My recent experience is that speeds are a bit variable, though I couldn't honestly say they've been disastrous.
My contract with Plusnet promises "up to 8Mbs" download speed, which is normally reckoned to mean
about 6Mbs in practice, I think.
I ran a test at 2 p.m. this afternoon and got a downlaod speed of 5.9 Mbs, which is pretty respectable.
By 5.15 pm., the download speed had dropped to 4 Mbs, still by no means disastrous - and almost certainly
slower because people were getting home from work and school and logging on, thereby creating more traffic on the system.
Others don't seem to have been so lucky, I appreciate that - but I think it's quite important if we're to approach BT et al
that we have some concrete figures on download speeds to report, especially at peak times.
You can get a speed reading quite easily from this website: http://www.mybroadbandspeed.co.uk/

The Parish Council is asking villagers to express their views in this Forum
on the need for improved mobile phone reception in Steeple Aston.
So here goes.
In my opinion, adequate mobile phone reception is nowadays an essential, not a luxury.
For both businesses and individuals, the use of mobile phones has become a way of life.
Many people, especially the young and the less well off, understandably want to avoid
paying for a landline as well as a mobile. As mobile phone technology gets more and more sophisticated,
people are starting to use their phones not just for voice calls, but for email and internet browsing as well.
There’s also a safety consideration, especially for families with children. Many youngsters have mobiles now
– and it can be important for them to be able to contact their parents in case of trouble.
Let’s face it: the absence of adequate mobile phone reception over large parts of the village is a serious nuisance.
It’s also an embarrassment for the village.
Let’s make sure our voices are heard through this Forum, giving councillors evidence of the demand
and thus the ammunition they need to pursue the matter on our behalf.

The other good thing, I suppose, is that there's not much point doing any gardening!

Have you noticed how there are no half measures with snow?
People either love it or loathe it.
Personally, I think it's a pain in the b**kside,
but I'm surrounded by people who keep telling me how beautiful it is.
Am I in a minority of one?

Dean Cox, for those of you who don't already know, is the technical brains behind the Steeple Aston website.
Without him, the site simply wouldn't exist - and he's come up trumps again.
Thanks for responding to Richard's request, Dean. The link from the Forum back to the main part of the website is very useful.