On the Road Again!

Meldrews Sunday might be a little different this month as we are planning to join in a run for Skabour in Folkestone. Breakfast at the bike (but not dog friendly!) Cliff Top Café at Capel.  A chance for Vera to join a ride out with a load of stinkwheels made by Vespa and Lambretta plus more recent 4-strokes.  My mate Cal will be on his new Honda Forza 350. The Facebook post does say: All on 2 wheels are welcome at our FAMOUS yearly Skabour Ride Out! You DO NOT need a festival ticket to join in, meet at 11:30 outside the Burstin, setting off at 12pm. Trophies up for grabs. Quick stop off in the middle for a cheeky (non-alcoholic) pint And then BACK TO THE FESTIVAL for more SUN SEA AND SKA! We need a breakfast first!

I think it is about 40 years ago that I last went to a football game at Brentford. It would have been in the early 80's when I was still working at Fiat UK and still on shift in the computer department. In those far off days we had three shifts around the clock running on a single IBM 370/135 that later was upgraded to a mighty 370/138! There was also an HP3000 in the corner that at the time we didn't realise was going to kill off the mainframes and become the start of the future. Anyway, on evening shifts there were long programs running and it was a case of sitting and waiting for it to finish and churn out a few boxes of paper. I was shift leader and I had two operators working with me.   One of them was an Australian woman, Moira, and she tended dislike us to an extent that she'd rather we weren't there. On occasions we'd go to play pool, enough rolled up one-part to stop the balls escaping down the pockets and costing another 10p to release them. Or to the pub....

In English "Mile Eater".   Whilst I was on the internet looking for parking places in German cities like Würzburg, for when I go on my trip to the Czech Invader Rally next May. Rather than simply plug away across from Aachen to Waidhaus I have a couple of overnight stays but to "see" something along the way will plan some "tourist" stops. Motorcycle parking essential. I ended up emailing  the Tourist Office in the city.  They came back with this link and hoped that as it was a private site and not official that the information would be correct and up to date -  https://www.kilometerfresser.eu/motorradparkplaetze-wuerzburg/ I followed this up and it looks good. I joined the forum to keep track of any changes and then saw that the "club" organise a mileage competition each year.  So I registered. Why not? You have to register on to the forum and this can be done in English.  The registration for the competition is also in German and English. Link ...

Today Claire and I along with my brother Neill and his wife, Catherine, went to a guided tour and talk from an expert to Shornecliffe Military Cemetery. Steve the Guide gave us some history and the backgrounds to many of the servicemen buried there since it opened in 1856.

I just wanted to get out for a ride. The weather was supposed to be cool and overcast and yet the sun was out. It was dry and about 19°C. I took the Sene Valley but was stuck behind a roadblock aka motorhome.  The road too narrow for it but no doubt they have a car satnav to blindly follow. First stop Pebbles Kiosk at Dover. No tea. Loads of people eating Solleys ice-cream. A local farm made product  Damn. Pebbles Kiosk in Dover Then up to the White Cliffs. Too packed. I did manage to park but there were too many people. White Cliffs of Dover I did see this Harley but not the owner. A very impressive list of places visited? To visit? From there back down into Dover and a quick blast up the A2 to Whitfield and the Transport Museum. Another photo op. Dover Transport Museum From here Alkham Valley to Folkestone and Tesco to fill up. Mileage entered into Fuelly and mpg down this time! It must be the faster ride along the ...

One just like the one I left by accident on my desk on March 12th 2020 when I set off home not expecting that I would never go back. Or at least not go back to that office. Covid arrived. Then the bosses decided to sell our building. By the time I went in back in October 2020 the room was cleared and the stuff from my desk had gone missing. Pretty shameful. Including the cap I bought in Arizona. So. A quick eBay search and £5.95 and free postage I can replace it! It saves flying to Phoenix and driving to Hackberry or Angel's. The new one will be "wine" coloured.

As a season ticket holder I decided that as performances have been so poor that ticket exchange (TX) was useless, I would have to go. Often when Oldham Athletic are in town or nearby I get my brother to TX his ticket and he moves into mine, and I go to Latics. Luckily (!) Oldham's owners are involved in a "war" with supporters and blocked the sales of tickets. Even those of us that are not involved are bolloxed. In the end Arsenal started the day bottom on goal difference. Norwich next to bottom. In a poor game Arsenal finally scored a goal and banked the first three points. At last.