Steve_M

Surely the whole point of the modern world, with a vast array of offerings, is that we can cherry pick. I choose to use a map to identify a suitable route, Google street view to check features of the route, and input it into the satnav to act as my guide giving directions. It also means the map can be my backup. I have a phone with a camera but actually use a camera for photos when I’m on holiday, though I may use my phone if I want to send an image to family or friends immediately. I could look at those photos on my technology devices, but I also have hard copy photo albums and framed pictures scattered around the house. I have a kindle which I use for reading, but I also have paper books and magazines (my son tells me that kindles are the devil’s spawn and proper paper books are the only true medium. Luddite!). As the thread title said, “Too many gadgets”...

Steady on. They didn’t have motorbikes in the Bronze Age.

Good morning.

I’d assume so, though, from memory, the random number generator (COBOL in my day ) was not entirely random. If I am pregnant, I’ll want a good agent. It would be worth a mint!

I concur. satnav goes tits up? I’d use a non-digital, processed woodpulp, with ink and waterproof membrane, backup. Just like we did before satnavs.

My interest in Japanese culture always resulted in bruising and exhaustion. I do regret having to decline my invitation to compete in the world masters (master = old gits) event in Japan. Bad timing. I was still recovering from the financial impact of my divorce ...

Good evening. That’s my civic duty done for the day...

My mum listens to Smooth FM... she’s 91!

Same here. I only listen to the radio when I’m doing something in the barn, though. Turning over does have the benefit that I occasionally forget to turn back and end up listening to a play, or some classical music documentary. Or Woman’s hour (1/3 of its audience is men ) which I enjoy.

Ditto. I would have liked to complete the survey. Just to provide balance. The old marketing thing of “if you do a bad thing people will tell three other people, if you do a good thing, they tell one other”, springs to mind. I enjoy much of the BBC’s output. Their radio content* in particular, which people tend to forget when criticising them. *I make exception for Jeremy Vine who, please, someone, get rid of him.

We had four cats for a while. They have gone, one by one, each having a good innings - I think this one is the shortest lived. The others I was moderately upset by, but losing this one has really affected me. Probably because this is the one we got when my good lady and I moved in together.

It’s a bit of a sad day for us today. Our 19yr old cat had to be euthanised after a long period of decline. Had you told me 19yrs ago how upset and emotional I would be over a cat I’d have laughed. Yet, here I am, looking over at “his” chair and missing him already. Silly old sod!

I wondered about that so did some digging. The definition of a public highway, it seems, is not necessarily a road maintained by the public purse. A supermarket car park, for example, may also be considered a public highway. As far as I can establish, it’s any road that has public access. This is a little concerning since it means that I should wear a crash helmet to ride down our drive (which, of course, I do every time, officer).

Booking.com is your friend... We book ferries for the start and end of our tour, decide roughly where we’d like to go and that’s overall planning done. We stop for coffee around 4pm each day and estimate where we’ll be after another hour’s riding. My good lady uses booking.com to find suitable accommodation in the vicinity of our expected location. We then check weather forecasts etc. on the evening and then plot a route covering around 7hrs riding for the next day. Not that we expect to ride for that long, but we’ve found it better to not run out of route before you need accommodation. The only constraint, then, is making sure that you get to your return ferry in time. It works for us.

Not sure how old your son is, but mine as a teen used to provide biblical food... Burnt offerings.

Thanks for the info’. It confirms our decision not to have a funeral to be right for us.

We’ve decided not to have funerals. We’re each having a simple cremation*. Then the family, if they choose, can just have a gathering to celebrate their inheritance. If they do then I insist that they play Get Down, Get With It by Slade. Volume set to 11. If that doesn’t break the morbidity of the occasion, nothing will... *nicked the idea from David Bowie, and my good lady’s ex-husband. Play it. Loud.

Thanks for the link. Interesting. “Trial by media”? Now we have trial by social media.

The nearest I’ve got to organised tours is a couple of long weekends in Wales with the IAM group I was a member of at the time, and one organised by a work colleague for him and his mates to go to Andorra. Each were pretty relaxed. Based at one hotel, you could join in the day’s ride or go your own way, meeting up at the hotel in the evening. That worked pretty well. From an individual’s point of view you had freedom, but not those evenings on your own. One point of note was that there was some friction on occasion with personality clashes, and differences of opinion on routes, refuelling needs, rest points and pace. I’m more than happy in my own company, but with my good lady on pillion, self-organised tours suit us well.

Installing insulation in isolation this week. Oh, I know how to have fun.

I certainly wouldn’t bother with riding across it again, but it’s an impressive sight from the Gorge du Tarn, which is a delightful road. I’d like to go back and explore that area more sometime.

We rode through the Mont Blanc tunnel a couple of years ago. Tedious, or what? Marked down as “been there done that, where’s my tee shirt”? A friend reminded me of this after we’d done it, thankfully. Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire

Route des Grand Alps South, Route Napoleon North, Swiss alpine passes, Austria - Grossglockner.

Top tip. Thank you.

We have some white stuff on the ground here. I think I’ll give the planned stroll a miss.