Steve_M

I recall that Varna Rd was the main place to find old doors. It may have changed as I moved out of Brum some years ago (and I was too young to actually make use of that information).

Finally found how to access videos on the wildlife camera. Unfortunately won’t load here as it’s a .AVI file. So I’ve put it on YouTube Badger

I’ve done a couple of Tom’s courses. Mad as a box of frogs, but knows his bike stuff.

Tom of i2i is a straight up guy. I’d go with his opinion, too.

Lime plastering done, so continuing making a stepped path down through the garden and staking the trees we planted last week. I know how to have fun.

The Fundenhall Rd in Norfolk is known as “cowpat alley”.

Agreed. Officious? That’ll be the traffic wardens then (I hasten to add that, as yet, most encounters I’ve had with traffic wardens have been ok).

The article suggests a minute.

Even idling while astride it is illegal. My question is less the concern about the bike getting stolen than the rider getting nicked.

before riding off? During an spare moment I remembered that a U.K. law was introduced recently where you could be fined if you leave your engine idling on a public road (definition, anywhere the pubic has access - that includes your ungated drive). So, leaving your bike running to warm up the engine, attended or not, would leave you open to a fine. https://www.confused.com/on-the-road/driving-law/fines-for-idling Is the ritual of warming an engine a hangover from old engines? I usually start the engine, put my gloves on and ride at low revs for the first couple of hundred yards.

Today I will be mostly lime plastering, finishing coats, a wall. But first comes essential journeys...

I saw a headline that, due to COVID, the four day week will now become more common. Would you have to change that to “I still like Thursdays “? My good lady changed her employment contract to work “10 days in 9”... the original contract being for 35hr weeks (yea, right, she was doing more like 50hr weeks) it changed to doing 70hrs in 9 days (what actually happened was she did the same number of hours per day but took every second Friday off ). It worked really well for her.

I’ve just ridden into Carlisle and back (essential travel ). Living in a “tourist” hotspot in the sticks you can guarantee there’s shite all over the road, and walkers, and cyclists, and motor homes with drivers who can’t judge the width of their vehicle ‘cos they drive it once a year mostly on motorways (pause for breath), and bikers and drivers who cut RH bends taking a “racing line”, and farmers with their tractors and horse boxes, and herding sheep down the road.

Absolutely. On track, where best lap times are the target. Saving 0.1 second per bend on the road is pretty pointless in my view. I’m generally of the “brake in a straight line, get your speed for the bend before turning in, slow in, faster out” opinion*. There is a place for going into a bend on a closed throttle - some tight downhill bends in the Alps spring to mind. I have experimented with trail braking on the road after watching the Bret Tkacs video on the subject and I felt no clear advantage. * and if you’ve misjudged it then you have some leeway for speed adjustment.

I’ll probably WhatsApp with one Norfolk nutter this weekend, too (my son lives in Aylsham).

Thanks for the advice. We’ll try that when we’re ready. It’s a one and half acre field with a (dead end and rarely used) public footpath in the adjacent field. The nearest house is at least 200m away from the field boundary. They’d be more bother to the neighbour’s cows and sheep

We’ll be creating a wildflower meadow in our field and would be happy to have a beekeeper plonk some beehives in there. Shame you’re not nearer...

Good evening. We’ve been busy building steps in the garden. I’m knackered and currently building up the energy to grab a beer from the cupboard immediately behind where I’m sitting.

Very poor positioning for IAM trained. And it didn’t look like he was riding a BMW RT so that makes it most unlikely.

I took it to a foam party. I haven’t got/had time to wash it thoroughly so a quick snow foam and rinse off will have to do for now.

Twitter is toxic. Run! The rider did well to react, the coach driver was a nob. The rider would have been slightly better placed to deal with the situation if his positioning had been more Roadcraft influenced, perhaps....

Apart from the occasional beer or single malt, my Glaswegian son in law only drinks full fat Irn Bru. I’m surprised he still has his own teeth.

Ah, I detected a hint of government media room (or was it Irn Bru?).

Nice. Orange, though?