suewhistle

Fancy a shopping trip in August?

My credit card limit is more than my gross annual pension!!

That's true for anywhere down the eastern side. The Mont Blanc tunnel attracts the French and Dutch and Belgians who hack down the middle of France as they can afford the tolls and the fuel prices! The central passes I don't know about but the Great St Bernard + tunnel has never given me grief. I think you can check all of them online for traffic and I presume they all have webcams... I don't do long distance driving in Italy particularly in the summer, I go the other way, plus avoid Saturdays! (Jason, just a bit of common-sense, like avoiding the M25 on a Friday evening!) The train is a lot cheaper than the UK, even for the fast long distance services so you can base yourself somewhere and then explore that way. Was thinking about Rome in early September just before school starts (if they have funds to employ me, that is!). Even here in the mountains at 550m it's hot, so I plan to go up to 1800m and above on Friday. Don't forget the sunscreen, headache tablets and general toiletries folks; all a lot cheaper in the UK.

They tend to make a "ponte" - bridge, and turn it in to an extra long weekend... No Bank Holiday Mondays like in the UK! Petrol stations look for "Fai da te": do it yourself. Late night places with machines are often a good bet for prices (which have come down about 7/8c in the last month or so).

I don't know. Ask Turkish, he's got 50 thouand plus posts! Mostly sarcastic, negative and offensive. He occasionally posts sense, but it's dead easy to miss amongst all the drivel. If they're the target most people just keep a low profile. Personally I don't like bullies (or their snig gering mates) and so I'll point it out. It's not like he's a Portsmouth supporter too stupid to understand, he's actively nasty. Sad. Anyway, Sivok would certainly cover positions where we have a need, and I can't help thinking that for all the large crowds in Turkish football we'd have more money.

Rallyboy is tutoring you: admit it!:-)

I'm just in at 21.30 after an aperitivo (pre-dinner drinks) but too late for dinner now! I'm sure I'll find a bottle somewhere in the fridge or cantina... this mineral water just isn't doing it. Anyway, I _did_ ask around at my local tonight: about 5 people and 6 opinions, but it was suggested anti-clockwise around Milan for longer but less traffic: it may depend on the time you do it. (As you can see I'm not accepting any blame: I'm going all Pompey supporterish....). Ignore saintbletch on roundabouts. The law has changed so you now have priority: even practice seems to have changed, but remember I'm in the slightly more organised north... It's amazing how hardly anybody here uses indicators on roundabouts (or anywhere if you aren't up their chuff): 20/30k away over the border (SW/FR) and they all seem capable... If sobriety bring anything else to mind I will respond further, but Barbera,Traminer and Prosecco are having a deleterious effect on my typing skills.. Ah yes, ferragosto, 15 August. I'm normally in the UK (the AC on my car has long gone west...) but think bank holiday in the UK and stay put. My only experience here a few years ago was going to a party up in the local mountains: passive smoke stoned and frozen to death as there was fresh snow on the surrounding peaks! Normally it's farrrr toooo hot...

I used to be a systems analyst - user requirement analysis really - and was glad to get out due to sheer boredom as all the interesting work had been outsourced. A lot poorer but a lot happier now. When I was there the core developments were outsourced but mainly done on-site and operations were all in-house. No idea if that's changed. Less critical systems were outsourced and even there you could see the inherent communications difficulties involved. Core and critical systems? Madness.

No it doesn't. No idea on the traffic but very early or very late might be a good idea. As for Milan, no idea but my instinct would be clockwise! I'll ask around...

The carnet can be bought at the border. I've never suffered queues at the GSB tunnel (or Mt Blanc - where they're more common). Just apply common sense as to when you go through. I've done Thames Valley to Aosta in a long day (early ferry from Dover) and that's me as only driver and an old car, but I wouldn't recommend it and won't be doing it again. I just wanted to get home. But with an overnight, easy: my own route being Dunkirk, Lille, Mons, Charleroi, Luxembourg, Nancy, Metz, Epinal, Vesoul, Besançon,Pontarlier, Lausanne, Martigny, GSB.

Yep, you can go over the top - very dramatic scenery but twisty road or through the tunnel. In winter you don't have a choice and it sometimes doesn't open until May like this year (and then closed he following day due to 10" of snow!). Being a cheapskate I went over the pass the other year on the way to the pre-season friendly and bought by book of tickets on the way back: no VAT in Switzerland so saved myelf 20%.

Remember anyone coming through Switzerland that you'll need a motorway carnet. SF40 if I remember correctly which lasts a calendar year (end of the following January actually). Italian motorway tolls can be steep [particularly in my area :-( ]. I travel back and forth to the UK via Belgium/Luxembourg and eastern France to avoid French motorway tolls and to fill up on fuel in Luxembourg. It's also cheaper in Switzerland so fill up before you arrive in Italy.

If you're coming via Luzern you'll be further east than me: I'll be heading back via the Great St Bernard, Lausanne then eastern France, but wave if you see a Fabia coming the other way with a Saints sticker in the back window. Might have had a GSB tunnel ticket you could have used as I won't have used all the abbonnement and it expires on the 17/08. I don't drive in big Italian cities, although Torino isn't too bad, but I have to say I admire my dad now: as a kid we had 7 years in Rome with no accidents! When we take a couple of mini-buses to our away games there's one driver I point blank refuse to drive with! Just assume people are going to be stupid and you'll be fine. Instinct says that the idiot behind you is going to overtake on that blind bend, and instinct proves correct...That said you'll also get the old guy in old model Fiat Pandas who pootle along at 40 (K!) regardless. He could well have been on the grappa - lots more drink driving here. DO watch out for no-traffic zones in city centres/ centro storico etc. Don't follow anyone willy-nilly as they may be a taxi-driver or local resident with permission, but the fine _will_ eventually catch up with you. They do seem to be remarkably efficient for some things! Watch your speed in border areas: I know our local favourite spots with the Carabinieri but each border crossing area will no doubt have theirs.. Lago di Vico and Orvieto might be good places to visit; haven't been for years, but there are some interesting wines around Orvieto and a lovely cathedral. Actually interesting wines everywhere but it can take a bit of luck to find the good ones (or a lot of effort :-) ).

No, it's only Turkish, guys..:-( Still, at least he's reliably and consistently unpleasant and bullying. It just confirms the decision to ignore him was correct.

Well, _I_ laughed...

No, they wouldn't. John D above at post 65014 has explained that: it means they are effectively free agents and are not an asset of any club, but the FL won't _pay_ them. Also the PFA have "have registered a claim of £26m for past and future payments" and I'm sure that is on behalf of the players. The PFA have an obligation to help their players with claims and they may make hardship payments. They're effectively a trade union or trade association: and any I've been in would have assisted me but not paid me if my company when PHUT! The FA or PFA, same as any other union just don't have the resources for such an open-ended commitment.

SStill can't! Saw a video on the BBC earlier: fascinating...

So all developments are irrelevant then given the players will want their agreed contracts paid. I'd be checking my wheelnuts if I were TBH..

DP - not tipsy I hope? Back from an Italian bar I certainly am!::-(

Good start!

I know in kid's comics there used to be stories of the "with one bound he was free" type, or 'will so-and-so ecape - don't miss next week's instalment'.. but I really can't see how they can get out of it now. Given the history it's an unsafe assumption I know, but if you had to write a brief obituary of the club - let's say x2 Twitter length - how would you sum them up. Spike Milligan's I believe was: "I told you I was ill". Are you prepared, any good ideas?

I bought one of those high powered super soakers: great fun, although cats don't seem to be that bright. This video is quite instructive:

I meant that his opinion either way is of little value!

I'm not sure being criticised by him can be regarded as a compliment.;-)

If they have they must have queued a long time for the privilege, the women's loos at the dell were appalling and appallingly few!