Search found 327 matches

by Hector's House
1 May 2012, 11:06pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Coppers - getting rid of them.
Replies: 51
Views: 9480

Re: Coppers - getting rid of them.

Yes! scrap them! I've thought this for a while now.

The biggest reason is cost. I can't find anything on the cost of making a penny coin, but if it's a similar situation to the states, we could save ourselves... alot. each 1 cent coin costs about 1.5 cents to make. Thus, they actually lose money in making them. I think that's pretty much why Canada recently scrapped their 1cent coins too.

I don't really care for the other reasons, such as them taking up space in my pocket etc. I do pick up penny coins if I see them. Put them in a jar, along with spare silver from the week and put them into the bank when that's filled... or at the end of the week if i'm really strapped for cash. Whatever goes.

re. machines - some banks have machines to put coins in. The RBS in my town centre. Though half the time (literally half of the time I'm there) it doesn't work so I end up having to put it all in bags and go to the till anyway.
by Hector's House
30 Apr 2012, 9:06pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Cycle adviser job in Lake District
Replies: 0
Views: 4471

Cycle adviser job in Lake District

Found this while playing around on the website and wondered if anyone here might be interested.

http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/aboutus/vacancies/job-cycling-adviser
by Hector's House
19 Apr 2012, 10:45pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Student Finance
Replies: 21
Views: 17389

Re: Student Finance

I'd phone them up and ask what the heck they're playing at. It seems they need to give you an important bit of information in order for you to fill it out "properly" and "completely".

I have no dealings with the particular organisation you refer to, but I believe SAAS and the Northern Irish one can be incredibly slow and daft. Many of my peers started getting their loan more than half way through first year... You're not alone, but there's something amiss. Phone 'em and see.
by Hector's House
22 Feb 2012, 12:28pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: got gritted!
Replies: 5
Views: 1031

got gritted!

my fiance and I were out on Sunday, cycling beside eachother on an A road. And then a gritter overtakes with not much space between me and it, and then pulled back in with so little space that we got the full blast of the gritter! We tried very hard for the next thirty mins or so to laugh, but we just... couldn't. Partly because it was so dangerous of him, and partly because the driver meant it: after crossing the roundabout he leant his head out the window and laughed. And partly, I guess, we felt sorry for the guy... try not to get gritted folks, it's, uhm, pretty darn nasty! :roll:
by Hector's House
2 Feb 2012, 10:51pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Cause and cure for the common cold
Replies: 101
Views: 16243

Re: Cause and cure for the common cold

karlt wrote:
Hector's House wrote:
karlt wrote:Alas very little evidence that any of these have much effect.


Will anecdotal do? :p I've been getting a cold for the last few days... Last few times I felt a cold coming along, I had some nettle tea with some honey; symptoms vanished the next day. AFIR, I probably had my normal sleep (either >6 hours, if I had to be up the next day; otherwise, about 8 or sometimes 9...: number of hours of sleep don't make much difference to me, I think; they're so varied throughout the year/day-to-day). Putting the kettle on. Will report tomorrow.


Short answer - no. That's why proper researchers use randomised trials.

In most cases I find cold symptoms go away in a day or two anyway. It's quite rare that they really develop. If I was in the habit of taking nettle tea with honey as soon as I felt the symptoms, I might attribute their disappearance to that. But I'd be wrong.


Haha, yes, I know it won't do - hence I put the tongue out. I do know quite a bit about trials. I certainly know that one anecdote provides no evidence, other than to say that it seems to work for me (sometimes) :)
by Hector's House
2 Feb 2012, 10:38pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Cause and cure for the common cold
Replies: 101
Views: 16243

Re: Cause and cure for the common cold

karlt wrote:
eileithyia wrote:Echinacea, Zinc and Vit C to boost the immune system.


Alas very little evidence that any of these have much effect.


Will anecdotal do? :p I've been getting a cold for the last few days... Last few times I felt a cold coming along, I had some nettle tea with some honey; symptoms vanished the next day. AFIR, I probably had my normal sleep (either >6 hours, if I had to be up the next day; otherwise, about 8 or sometimes 9...: number of hours of sleep don't make much difference to me, I think; they're so varied throughout the year/day-to-day). Putting the kettle on. Will report tomorrow.
by Hector's House
21 Jan 2012, 1:35pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: FACEBOOKERS PLEASE READ
Replies: 12
Views: 1055

Re: FACEBOOKERS PLEASE READ

a virus that burns your whole hard disc? that sounded incredibly unlikely to me... Thanks for the link, lollykat :)
by Hector's House
16 Jan 2012, 11:13am
Forum: Helmets & helmet discussion
Topic: Black Ice, nasty stuff
Replies: 65
Views: 3177

Re: Black Ice, nasty stuff

Sorry to hear that. that's rubbish. Glad that you're ok though - and will be back on the bike asap.


I tend to avoid the back roads on mornings like this one: i always figure the main ones are safer as the traffic will have got rid of the worst of the ice. Traffic I can deal with; ice, not so much. The one time I've hit black ice on my bike was right outside my house going about 1mph.
by Hector's House
16 Jan 2012, 11:13am
Forum: On the road
Topic: Black Ice, nasty stuff
Replies: 27
Views: 2392

Re: Black Ice, nasty stuff

Sorry to hear that. that's rubbish. Glad that you're ok though - and will be back on the bike asap.


I tend to avoid the back roads on mornings like this one: i always figure the main ones are safer as the traffic will have got rid of the worst of the ice. Traffic I can deal with; ice, not so much. The one time I've hit black ice on my bike was right outside my house going about 1mph.
by Hector's House
14 Jan 2012, 4:09pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: New cyclist looking for some advice
Replies: 38
Views: 4600

Re: New cyclist looking for some advice

LollyKat wrote:There are bike stands at Central Station but maybe not enough.


I remember being pleasantly surprised at how many there are - a few years ago, there were the same sort of number as in Waverley. I'm not sure what it's like now; but I don't imagine the security has got worse: I've left my nice bike there for the weekend a couple of times, and it's not been nicked.


I agree with the idea about cycling to Central, and then taking the bike to Cumbernauld. SPT have good enough bike storage on their trains, IIRC, and you shouldn't need to book a space for the bike.
by Hector's House
9 Jan 2012, 10:56pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Personalities!
Replies: 16
Views: 2142

Re: Personalities!

tourer is named Raju, after the camel I spent two days on in India. The name therefore conjours up reliability and comfort (but not necessarily speed). I spent about three years settling on a name - i tried Erin for a good while but it didn't really fit.

My road bike was quickly named Hilda, because it's a nice name, and, of course, because climbing Hills is an utter joy on her!

goatwarden wrote:Though I hate to upset anyone, I feel I must point out that bikes, along with teddy bears and cars, are simply collections of manufactured parts and so are not possessed of any ethereal spirit.

Any apparent personality is merely a projection of the beholder’s own mind and perceived “complaint” or “misbehaviour” on the part of the bike is simply a result of maintenance oversight.


Indeed, but I'm not sure anyone actually believes that a bike has a personality! of course it's just perception gone slightly awry, but there's no real harm in it... all just a bit of joviality!
by Hector's House
8 Jan 2012, 5:27pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Bells!
Replies: 36
Views: 2468

Re: Bells!

reohn2 wrote:
R80RT wrote:Or perhaps include the Dutch exclamation "Oi - Oi!" as & when appropriate? Found it quite effective & well received in last minute emergencies.

Although there's always the risk of being mistaken for a radical skinhead themed genre of music I suppose :D


or Oi,Oi,Oi,or is that an older sub culture with hair* :wink:

*or not as the case may be :?


:lol:

This tells me it's cultural. In Malawi they do a sharp "tsss!" after months of doing it in Malawi, I tried it in Edinburgh. Didn't work. obviously.


I regularly cycle on the towpath. I never found a ting ting bell effective, because they're so quiet. I used a traditional bell for years, and that was great, as I rang it from a fair distance away, and it was so unusual but still familiar that people took notice of it. It rusted away though, and I can't afford to replace it. I find that people turn around to associate a person with a voice more than they do an inanimate object with a bell. I can say "excuse me" louder and friendlier than a bell can ting.
by Hector's House
6 Jan 2012, 3:33pm
Forum: The Tea Shop
Topic: Overpriced trains
Replies: 9
Views: 721

Re: Overpriced trains

I agree that trains can be ridiculous. For instance, with my railcard, I recently very nearly bough some train tickets (leaving throughout the day) from Edinburgh to Leeds at £7*.
On the other (serious, empathetic) hand, my friend paid once paid £60 to get from Aberdeen to Oxford; I was travelling from Edinburgh on the same journey... booked two weeks before her, and also paid £60. That was in the days before I cracked the secret of getting good deals on tickets...

When and how did you book?
Booking for a train near to or on the day tickets are always ridiculously overpriced. I generally look at my diary and bulk buy my tickets for three months in advance on eastcoast.co.uk (because that site shows all the journeys on one page). Sometimes you need to be flexible with time (plus or minus an hour), but I'd rather flex time than money.

Also, two singles can very often cost less than returns. If I'm very lucky I can get to Dundee for £3.25ish. The only drawback is that you have to spend more than five quid... so you need to find another journey!

*The only reason I didn't book then, but a week later, (£14 for a single; same price as a single to Dundee) was that I hadn't actually booked the conference I was going to, so it felt a bit pre-emptive to spend £14 on travel.


Regarding driving vs train, my battle is often "train vs bus", as I don't have a car.
si wrote:However, I tend to write this extra off as the premium to be paid for not having to undergo the hassle and unpleasantness of driving

This is the same reason that train would always win over the bus (apart from Edinburgh to London, usually) for me. more comfort, more space to work, more people watching [same reason that first class is less fun than standard class. You may get tea on tap, but it's not as FUN!] and conversation. And most importantly, space for bike, too!
by Hector's House
5 Jan 2012, 2:00pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: missing cyclist in N.I
Replies: 3
Views: 964

Re: missing cyclist in N.I

Pretty worrying - thanks for the link. According to the beeb "On Tuesday night, his bicycle was spotted propped against a wall, a mile outside the village" (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16419493)

It's always weird when people go missing for no apparent reason... hoping for the best. A story to keep an eye on...
by Hector's House
4 Jan 2012, 10:10am
Forum: On the road
Topic: missing cyclist in N.I
Replies: 3
Views: 964

missing cyclist in N.I

This is slightly old news now, but it's not been posted here - maybe there's a very small Northern Irish contingent; but there's fears for the safety of an experienced cyclist who went out on Sunday and hasn't been seen since... thoughts?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16385946