¡InvictaMoto!

The bug seems to be spreading across the globe and quickly.  With Italy shutting borders and closing access to vast parts of the north it looks pretty bad. What this will do to the Italian economy is a worry. Our RT20 trip goes in a big loop from the Mediterranean border with France to Tuscany and then across to Bologna and then up to Milan and Como. Unless things get better I may have to start cancelling the hotels etc.  It's still six months away and so we have time to see if things run their course. This is of course small beer. Nothing to compare against the tragedy that people are being taken sick and dying.  Let's hope it blows its course and we can all relax and be safe.

It is one I have had for a number of years. To take the bike and tour in the US. Either Spring and early summer. April/May or May/June. I retire in December 2021. The projected income looks okay. Without my fares getting to work now I'd be quite well off.  The lump sum though is good enough for a few decent holidays but not to live the life of Riley. My work and State pensions (projected) is less than my current gross salary but not paying national insurance and the accursed fortune to travel to work and pay to park means I might have more disposable income! Plus we will only have one car.  Mine will be worth nothing by then, but I'll save the £175 a year road tax and £200 insurance plus running costs. So I dipped my toe in the water so to speak. I completed a form on James Cargo website. I was a bit vague as I have no idea of dates.  So I put May 1st 2022 to June 30th 2022. I am aware that Claire needs to be onboard and that she wants a cruise to the Northern Lights as w...

With the current outbreak spreading across the world and affecting travel maybe things will change for our summer holiday.  At the moment I am letting things lie. Luckily nothing has been paid for and bookings can all be cancelled if need be.  RT20 could be in jeopardy. No doubt this is a "first world" problem especially as  people  are falling  ill and even dying as a consequence  of this new strain of flu/disease. It's just a holiday/vacation. No biggy. Currently our planned trip to Italy is to nearby one of the hotspots. The province /city of Piacenza is directly in the line of the planned Bologna-Milan-Como route I have planned. This was sent out to Claire's company from a partner company in Italy. " Please be informed that following to coronavirus outbreak several towns in the provinces of LODI -CREMONA-PIACENZA-PADOVA (Postal codes 26, 29, 35) have been put on lockdown by the Italian authorities  Any access to these towns is forbidden until furth...

Another draw. Orient fortunate that the referee was a homer. A free kick when the Oldham player, Misselou, played the ball and it should have been a corner. In the end Latics far better team in the first half and Orient edged the second. I suppose a 2-2 draw was a fair result. It doesn't seem that way when the goal came directly from a mistake by the referee.

Even with the new battery I willed Pepé  to start.  He didn't. What was a worry was that only the rev counter needle did the full sweep. The buzzing that accompanies the check carried on.  Even with the dbPower unit it was no good. I gave Laguna a call to see if they had any ideas. Not really but thought it was merely the battery a bit flat.   I gave it a while and tried again. It started after a few tries. On the way up the M20 to Ashford the engine management light came on. A worry. I checked the manual on my phone and it just says that one of the systems has registered an error. At Laguna it started up okay when I switched off and on again. It must have started as it went into the workshop and passed the MoT. I decided to go to the Triumph shop on the way back home to get them to look at. And the light had gone off when I started it! So we are set for another year. MoT mileage to start the year: 9203.

Yesterday was Reggie's annual checkup and his booster jabs. Everything is covered under his VIP plan except the kennel cough booster that cost £31. Nesting

Refreshed from their winter break in the sun and sand of the Emirates, we had expected a rejuvenated Arsenal to be taking the game by the scruff. And so it seemed for a few minutes until Newcastle found their feet. In fact they could have gone ahead but a save from Leno saved the team from the agony of falling behind. 0-0 at half time didn't give any clue to the second half.  Steve Bruce, the Newcastle United head coach must have been the happier man though. Arsenal had been marginally the better side but hadn't made the breakthrough.  A cross from Pepé was headed home by Aubameyang and we waited for VAR to confirm. VAR has been such an intrusion into games that it is difficult to know if you can celebrate straight away. Pepé doubled the lead when he shot in from inside the box. Arsenal then dominated the game before Özil and Lacazette added the icing on the cake in the closing minutes. On a day when Storm Dennis was disrupting the country it was great to get back to winning wa...

Amazon Great commuter viewing.

Not a great sign when the Environment Agency sends the automated flood alert warning to you. It warns of flooding along a 25 to 30 mile stretch of coast. We live about half way along that stretch and about 400 yards from the sea. All that is between us and the beach is a flat army firing range made up of shingle and then a road... The warning is for the remnants of Storm Ciara and the high spring tide mating together for mayhem. High tide due at 0015. Or about an hour's time. More fingers crossed. Update It didn't happen. We moved bank and that sort of stuff upstairs and I sat up until nearly 1am 'just in case'. 

Bought my ticket today online - Oldham Athletic away at Leyton Orient. It's at the end of my week off for half term and so I need to weigh up whether to buy my weekly season ticket to include Saturday or travel on a cheap day return. There was a note on one of the supporters pages that there was an allocation of 256 tickets. It only opened to non season ticket holders today, and I have ticket 120.... We'll see when we get there. It's February 22nd and a 3pm kickoff.

MAG has welcomed a Cambridgeshire County Council move to consult on Motorcycle Access to Bus Lanes as part of its proposals to improve air quality.  A tireless campaign by a local MAG activist has seen the Conservative leader of Cambridgeshire County Council pass a motion proposing a consultation on motorcycle access to bus lanes. MAG has mounted a sustained campaign to get the role of motorcycles recognised in Cambridgeshire and particularly for motorcycle access to bus lanes.  Having gained the support of local MP, Daniel Zeichner, engaging with Councillors and officers and making formal representations to the Highways Committee, confirmation was finally received that "the Council Leader announced in December that [Cambridgeshire County Council] will be consulting on allowing motorbikes in bus lanes as part of the climate change strategy action plan." In a motion passed by the Council on 19th December 2019, the council committed to a raft of measures being incorp...

Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly My rating: 5 of 5 stars As soon as I saw this book appear on the Kindle list I had to have it. I am a commuter reader. I have an hour on the train in the morning and again in the evening. I have to admit I have read all the Bosch books and have seen all five series on Amazon Prime. A bit of a junkie but with limits to how much I'll spend... I wasn't disappointed. The cold case "hobby" stories mixed with Ballard working live cases goes together well. In his old age Bosch is starting to make mistakes and stepping even further over the boundary. The only thing I thought was missing was some closure on the SFPD corrupt cop stream and Harry's future.... View all my reviews

This year's Non-Attendance Rally is open for bookings. BOOK HERE!! All proceeds to the Poppy Appeal. This year I booked early and managed to get the booking number down to 56. Must do better next year.

Today should have been the annual MAG run to honour the activist and refusenik, Fred Hill. Fred had been against the imposition of the mandatory crash helmet law when I was introduced in the UK in 1973. He was imprisoned several times for failure to comply and for refusing to pay the fines imposed by the courts. He died in Pentonville in London in February 1984. The run was cancelled for the first time in many years due to the possible danger from 80mph winds care of Storm Ciara battering the UK and the South-East currently. It was a blessing in disguise for me as the bike has no MoT and can't be legally ridden on the road. I have been several times and once actually led the group from the Ace Café to Pentonville. Fred Hill (Wiki) The new date is March 1st.  This appears to be the only picture of Fred astride his Honda with the copper close by. Fred Hill and Copper

What better way to spend a cold winter's evening in Folkestone. The Illegal Eagles at the Leas Cliff Hall. Once again in February! Another superb performance from what has to be the best tribute band in the world. They don't try to dress or look like the Eagles but can sing like the original band members.  Each of them accomplished musicians in their own right. I didn't take any photos this time as I was more interested at listening to the music. Back in 2021?   

On Tuesday 4th February, Boris Johnson launched the UK-hosted UN climate summit and announced that he would bring forward the end to the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2040 to 2035 - or earlier if possible - and include hybrids for the first time. As with all such long range, broad announcements, it was not clear what the detailed policy would be and how it would be implemented.  As such, the announcement caused a flurry of speculation and guesses for motorcyclists, with conflicting conclusions drawn. As always, MAG has taken the sensible approach of seeking clarification.    Speaking to Phil Killingley, Deputy Head of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) at the Department for Transport, MAG's Director of Campaigns & Political Engagement, Colin Brown, received confirmation that the 2035 ban does not apply to motorcycles.  Colin commented "We are pleased to hear that the ban from 2035 will not apply to the sale of petrol-powered motorcycles.  Our members...