28 September 2018

NL18 - Assen Friday



We finally arrived about 2010 local time. A total of 10 hours on the road with a few short breaks. This was from home admittedly via Reggie's kennels.

Traffic horrific from Antwerp to about Amersfoort. It took 55 minutes to get around Antwerp on their ring road. F*** knows how long through the middle!!

Plus Belgian drivers are terrible. No signals. No lane discipline and absolutely shite at undertaking all the time.

As for the Dutch. FFS.

Booked in the hotel and had a comfort break and the dinner and a few beers. Very nice.

Bed at 2245.
posted from Bloggeroid

NL18 - Assen

And away we go. Reggie dropped off at Wyncot nice and early and I filled the tank at Tesco before heading to the Shuttle.

The Insignia managed 40.0 mpg on the last tank. With no long journeys and just local driving I had hoped for better.

We arrived at 1010 and didn't get an earlier crossing. Our 1120 crossing had been re-timed to 1119!!

They might as well have re-timed to 1136 as that's when we wheezed out of Folkestone.

Eurotunnel maintains its 100% record of leaving late when I am paying to travel.


posted from Bloggeroid

27 September 2018

NL18 - Assen BSB Weekend

So the BSB tickets have arrived and Neill has his so that he can call in on Friday if he is up there early enough.

We are on the 1120 Shuttle from Folkestone and that means we won't hit French soil until 1255 local time.  TomTom calculates that it will take around 6 hours.so we are really looking at arriving at the hotel about 7pm.  So no stop off at Assen on the way past.

Tonight I need to pack a bag. I have a series of motorcycle oriented t-shirts ready to pack, plus of course waterproofs.

Last weekend in September and Holland/Netherlands can be iffy on the weather front. So we need to pack for all eventualities. Being in the car in pissing rain might be a bonus over the bike, but it is still as wet when you get out..... so brolly?

So that's about it until the morning.  Drop off the dog at his holiday suiter and then top the car up with UK diesel and then straight to the Shuttle.

And away....

26 September 2018

Royal British Legion

I joined the Legion again for another year. A small price to pay to put money towards an organisation that supports our veterans and has done for getting on for a hundred years.

25 September 2018

Flat Tyre Reprise!

Saturday AM had the new Goodyear Eagle fitted. 

The guy showed me the damaged tyre. The screw about 3 inches long and lots of damage inside to the structure of the tyre. 

So that's another £150 spent!!!  Bugger.

22 September 2018

Specsavers - new reading glasses

They seemed better looking in the shop.  For me they are a bit too "Elton John" and they have turned out to be useless for the computer.



Once I got used to them, reading my kindle or other printed matter they are okay, but not for the computer screen!


20 September 2018

FL19 - Apartment 2 - Week 1

When booking apartments with RCI there is a gamble.  Or it is a gamble.  When you login there might be plenty of choices or there might be few.... either way you have to decide whether to take one that is there, or wait a bit to see if any come online.

When I booked Weston a few weeks ago for week 2,  I of course looked at week 1 as well. There were a few resorts in the Orlando/Kissimmee area that were in the yes column, and quite a few in the maybe and a few in the no column.

With 23 points left to spend there was plenty of scope but today I logged in and there is a sale on rci.com.  By sale they mean that some resorts are down a few points in price.

Although the total number of available resorts hadn't gone up, it had brought some places that were above our points level into play. For it to have evened up a bit, I guess there were resorts we could afford that had been booked and no longer had vacancies.

Where we stayed before at Silver Lake has a few points knocked off and that put a two-bedroom apartment into play rather than a one bedroom. So it was still in the yes column.

But the "sale" had brought a few others into play and I looked at Sheraton Vistana Resort-Fountains Villas, just off International Drive. There are a pair of resorts together and they were down to within our 23 point limit.  

Both have two bedroom apartments one rated 6/4 and the other 8/6.  That means it can accommodate six but privacy level (i.e. toilets and bathrooms) better for 4.  So 8/6 was even better. And there are only two of us.

Also on Tripadvisor 6401 reviews gave it excellent or very good out of a total of 7268.  Seems good enough to me to go ahead and book. And I did.

So now all the accommodation and flights are booked. Nearer the time I can get TomTom sorted out, and maybe look for a cheaper car-hire.  National where I usually book seem a little expensive for next year.




19 September 2018

NL18-B Assen BSB

The trip is getting closer. Hopefully not travelling at a weekend on the Eurotunnel Shuttle  might mean that we don't get the ridiculous delays that I had on Saturday coming back from Belgium on Saturday.

Delays in both ways but the return was ridiculous.  Not so much the breakdown but the lack of information and disregard for the paying customers.

The bright spot is that the tickets are in the post and should be with us in a few days. I can give Neill his and he can decide what his travel plans are. I expect on his "Ginny" her will make better progress than we will in the car.

The Insignia has a range of about 650 miles on a full tank of filthy disgusting child poisoning polluting  (TM anti car groups) diesel so with it topped up before we get on the Shuttle, we should easily make it to the hotel near Assen with plenty to spare.  Depending on the € price per litre I might have to splash and dash instead of a full tank fill-up.

The best UK mpg I have ever had was 47 back in June 2017.  Hopefully once on the motorway/freeways in Europe I can see if I can better that!

It's coming....


Yes, it's about six weeks away in fact and we head towards it like a rocket.... click on the link.

They take loads of currencies so just a $ or a £ or even a pre-Brexit € will do.   Multiples of them even better.








18 September 2018

Flat Tyre Reprise!

So dropped the wheel off at Kwik-Fit in Cheriton and the guy had a quick look and thought that the self-tapping screw that had buried itself and then lost its head was too close to the shoulder of the tyre.

But would get the tyre off today and check inside.  I missed their phone call at about 0846 this morning as I was on the train in tunnels. I called back.

Bad news.

The tyre inside is damaged and they can't repair it and so it will have to be a new one.  I asked them to order the same Goodyear tyre to keep them matched at the front.

Very annoying as the buggered one has less than a 1000 miles on it.

Luckily I was at work so I was unable to get too angry and swear a lot.

Pick it up Saturday morning. I hope.

17 September 2018

Flat tyre

Always when you are in a hurry.  At least the Insignia comes with a tiny spare wheel with its narrow little tyre attached.

But not what you want at 0720 in the morning when you are heading to the station on a Monday morning.

I changed it in slightly longer than it takes an F1 team to change all four wheels on a race car and was off. Only missing my usual train by two minutes.

With work all week I am driving all the rest of the week on this squeaky very shiny piece of plastic rubber.

Hopefully I can get it fixed on Saturday if I leave it at the tyre shop all day.....  The tyre is only a few months old and the nail has gone into the tread not the side wall..... and at £125 I hope they can fix rather than replace!!


Update.

Have physio on my shoulder this afternoon, pain and stiffness not aided by the wheel removal either!!! So I will try and drop the wheel into the tyre shop near the station this afternoon and if they can do it whilst I wait all well and good but I might have to leave it and collect on Saturday.

The guy there reckoned about 45 mins on the phone.

Palingbeek and beyond - Part 3

Why is this in three parts?  Initially I started to create the posts on my phone using a blogging app. Luckily blogger accepts posts from email as well, although this time I haven't had to use it.

The first part was started in Belgium and then the second added after I had returned, and this the final countdown. Today. The day after.

From Palingbeek the plan was to visit the two mine craters at St Eloi. I had got the gate code from the tourist office whilst in search of the elusive Last Post Association pins.

I almost missed it and there is little parking.  Rather than the big hole I expected, it is a garden between two houses.

St Eloi Mine Crater.  Had expected a huge hole but its a nice garden oasis of quiet.

Whilst I was there an English couple came up and I shared the gate code with them. As I prepared to move to the next waypoint, I heard the sound of Harley's.  Anyone that has heard a hardly with a loud exhaust will know the sound.

A group sped past.  Even though I was in bike gear, holding a bike helmet in my hand with Pepe parked up, not a single HD rider even nodded to me as I gave them the biker wave.

I gave up counting at 40 and then the non-HD''s happened along. Most waved or nodded..... WTF?

I togged up and headed to the next waypoint after that.  It was supposed to be the Pool of Peace and I never found it.  What with roads closed and TomTom having a bit of a fit we arrived at the Island of Ireland Peace Park instead. TomTom seemingly forgotten the Messines waypoint.

I was getting a little strapped for time anyway.  

The Island of Ireland Peace Park is built between Messines and Ploegsteert.  The tower is a replica of one in Ireland. 

Island of Ireland Peace Park

And the stones along the right side of the path show the regiments and the casualties.  The three standing stones on the right of the path show the casualties (killed, wounded & missing)  for the three Irish Divisions.  They add up to over 70000.

Island of Ireland Peace Park

From there I headed to my last stop at Ploegsteert and the Memorial to the Missing.

What started off as a small cemetery, called Hyde Park Corner,  to the dead from the Berkshire Regiment was extended across the road and the large monument was erected.  The walls inside lined with the regiments and names of the casualties - The Missing.

"Plugstreet" Memorial

For us nowadays it is unimaginable that men could simply disappear and never be found. The sheer volumes of those that have no known grave is beyond belief.

"Plugstreet" Memorial

"Plugstreet" Memorial

"Plugstreet" Memorial

"Plugstreet" Memorial

By now it was getting on for 4.15pm and I had to be back in Calais for the train home. My check-in was 5.50pm at the latest.  

Crossing back into France was unnoticeable.  On the way out I had stopped by a large and decaying border post near Watou and a Belgium signpost.  I only knew I was in France as the cars parked on drives had French and not Belgian licence plates.

I was soon on the A25.  My "miles to empty" gauge was showing less than the distance to travel and so I decided to splash and dash at at a services.  But once there, at Aire de St-Laurent, I filled right up. As is the case in England. Motorway services charge significantly higher than local stations.  Oh well! One smile came when I finished paying and got on, surrounded by UK bikers, Pepe decided to sluggishly fire over. A second stab of the button needed to get him going..... The nod and smiles from a few of them realising that they didn't have to give me a push was priceless.

Fuelly calculated that tank at 43.6 mpg. Need to ride a lot slower to see if I can top 50!

I arrived at Calais and checked in at 5.07pm.  I was offered my booked crossing of 6.20pm.  No mention of the disaster to happen.  Delayed.

Where have we heard that before.  Finally after being shunted from the parking by the terminal to the waiting area nearer the trains we got on a train that left at 9.02pm  local time.

I don't have a problem with breakdowns, but I do have a problem with lack of information.  And Eurotunnel did nothing to keep anyone appraised of the problems of the day.  I learned from Claire on the phone that a train had broken down in the tunnel on the way to France at around 5.30pm.

In the end with the hour time difference removed and the short ride home, I was actually in the house at 8.54pm.

Despite that. Being Johnny No-Mates again I had a really good time visiting all these sights that I had never done before.

I met some nice people, also on bikes, as we waited in both directions for what was over three and a quarter  hours of delayed services.   

Someone joked it was kind of Eurotunnel not to charge us extra for the two hours and 42 minutes more time we had in France.  

Gallows humour.  The Tommies in the trenches would have approved.

16 September 2018

Palingbeek and beyond - Part 2

The ride to Palingbeek was fairly short and when I arrived the car park was pretty full.

At the entrance is a café and the CWXRM* have an information point and a statue.

A robot?



From here it us about 150 yards to the decision point. Left to the Bluff and the two water filled mine craters and then to the viewpoint overlooking the Egg. Or right at the info point to the sculpture and then the egg.

I went right.



The sculpture. Gradually the egg will be filled with the dog tags of the 600000 dead.

And then to the main egg.

The first glimpse of it over the hedge.



And then all of it.





Fantastic.

The return is via the Bluff. Along the way are "speakers". When entered it triggers the sound system. Poems from the war poets. Sadly none in English.




Once back at the bike I attempted to cut a couple of the waypoints off the route. But I was defeated.

So off to St Eloi.


* Coming World Remember Me


posted from Bloggeroid

Palingbeek and beyond - Part 1

I was up bright and early. Or rather early. My shoulder was feeling fine and the best it has been for a week or so.

Unfortunately Eurotunnel weren't as bright. On checking in I was informed that the 0850 was "retimed" to 0858. At 0922 we pulled out of Folkestone for the 35 minute crossing to France.

Pepé had required the dbPower unit boost to start first thing and again once we were given the go ahead to board the train. Playing catch up I was last on.




Thankfully at the French end although prepared, seat off etc, Pepé started okay.

From there tbe ride was uneventful along the A16 to the A25. I know that many riders poo-poo using motorways but if you want to get somewhere using the newly reduced limit N roads then you need days rather than hours.

Arriving at the old Franco-Belgian border I stopped to take a pic for the 50/50 Challenge. The old border and customs buildings are slowly rotting away. Testament to Shengen?





From here I followed TomTom instructions to Vlamertinge for my lunch stop. Except despite checking online the friterie was closed.

So. Carry on to Ypres.

I parked opposite the Cloth Hall and then went in search of a bank and then lunch. Both satisfied my next quest was to find one of the Last Post Association pins.

On the wall in the lunch cafe

A slog around all the published stockists revealed they were sold out.

Back to the bike for the short run to Palingbeek.

posted from Bloggeroid

15 September 2018

Palingbeek Vijfde

https://www.britishlegion.org.uk/


Another update.

As the route would take me through Ieper/Ypres/Wipers anyway I will stop in the Grote Markt for a short time and visit the Tourist Office and also I might have time to get across the the British Legion shop across the road.  Always a sucker for a new pin badge!


I don't want this to become a whistle-stop tour but I need the gate code from the Tourist Office to get into the St Eloi Crater park. 

Although if it is anything  like Bayernwald,  when I got there someone had left the gate unlocked and slightly ajar so the code wasn't needed.

If time starts to get away with me after Palingbeek I can always cut one or some of the stops out of the route.  


When I used to plan these trips for the Kent Centre SOC and then the Meldrews I think I used to build in too many places to stop and then had to remove some on the hoof as it were.Probably better than too few and having to pad the trips out!!

My primary focus is to see the exhibit at Palingbeek as it will be removed after Armistice Day on November 11th. I can always "do" the other sites/sights another time as they are permanent.

Before going I decided I needed to have some breakdown cover.  As it is only the day I have opted for the RAC and an additional expense of £6.

Late Friday, gear all ready to wear tomorrow. Cars arranged to let me have access to the garage.  Helmet Bluetooth on charge.  Phone charged.  Backup charger fully charged. Passport and drivers licence already inside pocket of jacket. Oh yes, log book and insurance......

What jacket?  Joe Rocket. But I'll take a jumper.  Panniers checked.  Waterproof over-trousers and jacket in right pannier.  Gloves in left pannier. Two pairs only, one waterproof, one not.

And now to bed.... See what tomorrow brings.


13 September 2018

The problem with ageing!

This weekend I have a day trip planned across to Belgium to visit one of the 1914-1918 WW1 monuments at Palingbeek. It is in great danger as I have a bad shoulder.

Okay, a bad shoulder might be underselling it.  I have a lot of pain in my left upper arm around the shoulder. At first I thought it was frozen shoulder but the physio says not, but it's really an age related problem.  

As a consequence of working at a desk with a computer for company for many many years I have become round shouldered, this in turn means that at certain arm positions the muscle is being trapped by the bones in the shoulder.  Pinched enough to cause pain, and sometimes severe pain. 

I have a set of exercises to do to try and strengthen the muscles to pull my shoulders back to relieve this pressure.

On the bright side, It usually happens at about 45 degrees from my arm straight down and the bars on the Rocket are about 90 degrees.

What with being deaf in one ear and a cardiac recovery patient, life is a bowl of cherries.

11 September 2018

International Audience!

After reading a post on one of the blogs I follow (https://ontwowheels-eh.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-russians-are-coming.html) I had a look to see how international my audience was.

Mmmm.


For a mostly British oriented blog the largest proportion of my audience seems to be from the US and Russia.

Did I say I simply adore Donnie J and (Ras)Putin?  Only joking folks.....

10 September 2018

MAG Press Release - Exemption for Motorcycles in Birmingham

MAG wins charge exemption for motorcycles of all ages in Birmingham City's Clean Air Zone

                  
The Motorcycle Action Group has won a landmark campaign to gain exemption for motorcycles of all ages from Birmingham City Council's Clean Air Zone (CAZ).

At a special meeting of the Cabinet today, Birmingham City Council has approved its CAZ business case submission.  Once approved by Government, the proposal can be implemented with the launch of the zone scheduled for January 2020.

Birmingham is the first authority outside London to propose the "Class D" clean air zone model that allows for charging of all vehicles including private transport.  The Motorcycle Action Group has consistently argued that motorcycles act within the transport system as net reducers of congestion and pollution, pointing to studies that demonstrate that a simple 10% modal shift from single-occupancy cars to motorcycles and scooters will yield a 40% reduction in congestion for all road users and result in a 7.5% reduction in CO2, a 5.5% reduction in NO2 and a 20% reduction in particulate matter.

MAG's Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, said: "We are delighted that our campaign has resulted in the proposal to exempt all motorcycles from charges in the zone. This is a decision that will impact riders not just in Birmingham, but throughout the country.  Birmingham City Council has recognised and accepted our position that motorcycles are net reducers of harmful emissions and thus should be exempt from charges.

"I have found Birmingham City Council to be informed, serious about their emissions policy development and capable of understanding the science, and credit to them for taking such a mature view.

This decision sets the precedent for all future CAZ proposals in other parts of the country, demonstrating a clear endorsement of the fact that motorcycles contribute to improving air quality.

"The exemption from charges is a vital first step towards a policy to positively promote modal shift to motorcycles.  There is pioneering work on this policy being done already in Northamptonshire, and we look forward to discussing with Birmingham City Council and Transport for West Midlands how application of this policy in the region will accelerate the journey towards compliance of legal targets for NO2 emissions.  Achieving this goal will remove the threat of fines for non-compliance and benefit the entire community."

Director of Communications & Public Affairs, Lembit Opik, said: "This excellent result in the West Midlands now has significant implications for the legitimacy of the poor decisions being made in the Capital.  We will be continuing our efforts to persuade Sadiq Khan to reverse the illogical and  counterproductive charging of pre-Euro 3 motorcycles in his Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) due to come into effect in April 2019."

Chairman of the Motorcycle Action Group, Selina Lavender, said "We are thrilled with this outcome, the result of much hard work by MAG's political unit and the support of MAG members and supporters.  We thank the efforts of all those who supported our campaign, signed the petition and responded as individuals to the consultation.  Working together we can see great results, not just for riders, but for the whole community."

Notes for editors:

The Belgian 2011 study, "Commuting By Motorcycle: Impact Analysis" was completed by Transport and Mobility Leuven.  The full report can be found at:

The Motorcycle Action Group has published a briefing document, "Powered Two Wheelers: An Air Quality Solution" which covers the facts with respect to motorcycles and air pollution. Please contact MAG central office for a copy of the briefing document.

More CAZ information.

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/20076/pollution/1280/what_is_birmingham_doing_about_air_pollution/1 
posted from Bloggeroid

7 September 2018

La danse macabre de l'assurance

It's that time of year again - La danse macabre de l'assurance begins.

My current insurers sent the renewal quote and a note to say that it would be automatically renewed 5 days before it was due - on the 18th September.

La danse macabre

All would be well if the premium hadn't gone up from £251.93 to £282.31 (£30.38)! Considering the depreciation on a 7 year old car and the lower risk a break-even quotation might have been acceptable.

As it was, La Danse was just beginning. Take your partners....

I logged into my account with the Meerkats.  I have successfully used them before and have always saved money.  The trick seems to be to change companies every year to maximise the "new business" enticements.

The first few pages of insurers wanting my business were all cheaper than last year's quote (!) and I chose the cheapest.

Choosing the cheapest may not be the best way, always, but after checking that all I needed was included in the quote I decided to go ahead with RIAS.

A quick call to Endsleigh to say do not auto renew my policy went off smoothly.  Unusually they didn't try to keep my business with an offer I couldn't refuse.

Back online.  Bish bosh, and £224.13 spent on the RIAS policy.

A saving of.... £58.18.   I am happy with that.

One of the Meerkat insurers was laughable.  Achoice (!) quoted £3069.21 for a car worth about £3500!

So for this year:

La danse est finie!


6 September 2018

TomTom 410 - Map Update

Attached the 410 to the laptop tonight and it needed to do a Europe Map update, This apparently caused by the new out of town speed limit introduced across France that sees the limit reduced from 90kph to 80kph.

As far as I have read this is actually only a trial period.  Let's hope France and her people see sense.

Ozzy - February 11th


No wonder there are no tickets left.  I was allegedly buying tickets on the pre-sale day as they don't go on regular sale until tomorrow.

So once logged into the booking site I can see about 70% of seats are already booked or greyed out.....

Despite not being able to book a seat anywhere I preferred as I might leave a single seat, there were loads of single seats dotted about!  WTF?

Anyway as I am Paul No-Mates I managed to book my one seat roughly where I wanted, but only as it was a single seat, that somehow got left on its own?




5 September 2018

Movember 2018


After a couple of years Tache-free I have decided to have another go in 2018.  I was surprised to see that over the years I have been a Mo-Bro I have raised £625 for the charity.

Men's cancer charities are very much in the shadow of women's charities and far less publicised by mainstream print and TV journalists.  Not very equal!

It's time that men took more time to promote fundraising activities and this is one of them.  


Please donate, even if it is a pound or a dollar or a euro...... Every penny counts.

4 September 2018

FL19 - Apartment 1

With the second week of the trip ending with the Easter holiday; our flight home is Good Friday, everything ramps up price wise and with RCI, points wise also.

What might be 13 to 15 RCI points the week before becomes 23 to 25 or more with exchanges starting 13th April.

So I have booked the apartment in Weston near Fort Lauderdale for the second week. We have stayed in a different resort there before.

Weston isn't on the beach or the Gulf and I find it difficult to see why it was built at all. The centre is laid out in the usual block system but has curved/circular roads..... like a spider web in places.  There's not a lot there but it should be plenty relaxing. Plus of course this is a "short week" for us as we have to leave on the Friday to get to the airport rather than the Saturday. It also means we aren't licke dput at 10am and have 8 hours to find something to do to fill the time.

That leaves 23 RCI points to spend on another week elsewhere. It looks like a toss-up between Orlando or er.... Orlando.



posted from Bloggeroid

NHS Heart Age Test



From a few questions it worked this out.



I am obviously below average.  As I managed to beat the estimate of 80 by 21 years.   Oops.

Palingbeek Drie - Plugstreet

Have added another stop to my tour* around the southern battlefield area - Plugstreet**

With their usual inability to pronounce the "foreign" place names, Ploegsteert became Plugstreet to the Tommies sent to this sector. 

After I let TomTom work out the route from the Island of Ireland Peace Park*** it actually takes me right past Plugstreet. I have added it as a waypoint anyway but from the pictures, I doubt I would miss it.




* My Tour as it looks pretty much like I'll be on my todd again.

** Plugstreet - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ploegsteert_Memorial_to_the_Missing

At least I should score another 50/50 Challenge!  The round trip is about 240 miles.  I'll need to make sure the tank is filled to the brim with what might turn put to be cheaper UK petrol.

3 September 2018

Car Specs

Following on from the Specsavers posting, today I bought what I call "car specs" (specs = spectacles!) from SelectSpecs online.

They do cheap spectacles (aka glasses/specs/spex) and they might not be the most fashionable or even nice looking but they are perfect for the glove box to use when you are daft enough to have left the proper ones at home or have, what has happened to me before, had an arse/butt interface with them.

So for £11.95 including, anti-scratch coating (perfect for bike riding), anti-glare and delivery, I have a pretty ugly cheap pair that are my new prescription and will be there if and when I need them.


I currently have a pair of them in the car as my car-sunspecs.  They look cheap and they are.  But they do the job.


2 September 2018

Short Run Out

Today was a decent day. However, I overslept and didn't get out early so I missed the Meldrews run out to H's Café at Kent Motorcycles near Canterbury.

Instead we went out with Reggie in Claire's car to put air in a front tyre. There was an error flag on the dash for a few days.

A nice long walk in Lyminge Forest set us up for a coffee and cake at the Lord Whiskey Tea Rooms.

It was still nice when we got home and I decided to take Pepé out for a short ride.

I ended up at Sainsbury's at Folkestone and topped off the tank. A little surprised to only get 39.6 mpg!! Given that I hadn't given it too much welly it was strange.

From there I went up to Capel but the Battle of Britain monument was closed and I couldn't even get a scenic photo as someone had parked a van across the entrance.

I looped around and back home avoiding the M20.

It was nice and I gave the LS2 open face. With sunglasses and the little sun visor down it was okay. Great for local rides only.



Hopefully I can get out next week to the Dover Transport Museum to see if I have won the raffle.





posted from Bloggeroid

#CARARS

Arsenal away at newly promoted Cardiff City. Not a game where the "old" Arsenal would have had a care in the world brushing aside the team from the Welsh capital, but nowadays with a defence that leaks like a rusty kettle, there is always that fear that a few extra cockups will end in disaster.

Forgetting that my brother was away in Canada flying in a WW2 Avro Lancaster* I sent out an SMS to say I was on "lockdown".  A phrase we use to say "do not send game updates"!  Claire and I were out walking the dog and so I would miss the 1.30pm kick off.

I avoided looking at my phone, as kindly old Google sends me score updates! Okay when the game isn't on TV!

Once back in I started watching the recorded version and skimmed through the pundits and the preamble.  I always think it is  pointless interviewing managers before a game!

After 11 minutes the ethnic Albanians of Xhaka and Mustafi combined at a corner to put Arsenal 1-0 up.  Arsenal were well on top until the dying minutes of the first half and following some hesitation in defence,  Cardiff equalised.

The second half followed the same pattern. At one point the stats showed 90% possession over a ten minute period.  Then Aubameyang scored with a twenty yard shot into the bottom corner.  At last playing two proper strikers looked to be paying off.

And then Cardiff came back.  Harry Arter dived.  There is no other excuse for a player going face down into the turf when the nearest Arsenal player was over two feet away from touching him.  From the resultant free kick and other defence lapse allowed them to score. 2-2.  Cue much swearing and anger!!!

From then on it was one way traffic,  The Gunners piling on pressure, bringing on Welbeck as a third striker. The pressure finally paid off with Lacazette being put through and his thunderbolt strike beat the keeper at his near post. 2-3 and Arsenal ahead.

A worthy victory but the defensive frailties need addressing quickly. There's a break now for international games and then the Arsenal are back on 15th September away at Newcastle United.  Another tricky one away.

I will definitely keep my phone on for that as I will be in Belgium





* Historical Aside: My Gran, Hilda Shaw Pattinson, worked at the A V Roe factory in Chadderton  (Lancashire) during WW2 until she retired in the late 1960's. The factory is now a museum.

1 September 2018

Specsavers

The last time I had an eye-test was two years ago and it was at Tesco in Ashford. I went mad and bought a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses with prescription lenses and a pair of Oakley clear classes.  Cost a fortune but two years later they are fine and maybe even still "fashionable".

I don't think that Ray-Ban Wayfarers have even been unfashionable!

Ray-Ban Wayfarer RB5814

Oakley OX8026 Currency

So today I went to Specsavers in Folkestone for my bi-annual check-up.  As expected I need reading glasses.  Reading the screen at work has become a little more difficult without added blinking and concentrating.  I have had to up the font size on my Kindle too!

Claire chose a nice pair for me in the £69 range.  They will be delivered next Saturday. Watch this space.  At least I'll be able to see it more clearly....

What was less comforting was when I did all the tests for distance and mentioned to the optician that I was having a problem with not perfect vision in my right eye even with glasses on, that I seem to have a problem.

Although my prescription hasn't changed it looks as though the problem is that I have the early stages of a cataract!  Bugger.