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Absolute geniuses. No other way to describe them.
https://youtu.be/Qzo4rZxF3x4?si=LvYRjlN1iqeNUw7V

I’m much the same. I used to swim a 6 beat kick and probably still would if I was racing short distances but now do a 2 beat kick and it adds next to nothing to my speed. It does keep my hips up, and encourages me to point my toes, so it does improve my speed even if it adds very little propulsion. I can’t be bothered with kick drills but that would be the solution.
There’s a woman who swims in the same pool as me and her kick is so powerful when she goes by you can see the turbulence from her feet. She does 8 lengths to my six and I swear it’s down to her kick.

I just came here to post that. Parasites indeed.

I watched it, and I’m still laughing an hour later. Amazing.

My van is more or less finished. Insulated, carpeted, ventilated and heated, and with a 12 volt deep cycle battery with lighting and usb charging Still fine to carry stuff and perfect for camping.
The heater takes 10 to 15 minutes to warm the interior and it takes about 7 hours to cool down.
The load netting keeps the dogs in one end so mud and dog hair doesn’t get into the other end. It’s also useful for hanging stuff from so it doesn’t all end up in the floor. If I push the netting to one side and lay out an air mattress I have space to sleep. I’ll be heading to Scotland imminently for a week in the highlands to test it out.

Completely support. I’ve been boycotting Israeli produce for years.

They certainly keep water out of your nose but it means all your breathing is through your mouth, which is what I had to unlearn to ultimately fix the problem. The speedo wire nose clip was the best by miles if you are going to get one.

I have used nose clips in the past for the same reason. I kept losing or breaking them and decided to learn to not get water in my nose.
As I do tumble turns and front crawl it took some practice and now I don’t suffer with it at all. The trick is to always breathe out through your nose when your face is in the water. It’s second nature now but it took a lot of conscious effort for a few sessions.

Just in your budget
I bought a pair 18 years ago. About five years ago I bought a second pair as I suspected the first were coming close to the end of their life expectancy. Both are still going strong. The newer pair gets used on the longer walks but the older pair is still serviceable although the tread is well worn and they leak a bit. No membrane so they don’t get sweaty if used on warm days but perfectly waterproof nonetheless. They come in half sizes too.

Is this the kitchen appliance porn section?
Here’s some actual knife porn

It too has been used to carry my motorbike

As a bit of an aside @pdlouche had this van for sale, I spotted it and we had a chat about it but as you can see he still has it and I bought a Citroen Dispatch instead. I got it from a company just inside the ULEZ, as it’s not compliant. I’m in the middle of turning it into a camper. I fitted a maxxfan extractor in the roof and windows in both sliding doors. It’s been fine for warm weather camping but I plan some winter camping associated with a swimming tour of the Scottish coast in winter. So it’s going to get fully insulated and an eberspacher heater connected to the fuel line.
Just after I bought it (to replace an old transit connect) I sent a photo to an old friend now in Australia as we used to share an old escort van in the 1970s.
He reminded me that we called that old van the Enterprise.
Imagine my surprise a few days later when I noticed that my new van was actually an Enterprise, a Dispatch Enterprise. So I got a few letters from other vans in breakers, and rearranged them more appropriately.

IKEA? Ffs. This is much more appropriate and leaves some change for the portable rinser.

It’s all part of Land Rover’s rich heritage. They used to strap fuel and water cans to the outside. So it harks back to those days.
The current marketing strategy is to slowly introduce many of those old features. If you’re venturing beyond the M25 there will be a tracked option available soon.

Signed

I’ve done quite a lot of longish walks.
Some great advice already but for what it’s worth here’s a couple more bits:
I use a moisturiser on my feet (currently using flexitol, but used to use any old moisturiser) and I apply it every day. That keeps the skin supple, which in my case prevents hotspots and cracks.
Foot care is really important.
If you have the training time I’d suggest doing two longish walks or even three back to back. The first walk is easy but the second one if you do it immediately is tough and the third one tougher still. That really tests everything from socks to psyche.
I walk 25 miles in one day, and then walk back the next day, getting going as quickly as possible, no faffing around with breakfast. Eat snacks on the go. I eat dried figs dates and apricots and salty cheesy biscuits or crisps and fresh fruit. I avoid sugary snacks.
Change your socks. Try and do this really quickly, shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes, then tie the old socks somewhere they can dry. If it pisses with rain that doesn’t work but putting dry socks on when your feet feel a bit clammy is so reenergising!
I am also in the habit of sending someone a voice message at predetermined intervals, I use FB messenger, record something about the route or how I’m doing then wait for a response. I then work out my reply and send it once I’ve reached the planned time/ location, and I keep a video diary on my phone. All that gives me something to do as I’m walking. Hope that helps!

Wow. I bet that’s just the tip of the iceberg too. War is just horrible.
Was he from Farley hill Berkshire? I ride through there occasionally.

When I last parked in Hunstanton there was a bloke in a shed taking cash.
I said how refreshing it was not to have to use a modern app.
The guy said “mate, this is Hunstanton, people here still point at aeroplanes”

Is anyone here doing the Dip a Day challenge?

https://www.sas.org.uk/take-action/fundraise-with-us/dip-a-day/
I just did my first swim, a nighttime dip in the Thames.

Especially if you
Look after it.
Use it sparingly and frugally
Make it available to others.
Share lifts.
I’ve managed with a low mileage hatchback for 10 years that does 60+ mpg and about 1500 miles a year. I’m not about to spend any money in a new car. I’m just going to drive even less if I can.

It’s the larger of these
https://levrier.wordpress.com/

I have a Levrier Greyhound
It’s not had much use, I’ve had it for years.
It’s the same as the one in the this photo, I can photograph the actual bag later today.
£60 plus postage?

After several attempts I finally found sharks teeth at Bracklesham bay on my birthday. A local spotted my attempts and showed me what to look for. They move in the sand as the waves retreat.

Me neither. I’ve found a few rares over the years. Once I’ve enjoyed them I leave and then report them.
Last year I found a glossy ibis. Hours later I noticed an unusual number of ducks flying over. I went back and found a bunch of twitchers in the middle of the marsh, flushing everything.

Keep your eyes peeled for American vagrants. An unusual dry warm front has hit the west coast, making landfall in Wales bringing with it unprecedented numbers of rare birds. Most of them must be going unseen, but the reports of those that have been found are amazing.