Defining Friends. Armchair psychology that works Pt 1

I read somewhere that one of the best definition of a true friend is a person with whom you can talk to at any time -despite having not seen them for years- like you only saw them yesterday!

Steve in Germany,
(It took a long time to
get there on this bike.)

I reckon this is about right.


There seems to be a link between people who are genuine friends and it's quite easy to spot, there is very little 'introduction' when they meet, they just go straight into a conversation like they've never been away from each other, without the prelims required with a stranger and/or aquaintance to 'test the ground' as to the others mood or approachability.




Paul & Highwaylass at Jacks Hill Cafe



Since I read this gem I have been monitoring my own reaction to 'friends' and it's been quite an eye-opener, I have found that people I thought were Friends are in the main aquaintances (Nothing wrong with that, I just wouldn't share my Lotto win with them now:-) thus leaving more cash for me!)

Me, Rufus (He's the furry one) & Phil at
Stalham doing
the East coast Challenge

I have also found that you don't have to know people all of your life and live in each others pockets to 'qualify' to be a friend, this I know 'cos this last 2 week-end I've met up with a few people from the Round Britain Rally and we all seem to just 'get on with it', no prelims, just straight into conversation like we'd been talking to each other all day long.


You'll probably start doing this yourselves now, it's certainly an interesting exercise!!

I wrote this here book for all to see and enjoy.

All I have to do now is read it, to see what I wrote?!

My Round Britain Rally 2011 by 27th March too 15th July Jim Josey | Make Your Own Book

I'm advised that it might have been a good idea to read it before publishing to avoid printing all of the spelling mistakes and putting the wrong script next to the wrong photo! but hey, lets live dangerously..........

I knew it!!!!!

Just 'cos I wash me bike all my tech starts fighting back, My tracker has give up the ghost and I am now invisible (or rather the bike is) to the world, I feel so insignificant.

I'm doing a bit of fault finding tonight in the vain hope that it'll burst back into life in the morning and I'll be back (or rather the bike will be) visible to thems what know where to look!

I've just ordered a new lead for the autocom as well as the existing Garmin/phone/etc lead is a bit 'crackly' and with monitors fitted in ones lug-holes this can be a bit wearing after a few hours, (Better than wind noise though, that's wind as in hurricane, not as in 'wrong-end coughing'! )

Bike cleaning!? Hmmmm

I have spent the last 5 months looking at my bike and wondering why it's so dirty?
Surely the dirt would fall off after 2 or 3 months and it should be all sparkly and clean again, I though Gravity would take care of that!
Oh well, just goes to show that science isn't right all of the time?!

So over the last 2 weeks I have had to clean the bike myself, this constitutes 'exercise' in my mind and so I have to take long periods of rest between the various cleansing disciplines i.e. Getting bike & kit out, Hosing down, Washing, etc, etc, these rest periods vary between 1 hour and 5 days (and whilst I find the 5 day rest period more beneficial, it tends to lead to a mad panic when one has to get it finished prior to using the bike)
I have just finished this onerous task having just finished polishing it for the 3rd time. was it worth it? Of course it was! am I going to get it dirty again? not until I'm sick of looking at it in a clean condition,
after all it's dirty 11 months 2 weeks of the year so it just looks strangely odd when it's clean!