Luke.B

Hey, There isn't really anywhere in Reading itself. I've occasionally seen people fly at Sol Joel park, just off Wokingham road, but there really isn't space for a buggy there. The best bet is probably still Pinkney's Green, just north or Maidenhead, which is a 20 min drive up the A4 from Reading. Cheers, Luke

Yeah, it's a fairly epic system coming through the next couple of days - Thurs and Fri are probably ones to miss, some of the Met office models are suggesting gusts of around 50mph on Thursday. Thats if the grass has even dried out enough from last night/today! If I get the chance to swing by either place I'll shoot you a message!

Not so much! I've been up to Pinkneys a few times but never down to Upton Court yet. Work has been mental recently and won't be making it out until the new year - but hoping to try them both out in the Spring!

Hello, There is a group of kiters who meet at Upton Court Park in Slough, and also Pinkeys Green just up from Maidenhead. Think you should be within 20 mins of both those places! They have a thread here Thames Valley Flyers - Page 89 to arrange meets and the like. Wind is still a bit lumpy compared to the coast, but it's probably better then sitting on the motorway for hours!

We had a big debate on works email list about homeopathy, when the EU were talking about outlawing a lot of alternative medicines around easter time. I did know that the "active ingredient" in a homeopathic remedy was so diluted that statistically you were unlikely to ingest a single molecule/atom of the medicine, just some water that it may have bumped up against at some point. What I didn't know was the philosophy/criteria used to select the active ingredients. Apparently the idea was that any compound that induces symptoms similar to those you are suffering will, after diluting and shaking into a homeopathic medicine, sort you out. Taking an extreme example, the homeopathic remedy for radiation exposure is essentially irradiated water. As a physicist, this made me chuckle!

Hey, I'm just down in Earley. I've had a bit of a break from kiting but am hoping to get back into things soon. I've seen people kiting on Bulmershe fields, but I don't like the look of it there myself. I've been meaning to give Sol Joel park, just by the A329, a look. My girlfriend said she saw a kiter there at some point. Otherwise I haven't really found anywhere else in Reading/Woodley.

There are some really cracking photos on your blog!

Hi! I'm not the bet person to answer as I don't get out much, but I know that there are sometimes people at Pinkeys Green just down the A404 from High Wycombe. I think some people also meet in Upton Court Park in Slough, not much further then Pinkneys. The other place I have heard of round Bucks way is in Aylesbury - but I don't know the name of the place as have never been there myself. There is a thread called Thames Valley Flyers over on racekites : Thames Valley Flyers Hope thats of some help, Luke

I don't believe a graduate tax is a fair way to to solve this problem. In my opnion a universtiy degree is essentially a product, and should have a fixed price, not one that varies with your success. The problem is at the other end of the system. I payed £1300 a year my 4 years getting a masters in physics. I had access to fantastic labs and workshops with decent lasers, nano-material fabrication, decent telescopes. Hell I got to make my very own superconductor. On top of this I had roughly 30 contact hours of tuition a week. Whereas a student who studied English would have payed the same amount, have gotten none of their coursebooks included in the price, and would have had a maximum of maybe 12 hours contact with tutors a week. Either they were extorted or I got a bargain. This difference in what you pay/what you get is still there with this system. I think this is where the system should be shaken up - make us contribute in proportion to what it costs to teach us, rather then what can be squeezed out of us.

Cheapest way I found was to have my mum listed as the main driver and me as a named driver. You need to make sure you don't breach the terms of the contract by doing that, but direct line were okay about it. Still expect to pay about 1k though!

I got into a similar situation last year, where a housemate decided to move out and try to lumber us with their share of 3 months rent. This was a joint tennancy. The landlord saw it as our problem as as a group we had decided to give him £xxxx and he didn't much mind who/where it came from, which I guess is fair enough. The Citizens Advice Beureau were really helpful, and suggested that we would probably be successful if we took the housemate to the small claims court for breach of contract. Luckily for us the housemate turned out to be spineless, so just the threat of court was enough to get them to pay up. Good luck getting it sorted.

Same here actually, I bought a Blade of Franz and it was as described in great condition. Nice and easy to trade with!

Sorry I'm fairly new here/don't post much but read this and think it's terrible! In any kind of dealings between a 15 year old and a 24 year old, surely the responsibility to behave appropraitely rests with the 24 year old. Yeah your son made a bad decision, but only because this chap gave him the oppurtunity to make the bad decision. If this guy isn't a turd he's doing a mighty fine impression of one!

Hi, Looks like I might have been beaten to it, but also really interested in the Blade 3 4m. If it doesn't work out with person above, would you be up for me viewing? I'm only a little up the road in Reading. Could do cash on viewing if everything is tickedy-boo? Cheers, Luke

The 2005 Torch had swirly tribal graphics, and if you want to get really retro, so did the ar3.5 and ar5.5, or so I seem to recall.