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In my experience they get marked and pitted very early on in life; I try to give it a scrub with a little brush and will try descaler once in a while but to be honest just assumed that aluminium did that naturally, although I could be completely wrong.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/08/why-boris-is-wrong-about-burkas/

Rod Liddle is one of those people that if I bumped into him in some hypothetical middle of nowhere/isolated rooftop situation and realised I could easily get away with killing him I would just do it and not feel bad. What a cancer.

Gulls don't make the same noise constantly to be fair; if they're close together hunting for food they will just take turns chattering away in a much lower tone as if they're having a conversation.
Used to like waking up in Aberystwyth to their calls and watching them dancing on the grass looking for worms. This guy seems to have got one to do it on cue though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-6l-905zD0

Feels like it's a lottery with Parcelforce and things from Japan. I've had purchases worth less than £20 whacked with a fee and have had to wait for the slip for days while things worth £90 somehow just arrived at my house with no fuss.

Had a tailgater almost the entire way this morning on my current slightly less direct route (I'm avoiding a four way control that's set up right now). There was never any safe spot to overtake with parked cars on either side so I guess I'm glad they didn't try to force their way through but having them revving away right on my wheel and not getting the message when I kept looking back at them was aggravating. Thought the backstreets would be a bit more chill but I guess if I'm avoiding roadworks there will be rat runners in cars doing the same thing.

Is the green Big Dummy (big basket and a red tarp on the back) I've been seeing on and around Holloway Road 'on here'?

When I used to live in a house with a couple of cats one was a cold-blooded moth killer (moths freak me out so I never stopped it). Despite having quite a big gut she would easily launch herself and catch huge hawk moths out of the air at least 6' up and sit there angrily tearing them apart and eating them.
Meanwhile the other would see a spider, zero in on its movement and follow it for a few seconds but then flee the room and peer around the door frame until I relocated the spider because he would get too scared after the initial interest.

Last night heard a taxi revving trying to get around me when I was about to turn right so I stuck my arm out to let him know not to bother trying. He immediately goes to undertake me instead. Then a twat on a motorbike blats between us at about 45. Exchanged a glance with the taxi driver and we both have the same 'oh shiiit' expression.
I go to make my right turn and some absolute turd of a dad with his kid in the front overtakes me on the corner and carries on down the wrong side of the road for about 50m before swerving over. Classic 'on the phone' move in my eyes but I couldn't confirm it.

Commute with saddlebag and nothing on my back felt so free and easy this morning (although I was still sweaty AF when I got in, but that was just going to happen on a day this hot). Nelson longflap is probably overkill for what I carry most summer days but it's nice to have the option for a bit of shopping and any potential awkward loads. I fixed the bottom strap to a bar on my rack rather than round the seatpost as I didn't like the angle the latter gave the bag; may sway a bit more with a full load but I prefer it sitting flat on the rack so there's less chance of it clipping my legs.

Only thing I'm not looking forward to is when I have to cover at the clinics with no locking bike sheds. I already bought one of those folding nylon tote bags so I can line the saddlebag with it and yank everything out when I go inside, leaving the saddlebag on the bike, but I absolutely do not trust some of the dodgy characters who hang around these places not to try walking off with it if it's out in the open. At least at one place it's in view of a receptionist so I can be nice to her and ask her to give a yell at anyone other than me fiddling with it.

The one mentioned further up this page (edit - now the last page), although I mostly see the larger size in the top middle for sale:
https://www.hario.co.uk/coffee/cold-brew.html
The bottle one actually looks nicer in terms of something sitting on a kitchen counter but might have to go for the smaller jug to control my intake. Does it need diluting a lot once it's finished?

Is that Hario £20 job a good option if I want to try making cold brew? Wouldn't mind bringing in an insulated mug of it when it's hot here or having some to hand when I get home from work and don't even have the energy to use the Aeropress/the kitchen is too hot to stand around cranking the grinder.

Ordered a Carradice saddlebag (Nelson longflap) last night because I'm sick of carrying things on my back too. Right now even my shortest commute has me literally dripping sweat when I get in and leaves me with a sore strip across my chest from the strap so things can only get better.

What exactly was the guy's problem there? That people were... near his car? Does he scream and mount the kerb if a pedestrian passes when he's trying to parallel park?

Still kicking myself three years later for not finding a way to adopt this little stray guy who would turn up at the kitchen window to my wife's flat before we moved to a place together. We both had strict anti-pet rules in our respective flats and dick landlords (my wife's lived in the flat and would whack him with a teatowel if he stuck his head in while she was there) so it was a no-go but I LOVE grey cats. We never named him properly as he wasn't ours and didn't want to get too attached and just called him Gatito; I think someone else might have been feeding him regularly at least because he had gotten huge the last time I saw him.

This definitely had a twist and go because she was sitting on it like a petrol scooter but I'm guessing the company has taken care of the approval? I should have checked the specs page before posting as it says it's limited to 25 kph. Definitely did a double take on seeing her though.

I thought you had to for mopeds?

Actually I'm just re-reading that site and although their legal section says you must wear a helmet for their mopeds and that one's filed under mopeds, they seem to imply that model is exempt so maybe she's legally in the clear.

Saw a woman riding one of these with no helmet on Holloway Road. Seems like an easy fine for the cops, dunno why you'd risk it?
Also had absolutely no idea one of those electric UPS vans was sitting on my back wheel until I happened to do a quick shoulder check. The thing was as quiet as the grave!

Had another run-in with a cyclist here on my way home last night: https://www.lfgss.com/comments/13994381/

Or rather he almost ran into the back of me as I went through on the left path. Dunno whether he was trying to pointlessly undertake me the whole time or was just right on my back wheel as I started slowing down, but I think the former as his discs howled as if he was going much faster than me and had to slow down suddenly (almost jumped out of my skin because the noise came from so close to me). As was said before it's not the best road design but him tutting and shaking his head as he mounted the pavement and sped off really boiled my blood. Come the revolution the tutters will be first against the wall.

In terms of things lasting it's worth having a look at the Android One phones since they will actually get a decent update schedule (decent in terms of Android but sadly still not as long as Apple support their devices). Best bargain phone is probably still the Xiaomi Mi A1 which will easily cope with everyday things like Instagram and Whatsapp, although check with your network whether it will be supported; think one or two people here have it and rate it? The aforementioned Nokia 6.1 is a bit more but is also built like a tank if that's important to you.

Outside Android One Sony have one of the better track records with updates for their devices and will generally give you a couple of OS updates at least. I saw the Xperia XA2 was on offer for Prime Day for £199 here, which seemed like a pretty good deal actually and I was considering it myself. They have more needless stuff installed on them than you'd get on stock Android but they will let you get rid of it unlike a few companies who'll only let you disable the apps, not uninstall them.

Ospreys currently rattling the shit out of my windows in Finsbury Park.

Catching up on this thread has reminded me that almost EVERYONE I saw riding drops in Montevideo had their bars like this. It felt like some elaborate joke. Maybe this is a Uruguayan in London just totally confused at the weird setup British people have going on.

Love leaving for my early start on Thursdays in the summer. Nice and cool at 07:30 and not too many cars on the road so I can just cruise in and still arrive 5 minutes early. People actually paying attention to what I'm doing/signalling too which I think is because they're not deadened by constantly being stuck in traffic.
Got to the lights with a dad with a tiny kid in a seat on the back who was loving it. The dad stopped and turned around to give her a quick kiss and she was like "GOOOO!" He laughed and said "We have to wait for the green light first!" Proper melted my heart it did.

A van and I stopped on Hanley Road to let a mother and her kid use the crossing; as I was moving off a guy undertook me at speed with about 20cm between us then immediately chopped in front of me. He was wearing big headphones so I couldn't even yell at him but I was determined to catch up with him at the junction and tell him he was a wanker (I almost always try to avoid confrontation with other cyclists, but this was beyond the pale). Sadly he swung off to the right when I needed to go left and I thought actively following him would move me over from 'righteous indignation' to 'crazy person'.

Yeah I was eating my lunch outside in the area and saw them overhead a few times. Knew before I saw them that it must be something unusual because they were making a hell of a noise.