S-Westerly

Nice to know there are still some civilised folks around. Sometimes if all you believe is the various press its like we are in a new Dark Ages. Overhyped as usual.

Quite looking forward to a quiet Christmas with just me and my wife. Took the youngest grandchildren to London on Tuesday to go to theatre. Totally banjaxed. Glad to return them to parents on Wednesday.

Chalked up another 110 miles on the Guzzi. Roads were good and dry although a tad windy crossing the Severn on the QE bridge. Really nice bike to drive and only 600 more miles to do before I can really wind it up. Washed it when I got home. So nice not to have a chain anymore.

I'm guessing the shooters had form and judiciary took opportunity to send them down for as long as possible. Notice the requirement to do 2/3 of sentence before parole? Usually half.

Hopefully not your bees!

I'll be out on the bike on Friday collecting last minute stuff then we are holed up at home until Boxing Day when we head north. Hopefully it'll be relatively quiet but I doubt it.

My wife drags me on a few city breaks but she's a culture vulture and into art galleries and museums. Life can be hard sometimes.

There's supposed to be some sort of covid doing the rounds. Hopefully not what you have got.

Bit chilly at this time of year!

I've been there mainly as I had family there in the 70's and 80's and then over the last 30 years by virtue of it having one of the largest oil refineries in the world in Rotterdam. Good food and beer but countryside is mostly as dull as ditchwater.

In Gloucester there's a dedicated space for parking bikes which can maybe take 12 bikes but there's rarely more than 5 there. Otherwise in car parks bikes are expected to pay which means having to use the app as a paper ticket on a bike isn't going to last long. You can take your chance parking on streets but......

Thick clouds here can't even see the sun never mind meteors.

I could think of a few heads I'd like on mine. Starting with Geoffrey from when I was 8. First bast*rd to kick me in the bollocks, literally. Do I hold a grudge? A bit.

Yes but you are in the affluent South East where it is known everyone is filthy rich unlike us poor peasants elsewhere.

Shell E10 is £1.41. Supermarket E10 is around £1.37. Coming down a bit but wait till the Red Sea is closed and see the prices rocket!

Not in 1977 it didn't. I had family living in the Hague and they used to stock up on stuff in the UK to take back.to Holland. When I was there in the 70's and 80's beer was cheap but not much else.

It was never cheap but those prices are just taking the piss surely.

Well despite blocked roads, floods and cyclists I did manage to do the Cheddar Gorge. I'd forgotten how grotty Cheddar village had become and as for Somerset roads the less said the better.

Thanks for the experiment. I'm still not sure about putting puppies on my new bike. Doesn't vibrate as much at the bars as the Multistrada did. Probably will but not yet.

For sale - original Nemo 2 chain oiler in original packaging and never used. No longer required. On Amazon is about 70 quid. First reasonable offer secures.

Riding Cheddar Gorge tomorrow morning followed by Christmas shopping and then home. Try and rack up another hundred miles. Only have 700 more to go:(

It's in Dubai airport or possibly Abu Dhabi. Last time I ate in the former I spent the last 6 hours of a flight from Dubai to Melbourne in the toilet. Not to be recommended.

So I've done another 100 miles or so on the Guzzi including going up Fish Hill on the A44. The more I ride it the more I like it. With it being lower than the Multistrada it seems to go into corners easier. The lights are way better than the Multistrada's. Having heated grips is a novelty for me and one I quickly got to like. The brakes are excellent and having an effective rear brake is a pleasant change. Not sure about the Pirelli Angel GT 2 tyres. A couple of times on the country roads there was a slight squiffle which I can't remember having with the PR6's. The Ohlins suspension is nice as well. So far so very good.

Very nice!

Surely must have been coincidence! At least that's something I'll avoid as I'd rather poke pins in my eyes than do my own spannering. Sad I know.