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British troops arrive in Estonia transporting military equipment and tanks

Looks quite cool. Not sure of practical use, but gives some extra capability.

Hey let's play some music!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVkq8IEO4tc

Sometimes it seems from reading posts on here that the average Freeper thinks that guns are pretty much banned in the UK. They aren't, though. Handguns are banned (unfortunately), but otherwise we have a reasonable choice of legal weaponry, including Accuracy International sniper rifles if you have £23K to spare. Semi-automatic rifles are limited to .22 rimfire, but bolt-action rifles are not. Here's a link to my nearest gun dealer, so you can see what's available this side of the pond: https://www.thecountryman.com/ Comments welcome - not trying to start any fights, just interested in opinions. Personally I own a Mossberg...

Sorry I meant to post this a couple of days ago, but Pani Shirmpska has been ill. Anyway, enjoy: Jethro Tull - Ring Out Solstice bells 1976 Now is the solstice of the year Winter is the glad song that you hear Seven maids move in seven time Have the lads up ready in a line Ring out these bells Ring out, ring solstice bells Ring solstice bells Join together 'neath the mistletoe, By the holy oak whereon it grows Seven druids dance in seven time Sing the song the bells call, loudly chiming Ring out these bells Ring out,...

Portishead - It Could Be Sweet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57C_eWa2bgo

Just wondering if anyone here has seen 'The Detectorists', a gentle comedy series about metal detecting. It's written by Mackenzie Crook, who also stars in it.I think is was shown on a couple of channels over there. Here's a clip: https://youtu.be/C6gSYHJhuCw It also stars Diana Rigg's daughter Rachel Stirling, who's the spit of her mother.https://youtu.be/_8fBd0Um43o

"I always think that the chances of finding out what really is going on are so absurdly remote that the only thing to do is to say "Hang the sense of it" and just keep yourself occupied. - Slartibartfast, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy"

I'm in the UK and sadly we're limited in what we can buy gun-wise, but I already shoot clays and have a gun licence. I recently saw a Mossberg 590 for sale and I really like it. Any opinions on this gun? Worth getting?

I know there are some Spitfire fans here, so I thought you might like this vid. Footage from 'The First of the Few' coupled with music from Public Service Broadcasting, an eccentric English band. Hope you enjoy. They also did a live session at KEXP: https://youtu.be/sikBHMlG20M

I've been here for years, lurking and reading mainly, as I'm not American, but enjoying the discussions; but it never occurred to me before to ask if if anyone else anyone else here is a fan of fine knives and swords. I just ordered this damasked beauty: Love the pattering. And it also fascinated me how the design of the Bowie knife descends from the ancient Scramseax

LETHAL assault rifles like the one used in America’s Sandy Hook school massacre are being LEGALLY sold in Britain. A Welsh-based firm is advertising a Ruger SR-22 semi-automatic as a “clone” of an AR-15, the gun loner Adam Lanza used to kill 26 people. Shocked campaigners are demanding new gun controls after The Sun discovered British dealers selling the weapons. A similar gun to Lanza’s intimidating Bushmaster AR-15 is being sold by Arundel Militaria, based in Knighton, Powys. Anybody wanting to own the gun in Britain would need a section 1 firearms licence.Read more

Feeling reflective, as recently some friends I thought would last forever have separated and divorced.It seems so common these days, when people have different agendas; but perhaps all they need to do is listen to each other, remember what they once were like together and work at it a little. And it's really not ardous work, just remembering the little things, day by day, like flowers and being thoughtful.Pfft, rambling, but this song really brought it home to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aGcocZgjkg

A day of heavy fighting left 25 insurgents dead in a former haven in northern Nad-e-Ali district of Helmand. The story of the Battle of Washiran can be told for the first time after soldiers described the assault to The Daily Telegraph. Surveillance first identified eight fighters readying their weapons for attack in a compound that was targetted by RAF Tornado with a 500lb satellite guided bomb. The Paras were then ordered to fight through the village but met with fierce enemy resistance and roads laced with hidden IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device). Lt Sam Whitlam, commanding 5 Platoon, B Company,...

Well now, in just less than 3 months time, I'm going to become a dad for the first time, at the age of 44. I wondered if there are any other blokes around here who became fathers at such a relatively advanced age? What was it like, do you regret not having children younger, did you cope with the broken nights and nappy changing and is there any advice you could give? I live in England, so things like health care etc might be different to the way they are over your side of the Pond, but I'd be fascinated...

Props and sets from the Wallace and Gromit films are believed to have been destroyed in a warehouse blaze. Fire crews were called to Oscar-winning Aardman Animations' Bristol site, which contained the company's "entire history", a spokesman said. Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park said it was "dreadful" for the company but comparatively "not a big deal". The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the new Wallace and Gromit film, has just gone to the top of the US box office chart. Company Spokesman Arthur Sheriff said: "It couldn't have come on a worse day - we were supposed to be celebrating,...

A debate on the Working Time Directive is about to start in the European Parliament, with Britain lobbying hard to keep a key opt-out clause. The directive limits the working week in the EU to an average of 48 hours. But some MEPs want an end to the current system whereby individuals can opt out if they want to do more hours. The opt-out is used extensively only in the UK at the moment and the British government is lobbying hard against any changes to the system. The British government says it could reduce competitiveness in business. ...snip...

British troops were controversially redeployed to Camp Dogwood Three Black Watch troops have been killed and a number of others injured in an attack by insurgents in Iraq. The deaths happened in the area patrolled by the battle group, but no more details have been released. The 850-strong force has been attacked repeatedly since it arrived at Camp Dogwood, 20 miles from Baghdad, on Friday, after a request from the US. An Iraqi translator was also feared dead, the BBC's Ben Brown said. Some 73 UK military personnel have died in Iraq. According to pool reporters at the Black Watch...

An English cave has been described as the "Sistine Chapel of the Ice Age" after the discovery of 80 engraved figures in its limestone ceiling. The discovery at Creswell Crags was announced on Tuesday. It comes a year after the initial discovery of 12 engraved figures, which were trumpeted as the earliest examples of prehistoric cave art in Britain. The new discoveries were made possible by the good natural light in April and June, rock art experts said. Creswell Crags - a Site of Special Scientific Interest - lies on the border of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. It comprises a gorge...

Libya's leader Colonel Gaddafi has said his country sought to develop weapons of mass destruction capabilities but will dismantle this programme completely, Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced. "This decision is an historic one and a courageous one and I applaud it," Mr Blair said. Colonel Gaddafi had told him the process of dismantling the programme would be "transparent and verifiable", the prime minister said in a statement from Durham Cathedral. The range of all Libya's missiles would be restricted to "no more then 300km, he added. Mr Blair said Britain had been engaged in talks with Libya for nine...