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A 'friend'?

As a good old fashioned bastard with no idea of my parentage whatsoever, I don't think I want a genetic test, I would probably fail. I would like to discover a diverse ethnic mix, but could possibly discover the 99.3% English Brexiteer Twat gene and be forced to conform to my genotype and become an arsehole as well as a bastard. One of the best things about bastardy is being able to answer 'fucked if I know' to the 'is there a family history of' question.

They're frites for one day only!

Ready.

Just add frites.

A bee fly (bombyliidae), non- threatening to humans or damselflies.

Testing the water? There are many suitable canals.

Guess who's coming to dinner....

It is heavy and sloooow, particularly compared to the 7' #3 carbon I normally use, it is probably as heavy as the 9' #11 I use for tarpon. But, for my bit of chalkstream it feels right. After all, nobody sane would use a steel framed fixed.....

Nope, not a Hardy creel, there is a limit to purism! Hardy 9' #4 Perfection from 1961 and Marquis 3/4 disc from 1996 brand spanking with a spare spool for £165. I have several other cane rods which I still use, including a 1957 RW MKIV Avon, which I had a 15lb carp on last summer. A long cast on the river is 10 yards, I found I could (sometimes) hit a dandelion at that range with the Hardy. I will probably catch a lot of.... nettles and overhanging willows.

Ok, so the cod picture didn't load, might have another attempt later.

Tomorrow is the first day of the trout season on my bit of river. This year I am going full retro; I have got hold of a Hardy cane rod which is as old as I am, but immaculate (which I am not), also a Hardy Marquis reel and a wicker creel. All things being equal I shall post a picture, complete with trout, tomorrow.

When the going gets tough, the tough go codding......!

Do it instantly (I am your dentist).

I have an excellent question, why don't you try posting this in Classifieds and giving an asking price?

Even better without pesky bicycles in the way.

Functional guard rail thread shurely?

My latest pup, Murphy, loved his crate and would cheerfully bolt into it away from the other 3 and settle down. It was a super-duper reinforced model for larger dogs.

Then he ate it.....

The reasons you have all given for insurance are excellent, I listed my personal experience of 30 years of daft mutts to give an idea of the actual risk as opposed to the perceived risk. No insurance has worked for me. If had a breed with known poor health I would definitely insure.

Obi Wan Retriever? Cheerful looking little bugger!

Sell the car/tv/furniture/your own virtue.

Don't buy a dog if you can't afford to look after it. You wouldn't buy a Ferrari if you couldn't afford the servicing costs.

An appreciating rainy day fund would be better value than insurance based on my model, bearing in mind that my dogs are always very fit and get zero unhealthy treats. I have always been in a position to cover vet bills, but would be prepared to sell something of lesser value if necessary, like the wife.

Yep, both from one of my earlier dogs, now sadly deceased. I have never had hip problems with my labs and two lived to over 16, one of which had a grand total of £200 of vet bills in his life.

All insurance is legalised betting.

Over the last 30 years I have had 8 dogs, four are still very much with me. One is chewing my slipper, my foot is in it.

During the period I would have paid 767 premiums, you can multiply that by the premium of your choice and adjust for inflation. An average premium of £20 would have cost £15340, I seem to remember a premium of £12 being asked for my first dog.

The actual vet bills over that period, including having 3 put down in floods of tears (I am not sure the final act and cremation are covered), have been just over £3000.

The evil lovechild of a Colnago C35, as imagined by Salvador Dali.

Only one is a cosultant, the other 29 are fat blokes from a forum (who don't ride bikes) telling him how he got it wrong.

It is a good looking frame! I didn't even mention the saddle, which might be good but is hideous and permanently downhill.