Thanks for all the good wishes. A certain joie de vivre comes with finding out life is fragile. I found it a bit sobering to think that I could have karked it and left my wife with the job of getting rid of 3 sheds and a cowshed full of my stuff to get rid of. My trouble is, I'm a hoarder. All the s...

I met some russian bike Packers once who were chewing freshly ground coffee with sugar then swilling it down with a shot of vodka! I quite liked it but it gave my cousin a panic attack... I'm not sure the quality of the grind was greatly appreciated mind.. If I come across any, I'll always buy some...

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Tue May 19, 2020 10:36 pm (were you tested for CV19? - blood clotting is a known symptom)

I've had CV-19 test. Negative so that's OK. I should be let out tomorrow.

Thanks Stu. It may not be too bad - look at Pickers - he's riding again. I might just have t be a bit more selective about which way round I tackle the hills.

I might have to suspend my 2020 BAM campaign 'coz I've just had a heart attack. THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. Im going to write to my MP. Hmpff! To be fair, it's not the clutching at your chest, gasping for air, going blue kind of heart attack. Just a fever, a nagging flu-like ache across the sho...

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Sun May 17, 2020 6:27 pm It's very true that when time restraints are tighter, productivity appears to increase.

True. The job that’s left until the last minute, only takes a minute to do.

Less than cheery here Yesterdays overnight frost has taken all the tops off my potatoes and done for most of the sweetcorn

I couldn't keep warm without an underquilt. In the summer I use a modified cloud-cover. In winter, a UKHammocks underquilt. If I’m unsure if I’ll find the right trees to hang in, I’ll take a sleeping mat to use instead. Going without under-insulation of either kind is not an option.

My WRT-alike day 2 bivvy was in the corner of one of my own fields. Technically, it was OK for me to ride (36 miles) and sleep in a field. But how is that different from someone else doing it? Or me doing it and sleeping in a different field? Apart from feeling guilty, that is..

When you get it I personally believe the comfort of a hammock dispels all the less positive aspects (extra weight, bulk, faff etc) compared to the ground. It's guaranteed to make me smile. Ground's fine and I think lighter, easier and simpler (tho not without faff sometimes) but it just isn't the j...

mfezela wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2020 8:32 pm
Try parboiling them at home first. Partly cooked they're no heavier than raw.

A good idea. It would save on fuel too. I'd have to be a bit careful how I carried them though - thinking they might turn into par-mash.

I've just done 86 miles on my fake WRT and the furthest I've been from home is just over 8 miles (as the crow flies). Talk about going around in circles..

WRT weekend double BAM. A Road to Nowhere. 5/5. Pic heavy, sorry. Two nights bivvying at home. Day 1, in true WRT tradition, The weigh in.... https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49878846061_186eff5728.jpg Left home after lunch of - a bacon butty of course. Then riding.. https://live.staticflickr.com...

Fond memories of hooning round the fields on a 5 speed SS50 ... if ever she wants to sell it Lu. 'S only got 4 gears. I had a fire in the (cow) shed that it lived in and it's got a bit of heat damage at the front end. Melted the headlamp shell, fork Gaiters and front tyre The fire did for my first ...

Motorbike graveyard in the back corner of the shed https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49833979848_b2f6252bbc.jpg 1954 Velocette MAC - my sons 199* Honda CBR RR Gul Arm (whatever that is) - other sons 1976 Honda SS50 - My daughters 1957 BSA C12 - Mine Last but not least, in another shed:- From 1972 ...

Got the gardening jobs out of the way then this:- https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49814756822_7728e79ec2.jpg I am jealous of your lovely garden! Thanks You wouldn’t be quite so jealous if you had to look after it. I begrudge every moment I have to spend keeping it. And the veg plot. Why do I do...

Maybe we could have an Eroica camp out where participants must use their oldest tent, a Primus pump action petrol stove, Trangia pan set etc Good Idea. I was searching (one of) my sheds the other day and came across my old Primus 96 paraffin stove. The pump washer was shot but I made a new one. Hey...

Our swallows have been back for two weeks now. They've started nesting. My ride this evening was the closest I’ve ever felt to inhabiting a Mint Sauce strip. Huge bees bumbling about, butterflies, birdsong, a carpet of bluebells, deer all over the place, squirrels scampering past my wheels and the l...

Got the gardening jobs out of the way then this:-


...all afternoon. Not all good though. The smell of the blossom was overpowering and the bees kept up this infernal humming. And I had no beers.

TBH, done the garden twice now I’ll be sleeping in my bivvy bag in the garden tonight for the third time in April. The first was a garden BAM. Last night was to watch the Lyrid meteor shower. Waited and waited ‘til I fell asleep. Saw .... none. Going to try again tonight. Looking on the bright side...

Cheeky Monkey wrote: ↑Sat Apr 18, 2020 3:53 pmnocarnognarnotfar rides

A perfect description of an ideal CV-19 acceptable bike ride. I like words and if I’d coined a phrase/word like that, I’d be very proud of myself.

Lunch....



Well, you have to get your fun when you find it,

I'd brought the rest of the ingredients with me - onions, butter, a potato, soured cream and a chicken stock cube. Is than lot required to make sure you cant taste the nettles :wink: I s'pose it’s a bit like stone soup - you can make a soup out of a stone, as long as you add some vegetables and mea...

April (garden) BAM 4/4 For the bivvy-in-the garden I packed the bike as if I were going for the real thing... https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49777443648_7acf2e1a75.jpg ...then made a ten mile round trip to the doctors to drop off prescription repeat requests before landing back at home. I thoug...

I think the deal is that if you do bivvy out, or go on longer than necessary bike rides etc etc that you don’t post it on Strava or Facebook or here, the risk to your health or others health is probably tiny, but....... The more people post stuff about their ventures the more “acceptable” it is see...