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Everything looks good in the primary but I had to get hold of some suitable steel bar to make a locking bar with which I am working on right now.

Could’ve been similar for us last night as our very nice Belgian neighbours let their place to a Spanish family who then invited at least a dozen more with four dogs between them. Continuous banging euro-pap tunes from one of the cars which they turned up loud enough so they could rave around the pool which is on the other side of the house. Because I was in pirate mode yesterday I was all for asking them ‘politely’ to turn the music down but I was persuaded by the galley maid to video it and send it to our Belgian neighbours. Worked a treat, music went off within a couple of minutes. Apparently our Belgian neighbours rang one of them and told them to turn the fucking music off as there was a convalescing pirate next door. Had a few dirty looks this morning as they shuffled around the garden, a few heavily slammed car doors too. One of them caught his fingers as he shut the drivers door………. laugh? I nearly shat myself.

Decided to sod the front garden off for today and do my Annual Pilgrimage to Strata Florida Abbey instead. Most of you have seen these places before but if Pete can keep repeating himself them so can i LOL I set off a little late it was 10:30 by the time i was on my way the weather was overcast and cool, i had a nice slow road ride until i hit the road from Ystradfellte to Heol y Senny i always seem to get carried away on that road and it brought me to my first lane of the day where i ended up fixing the gate as it was off its hinges the dopey fucker who fitted it put the bottom hinge upside-down so all the weight is on the top hinge a rough fix it should go in the bodge section but it works fine don't know how long for though. While i was here i found one of those Geocache things it had a £1 coin in there a pack of fag papers and some weed so i nicked the quid and threw the weed i didn't have a pen to sign the register LOL I stopped to open a gate further on and when i turned around the bike was on the floor it had rolled off the stand and ended up breaking the rivet pin on the gear lever so this is what i had been riding with all day it was ok and it didn't make any difference to shifting and i saved the bits before they got lost there's been some tree maintenance on the next lane this was all enclosed, certainly was easier to ride not ducking under low branches Further up it's still overgrown The track goes down to the right in this photo and the easiest way to ride it is straight out into that fecking gate almost pushed my spine out my arsehole when i hit my head on it From here i headed over the firing ranges to Tirabad and through the Crychan Forest onto Cynghordy and this lane which is very wet and mucky though the winter months a lot easier to ride in the dry From here i was onto the Llyn Brianne road another one i seem to speed up on, no photos as the riding was fast and flowing and i didn't want to stop, the top end of Llyn Brianne brings you to the start of Strata Florida in the background is the road to Tregaron another great road When i got back to the bike i spotted a flat fox poor fecker Onto the baptism and there's plenty of water for it the river crossings were straight forward enough it was the puddles that would catch you out when i rode through two of them i knew they were deep because the bike went quiet as i rode though At the furthest point from home here just past Llyn Teifi and onto Claerwen Res Top end of Claerwen Res this kind of track is where the XR excels it is so nice riding it along here. Looking over the dam wall i'm heading for the track on the right of the river But there's another river to cross first i played it safe and swept around to the right straight through almost had me in last time A bit further along after Bobs step A long road ride from here to Talybont on Usk where i headed home over to Trefil and across to Merthyr Talybont Res i'm riding the other way just turned the bike around to take the photo same on the Pontsticill res photo Pontsticill res From here it was over my mountain and home, it was a ride I've needed for a while spent most of it on the pegs because my arse was sore. It was a 172 mile loop. I'm in the middle of changing the oil and filter now ready for the next ride.

MRI done and I did not nod off. Went on the scoot I am not paying a fiver to park.

As I mentioned earlier in the week there was a big Harley Rally just outside the town so I went to take a look! Had a run round first......came across an overturned car facing the wrong way on a completely straight road! As you do! Then into the Rally venue but I think most of them were out! Hideous assortment of machinery......but what do you expect? They had stalls there selling various items that obviously are a part of this particular lifestyle. To add some authenticity to this scene they had a Spanish version of "Born to be Wild" blaring away! I think this pic says it all really! But the action was only just getting started......because the next stop was the Petrol Station where a number of the Harley Crew were in attendance! It's difficult to describe what I saw there......all I can say is one of them had what looked to be a homemade sex doll on the pillion! It may well be something that Buck needs to consider I suppose. It was quite funny at the Petrol Station actually.....you can see it on the vid. The guy was so proud that I wanted to photograph his friend! Cos after taking the pic I was going back to the bike and one of the Harley guys and his missus were laughing at the performance! So I said: "Look I'm a Guiri.....I don't understand this shit! We put real live women on our bikes like you do with your missus". He said "We all do as well.....except him. He's just fucking crazy". As @Slowlycatchymonkey will confirm, Andalucians love to have fun, and don't take themselves too seriously. Admittedly some of that fun may involve putting homemade sex dolls on the back of the bike......but who are we to judge? I think I'll stick with the Honda lifestyle myself!

taken last week, is that allowed?

Well it was too hot too early.....so no trip for Dark Motorcycling! Instead I went somewhere even more terrifying........the Harley Rally. After nearly 18 years here I thought I'd seen it all. But what I saw today was way off the scale! Watch out for the Ride Report!

Yeah I thought you and Buck would get it together eventually.

I’m moving on … from now on it’s Lycra … just push bikes for me now

I get people on the TRF site asking me if routes are doable on a CRF1000 i always reply i could do it on your CRF but not mine

You're just trying to copy @Renegade to win BOTM , you haven't even photoshopped that one

On that last video what was the weird whirring noise? Will the gay Honda to spill its guts in 10 days time? As much as I really wouldn’t want to see that happen I kind of do as well.

more like that train in the thomas the tank engine stories who refused to come out of the tunnel cos it was raining...

I think you might be right about the dementia.

If it was predominantly Harley, why are most of your pictures of jap bikes? Yamaha on the trailer, another Yamaha then various jap bikes, one Harley picture.

I would surely do it on a borrowed GS I don’t care about, just not my own. They are capable bikes on easy trails, but if you don’t care about them they suddenly get 50% more capable . I don’t fancy dropping mine on water, or flooding the shaft drive.

It’s been creeping up over the last year, Marcel

A few years ago he said he wanted to have kids, preferably a girl and she'd be just like me. I hope he get's his wish, it'll be good payback for what a pita he's been over the years

My brother and his wife had their first baby this morning. So I'm an Aunty for the first time. Weird!

Last sleep in my own bed tonight for a while, the joys of the tarp and the bivvy bag await me

Don't they just. Fireworks, music, airhorns, megaphones and they just keep going waaaay after everyone should have conked out.

I don't photoshop any of them Bob just a bit of camera trickery LOL

Now there is a storm rolling in so will be leaving it until tomorrow.

What have I missed. Why are the bikes going @Six30? What is arriving in it's place? No bike? The mere thought makes me nauseas.

Come on now, surely tthere was a "Fire Lane" adjacent?

He hasn't traded them in you bellend.......he's punted them out through the trade. If he'd part exed they would have gone in when he actually did the deal!

Oooooh I did t think of that. Must stop drinking rum and start on beer. Actually if someone else buys it for you it doesn’t really count does it?

No, it’s character building. there is a certain sadistic pleasure in doing something you know is gonna get you in trouble. It’s like poking a wasps nest, or riding a motorbike faster than you really should. You know it will end in tears, but you can’t help yourself. Anyway, I can’t spend my time talking to you as I have treasure to plunder, villages to ransack, wenches to entertain and rum to drink. Aaaaaaarghhhhhhhh!

It's the really noisy night of the neighbourhood fiesta tonight......wailing Dago music till 6AM. Just looked and a bunch of guys are at the beer tent, with their horses tethered up there! They'll all get bladdered and then get their horses to take them home!

Best wishes to him!

A nice short run today :- Here

From a mountain in Norway cruise Ship on the right

my Suzuki and Ductai are going monday... this is going to be weird shit , i will be with out a bike ,