I am a regular lurker, but do not post often. I have noticed that dbd33 is no longer posting, I liked his pithy and irreverent take on most topics. Am I allowed to ask if anyone knows where he has gone? I searched for his last posts and there was no flounce out message [which, although I have never met him, I suspect would not be his style]

dbd33 was logged into BE around 13 hours ago, so it's probably safe to say he's ok.

And he posted on the caretaker thread.

I must confess to wondering this myself but checked that he was still appearing online so was reassured. Like many of us, one's posting becomes less prolific over time and some eventually leave. Wither Souvy for example?

thanks all, and yes, just noticed the caretaker thread.

He's busy shovelling snow.

Probably very true today, we got a lot more last night and he is a bit further north than me, so will likely be even worse.

I miss his posts.

Me too.

If someone wants to go AWOL, they will say something if they want us to know. Most don’t say anything. They either take a break and come back after a while, or they move on.

That's how he built his reputation as a pith artist..
Maybe he has the blahs; months until sports car season, but it's coming.

I'm still lurking, thank you for asking. I was feeling a bit, er, regulated on this board and so gave it a rest. Real life has been reasonably busy and has filled in the gap. Over Christmas we had a pre-fab horse barn dropped on the property and moved the horses from boarding to here (see attached). The barn was made in a factory but still occasioned some ancillary work, today. for example, I plumbed the wash stall.

In Canadian news, a daughter is still pondering that classic dilemma, stay in town or move to the burbs. As first time buyers they have a limited budget (now up to 2), that'll get them a two bedroom condo where they are or a small house somewhere commutable. Today they were somewhere commutable, North Van ("so noisy, something with the topography, highway amplified everywhere"). I think they should stay in Kits, avoid non-bicycle commuting, and put up with being squished. If it seems dull, they can fantasize that they're in Camden or Brooklyn or Dublin or anywhere with a bit of life to it. Any sensible suggestions for other Vancouver-ish locations welcome. Potential emigrees please note, two million Canadian is now table stakes. Vancouver is priced like Essex though, for me, it has the charm of Sheffield.

As far as the snow goes, yeah, the climate is shit. I feel for all those people who worked hard in Canada for years, established their retirement plan as involving 182 days out of the country and then, as a result of covid, were forced to live here in old age. That's a cruel turn of events.

Souvy/ExPatPat/Stevens gives cause for concern. He doesn't respond to his last known email address. I hope that corvette woman wore him out and he left the world chuckling.

Glad you're well and busy; still driving in to the office to work? My vote is stay in Kits for the transit options you mentioned, the obvious attractions of Kits itself, plus the proximity to east Van/the Drive commerce and culture.

Not since covid, coming up on a year. I think the era of white collar workers having offices might well be over.

Looks like a great place you have there for the horses. Must have cost a bob or two.

You should have a chat with Nutek...he has a couple of lovely horses.


What’s wrong with Sheffield?

Barn 56, insulated ceiling 6, electrical work 4, groundwork 6, all plus tax. I expect there were some miscellaneous costs I've forgotten. Not expensive compared with cars and boats and other recreational stuff. The fence though, astronomically, gobsmackingly expensive and nearly all of it is material costs.. I now realize that a place I pass often has a new fence, which must have cost the price of a Series 1 1/2 E Type, just to keep in a couple of alpacas. That's ostentatious wealth, that is.

Sheffield, charmless, innit? Like Neasden or Milton Keynes, a place people are from but not one they go to.