Pedro

Don't play the hero, Pete, you asked why people ask Fred to not ride alone offroad. Offroad being the point here. The answer is because it's easier to injure yourself in a place where there is no visibility. Same why it's advisable to be with someone when rock climbing, or hiking in deserts or snow, etc, doesn't make it not doable and not enjoyable, but you are accepting the risks by doing so.

I bet any tool Pete has will outlast yours, and no need to be made in Japan either.

Agreed, but you don't ride offroad really. A dirt road doesn't count, either. I am not against riding alone, it's all I do! But still it's natural for people that care to advise against it.

Remember Tym's adventure with a broken leg? That's why.

A tip for cleaning the glass on furnaces or fireplaces: Get a wet sponge and dip it in the dry ashes, and use that to scrub the glass like you would with window cleaner. Do it a couple of times and just wipe it off with a cloth or paper, you'll have a clean glass with no scratches and won't have to deal with nasty poisonous products.

I would carry one of the spray can fixes, though, if wearing a bike with tubes and luggage, apart from an extra tube. Having said that, I don't carry anything on the XR, putting my faith on the heavy duty tubes and being able to slowly ride home with a flat. I have for a little once and it did ok. That and a well charged phone ...

I look into that like if it was a window and it looks like there's a brown bear with his nose against the glass looking in. I have only drank water so far today...

Back fall on stone steps? Ouch!

If you buy one peanut at a time you’ll have endless motorcycling...

Had a shitty night, woke up at around 4 and just could sleep for ages, am feeling exhausted now. Its raining hard and very windy, which usually helps me sleep. Am so missing motorcycling under blue skies...

Who doesn't?

Nobody likes a show off

I like that, the 85 looks classy

Dogs do! Several humans at home, treats, several walks a day... Here is mine while I was working after lunch, relaxing between lunch and the early evening walk:

I didn´t know about that, that looks cool, maybe the custard might be too much but it's a nice idea to join coconut and dark chocolate.

When I was in the Algarve in June Portugal was having a much better time controlling covid than now, all restaurants and bars and establishments had to be closed and empty of patrons by 11PM. People were worried they wouldn't be able to enforce this to tourists considering that throwing out a bunch of tourists after they've already had a few too many beers by as early as 11 would be hard. The solution was an instant fine to the establishment of 300€ per person inside, and a fine to each person as well. The way this was enforced was by fully prepared riot control police, they would cruise the streets with the full squad of guys inside the van, and have a couple of officers already in riot police uniform go into the establishment and advise them in good manners to clear out by the time they would return in 15 minutes. Was it overkill to use riot control? Yes it was, but that police would be bored on standby anyway, and the sight of them made things go smoothly. I find states are too quick to declare a state of emergency to arm themselves of governmental freedoms they probably shouldn't have (and very unwilling to them give them back), but are too weak to actually enforce the actual measurements they decide are needed on account of not loosing votes for next election.

"The organisers face a £10,000 fine for breaking lockdown rules." Screw that! Fine them and each of the 400 people in the party. It's funny how a 500 or 1000 pound on the spot fine brings people's enthusiasm for gatherings way down.

I don't know, but animal covid has been a worry of the vets and meat industry for a long time, they're probably better used to sterilize that equipment than hospitals are to sterilizing morgues.

Not really circulate, Pete. I don't think that's the cause. They succumbed to the political pressure of the restaurant industry and allowed restaurants and bars to work almost as normal during the christmas season. And announced it like it was a victory. There were mostly dutch and british cars arriving to Ericeira during christmas! Back then opposition parties were criticizing that restaurants should work even more, and criticizing the lockdown during the end of year party, they were on lockdown and still allowing councils to have fireworks! Now they're criticizing that there should have been more lockdown, twats!

That guy did exactly what everyone in that industry should do, which is taking care of stuff when you are going through the worst days of your life and are not able to.

I was quite surprised when i dealt with Maria's funeral, I wasn't worried about the cash or even thought about it. When I went to pay for it, the funeral guy did get my payment but ordered a refund on my behalf and I got most of it back within a month without any effort. It works quite well.

Here, funerals aren't really that expensive as you do get a refund from social security, that covers most of what a normal funeral costs. Marriages, yes, that can get as expensive as you want.

There's no party afterwards, in Portugal. It's a really sad and gloomy old school catholic event, here. You cry and starve and feel bad about stuff.

It would have been, had you posted that in a ride report. Now it's too late.