Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

Ben Nevis is quite a grind.

I went up Tower Ridge as a youngster and somewhat underestimated the seriousness of the task.  We couldn't abandon because the gullies on either side were being bombarded by huge chunks of ice falling of the other ridges.

We got back to the youth hostel in pitch darkness just before the mountain rescue team were about to go out looking for us.  My school pal who I had planned to go with was grounded due to getting pished at the school rugby dinner, so I had teamed up with this English chap, who being a bit older than me, got a bollocking from the hostel warden.

Just been reading up on Tower Ridge. Sounds nasty. I think I would have crapped myself.

It was late April early May IIRC so the ridge was largely clear of snow, so it was just a long scramble rather than anything very difficult.  The ones where I shit myself were actually in the Lake district.  Particularly this one Pillar Rock where we got almost to the top but finishing involved swinging round a blind corner and I wasn't confident enough to leap into the unknown.

Fear is a healthy emotion, it's been keeping me out of trouble for years.

[RED-DOG]

While I'm talking about things I can't fix, have a listen to this creaky door. I've oiled it half a dozen times, two days later it's just as bad.

[david3103]

While I'm talking about things I can't fix, have a listen to this creaky door. I've oiled it half a dozen times, two days later it's just as bad.

Have you tried washing up liquid on it? Cured my wife's office door at school and that was pretty high up in the annoyance rankings.

[RED-DOG]

While I'm talking about things I can't fix, have a listen to this creaky door. I've oiled it half a dozen times, two days later it's just as bad.

Have you tried washing up liquid on it? Cured my wife's office door at school and that was pretty high up in the annoyance rankings.

I've tried 3in1. WD40, Plus Gas. and some fancy shmanchy motorcycle chain dry lube stuff, but not washing up liquid.

What do I have to lose?

[Karabiner]

I'm deducing that Appleby Fair led to mountaineering in the fells Tom.

How about some decent pictures of horses and Roma-life etc.?

Any chance of a Romany horse quiz? It's been a while since the last one.

[Karabiner]

Your feet better?

Yes Simon, thanks for asking. that's why I'm making the best of then while I can.


After 3 years of limping around and trying to find a cure, I'm completely better.

I tried everything. Stretching exercises, rest, physio, heat, cold, massage, cortisone injections... Nothing worked, or perhaps everything did because it suddenly started to get better and within a week I was cured.

Have you any suggestions for curing sciatica?

I didn't have sciatica but the insane amount of pain I suffered for over a year was due to the sciatic nerve.

The fix was to do less sitting, more standing and then stretching for rehabilitation.

Glute stretches, hamstring stretches and anything that mobilises the hip flexor will help. There's way too much to try to cover it on here and really you need to see a specialist not just a doctor. A doctor can give you things to mask the pain but he/she won't cure it.

I can put you in touch with a very good physio but there's a cost and I know you can be a bit thrifty

My Doctor referred me to a specialist.

Mine gave me some wicked strength painkillers and sent me to the physio.

It's nice that they know their limitations and send you to someone who can actually help.

The thing is that it can leave just as suddenly as it arrives.

From nowhere I had slight pain last night in my thigh, nothing significant though.

I couldn't put any weight on my left foot this morning without excrutiating pain just below my left hip on the glute side, so much so that I panicked a bit and immediately called the quack and booked an appointment for tomorrow morning.

Having done some research I discovered the stretches to ease the pain and it has eased to the point where I'm considering cancelling the appointment as I hate to waste the GP's time.

My main concern is whether I might do myself further injury by playing golf.

[RED-DOG]

I'm deducing that Appleby Fair led to mountaineering in the fells Tom.

How about some decent pictures of horses and Roma-life etc.?

Any chance of a Romany horse quiz? It's been a while since the last one.

I haven't been to Appleby for a few years Ralph, it's very officiously policed these days to the extent that it's spoiled for me.

Hordes of young officers spending the entire day trying to find someone to prosecute, presuming guilt until proved innocent, wagging their finger in the faces of well respected men who are old enough to be their grandfather.

Wet behind the ears RSPCA junior 'officers' handing out warnings to experienced horse and dog men who have forgotten more about animal husbandry than they will ever know...

Of course there needs to be some police and RSPCA presence, but it's all out way of proportion.



Roma life?

New legislation says that a Gypsy must prove he has a nomadic way of life to retain his Gypsy status.

This in effect means that any Gypsy who applies for planning permission for a small private Gypsy site on his own land on the grounds that he has nowhere else to go, (Like I did) automatically ceases to be a Gypsy and therefore cannot get permission for a Gypsy site.

Well you did ask. 

[RED-DOG]

Horses?

Interesting times Ralph.

Like any other commodity, the price of Gypsy horses fluctuates, and at the moment, it's what I believe is called a bear market.


Perhaps I should be buying....

[Karabiner]

Oddly enough I did notice that the news feature covering Appleby did seem to "accidentally" have a burnt-out fire or a pile of black bin-liners prominently visible in a few of the shots.

It was supposed to be a piece on which way the Gypsies and Travellers would vote in the upcoming referendum.

[RED-DOG]

I read recently that the recommended width for a parking space is 2.4m. The average car is 2.1m, which means that if everyone parks perfectly symmetrically, (which we all know they don't) it leaves a 30cm (just under a foot) gap for getting in and out.

Add to this people's total inability to look before swinging their door open and you begin to understand why many drivers, especially those with decent cars, still prefer to park in side streets, leaving multi storey car parks half empty.

[atdc21]

Hi Tom,
           Sounds like the mixture could be too rich on your mower .

[RED-DOG]

Hi Tom,
           Sounds like the mixture could be too rich on your mower .

Hi Ade. Yes, that was part of the problem. I adjusted it so that it's running a bit leaner and it improved but it still wasn't spot on, so I tried adjusting the governor (I watched a video on YouTube that showed me how to do it) and it's fine now.

Thanks for the input.

[RED-DOG]

It's raining here.

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[RED-DOG]

The puppies are growing.

Click to see full-size image.

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[Karabiner]

Have you had any trouble training them because of the pack mentality Tom?