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An (Occasionally) Enthusiastic Bike rider with a penchant for geological stuff, having a good time and utilising my pessimism to it full capacity!

Sunday 29 June 2008

BBQ weather

Suns out and I've ran out of time (and enthusiasm) for taking the bike out due to having to cut the grass (again, this was the 5th time this year, why'd it have to grow so quick?) and having been out all morning looking for some more camping kit ready for a camping excursion in 2 weeks to meet with fellow Round Britain Ralliers for a long week-end in the Dales.
I went originally for a sleeping bag liner, having suffered near cryogenic suspension on the 6 points thing, - I ended up in a luke-warm shower at 4.30am trying to thaw out!
As a result of investing in a sleeping bag that squishes down to about 1/4 size of a normal bag - useful for packing on a motorbike - and, as it turns out, 1/4 as warm, so the plan is, get a silk sleeping bag liner these make the bag a) warmer, b) cleaner and c) easier to slither in and out of, just have to make sure the bottom zip is done up! So I traipes off to a camping shop that don't exist, no problem, I go to one in the opposite direction that does exist, I look at silk liners - £34, not good! I'm thinking £20 tops, so I decide to get one on the net, I console myself with the purchase of a blow-up camp bed for £9.99 and a gas cartridge for my little fold up gas cooker.
I then get home to the call of the BBQ which has to be cleaned! (I hate cleaning BBQs) and then burn some dinner for us, and top up the toilet rolls in the loo ready for the morning!
By the time all of this has been done, it's to late to stick everything on the bike and drive around testing it, not to worry though I'll do it another day -maybe!

Saturday 28 June 2008

This is hard work!


I've spent about 6 hours trying to get that Flickr photo Slideshow thing you can see on the right hand side of the page working, and showing the pictures I want you to see and not pictures of some Hen night, sunsets etc.

Does the term 'User friendly' really mean that? or is it a plot to lull us all into a false sense of security whilst jemmy-ing money from our otherwise sensible fingers.

Perhaps we should bring out some form of legislation pertaining to the use of 'iffy' terms, so them IT types who come up with these words and phrases have to go to everyone's house and show them what they actually mean, I would include politicians in this as well, but the last thing I want is one of them coming to see me and they would be forever knocking at the door!

Going out on the bike tomorrow to test the SATNAV bracket repair I have bodged, a lump of the bracket fell of and tried to take Steve out by nearly going under his front tyre on a motorway, when on the 6 points expedition last month, which resulted in having to cable tie the thing on.
This brilliant piece of engineering should save me the £40 it would cost to replace the proper one; on the other hand it may still cost me £40 and have wasted 2 days of inventive thinking and a whole mess of trial and error, bits of metal strewn all over the garage and 25% of my knuckle skin sacrificed in the pursuit of design excellence (That last bit failed, by the way!)

Friday 27 June 2008

Working tomorrow


Got to work tomorrow, still this gives me some time to prep the bike for the English National Rally and check I've got me route right.
Last time I did the rally I relied totally on the satnav and it had me zooming off in all directions less the correct ones! once I realised it had it in for me I gave it a stern talking to and checked the somewhat dodgy info I have inadvertently loaded into it and all was well, I cut it a smidge fine at the final check point though.
The picture is of my Triumph Trophy 1200 at Sutton Maddock check point at about 4am in the morning hence the blurry eyed photo.

This year is the first year on the rally for the Pan European and it's looking forward to it, should be a bit cheaper as well as the fuel consumption is better on the Pan than the Trophy, mind the cost of fuel has gone up you know! so it'll cost twice as much anyway. Still ones got to do what you can to keep up the fight for Global warming, and keep paying lots of tax to bail out the Government in it's time of need.

Thursday 26 June 2008

The first post!

OK, I'm laying in bed scrbbling this this blog on my iPAQ due to me having been turfed out of my office/study by 'she that must be obayed' .
Possibly not the best way to start a new adventure in cyberspace but not to worry it'll all come good when I'm allowed to get back in my office!!