InvictaMoto's On The Road Again!

Yesterday was an important day for me. It's almost 13 months since I had my heart problems and the stent operation. I have had two cardiologist appointments cancelled since the turn of the year, but yesterday it was the day. In the morning I had a bit of a lie-in and then a quiet walk with Reggie including a haircut and beard trim. The whole hospital visit went quickly. An ECG and then to see the consultant.  The ECG was very good and the trace looked normal. The consultant was happy with the process, and surprised I had gone back to work earlier than maybe I should have.  The final step is to have another ultrasound and then maybe get signed off as "fit".

The trip to Oldham ended up being  a 608 mile round trip from home via my brother's to the football ground and then down to our Aunt's house in Manchester. The journey up from Neill's took four and a half hours to Oldham, and back Home from Manchester about the same. In the end it was worth it as Oldham won and stay in League 1 another year. This is the brick I bought in my Dad's memory. It's in the outer wall of the new stand. Dad's brick Away fans... there are some. Honest!

The Queen is 90. In Hythe we had a firework display on the seafront.

What can I say about the ride from home to Southend. On Google Maps it shows a distance of 34 miles, as the crow flies. Once it works out the route that changes to more like 81 miles depending on the way you go. Why did I want to go there? Well, to see my football club, Oldham Athletic play Southend United in a League One match.  With a 1945 kick off as the last time I could get there, counting back and allowing for traffic I set off at 1615. Traffic was relatively light on the M20 considering the hour, but as I got nearer  London it started to build. The swoop from M20 to M25 is quite a nice experience as long as there is clear road and Pepe managed it as the legal limit without any trauma.  That’s when I was faced with a four lane wall of traffic crawling along at walking pace. Even filtering through between the outside two lanes I lost over 20 minutes getting from the M20/M25 junction to the tunnel itself.   The last couple of miles had c...

What can I say about the ride from home to Southend. On Google Maps it shows a distance of 34 miles, as the crow flies. Once it works out the route that changes to more like 81 miles depending on the way you go. With the 1945 kick off as the last time I could get there, counting back and allowing for traffic,  I set off at 1615.  Traffic was relatively light on the M20 considering the hour, but as I got nearer  London it started to build. The swoop from M20 to M25 is quite a nice experience as long as there is clear road and Pepe managed it at the legal limit without any trauma. That’s when I was faced with a four lane wall of traffic all crawling along at walking pace. Even filtering through between the outside two lanes I lost over 20 minutes getting from the M20/M25 junction to the tunnel itself.  The last couple of miles had cars and trucks at a standstill, and it was the same for the tunnel itself. There was a brief respite from this when we started to move and ...

Day off today. Some chores before getting Pepe out to fit the panniers and the satnav mount. The trip is only across the Thames to Southend-on-Sea. By crow's flight it's out 35 miles, but by road around 88 miles to the ground. The trip is to see the football between Oldham Athletic and Southend United. What lurks in the greenery? Had to relocate the satnav mount as it was last used without the screen. From the riding seat.

Whilst we congratulate MAG. London's bikers across a wide range of social media contacted both candidates to ask why, in the first instance, motorcycling had been forgotten.  One of my tweets KEY LONDON MAYOR CANDIDATES SHARE MOTORBIKE VIEWS WITH MAG Britain's leading riders' rights movement, the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), has secured statements from the two front running candidates in the race to become Mayor of London.  Sadiq Khan MP (Labour) and Zac Goldsmith MP (Conservative) shared with the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) their thoughts and plans for the capital’s hundreds of thousands of qualified motorcycle and scooter riders - and both have expressed their appreciation of the importance of powered two wheelers as part of the London transport mix, promising to work to ensure their needs are taken into account.   MAG is including links to their original text.  Sadiq Khan's statement link:  https://wiki.mag-uk.org/images/a/a6/Sa...

The Canadian Memorial has swung back into place and we have received an email from Canada for the group to book online for the 4pm commemoration at Beaumont-Hamel. I quickly booked Claire and I on the website immediately after broadcasting by email to the rest of those not lucky enough to get a Thiepval place. So it looks as though we are going to have a good time over there.

With the weather looking sunny, it was also Meldrew's Meeting Sunday. I was away a bit earlier and decided to take a scenic route to the Blue & White Café. Mistake. The country lane I ended up on was oiled high in the centre with mud and debris and the edges no better. Keeping to the narrow bits of clear road on a 700lb bike was pretty much heart in mouth... In the end I arrived just after 10am. We had a discussion about different runs and then we split up. By the time I got home the bike was covered in mud and I got the hose out to wash it off. A sunny day but still very cold. The next run out should be to Southend on Tuesday to go to a football match. Fingers crossed it stays dry.

I expect this is what they call a "First World Problem". But even so it is a pain in the ass. My iPod Classic has decided that it will only charge if connected to one specific USB port on Claire's laptop. Luckily, I have an account on it that holds iTunes. Nothing happens when connected through a genuine Apple cable, connected to the mains with a genuine Apple plug. With 80GB capacity it has everything on it that I own in CD format as well as downloads from iTunes and Amazon.  It's a mobile databank of my musical tastes for the last thirty or more  years. Yes, I do have CD's on stuff I bought on vinyl back in the dark ages.  So when it got very low today, so low that on the screen the battery had the smallest sliver of red showing, I had no qualms about firing up the Dell. Then panic mode started.  The screen went off and ever so faintly it said something about recovery mode.  Oh sh*t!  Not here again!  The iPhone 5S did this last ye...

Toasted Teacake Despite getting up a little late as I was suffering with what we call "dehli belly" after a curry a few nights before (it was there all the day before too!) , we managed to get to Dover and part way back in an aborted attempt to "take the air" on the White Cliffs. We did have a walk with Reggie at the Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne, plus a tea for us. A little painting needed doing before I could leave Claire pottering in the garden and set off on the bike for a short ride. It was warm when I left and perhaps the choice of the mesh Joe Rocket jacket wasn't the right choice. Even with a polo shirt and V-neck jumper underneath once above 50mph it was freezing. Of course, as the afternoon wore on, even with the sun still shining, it got colder. I headed west along the A259, through the neighbouring seaside resort of Dymchurch, the self-confessed "Childrens' Paradise", where there were many people enjoying the amusemen...

Was a sunny day, Not a cloud was in the sky... However there were a few negative words said as we approached the entrance to the White Cliffs Park  to find the gates closed and staff directly people away. Reggie's walk and a cup of tea for us was not going to happen. We turned round and headed for the Battle of Britain Museum at Capel-Le-Ferne.  It's dog friendly on the grounds but not in the new "Wing" museum. We sat outside whilst Claire went into get get teas. The memorial wall lists the names of all the pilots that took part in the Battle from June to September 1940 and were killed in action. "The Few". Hitler's forces were massing on the opposite side of the channel only 22 miles away. The British Expedtionary Force and French and Belgian armies had just been rescued from the beaches near Dunkerque. It was dire for Britain. RAF fighter command in the sourh-east was the only defence against the Luftwaffe's massive format...

After Monday’s visit to the surgery I have been referred to an ENT clinic at a local hospital. A letter came through yesterday so that I can login and book my own appointment. The choice was quite extensive.  I worked my way through the list, one at a time. “No appointments available” was pretty common until one of what appears to be two different ENT clinics at the William Harvey. Booked 9 th May as that’s the earliest appointment anywhere. As there has been no improvement since Day 1 over six weeks ago, I doubt there will be much change before then. The nurse-practitioner says that there is no perforation but a small bulge towards the bottom of the drum.  Oh well.

Another benefit of being over 60. I get a concessionary rate to go to the football! Instead of £22 face value I get in for £15. Along with free prescriptions! There aren't many other benefits....