18 May 2020 - Snowdonia

Had breakfast at Bronyllis - David was not feeling so good with his back - so he decided to call it a day and ride home. I travelled North in heavy, continual rain until just outside Dolgellau - had a cuppa in the local Cafe. Now set up on campsite - all dry so far - but clouds are coming in….. some fabulous views on the way up but a shame that it was raining…. Beef stew on the menu tonight and maybe finish off that bottle of vino collapso… its just a sleeping aid……!!!

May 2022 - Nearly Wales

After a leisurely start, I met up with David at Salisbury and then rode to South Wales via Devises and windy Severn Bridge. They had closed the A466 to Tintern, so we took to the twisty roads to Usk and the to the campsite near Lowntown in the shade of the Black Mountains…. We only got a little wet on the M4.

It's now 5:30pm and the sun is warm - nearly wine-o'clock …

Tomorrow is a run up to Snowdonia.

31 March 2021 - Lock-down V3

I have now received the drawing of my bike by #drawnstudio and I have found a place for it in my study.

Soon it will be returned to the artist in order that it can be photographed and prints produced for sale..

Did some more deliveries ( Easter eggs ) for #mytimeyoungcarers of Dorset.
It looks like Wales will be open for UK visitors ( camping ) from mid May...  I will let the rush pass and will then try to go for a 4 day mini tour...

BTW - had an accident with the beard trimmer and had to shave it off and start again !!!  Bugger...

19 March 2021 - A Drawing by the DrawnStudio....

I will be collecting the finished Artwork tomorrow . Then I will get it framed if anywhere is available. Such detail on MY bike... wow

6 March 2021 - Scrubs deliveries

Dear reader,

 
A sunny but cool day. Firstly: a Scrubs collection from the Southampton Scrub Hub at Warsash and delivering to a Nurse in Winchester. Secondly: I was the 4th rider in a relay to deliver scrubs material from Denbyshire to Wimborne - meeting the 3rd Rider at Winchester before delivering to Ellie at Wimborne.

It's good to get out on the bike and doing something useful... enjoyed each of the 120 miles....

19 Jan 2021

Its been a busy couple of weeks so I thought I had better update the Blog.  

Last week was the first ‘Scrubs’ run for sometime and another Laptop collection for the MyTimeYoungCarers of Dorset.  So I rode to Warsash to collect some scrubs materiel, then off to Farnborough to collect a laptop, then back to Southampton to deliver the materiel to the Sewers.  The laptop was not available so there was no need to ride down to Poole.

Yesterday (18th Jan) saw a quick ride up to Newbury to pick up some more Scrubs and deliver one package to Basingstoke and a second package to Fareham.  This run was Leg 3 of a long relay from Derbyshire to Hampshire organised by Volunteer Riders UK (VRUK).

Today was another Laptop distribution run for the MyTimeYoungCarers of Dorset.  I collected 6 Laptops that had been donated to the group and set off to various destination throughout Dorset with some wonderful sounding names (Weymouth, Sturminster Marshal, Corfe Castle, Milton Abbas, Bovington and Cattistoke).  It was a quick shortcut down to the Sandbanks Ferry.  

        

                 

It was not the nicest of days, with lots of drizzly rain, spray off the road surface, and of course, my nemesis; blustery winds.  Thank goodness for the high hedgerows in Dorset, although they were few and far between on the A35, A37 and that very exposed road to Weymouth the A354.. but all the laptops got delivered without incident.  

I met with (at a distance) some lovely and very grateful people, especially one family out in the sticks, who all came to the window to wave at me when I left - maybe the kids though I was Santa Claus on a bike…….

Then a  quick dash along the A31 to home and a wonderful hot bath and a cup of tea.

Tomorrow I am off the pick up the completed Scrubs from the sewers and take them back to the Scrub Hub in Warsash.   Thursday and Friday are free at this time but I have to hose the salt off the bike etc and fix some fence panels at home.

December 2020 - Legacy 85 - Commissioned Art

 

A visit to Legacy85 this morning saw Lou hard at work on my commissioned artwork.

https://www.legacy85.co.uk

I just can't imagine the number of hours it must take to produce this fabulous artwork drawn entirely by hand;  in pencil...   

Take a visit to her website for some more great artwork. 

  https://thedrawn.studio

You can also purchase original pieces or prints.   You could even purchase a print on my bike once its finished..

December 2020

A couple of busy days delivering for the MyTimeYoungCarers of Dorset. I spent Thursday delivering in the Weymouth area, and on Friday I was joined by two other riders from the Bike Shed Community Volunteers. I did a long round trip to Shaftesbury, Gillingham, Sherborne and Salisbury. I believe I may be out and about again on Monday or Tuesday.

Another landmark is the mileage will soon to reach 00000 KMs - I will then have to get out the white marker.

September 2020 - Tenting in North Devon

Sound on. !!!!

 

Sep 2020 - The Overland Event - Oxford

Another brilliant event despite the COVID19 problems.  I met with some great friends and had a great time even with social distancing.   There were some excellent presentation and the music/bands in the evenings were fabulous.  The nights were a bit cold so I must remember to take the thermals next time.

       

                         

         

A wasted week

Well that was a wasted week... it started with the car breaking down and having to be recovered (again)... this time it was fatal, as the cam belt inside the engine has broken and took a few of the valves etc with it... so I contacted the beakers yard and eventually it has been taken away. Then, having purchased another car, we finally went to collect it but something wasn't quite right with the engine..... Bugger. So handed it back on the Tuesday and waited for it to be sorted.... I waited all day wandering around Southampton until they announced that they needed it for another day or so.... they then phoned to say that they think they have located the problem and are awaiting the parts. So it is now Saturday and still no car... maybe Monday then!!

In the meantime Debs car had a problem with the heater fan.. it stopped working and so the screen steams up when driving in the rain and no way to clear to de-mist it, a nightmare drive... so I am waiting for Monday to go and visit the same breakers yard to see if I can pick up another fan unit... (a new one is about £260...). The only good news is that I had the bike serviced and all is good.

Now with all this going on I have managed to strain a muscle in my back and can hardly walk, and I'm like a stranded turtle when trying to get out of bed.... it is so difficult trying to do stuff when attempting not to use a whole muscle group in your lower back... so today I am staying in bed as much as possible. It's the Overland event in Oxford in two weeks and I really don't want to miss that.

All of this has meant that I was unable to attend the 3 day Malle Mile event in Kent this weekend.... what a bummer.. Although not as bad as David's situation as Roz his partner fell down the stairs and broke her arm in two places and he could not go to the Malle Mile either.

I suppose I had better unload the bike as I hope to be delivering stuff for the #MytimeYoungCarers on Tuesday.

Ahh well life goes on......

3 August - Wales

I think this is on the B4343 heading south to Tregaron - aka the middle of bloody nowhere....

I stopped of at the Honey Cafe at Bronllys for a full English breakfast - excellent.   Then rode for about 5 hours over miles of hills and valleys.   Gertie Garmin was doing her best to keep my on the very narrow country lanes.   Now at a campsite south of Beulah   ///along.blackbird.wool. Is the What3words location.  

The sun is shining and I am charging up the phone via the Goalzero solar charger I purchased in the USA in 2016 - never thought I would be using it in Wales...    

Now back to the book before supper “Twenty Thousand miles through South America” by Kirk Wilson....   Tomorrow I head for home the long way.....   N

Sunday 2 Aug - Herefordshire/Welsh border.

I had a very sadate ride up to this campsite, via Tintern Abbey, although it was busy going over the bridge at Chepstow and a little breezy too. 

Gertie Garmin lead me up a very dodgy farmers track - that’s my off-roading for the day...  This site is so very quiet and there are a flock of Red Kites circling above - I will certainly be using this site again.

The problem with winters and lock-downs is that shopping on-line is still available - so I now have to test out any new kit that Santa sent me.... sleeping bag, floor mat and fold out chair etc.   I shall resist any temptation to review these items....

Tomorrow I will be making an assault on the Brecon Beacons - once I have located breakfast and then another campsite - I am led to believe its next to a river...

It’s now 3pm - so it must be time for a cup of tea and plan supper.....   then a couple of hours quiet reading....

Bugger - the family at the end of the field have just broken out the football ....   “on me ‘ed Mate.....   f&@£.”   Ahh they have given up - great..

What3words location is:
///speaking.shows.speeded. 

Later.....