Sunday we all went back to the chalk downs and visited Devizes museum and then on to Avebury.
Easter hols.
Saturday…
geraniums, lobelia, hedge trimmers from B+Q.
Sunday…
Matlock; Heights of Abraham via cable car and a million bikers.
Monday…
slaughter the tunky pig and split the proceeds. Prepare the BMW for the knackers yard. A bit sad; glad it started. What to spend teh pig money on?
Ride to Devizes March 2009
I am king of 50mph. ‘A’ roads all the way, it took a mammoth 4 hours to get there! Jo sat perfectly; not one movement that was out of place. I rode without the screen on but this meant anything over 55mph was hard work. Given my average saddle time is 30 mins I was being kind to myself. The journey back was slower as it got dark, windy and unlit A roads are not my speciality. The bike excelled itself, lots of power, smoothness and considering how long and how far, the next day I was relatively fresh. I am happy with the stock seat, maybe I will get a sheepskin in the future. I think I need the screen to enable Motorway riding and put up with the extra wind noise the rest of the time. It was such a joy to go a long way with Jo sat behind me. More now.
in no particular order; Jo got new bike kit from Lidl,
i finally figured quite a lot of things out,
we went to Coventry. Wandered round in the cold, discovered an Ikea with lifts and went to the theatre….lots of running and physical theatre and we went again in the week to see a play about the First World War…a good night out. Off to Devizes tomorrow on the bike with Jo….exciting.
Visited Ludlow. Bloody freezing, I had a cold coming on and it started to snow as we parked. We walked abround for ten minutes and then headed home….scared we would get trapped on Clee Hill in a snow drift. Snowed more when we got home.
After getting a lift to work on Wednesday I had to ride the bike again. This was a mistake as the main road was mostly black ice. Cars were skidding, getting angry because there was a queue…..I knew it was icy as my feet were slipping on the road. he bike stayed uprght…just….3 skids. When I got to work I had to walk around for a bit to calm down. I had lifts for the rest of the week.
Then half term.
Parents on the Sunday, as bad as usual ,the only good thing was we took our own sandwiches. The cloud of misery sort of lasted until Wednesday.
Oxford on Monday.
Park and ride with the abandoned grain store looming over the car park. Pitt Rivers was closed and so were 3 other museums we went to. Monday no good for Oxford.
Tuesday. Merry Hill. Jo’s monitor has the white stripe of death so she got a new one.
Bought Charlie Brooker’s book of his collected Guardian pieces. Laugh out loud funny, cheerily angry and intelligent.
Wrting my “why I want to be a teacher?” and in so doing become a grammar fascist.
I have been to work one day this week due to snow and then I cycled. I can’t remember what the wee strom feels like. More ice tomorrow. We all went walking through the snow to retrieve my parcel from the post office depot. A “fenda extenda” to keep the crud off the underside of the bike.
Back along an unknown bit of canal…very snowy.
I passed my last essay so I have a PG CERT now.
Teacher training still being sorted.
The memory foam mattress arrived….it is very squishy….my bones are a bit confused at the moment.
I suffered another morning of icy roads….the rain had washed away the grit.
Still trying to sort out teacher training.
Bike has reflective chevrons now, more led lights and a mudguard extenda is on order.
Still waiting to hear about R65 parts.
Went to Mai Thai in Harborne for lunch….mucho delicious.
Suffered fondue poisoning earlier in the week.
After an agonizing week of freezing temperatures I finally got the 650 V-strom. The test ride scared me to death….then I had to wait until Monday evening to collect the bike due to it needing to be taxed.
It is soooo diffeent to the R65. Really tall, impressive double headlight, grunty V twin. Just lovely. The second day of riding I encountered a road that was sheet ice on the way to work which was very scary but I survived.
Teacher training is being worked out…..what fun. But at the moment I am engrossed in bikeness. Waiting to hear from A guy who may have the brake pistons that fit the R65. Then what…..ride it in shitty weather or sell it and get another smaller Japanese bike for winter???
It was an honour to take Jo to visit Simon on the bike and to fetch her home again through the rain soaked streets at midnight.
no luck on pistons for brakes. It seems R65 have different brakes to other BMW’s but maybe similsr to MotoGuzzi’s.
Endless looking at Autotrader, MCN etc for a bike that would cost less than £1000. This lead to a trip to Liverpool to view a K100RS. It was old and rusty and wouldn’t start. I had not slept well and I envisaged riding this bike back from Liverpool on a day where the temp never got above -1. The window washers froze on the car.
Then a look at Sheldon bikes at an FJ1200 which had cruddy downpipes etc. The Tarot cards told me, Jo tried to tell me buT I couldn’t hear above my own stupid/parent handed down theories.
Must….struggle…on…..try…to…..fix….what I….have….must….’nt…..be…a…drain…….I….can….manage.
Durrrr
NO
Just work out a budget and get a nearly new bike from Streetbike.
WHAT….ME….get a new bike. Am I not worthy. It would seem not. At 40 I do not seem to think I shoukd have a dependable way of getting to work.
Well any way after much righteous anger from Jo at my stupidity I went to Streetbike and talked money. At the moment it is a Suzuki V-Strom for me but we will see.
Many days of a lot of food.
Cycled to Sainsbury’s ….Jo gave Simon a shove and we ended up at Amanda’s for curry on Monday night after Corinne arrived.
There was no room for a Christmas tree and Claire arrived on Christmas Eve.
Much pasta, Taboo and then Colin Farrel of The family and Star stories…Kate Moss.
Up to Clent on Christmas morning with Simon too. Phone cam photos the best yet and it officially gets light enough to see colour at 7;38 am.
Big breakfast supplied by Simon, presents then a massive tired until Duck cooking at 4pm.
Parents on Boxing Day…usual assault of not being allowed to think for more than 30 seconds before being talked at usually by 2 people at a time.
Apparently the dining table cost £800!!!!!!!!!
This is my new bench mark against which to measure my worries on spending money.
Saturday. Jo came with me on the bike to J&S. This thrilled me as I have been thinking a lot about travelling with her on the bike in the future. It was so lovely to have her sat with me. I bought a new bike coat which I would not have found without her and then she wore it home as there was nowhere to stow it.
Sunday had a go at overhauling the front brake calipers…managed to knacker one of the pistons and I await an email from Motobins whether I can get a replacement or not.
A final week at work before two weeks off. The festive grip made the week a long one.
On the motorcycle front I have fallen in love with my old Beemer again and after deciding to book it into the bike shop to have it’s front brakes overhauled I then decided to overhaul the brakes myself. Then I will attempt the carbs or maybe I will get Boxerman to do this …not sure yet.
Looks like I will have to do teacher training after all!
Long journeys on trains keep calling. To Finland or where? I also so look forward to long journeys with Jo by Motorbike.
On the last slope before the festive log flume.
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