¡InvictaMoto!

Rather than get up at about 5am for the drive back to the airport from Denia, we decided to leave in the afternoon on Friday and drive back to Alicante area.. So I booked the Ibis Budget again. Time to get up and breakfast on Saturday before the short drive back to the airport for the 1020am flight home.

I joined this fans' group to push for some action at the club where I saw my first ever football match as 4yo way back in 1959. This season is the 60th since I started to go.  Let's hope it ends better. I used to go with my Dad, Claude Devall, who was one of the blokes that kept the supporters' club running.  In a small scrapbook we have pictures from the Oldham Chronicle of him painting the stand during the summer break. He used to go and sit in the stand with his buddies from the club, John Hartshorn and Vinnie (I don't know his surname) and leave me to stand behind the goal, often with my Aunt Linda (Shaw now Johnstone) and her friend Anne. In those days the club was about where it is now, near the foot of the fourth tier, then called the Fourth Division.  A few years before the two regional third divisions, North and South had been merged into Third and Fourth. After the highs of being in the Premier League when it started in 1992/93 and staying for...

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced a doubling of funding for on-street charge points on 21st January.  The Motorcycle Action Group has welcomed news of this funding, but raises concerns about the suitability of provision for owners of electric motorcycles. Speaking on Monday 21st January, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "We want to make electric cars the new normal, and ensuring drivers have convenient places to charge is key to that. By doubling funding again for charge points on streets where people live, and opening up data we are helping drivers easily locate and use affordable, reliable charge points whether at home or on the road." The Motorcycle Action Group, whilst welcoming the announcement, has, however, raised concerns that national and local government thinking is demonstrating a blind spot when it comes to the provision of charging  infrastructure that meets the needs of motorcyclists. MAG's Director of Campai...

The battery was ordered on the 14th January in the afternoon and too late for the "next day" delivery. It arrived 16th January afternoon. Too dark to fit it there and then so it had to wait for the weekend. I ordered it from  www.motorcyclepartswarehouse.co.uk .  I chose a good time to buy it. Before Christmas when I checked online the best price was around £65 plus delivery with two companies very much the same price.  After Christmas MPW were selling them delivery inclusive for £63.49. Winner winner chicken dinner! I have to say their service is good. Plus the packaging was very good. Wrapped in a plastic postage bag, surrounded by bubble wrap and under that a layer of "slashed" cardboard.     The only disappointment is that it was black as per the main photos on the   Motobatt  website. I had wanted yellow! Still no matter, it can't be seen unless the front seat comes off. Fitting as they say is a doddle. In the box the...

Although I plan a lot using Google and Here Maps online, I do love the feel of a map in hand. Today's buy is the Michelin 561 that covers the entire area of where we will be going on the road trip. This copy came secondhand from a bookshop on Amazon.

Home to Sheffield United on a Saturday at 3pm. If that isn't a rare occurrence I am the President of the US.... Once again due to our position in the table we are playing a team above us. At least the train was on time at Folkestone West. The game. We played better and started well. Scored almost on the stroke of half time and then late on conceded the equaliser. No home games for a month. Great.

This week, Cardiff Council launched a Transport White Paper, which lays out an ambitious 10-year plan to reduce congestion and improve air quality in the Welsh capital.  Proposals include a congestion Charge which is expected to exempt motorcycles, a move that will inevitably increase the prevalence of this transport mode. When London introduced its Congestion Charging Zone back in 2003, it too exempted motorcycles from all charges.  Modal shift to motorcycles is universally accepted to help reduce congestion and thus also emissions. Studies show that a 10% modal shift from cars to motorcycles will reduce congestion by a staggering 40%. MAG'sDirector of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, commented "We broadly welcome the approach of a universal congestion charge on all larger vehicles as opposed to complex emission-based charging schemes when it comes to solving the urban congestion problem, and improving air quality.  The logic...

Today rejoined both the Motorcycle Action Group and the Triumph Owners MCC. I joined MAG many years ago and then fell by the wayside for a while. Although I did campaign in the SOC for us to affiliate as well as with the BMF, successfully. I was involved locally with the MAG group but dropped out. Now I give them my money and let them do the riders' rights work.

Cuneo- Nice A relatively short day today. MyRouteApp calculates it at 88 miles door to door. The standard route is to head down the main route to the coast and then along past Monaco.  And looking at the map book I saw the Col de Tende . Even with that the estimate is a little over 3 hours. So no rush in the morning to get going. Then when I took a look at it on Google I decided against it. If I had an SUV I would be up for it, but not in a road car. So. It will be the tunnel instead. We can have a leisurely breakfast and a walk around Cuneo to see the wonders of the city before we set off.

Today we had a short drive to Dungeness to walk Reggie on the shingle. We go there quite a lot and have seen this memorial to the Polish pilots killed during the Battle of Britain. But today there are more memories at the site. Wonderful to see.

Things moved quickly. I found a reference to Timothy on the Greatwarforum. A guy was actually looking for Jeremiah O'Leary. One of the posts contained a jpg of the 1901 Census. Claire's gran was the youngest child listed. At last we could be on the right path. The link below was changed on 14th August 2020 as the previous one became http 404!!! Not the first time!!! https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1560105/TIMOTHY%20O'LEARY/

It looks as though we have visited the wrong T O'Leary!   Claire's Dad, Victor,  had a grave reference for a T O'Leary who could/would have been one of his uncles killed on the Western Front in 1915. Where he got this from I have no idea, possibly from his brother Mick. I located the cemetery from the name and service number and off we went for a day trip. This was probably 10 years ago. Wanting to find out more I found the Royal Irish Rifles and all the other former British Irish regiments were now under the banner of the Royal Ulster Regiment.  They have a website and some volunteers that find what they can for people inquiring. I got a long email yesterday with loads of photos and copies of documents based on the name, regiment and service number.  It came back as Thomas O'Leary born in Stepney, not Timothy O'Leary born in Cork! I wrote back and thanked them for all their work and told them of the name difference. I said t...

Well, that's it for now. Planning the overall route at least.  I have hotels booked on booking.com with the "free cancellation" and "no prepayment" option.   I have roughly mapped out a complete route but this doesn't take into account the waypoints that each days route has coded in to ensure we go the way we want! As far a Point 3 I have left toll roads switched on and so it will add to the trip cost it will mean we get the first long day over reasonably quickly between 1 and 2. From there it is no tolls from 3 to 6. Points 6 to 7 are currently set to no toll.  The road seems to parallel the toll motorway for the entire 225 miles. The Insignia currently has a range of about 650 miles in my day to day running.  With the first few days being motorway I hope to extend that when I can set the cruise control! Later in the year I will start to scope out the cost of a crossing to France. I expect we will take the Shuttle option simply as it is quicker. Well, quick...

With our 2020 Roadtrip for the summer in the planning stage I set about checking whether or not we would be passing through or near some of the low emission zones (LEZ) in the countries we are planning to visit.  Currently the route will go through France, Italy, Switzerland, France again, Belgium and France to channel port. I already have the Crit'Air sticker for France to go in the car later in the year, and once I have found a way of keeping the windscreen clean so that it sticks properly! But what of the other countries?  Switzerland seems the most obvious as we will be there for some miles and days.  They have a system called StickAir, it looks very much like the French system. At the moment it only covers the area in and around Geneva.  We aren't going there.  So no need for another sticker!  They ought to combine it with the motorway vignette which at 40CHF is a lot of money for a tourist visit. StickAir Switzerland

The balls rolled a little unkindly for us last night and we have been drawn away at Bournemouth in the 4th Round of the FA Cup. Given the performance last time we were there, this is a worry. Luckily, the "big" clubs seems to have been given easier routes to the 5th Round.

Tonight's the night.  Arsenal under new manager Mikel Arteta face "Dirty" Leeds United.   Of the "Big Six" clubs we have the most difficult lower league opposition and a potential banana skin as Leeds are top of the Championship and going well. Hopefully tonight we put put out a full first team and beat them. After the morale boosting win over Manchester United on New Year's Day we will kick on and regain the level we have come accustomed to under Wenger.  Consistently in the top 4 and once again we start winning the league and cups! Fingers crossed that we are taking this cup seriously. Aftermath - January 7th. I have had time to calm down and so the expletive laden post has been past by! Another game of two halves. A bit like the West Ham game a month ago. At least the excuse then was we were away to a team near us in the Premier League table. Last night we were terrible in the first half. Leeds were by far t...

Once we had "bagged" the passes and arrived in Fribourg we have one and a half days to get home to collect Reggie from his holiday. The non-toll exit from Switzerland is a bit convoluted getting into France around a few lakes. Once across the border. The route runs up through Belfort towards Belgium.  The last night is near Namur. It's a long day on the road but it will enable us a shorter journey to the coast and the Shuttle or ferry home. Namur to the coast is around 150 miles so if we are away early enough we should get a lunchtime shuttle and be in good time to collect the dog. The kennel closes at 5pm so we need to be hurry  to get Reggie home.

MAG starts the New Year determined to make a difference The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG), the UK's leading voice for riders' rights, is looking forward to driving the agenda for riders' rights in 2020: here's how. MAG is gearing up to a new year of activities defending riders' rights and contributing to the decision-making process at national and local governmental levels. Selina Lavender, the Chair of MAG, stated that whilst there had been substantial challenges during 2019, MAG's personnel are refreshed and ready to work just as hard during 2020.  "We have engaged with Local Authorities, Government and Transport for London, to name only a few, to represent motorcycling and the positive contribution it brings to the table. We have already contacted both new and returned MPs following December's General Election and look forward to working with them on behalf of motorcycling and riders' rights throughout the year ahead." MAG will continue to e...