arwen

I forgot to post on here when I picked it up! New Car in funky/weird colour - Must say, I am very pleased with it. Done around 1k miles since I picked it up and I'm averaging 43mpg, which is what I was getting from the little clio on similar journeys. The 150hp is certainly a nice upgrade over the 75ish of the clio, and it is so comfortable and effortless to drive. But is pretty happy at getting thrown into corners too! A nice amount of tech in the car, probably the favourite being dual zone climate control. The voice controls are an amusing gimmick, but I am surprised it can understand my accent most of the time! The wheels need a little attention/refurb, but I'm thinking of getting them redone in a dark grey colour. Currently playing around with pictures to see what would look best. Also had some fun with the snow foam attachment I bought for the pressure washer the other week. I am now really looking forward to a reasonable day where I can give the car a proper clean!

That is lovely PICNIC!

We visited Kielder Forest a few weeks ago and stayed here - The Straker Chalet by Arwen, on Flickr Spent a couple of nights star gazing in the hot tub while feeding this friendly little guy left overs. Sniffing Fox by Arwen, on Flickr

I'll let you know in a few weeks. I'm picking up a focus 1.6 Ecoboost titanium (150hp) on the 25th. On the test drive it certainly didn't need any more gear changes than my 56 plate, 1.2 clio. Probably could do less changes than it to be honest. But then it does have the gear shift indicators, that always want to you go up the gears too quickly for my liking, but it is hardly noticeable on the dash unless you are looking for it.

Have a look on Motorcycle Ergonomics and put your hight and leg length in and it will display if you can reach the ground/pegs or not. I use it a lot when looking at bikes :-) Instep length is where it counts on bikes. I'm 5'3"ish but have an instep of 27". I can only get the ball of one foot down on most bikes!

I'll echo what Tim says above. Speed isn't everything, go for a bike you enjoy. My little MSX is not a fast bike, even by 125cc standards. It has a whole 9.5HP when the 125cc limit for CBT riding is 15HP! But it is so much fun to ride around towns and on small back roads because it is so nimble. It also has the added effect of making everyone who sees it smile/grin with amusement because it is rather small. Especially when parking next to a bigger bike :- We stood and chatted to an older couple for about 15min who were inspecting them when we got back after this photo. Which is another thing to get used to if you get a bike. All the "would be bikers" and people who already have bikes end up talking to you about them

Joanne was asking about 125cc's, not 50cc. (and rightly so, mopeds are dangerously slow in my eyes, you would be better just cycling)

That is for mopeds, which are generally 50cc. Not motorcycles. They are different classes according to the DVLA. Source: https://www.gov.uk/driving-licence-categories

It is fantastic fun. Makes going to work so much more enjoyable To try out ear plugs, I bought this pack Ear Plug Variety Trial Pack - 11 Pairs: Amazon.co.uk: Health & Personal Care For £3 it was well worth the money as it has all the "big brands" in it. I found I much preferred the moldex ones as they don't heat up inside your ears like the others.

Wrong info. CBT must be retaken every 2 years unless you complete the full bike test (theory, MOD 1 and MOD 2) The exception to this is if you have a licence issues before 2001, then there are various laws regarding what you can and cannot ride and what you must display. (check https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving/learning-to-drive for more info) I currently ride around on my 125cc with L plates and have done for a year now. Will eventually get round to doing MOD 2 over the next few weeks. Here is a rough break down of costs for you Joanne, CBT= £90-140 Theory = £23 Mod 1= £15.50 Mod 2 = £75-£88.50 (depends on days/times) School training and bike hire = Mine is £50 for 90 min. Kit Helmet = Only think that I would say has to be bought new. Prices from £30-£700+. Mine was £110 and it's pretty fine. The main think is to make sure it fits properly. More expensive helmets will generally be quieter, lighter and have a few more gizmos. Jacket/trousers/boots = As has been said. Buy the best you can. A lot can be found on ebay for very little money however, as bikers appear to love to horde stuff that they never wear, then grow out of it! I would guess you could get decent kit 2nd hand for around £150 no bother. Gloves = Sometimes best to try on in shop rather than buying online. You want something that will keep your hands warm and protects (carbon fiber knuckle guards are good) but can still feel enough for good control. Ear plugs = I use these disposable ones I hate riding without them. My bike isn't loud, but the wind noise at 30-40mph is enough to damage your hearing. The bike - Completely depends on what you want. all the reviews will tell you to stay clear of Chinese bikes however, and I am inclined to agree with them. They fall to bits and the after sales support is pretty non existent. You could pick up a good conditioned Japanese 125cc for £800-£1800 depending on how new you want it to be. But as others have said, book your cbt first, or even a free "get on" taster session = Free Motorbike, Motorcycle or Scooter Experience Near You

I got 34/44

I saw it. Thought it was a dodgy floodlight from the building site I was walking past at the time!

I want one of them too... but I'd be very annoyed at myself if I dropped it!

This is what I am doing... Thinking of maybe getting a BWM F650 GS (like this one, can pick them up much cheaper too) or maybe something a bit different, like this Moto Guzzi. I'll still be keeping my little MSX for fun and commuting though. The BMW is very nice to ride, weight is all low down, which is great for a short rider like me. The guzzi is just something a bit different :-) Edit to add.. I don't think I will actually fall of a bigger bike, but as I am short, I do imagine I'll have al least one "accident" taking out the garage, or at traffic lights/junctions/parking lots when I put my foot down and forget about the extra weight/height! I'm looking for a decent, cheapish big bike that can take a few slow drops with no issue. the BMW is easy to fit crash bars too, which is handy for the slow dropping I am feeling might happen.

The lack of servicing didn't bother me too much, the car drove very well, and very smoothly on a short test drive. It's more the fact it has been sitting doing not very much for a number of years. The previous year for example, were those 500 miles 500 very sort trips? Or were they all done in one or two goes and the car has been sitting for months? Personally, I would take a car that has lowish miles but regular use, on trips where it can be warmed up properly, than one with extremely low mileage that is hardly ever used. The guy that lives across from me gets up early in the morning, drives his car around 1/4 mile to the corner shop to get his paper, then drives straight back. I have never seen him use the car other than this. I can't see how that can be good for any engine. Or am I missing something?

My bank actually do car finance, which is working out about £400 cheaper than a normal bank loan, and around £1200 less than car finance from a dealer. Sometimes I do like my bank :-) Went to the garage last night to look over the car more, read it's paper work and see what I made of it. Car done 9k miles in its first year, had a service, then no service until this year at 13k miles (so no service in 2 years). In the last year it has only done 500 miles according to its MOT. This, combined with the (fixable) damage made me not willing to pay the £8k for it. Tried to get the dealer to take some off, or increase my trade in but they were not having it so I left. Will be keeping my eye out for one of a similar spec as it was a lovely car to drive. Might try the wewantanycar thing. Never gave them much though to be honest. Party as I don;t really want to be without a car. But then if I wait until the warmer weather I could probably do without a car for a few weeks.

And potentially cause an accident, possibly with one or more vehicles involved depending what road I happen to be on? No thanks. I've seen belts go, it is not pretty, there is little warning. Aside from the fact I would be left it no trade in (and probably have to pay someone to take it way!). I will not risk other peoples, or my own well being by leaving it until it goes bang. The Clio will be fixed properly, or traded in/sold. I'm sort of this frame of mind too. I keep things until they start to become a more hassle than they are worth to me. I've had the Clio for around 6 years now. From 11500 miles to it's current 105500. It is only in the last few years it has started to cost me, and cause me hassle. I can never see me buying a brand new car however, the instant depreciation terrifies me! My motorcycle is the only exception I have for this. Even now there are people selling used bikes for more than I paid for my brand new one.

I've yet to find a garage that will do a timing belt on a Clio for less than £400. The parts are cheap, but to change it you need to remove the whole engine cause of the stupid layout. So most of the price is labour, and unless you have an engine hoist at home (I don't) then it needs to be done in a garage. It's been getting a basic oil service only for the past 2-3 years, and starting to sound rather rough. The garages around here that can do the timing belt have all said they would do a full service at a reduced price along with the timing belt, since it's such a long job anyway.

Thanks for the input. Realistically I reckon I won't have a decent deposit for 5 years or so possibly less if I do PCP for 2.5 or 3 years. I have factored in the final payment. I like the fact I will know how much I will get for my car when the PCP ends. HP works out around £600 more expensive than PCP over the same period if I decided to refinance the final payment from doing PCP. (I thought this strange, so I done the maths again and again to make sure) I don't really have the option of keeping the Clio going. It needs around £600 to keep it on the road this year (major service, timing belt, mot) and I suspect there are a few other things wrong with it that will fail the MOT/fail in the next 6 months. The car is worth about £600-£1000 if sold privately. So I've decided it not financially viable to keep repairing it, plus I've had it 6 and a half years. Kinda fancy a change now.

So I'm thinking of trading in my 56 plate 1.2 clio for a 61 plate Ford Focus 1.6 ecoboost Titanium. I think I'm getting a good deal for the focus (just under £8k, 13000 miles) but does anyone had any pointers for anything I should look for specifically on the focus? Might be going PCP for it (3 years) as it means I can still save for a house deposit. First time considering PCP however, I've always went down the hire purchase route. Any tips?

He does look very soft and cuddly :-)

I had to google Kimchi...

She can be very cheeky at times, especially when there is food involved! Generally she is quite content to scuttle around on the table or floor, destroying anything she can get her beak around.

So many lovely pets! I've got ZaZu, she is a senegal parrot. Had her for 12 years now, no idea how old she actually is (adult when I got her) SHe loves hiding up my sleeve on a sleepy sunday morning... And sitting on top of bottles!

Looks like a printing fault. Can you request a reprint of the effected photos?