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Well the snow actually went away a few days ago and this sprung up on the lawn so I thought I would give the camera a whirl.

Well I had planned to get up early (ish) and ride my default or "go to" round trip, the one I like, and ride when I can't be arsed to plan anything properly. As it happened I didn't manage to drag my sorry carcass out of my pit untill nearly 11, so by the time I'd got my eyes lined up with their holes it was lunch time and my "go to" ride was no longer doable comfortably in the time remaining before curfew as its pretty much a 5 Hour ride... So, I concocted this one 250 odd km, and using the village of Chevroches ( literally "goat rocks" ) as the southern point and sticking to the more minor roads. Lovely spring day, nearly 20 degrees and a high thin layer of cloud just to stop the sun being too bright. No leaves on the trees yet so not really spring, just felt like it. one of the numerous memorials to resistance fighters on the roadside in this part of France. I think I've posted this one before but it would have been a looong time ago so you won't remember ?. notice that the distinction is made between " Tués" ( killed) and " Fussillés" ( shot). Tué, means killed during a fight or in action. Fusillés means lined up and shot. the woodlands: I'm quote proud of this one, not good at panoramic shots usually, but the light was good and I think i pulled it off... This is Chevroches, a small medieval village just south of Clamecy, I wanted to stop and have a look here because I might be running some boats from here later this season if the Local mayor can pull his finger out. more woodland on the way home "Good evening Lemmings" Yeah, the curfew won't stop the french going on holiday ( Paris-ite school hols this week) but it means they are ALL on the road between 6am and 6 pm. Auxerre is where the 6 lane autoroute becomes 4 lanes which is always fun when its busy.

I thought I would fit my Altrider bash plate today. I had everything set up. Attempted to give myself a hernia moving the bike ramp more to the centre of the garage to give more room around the front of the bike and then on attempt number 5 managed to get the XT onto it with a shorter run up than usual. Had the music on, a cup of tea, really good paper instructions and I'd watched the installation video which is most excellent. I was all set. Firstly. off came the plastic excuse for a bash plate, then the two alloy brackets that it mounts to, all going well, tea only halfway down, bagged the bits and labelled them. Then the next task was to remove the two allen bolts holding the side stand bracket on. I started hopefully with a ratchet and and allen bit socket. Hmmmm, that seems a bit tight. Switched to a 3/8 breaker bar. More hmmmmming, the breaker bar was starting to curve a little and a small vein was showing on my forehead I reckon. The I got out that impact driver, the really cheap one I got in my teens, at a market probably. Much kerbangingin time to the music but nothing is moving. Time for the next stage, Roxette by Dr Feelgood came on just as I plugged in my B&Q electric paint stripper and gave one of the bolts a going over for about 30 seconds, back in with the impact driver and club hammer, nothing. Then a full minute of heat gun and tried again, it started to move thank god. A minute on the other one and that started to move. At one point I though the bike would rotate the opposite way if I put any more force into my hammer. Removed the two bolts and bagged them when they were cool. Side stand now only supported by the electrical connection, so I found something for it lay on and switched sides to the exhaust hanger bolts that needed to come out. Tea now drunk, Nightboat to Cairo by Madness is playing, love that song. A 10mm bolt about 4 inches long and a smaller 8mm bolt came out with no arguments. Time to start fitting the first bash plate bracket bolts in their place. I found the two replacement bolts which are slightly longer to allow for the thickness of the brackets. The larger one goes in and I start to turn it, but it doesn't feel right. I always put bolts in by hand so as not to wreck a thread and it wouldn't even start. I took it back out and compared it to the Yamaha original. I'm no thread expert and I have middle aged eyes these days but the pitch looked closer together on the original bolt. Bad picture below, the grubby one is obviously the original bolt. I found a nut that would run down the Altrider bolt, it wouldn't go near the Yamaha one. Anyway, out came the plastic bags and I refitted everything. I've emailed the manufacturer for advice. Worst case scenario, I buy my own bolt, but I could have wrecked the thread on the bike if I'd gone in gung ho with a ratchet.

Had a tax reminder for the XR this morning and i noticed it says on it "This vehicle needs an appropriate MOT certificate" when i checks it was right it runs out tomorrow, fucking great a valid excuse to ride the bike i thinks, so phones the place i take it hoping because its raining he'll have a cancellation and fit me in. Sure enough he had three cancellations, i thank god for pansies as gets my riding gear on and off i go straight up the Rhondda Valley a horrible place to drive or ride through even in lockdown the traffic is busy. All goes well with the MOT and its a gentle ride home along quieter more relaxing roads like this As Pete says riding is like groundhog day at the moment its the same here but i'm glad of it and stop at Miriam's bench again to look at the world below only for 10 minutes as Gale is blowing again LOL Here's a short vid of the surrounding area you probably seen it before but here it is again lots of water running down the track today and the wind made it difficult to stay on my line When i get to the bottom i see a sign saying the track has a TRO on it so i shouldn't have ridden it. The TRO is so repairs can be made to the track because this Is doing this So even my groundhog route is being eroded away. It was home on the road from only a short ride but a welcomed release.

OH STOP YOUR CRYING..... I saw the weather you're riding in, just hush......

I was leaving Texas and heading to New Mexico where it was snowing.

I was a trainee in the Main Drainage team for 6 months. I am a bit claustrophobic and I asked to go down one to try and convince myself it was just a passing phase. Not a problem they said, I went to our supply depot and was issued with a yellow rubber immersion suit, super long white socks and thigh length rubber waders (when we still had such things, nowadays you have to find your own stuff and order it yourself). I'll bet the thought of me in that lot is getting you all going. Actually at the manhole I was given a hard hat with head lamp and a belt with a battery pack which gets in the way all the time. They didn't want the suit or waders back for some reason after I came back up and was hosed down to remove the clinging turds?

It’s made out of American steel, not Chinese tin and plastic.

So today's the only opportunity I'll have.....to go nowhere!

......and yes, still no place to go! Well apart from the same roads within the perimeter of the town! Even worse, it was 22C here today as well......abandoned railway station and abandoned village conditions really. However, I did find one derelict building on the way out......so that cheered me up a bit! Because after all, we all need our fix of devastation to lighten our mood!

I've matured, these days I would send someone else. Of course, nowadays I wouldn't be allowed down, no confined spaces certificate. Just remembered, I went down the Crossrail working shaft at Blackwall a few years back. An excavation so big and deep it was like a James Bond villain's lair. Another chance to carry an oxygen mask and bottle I wouldn't know how to use and with a metal token around my neck taken from a peg board so they know how many people are down there and that they have all come back at the end of the shift. Apparently they thought they had lost someone once, but he had gone home from the Whitechapel Station end of the tunnelling and forgotten to let them know.

They covered over this road with dirt in PA. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/graffiti-highway-closing-trnd/index.html Thats Tammy up ahead on her Africa Twin.

cockpit pics taken today, all special like.

I searched for pictures to give a better idea. This is one being built, possibly a little larger than the one I went through. Water and err.... slurry was about 8 brick courses up from the bottom. Notice the upside down egg shape. That makes them self cleaning because the water flows more quickly and keeps the err sludge from settling too easily.

Last night I had a standing rib roast in an aus jus reduction with garlic mashed potato at the Shaggy Sheep in Grant, Colorado. $3 ice cold Stellas, too. So tender the meat fell apart with a fork, no knife needed. Excellent.

At least you can get out, your route could change if you had some less gay rubber on those wheels i see lots of dirt roads you could explore in those photos

Bolts? Unable to advise! Feelgood? I advise some Lee Brilleaux....

Not down there. I once walked the Victorian sewer that runs under The Highway in Wapping. It was small so that you had to waddle along with your hands against the sides so you didn't fall into the grim contents. You have to waddle through water, wall to wall turds and toilet paper. The stench when they opened up the manhole covers to vent the sewer is appalling. I was told that my nose would switch off when I got down there and they were correct, quite amazing.

You wouldnt believe the mound of dirt that GTR made it over to be there.

You have a long history of shitting yourself over stuff.

I knew you'd be the expert on men in public lavatories Yen!

I had a colleague who claimed that he was inside the concrete walls of a flyover in Barking when they were due to fill it full of wet pour concrete without realising he was there. He obviously made it out alive though. This is him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoxton_Tom_McCourt definitely one of life's characters, first person I sat next to at the council, I never understood one word in 10 most of the time. Years later when he had risen through the ranks his P.A.s struggled when he dictated letters and when they brought out MS Office that could type what you said it failed miserably. I used to have to collect/put back traffic counting machines from a basement room with a steel door about 18 inches thick. I was paranoid about the door accidentally shutting on a Friday afternoon and being stuck there all weekend.

The sky was grey and cold but Charlotte needed her first fuel stop so off we went. Where I live all the signs are also in the local native language. Very difficult to pronounce. Here we are at our friendly local gas station. It is so friendly the locals grab a little kiss before fueling up. ? Now my turn, Charlotte is a thirsty girl. Now off to the bike shop for some chain lube. But first I really have to pee, it's the cold I swear. This is my serious I have to pee face, just in case you wanted to know. ? Well the stupid bike shop was closed....man, sometimes this place is so annoying, but hey look at that cool truck. Time to head home, but let's take the long way. ? Well that wasn't the most exciting ride report, but it was a fun ride, just too short and too cold. I recorded a little video, but my CB is so quiet you can hardly hear her. This is a road just near my house, one of my favorites.

No, never had a camera with me, I wasn't meant to be going, got dragged along at the last minute. It was weird. At the bottom of this deep giant cylindrical hole was a tube tunnel going away for ever in one direction (to the west) but only going for 10 metres in the opposite direction. Up top hundreds of pre-formed quarter circles to line the tunnel were laid out in the order to be used. There was railway track laid, but this was for construction traffic, it would all be ripped up for the permanent way to be laid near the end of works. There was a huge gantry across the top of the open hole with cranes and things hanging off it and every time it was going to move a siren would go off, as I said earlier, like a scene at the end of a James Bond film in the villain's lair. They did say if I came back for a second visit I could travel on one of the construction trains, but it would mean not getting back for about 5 hours as you have to leave at the same point you entered.

Are you kidding Bob on those gay tyres

Have you any interest in fishing Pete ? That looks like heaven to me, ride down that track to the lake, carry a light telescopic spinning rod and some lures with you and Bob's your uncle

strewth i have bought new bikes for less in the past

I’m expecting a call from National Geographic at any moment.

Sorry about the photographer talk.... In the soft diffuse light on a cloudy day the highlights and shadows are nicely balanced. Colours will also appear more rich in vibrance. Still nothing...... Ok, how about this......Your bike looks awesome dude! ?

Using two tabs on the browser Chris? Are you no longer a Luddite?

Looks like some great riding, and the bike looks really nice in that light. ?

Nope, only in very general terms, not my specialist subject I'm afraid. I did a lot of research into the Somme offensives of the 1st war prior to going there a couple of years ago, and a lot more into the resistance, specifically in Burgundy as I can easily access local records and have been able to speak to people who were actually there and involved... no longer alas, as those alive today would have been old enough to even run messages for the resistance in 1940 would be well into their 90's today and those old enough to bear arms have all gone. The last person I spoke to who actually remembered the occupation from when she was a young girl was the wife's grandmother, who died " years ago at the age of 98. I still want to visit the Normandy sites butthey're too far from me for me to actually get involved with.

Yes, wherever there was extensive and organised resistance action, so more towards the end of the war, post D-Day like this one for july '44. the earlier dates are rarer though the resistance was officially organised from July 1940 following De Gaule's " Call to continue the combat" broadcast by the BBC from London on the 18th June 1940. Date still commemorated by the French every year. "L'appel du 18 juin". i could bore the socks off you with this, it's my pet subject... Had Churchill's " we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets..." actually come to pass, we would probably see similar in the uk today. Many think that that speech by Churchill was at least partly aimed at encouraging the french resistance and persuading them to actually do this and that we should do the same.

Imagine half squatting down with your hands pressed against the ceiling for balance, the water was about half an inch below my small but perfectly formed arse. I was advised that if I got cramp I was just to sit down in the slop. 'Will my waterproof suit keep it on the outside?' I asked. 'No, but the cramp will ease', they answered.

good work if you can get it

I hope they paid you time and a turd Yen?

Dirt?

Has to be the most popular girl in the UK everyone seems to blow her.

She’s a bitch always blowing her top.?

Doesn’t look very promising here blowing a Gale overcast looks like rain, I’m staying in the dry.

I don’t worry about crossing bridges until I get to them but experience tells me I wouldn’t have an issue, it’s all about technique.

Pete, it’s not about weight, it is about balance a centre of gravity, my bike carries its weight low down so it is no issue to move around.

That's a real shame Fred, get over here when you can and we'll do some classic Cotswolds lanes.

There's a hell of a lot of locals riding them and fucking it up for everyone at the moment, it's very hot around here so i'm even more pissed off because I've got to stay away from them. Blackmill moor is particularly sensitive seen lots of reports of farmers joining together to catch people and police out with drones because some dopy bastards taped off a track up there and organised some charity ride event up there without permission. The other problem is lockdown, there are so many people walking where we ride now the complaints have gone up about people being antisocial on bikes its getting beyond Bob

Absolutely none Bob! I don't even like eating fish let alone catching them!

It is the same weight as it is now, about 360kg wet. The weight didn’t change when I shipped it to Scotland. That bike on left is the first prototype electric Harley Davidson by the way.

No......just unstable!