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No, you wouldn't find that in a supermarket, only on a good fish monger, and I wouldn't know how to cook them properly. However, I see you saved that as something which has interested you, which means I've saved a soul

Hmmmmmmm, watch out Pedro because they're moving the champions league final from Istanbul to Porto, soon you'll have Man City and Chelsea supporters invading you

First of all, I like the 'Urr? ' Lol The top one has too many wires , the bottom one with two wires looks more favourable. If you can find that connector and it turns out to be a switched-live (only shows a reading when the ignition is on ) then that could be a good one to use.

I saw that one too! didn't know wether to laugh or cry

Black gear in the sunshine isn’t my favourite. Got a grey jacket which is just right for hiding the dirt and not absorbing the heat but ended up with black trousers because one pair was hands down the best on comfort and fit. When the sunshines beating down on them the temp difference between the black trousers and the grey jacket is surprising. Really want a good quality touring jacket but went to helmet city and the best fitting jacket was a cheap LS2 so far nothing I’ve tried comes close to it, reckon fit is far more important to good functioning than any of the other bells n whistles. Still want the really badly fitting Klim one though

No1 decided she'd teach No's 2a & 2b to make banana pancakes but they needed to go shopping first. I profited from their absence to bugger off out of it whilst they weren't looking! Weather still very unstable with some big storm cells moving north and east. I rode out east through Chablis but before getting far got a text from Madame Moon saying that Vermenton ( south and west of me) had just been hit by a big thunder and lightening storm and some really heavy rain. I looked over that way, behind me, to this " Oh Poo" said Tigger, and turned and fled north, in an attempt to outrun the front and turn round the north end of it's leading edge thus avoiding the worst of the rain. I had to run a fair way north and east before turning back west and nipping under the very northern edge of the front. this is looking at it from the other side, so looking east once I'd passed under it's northern edge and come out the other side. plenty of lightening ( which I obviously wasn't capable of getting a pic of) and once stopped I could clearly hear the thunder, despite idling engine, helmet and earplugs. Once out the other side, it turned out quite pleasant again and whilst wending our merry way homewards Tigger got to meet Piglets, though I think he found him a bit of a boar...

I was out a few weeks ago with Dipper, and was due to go out last sunday but was not well.

Don't do it like me: I load beer, wine and canned goods, which are very heavy, all on one sidecase. I then load fruit, vegetables and bread, which is very light, all on the other sidecase. I then get surprised when I get home and the bike tries to topple onto me while maneuvering inside my own garage It didn't fall down, though, but did catch me by surprise

Blimey Sir Fallsalot thats great Thankyou very much. This has been a learning curve! I’m feeling a lot less fearful of bike electrics now looking at the wiring diagrams (which is something I’d definitely normally avoid), it’s demystified things a lot

Can't imagine a belt would last long in gravel and sand, but could be wrong.

I've always loved the intro to that

Something more stupid than people needing to go to a bar and drink in a group? Easy enough to find: football fans celebrating Sporting's Portuguese league win a couple of days ago:

Used to keep pigs to feed the off milk to, great creatures, reared Wild boar only once.. they are proper evil or perhaps just Wild.. the names a bit of a giveaway

Talk this morn of the Indian variant growing in numbers because we let loads back in without quarantining. Shit we're good at this.

Those look small, though. I once drove next to a big one running at full speed on an open field, slowed the car to his speed and guessed he was doing between 50 to 60kmh of sustained speed, after a minute he turned to the road and I accelerated, but still remember he was impressively fast. Like the storm pictures, too...

My weighing scales will beg to differ

It's a hilltop cafe, his breathing isn't that good with his pig snout so he would probably collapse.

Really ? have come you're whinging about how poorly you are then ?

bloody right! pure evil on legs they are!

I’ll stick to the car for shopping, with the sort of riding I do the milk will end up as butter

This is the max I´ve carried from the Supermarket on both panniers, not including the fan

Fitting it on a fairing would make for a lot cleaner installation, no wires out and flapping, and just a neat little round plug. Also, you wouldn't be pulling the wires of the chargers with every right turn of the handlebars, which makes for a longer wire than you need for the straights flapping about at higher speeds. My bike has a usb port next to the instruments and I use it to charge my mobile which is on the handlebars, I don't like it as you have the plug in a fixed location and the device moving about with the steering. For niceness, either have the plug and device both fixed with the bike, or both moving together, or maybe I'm just over complicating it. I know that on my previous bike I had a tank bag and a fixed plug, and it all worked better.

That'd be a bloody close run thing in this house I've had a bike since I was 16 and was a pillion "Biker" behind older mates well before that. I've only had the wife since the age of 27 and the kids since the ages of 31 and 36, so if seniority is a factor...

Day 3 started a little cold and foggy, but dryish. Just next to the hotel a shop selling souvenirs had lots of toy sheep of many sizes for sale and seeing I had lost my fluffy friend in the Douro, it was the perfect opportunity to get a new travel companion. Firmly attached to the luggage she got and off we went to ride one of the most spectacular roads in Portugal. I have fond memories of it, the N231, because many moons ago the Portuguese Triumph Owners Club to which I belonged used to gather around here once a year and I joined them a couple of times. It is my favourite type of road, not too small, not too big, good markings and many, many corners varying from relatively tight to swiping, fat bends easy to push a little more. Having a look at a doggy while waiting for take away sandwiches. In these remote and isolated hamlets, with aging population, its many times hard to get a vet to come. Serendipity helped in this case!! While I was looking at google maps and wondering where to go, Pedro went a few kms away to put fuel on my motorcycle, he came back half an hour later grinning from ear to ear, and you could hear the Speed Triple arrive half a minute before appearing, there must be something to riding a bike weighting less than a full cow´s weight! This road connects Serra da Estrela to Serra do Açor, a mountain smaller in size and height, but with as strong character and peppered with little historical villages where houses are entirely made of schist ( a kind of slate ), crisscrossed by little rivers creating enchanting spots with large overhanging trees and a quaint feeling all round. Epic!! A little bit of Britain in the Portuguese moutains! We were on our way to one of these little villages. Possibly the most famous, perched on the side of the mountain called Piodão and reminiscent of a crib because of the harmonious way in which its houses are arranged in the form of an amphitheatre. At night, when the village´s lights are turned on, this picture is particularly magnificent. It is known as the Nativity of Portugal because it looks like, from a distance, as if someone was carefully placing the little houses as one does with a Nativity. The distinctive feature of this mountain village with its narrow winding streets is schist, a stone found in great abundance in the region and used to build the houses and pavements, forming a large patch of uniform colour, interrupted by the vivid blue of the windows or doors of some houses. This note of dissonant colour owes its origin to a practical consideration, for it is said that the only shop in the village had nothing but blue paint to sell, and in view of the village´s isolation it was not easy for people to travel anywhere else. It has in fact been this isolation and the difficulties in travelling elsewhere that have helped to preserve many of the characteristics of this ancient village intact. None of us had ever visited Piodão and Pedro was unaware of its existence, so it was a lovely journey of discovery for both of us. It is a special place indeed and we were fortunate to see it without the mass tourism that normally is found here. It was time for lunch, so we had our daily pic-nic at the monument dedicated to my favorite poet, the doctor that we had encountered in the Douro, remember? It was extraordinarily special to seat there, read his words and enjoy the absolute peace of that spot. And eat a great cheese sandwich!! Onwards to the South!! Very moody weather stayed with us while we descended via nice roads, more adequate for Pedro´s proficient riding than my current state of affairs!! Specially distracting with all the beautiful scenery, it was hard to concentrate on the tarmac when the view, the smells, the feeling of adventure were all so enticing!! A quick stop at a big dam´s view point, mesmerized us how it was mirroring the sky with its heavy dark clouds. It was reminiscing of Scotland once again! From there we followed Pedro´s route, planned specifically to avoid main roads and we entered the forest roads that had good tarmac and it was fun to surprise the loggers loading lorries, definitely not expecting motorbikes to appear round the corner! It was time for coffee and we stopped at the most quirky of places that was a grocery store, cafe/snack-bar and a hardware store! It was like the old Far West all you can sell place!! We were most amused. On this window one can find from left to right: mirror, hair bush, nail clippers, horn, digital calculator, engine spark plugs, watches, electric tape, razor, stick-on hangers, cork screws and leather belt. We were about to cross the Portuguese psychological border that divides North and South of the Country, going over the Tagus River. The place where this crossing is done is a geological marvel and is called “Doors of the Tagus”. On a previous trip by myself I found a tower and chapel at the top of one of the sides of the mini canyon that squeezes the river before it enlarges to become the biggest river in POrtugal. Pedro was keen to see it, albeit worried with my physical tiredness, but I insisted and we climbed again, yet another smooth and ribbon like road. He was most happy to get there and the mighty GS rode over all the steps to the derelict tower! One of these days I will write something about this tower and chapel, its very interesting History, but I know I am very boring!! It was at this magical border we said goodbye to the stony landscape, the brutal rock faces, the harsh weather and difficult conditions that makes for tough people, harden by the environment. Now the land would go flat, undulating like a savanna, covered in cork tree oaks and large views ahead. Big, big skies awaited us and apart from the last 20 minutes of riding to the hotel, no more rain!! We stayed in one of Pedro´s favourite places, an old convent converted to be a hotel, full of charm and comfort. Like him, I think I fell in love with the place! Diner was at a typical local restaurant with a surprise for Pedro, that ate "brains" but it was actually just bread and kidney cooked in a way that looked like brain and came inside a whole bread pretending to be the skull. He was very disappointed with all the pretense and really wanted an Anibal Lecter moment I just had soup. i say soup, but its much more then the combination of its parts! There was garlic, salted cod, egg and bread, but this list is worked with a sprinkle of mgic to become simply delish!! Before bed a little extra!

what a beautiful country!! and, oh my! those roads!!!!

but to be expected at those prices

Some of the roads in this section surprised me, more fun than I thought, sadly the weather was a bit crap. I did like the little blast on the Speed Triple, though, feels tiny compared to the normal sized bike I ride.

It wont be safe to unlock people until there arnt any people. Dr.Darwin -}

You could be running out of people.

There is a certain frisson from reading some of it backwards. After all Gorge Lucas has made a good living out out of that!

That's finished reading the second part. Now to read part one, hope you make it to the beginning. I think you should write the history of the tower and chapel.

Latest Covid update! Looks a bit too energetic for me!

Well fuck @boboneleg 's bluebells and cherry blossoms - had about 9" of snow last night and today's sunrise was spectacular out here in the mountains. So I got out in the truck and shot a few piccies...

took these couple of years back on my travels ..... quite good photos i must say.

Lastly a couple of attempts at from the cockpit pic which failed so spectacularly it was abandoned (phone refused to focus off the gauges) so I got off the bike to take them. Wish Id cleaned my drop down sun visor before riding into this sunset, it was that fierce low sun, the sort that requires a retinal check up after facing The undulating fields at Ubley always tickle me, they look like the sort of place Hobbits should live.

and now for some proper nature .....................

French cherry trees to rival Bob's neighbours