the roadside. My septic tank pipework is 6" and was designed to cope with the waste ffrom the station and two cottages.

Fully interlocking puzzles are becoming hard to find, Jim. There seems to be a trend towards oddly shaped pieces that only interlock when you put several together and surround them with interlocking pieces.

My yesterday was quite good: Wednesday night 'er indoors noticed that the central heating had switched off but the boiler was still running flat out. I groaned and spent a while giving it a coat of looking-at before deciding to switch off the mains at the supply fuse and let the system cool down. When cool, it worked nortamlly but when it became hot, one of the valve actuators stayed in the on position. A bit of deep thought led me to suspect a faulty gearbox in the actuator motor so I let it be until the following night to see what happened. Sure enough, it jammed open once again, so and so

Been there, Fly!

Went to Helmsdale for the sunrise yesterday. ....and later that morning, up on the moors above Helmsdale; this is Strath Ullie. Note the rail, river and road all side-by-side in the centre, as they wind their way up the valley:

A former partner of mine used to love the place [BM Wimpey]. She went there on several mornings each week for a burger. How she never got fat remains a total mystery!

There used to be such things as second-hand shops bu tnow it's hard to find one. I know of a good one in Edinburgh but that's close on 300miles south of where I live.

That's one of my pet hates, Jonab. Folks who put toys and games that are incomplette or broken, into charity shops. Some seem to think that a charity shop is an alternative to the dustbin.

Whilst I'm here....It's approaching that season once again, so: Happy Easter to you all!

A real privet hedge would be nicer, Jill.....all the creatures of the night to keep you company and no added expense of buying aromatics.

When Julie gave up the fags some years ago she bought a new car with her "Cigarette money". She saw it as her reward for giving up.

Good question, LL! Have you never had the urge to get away from her that rules and enjoy a night without having to fight for the duvet or that couple of inches of bedspace that always seem to be the domain of the male partner.... but had no valid excuse? In the tent I can go for a pee without needing to engage in a wrestling match in order to win a few inches of space upon which to lie upon my return. New Year's Eve is the ideal time to enjoy a restful night and recharge the ageing batteries. Or maybe I'm just plain mad as a hatter?

Why is it that if you even think about buying an anorak, people start buying you train related things?! Here's an Xmas present that I made earlier:

Might have known the froggies would get it wrong! Can't trust them to do anything right.

My New Year's Eve camping is normally done in icy conditions. This year it was warmer (+4°C) but the wind picked up in the late evening and by midnight it was blowing a full gale with occasional showers thrown in. Anyway....I survived and none the worse for it

No booze tonight, Ian...had enough over the weekend to last me until next weekend.

In my early 20s my wife and I went on holiday with another couple in a caravan and yes, we ended up doing a bit of wife-swapping over the week. It must be the close personal atmosphere iin the van that does it. Made a change from this......

RESULT!

On another forum, a southerner was arguing that the term "Beer Off" does not exist. Don't worry though - I have put him straight on it. Typical of a southerner to assume that because a thing does not exist in the south, it doesn't exist at all!