¡InvictaMoto!

The North London Derby tomorrow. At least this is at the Emirates and so pessimistically that might give us the advantage. We won 4-2 last season after being 2-1 at half time.  Hopefully, Spurs players will not act as though they have a serious balance problem.

Late July 1993. Time to leave Zastávka and head for home. Tony and Heather were back with the kids. The plan to ride across to southern Germany for an overnight. I would continue north and they would split off and head south.  Outside the flat on Sportovní We headed west on the dálnice past Prague and into Germany.  The overnight stop was in a youth hostel in a castle in Bavaria near Ellwangen.  In those days in Bavaria anyone over 26yo couldn't stay in a YH unless they were part of a family group. We qualified and they had a family room and I got stuck in a dorm with three cyclists. After breakfast I rode all the way home tugging the trailer.  At the German border* In case of fuel problems I had two cans bungied to the rack on the trailer. In the end I didn't need to use either. This was the last long journey on the Kettle for a few years.  I started at University in Luton in late September. To earn a few quid I signed up with a local courier company.  Aft...

On the drive in Flitwick. In those days before phones had cameras and were able to make movies  In fact before phones were portable outside the house and carried more computing power than Apollo 11!

After years of neglect things are starting to move. I contacted a few bike restorers to see if I could get the bike to them to get it running. But not much came of that avenue.  I am not expecting showroom or concours condition. Just usable.  In the 80's. Me nearest camera. As it is over 40 years old it is now registered as a historic vehicle with the UK authorities.  As a result it is tax exempt and MoT exempt. It has to be roadworthy but doesn't have to undergo the test each year.  In the end my old friend John Storrie made some good suggestions.  The motor won't turn over and I suspect there is some corrosion in the cylinders. It wasn't a hot seize. Just standing too long.  Removing the plugs reveals no corrosion on the plug electrodes and there is a healthy whiff of petrol. Hopefully the 2-stroke poured into the bores will permeate and free up the rings.  There are a few other jobs to do and I have many of the parts required; carb rebuild kits, new...

A long weekend. Luckily it was the weekend at the end of the May half-term school holiday and so I was able to load up the bike and set off in good time to get across to Moosham. The route via the Mikulov/Drasenhofen border crossing and around Vienna and then west past the Red Bull Ring, although then it was called Zeltweg, would be about 250 miles.  Czech fuel was cheaper and I topped up before the border. With a range of only 130 miles to a tank fuel management is important. On arrival at Schloss Moosham I had nowhere to stay. I met up with Thomas Wahle who I had "known" for a few years exchanging letters about Kettles.  I had never met him before.  I was going to look at nearby Mauterndorf for a room or even a bed. Thomas and the Stuttgart area Büffel Herde had a large room and parking in the barn across the road. They also had a spare bed. As I was a poor "Czech" they wouldn't let me pay. The weekend was a great success. A couple of the Austrian members got ...

I picked this little compact camera for a song quite a few years back. In fact it was what we call a "bin find".  If it is in a bin/trashcan and on the street, i.e. in a public place, it is free to whoever wants it.  Front view It came "as seen" with no accessories other than the Sony proprietary Memory Stick. At a meagre 32mb it wasn't going to get many photos before it would fill up. My shooting habits are to keep as much on the card as possible, download to the PC what I want though "Picasa 3" and leave the card as it is. A 32mb simply not enough. I found a charger on eBay but the memory stick proved less successful. I got a 1gb stick, badged as Sony, but it kept having faults on it, so I junked it. You get what you pay for!  Why Sony opted to go down this path is no doubt on Google somewhere. Another VHS versus Betamax mistake? Anyway, the camera became my "go to" pocket special. It's quite rugged and had a viewfinder not just the pow...

Whilst out walking the dog today I almost had ideas of betraying Pepé! A guy parked at Waitrose on a Ducati Multistrada S. It was red and had luggage, colour matched. It looked really nice. It also had Italian plates. But. I remained faithful. 

We have a timeshare week to use by the end of 2020! When we went to Florida at Easter we used up the 2018/2019 "banked weeks" with RCI. Every year we have another week to use. Until I retire there is no chance of us being able to go to there to the resort where  I "own" a week in Tenerife. I know it's not as exotic as Florida or the Caribbean but for an Easter break it will do us fine. I am still looking on the RCI website for a resort to book but as flights were relatively cheap I have booked British Airways return to Alicante. I used TravelUp as we have used them before and they have always been efficient and cheaper than most oters, si I guess they trim their commission. I had looked at Malaga but for a two and a half hour flight it was around half the price of a nine hour flight to Miami! A fare of £350 each to Malaga is simply a joke. I chose to go on the Friday and so we'll need a hotel.  As we don't arrive until about 8pm local time and then get t...

We have a taster visit booked on this ship in October. It's the new "boutique" ship for Saga. The visit includes lunch on board and a trip around to see the cabins and what they have to offer.. 

Finally arrived in Corbie having passed the once elusive Red Baron crash site. This time I didn't stop. Once off the autoroute the new 80kph limit does seem to extend journeys. I parked across from the cemetery and then went across.  Corbie Municipal Cemetery Extension William Devall. After putting my RBL cross by the stone, I took a photo and then retired. I sat in the shade of the big trees to cool down.  I was hungry and after some reflection I set off for Albert and the non-toll route home.  Lunch in town at the Hygge cafe. Plat du Jour. Potatoes with Lyon sausage. The sausage is loaded with pistachios.  Oh yeah. There was lettuce with a nice dressing.  As I was riding I had Diet Coke rather than beer.  Checking the time as I relaxed in the sun I realised I needed to abandon the non-toll route and revert to toll route. Time had got away with me and TomTom was showing an arrival time too late for my booked shuttle.  On the way back to the bike, park...

A few more new places for me.  The roundabout route from Bazentin took me past another Newfoundland monument complete with stag. Gueudecourt Newfoundland Monument I popped up at Mametz and followed signs down roads more suited to a GS! The Welsh 38th Division memorial.  It was worth the bumpy uneven road to see this. If I was Welsh I would be proud to have been there, even more than I am to pay respects to these brave men.  In Montauban I came across the  Liverpool Pals  monument. It's quite small.  Another new place is Bell's Redoubt.  You can read about  Donald Bell  here.  Still not at Corbie. TomTom took me to Albert. We scouted round the town and I filled the tank. An eye watering cost and 122.1 miles covered.  Halfway between Albert and Corbie is an Australian monument - The Third Australian Division Memorial.  The road was deserted until I got the camera out!  Photos taken.  On to Corbie!!! 

From Rely to the A1. An accident on the other side and a 7 mile queue. Glad I wasn't in that. Or going back that way.  I came off the A1 and TomTom took me through Bapaume. A bit of a roundabout route to Bazentin as I forgot to set no unpaved roads in the routing settings. I had to ignore two roads that looked like dirt tracks. From Bazentin the KSLI would have crossed Caterpillar Valley on the advance to attack the wood. It's all so benign now.  The view from Caterpillar Valley The wood still there or at least regrown since 1916. In this cemetery is the original grave of New Zealand's Unknown Warrior.  I took a picture and then googled for more information.  Unknown Warrior headstone New Zealand Unknown Warrior Caterpillar Valley Cemetery Now off to Corbie. 

Well. As I approached the toll at Setques I was hoping the tag would work. Once in the chute the green arrow turns to 30kph. And then about ten yards short the barrier went up and off I went. Phew.  Stopped at Aire de Rely. Much has changed since Vimy in April. The building work is completed now.  The self service restaurant has completely gone and instead there is a sandwich bar affair.  Coffee is still good and welcome. And there is free WiFi.  Fuel is mind bogglingly expensive.  The decision to wear the FT jacket might come back to haunt me. Queuing for the Shuttle had me sweating and the odor is er... Not very pleasant. Might have to buy some Febreze..  I have opened the front and rear vents to see if the wind can blow away the whiff!!! 

All aboard the Shuttle As usual once we were loaded onto the train it was standing room only for us on motorcycles.  With the weather really warm by the time I got onto the train I was sweating like a pig that had run twenty miles! As usual we were last to board and sitting in the sun takes its toll.  Once we arrive in France the tethering to the TomTom will stop working. Seems a pain but no doubt @ThreeUK will be able to justify it... My first stop should be the Aire de Rely on the A26. Have stopped many times for a coffee here.  Before then I have to navigate the A26 toll booth at Setques.  Fingers crossed the tag works!

Before the French trip I thought it was a good idea to check the tyre pressures. On other bikes it must be simple. The front. Yep easy. Very accessible. The book says 36psi. It was only 29. 😕 The 240 on the back is a little difficult to get to or rather the valve is.  The valve is on the right side and luckily Triumph saw fit to make it a right angled one.  Positioning the wheel to get access was easy enough. Rolling the bike back and forth to get the valve where I could see it.  Getting in to get the nozzle on the valve means struggling past the disc. Anyone at Tesco that saw me kneeling at the back of the bike may have thought I  was praying.  A few curses maybe as once at 42psi I couldn't get the nozzle off. More air out than in. Finally I got the air in and the nozzle disconnected okay. Brushing dust off my riding trousers and I could go.  As for handling. I gave it a run up the A20 to Sandling on the curves and ups and down. I didn't actually notice m...

Some refining needed doing.  The original route out looked a bit in need of optimising. And that's what I have done. Taking the A26 route will be a toll route.  I am fully aware that "experts" reading this will be horrified that I have even suggested using a motorway/autoroute when I could use back roads. There. The elephant in the room is loose. Sod the "experts".  It will give me a chance to use my T-Liberté tag, also known as Emovis Tag.  It works perfectly in the car. Approach the toll booth barrier and "bing", the barrier goes up. Payment later on account.  It is also supposed to work on the bike as with the car.  I emailed Emovis to check on the procedure. It seems to know the length of the vehicle, so when a bike approaches the barrier it needs to be clear behind. No tailgating.  They also said to check my account a few days later to make sure I was charged the bike toll not the car.  I'll get it out of the car and it has to face forward, a...

The old printer packed up ages ago and we couldn't connect it to the wifi. Luckily we could print stuff at work and so could get around it. It took the best part of an hour to get the new one to locate and connect to the wifi but it was quickly picked up by my phone. Today Claire wanted to print something from the laptop.  I started installing the drivers at 1550 and by 1655 it was working and we could print.  The wonders of Windows 10 and plug and play equipment. !!!!!!!!!!

The new Premier League is on us. The summer off-season is finally over. Last week Arsenal got an away trip to Newcastle and won. A miracle in its way as actually winning the first game of the season usually ends in defeat.  This week was the first home game of the season.  The opponents were Burnley FC. One of the few teams that seem unable to beat the Arsenal. The game allowed Arsenal to introduce some new signings in Dani Ceballos and David Luiz as starters and Nicolas Pepé on the bench. Burnley may have some new signings but who cares. Coach Dyche (Douche as we call him) employed his usual tactics, a mixture of thuggery combined with time wasting and a lot of moaning during and after the game. It was VAR debut at the Emirates as well. In the end it awarded Douche's thugs a goal and chalked one of ours off.  Still, a 180° turn and shot from Lacazette put us one up. Then they got one back before Aubameyang fired us to 2-1. Justice.  ...

It was booked in for 8am and so given the "limp mode" situation, I set off at 7.20am. The plan was to take the A20 but as I left Hythe the "road closed" signs were still up on London Road and so I had to go through Saltwood.  As a result I ended up on the M20. On two hills out of Hythe I was down to 8mph on one and I managed 10 on the other,  flat out. Once on the motorway I got up to 45mph. As there are long term roadworks to build a new junction that wasn't a problem. It turns out that the problem was that the pipe to the turbo had split. Parts came to about £240 and labour even more. With VAT added, the bill came to £670.03 Gulp. At least it is back. * I had no ideal that "limp mode" was a real thing!

We were up early again as Reggie was on his early pee and poop regime again. In the end we left at around 9.30am. TomTom reckoned it would be just short of 5 hours to get home.  If only.  First stop at the start of the A303. Three hours for 86 miles. Heavy traffic. Very heavy everywhere. Holidaymakers in both directions. Wankers having accidents causing more holdups. We got in the house just before 7pm. Sadly I had to reset the TomTom earlier in the week and so I have lost the complete trip stats.   So that's it... Another superb holiday top and tailed with terrible driving conditions. For the holiday I created a Fuelly profile for the Corsa. Only three fill-ups on the entire trip after starting with a full tank at the start of the holiday.  I had expected it to be higher, but an overall 45mpg isn't bad considering the traffic jams we were stuck in for about four hours in each direction, where we crawled along in first or second gear! And lastly - even though I...

Today we decided to stay local as we set off for home tomorrow. It will be a long day in the car for us and Reggie especially. So our first stop was as ASDA in Bideford to get some cash and fill the car ready for tomorrow.  A disappointing 43.7mpg. I guess all the low gear ups and downs of the Devon countryside. The next was at Tapeley Park just the other side of Bideford. Another estate with a garden open to the public. Again it was on the Gardener's World 2-1 offer and seniors we got in for a fiver. The house looks at first a bit run down but the gardens are very nice. An Italian garden and the kitchen garden are the highlights. We met Hector who "runs the place" and is actually one of the owners of the site. He was accompanied by his English Bull Terrier called Wayne. Reggie barked at first but they got on after mutual sniffing. On the way out I saw the field alongside the carpark had a herd of Highland Cattle. Reggie barked as a calf came close.  To sound a bit "...

Today our day was already planned. A lunch date with Claire's friends from the "old days" in Kent, Robin and Mark, at their house (mansion!!)  near Exeter. They have two golden retrievers and Reggie was okay until they mobbed him and he growled at them a few times. Lunch was great. Company great. Tomorrow last day in Devon.

As a reward for a walk along the nearby Tarka Trail... Someone has to do it. Later we'll have dinner in and think about tomorrow. We have a lunch appointment near Exeter with a friend and former boyfriend of Claire's. 

Didn't we have a lovely time on Dartmoor?  No we didn't. I set up a route to take in some bronze age and medieval settlements on the rugged moors.  We set off and ahead the weather looked increasingly black overhead and then it simply pee'd down. Roads began to run with water. None of this deterred the locals who continued to drive way too fast for winding country roads.  We aborted and set a course for Okehampton, somewhere to the west of our position. In the end we passed through and decided to head back to the cottage. By chance we saw a sign right to a small town called Hatherleigh. A chance for a cup of something and Reggie to "stretch his legs" etc. There is a Co-Op shop and a nice thatched cottage lined high street. Plus, find of the day, One Market Street Cafe, where we had lunch. Hatherleigh, Devon Pasties and chips for us and a bowl of water and a gravy bone for Reggie. I also had a bonio in his accessory bag. Claire popped into the Co-Op for essentials ...

As is his current trend Reggie had us awake at 5am for his first pee trip. Then at 6am and finally at 7.15am for breakfast. We had sorted the bins as well as the instructions said to have them out for Monday. Different recycling regime to gone but at 4.45pm they are still by the kerb untouched. But back to the morning. Today we decided in a trip more locally (!) to a garden at Castle Hill Gardens. It is in Claire's Gardeners World 2for1 offer booklet.  We spent a few hours there traipsing around the estate and park looking at the follies and plants/trees. Again a lot of uphill and downhill walking! Three days running. Castle Hill Estate Then back via Lidl in Torrington to get lunch etc. And of course cider. We took it in turns to shop and mind the dog in the car. This evening eat in again and plan where to go tomorrow. About time we headed for Dartmoor. 

We decided on a National Trust site at Arlington Court near Barnstaple. TomTom said it was about 40 minutes away and for once it was almost accurate. The site is also the home of the National Trust Carriage Museum.  After a coffee we set off on the 2 mile circular walk around the estate. Although the weather was iffy when we set off, but it looked up.  The walk is pretty up and down. The first part goes through an avenue of monkey puzzle trees. Amazing. Some are nassive. Monkey Puzzle Trees This was just the beginning! The lake itself wasn't all that exciting.  Along the route were photo suggestions. A photo in a frame and above it an empty frame to show where to shoot. The bridge over the stream from the lake was full of dragonflies. Very colourful. At the top of a steep slope we had a sit down. The house to our rear and the pond ahead. Claire wanted to go to the gardens and headed to the dog poo bin and the carriage museum. The collection is quite extensive. Carriage Mu...