Pedro

Obviously a lot more pleasant over the rough roads I like riding, and a revelation on town cobblestone streets, but she likes the scrambler 1200 she tried last year way more. It’s a process

Not too warm, but Sofia went out testriding a Tiger 850 to see what all the traillie fuss was about and we rode some of my favourite back roads to a café for lunch, and ending in Lisbon

How did you feel going through it? Sometimes big vehicles do the same and although it is close you don’t feel scared because you see it coming.

No dessert? Did you go hungry, Bob? Looks great!

Took Sofia’s best friend for her first ride on new year’s day, good fun, she’s great and enjoyed it a lot even though I am rusty riding with a pillion.

Nice, @MooN

You are, so it’s ok. That’s what they call finding one self!

Send them to me on behalf of whoever, after 11pm can cope with anything!

They didn't exactly made it secret, there was a big tour and a dvd and everything

And watching Muddy Waters singing with Jagger and then playing his guitar with Richards, just sitting on his tool, all cool and shit, I remembered this with BBKing and the U2, although I'm not a big fan of the irish dudes I do love how they're gushing over BBKing and he tells them he's bad at playing chords

and on the theme of the Stones liking older blues... :

Certainly not your mother in law's expertise, but this was also my dinner two days ago:

Mine:

Not often someone shares a picture of his wife's pavlova!!! You seem to have been well fed this Christmas!

To a portuguese mind, that sounds quite naughty

Bloody hell!

can’t get enough of the twatism of marketing staff at motorcycle manufacturers. You make a treck all the way across some harsh terrain just to say you can do it even though nobody actually caring, you take support vehicles, and then you use another bigger and heavier vehicle to drive ahead and press some snow so it’s easier for you to ride over it, to then claim it’s to help the environment by saving effort and lower emissions?

Nice dinner @boboneleg

I have a pair of Timberland work boots, the Profi line that you buy in work safety shops not on fashion stores. They’ve got a composite toe cap and are made of leather, not suede, ultra grippy soles and impact cushioning, best boots I ever wore and used to really help go through winters on the warehouse. They were half the price of a normal Timberland boot when I got them, and a lot better built. After abusing them for years, my brother now uses them on the field in Croatia when he goes to construction sites, I highly recommend them.

No it didn’t

Going to be with my parents and brother today, but tomorrow morning will get on the bike and ride home. Just phoned a petrol station to make sure there are no funny ideas for Christmas day and I’m good. Weather seems to be getting dark, but that’s ok as I’ve got my tall screen on and new pants to try

Codfish itself is called baccala, we call it bacalhau

In Portugal, the most traditional Christmas dinner is salted codfish, with potatoes, cabbage, boiled eggs, and onion / olive oil sauce. I didn't really care for it as a child but really appreciate it now, it goes amazingly well together although I suppose not so for most British palates. On Christmas day lunch, it varies a lot but where I'm from it's usually roasted mutton or kid with either potatoes or rice, it's quite good. This year I won't have that as on the 25th I'll be on the bike, riding. Turkey is not something that we cook the same way you do, roasted whole with stuffing, it's been imported by cultural assimilation but not really ours nor very common.

Grilled asparagus and pesto linguini Asparagus frittata A sort of African dish with plenty of spices, based on onions, potatoes and sardines, I loved it: Atlantic Seaside typical dish, a rich Cataplana of monkfish and prawns. Cataplana because it's a stew cooked in one of these Using some leftover squid stew, plus a tomato and anchovy base sauce, for a pretty nice pasta Winter in Portugal, soft sheep's cheese from the Serra da Estrela, some bread and red wine, old school! And again, oven cooked codfish, this time an economical cut, very tasty using lots of olive oil and onions

Genius!