30 April 2009

Waterproof Cover for Quest



Waterproof Cover for Quest, originally uploaded by Devaldinho.

Bank Holiday Weekend


May Day tomorrow and the BH on Monday, but what to do?

Kent Centre breakfast meet on Sunday but don't expect many to turn up as there is a run to Goodwood as well.

Need to get some Pet Run flyers out as there will be loads of potential bikers out this weekend.

Champions League

Damn and blast. Under the cosh for most of the game and managed to get away with only a one goal loss.

29 April 2009

Technorati

I decided to join Technorati as I seem to get quite a few photo views from that site in Flickr.




25 April 2009

Road King and Bruv!


Road King and Bruv!

Road King and Bruv!, originally uploaded by Devaldinho.

We had a ride to the Foundry at Robinsons in Canterbury to have a look at the H-D's and go out with my brother whilst he had a test of a bike that may be his ride in the US next year for his 50th birthday. His plan to do all or most of Route 66.

Strangely, I had a similar idea, but not Route 66, for our 10th wedding anniversary next year. Use the timeshare for the a week's stay in Florida, and add a few days on the beginning for a road trip and hire an HD from Peterson's in South Miami and "do" the Keys. Then have a car for the rest of the holiday.

Anyway, that's a year and a half away.

20 April 2009

Kent @ Wipers 09 IV

A great day in Belgium. In the end there were ten of us on ten bikes and the drop-off system worked a treat.

Click the link to see the full story: http://www.poi66.com/maps/show_album?album=wipersmay2009


18 April 2009

Lost at Wembley

In the end the makeshift team scored first, through Theo Walcott, but eventually lost to the better team.

On the day, Chelsea were at full strength and are always going to be a mountain to climb, even with three first choice defenders and one of the replacements crocked as well.

On top of that some of the Arsenal players didn't have good games and Adebayor knows he was lacklustre and a waste.

Inside Wembley

Inside the stadium with 15 mins to go to kick off and it is starting to get exciting.

At Wembley

The first sight of the new stadium for our first visit.

16 April 2009

Kent @ Wipers 09 III

Today I spent a little time to check the route and waypoints that I used to create the GDB file for the Garmins and an ITN file for the Tom-Tom users.

In the end I have removed the Guynemer Memorial and one of the Passendale stops. This is to allow us more time to get into the trenches at Essex Farm and the Yorkshire Trench and spend some time in the Passendale Museum in Zonnebeke. Plus I've factored in Hooge Crater for anyone that wants to go into it. Some of us have been there before.

It's a shame that the Bremen Redoubt has been closed as it was a chance to go down into the mud and water in a former German bunker discovered in the brick works at Zonnebeke.

On the 'Net I checked for other places and found another Trench system called the Bayernwald. I have to see about a trip there one day. Maybe that can be included in Wipers 10!

Another Cup Semi-Final

For a team of younger players we haven't done too badly.

Perhaps a better start to the season would have given us a chance to challenge for the Premier League title.

So, Manchester United over two legs in the Champions League.

15 April 2009

Kent @ Wipers 09 II

The group to go to Ypres on Sunday has grown to around a dozen spread over 8 or 9 bikes. The problem will be in keeping them all together!!

We are supposed to use the drop-off system for ride-outs, but generally there aren't many of us and we can mostly see the front bike. We need this to go well!!

Of course, that's if we get there. There is a strike of French fishermen and thwy have blockaded the French ports, so at the moment no ferries across to France. It was supposed to be 24 hours, then it became 48 hours....



I've started a POI log for the run and will keep it up to date as best I can as we go round - http://www.poi66.com/maps/show_album?album=wipersmay2009

12 April 2009

Easter Saturday - The Family War Grave Trail II

The trip across to France was yesterday and in practice for the Ypres trip where there will be loads of us, I tested using POI66 for real. It worked a treat and when I got home I was able to edit the entries sent by SMS to make more sense.

See it here.


There she is......
, originally uploaded by Getzgirl.

9 April 2009

Easter Saturday - The Family War Grave Trail

We had loads of plans for Easter Saturday; always across in France, but instead of a weekend we have made it into a day trip.

I also changed the Shuttle to go a bit later as the original crossing was based on going to Paris or further afield. Instead, we will confine ourselves to Nord-Pas-de-Calais and take a look at a couple of war graves from our families.

Firstly after breakfast, we'll go and find Claire's Grannie's brother, Timothy O'Leary. We know where he is buried as her Uncle Michael told us. Otherwise it is a very common name! Not just the O'Leary bit, but initial T is common as well.

However, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has him listed at http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=195250.

After that we will go across to Armentières to see a small cemetery behind a farm where my Granddad Charlie's cousin Charles Devall is buried. He is at http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=573221. My late Father and Grandfather got this information long before the Internet and we have been before, but it was a long time ago and we didn't have much chance to stay and reflect.

I'm hoping for part way decent weather but it is still early April and liable to be wet in Northern France.

Update 22nd February 2018

I wanted to pass the details of these two heroes to a friend and found that the CWGC had changed the web URL for both the men. So I got the dreaded 404 error!


We're on our way to Wembley....

Just got back from Hythe. Got my Cup Semi-Final ticket.

The envelope is a self-seal and it looked as though it has been opened and then stuck down again. The postman then got all shitty when I opened it before leaving and checked the ticket was there. I said that it was no reflection on him but the envelope, as he could see, looked as though it has been tampered with and I wasn't stepping outside until I verified the contents.

Miserable clown. Just think what would have happened had I gone outside and found no ticket?

8 April 2009

Italy in May III

Slight change to the plans for Italy.

I saw an offer in the London Evening Standard for www.hotels.com and an extra discount they were offering. On the site they had the hotel we were already booked in at a cheaper price before the special offer, that when calculated came out at £104 less than both www.booking.com and www.activehotels.com. This is the biggest expense we have on the trip. In fact it amounts to about 55% of the total cost.

Usually when we have a flying holiday it is to a timeshare where the accommodation cost is capped at £115 through RCI.

As we planned this before the credit crunch hit we are committed to going. Everything has been paid for so to not go now will cost us dearly. We’ll just have to eat cheaply!

Just under 4 weeks to go.

7 April 2009

Try parking here?


Try parking here?, originally uploaded by Devaldinho.

Hythe is really poor for bike parking. In the car park on Prospect Road there are three spaces.

This is by far the shittiest. You'd be lucky to get a moped in there and then you are at the mercy of the fool in the car! Plus the well positioned rubbish bin!

The one behind it is another masterful piece of design. At least the hatching means that as you try and squeeze the bike in the square you can avoid being creamed by the car to the left. It is impossible to park parallel to the lines and get in the space.


Just about parked in Hythe, originally uploaded by Devaldinho.

Whitstable Easter Egg Run 2009 Mosaic

originally uploaded by Devaldinho.

A few of the pics I took.

 
originally uploaded by Devaldinho.

I was lucky to get this at all as I couldn't see anything in the camera screen even with the sun to the front!

5 April 2009

Busy Sunday II

Apart from the café not being open on Sunday morning at Samphire Hoe when we arrived the day went off pretty well. There was a good turnout for the breakfast run component and in the end we adjourned to Folkestone and a café over looking the harbour.

From there we had a drive up to Stop 24 to meet the people coming down for the Egg Run. And quite a turnout it was too. I was so shocked I even took a photo!


Graham Reynolds led the ride from STOP 24 up to Whitstable via Stone Street and a few back roads to avoid central Canterbury (as shame as in the sun it is a great view of the wall) and out through Blean. The new 40mph limit is a pain in the country once out of town.

The turnout was magnificent with what must have been 250 bikes setting off a little late after 2pm.

I watched them go and took a few photos and some videos on my camera and one or two are here.