Nikos World

Shower Update

2012-01-20T19:26:00.000Z

Next task is the plumbing....

I'm Busy

2012-01-12T08:45:00.003Z

Artist's impression.....

Scenes of a Destructive Nature

2012-01-04T19:14:00.000Z

Whilst I note that some fellow bloggers are posting their plans and ambitions for exciting motorcycle adventures for 2012, I'm holding back pending the renovation of my basement bathroom.
That is all for now.

This crummy jackusie bath thing has never worked properly and randomly switches on and off during the night with no visible means of electrical isolation - a H & S hazard without a proper risk assessment.

Here it is in its death throws - good riddance!.

I was thinking of converting this bathroom into a so called "wet room". But that is too like a Greek bathroom.

Scenes of a New Year Nature

2012-01-02T09:32:00.001Z

First off, a belated happy New Year to you all - you deserve it.

Secondly some scenes from a secret location in Hessen, Germany as the Nikos World team go ballistic, as it were.

I'm pleased to report that Germany is back in the rocket building industry so soon after Werner von Braun spilled ze beans.

Minutes after I launch the NW special Saturn 12 1/2 rocket with integrated Hochgeschwindigkeitsscheißeauszieherpumpe (patent pending), the city centre is evacuated.

Champagne is all that really matters tonight.

Don't try this at home, unless you are having an angina attack during a firework display or the launch of the NW special Saturn 12 1/2 with the Hochgeschwindigkeitsscheißeauszieherpumpe (patent pending)

Soup Slurping Ottoman Greek Style

2011-12-29T05:46:00.002Z

A tradition handed down to me by my Forefathers and considered to be the height of politeness in Asia Minor.

P.S. The Mrs Nikos commentary probably adds a little je ne sais quoi to this rare and offensive footage.

Happy Christmas Bloggers Wherever and Whoever You Are!

2011-12-22T20:51:00.002Z

P.S. that my super new recycling wheelybin there under the gold bauble.

I am CanBus

2011-12-21T15:13:00.001Z

Following a devastating bout of ManFlu (R), black ice and slush in my drive, I have managed to pick up CanBus, my new passport to be enslaved and beholden to the mercy of BMW Motorrad workshops and specialists who own a GS-911 Fault Code Reader.

In this near live image feed, CanBus awaits the proving run to Knutsford.

Take Five

2011-12-15T07:59:00.002Z

Roger of New Zealand threw down a gauntlet and with much haste I scanned my photographic output for five evocative images of 2011.

April : Mrs N finds a nice motorcycle instructor for refresher training.

July: We become demented in the heat of New York

October: A fine early morning view on the way to Hamburg celebrating my entry into Lufthansa frequent flyer status

November: Son comes out to play at Formby beach.

December: Daughter is 21 and I take her and her Grandmother to where my parents took me when I was 21 (yes, the Cherwell Boat House is still there by the River Cherwell).

Ich bin zwei Motorräder

2011-12-10T08:05:00.000Z

Actually drei if I count Ronny Barker the baby GS that really belongs to Mrs N.

She is a 2007 model - the height of perfection with brakes that work and proper gearing. This is a stock picture - mine will look filthier than this 5 minutes after I pick her up next week.

A Berliner is No Donut

2011-11-29T09:43:00.000Z

That depressing time of the year has arrived again aka my Birthday. People who forget my birthday (many) are able to remember my name day on December 6th , although I can see here that I could claim April 26th too.

Enough of this polite intro banter, I'm now going to display some of my snaps taken whilst spending a weekend in Berlin, a present from the kind Mrs N who was also present.

I travel to the airport in my usual way on a machine made in Berlin. There is a secret, well lit and relatively secure parking area within 100m of the terminal that the Airport Information desk says does not exist, rather directing motorcycle parking 5 miles away at a long term car park!

The Iron Curtain as rendered in Berlin - This handy landmark has now vanished and many times I asked Mrs N were we east or west?

West

German precision matches Japanese

I was most taken by this 35 Ton dame with a gilded pigeon on her head. (Siegessäule)

The Victory Column lady : She has got around a bit known variously as Viktoria, Germania and Soldatenfrau and in 1939 was relocated 1 Roman mile to her present location at der Großer Stern. We access her through a tunnel.

Viewing platform - looking down at shadow from Siegessäule

You have to hand it to Anton von Werner, he did a wonderful job here at the base.

The S Bahn crosses the canal.

I'm not sure how you can express currywurst that is already a fast food

The Free University where Mrs N studied

Where Mrs N studied anatomy - now sadly derelict.

A rare shot of the Author

Why are the red men dancing the Sirtaki?

Dem deutschen Volke - Norman Foster style

And so to bed - quite a large one actually

We stayed in the east at this cranky Kunsty Hotel where ear plugs are supplied due to the proximity of the S Bahn!

Beer drinking self propelled bar.

Spot the obvious mistake

Soon to close, a new airport is being built in the East at the site of Templehof - goodbye Tegel!

Urlaub auf dem Bauernhof

2011-11-18T21:43:00.001Z

The title of this blog is in German - roughly translated it says "holidays in pig shit". At least you will adopt the aroma after a weekend there. You will also learn about biogas and GMWs.

Getting there:

As Robert Louis Stephenson is once rumoured to have said "it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive" or was it Plato or Homer? Anyhow I caught the aeroplane from Manchester and flew to Hamburg.

This nice piece of French Canadian engineering is prepared at Manchester airport one fine Saturday morning quite early.

We climbed swiftly over Manchester enroute to Hamburg.

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds that way

An Airfix kit of a breakfast served soon after take off and remaining impenetrable as we cross the Dutch coast.

It's always good to exit an airport on Zeppelinstrasse. I'm heading for the pig shit smell generating capital of Europe, Cloppenberg to catch up with Mrs Nikos who is working there in her peripatetic fashion.

Its Halloween and I by chance pass a Polo shop - these motorcycle clothes shops are the size of Harrods and I manage to buy a bluetooth wotsit for my Schubert musical helmet at a bargain price. Mrs Nikos' 6th sense engages and I receive a panic "where are you" siren call. Response "stopping for petrol dear".

Mrs Nikos on the job.

Now to the Farm.

Popular for family holidays, Mrs Nikos is staying here for a bit.

Good concept for a holiday: Whilst the parents are scrutinsing the farm animals,

the kids play with the biogas generating system X Box game

Wherever she goes Mrs N attracts pussies.

More pussies in the hay.

Bentheim pigs.

Geese in a flap

And now for something completely different. The back garden of the farmhouse has been converted for shit to energy conversion. If you need more information click -----> HERE

Herr Bauernhof kindly gave me a guided tour of the facilities. It would appear that the shit is collected from here:

is cleaned in here:

And then the Hochgeschwindigkeitsscheißeauszieherpumpe comes into play somehow thus:

Controlled by this gubbins:

resulting in the necessity to install 10GW worth of solar panels in order to make a nice cup of tea:

PS

In the pig shed I found the remnants of the Father of my mighty BMW R1150GS motorcycle.

Seven Dream Bikes?

2011-11-11T11:19:00.000Z

A recent gauntlet thrown down by fellow blogger Trobairitz requested that with unlimited funds what bike would I choose for each day of the week.

Easy to start with, I would not have:

My first wholly owned machine - good for commuting across South London to school and leaving a plume of blue smoke.

My second bike - I would not have one of these again either - slightly better than #1 for commuting across South London and leaving 2 plumes of blue smoke.

I lead a very sheltered childhood and missed out on British classics. This would now be rectified by a stable of British beauties:

A yellow one

A black and white twin Trumpet

I do fancy Norton's - my school mate had one that also laid a plume of blue smoke across South London (piston ring problem?)

For more sedate runs around my local park this would fit the bill

Moving on to more modern European machinery, this one has nice curves.

Boxer Power: I always fancied a BMW R90S with its twin jugs exposed to the airflow.

A nice blue Jap Job operating on the 4 stroke cycle.

A scooter! BMW are bringing them back with a vengeance.

To placate our American cousins I would have one of these too.

On Sundays I like to go flying.

All images taken from the internet - I'm sorry about that.

Hibernation

2011-11-10T19:11:00.000Z

It's the time of year for hibernation.

Motorcycles, cats, plants all must hide from the ravages of a German winter. That's why I spend most of my time in England...

Summer parking at a top secret location on Rheinstrasse Weisbaden.

Ronny Corbett starts first press and I take her for a blast around town before trying to ride through the front door to the winter parking.

Winter parking - in the bike shed.

The next job is to build the marquee and house the delicate Mediterranean plants on the roof garden. The marquee is 4m X 4m and the balcony is 4m wide.

Mrs N's pussies cannot abide my foul language on the balcony whilst erecting a marquee that is 4m X 4m on a balcony that is 4m wide so they hide on top of the wardrobe.

Congratulations to the Hellenic Airforce..

2011-11-08T17:28:00.000Z

..on their 100th Anniversary.

In a Nikos World exclusive the latest addition to the HAF fleet is captured during a test flight over Germany. This sole JU52 will replace the aging fleet of C130s that are languishing at Tanagra AFB awaiting spares.

The Road to Greek Economic Recovery

2011-11-07T22:52:00.000Z

Can only be driven in a small Italian car

Blog Flash Exclusive

2011-11-04T21:45:00.000Z

Lookalikes of the hour:


A biogas plant near Cloppenberg, Germany.

Mr George Papandreou live on TV clinging to power

Pictures on a Mobile Phone

2011-11-01T20:19:00.000Z

I found the connection lead for my mobile phone a few days ago - it has a usb type connector that is like no other usb type connector. After several hours of fiddling around I managed to download the eclectic collection of blurred images of random events over the past few years.


Wiesbaden street scene after Germany has won a football game.

Winter 2010 at Tatton Lake - looking forward to another bleak winter

Summer 2011 - The BMW out on a proving run at Manchester Airport.

Manchester Airport again - waiting for take off clearance to enter the eurozone

Mrs Nikos as seen through a kaleidoscope - Autumn 2011.

The skies over Cheshire - aircraft condensation trails.


Crocs(tm) in Wiesbaden but no size larger than 13.

Church in Wiesbaden - Summer 2011.

Manchester street scene - Summer 2011 - family on 2 motorcycles in the rain.

Flying over Germany the plane starts to ice up!

An Ozzie posty bike at the launch of the Ted Simon foundation - October 2011 Coventry - in the foreground is Jupiter.

Friday before August bank holiday weekend 2011 at Manchester Airport.

How come a German admits to building war planes between 1919 and 1934?

Self powered submarine racing - the Bogus Batoid family.

Cream tea at the Ashmolean Oxford.

Pussy power

Christmas 2010.

Segwey into Austerity

2011-10-20T08:54:00.000+01:00

The relaxation in the Eagles Nest mountain retreat at the secret location (Ag. Iannis) was complete so we moved to Athens to a meet long lost cousin visiting from Australia. We had not anticipated public transport strikes, segweys and tear gas.

The Eagles Nest - far from the maddening crowd.

Pretty Peloponnesian Petunia


The maddening crowd - Athens - what cannot be imagined from this view from Pnyx (the birthplace of democratic principles) is the simmering resentment of the Public service employees whose renumeration packages are being trimmed down by austerity measures. The tear gas doesn't smell so good either.

Would you believe it...

The three cornerstones of Greek life - can you spot them?

As part of the Government's austerity measures, BMW R1200GS motorcycles issued to office clerks are being swapped out for Royal Enfields.

In happier times this delightful little harbour was known as Tourkolimano.

In earlier times a dictator was in charge

Food at Doris!

Wishful Thinking iGreek APP Newsflash

2011-10-09T16:55:00.001+01:00

George Papandreou
ήρθα μόλις

Crocs (tm) in the Aegean

2011-10-05T10:12:00.004+01:00

This year we did not have enough time to drive to Greece for the annual holiday at Mrs Nikos' mountain house (aka the Eaglets Nest) high up in the mountains of Arcadia at a secret location (Ag. Iannis) , so we flew to strike torn Athens and hired a car, and drove to the Peloponnisos and up the mountain. Last year we had use of a motorcycle but this year we had a battered Hyundai. Last year it rained quite a lot but this year it was mostly sunny and hot.

The road to the secret location (Ag. Iannis) - the countryside is very green - it rained heavily in June - I dream of riding the GS and not looking over the unprotected shoulders.

Within 10 minutes of arriving at the Eaglets Nest pussy #1 arrives for lunch - thought to be a pregnant female according to eagle eyed Mrs N. Many more pussies subsequently came.

First Sunset

Nikos Top Tip #1 - Every morning check Crocs(tm) for resident scorpions.


The rain in June had ruined the grape harvest - wasp nuisance was down too.

Mrs N revealed that this loo had actually been used by Elvis Presley whilst on Military Service at Bad Nauheim. It had been recovered from the barracks following demolition, restored and brought to Greece. I had always wondered why the seat rocked and rolled.

Second sunset

The Mankell memorial reading chair

The little chapel at Astros

croc paving

Toothpicks (οδοντογλυφίδα) are a big seller in Greece

Nikos World project - please send money

A simple breakfast

Pasha, self appointed head cat and thought to be father of Ginger El Greco (the abandoned pussy last we rescued in 2010) according to Mrs N who studied anatomy during medical training. 95% of pussies in Ag Iannis are thought to be sired by him.

Crocs(tm) in the Aegean

Naplion, the nearest big town had been the capital of newly liberated Greece for a period in the 1800s.

Naplion is dominated by a Venetian castle Palamidi built in the 1680s

As Noel Coward pointed out it's only mad dogs and Englishmen who go out in the midday sun.

Proof that Greece is for sale

The unusually high September temperatures ended with a huge thunderstorm with spectacular lightning sent by Ἄργης, Βρόντης, and Στερόπης Gods of thunder and lightning. Sunset that day.

To be concluded....
In part 2 we withdraw to Athens to sample tear gas first hand.

PS I forgot lunch:-

Healthy vlita and peasant salad

Eine Fläche spotter' s-Wochenende in Deutschland

2011-10-01T12:23:00.004+01:00

It is to be expected that when I ask babelfish to translate "plane spotter" I am given the word for plane in German followed by spotter auf Englisch.

Not to worry, we took the opportunity of a journey to Stuttgart to drop in at the Auto & Technik Museum Sinsheim, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

This museum ticks all the boxes for me as it has several tea rooms, extensive gift shops and a football stadium next door where all the morons that normally clog up the exhibits can stay out of harms way.

First things first, the Urimat automatic urinator at Lorsch-West services - baffling as instructions only in German. Fortuitous that there was a Greek bathroom style drain entry on the floor nearby.

Quick snack of bangers and potato salad - instant indigestion followed.

This collection is unique in aircraft terms as it has both a TU144 Conkordski and a Super Caravelle, sorry, a Concorde on display.

this general view of the first of two main halls features the Belfast built DMC car

Out of over 6,000 Ju87 Stukas built betwen 1936 and 1944 this is one of 7 remaining, recovered from under the sea at St Tropez

Part of the joy of writing this blog is the retrospective research that I do, and reading about the Stuka reveals what an amazing aircraft this was and why there was a window below the pilot's feet (faithfully reproduced in the excellent Revell 1/32 scale model that I built in 1972). Read about it here but I quote from Eric Winkle:

"I had a high opinion of the Stuka because I had flown a lot of dive-bombers and it’s the only one that you can dive truly vertically. Sometimes with the dive-bombers, pilots claim that they did a vertical dive. What a load of rubbish. The maximum dive is usually in the order of 60 degrees. In a dive when flying the Stuka, because it’s all automatic, you are really flying vertically. You feel that you are over the top and feel you are going that a way! The Vengeance and Dauntless were both very good but could dive no more than 60 or 70 degrees. The Stuka was in a class of its own"

A BMW combination probably captured at Falaise

Boarding the Tu 144 Concordski one sees the inefficient Kuznetsov NK-144 turbofan engines that required afterburners to maintain supersonic flight.

Both supersonic airliners are displayed on the roof of the second exhibition hall in tandem.


The corrigated aluminium construction of the Ju 52 provides longitudinal stiffness with light weight.

The AMO ZIL ZIS 150 of Josef Stalin


Albin Liebnisch's 1938 creation the 4 seater Bohmerland 608cc twin gearbox motorcycle was never ordered by the German military.


Joy on two wheels


Back on the roof again to see the Canadair water bomber.

The "bomb" doors of the Canadair from where scooped up water is dropped on forest fires.

I point out the swastika to Mrs Nikos shortly before being arrested. I am confused whether this is allowed in Germany these days.

Heinkel 111

A well deserved Kuchen

More photos ---->here.

The next day I am subjected to a joy flight in a helicopter at the Reinsdorf airshow. I had preferred to try Helmut Kolditz's somewhat more sedate Antonov 12 biplane but was overruled by Senior Management.

There is nothing quite as joyous as hanging 3000 ft over the beautiful Baden-Württemberg countryside suspended exclusively by a jesus nut.

Advice: Eat this stuff if you must after a helicopter flight over the Baden-Württemberg countryside suspended exclusively by a jesus nut.

Kharkiv Revisited

2011-09-09T22:31:00.000+01:00

Let me make it quite clear from the outset, I was not visiting the Ukraine to look for a new wife.

..but this man was.

Provided that you do not mind getting completely lost the Kharkiv metro system gives good value transportation for 5 Grottys.


Spacious communistic era stations

2 rail DC system

Miss Comfort, a typical metro train driver depicted on a recruitment poster - possibly.

Depth of field study

The hotel was on the No.3 tram route, but we went in the wrong direction.

Oh no not another one.

Ukrainian loo

A complicated journey home involving three flights begins

Landing at Vienna

Brussels airport facility - I could have done without the hideous Santa plasma display.

Ronny Goes to Germany

2011-09-06T12:22:00.001+01:00

Ronny the BMW F650GS motorcycle is going to live in Germany. She was bought for Mrs Nikos and will be located on mainland Europe as part of the ever expanding, dispersing and aging Nikos World Motorcycle Fleet.

Ronny posing in front of one of those quintessentially British aviation flops - the de Havilland Trident 3B at my favourite place. Some twat of a plane spotter parked his Skoda to spoil the scene.

In fact the mission would have at least two extra purposes including bringing back the old heap of a BMW R65 for restoration or burial in England, and filling the car with cheap wine (aka "going on a booze cruise").


Driving towards the port of Dover - M20 Morning Mist after a dodgy glass or two of Cabernet Sauvignon the evening before at Ashford Travelodge

This is the rig (US style motorcycle touring in comfort and convenience) - Ronny follows me sitting on a Motolug trailer, Mainland Europe is cut off from England so we catch a Sea France ferry from Dover to Calais (cheapest fare with a trailer). Here we are at Dover port under the white cliffs.


Luckily the Tomtom urges me not to drive into the sea. 414 miles to go to Wiesbaden.

Leaving Dover port - 23 miles to Calais as the old crow flies.


A decent coffee, and a breakfast pastry at last .

Somewhere in Belgium, Portaloo?

Crossing the Mosel. Better than going near Cologne.

At Wiesbaden - Ronny is rapidly swapped for von Krankenshite for enforced transportation to England

Despite my arrival, the boys are happy.

NOW FOR THE COMESTIBLES.


Mrs N and I cycle to the Rhine and Mrs N treats me.

We carry on a bit and stop at Biebrich for deserts - his.

These look healthy - hers.

In Search of Crocs(tm)

2011-09-02T10:45:00.001+01:00

All good things must surely end, and the heatwave lingering over the Eastern Seaboard like the flow from a ceiling fan in a Turkish brothel was not one of them.

We drove to a location New Windsor - I knew that there would be something special waiting for me there:

Unique, large and customised crocs(tm) sent to me by the lovely Lori, rider of a BMW R1200R and owner of this thoughtful blog

Now homeward bound, we had spent the week with marvelous people generous in their hospitality - you know who you are and Thanks!

In Search of Politically Incorrect Cigar Smoke - part 2

2011-08-26T11:49:00.001+01:00

Needless to say on exiting the Lincoln Tunnel we ended up going towards Hoboken and Weehawken due to roadworks and a posted diversion via Aberrsywyth. We are now well on our way to the BMW MOA International Rally at Bloomsburg PA.

As Jack's voice was not available on the GPS I use Erika who promptly gets upset with me due to the enforced diversion - nice!

I forgot to wave at Jack's sister when passing Lyndhurst but here is a library picture.

I blinked and missed the Delaware Water Gap but here is the River Mosel instead taken from the rather well located service area.


We encounter one of those mighty GSs on migration - we are near the MOA rally at last.


First things first

At this stage we have not located Jack R as nobody we ask can understand our accents? We wade through the extreme heat and humidity of the Bloomsburg show ground looking out for Jack and taking in the exhibits on the way.

The awesome Puch Maxi moped - the sort of machine that people living in Horley would hanker after.

I try in vain to purchase this for my front garden.

A lemon of a combination.


A nice honker

Wunderlich go camping on a grand scale

Nikos wonders why anyone would want to spend all night looking at the final drive of a GS in extreme discomfort (i.e. camping)

This is more like it if one really has to camp

If my memory serves me correctly, we found Jack R.

Sat on the right - Jack R!

Jack is a member of Mac Pac (an affiliated BMW club) and here is their gazebo where we were warmly welcomed like any long lost colonials would have been.

Anyone for a BMW Test ride?

In the hope of winning the rafflle (prize = BMW motorcycle) we attended the grand Closing Ceremony packed into the grandstand and were warmly serenaded with kerosene flames from some sort of bizarre Northern American atmospehere warming ritual - as if it wasn't already hot enough!

WTF?

The Closing Ceremony was, how should one put it, long winded and we noticed that our friendly Mac Pac team had quietly vanished away!

Combinations are big and red in the USA

Later that evening .....

The Holiday Inn Bloomsburg welcomes MOA participants

The sun sets over PA

Several cocktails later (made to Jack's exact specification) we launch into the appetisers

In Search of Politically Incorrect Cigar Smoke - part 1

2011-08-19T13:59:00.001+01:00

Spoiler for the big one:

Jack's instructions were quite succint but this did not stop me waking throughout the night worrying about finding the Lincoln tunnel.

If you are looking for the fastest way to get to Bloomsburg, Pa from New York City, try this:

a) Get to West 39th Street (at 9th Avenue) and take the Lincoln Tunnel (I-495 West) to New Jersey (No Toll)

b) Once through the tunnel, bear left and go up the helix (twisty ramp). Do not go to Hoboken nor Weehawken

c) At the absolute top of the ramp, try to get in the middle lane. You are looking for signs that say "ROUTE 3, Secaucus, Clifton

The exit will be to the right, but not the absolute right. (You will be in a kind of concrete conduit.)

d) Get on Route 3 WEST (The absolute left will put you on I-95 The New Jersey Turnpike, which doesn't help.)

e) Take Route 3 West until the very end. (Do not be distracted by other signs for I-95, which is the other New Jersey Turnpike.) The very end is about 7 to 12 miles distant.

• Feel free to marvel at Giants Stadium and the Meadowlands Race Track

• Wave to the left when passing through Lyndhurst, NJ, where my sister lives.

• Hold your breath going over the steel-grated trestle bridge (over the Passaic River). Rutt's Hutt, the best hot dogs in New Jersey, and maybe the world, is to the right on Route 21.

f) Route 3 Merges onto US-46 West from the right. Take US-46 West.

• There will be a stone hill to the right, known as "Great Notch."

• There is a log cabin here known as the "Great Notch Inn." It is a cool Harley Biker Joint on the right.

g) US-46 runs into I-80 at town of Wayne, NJ

h) Follow signs to get onto I-80 WEST.

• This is a colossal balls up of roads and exits. The exit may say I-80/Route 23. Please pay attention. You do not want Route 23.

• Traffic is usually moving a the speed of light here.

i) Enjoy I-80. Your next turn is in Bloomsburg, Pa.

• Follow I-80 straight through New Jersey.

• Marvel at the non-majesty of the Delaware Water Gap.

• Cross the mighty Delaware River.

j) There could be a toll at the Pennsylvania State Line

k) Take I-80 to Exit 232 in Bloomsburg, Pa.

l) Go right onto Route 42

We were looking for the Lincoln Tunnel - it's entrance does not look like this.

This is something like it.

In Search of Infinity

2011-08-10T09:25:00.002+01:00

I have muddled up clean clothes with dirty ones in my suitcase so it must be the second day of our holiday in New York already.

I elected to show Mrs Nikos how an American eats breakfast and appreciates fine art.

It's possible that Mrs N's digestive system will never fully recover after this.

We stroll through the grounds of the Natural History Museum

A line for free tickets to see Shakespeare in the Park - it's hot, very hot today as there is no wind either. I saw an open air production of the Tempest in Regents Park during my O levels and it rained cats and dogs.

We made it to the Guggenheim before heat stroke set in. Unfortunately Lee Ufan's work does not appeal and is largely repetitious pointless blobs. No photography is permitted above the ground floor, but....

Nikos World exclusive - "Beyond the Pan", in tribute to Lee Ufan's infinity - filmed illegally somewhere in the Manhattan.

So now it's on the buses again on the "Northern" tour - delirium setting in due to the interminable heat...

Manhattan as seen from a tour bus or two.

In the Museum of New York (good air conditioning and rest rooms), I discover that all good American homes actually come from Kelloggs packets.

In the next grilling episode the Nikos family discover the Lincoln Tunnel and meet Jack Riepe!

Spoiler:

In Search of Giocondas's Smile

2011-08-09T10:56:00.003+01:00

This rather obscure reference to Το Χαμόγελο της Τζοκόντας is to the classic album of 20th century music in Greece composed by "Never on Sunday" fame Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis.

In the notes to the Album (recorded in New York in 1965, directed by Quincy Jones), Manos states that the inspiration of the album came from

"...a little woman walking all alone with a desperate indifference to what was happening around her; nobody noticed her, she noticed nobody; she was desolately alone in the unknown crowd shoving her, passing her by, heedless and hostile, leaving her to drown in the deep flood of the Avenue (5th), inside that sea she was following, inside the wind beginning to blow."

And so it came to pass Mrs Nikos and me arrived in New York during a heatwave to search out Rizzoli's bookshop where Manos spotted an art book with a painting of the Mona Lisa on its cover.

Tomkins does not like being on his own so he is stopping me packing.

At Manchester waiting around 1 hour on the ground for engine start, Continental Airline institute a New York climatic familirisation programme as the APU/air conditioning has packed up and a ground air cart must be found to start the mighty Rolls-Royce RB211s


The pilot eventually finds track 4 from his checklist and we are on our way!

We arrived at Newark liberty Airport and caught a bargain shuttle bus to PTA - here we are near the Lincoln tunnel - our first of two encounters with this clogged artery during our trip.


We are deposited at 40something street and need to find our hotel on 77th street - no taxi says Mrs Nikos as she drags her luggage and me in the interminable heat and humidity past many Pizza shops.

...like this one.

An original Fiat Cinquecento! Smaller than a Manhattan bollard!

We pass the spot outside the Dakota Buildings where John Lennon was struck down - now commemorated by a M72 Bus stop

We find the hotel, check in, and the go looking for houmous.

The next morning, we decide to walk through central park in search of a Belgium sounding cafe chain selling healthy breakfast.

Here is Mrs Nikos waiting for a healthy breakfast somewhere in Central Park.

Cryptic food labelling - how can this be 100% pure orange juice when it contains ingredients not found in regular orange juice?

Mistaken for a rest room, I entered the club room of the Central Park model yachting club.

The heat and humidity has become too intense and a sky scarper is starting to wilt.

Before I had managed to negotiate the purchase of complete stock of these potential Christmas presents to relations, Mrs Nikos had secured bargain tickets for multiple open top city bus tours - at least now we would have a cooling breeze.

Here we are on the down town tour.

Impossible to entirely photograph!

His and her fire escapes?

At Battery Park we transfered to the Brooklyn Tour.

We stop in Brooklyn Heights to hydrate as naturally as possible.

Fine views of Manhattan from Brooklyn.

We then took the tour that I booked - a return trip on the Staten Island ferry.

Believe in Zeus.

Believe in vegetables.

To be concluded - in Part 2 Nikos performs an artistic and unauthorised (and largely unnoticed) protest experiment in the Gugenheim and Mrs Nikos tries to eat a proper American breakfast.

Third Seat Lucky and My Pussy

2011-08-01T11:21:00.000+01:00

Whilst the BMW R1150GS may seem to be tall machine to the average Joe or Johanna, in practice for the long legged of us the footpeg to seat distance is quite modest and this causes cramps on long rides. I have now had the standard seat modified twice by leading industry experts who have failed to provide a good seat that allows me fore and aft movement whilst maintaining a good height. This could be due to the limitations of the two piece saddle design. As a final act before ditching the GS in favour of a V-Strom, I have raided the piggy bank and purchased an XXXhigh Touratech sports seat.

The Touratech sports seat (manufactured by Kahedo) and my washing drying.

Tomkins and I.

Those Whom we Serve

2011-07-18T21:42:00.002+01:00

Cherry - the anti social one

As all around seem to be displaying their pussies here are ours.

Cognac and Ginger - French and Greek strays (carrier bag in hedge near Calais vs. abandoned by mother in derelict village house in Peleponese)

Tomkins - my home office mate

The Naming of (his and hers) Motorcycles

2011-07-13T16:05:00.002+01:00

The Naming of motorcycles is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a motorcycle must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.

apologies to T.S. Elliot

Ferguson von Doodlebug and the Sir Ronnie Corbett

Barrel without Bottom

2011-07-08T19:22:00.001+01:00

Important News from Mrs Merkel

As reported in Greek media today:

"The agreements of lending of Greece and Portugal was defended German chancellor [Angkela] Merkel and she forecasted that two countriesof Eurozone they will also accomplish they overcome the crises of debt that they face.

The agreements of support of economies of Greece and Portugal minimal support have from the German common opinion. Germany is biggest than the creditors of this two countries.
In her interview chancellor Merkel declared that “I am completely convinced that Greece will accomplish him (and) that Portugal him will accomplish”.

It added that “we try to demonstrate solidarity, which is important globally for the Euro”.

Greece needed it imports “painful” reforms, it added, and it rejected the place that Greece is a “barrel without bottom” regarding the debt.

“Naturally this is not correct. Today we provide in Greece guarantees. Greece is very debited. But cannot no one say that this country does not have hope. Existed a lot of countries that it needed they are submitted in much harder reformations by this”, it stressed the German chancellor."

The scene outside the National Bank of Greece yesterday

McLaren Manchester

2011-07-07T09:48:00.001+01:00

A little bit from Surrey has arrived in Cheshire.

The Rolls-Royce showroom in Knutsford has become one of three McLaren showrooms in the UK

The MP4-12C costs the same as a house 100yards away in Knutsford. Roof and bodywork appear to be optional extras. It's good that proper kit cars are back following on from CABC's lovely Elan

We now have six expensive kitchen shops, new Waitrose and Sainsburys supermarkets and a Costa coffee in Knutsford (the Starbucks only lasted 12 months and is now an expensive picture gallery) - it's beginning to feel like home for me now (time to move?).

A little bit of slurrey in Cheshire - yes my drain has blocked again! Must be all the posh plush loo paper from Waitrose

First Steps

2011-07-05T09:56:00.000+01:00

Under the watchful eye of the lovely Sylvia, Son Nikos embarks on his free Get On ride at the RJH training facility near Salford. CBT now booked!

Sylvia briefs Son Nikos

He's off! (perhaps not the best term as he stayed on)

A Motorcycle tour of the Somme Valley

2011-07-04T13:57:00.008+01:00

To be precise this is the third time that I have tried to write this blog entry and the vagaries of blogger.com have thwarted me twice. I have therefore reverted to lazy blogging. It's my blog and I do what I like.

Clacket lane services eastbound 17:13 15.06.2011. - Nikos turns into a gob stopper dispensing machine

The 30 second elevator pitch is:

My friend NigeI of (Advancedbiker fame) organised a short tour to northern France just like the one last year but with more people. Mrs Nikos says that she enjoys feeding 12 people. It rained a lot on the way there, I mastered filtering on the M25 London Orbital Motorway that was at a virtual standstill for 25 miles. It rained in France but we saw a lot of tunnels and rusty military stuff. The Somme museum at Albert is housed in WW2 tunnels built by the Germans. On Sunday it was mostly sunny. The Vimy Ridge memorial is special and archaeologists have been digging up Thiepval Woods. Apparently woods are not a good place to be during trench warfare especially when the mustard gas deployed blows back down the hill into the woods. The waffles are nice at Ypres and they celebrate the last post there every day at 8pm. The V1 and V2 museum is quite interesting at la Coupole. It rained a lot on the way home. Mrs Nikos rescued another male kitten.

The long and short of it is if you want to see the pictures look here----->THE PICTURES

Acropolis for sale

2011-06-27T12:12:00.000+01:00

Recent Improvements

2011-06-24T15:03:00.001+01:00

I promised recently to describe in tedious detail improvements made to my motorcycle over the winter lay-up. I thought that it be apt to hold fire until I had actually trialled these - my recent 600 mile trip to the "continent" to eat waffles and visit war museums and monuments proved an adequate opportunity to provide valid test data, especially so as it rained at almost every opportunity.

The start of the Roaches walk .

This is the holder for the 2 litre reserve fuel cannister bolted to the badly shaped left hand side case - see below.

This is the Wunderlich leg shield that promises a "more than incredible effect.......even long tours become a pleasure......the GS is given the wind protection of a super-tourer...". Bollocks - the slit between the base of the shield and the cylinder head served to channel filth directly at my lower legs. Another ebay bargain.

The Wunderlich ergo screen "Marathon": Provided that I ducked behind the screen it provided a reasonable relief from the turbulence and buffeting that a GS at speed normally treats its rider to. This is the only aftermarket screen that has extra bracing struts that stop it wobbling around annoyingly.

HEL stainless steel braided brake lines - the old rubber jobbies were starting to perish and crack. The brakes seem less spongy now.

Cunning MV adjustable handlebar risers that allow a comfortable bent arms riding stance.

This is the holder with the 2 litre reserve fuel cannister in place - of note is the fact that the silencer sits just behind the side case into which this is mounted. This cunning design feature ensures that the fuel is nice and toasty when required. May need to rethink this one as everything in that case now reeks of petrol.

Euphemisms, Euphemisms, they've all got it in for me.

2011-06-16T10:19:00.001+01:00

Who remembers the famous Kenneth Williams Carry On Cleo line?

Other one liners of note are:

"He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy."

"Remember you're fighting for this woman's honour, which is probably more than she ever did."

"Don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone I love."

"Do you have a licence for your minkey?"

Gentlemen, you can't fight in here. This is the War Room."

I digress.

I am fortunate enough to live near Tatton Park , and frequently Classic Car shows are hosted there. Last weekend I hopped on my bicycle and queue jumped nicely past several miles of smoking Sunbeam Rapers and Ford Crapis with great anticipation especially as I was charged £7.50 for entry.

On arrival, the rear bumper of the Hillman Imp has fallen off as shocked spectators look on helplessly as the owner shoves it back on.

Euphemism No.1 Classic Car show = Autojumble

The nice couple of Minkey Bikes - original and Chinese copy. The nice owner would not sell me the original, but rather he was trying to push the disc barked clinky copy for £650.

A Blitish Minkey Bike?

A quartet of Longbridge's finest

A friction damper


??

Never fails to draw a crowd - the corner dedicated to the species who like like to cause traffic jams of epic proportions whenever they can.


Another euphemism for people who like to dress up in uniforms - the word escapes me.

Twin Zodiacs

Allegro owners club tour de farce.


The dodgy Rolls dodgy Royce dodgy Owners dodgy club are out in force too leaking LHM hydraulic fluid everywhere.


WYSIWYG

Pratt & Whitney used a similar eagle logo on their Wasp engine.

It's the bean sprouts and a day on DB,

2011-06-12T09:25:00.001+01:00

Due in part to Mrs Nikos' work commitments and also to my long held philosophy that being in motion is better than arriving, I had the recent pleasure of a long weekend of onward motion of multi-modal travel around Northern Europe involving, variously but not exclusively limited to, motorcycling, flying, cycling and finally training on German railways from Cloppenberg to Frankfurt Airport to find an aircarft emblazoned with the image of an alcoholic footballer, whilst dodging volcanic clouds and e-coli infection. Here are the highlights:-

Before leaving home for the airport I check on the state of Northern European air traffic on this super website---->>> plane spotters are anoraks . com

I have found a super place to park at Manchester airport for free and close to the terminals - it's well lit and very close to the Police station.

This is a super treat after a balls aching cycle ride up the Taunus

This is my super XXL cycle - just a pity that the saddle is not more comfortable.

This is where weetabix comes from - super!

Spotted on the streets of Wiesbaden this super pre- bricked inspection junction for the new town drainage system

This is the super grotto where Dick von Turpin lived in the woods near Wiesbaden

This super chair is made from bits of aluminium reclaimed from a downed Boeing B17 found in the woods near Wiesbaden

This is an American "sports" car - "super".

I never understood why the Germans are so against the super gift from God of that giant Atomic Fusion reactor in the sky a.k.a .the sun?

Now I'm visiting the super open air Museum where just before commencement of the Great Patriotic War , historic buildings in Holland were demolished, moved from their original location to Cloppenberg in Lower Saxony and then reconstructed to form the MuseumDorf.

This windmill drive is what inspired Max Friz to conceive the legendary shaft drive system for those super BMW motorcycles, much in the same away Reginald Mitchell was inspired by seagulls to design the Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire

After a brief morning at the open air musuem, I leave Cloppenberg by a super looking regional diesel multiple unit. I find it strange that these German Diesel Flyers are direct drive with 6 speed gearboxes and are therefore quite noisy to travel in. In England we would have diesel electric transmissions.

At Osnabruck HbF I transfer to an Inter City train that ultimately follows the Rhine with super views.

Why oh why does Jack Walker choose to spoil this super deHavilland -8 series 400 aircraft with a picture of George Best?

The approach to Manchester airport is from the north west and I get a super view of runway 23R and super bright approach lights as we turn onto finals.

Misc Fings

2011-06-06T10:16:00.001+01:00

I seem to take too many photographs and then I can not remember what the reason was - obviously the subject matter may be a clue but like my own handwriting I cannot decipher most of it.

Doubtless you lot will be blowing this up to pixel level but this reflects to be us in bed on television. I believe this to be the first photograph taken with my super new camera Canon IXUS 115 HS.

This is Mrs N giving some directive or other somewhere or other near the Rhein possibly in relation to the next ouzo.

This is the way I feel about the 4000 books that I inherited from my dear late Father and collector of everything that I don't have space for.

This is my new summer crash helmet with a curious chin bar and very comfortable and quiet lining.

This is the dome from a cathedral of some ancient religion that I cannot for the life of me remember what it is called.

Christmas present request

The Trams of Kharkov

2011-06-02T09:46:00.000+01:00

Trams, or street cars, hold a particular fascination to me. A city is not a city unless it has trams (exclude Wolverhampton as I don't like that place very much)

Trolley buses were prevalent in the USSR and some were exported to Athens (like this but painted yellow).

Here is a single car on a long thin route to a park outside Kharkov.

I like the over sized pantograph

The loading of walking cargo appears to take place in the middle of a busy street

This is probably the personal transport of the Mayor of Kharkov

The biggest samovar in the Ukraine

Thundersprinters are Go - F.A.B. Frank

2011-05-20T14:59:00.001+01:00

Every May the grubby but practical little Cheshire town of Northwich hosts the Thundersprint motorcycle festival devised by our Frank Melling. The main event is a GP in the car park, with 440 yards of endless right-hand bends on a dreadful surface but in the morning a cavalcade of motorycles around the town takes place where there is at least one left turn not counting the exit from the Tesco roundabout. There are also trade stands and other attractions over the weekend such as the stealth spitfire and greasy burger vans. Andrew English gives a near factual account of the event here.

Participation in the cavalcade of Northwich town centre (closed off specially for the event) is now in its 4th year for Highwaylass and me: we (and Clarky) were invited to this event by Frank Melling through our Daily Telegraph Motoring Section blogging activities for the first time some 5 years ago (and indeed Highwaylass became a DT MS guest blogger for a brief but golden period).

Highwaylass and Ruby pose next to Ferguson Doodlebug in the cavalcader's paddock.


It's Ferguson Doodlebug's third year at the event but my 4th. Every machine requires a technical inspection - even race machines that are not road legal are permitted to cavalcade but must be scrutineered first. The race machines feature heavily in the time trial later on - that is the ones that survive 3 laps of Northwich town centre.

Here is the riders perspective of the cavalcade (warning - it's long...).

The main attraction appears to be the scantily clad Bennetts Babes supplied by one of the sponsors - the only way an old letch like me can get good frontal shots of them is by asking them to hold up a map showing where Jack Riepe lives.

This is the GP in the car park bit: here in the car park various classes of classic machine run a time trial over 440 yards. This is scooter number 98 seen outpacing a portaloo.

No. 287 appears to have a rather large engine (or is it a domestic appliance on wheels?).

A Bender of a Royal Wedding German Weekend

2011-05-09T19:12:00.004+01:00

Something's gone wrong here and I can't seem to insert my text where I want so do it yourself!

Famous Ruddesheim flaming coffee sure kicks a punch.

A bike clothing shop with a wind tunnel!

A bike clothing shop with an acoustic chamber!

My first ride.

I kindly point out two features on Germania to some french tourists.

A scooterist chatting to another one.

A bike clothing shop the size of 4 ASDA superstores!

A rubber articles shop and some Crocs(tm)

A bike clothing shop with all the visors in stock!

A bike clothing shop with beer on tap!

For Jack: R.:-

Royal Spanakopita

2011-05-03T10:00:00.001+01:00

In tribute to the Royal Wedding, Nikos World's chief chef has created a much improved spanakopita* recipe suitable for any royal waistline.

Toasted pine nuts, eggs, feta and cheddar cheeses, currants, salt, pepper, spinach, butter, olive oil,nutmeg and oregano wrapped in filo pastry and cooked in an oven.

The dome of Aghia Sophia Cathedral in Moscow Road, London

The perfect spanakopita served on Easter Sunday.

Shop window in Royal Windsor

*strictly speaking a spanakotyropita

Up to Geordie Land

2011-04-26T15:03:00.001+01:00

"Me Oolfa will piss aal ower yer GTI" - that was Bob telling me that his rust bucket Alfa Romeo Giulleta would go faster than a Golf GTI that I could only dream of owning back then in 1977 but was talking about in the college bar. I did not mention the broken down Yamaha RD200 that I owned then. My first exposure to Geordie as a college freshman still resonates in the annals of my University memories alongwith Newcastle Brown beer and cheap sherry from Unwins probably produced in Cyprus.

Ready for early dawn departure

I digress -

I decided to ride my newly updated for 2011 GS (more anon.) to Durham for the BMW Owners Club AGM as I had read that the lunchtime sandwiches would be free. There would be a dinner and guest speaker too.

I followed Lori's instructions to the letter to embed this route map into the blog (Lori does my map look big in this?):

View Larger Map

Leaving home at 7pm on a cloudless but crisp morning I scooted around to the west of Salford and Manchester and started out across the Penines on the highest motorway in England (at 1,221 feet (372 m)) - mist clinged in the valleys either side of me as transited Leeds barely an hour from leaving Knutsford to commence the great trek north.

The famous Stott Hall Farm flanked by the carriageways of the highest motorway in England

Helpful signs guide me through Durham

Many nice BMW motorcycles - I did not realise until later that a prize would be awarded for the best machine and I had parked my bike at the halls of residence far away from the scrutiny of the judges.

Cathedral


Not Charley Boorman, Cliff is marketing US made Jesse luggage - I take a fancy to the lockable mounting box on which a standard top box can sit.

The camping family on manouvres

The next day I teamed up with a charming camping couple from Wales for the scenic ride back across the stunningly scenic Yorkshire Dales. Naturally I meet them at the camp site down by the river and we ride in the company of approximately 29,900 other bikers and 29,901 Nissan Micras across the moors turning left at Blea Common Historical monument.

The Ribblehead railway viaduct at Blea Common - the only place where we stopped and hence the only photo opportunity

Tomato ketchup and visor wash

Two Wheel Parish Last Weekend News Round Up

2011-04-18T10:36:00.004+01:00

Spring has arrived and foraging for food on the yellow spangled Cheshire road sides under the Think Bike! signs and around the daffodils is possible.

Stella has arrived and Tubbyballs has gone to a new home in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Nikos has taken refresher training and is now claiming her seat on Stella.

Mrs Nikos sustained a blow out on the Tissington Trail and I did not have a bicycle pump - I had a haircut after seeing photograph #4 below.

FRIDAY

Tubbyballs draws admiring looks from the youngsters in George street on her way to the lucky new owner in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Nikos and Instructor Rob following a successful day in Salford - I believe that he reacquainted her with riding a motorcycle after a gap of 20 years.

SATURDAY

The junction of the High Peak and Tissington Trails - these cycle and hiking trails use disused railway line routes.


9 miles out and Mrs Nikos buys new acquaintances Anne and Jim a cup of tea to thank them for showing me how to fix a puncture in her bicycle tyre.


Beautiful Peak District National Park and characteristic loose stone walls dating back to the neolithic age (probably).

Puncture fixed and we head towards Hadrian's Wall

NEVER ON SUNDAY

Stella's first outing.

Mrs Nikos on tip toe with Stella - here ballet training has finally come in useful again .

After a hearty weekend of cycling and motorcycling what better food to eat than dandelion leaves gathered from the roundabout island of the Northwich A556 junction - a variation of the Greek horta is born in the Nikos World kitchen: πράσινοι καπνοί diesel αρώματος σαλάτας φύλλων.

Engineered to be the Best - Flew Above the Rest

2011-04-11T16:30:00.001+01:00

The Manchester Aviation Viewing Park provides in equal measures runway side viewing of a relatively busy international airport, a cafe with screaming kids running around causing mayhem, and a static aviation park that hosts the first British Airways Concorde airliner housed in a purpose built hangar.

Tours must be booked - we elected to go on the nerds special 45 minute certificated tour.

This is really rather special as one is allowed to feel the joystick (yoke) and fondle the volume controls (throttles) - reheat is preselected and cuts in when they reach 100%.

Something not found on an Airbus - nose droop control lever (aka droop snoot knob) - required because the vortex flow generated by Concorde's delta wing at high angles of attack reduces the forward visibility at take off and landing. Concorde does not need slats and flaps like an Airbus for take off and landing - the vortex flow acts like a giant Dyson vacuum cleaner and sucks the 180 tonnes or so of aircraft into the air..

Captain Nikos' twin brother bites his lip as the tour guide John has his third nervous breakdown trying to answer impossible questions from a devout Concorde expert.

Manchester airport from the Concorde flight deck - droop snoot down - obviously.

Hello good evening and welcome - David Frost once sat here commuting to New York from London Interior redesign by Habitat - small windows to peep through. Centre arm rests fold away and swivel by 180 degrees and depict speedbird motif (a BOAC thing) . Seatbelts have been stolen by a Liverpudlian visiting school party.

The paraffin dart - 202ft long when cold but due to supersonic compressive heating expanded by 1ft in supersonic cruise where it flew faster than a rifle bullet.

Previously never seen before top secret image from the Nikos World wind tunnel of an Airfix 1:144 model shows the pre Dyson vortex flow established as high angles of attack

Underneath the double delta wing - notice the camber that at high angle of attack allows the clean and stable formation of that vortex flow that I keep banging on about

Nikos' Sunday Strolls No. 59 - Circumnavigation of Chester

2011-04-03T13:58:00.001+01:00

Why not start the walking tour of the City of Chester with an exploration of 19C plumbing and sanitation (more anon.).


Here is a line of terraced houses, probably over 100 years old each with a privy* at the end of the garden fronting on to the back passage.

*An outhouse, a small structure (holding a single person, and freestanding) for defecation and urination

If you want to find out about Chester read this without my warped views----------->CLICK HERE .

All I know is this is a good place to take Mrs Nikos on stroll around as the Roman city walls still mostly remain and avoid us having to mix with the riff raff shoppers and the city could have been as important as Liverpool has become except that malicious Welsh people threw their rubbish into the River Dee thus silting it up and making it unavigable from the sea to Chester docks. There are also Hein Gericke and Maplin shops usefully located near Cheshire's main Triumph dealer (that 800 XC triple fits me like a dream incidentally) that we pass on our way from Knutsford.

Some Roman stuff


Some Victorian stuff


Some contempory stuff inserted into some Norman stuff

The Cathedral boasts wonderous and informative stained glass windows offering delightful prospects


The view over Northgate locks thought by some** to be the design from which many of the locks of the Panama canal were modelled.

**Some old drunk who accosted Mrs Nikos

Having passed Chester Race Course, we have now made a minor deviation from the walls to cross the River Dee on the old bridge and stroll through the Groves.


The weir - behind us is the sea - during some phases of the moon the weir is covered for 2 minutes at high tide.


Weir, walls and walkers

Finally, we cross over Enoch Gerrard esq's 1852 suspension bridge to leave the Groves and return to the affluent Queen's Park area

Moriskentänzerin Shock Horror

2011-04-01T11:20:00.000+01:00

No April Fool spoof this but Border Morris from the English-Welsh border: a simpler, looser, more vigorous style, normally danced with blackened faces.

Two Museums, Mein Kampf and a Ship Canal

2011-03-31T16:40:00.002+01:00

The Imperial War Museum North - broken egg shell architecture by Daniel Libeskind as viewed from the Salford side of the Manchester Ship canal. The building behind is a flour mill.

Large facade - small entrance door.

Keep calm and carry on

As I said...

Trabant papier mache in motion - this war museum focuses on the effects of war on people and society and Iron Curtain junk (no Ural motorcycle on display as presumably they could not afford the product placement fee)

Compulsory reading for every married couple in the Third Reich

The tallest of the broken shells has a viewing point and curiously the dioramas carry braile writing - a thoughtful but possibly misplaced touch.

Across the canal at Salford Quays the Lowry Centre houses a small collection of works of the local painter LS Lowry

Naughty Nikos


Even the Lowry has a junk shop selling tittle tattle

As a result of Liverpudlians ripping off the Mancunians, a canal was completed in 1894 that connected Manchester docks with the sea. People from Manchester travel to Liverpool to this day to visit their wheel trims and car radios.

============O===========

Addendum and Health warning for Gadjo Dilo

Beginners Guide to Kink Instability

2011-03-21T11:08:00.002Z

Looking back at the 45 years or so of my life spent living within 35 miles of London, I probably went there for touristic reasons approximately three times. OK, I spent about 5 years commuting to and fro and my dear old Dad used to take me regularly to the Tottenham Court Road to buy his collection of crappy ex-military valve radios that I could not even give away 20 years later - this early symptom became a full blown handed down Nikos family syndrome of filling up garages with junk. I remember passing by Pride and Clark in Stockwell (from where I bought my second motorcycle in 1976, a Yamaha RD200, RD standing for "Run Down").

Preamble over, get to the point Nikos.

Now (I do mean now) I live near Manchester and have decided to visit the place at least three times as a tourist - this is last Saturday's effort supported ably by Mrs Nikos.

This is the eclectic Beetham Tower, home of the Manchester Hilton - in the foreground the former Manchester Central station - now GMex conference centre.

This is China Town

Hazard awareness sign post - a swinging tram

MOSI - click here to find out more - A memorial telling us how Manchester used to be the seat of Engineering and scientific excellence.

A replica of Robert Stephenson's 1830 Planet Locomotive provides joy rides.


A wheelchair trike with mobility power and style ------>>click here

Contra rotating propellors on an Avro Shackleton maritime patrol aircraft built at Woodford near Manchester, powered by the RR Griffon "thirsty for fuel and oil, noisy and temperamental with high-maintenance needs. In 1961, these engines needed top overhauls every 400 hours and went through a spate of ejecting spark plugs from their cylinder heads"- sounds like my sort of engine then. Interestingly, the Napier Nomad was earmarked for this aeroplane - a Twelve-cylinder, two-stroke valveless diesel engine compounded with three-stage turbine driving both crankshaft and axial compressor.

The top end of the RR Merlin engine, closely related to the Griffon but with more trouser than mouth designed for performance at higher altitudes - only 48 valve tappet adjustments required every month.

One of two prototype English Electric Lightnings - 0-60mph in 2 seconds and 36,000 feet about 178 secs later. Designed by real men using slide rules.

My BMW cylinder head - only 8 tappets to adjust every 6,000 miles.

In 1954 Metropolitan-Vickers began research into nuclear fusion containment under the curious project code name ZETA - Zero Energy Thermonuclear Assembly - it never caught on.

There was some other girly stuff to see at MOSI with textiles and steam engines on display too but we needed to partake in "High Tea" at the Midland Hotel.

Mein Carnival

2011-03-13T08:30:00.001Z

Team Nikos emerged from the house entrance onto the Carnival parade scene on Rhein Strasse a pig, a cow and a lanky chicken wearing 3 layers of thermal underwear as despite the blue sky and sun, the temperature was a trifle brisk around the gonads. This year we resumed the full meatball catering service. We did not make it too far as we met up with a Russian lady whose husband kept giving us vodka. As the pig and cow cannot drink to excess unlike the chicken the chicken became rapidly pickled.

First things first - beer and meatballs

The camera is playing up again

The traditional Helau salute

Vegetarian alternative

Always good to see mounted police ladies in such fine fettle.

Mrs Nikos adores Carnival - Helau darling.

Google buttocks protest

The camera has a glitch yet again - must be the fancy "face detection" function playing up

Only 30% proof, this stuff slips down a treat.

Trike with blue hair.

March Musings

2011-03-05T20:13:00.002Z

So far March has been a bit of a disaster on the IT front but I can report excellent milk foam in Wiesbaden.

This is a demonstration of an important scientific discovery filmed today in Wiesbaden - a spoon resting on milk foam.

If this appears on your computer screen scream. It took me 3 days to rectify and this machine was supposed to have been protected against trojans by state of the art security software. Do not send $79.99 to Murdoch Spyware Inc (a division of Slater Nazi PLC) when prompted so to do.

This is a copy of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens in Tatton Park - I like to take a walk during my lunch hour or two and discovered this quite by chance.

According to Auto Fahrt this is the new mini Mini. When the new Mini came out some 10 years ago (?) I was keen to test drive it but was mighty disappointed as it handled worse than my VW Passat and had less space inside than a Smart car. A pretty pointless vehicle and a poor testament to the brilliant concept created by Alec Issigonis. I suspect that the mini Mini will be similar, all crumple zone and no trouser.

Meanwhile back in the workshop I am fiddling with the valve clearances on a classic air cooled boxer engine to retain my sanity from IT driven hysterical madness. But life is not so simple - the rocker shaft end float has to be adjusted first. The newly acquired motorcycle lift is a boon in cheap Chinese manufacture and convenience.

Carnival Capers Condundrum

2011-03-01T19:33:00.006Z

In Mrs Nikos' home town there is some sort of heavy mass hysterical get together on Rosenmontag aka "Karneval". This year that will take place in Wiesbaden (twinned with Tunbridge Wells) this coming Sunday (?) and celebrations joyously include "....dressing up in fancy costumes, dancing, parades, heavy drinking and general public displays with floats".
Question is do I return to my award winning get on German TV fetish giraffe disguise or shall I be a pink cuddly pig or even a kangaroo? Last year the beer barrel proved a large flop and the pig had a nasty fall on sheet ice. I could try that one provided that the lycra will accommodate 20 layers of thermals to pad me out and I will definitely wear my electric Gerbings motorcycle gloves to keep my extremities warm (current forecast Clear. High: 4 °C. Wind SSW 27 km/h. Windchill: -6 °C). Flippin Heck.

Team Nikos following the abortive interview on a German TV channel (Libary photo courtesy of KinkyFernsehen Auspufen GMBH.)

Melina's Smile

2011-02-25T21:55:00.000Z

The theme is a solitary actress in the big city. We ended up eating dinner at Scholarcheio and buying a really useful tray.

The bust of Melinia Mercouri

View of the Temple of Athena from the Acropolis Museum

Orsome cat reenacts the Third Man in Old Athens

I do wish Mrs Nikos would stop pointing out blemishes in my keftedes

A perfect trio of dolma

A really useful Swinging tray

How to Spot the Dick: All you ever wanted to know.

2011-02-10T08:14:00.003Z

The results of my recent psychometric analysis carried out with scant questionnaire data given to the Illustrious One (no names but Jack you know who you are), reminded me of an early relationship that was carried out and sustained by the illusion and pretense that I periodically produce a wonderful spotted dick. In reality it flopped prophetically every time as I neglected to add some vital ingredient. The currant Mrs Nikos has never heard of spotted dick (although her Mother imposes dried and out of date Stollen on me).

Spotted dick is a steamed suet pudding containing currants and should be served with custard. Spotted refers to the dried fruit (which resemble spots) and dick may be a contraction or corruption of the Greek expression φουσκάλες στον κόκκορα. Another explanation offered by wikipedia for the word "dick" is that it comes from the German word for "thick", dicht or dick.

Useful Tool of the week spot:


This useful dolly was purchased for €79 from the nice man at the excellent Polo motorcycle accessory emporium near Wiesbaden. I can now swivel Mrs Nikos' old heap and shove it right up against the wall of the shed out of harms way.

Picture Quiz spot - answers on a postcard please.

What is the purpose of this appendage on Wilhelm I's back side?

In the next installment I propose to address the difficult problem of dealing with goat tracks in Southern Greece.

Spotted on ebay Egypt going cheap - will this solve my transportation problems or drop me in even more poo?

Yorkshire Caviar

2011-01-28T11:09:00.002Z

It continues to entertain me that any trip however short on a 15 year old wheezing and popping BMW K75 motorcycle leads to all wonder of discoveries and new experiences (other than near death experiences and freezing nadgers).

Why, only last weekend I was attempting a modest 10 mile trip in pursuit of pie and peas at my second Northern Section BMW Club meeting. These events appear to be gatherings of enthusiasts of both sexes and the range of conversations is wide including free bus passes, camping adventures in Beddgellert in February and the Nurburgring. The Greeks have a delightful way of describing these folk:

Καρποί με κέλυφος από κάθε είδος των καρπών με κέλυφος δένδρο.

So, what is all this about?

Discovery 1: My GPS battery ran down within 100 yards of home and that I can catch the device when it falls off the bike at speed. Here is where it used to be.

Discovery 2: The Manchester Ship canal has a toll bridge that any normal person would avoid by using the M6 Motorway and the wind swept Thelwall Viaduct. The toll man waved me through with a cheery 2 finger salute as I had failed to find 12p whilst a queue of 30 cars built up behind me.

Discovery 3: The village of Rixton does not actually exist and therefore there are no sign posts pointing towards it. The reason that the Village Hall is called “Rixton Village Community Hall” escapes me.

Discovery 4: Pie and mushy peas - mushy peas is known playfully as Yorkshire Caviar.

I was struck the other day by the remarkable resemblance of mushy peas (aka Yorkshire Caviar) and slurry. One tastes disgusting and the other is most probably disgusting. Are they related by any chance?


Mushy Peas

Slurry

Tool of the Week

2011-01-18T12:05:00.000Z

This prize goes to the angle grinder fitted with wire brush - removed paint, encrusted goat shit and a whole lot more from the GS engine protection bars within minutes.

Second prize goes to the wheelie bin, without which I would probably have lost a few limbs.