StreetCowboy

What do you think we should do to make the UK a less attractive destination? I am sure that our government are well down that road, given how may of our compatriots are on this forum. What do you think we should do to encourage people to stay in their own country? It is easy to be harsh on the poor and transient. If that makes you feel good, then at least there is some benefit.

When life gives you lemonade, be a lemming

Everybody suffers. Those that read understand. The best lessons are painful ones, though I'm happy to have learnt so little.

If the aborigines had done more to make England a better place to live they would not find themselves in the situation that they find themselves now. Sadly, despite our alleged sophistication, culture and technology, we cannot make Syria a country fit for Syrians. Some lessons need a lot of learning.

Some people always have to have the last word Ye're dedoanthairCowboy Thanks, Imam

I don't want to be argumentative, so we'll leave it there, other than to say Reading is one of the greatest joys, liberties and opportunities that we have, and we'll leave it there and say no more about it, barring possibly some ignorant and foolish claimed rebuttals.

I never saw the budgie. It could've been a fit-up by the Scouse mafia in their war on Country & Western. I'd never seen it as part of The Global Struggle before.

That's the great thing about reading; We all have a choice. You do not need to suffer. Your suffering is your choice.

Kenny Rogers killed the Project Director's budgerigar, back in the day, back in Hong Kong. We had a project apartment, and Kenny Rogers was the only one staying there over Christmas, so the PD gave him the budgie to look after, and came back to find it dead. Worse things happen at sea. Worse things happened in that flat. The other guys had gone out for the day, mentioning that for some reason they had lost power in the upstairs - just to be clear, the flat was three flats joined together, two and one upstairs. I mentioned this to the security guard, and (my recollection is hazy wit the mists of time) for some reason we looked in the upper flat mailbox, and had it not been rammed absolutely full of utility bills, we'd have struggled to get them out with a coat hanger. Anyway, I took the most recent Demand For Money With Menaces to China Light and Power, and settled their griveances, and the boys had power (and light) when they came back that evening. I spoke, some years later, in another country, to a chap who mentioned that he had stayed in a mutual friend's former apartment, but had moved out when the Municipal Planning Department came round asking for some ad hoc balconies to be removed (again - treat this as subject to the vagaries of recollection of pub conversations....) Anyway, the moral of this story is "Regardless of whether the Postman Knocks, check your mailbox". As St Peter said to the cheating domino player "Don't you ever knock?"

If the boys want to fight you'd better let 'em. We could be heroes Local heroes Kids nowadays don't know they're born Some lessons need a lot of revision

The postman's conundrum

Transient joys.

I do not go around shirtless, but if I had a tyre less, I might.

So long as he's got his big feet on, and a red nose, a clown can wear whatever other attire he chooses, as far as I am concerned

It's great when your colonies do well. Parents' pride knows no bounds.

Even if you complain, no-one listens, so you might as well not bother.

The ability to call people ignorant demonstrates ignorance. Rather than learning or wisdom. Ignorance is specific, rather than general; I am ignorant of cock-fighting; others are ignorant of common-law jurisprudence. They can employ a lawyer to make up for that. I doubt that there are trustworthy professionals who can help me should I gamble in cock-fighting, nor should I inadvertently find myself in a boxing match.

I was going to take the shopping bike to the pub on Wednesday, but the front tyre was completely flat. So I walked to the pub - it’s only a few minutes, but I was wishing I’d taken the basket from the bike walking back with a couple of six-packs and some bread from the supermarket next door to the pub. I fixed the puncture before I went out for dinner tonight - it was a leaking patch, and I remembered that I’d pumped up the shopping bike tyres on Sunday morning, along with the road bike tyres, because I was going to take my main floor pump to Pubcycle 2023, and it was going to be left in the rescue truck for some while. The front tyre had been soft on Sunday, but pushing it up to 85 psi must’ve disturbed the patch further. I had to use the standby old floor pump, which I leave in the parking lot for communal use, as the shopping bike has big 38 mm tyres, and I’d end up looking like Popeye getting them close to 70 psi with my hand pump. If I’d written this in advance, I’d have taken photos of both floor pumps, the patch and the parking lot. And maybe two six packs, a loaf of bread, and the supermarket. And the hand pump, for fear it felt left out, bore a grudge and let me down some day in the future on a desolate road in the boondocks.

Pubcycle X went as well as could reasonably be hoped. I had to put my hand in my pocket for drinks more times than I had planned, so in the event that we hold a President's XI ride next year, I'll need to more clearly spell out the expectations from the landlords. Irish F, who's at Havana now, made us most welcome, and the white can was outside the Bell& to lend support. M - who as you recall used to work in Port Klang - was there with his bike - it is carrying him round Singapore mostly these days. M with the model son had caught a slow boat to China - my buddy has been looking after his bike, seen second from the end here The total raised for the orphanage fractionally exceeded expectations, and we got round the six pubs no more than an hour behind schedule. You might recall that a couple of weeks ago on the route check I'd been persuaded to amend Stage Six out of safety concerns; I was glad that I could lead M (formerly of Port Klang) that way on the ride to the start, as he claimed this was a road he'd never ridden before - surely an omission on my part! Federal Hill, near KL Sentral - Batman turned up on his electric bike, and left us for dead on the climbs. Out of spite, I kept the speed above 28 kph (his electric-assist cut-off) whenever I could. I don't have a photo of me cycling faster...

Scottish measures are bigger

I guess you guys have set off already - see you there! We've got RM8640 pledged already, but its not too late to add more ...

I had cause to ride into town for a wedding present from Kompleks Kraf which is just across the road from our Conlay Station. Considering how central it is, that area of town is remarkably undeveloped, considering the rate that urban sprawl is racing off in every direction. On Sunday, we went to Ampang Lookout, to take a photo gazing back over the sprawl, and the highways slashing the city into misshapen morsels That is the best view, though not the highest, but I was grateful to take a step back, admire what we’d achieved, before gritting my teeth and remounting I was distressed that we were still not half way to Kajang, but finally I was relieved that I had not underestimated the distance as we pulled up to Kajang station. The heavy rain on the windows alleviated any rash temptation to alight for a final few kilometres home, and by the time we came out from the underground section, the rain had abated, and the final struggle from station to pub was happily tinged with optimistic anticipation. The bike rack at Kajang Station was quite full, but I think many of them may be abandoned.

Daytime drinking needs brightening up, or no-one would do it.

I’d not ask that question with respect to mirrors.