2 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Was just making the point that if you are fortunate to have money, you can always buy health care...

Fully agree. We have "gone private" a couple of times to speed up initial access to a consultant, but once the need for treatment was established, have been quite satisfied with the service. It's even better when you can get your treatment in a private hospital and the NHS picks up the bill, as often happens here nowadays. My wife and brother in law have both experienced that recently.

Hmm, as someone that now has a bit of spare money, I haven't found access to treatment any easier at all.

Money can't fix everything unfortunately. 

(I'm aware my access requirements are different to most, but have been genuinely shocked by the lack of help offered by any 'healthcare' service so far.)

mines also enlarged but only slightly, and i've got Giles above the line.

Anyone got £700k spare for this ford.🤣🤣

14 minutes ago, iantt said:

Anyone got £700k spare for this ford.🤣🤣

Wow, they've really gone to town with the new Fiesta! 😂

2 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Wow, they've really gone to town with the new Fiesta! 😂

And it's not electric. 🤣🤣🤣

New Batmobile  ???? 🤔

 

10 minutes ago, unofix said:

New Batmobile  ???? 🤔

 

🤣. Only a gt . In for it's mot. Done 300 miles  in last 12 months. Same as every year. 

I'll check down the back of the sofa

 

9 hours ago, Jimpster said:

I'll check down the back of the sofa

 

I did already and he won't take cash.  Was talking  about getting paid in bit of coin. So I cut a £1 coin up and offered that. 

see if the Nigerian generals up for it

 

How many times I get up in the night depends on how many pints of ale I had the previous evening

The only thing I have enlarged is my belly 😄

Just booked my 2024 tickets for this years FORD FAIR at Silverstone 😀

Hope there will be many club members there again like last year.

Had the opportunity to drive a Ford Mustang GT Auto on Monday.

Only drove it for a few hours but really liked it. Comfortable, well spec'd and super engine sound.

Handled rural, urban and motorway roads with ease.

(18 reg. 5 litre, metallic blue with wide go-faster grey stripes 😀).

1 hour ago, RayC333 said:

Only drove it for a few hours but really liked it. Comfortable, well spec'd and super engine sound.

Sounds a lot more interesting than the Puma facelift being discussed on another thread!😀

There still selling in the UK, not to many I guess. We rarely see any, probably one every month or so. 

Yesterday saw the first operational passenger trains of 2024 running at the Wensleydale Railway and I was there to start the season off. 
What I liked most though was being able to have a ride in the cab of our heritage DMU class 121 bubble car (121032) on the first run from Leeming Bar to Leyburn and back. 
The bubble car doesn't run very often so it was nice to see it being used and it is well liked by visitors to the railway. It only returned to service in the middle of last year post restoration after an accident near Bedale several years ago. 

I also thoroughly enjoyed another 2 trips out on the bubble car for the shuttle service from Leeming Bar to Scruton station.
I had some great conversations with fellow rail enthusiasts (one of whom is a regular visitor to the line) and it's nice to see the younger generation interested in railways and the heritage behind them. 

1 hour ago, Nick Y said:

Yesterday saw the first operational passenger trains of 2024 running at the Wensleydale Railway and I was there to start the season off.

Photo?

8 hours ago, StephenFord said:

Photo?

That's our little class 121 Bubble Car at Scruton station yesterday afternoon (below the YouTube vid).

I'll also go one better than that photo with this (also my video)

 

8 minutes ago, Nick Y said:

That's our little class 121 Bubble Car at Scruton station yesterday afternoon (below the YouTube vid).

I'll also go one better than that photo with this (also my video)

So Michael Portillo was unavailable then 🤣 Great video, will watch in more detail later. Many thanks for posting...

6 hours ago, StephenFord said:

So Michael Portillo was unavailable then 🤣 Great video, will watch in more detail later. Many thanks for posting...

Lol. Idk if he'd visit a railway like ours. 
You're welcome to watch at your leisure as it is 45 mins long (same length as my 47701 cab ride videos).
I do enjoy making these videos for others to also enjoy and to see what it is like. It's not often you see videos of the line from inside the cab of a train or loco. 

So today whilst volunteering at the railway there was a passenger who needed assistance disembarking from our coaching stock. 
Unfortunately they were unable to step out of the coach onto the platform and could barely walk due to an injury and pain. 
I knew we had a wheelchair somewhere so I went to ask one of the staff where it was located and if they could let me in to the room to get it. 
Once I had obtained the wheelchair, I went back along the platform to the passenger and their partner. Unfortunately the passenger couldn't disembark and sit in the wheelchair.
They had to be assisted in walking back through the coach to the other vestibule end where the guard van was so that we could extract the passenger using the guard van double doors and a ramp. 
The ramp was placed and I pushed the wheelchair into position to enable the passenger to be placed into it. 
Once this had been done, I brought the wheelchair back down the ramp and proceeded down the platform towards the car park. 
Their partner had gone ahead to the car and brought it close to the gate of the car park so once we were there, they could assist in loading their partner into the car. 

Both of them were extremely grateful for the help we/I had provided. 
Unfortunately their trip ended up being memorable for the wrong reason. They had come to have a train ride and a nice lunch and it ended with one being injured (not through anything the railway had done). 
I hope the passenger will receive proper medical attention for their injury. 

So, I've had my 71 plate ST-Line X Edition 155 MHEV just over 3 weeks now and done about 700 miles in it and I really like it. 
The cruise control comes in useful when travelling the 55 miles to the railway (and 55 miles back) on the M1 and A1. 
After 2 return trips to the railway and back (110 miles), I still had half a tank showing on the gauge and 220 miles registering on the trip computer (I had brimmed the tank before the start of the season).
Having the 6th gear helps to reduce fuel usage ad is great for cruising (although sometimes I do forget it has this 6th gear).
I'm getting used to not having to turn on the headlights and wipers and the headlights on dipped beam are so much better than what I had in my old 17 plate ST-Line 140. 
I haven't really noticed the cornering lights in normal use but the fog lights came on tonight whilst I was reversing into my driveway. 

The Sync 3.4 is great and the screen is about the correct size to not be a distraction whilst driving. The multiple options available on the screen such as phone, audio, navigation etc are nicely laid out. 
I do find the audio skips a little sometimes when using my USB music stick though. 
The audio is good quality (both external sources and DAB radio) with the B&O system. It's like having a cinema in your car with surround sound. I also like that it has gracenote built in so it searches for the correct info for the songs you have.
I also like the home screen which displays nav, music source and the connected phone on one screen. 

Other things I do like about the X Edition are the footwell lights with a blue-ish tinge and that the side pockets in the front doors are also illuminated. The steering wheel is comfortable to hold and less slippery and the seats are part leather so very comfortable. 
I also like the powerfold mirrors and the little light that comes on underneath them when you unlock the doors. 

Get a higher speed stick and see if its that at fault. Puddle lights so you can see what your stepping into.

I like that my car just passed it's MOT with no advisories, so that's it sorted now till 17th March 2025 😀