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Got roped in to take my youngest riding this morning. Normally not my thing at all but sometimes you gotta do the Dad thing. Actually I quite enjoyed it although I will never admit it to her or I would be up the stables all the time and I just don’t have the time for it. Wish I did.

Left the church and carried on to the yard where my bike was parked, cut through the alley at the side of the nunnery art gallery and then went via Jebb Street. It was in this very street in May 1986 that I parked my CX500, removed my holed jeans, boots whilst hopping about on the pavement and put on trousers and shoes to go for my job interview in the town hall around the corner. The very pavement where the locals were treated to the sight of my infamous pants. Finally walked past the Bryant and May match factory, now a place for the well off to live behind big burly security guards. The old water tower had a missile battery placed on it during the Olympics, in case any bad men tried to fly a jet in to the games. They did it without telling the bloke who had the flat underneath, who was a journalist and splashed it all over the press. The factory was the site of one of the first industrial strikes, when the match girls came out over wages and conditions. Google 'Phossy Jaw' to see how bad they had it, but not just before your lunch. Finally, a bit of Buckster porn, Bow Bus Garage, the former tram shed.

Hairy Grave alert Got the back gate, the lawn runs on to the central reservation of the Bow Flyover, which runs over the Bow roundabout, which sits over the Bow underpass and the River Lea.

That's what horses do Pedro! And they enjoy that life! They're not looking for a comfy sofa and a Netflix subscription!

Milano

Truth be told, I was more worried about my balls than fingers and toes. I could live without fingers and toes. But all parts are where they were before I left so I'm in good shape.

Just got back from my first ride of the year. Been over 6 months since I last rode. Froze my ass off but it was worth it. Ride report coming soon ....

Rock and Roll baby

you can see she is enjoying it and loves the horse... next video , get her to video you riding it ... make sure its in a proper muddy field .

Horses love that......horse people love that! I speak from experience having been dragged round by one for years.

Nice signals for tourists, basically, you can choose between going left and going right, life is like a box of chocolates...

In 1311 lazy church goers had complained so much about trudging through the muddy and flooded fields to attend St Dunstan's church that they were granted a chapel of ease to attend instead on condition that they still attended St Dunstans' on religious holidays and paid for its upkeep. In 1327 King Edward III granted a piece of land 'in the middle of the King's Highway,' where the chapel was founded as daughter church to St Dunstan's. And in the middle of the road it still is, wedged between the two alternate sides of the A11 more commonly known as Bow Road, with the Bow flyover pushed up against the back of it. The road is 170 feet wide overall at this point. Despite working in the borough for 37 years, I have never been inside the gates. Today I thought, today's the day. I crossed the road over the cycle super highway for those cycling bastards I hate so much and took a picture through a gap in the fencing of the abandoned public toilets as I know Pete likes stuff like that, then a quick piccy up Gladstone's nose. I entered through the main gate, there are 4, but two are blocked by plant pots to stop parishioners running out across the road. I would like to say all was peaceful inside, but it wasn't the traffic was making a hell of a racket. I decided to see what was on the other side before trying to go inside. Spoiler, the door was locked, untrusting Prods, think you're gonna steal everything.....you don't get that with the Catholics.

oh come on ... you must tell tonight , before 9'oclock though cause im going to bed early

I was only messing with her mate, I didn't mind really. Up to your ankles in mud is part of rural life here and I suspect most places, now having the wrong shoes on in it could be a bit of a pisser

I still dunno mate, the weather is just that here, part of life as is the warmer stuff where you are. I enjoyed some quality time with my youngest, she spent some quality time with her horse and had a jumping lesson. And from what I could tell the horse had some fuss, love and attention. Got to tear around the riding school like a mad thing and had a good workout. Nothing horrible about any of it to my mind.

My custom ear plugs arrived today. I got them in yellow and black to match the natural discharge I'm sure we all have.

Wow, you’re on for a sixty-niner at the end of the month

How big is your organ @Buckster, I’ll bet it’s not as big as this one

As old as you want me to be sweetheart

Did you not get the standard Honda heated butt plug that comes with every Goldwing?

Cool buildings just going to waste ...

Swung by the soon to be a ghost town of Silver Plume. Bunch of crappy, empty old buildings and a multi-storey brick school that isn't used anymore. Nothing here ...

@Slowlycatchymonkey

He can't he's fallen over again.....

is that @Saul in the video having another fall ?

38 in August

If it was one of ours I could get it opened for a look, but being on a red route it's in TFL's hands. The one I did go down in petticoat Lane is being tarted up soon I heard. There's a fence around it at the moment.

I think we should have a section for bimble reports, found this interesting but it's really not worthy of a ride report, to me ride reports should be about more than just a few pictures of a location, but here you go anyway. Anyway, out for lunch at my favourite cafe for a burger, and I spotted an historic location on google maps right next a road I like going past. I had noticed the Portuguese flag marking the spot but never occurred to me to go see how to get there. Turns out it's Castro de Pragança, Pragança being the tiny place where it is. A Castro is something I can't really translate adequately but it's usually ruins of really old settlements or fortifications. After a little research this one was found in 1893, and dates back to end of the Neolithic. It was occupied or used through the Copper, Bronze and Iron Ages, and then used by Romans. It amazes me how I never noticed this, although to be fair you do have to look for it and once there you're free to roam around but there's nothing more than a few ruins of really old rocks marking where building used to be. Still found it interesting, and it's always cool to stand on something so old. From the top looking at the hill, you can see my usual road to return home after a coffee. And the Castro itself: The place, being empty, I felt tempted to ride up the gravel path right to the top. Fortunately I didn't because I would have felt like a proper twat now at home finding out I had trampled over a place with 3 to 4000 years. This was right after lunch, after riding up there and taking a little dirt road shortcut to make things interesting, then down and went on a little longer detour via some very typical farmlands. The culture this area is mostly known for is Pears, home of the Pera Rocha which is Portugal's most known kind of Pear. Pear trees don't really grow to his form naturally but they are repeatedly trimmed for easier fruit picking and more productivity, ending up with an odd sort of look to them, now in bloom: Weather was perfect, 14º up in the hill, 17 to 19º at the bottom, just perfect. Coming back home I noticed there's a lot more animals in the fields, taking advantage of green grass that's about to start turn dry in a few weeks. Plenty of horses grazing and running around, a few herds of sheep and goats with some very happy to be out guard dogs taking in the afternoon sun almost like they know it's going to be too hot in 2 months time. I took no more pictures because all the yellow and blue flowers waving in the breeze meant I was maybe about to have a little bit of an allergy attack. Stopped by the supermarket for fruit and vegetables, and indeed started getting watery eyes but just in time to arrive home.

This is what everyone in Portugal sees in their minds when you hear of a house in London. Love the old cemetery with the trees, feels like a time bubble inside a city that grew modern around it.

It's been well over 6 months since I last rode, but since I put new tires on the Wang, I thought I'd get it out for a short ride.

Just been messing on YouTube sorting some horse vids and came across this video of my old Chinky CG clone. I took this video for part of my for sale add and it shows the condition of the bike after 4 years and 12k miles of commuting. Just goes to show that Chinese stuff can last if it is looked after.

Farmlands north of Lisbon near the coast.

I dunno mate she was washed, brushed, fed, prepped and spent an hour in the riding school. Pretty much what they like.

71 in 6 months

Maybe not deep enough? Too much lube?

Maybe you haven’t inserted it properly, you should ask another Honda owner. Pete!

I didn't have many teeth back then either!

Except with no teeth

I seem to be taking longer to recover........but at least it is not has bad as has when I had the crippling cough.....

Not another illness, that really does suck. Hope you’re feeling better soon.

You don’t look a day over 80.

Sitting outside with a coffee and calling clients enjoying a chill morning with little wind. Will take the opportunity of little wind to treat my tree against aphids. This is a lovely work / countryside balance when it works. Then later will get on the bike and go out for lunch, this time in what looks like a success judging by the blue skies. It's going to get hot in the weekend, 31º isn't that normal for this time of year yet, 20º and perfect today so quite a big difference.

I originally typed Are all your extremities intact but didn’t want to leave you open to insults, should have known better

Started to cloud up again and get cooler, so I headed for home ...

Temps were around 40F /4.5C - so not really warm but warm enough for a short ride. ...

No he probably gets their's..... its to do with the trailored harley he just can't help but put his gums round their plums

Gay