GMB

I think I had a glass of that once. On the label it was described as subtle aromas of cat pee from grapes harvested by hand, from the back end of Wigan market. There was a Harry's challenge that if you down two glasses of it you get a free taxi to A and E Wigan hospital.

Yes, the last time we took a flight from Manchester airport ( June 2023 ). I swore that we would never use that horrible place again. Liverpool and maybe Bradford/Leeds are not quite as awful. But Manchester airport is a bad joke of a place. This now limits our places to go but I am not going anywhere from Manchester airport. Just to give you a taste of the place you are welcomed by big signs saying £100 fine for just stopping near departures arrivals. To quote a typical trip adviser comment - AVOID at all costs🤬

Not long ago doubling up on the wine cost was the norm. It's one thing to make money and profit, but it's another thing to rip people off with profiteering. I understand the fixed costs in a restaurant, staff, rates etc but I still do not agree that they lose money on the food. I checked one good Manchester restaurant price who are charging for steaks by the 100gm weight. The average is about £12 per 100 gram. i.e. an indicated £120 per Kilo. The average price even in Waitrose is £35 per Kilo ( Sirloin ). That is still 300% markup. So what can we do? Typical 4star hotel/ restaurant in Sitges for example £ 88 per night at the moment. Good Rioja Reserva 25 Euros per bottle. Fillet steak 28 Euros . It pays dividends to take the flight and not pay UK Hotel and restaurant prices. Skyscanner - from £30 to Barcelona. Work it out - Two nights in a posh lakeland hotel with dinner and wine = £750+ - not joking! Four nights B&B and eating out in Barcelona area (averages )- flights £70, Hotel £300, Good Meals out 70x4 = £280, Other costs £100. Equals the same or similar costs. I know which I prefer. BTW Alternatively, some good pubs around here offering very good value for money. 😉

Just checked the price in our ( once local ) supermarket. The Ormarine Picpoul is a good one = approx £5.20 per bottle!!!!! Where the heck do they get £39 per bottle from. = Victor Meldrew moment .....!!

A big turn off is the price of drinks, one example ( not unusual ) a well known hotel in N Wales, which we thought may be good for an overnighter, was dismissed when we saw the wine list prices. We actually lived close to the area which makes Picpoul de Pinet - a now fashionable wine from the Med area in S France. Locally we paid about 7 euros per bottle from the better winemakers. In the Uk it can be found for about £10 in supermarkets up to about £12 for "good domaine wines". In this hotel in N Wales it is £39 per bottle. Most wines are in the 30 - 50 pound range. Just not worth it! Minimum 400% markup. They must think the British are just a load of mugs to be ripped off. Recently found a pint of local ale in a lakeland hotel £9 per pint! 4 People with healthy appetites can soon run up a ridiculous bill. The amazing thing a is that there are people actually staying at these hotels. Are they just fools/ well off/ have no appreciation of value/ desperate or what? Or maybe we are just becoming poor pensioners and the inflation is starting to bite. I, for one, will not pay and I will find far better value by going abroad more often, avoiding UK rip-off hotels. Istanbul, Spain Costas and Cities, Croatia here we come!😼

They can be insured at a reasonable price ( sub £1000 ) but you have to go to a specialist who accepts modified cars without charging a stupid premium.

My son had a Subaru Impreza WRX STI Prodrive that was souped up. It was hard to drive because it was so quick. About 400BHP 4Wdrive and weighed nothing. It went around corners at unbelievable speeds. He sold it for £7K. Today it is worth £25K+. He should have kept it. Mind you, he did buy an IsF afterwards.

IsF - Churchill will not insure for next year. Computer he say No! Is200t - Churchill wanted 60% more. Harley - Down 25% from last year! with Bennetts. Went with Hastings direct for same premium as least year - after a bit of a fuss. Found the deal on "compare the meerkat".

It can be quite a shock when you see hotel prices at the counter compared to booking online. I have had to book a hotel at the last minute, in person. Desk price over £200. I told the receptionist that it was only £98 on booking.com. - No reaction. I said that I would go in the lounge and book it online and be back in 5 minutes - The receptionist then agreed to take the booking at the desk for £95 because they would save the commission charge. Almost as bad as Ryanair for exploiting as much as possible from customers whenever the opportunity arises. This practice does not seem to be as bad in some European countries ( Spain and France for example ) but UK hotel and restaurant prices are outrageous and just not worth it anymore.

Is200t the biggest factor is the type of trip such as around town or country. For me no difference summer or winter but town can be as low as 21mpg 12-32 mph average and country/motorway 68-73mph average usually 28mpg. Using tesco momentum and a light right foot especially after cold starts.

Don't do it. Your carburettor will drop off.🤥

Actually quite a common charge where parking is scarce. Almost all city/town centre hotels in spain charge about 15 euros per day for car parking on site. Only country hotels with lots of space do it for free. Normally best to book in advance as spaces can be limited and street parking is even more expensive and less secure.

For my sins I have 2 x 8speed auto boxes ( IsF and 200t ). They both perform well. The isF is better at judging change points, probably because there is so much spare torque that it does not need to change as often. When the weather is very cold they are both reluctant to change gear for the first couple of miles, due to the thickness/ viscosity of the oil when cold I believe. This is normal. My point is that I drive slowly and carefully for the first few miles to avoid undue stresses on the components. The people behind me don't like it but what the heck. Some people thrash their engines from a cold start because they have been told by the garage that modern engines are OK with that. Then they (garages) make a ton of money repairing your car. I believe that the gearbox needs as much care as the engine especially when cold. Maybe I am old fashioned and got it wrong, but, better safe than sorry eh?🤗

For me it is Shell Vpower in the isF and the Motorbike, the poor old 200t has to settle for tesco momentum 99 due to rip-off Shell pricing. They are all doing very well thank you. I know it may be a waste of money but because I love them they only get the best!🥸 As far as the other stuff goes , E10 is it?, I would not go near it at any price for fear of damaging the engine.

I had a similar experience with a Peugeot - got an M16 405 or was it 406? after having the std 405 with 1.9 engine. The result was banned from driving by the sheriff of Forfar for two weeks and £150 fine doing 135 mph on the A9 instead of 70. The rover 825 police car could not catch me until I stopped at road works about 5 miles further on ☺️. I never learned from that. Banned for 3 months and 300 Euro fine by the Tarn police doing 200Kph in a quick Megane on an empty country road with a 90Kph limit. I am now a good and very careful driver thank you.😇 BTW - they chased but never caught me doing 175 on the M61 on a tuned Yamaha 1000... Not proud of being stupid - Sorry everyone! It was when I was young and very thick.

I haven't studied the tech specs but we are on our third nextbase. Not because the old ones failed but because they were left in the cars when sold due to being hardwired in. They have proved to be reliable.. SD cards - get the right one - fast video reading, known quality manufacturer, higher capacity etc. Can't remember the exact model number but it is out there on t'internet. They (SD cards ) occasionally ask to be re-formatted if they encounter an error. Simple in situ task.

Hi Stephen. I am considering an underseal treatment/rust prevention? lanoguard maybe? and an alloy wheel refurb. Do you know anyone near Preston.

It would seem that the high prices for second hand cars is ending, according to the papers. So, good luck, I am sure another one will turn up when the current owner, like most of us, will start to feel the economic pain delivered by our beloved government.

So pleased it went well. I may pluck up courage and do my own battery change when ready. I am glad to hear that the onboard computer and radio/nav system did not jump out of the car in flames, shouting BANZAI! and rush off down the road followed by a hail of bullets. I must stop watching those old films on daytime TV. As an aside, I have noticed that one's confidence doing "ordinary" maintenance jobs fades a bit with age. At one time I thought nothing of taking out an engine/clutch/ whatever. Now, I would not risk it. I did have the courage to put a new Vance and Hines slip-on exhaust on the bike yesterday. OMG you can hear it a mile away. There's nothing in it! The neighbours will hate me even more now that the car has competition for who is the loudest.

Good point..... but take it a step further and If that were true there would only be one car. What would it be? I think it would be a camel.

Oh, I thought you meant bribing the MOT station to turn a blind eye to the open exhaust or pollution failure ? Not vibes? I used to know some MOT places years ago who would pass your car for a small "fee". But those days are long gone now that everything is monitored and registered.

Mine failed. They said there was something seriously wrong with the big nut behind the steering wheel.

Now you're talking. The excitement of not knowing whether you would get around the next corner without being killed.

OK - Standard ( 3 pies on a stick) _ or deluxe Hindley special ( 5 pies on a stick with Whippet gravy ) ?

Tories ain't funny, they are frightening, the way they think we all fall for their lies like todays autumn statement. Two years of frozen personal thresholds and the pittance they offer is taxed. Don't get me started Aaaaaaaaaarrrrghhh! I think I am about to have a fit and drop dead. ( no unpleasant remarks about that please! )