Byeckerslike

I think that the quantities of flies are far worse this year, either that or the size of my mouth has got bigger! When not on board I like to cycle along the tow path from Leamington Spa to Radford Smelly (The lower locks really do honk at the moment!), and I've swallowed at least one fly each evening, something that I've rarely done until this year. Rob

Hi all, What can be the cause of a noticeable lack of Mallard ducklings on the GU, from Stoke Breune to Wolverton? There are plenty of paired off ducks and drakes, but no ducklings at all, and conversely, there are plenty of Moorhen Chicks about. When I cycle along the GU from Warwick to Radford Semele, there are loads of youngster Mallards around. Could it possibly down to a localized explosion of Mink? Rob

Hey! Pssst!! Is it supposed to be a folding boat?? One of the boats on our Marina had vertical cracks running the complete sides of the cabin, which I found to be very disconcerting. I'd take heed of others advice, and avoid at all costs. Rob

Do you mean that you saw a dog being crippled by the action of being run over by a bicycle, or do you mean that you witnessed a crippled dog being even more crippled by being run over by a bicycle? I never witnessed the dog that you saw being run over, so how could I possibly know the aftermath/outcome of the incident that you witnessed?? Rob

Yep, Ditto, totally agree, we also hired the services of Balliol Fowden, must confirm that this chap with the very impressive moniker, is no relation to me or SWMBO! Rob

Liam, The towpath from Yardley Gobian to Cosgrove is a disgrace, if one can get over 8 miles / hour, then one is doing well. Where the said incident occurred, it was on a bend, and courtesy and good manners / consideration naturally occurs. AT THE POINT OF BAPTISM, i had braked and was doing less than 2 miles per hour. I did indeed wobble, but this was due to the uncertainty of the dogs master and my slow speed, but I maintain that I had sufficient control over my bike. On the way back from Wolverton, I came across 4 huskies (unleashed) and a rottweiler (leashed) and all hell broke out! If fishermen need a license to fish on the waterways, why shouldn't dog owners also require a license? Rob

Priceless!!!

Grrrr! I was happily cycling along the towpath towards Cosgrove, when I came across a middle aged couple who was being escorted by a lead-less Yorki Terrier. The dog went towards me, the husband bent down to pick up the shit extruding cylinder (dog) up, the dog went towards the man, I assumed it would be ok to proceed, the man changed his mind and straightened up and the dog lunged towards me. By this time I had no where to go to, it was either ride over the dog, or, head into the cut. I chose the latter option, I somehow managed to get off the bike, yet hold onto it, as I landed in the cut. I had my mobile phone in my shirt pocket, as well as a blood sugar meter (I'm diabetic) in my back pack. I was soaked through to the skin from my neck downwards. The wife uttered sounds of alarm/concern for my well being, but, I must admit that I did mutter the words "I wish that you could control that f*****g dog, as I clambered out of the cut, at this point, she became totally possessive about her dog and accused me that the fall into the cut was my fault - as she had seen me wobble just before I entered the cut! I thought it best to hold my tongue, but when I retold this incident to SWMBO, she told me that I was plain soft and stupid, and that I should have steered towards the dog. What would you do in these circumstances?? Rob

Pssst! 'Tis spawning season for freshwater fish, what you witnessed was the male fish inseminating the females eggs, after she had released her load!

Tut, tut, tut, By now, you should know that the speed of the tool does not necessary enhance the experience or satisfaction! Rob

Hi Ange, I can thoroughly recommend the Nokia N97 mini, it does all I need, and more! It is an internet modem to my netbook, it has in-built GPS and free, good satnav and maps. It is a good radio and MP3 player and it is fine for surfing the webby, using the qwerty keyboard. I loved my previous N85, but this is a far superior and faster tool. Rob

Hi, We used David Broatch, he lives in Weedon, and I found him very helpful, he even lent me his gas sniffer to fix a minuscule gas leak. Mobile 07836 507366 Home 01248 672291 Rob

Also consider a longer chimney - you may have too short a flue, a longer chimney will always increase the draught effect and increase the "pull" on the smoke. Rob

Our squirrel door glass is held in by the clips and screws, but sits on a bed of fire clay, the door seal is rope. Rob

Hi, We had our first barbie last weekend, we stopped at Towcester and bought a pair of rump steaks from Elliots the butcher. They are a really top class butcher, all their meat is well matured. I fired up the Webber barbie added well soaked oak wood chips... served with Jersey Mids spuds, tossed in butter was ambrosia! The taste and flavor were unbelieveable, mind you, for £17.00 a pair, they should be.

In my experience, Vodafone have the best country wide coverage.

I have a pair of Bushnell Legend porro-prism 8 x 42 bins, they are rubber armed, nitrogen filled and have very bright, water repellent lenses. I would agree that Leica are probably in the top 5 along with Swarovski and Steiner, but in my opinion, Bushnell are right there with them. See http://www.bushnelloutdoorproducts.eu/www_...d-porro/190842/ Do not make the mistake of biggest magnification is best, for the magnification will be offset by hand shake. Do try a pair of 8 x 50's, I used a pair recently and was impressed with the image quality and brightness - the bigger the lense = brighter optics Happy shopping! Rob