yen_powell

There's a second one behind it been converted also https://goo.gl/maps/fe3VMtBP27tDgG2J9

It's Sunday and freezing cold. Everyone is either indoors staying warm or walking in the park. I saw a few kids on the skate park, brave little souls. That link above led me to this, I have to go and see this now, it's only up the road. Americans upsetting our dead witches, how very dare they! Oddly enough the cross roads by the pub in the link below was the scene of my accidental wheelie on my DR350 when I had to pull away onto the main road with no clutch cable after it broke whilst trail riding. I'd managed fine by revving it and knocking it into gear to pull away when required, but at this location it all went a bit Pete Tong as I shot up onto the back wheel and nearly ended up on the wrong side of the road as a lorry was coming towards me. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/witch-stone-great-leighs

I walked on my state sanctioned exercise period yesterday, thought I'd pump up the tyres on my push bike and take that today. I've not been out on a push bike since Augustish when my fiendish mate tricked me into riding too bloody far along the old railway line to Great Dunmow and back. My legs had stopped aching by about November and my bum had stopped feeling like the saddle was permanently inserted into my arse by early December. I thought I'd have a little ride over my local park but ended up riding into the town centre. It was bloody freezing, especially on my fingers and ears. Maybe a hat and gloves next time, which should be about June ate current rates. Took some pictures of my old heap of a push bike, a water tower turned into a house, the old Victorian town lock up for drunkards, some of the old silk mills, a statue showing its bum, the town church, our Famous Five type railway station (one train an hour if you're lucky) and working my way through one of the town centre 'gants' which are small alleyways squeezed between various houses and shops. Apparently they are only called gants in Braintree. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gants-of-braintree

I agree the old A120 was nicer. A country road but straight enough for all vehicles to move along at a decent pace, lots of thatched cottages to look at etc. Had a few icy nights when I would be riding down the outside of a 15 mile queue, usually an accident at the Stebbing side road. I once saw a the weirdest looking horse being led by someone in a high viz vest briefly flash by in the headlights (it's an unlit road), I thought I was seeing things. A news item a few days later revealed it was a woman walking a llama at night as practice for a round the world walk. It had been hit and killed by a vehicle. After they built the new A120 my trip to work went from an hour down to 45 minutes. After getting fuel at Start Hill one night I thought I would carry on riding home on the old A120. That was when I hit the muntjac deer and killed it, I think the quieter road lulled us both in to a false sense of security. I hit it when it ran out from behind the sign saying STEBBINGFORD PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY.

I went there back in January last year I think. I try and wash the car yearly whether it needs it or not.

I went to the local car wash and got the chaps there to give the car the swooshing before going through the automatic washer, then I topped up the windscreen washers, checked all my bulbs and drove up and down the A120 to Stansted and back to give it a bit of a fast run (to help with the emissions test) and get the rust off the brake discs before my MOT booked for Tuesday. Not used the car much this last year. Can't do it on Monday as I have to go to work then because of a hideous job kicking off and I'll use my bike most probably.

Yeah rough as arseholes my school. Yet I had to do Latin for a couple of years, Greek was voluntary though so I could avoid that. The only Latin I can remember is the delight on finding out that 'Anus' was an old woman and Salve Nauta was Hello Sailor.

At my school we only had enough craft teachers to do third of a year metal work/woodwork/art. Not enough text books for one each, and those we did have had the covers falling off or pages missing. One pad when you played cricket, you made sure you kept the unprotected leg well out of the way, I think we had two bats though. The school field did have grass.....and lots of mud, so much mud. The running track was paint on grass, that and two goal posts was the sum total of stuff out there. You can see my school on the big screen. My music classroom was in Made in Dagenham. They must have rented it for filming on the cheap as it was demolished a while afterwards. We had a mad scary dwarf as our music teacher, you shit yourself if he looked in your direction. The dreaded Mr Thacker! I remember telling my dad about how scary he was (my dad was one of the school caretakers) and he laughed and said, do you mean little Lionel?

What's not to love?

I do love a cup of tea. Now I really want a cup of tea. I'm going to make a cup of tea.

He sounds like Pam Ayres after Covid, deep and gruff but still with a cute accent.

Judge Dredd is here and he wants his bike back.

I only just got a letter yesterday to show to the police if stopped on my way to work and only then because I asked for it after a colleague was stopped before Christmas eve and grilled by the boys in blue. Apparently my manager was supposed to hand them out last March. I had to fill my own name in and now I have to get it printed somewhere?

Fear not Petey Boy, you'll always be King of the Namby Pambys to me.

After I saw this thread I had a look to see if it was available for free, but there was a monthly charge. My mate Charlie's 2nd CCM was an ex Dakar bike, one of the ones they made for privateers to enter on one year. It had a spare CDI bolted on for a quick swap if one went down and lots of extra power takes offs scattered about the wiring loom???? He was too tight to buy the extra large tank that could have come with it and we were always having to wait for him to fuel up. It also used to refuse to electric start and the cure was removing the seat (2 bolts) and tapping a small relay with something heavy. By the time he put the seat back it would have cut out and he would have to do it again, they did not like ticking over. I'd have lengthened the wires and had it outside the bike for 'donking' if it was my bike.

I'm lucky in that I decide when I have to go into work rather than work from home. When I get sad or bored of sitting at home at least I can ride to work, it's still riding my bike and I do have cross country routes if I want them. I have been only agreeing external meetings after checking the weather to see if I can get there and back without getting wet. Having said that, when I realise I can't just go out and ride where I want, it makes me want to do it more, like a big kid really.

I used to watch the Dakar in the mid 90s when I had cable tv and Eurosport. Always felt sorry for the poor sods starting on New Year's day or close to it. watching Stefaen Petehansal ride the big Yamaha through dunes was like watching a ballet, so smooth and planned compared to everybody else dug in or plummeting off sheer drops and cartwheeling. I was gutted when he switched to cars. I don't really have any interest in any motor sport unless people fall off or crash a lot, so it ticked all my boxes.

What Boris says and what is actually made law are not always the same thing. You need to see what is published.

You just left that hanging there for editing didn't you!

Just rewatched it seen myself at 7:09 on the Suzuki with the blue seat, paddling slowly and avoiding the water in case my pants get accidentally washed (97)

I searched John Deacon on Youtube and up came a 1998 Cambrian Rally highlight video with a brilliant commentary. I'd forgotten he used to do those as well. I know I was there and he mentions 3 people I was there with, Strange Dave, John Perk (Perky) and Jackie Mawhood, but I must have been too slow to get near a camera. Worth watching just to see Pat Tighe muscling his Africa Twin through the boggy bits and the Transalp with a customised fairing, customised by leaving a large piece in the welsh scenerey by the look of it.

I was walking around the BMF show years ago and there was a bloke standing all on his own by a BMW rally bike, no one seemed interested in him. I went and spoke to him and had a sit on his bike. I left shortly after he talked about going over his handlebars and breaking his pubic bone. I walked with my legs crossed for about 20 minutes afterwards, felt a bit queasy. That was John Deacon who died a few years later.

Just seen this and it must be shared.

https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/rainbow-crossings-for-pride-month-3631924 The little bald fella in the photos is my ultimate boss. He's turned up late to a few of my VC memorial unveilings because he gets the bus everywhere.