curlylegend

Not far off it. My well travelled friends tell me there like sparrows in Egypt. They're also the national bird of Israel.

We sometimes get these odd looking things in our garden. It's a Hoopoe !

I know of one French rider who led a small group motards on a tour of Scotland. They'd heard such bad reports of riding through England that they decided to cross into Ireland and ride into the North to cross into Scotland at Cairnryan. They all agreed that they had some of the most spectacular rides in their lives. But sadly they were heavily outweighed by the effects of typical Scotch weather. They'd went in June but at times some of them were on the verge of hypothermia. Other times violent winds forced them to a halt. Unexplained road closures meant long detours which were poorly sign posted. These were experienced motorcyclists who'd toured extensively on the continent, but they all said "Never Again !" They did say that the hospitality was first class and the food was much better than they expected. But not a single one of their hosts were Scotch ? Mostly English and a Polish couple.

Christ, I keep forgetting, I'm an elderly parent !

I wonder if as many Spanish Motorcyclist come to the Untied Kingdom as British riders go to Spain ? Maybe the regulars on the Portsmouth to Santander ferries could enlighten me ?

In France they just shoot you. Unless you're French.

Droll in the extreme, sadly missed. I'm sure it was Chic Murray who told us that a horse went into a bar and the barman asked "Why the long face ?"

Or Chick Murray....

Not really, had a rather cool and wet spring. Hence the rivers are all very full. Just now, temperature's heading for high 20's but very comfortable. Despite Greta the Goblin's hysterical threats, it's not going to be a rerun of "The Day the Earth Caught Fire " !

Today, a 300km run along the levees of the Loire. I'm trying to cross every bridge over the Loire, even the ferries count. A bit like Munro bagging I suppose, but I got fed up with the midgies and the rain at that caper. This is much better. This is the Loire at Anger. You can see just how high it is. Obviously Climate Catastrophie ! A rather elegant wee But 'n Ben on the riverside . I'l bet they're hoping that there's no more rain ! My trusty old Yamaha TDM 850, now officially a " Moto de Collection" and exempt from any ULEZ crap....at least here ?

It sure is. I used to spend quite a lot of time there usually just after the Scottish Six Day Trial in May. Here's some photos from the campsite at Barrisdale Bothy No, we're not getting tossed out of the Old Forge Pub in Inverie, we're leaving because back then it was such a midden !

F*cking parasites !

That's nice. I hope you'll both be very happy together.

But are you not a notorious speed fiend ?

Can you appeal ?

There was a young woman on You Tube recently showing us the longest dead end road in the UK. It is apparently in Scotland and goes from Glengarry and ends up at Kinloch Hourn and it's 35 km long. Pretty scenic...if it's not raining/sleeting/snowing. The thing is, it's not actually a dead end road if you have the right kind of bike and a degree of foolhardiness. In 1980, a friend and myself set off on a pair of Honda 185 SL trail bikes. We never stopped at Kinloch Hourn, there was absolutely nothing there in those days, but tackled the rough foot path leading into the fastness of Knoydart. After 25 km or so of pretty strenuous riding/ walking/pulling we reached the midden of Inverie . Apparently it's been well gentrified nowadays so it might be doubtful whether fossil fuel burning infidels would be welcomed. There's a photo of the ferry we took to get us to the metropolis of Mallaig. This is the path to Knoydart This was Kinloch Hourn in 1980

Never believe ANYTHING the BBC tells you !

Sensible ! get a dose of gravel rash on the palms of your hands and you know all about it !

I had a friend from Shetland who used to catch and eat them. He regarded them as a bit of a delicacy, shudder to think what else he ate. Said they were forced to stop a long time ago.

Anybody ever eaten one ?

Personally I prefer very thin leather gloves but in France the law says you have to wear gloves and they must be CE approved and labelled.

Apparently the Met.Office has just announced that the UK has had the warmest Spring since records started being kept. And it's because of global warming ! I think they're talking out their arses !

I always have the feeling that using a phone for everything is a bit like putting all your eggs in one basket.

Am I missing something ? Is eating alone such a problem for some people ? It's a thing I've never been aware of. When I was younger and could afford it I often preferred my meal served in my room. Especially breakfast, so that I could start the day without having to listen to stories of just how drunk someone got the night before, and wasn't it such a larff !!

Oh, come on ! We need more than that !